King of Underworld

Side Story - Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty and Love (2)

Descending to the Underworld with Aphrodite, who looked around curiously at the unfamiliar and somber scenery, we drew many gazes.
The souls crossing the five rivers of the Underworld, as well as gods like Charon, all turned to stare.

“Hades... Who is that beautiful goddess standing beside you?”
“This is Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty. She will be helping with the Underworld’s affairs for a while.”
“Is that so? Ahem. I am Hypnos. Perhaps we could have a conversation...”
“Oh my, I’m sorry, but I like Lord Hades.”

“H-Hades? Who is this goddess now?”
“Goddess Styx. This is the Goddess of Beauty. I brought her here temporarily to stop a conflict on Olympus...”
Crack. “...You’re sure there’s nothing between you?”
“...Of course.”

With her radiance, fitting of a goddess of beauty and love, Aphrodite cast a glow upon the Underworld, which led to some misunderstandings.
Bearing envious, jealous, and bewildered gazes, we finally reached the throne room.

“Hehe. There are quite a lot of interesting people here in the Underworld.”

As Aphrodite flipped her golden hair and smiled, I felt countless troublesome thoughts rush into my mind.
She truly was beautiful. If I had left her on Olympus, war would have broken out eventually.

Bringing her to the Underworld, where there were fewer gods and where old gods like Thanatos had little interest in women, seemed a safer choice... But would she manage her work properly?
Well, if I left it to her for a few centuries, she would grow accustomed to it.

“The work you’ll handle in the Underworld is paperwork. It will feel unfamiliar at first, but you’ll get used to it over time, so don’t worry. Also, as someone mentioned earlier, do not eat any food from the Underworld.”
“Why shouldn’t I eat the food here?”
“Those who consume the food of the Underworld become bound to it. That is the rule. If the Goddess of Beauty and Love were to belong to the Underworld, it could cause strange misunderstandings for mortals.”
“What do you mean by misunderstandings? Why shouldn’t I be here?”
“It could make death itself seem beautiful.”