The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 163: The Story of the Golden Apple – (1)

At last, the wedding had ended… Time in the Underworld, now quiet once more, passed swiftly.  

At my temple in Thebes, I had even crafted an idol for the goddess Nyx.

"Lord Hades has issued an oracle. Create an idol for Lady Nyx, the goddess of night..."

"Lady Nyx? Did he command us to create an idol for one of the Protogenoi and spread her renown?"

"Did such a deity reside in the Underworld?"

Occasionally, I tasked Dike, the goddess of justice, with disciplining gods or mortals.  

Lately, humans had grown stronger and dared to mock the gods or commit heinous acts.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Of course, I also paid a visit to Alecto, one of the Furies who, for some reason, hadn’t attended the wedding.

"Alecto?"

"Sob… Hades. Why is it that the other goddesses are fine, but not me?"

"Well, that’s… uh…"

"It’s my hideous hair, isn’t it? Or the blood flowing from my eyes?"

It took great effort to calm her down as she pleaded for my affection.  

Who could’ve imagined that one of the Furies would harbor feelings for me?  

But recklessly taking on more wives was out of the question…

Sigh…  

As I mulled over my headache-inducing thoughts, the door opened, and the goddess Styx entered.  

She was adorned beautifully today as well. Hmm. Could it be… no, surely not.

"Hades, have you heard about Thetis getting married?"

"Ah, yes. I received the message Zeus sent, but I didn’t think it necessary for me to attend."  

"To someone named Peleus, wasn’t it? It seems she’s genuinely in love with that mortal hero..."

The union of mortals and gods bore fruit once more.  

First Cadmus, then Heracles, and now even Thetis… Heroes seemed to be drawing closer to the divine.

"Hades! It’s terrible. Something terrible has happened!"

"…Lethe?"

In the middle of my conversation with Styx, the goddess Lethe came rushing in.  

Now what?

Mother is missing!"

"Lady Eris? Surely, she’s just attending to some matter—"

"No, that’s not it! She was furious about not being invited to Thetis’ wedding and stormed off!"

What? Lady Eris wasn’t invited to the wedding? And she ran off in anger? This could only mean trouble.

She’s definitely up to something.  

"They even sent invitations to the goddess of famine and Lady Gaia, but my mother was the only one left out!"

While destiny cannot always guarantee happiness, justice, or good events, I had hoped she would let it slide just this once…!

"I need to head there immediately. Where is the wedding being held?"

"At the Olympus Palace."

I hurriedly left the Underworld and dashed to Olympus.

Conflict is an ever-present element of fate, one that cannot be avoided.  

But this particular conflict was about to unfold at the wedding of Thetis, who was prophesied to bear a son greater than his father.

If the wedding is ruined, what happens to the prophecy?  

What about Zeus? How will the king of the gods react?  

Preventing a disaster before it begins is the only way to avoid a greater hassle later.  

* * *

But when I arrived at Thetis’ wedding, I realized I was already too late.

The wedding of the gods, held above the clouds, was filled with shouting and arguments.

"Ha! As the queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and family, it’s only natural that I deserve this golden apple!"

Lady Hera, you may say that, but it clearly belongs to the goddess with the greatest wisdom and capability—me."

With the inscription as it is, wouldn’t it make sense for it to belong to the goddess of beauty and love—me? To claim to be more beautiful than I am…"

Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.  

The three goddesses were arguing over a single golden apple. 

As rare as a golden apple might be, I had a few myself.

Besides, one of Hera’s possessions was an entire golden apple tree… There had to be another reason for this.

I pushed through the gathered gods and called for Ares.

"Ares."

"Oh! Uncle Hades, you’re here."

"What’s going on here? Why are those three goddesses fighting over a mere golden apple?"

Ares rubbed his temples with a troubled expression and began explaining. 

"Well, it’s because the golden apple is inscribed with ‘To the most beautiful goddess'."

"Ah."

"I’m guessing it’s the work of Lady Eris, the goddess of discord. There’s no helping it."

Ares shrugged, but the awkward expression on his face was obvious.

Now it all made sense. This was a battle of egos, plain and simple.  

While Aphrodite was undoubtedly the most beautiful, it seemed each of them had interpreted the inscription differently.

"So, who do you think should get the apple?"

"I believe it’s only right for Lady Hera to have it. If not the queen of the gods, then who else would suit such an apple…"

"But isn’t the wisest and most capable goddess Athena the rightful owner?"

"If we’re going by the literal meaning of the inscription, shouldn’t it go to Aphrodite?" 

"If we’re taking the inscription literally, wouldn’t it be proper to give it to Lady Aphrodite?"

Hera had interpreted the phrase as referring to the most dignified and excellent goddess.  

Athena took it to mean the most outstanding and capable goddess.  

