CHAPTER 111: CHAPTER 111: WITHOUT ZEUS, HOW CAN YOU STAND AGAINST THE QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD? [BONUS]

Hades had maintained a polite smile from the very beginning.

But it wasn’t until Demeter appeared that her genuine smile finally surfaced, and she lifted her veil.

The other gods of the Underworld stepped aside, making room for Demeter and her companions with an expression of detached amusement.

This was a family matter of the royal household , it had nothing to do with them.

Since Hades had given them a warning shot right after taking office, returning the favor by watching a good show now didn’t feel unjust.

But Hades didn’t mind, and neither did Demeter’s group.

Overlooking them from above, Hades swept her gaze across the women with a trace of satisfaction in her eyes.

"My dear sister, you’ve brought even more guests this time," she said. "And no less than my two nieces , the poor little Athena, and the ever-favored little Artemis."

Hearing that name, Eros immediately perked up, ignoring Hermes before him and turning to look at Artemis.

Wow. So pale, so long... those legs, that waist...

Way more attractive than Hermes, right?

It seemed men really did enjoy novelty. Even though Athena, who just recently promised to cling to his thigh, stood right there, Eros had eyes only for Artemis , the goddess of the hunt he was meeting for the first time.

He failed to notice that Athena was also watching him.

She was surprised he was even alive , but more so, shocked to see Eros in the Underworld at all.

Still, this wasn’t the time for a reunion.

"Lady Hades, this matter has dragged on long enough. It’s about time we brought it to an end," Athena sighed, trying to reason with her.

She hadn’t intended to come. With her wisdom, it was obvious that Zeus hadn’t made her stance clear yet , she hadn’t said a word about this incident.

But with famine erupting across the land, and just as humanity had begun to recover, they were now falling back into crisis.

If Demeter wasn’t calmed soon, it could become a true catastrophe.

So after much thought, she finally agreed to help and followed Demeter to the Underworld.

As for Artemis? She hadn’t thought that far.

"Hades, I won’t even call you Aunt anymore! You dare to steal your own niece? Today, I’ll teach you a lesson in Father’s place!"

Artemis pulled her bow taut, showing no respect for Hades at all.

And rightly so. Among all the gods of Mount Olympus, Artemis was the true definition of a princess.

Zeus had many children, and quite a few served as principal gods with major domains.

But the most favored , the one held in the highest regard , was Artemis.

Though she rarely took part in Olympus politics, making her presence seem less dominant, her divine authority spanned far beyond hunting. She also presided over fertility, plague, archery, war, nature, and beasts.

She even bore the title Apollousa, meaning "the Destroyer."

On Mount Olympus, not a single god was simple.

Compared to that, Athena, who only held the authority of wisdom, was actually the weakest.

Even Hermes, the messenger god, might be hiding a trump card , the legendary "Threefold Great Hermes" mask.

Yet the moment Artemis arrived, Hermes awkwardly slipped into the crowd.

He had no way of dealing with this spoiled, petty princess. To avoid catching an arrow, Hermes could only shrink his presence as much as possible.

Eros stroked his chin, not at all paying attention to Artemis’s attitude.

What he did notice were her long legs... and her chest that didn’t really match the image of an archer goddess.

Artemis immediately caught Eros’s obvious stare and glared at him fiercely.

She wasn’t one of those constantly lusting goddesses. She’d long heard rumors about Eros.

Just a pretty face with a sweet-talking mouth , she had no interest whatsoever.

Eros averted his gaze, sighing inwardly.

Another one immune to his charm. But that just made her more appealing , Eros loved a challenge.

He glanced at Hades, then gently pulled Persephone back two steps, making room for the upcoming drama.

Better to watch and decide how to act afterward.

Hades stared directly at Artemis’s drawn bow, showing no fear.

"Good. The four of you together. If we were anywhere other than the Underworld, perhaps I might have to surrender."

"But this is the Underworld, my divine domain. You’re not strong enough here."

"Where is Zeus? Is she not going to show herself?"

Hades had long anticipated that only Zeus could bring closure to this conflict.

No one else could truly mediate between her and Demeter.

She just wanted to stir up chaos and vent her emotions toward Demeter and Zeus.

But now, with one key player missing, Hades felt her satisfaction was incomplete.

"Father has no time for your tantrums. I alone am enough," Artemis replied as she released her arrow.

It streaked through the air like a meteor, but what should have pierced stars and moons felt sluggish in Hades’s palm.

"Heh. Without Zeus, how do you plan to defeat me?"

