Hermes, uncharacteristically, dragged out his words. This had never happened before.

No matter how positive Hermes was, the underworld remained an eerie place to him. He would always deliver news from Olympus with friendly greetings, and that would be the end of it. He would quickly fly away, fearing the spirits of the dead might cling to him. 

I never bothered to detain Hermes for hospitality, and he certainly never spent more time than necessary. So what was this about? Why engage in such wordplay in the middle of the underworld? 

I gently rubbed my temple with my middle finger and pressed him.

“If he is healthy and the water of forgetfulness has proven effective, then anything else is trivial. Don’t waste my time, Hermes.”

“Then I shall tell you.”

Hermes took a deep breath with a “whew.” Then, scanning the surroundings once more, he spread his arms and slightly bent one knee, resembling an actor at the cl*max of a tragedy.

“Lady Persephone has eaten six pomegranate seeds.”

“What?”

I leaned forward. I was so dumbfounded that anger surged through me like a tidal wave.

Six pomegranate seeds? What of it! It was neither poison nor forbidden, so what was the issue?

The restless servants, now perplexed, began clicking their tongues one by one. Some openly laughed, while others stomped their feet in anger, feeling mocked. 

Others shook their heads, whispering to each other, “I knew it.” 

The atmosphere was utterly chaotic.

“Hermes. Did you burst into my hall to spout such nonsense? Even for Zeus, this prank goes too far. I have always trusted you and respected your freedom to come and go in my kingdom, but now you repay my kindness with mockery?”

“Not at all, Lord Hades! How could you say such a thing? My heart breaks even more!”

Hermes immediately stood straight and responded urgently.

“This is truly perplexing for me too. My tongue keeps freezing up on its own. Forgive me. How could I forget the kindness the ruler of the underworld has shown me?”

“Your tongue would keep chattering even if cut with a knife, yet it freezes over a few pomegranate seeds?”

“Indeed. Because these aren’t just any pomegranate seeds.”

“Not just any pomegranate seeds? Then what are they? Cursed pomegranate seeds?”

“Of course not. A curse! That’s unthinkable. Lady Persephone is full of vitality, like a white seagull on a summer day, exactly what I mentioned. Shouldn’t such a young lady only experience joyful and happy things?”

I was exhausted now. While verbal sparring might be an appetizing and delightful activity in the sunlit world above, it wasn’t so here. 

My nerves were completely frayed, ever since Hermes arrived wearing clothes yellow like daffodils, since he mentioned Persephius’s name.

I rose from my seat. When I stood up from the throne, the shadows in the hall rippled along, seeming ready to devour the messenger from the world above at my command.

It was then that the clever Hermes stepped forward and exclaimed:

“The pomegranate Lady Persephone ate was from the underworld. In short, underworld food!”

Did I say the hall was chaotic? I should correct myself. It was merely a very polite silence.

Had the underworld ever been engulfed in such an uproar! 

Everything boiled over like an erupting volcano. Voices of accusation and gasps of shock, secretive hiding of laughter behind lips and eyes blinking like owls, voices of denial and breaths of astonishment flowed like lava, spilling over onto the black floor.

I stood in the midst of it all, like an island lost in a storm.

“That’s impossible! By our king’s order, we watched to ensure that brat wouldn’t swallow even a grain of wheat or a piece of bean from the underworld! How thoroughly did we follow this command? The youngster nearly got bitten to death by Cerberus while wandering around looking for food when he was starving!”

Thanatos walked out like an angry bear and growled at Hermes.

“Afterward, we strictly selected only food from the world above, offerings sent from temples. There’s no reason or possibility that the immature blond kid would have touched pomegranates from the underworld!”

“Yes, I don’t doubt that. But what can we do? Lord Zeus confirmed it himself.”

Hermes, grinning, skillfully brought Zeus into the conversation. Even Thanatos had no choice but to close his mouth.

“You know how much Demeter adores her only daughter. If that Demeter could have found any error or mistake in the fact that the pomegranate seeds Persephone swallowed belonged to the underworld, would I be here now? Oh, absolutely not. Zeus confirmed it, but she still opposed it fiercely. Even the fearsome Demeter eventually yielded because the law dividing the world above and below is strict. Eating underworld food binds one to the underworld. Could there be a clearer standard than this!”

Thanatos looked at me, desperately hoping I would say something, end this unfunny surprise prank. But what could I do? What could I possibly say?

Behind me came the sound of silver poplar leaves rustling. Innocent Leuce. He seemed to have already forgotten Persephius’s childish outburst.

“I do not doubt Zeus’s ability.”

I finally managed to speak.

“But according to Thanatos, I strictly limited Persephius’s food intake. Everything he ate and drank was verified offerings under my authority, and those belonging to the underworld absolutely obey my commands. However, according to you, or rather Zeus, the conclusion is one of two things. Either I overlooked Persephius getting his hands on underworld food, or one of my servants disobeyed. Either way, it’s fatal to my dignity. If one wishes to insult Hades, there should be substantial evidence. At the very least, a reliable witness.”

Hermes nodded politely.

“Of course. I believe there is a way to preserve both Lord Hades’ dignity and the loyalty of the underworld gods. For instance…”

“For instance?”

“Well, if Morpheus, who has uniquely remained silent during this commotion, could say something.”

I turned my gaze in the direction Hermes cutely nodded toward.

There stood Morpheus, pale as a ghost.

“Morpheus?”

It was a kind of intuition. Perhaps it was learned behavior. For ages, Morpheus had been my good worker and wise counselor. This was a face I had never seen before.

Instead of accusing Hermes of slandering my confidant or stepping forward to defend Morpheus, I simply called his name.

Now everyone in the hall was looking at Morpheus.

“Please forgive me.”

Morpheus was neither a coward nor a liar. He nobly stepped forward and asked for forgiveness.

“Recently, Lady Persephone visited my residence. We had a brief conversation. She didn’t even sit down, and I didn’t offer any special hospitality. But at that time…”

“At that time?”

My mouth had gone dry, so Hermes chimed in on cue.

“There were several pomegranates on the table. They were not yet ripe. I had collected them in a navy blue dish, and they looked like small leather balls. Lady Persephone was about to leave immediately after our conversation ended. But then those red balls caught her eye. She asked if she could take one. I should have refused… but I allowed her to take one. It’s a cowardly excuse, but at the time, the pomegranates were not mature, showing no seeds and completely sealed. So I overlooked that these decorative items were fruits, food that could be consumed.”

“When was this visit? Was it right before Lady Persephone was set to leave the underworld?”

“No, Lord Hermes. There was some time in between.”

“I see. So what was a toy when taken from Lord Morpheus’s house ripened over time, releasing its fragrance and revealing its contents. That’s how the story goes.”

I couldn’t force Morpheus to kneel before me as a traitor.

He had only made a small mistake. A very small mistake! 

Our eyes met. His pain, his genuine perplexity and embarrassment were apologizing to me. 

What could I do? Imprison him in Tartarus for providing the pomegranate that entered Persephius’s mouth? Ah, I couldn’t do that!

Hermes, who had been watching me closely, adjusted his posture. Then, with a deliberately dignified voice, he read the decree.

“Since Demeter’s daughter has swallowed food from the underworld, she must rightfully remain in the underworld according to the law. I will escort her here in three days, so please prepare accommodations for her.”