Chapter 87: Persephone (12)
Time passed.
It had been quite a while since Demeter descended from the realm of the gods to the land of humans.
During that time, Demeter wandered ceaselessly, barely caring for her appearance.
Yet her looks never declined—Once like a young maiden, she now resembled a young widow, mature and serene.
If she had once appeared in her early twenties,
Now she looked like a stunning woman in her late thirties—
But with a goddess’s aura, richer and more alluring than ever.
“Njord, if the gods find out I’ve been neglecting my duties and walking around looking like this… Won’t they take my anger lightly?”
“Haha. Don’t worry, Lady Demeter. If any god underestimates you, I’ll beat them up.”
Over the years, Demeter and Njord had grown close.
After traveling together for what, in human years, amounted to several full cycles,
They no longer looked like a wandering mage and the noblewoman he served.
They looked like… family.
And naturally, rumors spread among humans:
“Did you hear? A beautiful widow is traveling the land searching for a new husband.”
“No, no—I heard she’s eloping with a mage her family disapproves of.”
“So romantic! But why would age matter if the man’s a mage?”
“True. Mages live long anyway…”
The stories were wild, but small, carried only by those who happened to see them pass by.
Eventually, Poseidon and Demeter—still in their disguises—arrived near the palace of King Celeus of Eleusis.
They settled near the spring where Eleusinian villagers drew water.
“Lady Demeter, please work your magic today as well.”
“…You do realize you’re treating a goddess like a wandering fortune-teller?”
“Oh come now, then I shall be recorded as the first human ever to employ a goddess. Quite the achievement, no?”
“….”
Demeter lifted her fist with a dead-eyed expression.
Seeing that, Poseidon bolted.
Now that he’d experienced her punches as a “human,” he knew exactly how terrifying they were.
“I’ll gather customers! I still need to earn a living!”
As he sprinted away, Demeter sighed.
“This was not the plan…”
***
Everywhere they went, Njord brought the people,
And Demeter gave small glimpses of the future—
And the work was always successful.
Usually, roadside fortune-tellers were treated with contempt,
Since true foresight required a high-level mage, a divine-blooded priest, Or a god’s blessing.
Why would such beings waste their gifts on street divination?
Thus, by all logic, Demeter and Njord should have been ignored.
But—
“Demeter is… breathtakingly beautiful. And she looks like a young widow.”
Naturally, countless people—especially men—approached her out of ulterior motives.
Then they saw her card readings.
A goddess reading the future of mortals—
And Demeter, a earth goddess at that.
Even the simplest prediction became terrifyingly accurate.
To humans, it was like watching a goddess steal a thread from the Fates themselves.
***
“Fortune-teller, I want to know my marriage fate with this man.”
“Alright, then please—both of you—draw one card each.”
Demeter primarily used card divination for the people who came seeking fortunes.
These cards were a mere toy to gods, but for predicting a human’s simple future or fate, nothing worked better.
For a small price, she could peer into a surprisingly wide span of fate.
Even the Moirai—the Fates themselves—sometimes played with these cards.
“Hm… your marriage won’t be easy. Your fathers are mortal enemies. But, if the two of you can reconcile your fathers… the result becomes favorable.”
Demeter continued reading for many people like this.
Her incredible accuracy and extremely cheap fee naturally drew attention everywhere.
Eventually, word even reached the four daughters of King Celeus of Eleusis.
(At this time, Demeter charged only 10 lepton—roughly one-tenth of a silver coin. 100 silvers made one gold coin, and four gold coins equaled an entire year’s budget for a commoner family.)
The four princesses of Eleusis happened to be curious about the fate of their newborn baby brother.
So they used the excuse of fetching water and went to see Demeter.
“Wow! There really are so many people.”
“Right? She must truly be an excellent fortune-teller.”
They thought such a talented fortune-teller would be perfect to bring into their palace.
And the handsome young man guarding the fortune-teller was… an added bonus.
“Hello, fortune-teller. Would you visit our palace if you’re free?”
“Yes! Someone as respected as you will surely be welcomed by our father and mother.”
“We are the daughters of the palace’s lord. If you agree, we can give you whatever you desire.”
“Yes! Even the most beautiful chamber in our palace—if that’s what you want.”
The princesses boldly made promises so outrageous their father and mother would faint upon hearing them.
But they remembered well what their mother always said:
— “Girls, when it’s time to act, you must act boldly. If I hadn’t, I’d never have caught your father.”
