Chapter 86: Persephone (11)
Unfortunately for Hermes, he had no idea that Poseidon had arrived at Demeter’s palace before him.
Inside the palace, Demeter was completely absorbed in establishing contact with Persephone,
And the attendants and retainers were all stationed elsewhere.
In other words, if anyone saw Hermes right now, creeping around like that,
They would assume he was a thief breaking into a goddess’s palace.
Poseidon, watching all of this from nearby, lifted the corner of his mouth in amusement.
The scene was so comical—Hermes tiptoeing like a burglar—that Poseidon looked like a mischievous teenager suppressing laughter.
“Look at this guy… come to steal something, has he? Hmm? Hehehe.”
Poseidon had a good idea why Hermes was acting that way, but he pretended not to know anything.
“When else am I going to get footage of a god acting like this?”
He pulled out the portable recording device Hephaestus had made and quietly recorded Hermes sneaking about.
“Ahh, what a world-class thief you are… hahaha. How widely should I spread this rumor~?”
***
A little later, when Demeter returned after successfully speaking with Persephone,
The scene she witnessed was… absurd.
Hermes, unaware of anything, was creeping around like a burglar—
While “Njord” stood nearby filming him with delight.
Just moments ago she had managed to calm her emotions after speaking with her daughter…
And now, seeing these two buffoons, her headache returned full force.
“Njord, that child over there is…”
A mortal was inside a god’s palace, mocking Hermes—one of the main Olympian gods—like this.
Honestly… this is exactly the sort of thing Poseidon would do.
Of course someone with a name granted by Poseidon would act the same way. Unbelievable.
That grin—
That mischievous smirk Njord was wearing—
Was identical to the face Poseidon made whenever he found something entertaining.
If Njord didn’t have the presence of a human, Demeter would have assumed without hesitation that this was Poseidon in disguise.
“…He really might be one of Poseidon’s bastards.”
After staring at the two idiots for a moment, Demeter sighed and approached Njord.
If she didn’t intervene, the poor mortal child might suffer Hermes’s wrath.
“Njord, even if you have done me a great favor, such behavior is not appropriate.”
She spoke firmly—a gentle warning.
Unfortunately, Njord completely misunderstood her intent.
“Hahaha! Are you jealous I’m watching this alone? Ahh, you should have said so earlier. Come! Watch with me.”
“……….”
Demeter felt an odd sense of déjà vu—
A conversation pattern she knew all too well—
And before she realized it, she found herself being dragged over by Njord.
“W–wait, what are you doing?”
“Don’t be shy, come look at this. It’s hilarious.”
Demeter, swept along as she had been so many times by her younger brother’s antics, glanced at what Njord was recording—
—and couldn’t help but snort.
Hermes was performing an accidental slapstick comedy routine inside her palace.
“…He is kind of funny, seeing him like that.”
She admitted it, a small smile slipping out.
“Hehehe, right? You don’t get to see something like this every day.”
Demeter kept watching Hermes despite herself, but soon coughed lightly, remembering her real purpose.
“Ahem. You have no fear, Njord. Mocking a god like this could bring severe punishment.”
“Ah, but that’s fine—Lady Demeter will protect me, won’t she?”
“…Good grief.”
Demeter broke into another involuntary laugh.
Talking to this boy really did feel exactly like dealing with Poseidon.
***
Demeter couldn’t allow Hermes to be mocked any further, so she manipulated the palace magic and created a safe path for him.
Hermes had, without knowing it, triggered several of the palace’s traps.
Once freed from the trap, Hermes came face-to-face with Demeter.
She already had a good guess why he was here—
But still she questioned him with a hard expression.
“Well then. What exactly were you doing over there?”
“Uh… I came to deliver Olympus’s position to you, Lady Demeter, but… somehow…”
Hermes couldn’t raise his head under Demeter’s stern gaze.
The god of thieves and messengers—
Caught in a trap, sneaking around like a criminal—
And after seeing the dented palace gate on his way in…
Of course he was terrified.
Despite Hermes’s pathetic appearance, Demeter said nothing more to him.
She simply…
“Very well. I expected Olympus would announce its stance soon. I assume the message is: ‘It is impossible to retrieve Persephone from the Underworld immediately.’”
“…Yes.”
“Then return. I have nothing more to say.”
Her voice was cold—dismissive.
“……”
Hermes accepted her dismissal without protest and left immediately.
He was already humiliated enough, and Demeter’s tone alone told him her state of mind.
Not to mention…
Standing beside her was the human who had seen every bit of his embarrassing behavior.
Unfortunate for you, mortal.
You’ve witnessed the gods in disgrace.
When Demeter isn’t looking… I’ll put a little curse on you.
A very Zeus-like thought.
With that, Hermes vanished.
***
“What will you do now? It’s obvious he’ll try something petty with you.”
“Haha. It’s fine. Someone like Hermes? I can deal with him easily.”
Both Demeter and Poseidon had already guessed what was going through Hermes’s head.
But Demeter still believed Njord was a human, And naturally, she worried.
After all, this young man had offered her a precious item that allowed her to speak with Persephone.
Yet despite being just a human— He showed bottomless confidence.
It almost felt like looking at Poseidon in his youth.
Yes… Poseidon was always like this when he was young. Confidence? Arrogance? Hard to tell. Either way, he never seemed worried about anything.