Aphrodite, on the other hand, took it at face value, seeing it as referring to the most beautiful goddess.

Even if I tried to mediate, it wouldn’t do any good.  

Those three likely already knew they were interpreting the inscription differently. This really was just a matter of pride.

The fact that Hera wasn’t overpowering the other two with sheer force showed her intentions.

She wanted to claim the golden apple with eloquence and widespread acknowledgment.

* * *

The wedding, which was supposed to mark the beginning of a new life and be a blessed occasion, was already filled with chaos.  

The quarreling goddesses were no minor deities—they were among the highest-ranked gods, above even the Twelve Olympians. 

In this situation, there weren’t many who could intervene.  

Hymenaeus, the god of marriage, could only show an awkward expression, and Dike, the goddess of justice, held back her frustration.

Even the bride and groom, who should have been the focus of the day, pretended not to notice and avoided involvement.

Even Poseidon, one of the Three great gods, seemed annoyed as he debated whether to step in or not.  

"Ahem. This is a wedding, after all. Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to have such an argument here…?"

Many averted their eyes, wary of accidentally inciting the wrath of the three goddesses.  

Watching this unfold, I let out a long sigh and stepped forward. 

"So, the rightful owner of this apple is…"

“It clearly says it’s for the most beautiful! Obviously, I, Aphrodite…”

"What on earth are you all doing at Thetis’ wedding?"

The heated debate among the goddesses halted as they turned sharp glares toward me.

Who dared to interfere? Their hostility was evident—until they recognized me and softened their gazes.

“Hades. The golden apple tree itself belongs to me. Naturally, the most graceful and excellent goddess—me—should have it. Do you believe it’s right for unworthy goddesses to take it?”

"Lady Hera! While I acknowledge you as the foremost among goddesses, I cannot yield this apple. As the most capable and exceptional goddess, I deserve it!"

"Ha! What are you all talking about? It clearly says it’s for the most beautiful! The goddess of beauty is right here, how can anyone else claim it?” 

"Enough! Everyone quiet down and listen to me."

At my command, the three goddesses momentarily stopped bickering.  

"Why are you fighting over such a trivial thing? Wouldn’t it make more sense to give the golden apple to Thetis, the bride of this wedding?"

"Absolutely not!"

"No way!"

"That’s unacceptable!"

Fine, then. What do you expect me to do? Are you going to keep arguing here?  

Even pride needs a proper time and place—causing a scene at a wedding is beyond ridiculous!  

Should I just suppress them with authority? But I can’t do that to Hera.  

No matter how annoying she gets, the queen of the gods deserves respect.  

However, if this were my wedding and they were behaving this way, I wouldn’t have let it slide, not even for Hera.  

No matter who they were, I would have thrown them all out to the Underworld. 

"What do you all think you’re doing at a wedding!!!"

Yes, just like that.  

* * *

Thetis wasn’t a goddess anyone disliked, and her mortal groom, Peleus, is Zeus’s grandson.

So it was only natural for Zeus to be this angry.

It was only natural for Zeus to be furious in this situation.

"Instead of blessing this union, you’re causing a fight at a wedding? What a spectacle."

Zeus stormed over with a scowl, picking up the golden apple.  

"The owner of this apple will be decided later! Right now, we must focus on celebrating the newlywed couple!"

"Understood…"

"Alright, dear."

"If you insist, Zeus…"

Thankfully, they all seemed to let it go for the time being.  

Yes, fight about it later. Seriously, what were they thinking, causing a scene at someone else’s wedding?

I walked over to Thetis and her mortal groom.  

Now that I was here, I might as well offer my congratulations. 

"Ahem. Well, despite the earlier commotion, congratulations on your wedding, Lady Thetis."

"Thank you…"

“And to you, mortal Peleus.”

"Thank you, Lord of the Underworld!"

After offering a few words of blessing and a suitable wedding gift, I headed straight for Zeus.  

He was staring at the troublesome golden apple that had caused all this trouble, deep in thought.

"Zeus."

"I’m trying to figure out who I should give this to. It’s such a headache."

"Honestly, it might be best to interpret it literally and give it to Aphrodite."

"That would only lead to another fight."

If he split the golden apple into three pieces, they’d accuse him of mocking them.  

If he gave it to one goddess, the other two would bear grudges.  

If he used his authority to give it to Thetis, the bride, all three goddesses would be offended.  

In that case, wouldn’t it make sense to leave the decision to someone everyone could accept? 

Zeus seemed to have reached the same conclusion as I had. He turned to me and said:  

Could you make the decision, Brother Hades? As the ruler of the Underworld and a god renowned for fairness, even if there’s some discontent, everyone would accept your judgment."

"You’ve got to be kidding me..."

Don’t dump this mess on me.