CHAPTER 105: CHAPTER 105: I THINK THIS HADES CLEARLY ONLY RESPONDS TO TOUGH LOVE

Hades’ sudden invitation didn’t catch Eros off guard, he’d already rehearsed for this scenario.

"Secretary to the Queen of the Underworld? No, no, I prefer... something a bit more unique."

"If you want me to be your close personal advisor or something, I might be willing to try that."

With polite smoothness, Eros rejected her offer.

Staying in the Underworld permanently? Not a chance. Even if Hades could keep his body, she could never keep his heart.

Hades knew that too, which was why she tried the gentle approach, an invitation rather than an order.

But she never had high hopes. After all, Zeus would never let this slide quietly.

She was already preparing herself for the moment Zeus came knocking, demanding she return both Eros and Persephone.

"Hah... then what if I offered you the role of King Consort of the Underworld? Would you stay then?"

Hades suddenly turned serious and stared Eros down.

"Ahem... well, about that..."

Before Eros could reply, Hades had already seen through him.

"It’s not about the title, is it? You just don’t want to stay long-term."

"What if I said... just one night? A temporary consort, for tonight only."

Eros didn’t even hesitate.

"Seriously? That I can totally do."

A temporary King Consort for just one night, no problem at all!

Seeing the way Eros instantly perked up, Hades sighed helplessly.

"I take back what I said about you being like Zeus."

"You’re even more shameless than she is."

"I’d prefer if you said ’straightforward,’ thank you."

Eros spoke without a trace of shame.

"Is there anything wrong with appreciating beauty?"

"If I pretended I wasn’t interested in you or lied about it, that would be the real insult."

He looked her directly in the eyes, if he was going to be lewd, he was going to do it with pride.

Hades, who had long stopped wearing her veil around Eros, even turned her head away a little, looking slightly embarrassed.

"What a shame..."

"Shame about what? Don’t tell me you were actually considering it?"

Seeing Eros’s mock-hurt reaction, the tiny sliver of hesitation in Hades’ heart vanished.

"I was, a little. But now I think I’ll pass."

Eros had no intention of staying in the Underworld, and that truly was a shame.

From every angle, he was a fine partner. Even if they ended up lovers, Hades wouldn’t mind.

She didn’t care about his flirtatious nature, but it was clear he had no intention of staying.

And once she realized that, she didn’t bring it up again.

For someone who couldn’t remain by your side, it wasn’t wise to invest too much emotion.

They returned to the Elysian Fields while chatting idly. On the way, they took a detour to check on the progress of Hades’ new palace.

It looked like construction was nearly complete.

"You’re finally back!"

As soon as they landed, Persephone rushed out of the cabin, practically throwing herself into Eros’ arms.

Whoa there, future queen of the Underworld, take it easy! Hades is standing right here!

Even though he knew there was nothing romantic between Hades and Persephone, this kind of public display still felt a bit too bold.

It was especially dangerous, Persephone’s enthusiasm might cause something indecent to slip out of him by accident.

But Persephone didn’t care about that.

After all, Eros had just led her into a whole new world... and then vanished for days without a word.

You light the fire and then ghost me? Really?

She’d been torn between frustration and longing, waiting anxiously every day for his return.

So her excitement just couldn’t be contained when he finally showed up.

"You two..."

Hades glanced at them but stopped short of saying anything.

She felt like she was carrying an ever-growing burden of blame, and could only pray that when Demeter came storming in later, Persephone wouldn’t be visibly pregnant.

Because no matter how well she took the fall for things, that was a burden too far.

Minthe watched Persephone with envy, then glanced at the always-composed Hades and felt a pang of bitterness.

Because of Eros, the rivalry that should’ve been growing between Persephone and Minthe had completely vanished.

Eventually, Eros had to promise Persephone he’d "make it up to her later" just to get her to let go.

Seeing her cling to him so longingly, Eros actually started to regret conquering her so soon.

Persephone had the makings of a... let’s say, a very productive goddess.

Was this the power of a half-harvest deity?

It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy it, but if she kept clinging to him every day, he wouldn’t be able to get anything else done.

With determination, Eros resolved to go big tonight, enough to keep her satisfied for at least a few days.

