Seeing her best friend actually set her sights on her man,
Thetis's expression changed, and she immediately stepped in between the two, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"I don't agree!"
Persephone chuckled nonchalantly, lazily spreading her hands, "Then I'm afraid I can't help you."
"Your Highness, the Queen of the Underworld, how about we change our deal and escape the Underworld together?" Lorne pressed Thetis' shoulder, smiling as he stepped forward. "This dreary, ghostly place can't compare to the vibrant and beautiful human world. Once we reach the surface, we can stroll by the streams, feast in the valleys, or enter human cities to enjoy the bustling atmosphere. At that time, you can have me accompany you for as long as you like."
Persephone was taken aback by this audacious invitation, then raised her hand to lightly cover her cherry lips and laughed out loud. "You are really bold, aren't you afraid of Hades killing you?"
"You will protect me, won't you?"
Lorne blinked and a sincere and obedient smile appeared on his face.
Like a child who has caused trouble, seeking their mother's protection.
In fact, he did not believe that the Queen of the Underworld had any ulterior motives or inappropriate thoughts toward him.
On the contrary, Persephone's behavior was more like an unattainable closeness to something.
More precisely, it was the bond between mother and child.
If he remembered correctly, the predecessor of the God of Wine, Zagreus, was the child of Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, and Zeus, the King of the Gods.
Even after experiencing the cycles of life and the changes of the soul, some indelible marks will still remain.
Perhaps Persephone sensed certain qualities in him that made her want to keep him in the Underworld to accompany her.
However, regarding Lorne's proposal, the goddess just chuckled and waved her hand.
"Forget it, this body has already merged with the laws of the underworld. If I go out with you, I'll eventually be brought back. I'm not interested in going thru that with you."
Immediately, the Queen of the Underworld pointed to the lingering death energy outside the garden, and with a smile, looked at her former close friend, Thetis.
"Friendly reminder, it's best to make a choice quickly. If you keep dragging it out, when 'he' arrives, none of you will be able to leave. I'm afraid you'll all have to stay and keep me company."
"Can't you make an exception? Think of the past..."
The latter sighed, stepped forward, and gently inquired once more.
"Or, should I stay here with you?"
Persephone raised her pale, slender finger to her lips, making a gesture of prohibition, and shook her head lightly with a smile. "That's not going to work, I'm only interested in him right now..."
"Okay, I understand."
Thetis nodded, and as soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly lunged forward, grabbing at her friend's pale neck.
At the same time, Lorne synchronized and followed, charging forward like an arrow released from a bow, forming an encirclement around Persephone with a pincer movement.
This infiltration was inherently a clandestine affair; if the two wanted to escape unscathed, they couldn't stay in the Underworld.
Since soft words won't work, they'll have to take a hard approach.
They needed to control the queen of the underworld before Hades arrives, to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
The process went smoothly, with both hands gripping Persephone's neck and shoulders.
However, in the face of the kidnapping, Persephone did not get angry but instead smiled, watching the two in front of her with amusement.
"What's wrong? Do you think I was just a pretty face in the underworld?"
Seeing Persephone's confident demeanor, Lorne's heart trembled, and he couldn't help but recall some rumors about this queen of the underworld.
For the ancient Greeks, after Persephone became the wife of Hades, the god of the underworld, she transformed from her previous innocent and carefree self into a cold, ruthless, and terrifying figure.
Persephone holds immense power in the underworld, capable of commanding its demons and monsters, severing the last ties between the dying and the living.
At the same time, she embodies a dark magic that can mercilessly pull all life into the embrace of the dark abyss below, which is why people refer to graves as "Persephone's room."
Gradually, the ancient Greeks, therefore, dared not to call her by her name directly, but preferred to refer to the other ruler of the underworld as "Kore" (κρη, maiden).
Another ruler of the underworld? Could it be that...
Under Persephone's ambiguous gaze, a chill surged through Lorn's heart and he instinctively tightened his grip, wanting to lock the other person's shoulder.
However, the "Queen of the Underworld" before him transformed into countless pink petals, scattering and flying in all directions.
Illusion? Not good!
Looking at the pink in front of him, Lorne's internal alarm bells went off, and he immediately pulled Thetis back and retreated rapidly.
But, it was too late.
