‘What am I supposed to do….’

Livia bit her lip hard while swallowing a sigh.

No, she shouldn’t waver. It was time to steel her heart.

What mattered now wasn’t how Triton thought of her, nor how her heart was stirring because of it.

The soul of Lete that Zagreus would bring, the state of her brother’s soul was what mattered most.

Go to the banquet safely and meet Zagreus.

As quietly as possible, without anyone knowing….

Especially since things might get complicated if Triton found out, she needed to be careful.

Livia took a deep breath to clear her mind and slowly opened her eyes. Just then, she felt the familiar flow of water coming through the arch-shaped doorway adorned with luminous pearl curtains.

She could tell without seeing his face. It was him.

Livia pressed her fist against her pounding heart as she looked at the beautiful man who stepped through the pearl curtains. He smiled as he stared at Livia, who stood there nervously. He suddenly reached out his hand and called to her.

“Let’s go.”

Is my deception fear, or weakness? Livia, with strength in her trembling fingertips, placed her hand on his large outstretched hand without a moment’s hesitation.

The soft hand gripped Livia tightly. Livia stood beside him without being able to grip back.

It was truly time to depart for the banquet now.

***

The world of gods, while appearing equal at first glance, had a strict hierarchy.

Just as a river god cannot threaten the sea, spring appears pushing away winter and blooms more brilliantly with the fertile earth at its back.

With such a good relationship between mother and daughter, spring was bound to be dominant.

Though gods do not die, they naturally become rulers of Olympus by passing their earthly power to the next generation of gods.

They were observers and watchers of the world, spectators seeking entertainment in their abundantly given lives. In other words, Demeter should have done the same, but she lost her successor when Persephone was taken by Hades. Thus, even after ascending to Mount Olympus, she continued to maintain her rights over the earth.

As it was the banquet of Demeter, one of the twelve Olympian gods and goddess of the earth, mother of spring, many gods were naturally interested.

Not only minor gods like river gods, tree gods, and fruit gods, but also prominent gods who never missed a banquet like Dionysus, Hermes, and Selene announced their attendance.

Of course, the most surprising news was the attendance of Triton, the god of the sea.

“I hear that arrogant sea god is keeping company with a human?”

It was an opportunity. They could now confirm the rumor that had been barely circulating among the gods.

“That can’t be. Doesn’t the sea god hate humans?”

“That’s what makes it more strange. Perhaps, has the sea god fallen in love with a human?”

“Impossible! Isn’t there an unwritten rule that those of the sea must not fall in love with humans?”

“Maybe it’s just a floating joke? A distortion of something that happened long ago.”

“Well…. is that really so?”

Whispering gazes converged on one spot. Many gods who didn’t need to attend the banquet started listening from all directions. The greedy absolute beings licked their lips at the entertaining story they had finally discovered.

Thus, with everyone’s attention, the spring banquet hosted by Demeter began grandly.

***

A place where pond water flowed upward like a waterfall, and plump fruits that bore regardless of season and region hung abundantly in various places throughout the beautifully decorated garden.

With the vast golden wheat field that couldn’t be easily seen anywhere else as a backdrop, the banquet torches were lit in Demeter’s temple.

The goddess of spring who had risen from the underworld, Persephone, personally lit the torches in her mother’s temple to announce the start of the banquet.

As if it had been waiting, sunlight first touched the earth, and the cool western wind swirled around the temple, carried on the harp strings played by nymphs.

Just as screams of nymphs playing by the river were heard, the god of shepherds appeared playing pointless pranks.

“Quite a commotion from the start.”

Demeter, who was lying sideways on the high seat sipping wine, smiled leisurely and snapped her fingers.

Then, a vast wheat field appeared in front of the nymphs who were running away from the shepherd god who was pursuing them with dirty breaths, and it hid the young nymphs thoroughly.

Pan, making a disappointed sound, glanced at Demeter and quietly turned his steps away. Persephone, who had been quietly watching this scene, narrowed her eyes slightly and said while quietly clicking her tongue.

“That one seems to be purely instinctual, seeing how he still hasn’t learned despite being punished every time for carelessly swinging his lower half around.”

“Instincts are important. However, only if one is wary of putting instincts first without knowing time and place.”

Demeter laughed as if it were nothing, then whispered while looking down at the ground with cold eyes.

“Like those shameless ones who kidnapped someone else’s daughter to the underworld before she was even fully grown, not knowing time and place.”

Persephone quietly smiled and closed her mouth, picking up her teacup.

While Olympian gods typically enjoyed wine, Persephone uniquely preferred tea over alcohol. Even with nectar available, she would only bring it to her lips once, not particularly coveting it.

Her daughter was always like that. Quiet and reserved, yet stubborn about things she had decided. She was never one to act simply because someone demanded it. The same went for her decision to stay with Hades. If she disliked it, Persephone would have found a way to escape that place, so staying by his side was purely this child’s will.

That mere love.

Demeter, smirking, extended her empty cup toward the air. Then Ganymede, who had already arrived at the banquet, quickly ran to her side, gave a polite greeting, and lifted the wine bottle.

“I pay my respects to the goddess of earth. Have you been well?”

“We meet again after exactly a year, Ganymede. The busiest young man in this world.”

True to his nickname as the most beautiful boy among mortal humans, the man greeted Demeter with a smile that sparkled like stars.

He was living proof of the saying that beauty is poison to the powerless. Unfortunately, he caught Zeus’s eye and was forcibly elevated to the rank of gods.

However, were all ‘gods’ the same?

Like this, those who became ‘immortal’ beings for whatever reason were mostly no different from being forced to prolong their lives to clean up after the gods.

Making humans immortal was something that even gods couldn’t easily do. Not all twelve Olympian gods could do it, only the king and his wife could accomplish such a feat….

Zeus occasionally realized this difficult feat for his own desires. That man was thus arbitrary and powerful. The supreme god whom no one dared approach.

Indeed, he was worthy of being the man who had created numerous illegitimate children on this earth.

Of course… Demeter had nothing to say since she too had received her precious daughter because of him.

Demeter reached out to stroke the cheek of her daughter who remained as beautiful as ever. The goddess of spring and queen of the underworld.

Despite holding such grand positions, to her eyes, she was still just her innocent and precious Kore.

Hades, who deserved death, had kidnapped her daughter, and she had suffered greatly because of it, but looking back, it wasn’t all bad.

Firstly, it was fortunate that Persephone was satisfied, and secondly, it was also fortunate that Persephone’s authority as queen of the underworld had increased.

Spring and the underworld, seemingly opposite yet exquisitely harmonious, two words whose crowns were placed upon Persephone’s head.

Though half the year was stolen by the underworld, she took comfort in Persephone’s satisfaction. Demeter’s gaze, having finally grown accustomed to this resignation after several hundred years, fell upon a man standing like Persephone’s shadow as she took a light sip of wine.

The man who hadn’t uttered a single word since arriving here with Persephone….

Though he wore a silver helmet to hide his face, he was a beautiful man who couldn’t hide those piercing eyes where golden lightning raged.

Demeter, tilting her head slightly while smiling at the man, spoke as if to herself.

“But… why did you bring that thing here, Persephone? Have you finally changed your mind?”

Despite being called ‘that thing,’ a near derogatory term, his face remained unmoved….

At Demeter’s words, Persephone’s head tilted very slightly toward the man. Though she didn’t turn to look at him completely, it was a gesture showing she was fully aware of his presence there.

Then the helmeted man, Zagreus’s eyes silently turned downward.

Very quietly, serenely….

Toward the heartless mother who wished to deny his existence.