Filling the endless abyss of the Underworld, or transforming its barren soil into fertile land, was no easy feat.
Eros was drenched in sweat, yet he gritted his teeth and kept at it, loosening the hardened ground for Hades.
Fortunately, despite its long desolation, the Underworld still possessed a few major rivers that flowed with abundant currents. And with the presence of the Blissful Fields, a pocket of beautiful and fertile land, there was still hope.
All it took was a bit of re-channeling, connecting the rivers to flow naturally through the right paths. The waters would then carry nourishment to the barren land, making this massive undertaking far more manageable.
So Eros did the only thing he could, dig hard. He chiseled away at the key points in the riverbeds, hammering them over and over without rest.
Even when white silt started pouring into the Blissful Fields as the Underworld rivers shifted course, he didn't stop. He continued his work deep in the muddy water, forging new canals.
And so, for nine full days and nights, he toiled without any concept of time, sunless and moonless in this eternal dusk.
Long enough, perhaps, for a fallen Morning Star to plummet from the heavens to the lowest pit of Hell.
And even then, all he managed was a preliminary cultivation of the Underworld, he'd barely scratched the surface of this dark queen's dominion. (Whoops, Freudian slip.)
When the clouds of passion finally cleared, Hades leaned against him, her face aglow with a satisfaction she had never known before.
Her sheer black dress had been torn apart countless times, only to be repaired each time by their divine power.
Through the split hem, her ankles, wrapped in black, semi-transparent garter stockings, peeked out. The delicate lace edging of the garters was clearly visible from where the skirt had ripped.
Eros adored her look.
It held the allure of a grieving widow and the mystique of a deathly bride, elegant, eerie, irresistible.
After devouring the fruits of this "victory," he was quite content with his journey to the Underworld.
Queen and King of the Dead, both claimed. Even Styx, the goddess of oaths, had been tasted.
A grand slam of the underworld lineup. Utter satisfaction.
He wasn't here for quantity. Unlike the parties held by the Sea Thrones, where countless sea goddesses gathered in droves, so many he couldn't even remember their names.
In the end, the only one who left a strong impression was Amphitrite. The rest? Just appetizers.
But here in the Underworld, including Hera of Tartarus, he'd enjoyed not one, not two, but four grand feasts.
"Eros, are you… planning to leave soon?"
Hades nestled close to him, clinging to every second of this moment.
In both body and soul, she had been completely filled by him.
The emptiness inside her had vanished, replaced by overwhelming contentment, not a single corner left unfilled.
But she was perceptive. She could sense it, Eros was beginning to think about leaving.
"Mm. I just have a few things to take care of. Once that's done, I'll head back to the surface."
Eros thought aloud.
He needed to wrap up some deals, Athena and Hecate's affairs, for one. Then he could temporarily leave the Underworld.
After all, Hypnos and Thanatos didn't stay down here all the time. There would still be chances to meet them on the surface.
He'd spent long enough down here, it was time to return to the land of the living.
"Oh..."
Hades responded faintly. She said nothing more on the surface.
But inside, even with Eros's reassurances, her obsessive nature hadn't entirely subsided.
At this moment, her mind was spinning, thinking of ways to make him stay just a bit longer.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[Your relationship with Hades has reached "Trusted Companion" level. You may now use the "Kindler of Flame" skill.]
As Eros debated where to head next, rescuing Io or visiting Amphitrite in the Sea Thrones, the system's prompt chimed.
A sign that his bond with Hades had reached a true, soul-sharing level.
Still, this skill? It didn't seem very useful. Curiously, Eros selected it anyway, just to see what Hades specialized in.
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: "Slacking Off"]
Huh???
Eros blinked in disbelief. Was that a mistake? Surely it meant fishing, not slacking off, right?
But no. After double-checking, it really was "Slacking Off."
His hopes crumbled into dust.
"Seriously? Everyone I meet has the weirdest skills. Slacking is now a specialty?!"
Frustrated, Eros let out a couple of annoyed grunts, and smacked Hades's plump rear with an audible slap.
The soft flesh beneath her sheer dress rippled with a tempting wave.
"What was that for?" Hades arched her back instinctively, cheeks flushing red.
"Wait, don't tell me you want to go again already…"
Even as she spoke, her hands crept to her buttons, undoing them one by one.
