The palace crafted from obsidian was beautiful but eerily quiet. Walking through the strangely silent garden of the black castle, Livia carefully opened her mouth.

“Is there really no one else here?”

Even her soft question seemed to echo in this quiet place. Unable to believe that no one was in this huge palace, she asked again, and Zagreus nodded with a smile on his face as serene as the night sky. His long black hair cascaded like a waterfall over one shoulder, rippling as he moved.

“…Why?”

She asked anxiously, wondering if it was because of her, and Zagreus, seemingly reading her mind, answered casually.

“Because it’s dangerous to be around me. And I find having others around cumbersome.”

“Why? Because you’re violent?”

At her direct question, Zagreus smiled innocently and said:

“That’s right. I’m very violent and enjoy sl*ughter.”

His eyes were cold as he spoke words that didn’t match his beautiful face and smooth voice. It didn’t seem like an exaggeration. When Livia first saw Zagreus, he was “hunting” something. Hadn’t she almost been hunted by his arrows as well?

“…But not now, Livia.”

Zagreus suddenly leaned his face toward her as she recalled the past. His softly smiling face looked closer to a living flower than to death.

“I don’t go around k*lling just anyone anymore. I’ve learned about responsibility.”

His voice was quite serious as he subtly pleaded that his existence wouldn’t harm her. It might have been somewhat amusing, but Livia couldn’t laugh at all. She couldn’t understand what he wanted from her.

“…Why did you bring me here? Aren’t you taking me to Lord Hades?”

“Of course not. I brought you here to hide you more securely… But I was wrong. He already knew.”

“Ah…”

Livia’s face turned pale. She had hoped not to be discovered, but she had been found out after all.

Since Hades had discovered her, it would surely be impossible to stay in the underworld any longer. He had already warned her once not to disturb the order of the underworld.

Swallowing hard, Livia caressed her round protruding belly with trembling hands. There had never been a moment when she regretted being a mere human so much. Having no power made her feel shabby, having to flee from place to place.

“Don’t make that face, Livia. I’ll protect you.”

“…What?”

“My life has always been dual. A soul separated from the body, a birth that receives both pity and admiration, having the blood of Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, yet not belonging to the underworld… A being of contradiction.”

“……”

“I couldn’t accept my own existence. I always thought of myself as an incomplete being. I hated my fate decided in such a way. I just threw tantrums like a child. But you were different.”

His cool hand caressed Livia’s cheek.

“This insignificant and weak thing… coming to the underworld in defiance of death itself to proclaim hatred for the gods… how amusing and interesting it was.”

“I…”

“The warmth of your body was intense too… but I just like you as a being, Livia.”

His confession felt infinitely light yet somehow desperate.

Though there was no threat directed at her, Livia somehow felt cornered and stepped back hesitantly.

“Stop, stop it… Zagreus. I don’t want to hear any more.”

“Livia, it might be painful, but the imprint can be erased. Emotions also continue to change.”

“I’ll return those very words to you. Your feelings will also flow and change someday.”

“I won’t say they won’t change. But… you are my first desire, so I will always treat you as such.”

As Livia stepped back, Zagreus took one step closer. With each step she retreated, madness gleamed more brightly on his face. The god of hunting, was he? It seemed that as he pursued Livia, his suppressed instincts kept surging up.

“Stay here, Livia. Be with me. If you stay here, you can meet the family members you love so much again.”

At his words, Livia’s eyes, which had remained unwavering through everything else, shook greatly. Iason who had become Charon, her father who had met her mother, Lete to whom she had bid her final farewell… and even her loyal dog Mumu.

“I’ll take you to your father. He’s waiting to go to Elysion with your mother.”

Zagreus stimulated her with an even more seductive voice, having detected Livia’s great agitation.

Father…

It was true that she missed her father. She was also worried about Iason who had become Charon. But… she couldn’t hold onto the dead forever.

For the sake of her merman who had even tried to cut off his own tail to give her eternal life.

“Triton, he killed you… but I can make you eternal in this death, Livia.”

Eternity spoken by the god of death… wouldn’t that just be eternal death?

Neither eternal life nor eternal death was easy, but if she had to choose just one, it would obviously be life. There, where her god was.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

Zagreus carefully grasped Livia’s wrist, who was backed against the wall, and placed a small red fruit on her palm.

“Eat this, Livia. Then you’ll be freed from that thirst that torments you.”

A small pomegranate seed…

Livia knew what this meant. Persephone too had unknowingly eaten this one seed and became unable to leave the underworld forever. He was now urging her to become a second Persephone. She retorted in exasperation.

“No, I won’t eat it. I don’t need it, Zagreus! You’re just lonely. My warmth may have momentarily bewitched you, but it’s not yours. Find your own fire. I’ve found my water.”