Hundreds of emerald-green vines burst through the ground, entwining like coiling pythons, climbing up the bodies and limbs of the two people, binding them tightly.
"Trying to take me hostage isn't that easy." Persephone was toying with a curved ram's horn in her hand, its golden hue and intricate runes carved inside and out, as she walked toward the distant shade.
"Corner of Abundance?"
Thetis's gaze fell on the golden ram's horn in Persephone's hand, and her expression changed slightly.
"This thing is actually in your hands!"
Thousands of years ago, Zeus's mother, Rhea, the second-generation Earth goddess, hid her sixth child, Zeus, in a cave to protect him from being devoured by her husband, Cronus.
The infant Zeus was cared for by Amalthea.
Amalthea was both the goat that nursed Zeus and an ancient deity representing the earth's abundance, possessing powerful earth divinity.
Later, Zeus had the fire god Hephaestus strip its skin and horns, respectively making the divine shield Aegis and the horn of plenty.
In the end, the Aegis shield, possessing supreme defense, was split in two; one side belonged to Zeus, and the other to the goddess of wisdom, Athena.
And the two horns of plenty, one in the hands of Zeus, used to entertain the gods at feasts, and the other in the hands of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, symbolizing the legacy of the Earth Mother and the god of agriculture.
She never expected that one of them would end up in Persephone's hands.
And based on the divinity that controls plants, this should be the one in the hands of her mother Demeter.
That agricultural deity actually gave away her original artifact; she truly is a doting mother.
"Not just this, what I have is more than just this..."
As if seeing through her friend's thoughts, Persephone smiled and gently raised her hand.
The lush green vines binding the two instantly withered, the accumulated dense death energy transforming into gray-black underworld serpents, tightening around their limbs.
Scarlet tongues flickered in front of them, exuding a strong scent of blood and death.
Breath.
As a mother, the goddess Demeter bestowed upon her the blessings of life, and as a husband, Hades, the lord of the underworld, shared with her the power of the underworld.
Seeds, abundance, the underworld, death... all of these fall within the realm of this queen of the underworld's powers.
Therefore, Persephone, who became the queen of the underworld, was no longer the same as before.
"Come here."
The goddess under the dense shade hooked her finger forward. A nether snake formed from condensed deathly aura dragged Lorne right in front of Persephone and suspended him in a humiliating spread-eagle position.
Persephone stepped forward, lazily raised her lotus-like arm, and let her slender white fingertips slide inch by inch across Lorne's face as she smiled and murmured.
"Breaking into the underworld privately, attempting to abduct a soul, and even holding me hostage — these are all top-tier capital crimes. Tell me, how should I deal with you?"
"Cough, this is a misunderstanding. I can explain. How about you let me down first?"
Lorne coughed dryly and twisted his body, trying to regain the initiative.
"Do not move!"
However, before he could think of a convincing line, Persephone's expression changed sharply. The hand that had slid down to his chest immediately pressed down hard.
"Rip!"
Accompanied by the sound of tearing fabric, Lorne felt a chill on his chest. His upper garment turned into shreds and scattered in all directions, fully exposing his fit and streamlined upper body.
Seeing her best friend actually do something so indecent right in front of her, Thetis felt great alarm in her heart.
"Persephone, have you gone mad? Stop it!"
Yet before the sea goddess could continue her scolding, the queen of the underworld ahead suddenly raised her hand. A vine whip burst out of the ground and struck Thetis squarely on the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious on the spot.
Watching the queen of the underworld turn her faint gaze back to his exposed upper body, Lorne felt a chill in his heart and could not help swallowing.
Is she going to… commit a crime in front of her friend?
Did I guess wrong?
Just as Lorne's already chaotic thoughts were turning into complete mush, a faint whisper reached his ear.
"The Wheel of Hecate…"
Persephone's cool fingertips lightly touched the ring-shaped black brand that had appeared on Lorne's chest at some unknown time. Her originally bright expression gradually turned gloomy.
"She found you again?"
"Hecate?"
Lorne subconsciously picked up the topic, his eyes flickering.
From the reaction of the queen of the underworld before him, her relationship with Hecate did not seem as close as the legends claimed.
Perhaps this was an opportunity!
Lorne's heart stirred. He put on a sincere expression and answered half-truthfully.
"She saved me, raised me, and taught me many things. She is half my mother and my teacher…"
"Teacher? Mother?"