— “Metanira, must you say such things—”
— “Oh hush. You were adorable when you were young. Especially that night when you were drunk—”
The princesses remembered these “lessons” perfectly.
If the queen herself had heard this scene, she would have screamed,
“Not like THIS! This is NOT what I meant!”
But unfortunately, Metanira was not present.
Demeter looked at the girls and then cast a side-eye toward Poseidon.
After all, this entire situation was his doing.
“Greetings, princesses. I am Njord, the mage in service to Lady Doso.”
(Doso was Demeter’s alias among humans.)
Poseidon—no, Njord—bowed politely and began spinning a perfectly fabricated tale.
Lady Doso was the head of his clan, he claimed,
And their family had been attacked by Cretan pirates.
They barely escaped with their lives and were wandering ever since.
“Oh my! How awful! Then you must come to our palace all the more!”
“Yes, we’ll speak to our father and mother for you!”
Watching the naïve princesses fall for Njord’s lies so easily, Demeter couldn’t help but stare in disbelief.
“…This man has THAT kind of expression too? He’s an absolute master con artist.”
The princesses ran off excitedly to inform the king and queen.
The princesses, of course, conveniently left out all the ridiculous promises they’d made.
“Is that so? Truly talented fortune-tellers are rare. If this one is genuinely gifted, we can make her Demophon’s wet nurse and help her restore her family.”
“Yes. Restoring a fallen noble house is well within our means.”
King Celeus and Queen Metanira looked fondly at their daughters who were running around for their baby brother’s sake—
Completely unaware of the blank checks the girls had thrown around.
If they had known, they would never have agreed.
They were well aware of the true caliber of wandering diviners and magicians—
Even those calling themselves “nobles.”
“Yes, we’ll bring her right away!”
Back then, the role of wet nurse to a future heir was often entrusted to noblewomen.
And baby Demophon, newly born, had yet to have one.
“Hehe, we should at least meet the ones the girls brought. It’s the courteous thing.”
“Indeed. I don’t expect much, but since they care so much for their brother, we can’t reject it outright.”
“Right. We’ll just meet them, offer some money, and send them off. Everyone leaves happy.”
“Hm.”
***
Due to the princesses’ invitation—and Poseidon’s insistence that they “take it easy for once”—
Demeter reluctantly entered the palace to take the supposed wet nurse position.
“You insolent brat… Do you know how disrespectful this is toward a goddess?”
“Yes, yes. But didn’t you yourself abandon the gods and choose to wander like a human? If you want to act human, you must be human. Always declaring yourself a god ruins the roleplay, you know?”
“…….”
Demeter wanted to sew his mouth shut.
But, she endured.
Yes… He’s stayed by my side this whole time. The benevolent me can endure this…
“Come on, hurry. Are you getting old? You’re slower every day.”
“…….”
Demeter’s eyebrow twitched.
Her hand twitched too.
She wanted to break all four of his limbs,
But such things would have to wait.
Because the moment Demeter stepped over the threshold—
Queen Metanira let out a terrified gasp.
“Eek!”
Everyone in the room was shocked—
Except for two people:
Demeter and Poseidon, who calmly observed her reaction.
“That girl is quite sensitive.”
“Yes. If she were a mage, she’d have reached a high rank.”
“Or a priestess—she would have excelled.”
Metaneira, unaware of their thoughts, Instinctively abandoned her seat of honor and offered it to Demeter in a panic.
To her eyes, Demeter appeared like a towering mountain—
An overwhelming presence no human could dare look down upon.
“P-Please, s-sit here, my lady…”
But Demeter gently shook her head and stepped back.
A guest should not sit in the host’s seat.
“…….”
The atmosphere turned awkward.
The frightened queen flustered, The king and princesses confused at her reaction, Everyone unsure of what to do.
That was when Metanira’s clever handmaiden, Iambe, quickly stepped forward, Bringing forth a wool-covered chair.
“This one should be acceptable, my lady.”
Demeter nodded and sat.
Watching this, Poseidon shook his head in exasperation.
Honestly… this is why gods are hopeless.
No sense of social awareness. Rejecting the queen’s seat and creating this atmosphere,
Yet then accepting the highest honor—
A wool-padded chair meant only for the most revered guests…
— I know exactly what you are thinking.
Stop that train of thought.
“…….”
Poseidon froze.
He thought for a moment she had read his mind.
Then Demeter continued:
— I can’t read your mind. But your thoughts are obvious to me now.
“…….”
Poseidon suddenly felt a chill.
Demeter was now sitting figuratively—and literally—at the very top of his head.
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