“You ran away from him, Livia!”

“So what? What does it mean to you that I ran away from him? It means nothing! Because you mean nothing to me!”

At Livia’s outburst, Zagreus’s expression changed instantly. His kind and gentle face sank into coldness, and black smoke rose above his shoulders.

“Why? Because that b*stard is the father of your child? Because you’re carrying his offspring?”

He whispered, looking coldly at Livia’s swollen belly. His piercing gaze was aggressive.

Livia instinctively hugged her belly protectively and lifted her chin.

In truth, she was afraid of the murderous intent Zagreus was emitting. She was terrified enough that her insides trembled, but she knew that the moment she showed fear, he would try to devour her.

Zagreus was a predator no different from Triton. If she showed even a slight weakness, he would surely try to swallow her whole.

The fear that she could ignore when risking only herself now felt like an undeniable warning when she had something to protect.

“Of course that’s part of the reason, but the more important reason isn’t that.”

Livia straightened her back and lifted her chin. This made her protruding belly push forward even more prominently, emphasizing her pregnant silhouette. Livia preciously embraced her swollen belly and slowly exhaled.

She never thought she would first speak these words in a place where he wasn’t present. But… they were words she had always wanted to say.

With reddened eyes, Livia poured out her boiling emotions in a strong and clear voice that Zagreus couldn’t help but understand.

“Because I love Triton. You mean nothing to me, but Triton means everything to me…!”

At that moment, a great shock struck Livia’s heart like a driven fist.

“Ugh…!”

Startled, Livia gasped with wide eyes. Pain like thousands of needles stabbing was running up her arm toward her heart.

As she hurriedly pulled back her sleeve to examine her wrist, her face turned white as a sheet.

“This, why is this…”

The black wound that had appeared when she shared blood with the witch had climbed up Livia’s arm like a tree with dozens of branches stretching toward the inside of her body. The pain like needles digging into her was clearly because of this.

“Livia…? What’s wrong? What is this?”

Sensing something was wrong, Zagreus examined Livia’s wrist. The black pattern, which felt slimy and evil, was moving past Livia’s shoulder toward her heart.

“This is…”

It was an evil curse power not used even in the underworld. Rather than pure power, it was a spell that destroyed someone’s soul through life and grudge.

“Echidna… Is this that woman’s doing?”

Zagreus tried to push back the curse with his own power, but it was useless. To make matters worse, the child in Livia’s womb began to thrash about as well.

“Ah… Aah… Aaagh!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

It felt like a cold hand covered in bumpy thorns was kneading her heart. On top of that, the baby seemed to sense the danger and was thrashing around inside Livia’s womb. It felt like her stomach would tear open. An enormous pain incomparable to the discomfort she had felt in her belly until now attacked Livia.

“Why, why… Baby, why…”

Livia twisted her entire body, resisting the pain. Zagreus also broke into a cold sweat trying to track the curse ravaging her body. At some point, his eyes narrowed. He could feel the curse’s power flowing from Livia’s heart downward, heading toward the baby.

“The curse is being transferred to the baby in the womb. The child seems to be feeling it and resisting.”

“Wh-what…? No, not the baby, not the baby.”

She couldn’t allow such pain to be transferred to the tiny baby not yet born. Livia pulled out her golden dagger. Perhaps because the contract was still valid, the dagger still responded to her call.

This must be what they mean when they say someone’s eyes have rolled back. Without hesitation, Livia gouged at her arm where the curse originated with the dagger. She knew this black wound wouldn’t disappear, but she thought that at the moment the curse was attacked, it might not extend its power toward her womb.

“Livia!”

“No, no… Not the baby, d*mn it, Echidna! Not the baby, don’t touch my baby!”

Even as tears of pain streamed from her eyes, Livia couldn’t stop digging into the black wound with her knife. Because at that moment, the baby’s struggling seemed to lessen.

Flesh and blood splattered from her relentless hand. Even to Zagreus, the god of the underworld, it was a truly miserable and bizarre scene.

“Stop, Livia! Please, it won’t disappear that way!”

“But, but…! Aaagh!”

Livia screamed and hurriedly hugged her belly. Something was bulging and protruding on top of her round, well-shaped belly.

It looked like the child would tear open her belly and come out at any moment.

And right at that moment.

BOOM BOOM!!!

The world shook, and rain poured down like a shower in the underworld.

…Rain?

Startled, Zagreus looked up to see a thin crack drawn across the murky sky. Simultaneously, the sky shook again with a bang! Droplets of water leaked through the torn sky and fell down. Zagreus wiped a droplet that had fallen on his cheek and brought it to his lips.

Water with saltiness…

Zagreus’s face turned pale as he realized the identity of the rain.

“This crazy b*stard…”

The god of the sea was trying to break through into the underworld.