A black vortex spun in her hand, twisting and devouring the arrow.

The boundless, abyss-like divine power surged out unchecked, shaking the entire Underworld.

The Palace of the Underworld rose with the wave of her hand, its walls and ceilings melting away.

They now stood at the very peak of the Underworld, gazing down in every direction.

Rivers of fire exploded upward, forming sky-splitting walls of flame that carved through the realm.

With a mere gesture, Hades could reshape her world. That was the true power of divine authority.

On the surface world, Hades might have been forced to dodge Artemis’s arrows.

But in the Underworld, everything was an extension of her power.

Aside from Zeus or Nyx, the primordial goddess who created the Underworld, no one could challenge her here.

Not a harvest goddess, not a goddess of wisdom, not even a goddess of the hunt.

Her disdain was obvious. She didn’t believe any of them could match her.

"So, what message did Zeus send with you? To order me to release Persephone? Or what?"

The killing intent on Demeter’s face suddenly faded, replaced with a smile.

"Sorry to disappoint. Zeus didn’t even bother to listen when I brought you up. She had absolutely nothing to say to you."

Sisters know each other best.

That one sentence from Demeter hit Hades right where it hurt , and herself, too.

Hades’s expression cracked. Her confidence wavered slightly.

The one who cared most about family had caused all this chaos just to get her loved ones to pay attention.

And yet Zeus wouldn’t even spare her a glance.

That wounded her more than anything.

"Hmph! Then let’s see , if I keep all of you here, will she finally care?!"

Fury filled Hades’s voice now. The sparring words with Demeter had lost their charm.

Perhaps this long-forgotten sisterly rivalry only brought back more painful memories.

"Heh. You’ve never grown up. Let your big sister show you what it means to always be the little brat."

An overwhelming divine aura burst from Demeter.

She hadn’t just come seeking help these past few days.

She had temporarily reclaimed her scattered authorities , time, seasons, growth , and borrowed many divine tools and powers from allies.

Plus, with famine raging above, the killing intent on her sickle had evolved to a whole new level.

Hecate once again revealed her triple-goddess form, though who knew how long she could hold it.

Athena sighed and reluctantly pulled out her divine tools as well. She saw how slim their chances were.

Artemis still looked as arrogant as ever , clearly, until Hera gave her a good slap, that attitude wouldn’t change.

"Sister, I guess I didn’t hit you hard enough last time!" Artemis shouted.

And so, a battle of five goddesses erupted in the skies of the Underworld.

No more playful hand-to-hand skirmishes. This was a real fight , divine authority versus divine power.

Demeter and her team wielded a dazzling array of divine tools, their powers lighting the air with chaotic brilliance.

But Hades, though seemingly unarmed, channeled the very essence of the Underworld with every move.

Facing four opponents alone, she not only held her ground , she even started gaining the upper hand.

The coordination among the four wasn’t bad. Their setup resembled a classic four-player boss raid team.

But the final boss of the Underworld clearly wasn’t easy to defeat. Eros clicked his tongue in amazement.

With Hades this strong, how did she later get injured by just one arrow from Heracles?

Was her power dispersed too much? Or is that so-called greatest hero of Greece just that ridiculously strong?

Eros didn’t know. He just kept watching the thrilling fight with growing excitement.

The battle between Zeus and Typhon was on too high a level for him to understand , just one move, and Typhon was gone, pure brute force.

But this? This was amazing. Back and forth, flashy and fierce.

Still, deep down, Eros was kind of hoping Demeter’s group would win.

If they beat Hades and took Persephone back, everyone would be happy.

Then he could stick around to "console" Hades , maybe even get a little taste of something new.

But as Eros turned to look at Persephone, he noticed she looked rather anxious.

"Are you worried about your mother? Or about Hades?"

Persephone shook her head.

"I... I don’t know. I don’t understand why they have to fight. If I told my mother I chose to stay here willingly... would they stop fighting?"

She didn’t hate her aunt.

Even though Hades had kidnapped her and might keep her in the Underworld forever, she didn’t hate her.

She could feel the loneliness in Hades’s heart. In fact, she felt Hades was more like a child than an aunt.

A child who caused trouble just to avoid being ignored.

She didn’t think her mother and Hades had to fight like this.

If even one of them had been willing to sit down and talk, it wouldn’t have turned out this way.

Eros looked into Persephone’s sorrowful eyes and said quietly,

"Yeah... the two of them are surprisingly alike."

"No matter how you look at it, it shouldn’t have come to this."

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