"No, that's not what I meant, "
Eros tried to stop her, to explain, but his hand had already wandered of its own accord, sinking into the abyss once more.
"Ah, whatever. This works too."
This time, they didn't go for another nine-day marathon. Just a short session, a sweet review of the previous lessons.
After all, it wouldn't be fair to keep the others waiting too long.
Once they were done, Hades quickly buttoned up her clothes and smoothed out her skirt.
After checking thoroughly that nothing was out of place, she and Eros returned to the Blissful Fields.
Waiting for them was Minta, whose expression had become even more sorrowful.
She looked at the two of them with quiet grief in her eyes.
She knew all too well what had happened during those nine days.
But she couldn't say anything. All she could do was fulfill her duty as a maid.
The sorrow and humiliation in her heart painted a kaleidoscope of emotion across her face.
Inside the chamber, Demeter and Persephone were already waiting.
"You're late, Hades. How dare you make me wait this long?"
Demeter's tone held a hint of displeasure.
Sure, she'd calmed down thanks to Eros's "personality-adjusting palm," and had been talked around by Athena and Persephone.
But when it came to Hades, her attitude was still far from warm.
Not that Hades cared, this kind of cold tone was par for the course with her sister.
Now that her heart had found a new anchor, she no longer clung to old obsessions.
With a soft snort, Hades didn't argue. She simply sat down.
"Enough with the nonsense. You don't need to dictate my life anymore. Let's talk about Persephone instead."
Though it was settled that Persephone would be the Queen of the Underworld, Hades had used a secret ritual to alter her divine nature.
Now, Persephone couldn't leave the Underworld without consequence, something they needed to discuss.
"Then take your time. Just try not to argue again."
Eros glanced at Demeter's now-serene face and felt a pang of emotion.
This was so much better than the crazed version of her from before, he could never bring himself to be interested in that.
Demeter didn't even look at him. She didn't seem resentful about the slap, nor did she spare him any extra attention.
"I'll go find Athena. Persephone, make sure these two don't start yelling at each other again."
With that instruction, Eros left the room and gave them space.
In another chamber, Athena was chatting with Hypnos.
Thanatos had already left after completing Nyx's mission.
Poor Hypnos, bound by an unfair contract, still had to escort Eros back to the Underworld's entrance, and waited here miserably.
"Goddess Athena, sorry to keep you waiting."
Eros appeared before her, full of vigor.
"Just call me Athena. You don't need to keep using 'goddess' all the time."
Athena shook her head, her gaze toward Eros tinged with something peculiar.
"You know how hard it was for me to cover for you, right? Persephone is terrible at lying."
"She nearly spilled everything to Demeter more than once, I had to twist my brain into knots to keep your story straight."
The Queen of the Underworld had her wife stolen... and then she herself got stolen too?
It was the most absurd thing Athena had ever seen.
And yet, to prevent another rampage from Demeter, she'd been forced to become an accomplice.
"Ahem. Once we're back on Olympus, I'll be counting on you to keep this under wraps too."
"Sigh. I'll do what I can. But she's bound to figure it out sooner or later."
Athena sighed deeply. Eros's biggest flaw was that he was just... too damn seductive.
"It's fine. Just need to buy a little time."
Eros definitely didn't want to be on Demeter's radar right now.
Later on, if she found out, so be it.
It wasn't like she could find him easily. And by then, Hera would be the bigger issue on Olympus.
One angry goddess at a time.
He wasn't worried. Not even a little.
"So, what was the other thing you said you wanted to talk about?"
Athena brought the conversation back to the main topic.
If Eros dared say it was just an excuse to chat and flirt, she'd walk out and never trust his "urgent business" again.
Thankfully, this time, he did have a serious reason.
From his microcosmos, Eros produced a glowing divine essence, and gently handed it to Athena.
"This is the divine essence of Pallas, goddess of war, strategy, politics... and Andromeda's throne."
"I thought it might be a perfect fit for you, so I brought it as a gift."
The moment it appeared in his palm, Athena's eyes locked onto it.
This essence held a natural pull for her, and hearing about its former Authority only deepened the connection.
It was almost instinctive, she instantly grasped how important and compatible it was.
"Where… where did you get this?"
Eros smiled knowingly and began his tale:
"Well, it all started after I fell into the Abyss…"
Watching nearby, Hypnos slowly opened her mouth, her eyes filling with confusion.
Why did that story sound... oddly familiar?
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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