“Hmm… are you sure you don’t have even a drop of Poseidon’s blood?”
“…Pardon?”
Demeter kept staring at Njord—The resemblance was uncanny—and wondered if perhaps he was hiding his identity.
“No, what I mean is… even if you were Poseidon’s illegitimate child, I wouldn’t mind. Poseidon doesn’t mate recklessly like Zeus. Unless it’s someone like Eurynome, Amphitrite, or even Lady Gaia, he barely forms attachments.”
“After seeing how Zeus and the other Olympians behave, you begin to appreciate restraint. So if you truly have Poseidon’s blood, you should say it proudly. Even Hermes wouldn’t dare mess with you.”
Njord nodded knowingly.
Surrounded by so many extraordinary beings, He—Poseidon in disguise—benefited the most from being perceived as ordinary.
“No, Lady Demeter. There’s nothing like that in my family records. And I’ve never heard of Lord Poseidon transforming into other forms like Zeus to… form relationships.”
Poseidon lied smoothly—without a single blink.
Demeter accepted it easily.
Indeed, she had never once heard of Poseidon lowering himself to Zeus-like antics.
“That much is true. But still, be careful. Mocking gods too boldly will bring harsh punishment. Your temperament resembles Poseidon so much that it worries me.”
“Haha. Then I’ll only do it in front of Lady Demeter.”
“…Honestly.”
Demeter let out a small laugh.
She couldn’t help but feel a strange fondness toward this boy—
The first human who dared speak to her this way.
***
After Hermes left, Demeter came to a firm decision.
She would abandon the land of the gods and leave.
Give up everything she oversaw and wander.
“But if you do that, won’t the dwarves and goblins suffer greatly?Not to mention Olympus won’t sit still.”
“Hmph. Why should I care about those ungrateful creatures? As for the dwarves and goblins—I will entrust them to Lady Gaia. They can continue their work there.”
“And Olympus? Hestia is busy elsewhere, and Hera— Well, since she abandoned me politically, I will show her I can abandon Olympus just as easily.”
“……”
Poseidon could only shake his head.
He could feel her old, ruthless personality resurfacing.
Ah… yes.
This is the Demeter of old—Relentless and frightening when she decides on something.
In their younger days as siblings:
If Hera had the aura of a picture-perfect delinquent queen,
Then Demeter was the archetype of a villainous chaebol daughter.
If something displeased her, she would sabotage her enemy even at her own expense—
To the point where even Poseidon wanted nothing to do with her.
“Now go. If you stay with me, you’ll suffer as well. No—because they cannot harm me, they will harm you instead.”
Demeter pulled on an old, worn cloak and turned her golden hair—once radiant like a sunlit wheat field—into dull gray.
Seeing her prepare to leave, Poseidon also donned his noble-mage disguise: formal suit, cloak, and all.
“You… what do you think you’re doing? I said you may leave.”
“I heard you.”
“…What?”
“But I have no obligation to obey you, Lady Demeter. I’m not one of your worshippers.”
“…….”
Demeter was struck speechless.
It had been a very long time since she encountered such brazen absurdity—
And coming from a human, it was all the more shocking.
“Don’t worry. I intend to make demands of you as well. I’m not working for free. You haven’t even repaid the value of the Soul-Bloom yet, so you can’t just run off.”
Demeter stared at him in disbelief.
“You think I’d just steal your treasure and disappear?”
“Not necessarily. But you’re planning to wander for years, aren’t you? I can’t exactly wait that long.”
“You—”
Demeter wanted to deny it, but his blunt, knowing look shut her mouth.
…Because it was true.
She had already moved the dwarves, goblins, attendants, and spirits out of her palace.
There was nothing left inside.
But for him to assume she would run like a penniless rogue?
This child deserves punishment. And it wouldn’t even be my fault.
***
And yet Demeter could not bring herself to punish him.
He was, after all, the one who allowed her to speak with Persephone.
I’m not such a petty goddess…
Whether he knew this or not, Njord happily rummaged through her palace.
“Wow. Even poor gods are still gods, huh? Didn’t expect to find a gold crown tucked away in a corner like this.”
“Oh? These barley grains are infused with divine power. This will sell for a fortune.”
“Hm… this tattered cloth won’t sell. Useless.”
“…….”
Watching him effectively loot her palace, Demeter felt her fists tremble with a very familiar sensation.
Just like old times— Just like when Poseidon visited her palace.
Endure. If I smack a human child like Poseidon… he might actually die.
“Wow! There’s still some gold left on the walls. I should scrape this off for my equipment. Great quality, lots of divine energy—perfect.”
When Njord began scraping gold off the palace walls, Demeter’s patience snapped.
BAM!
“You little brat! STOP that this instant!!”
***
Now Demeter and Njord walked across the field together—
And between them hung a very heavy awkwardness.
One had a head swollen with lumps and was sniffling pitifully.
The other was drowning in guilt.
Anyone who saw them would shake their head and walk away.
“…I told you to stop, didn’t I…”
“……”
“Still, you’re sturdier than you look. I hit Poseidon plenty of times, but I didn’t think a human child could withstand it.”
“……”
“And wipe that look off your face! Staring at a goddess like she’s some grumpy old auntie— That’s blasphemy!”
“……”
“Hmph. You must want to get hit again.”
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