No more of the gentle, coaxing corruption approach. That strategy was now outdated.

"Anyway, Hades, I do have something to ask you."

After calming Persephone down for the moment, Eros turned his attention back to Hades.

"You mentioned you’ve been free lately. Could I ask you to train me in combat?"

Normally, someone with Eros’s natural talent wouldn’t bother with hard work.

But this time, he had other motives, personal guidance, perhaps even... hands-on instruction.

Also, he lacked real combat experience. Most of his power came from raw cosmic energy and his magnetic field ability.

He figured since he was bored anyway, why not train with Hades and make the most of it?

Hearing the request, Hades hesitated a little.

"Combat? That’s not a problem... but if you really want to grow stronger, the fastest path is to get a divine domain."

The gap between gods and mortals couldn’t be bridged with training alone.

Sure, not all divine roles granted direct combat power, but becoming a god opened the door to many unique abilities.

Take Hypnos, goddess of sleep, she looked weak and harmless, but even Hades could fall asleep under her influence when her guard was down.

And since she and Eros weren’t going to fight to the death, how much practical experience could he really gain?

Still, she didn’t refuse. She was curious about Eros too, and this gave her a chance to observe him more closely.

So in the days leading up to the palace’s completion, Eros fell into a surprisingly disciplined routine, just like his time on the sea.

He’d wake up, chat with Hades about underworld matters, then spar with her until exhausted.

Then he’d return to entertain his increasingly depraved Persephone, tuck her into bed, and dive into dreams to check in on Io’s situation.

His life was simple but fulfilling, so productive it made Eros doubt he was still himself.

Sure, it lacked the endless novelty of his time at sea, but shaping the future queen of the Underworld had its own unique joy.

One minor disappointment though, Hades remained as guarded as ever. Not a single weakness exposed.

Zeus said she only responded to softness, not force... but Eros hadn’t seen any softness in her at all.

On the contrary, Hades was stubborn and hard to read.

She let Eros do as he pleased with things she didn’t care about, but for certain matters, her stance never budged.

It left Eros feeling completely at a loss.

She was rational yet obsessive, very different from Styx, who was purely logical.

And when it came to vengeance against her sisters, Hades was fiercely determined.

"Eros, my friend, are you zoning out again?"

Draped in a flowing black veil, Hades leaned her head on her hand and looked over at him.

They were in the middle of a conversation, but Eros clearly wasn’t paying attention.

She pursed her lips slightly. That gentle expression was tinged with disappointment.

"Am I that boring to talk to?"

"Fine, go back to your little Persephone then."

Eros gave her an awkward smile.

He had gone a little overboard recently. Persephone hadn’t snuck into his bed for two whole days.

Still, since she mentioned Persephone...

"I was just wondering if there’s any way to convince you to give up on making Persephone the queen of the Underworld."

"That’s easy," Hades replied calmly. "If you stay and take her place."

"Someone has to be queen. If Persephone won’t do it, then you can."

"Ahem... can’t you just pick someone from the Underworld?"

Eros tried to persuade her.

"If you married someone from the Night Deities’ side, all your current problems would disappear."

"You’d have a solid alliance. Olympus’s pressure would fade. You could still take revenge on Demeter in plenty of other ways."

"You’re not wrong," Hades said, shaking her head. "It’s the logical choice. But I’m not interested."

This conversation had happened many times before, and always ended the same way.

"Once I’m done dealing with Demeter and the others, I’ll send you away."

"You don’t need to worry about anything. Even if you miss Persephone, you’re always welcome to visit."

Hearing her say that made Eros waver. If it weren’t for Zeus’s request, he might have just let it go.

But since Zeus had asked, he had to at least try.

"Damn it... if I pull this off, Zeus better reward me handsomely."

After a moment of silence, Eros spoke again.

"Hades... have you ever wondered why you’re so fixated on making Persephone queen?"

"There are countless ways you could vent your emotions. Why this way?"

Hades looked puzzled as Eros continued.

"Yes, Persephone will become queen. That’s her fate. It’s written."

"But Hades, my friend, are you really okay with letting destiny control you?"

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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter

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