However, these words somehow touched Persephone's reverse scale. The queen of the underworld muttered with a gloomy face, then looked at the suspended Lorne with a mix of anger and disappointment, and rebuked him indignantly.
"How many times are you going to fall for the same trick?!"
"?
Lorne opened his mouth, and a timely look of puzzled bewilderment appeared on his face.
Seeing this expression, Persephone suddenly lost interest. She casually waved her right hand, and the nether snake that had been binding Lorne instantly turned into mist and dissipated.
"Listen, do not trust that woman!"
"You mean… Teacher Hecate?"
"That is right. Everything she does is for herself!"
Persephone snorted coldly through gritted teeth. She then stretched out her cold hands, cupped Lorne's cheeks, and an indescribable sadness overflowed in her eyes.
"Listen to me. Live well and do nothing. Whether it is inevitable fate or accidental opportunity, these are things you cannot control. In their eyes, you are only a chess piece…"
"..."
Lorne's face still maintained that look of confusion and innocence, but a trace of coldness gradually rose in the depths of his eyes.
Sure enough, Hecate finding him was not an accident.
Similarly, the unborn Poros, the revived Zagreus, and the born-and-died Dionysus… none of these were accidents. They were all choices Hecate had made to use [accidental possibility] to challenge [inevitable fate].
More precisely, they were chess pieces placed on the board and chips thrown onto the gambling table. With every roll of the dice, they helped her win the greatest benefits in her game against fate.
She had probably seen the shadow of her son Zagreus in him, which was why the queen of the underworld had lost control like this and held such complicated feelings toward him.
Perhaps this was an opportunity…
Lorne's heart stirred. He proactively took Persephone's hand and looked earnestly at the secretly grieving queen of the underworld as he spoke sincerely.
"I do not know why, but the moment I saw you, I felt as if I were seeing my own mother."
"Your mother?"
"Yes. She was very good to me, but she passed away very early."
Lorne nodded in reply, then added with some sadness.
"I came to the underworld this time hoping to see her, but even her soul no longer exists…"
Upon hearing this, Persephone looked at the young man who had lost his mother. Her face filled with deep pity and helpless reluctance to speak.
Only gods could annihilate a soul.
Clearly, this child had once again been dragged into the conflicts of the gods in this life.
No matter how many times it repeated or how things changed, he could not break free from the shackles and curses of fate. He was thrown again and again into the center of the whirlpool until the [possibility] on him was completely worn away.
At this moment, Lorne touched the brand named "Wheel of Hecate" that had appeared on his chest and proactively defended the goddess of the moon and magic.
"I know you mean me no harm, but I believe Teacher Hecate is the same. She planted this curse mark on me probably just to prevent me from dying unclearly like my mother and to find a way to protect my soul."
"Foolish!"
Persephone interrupted Lorne's defense with a cold snort and glared fiercely at the "naive" silly child in front of her.
"She is not trying to protect your soul. She covets the [possibility] on you!"
As she spoke, even stronger resentment surged in the queen of the underworld's eyes.
"That woman wants to complete the unification of her own divinity, but she is afraid of the power of [fate] and does not dare to try it herself. She simply treats all of you who possess [possibility] as chips to pry open [inevitability]. She throws you onto the gambling table again and again, hoping you will bloom and bear fruit so she can reap the benefits without effort!
The unborn Poros was like this, my little Zagreus was like this, and you…"
"Lorne. You can call me Lorne…"
"Is that your name?"
"Yes."
Lorne nodded. His sincere gaze turned toward the queen of the underworld before him.
"Although I do not quite understand what you mean and am not sure whether Teacher Hecate would harm me, I believe you mean me no harm, because I feel a warmth from you like that of a mother who has passed away."
As he spoke, Lorne showed a hesitant expression and asked nervously.
"If it is possible… may I call you — Mother?"
Upon hearing this, the queen of the underworld could not help but feel stunned. She pressed her red lips tightly and fell silent.
"Mother!"
Before the hesitation could last too long, a sincere call broke the deathly silence in the garden.
The moment this title was spoken, Persephone's body trembled. She raised her head and looked dazedly at the earnest young man before her. Finally, she no longer suppressed the emotions in her heart. She nodded gently and parted her vermilion lips.
"Buzz!"
Just as the mother and son in the garden were about to acknowledge each other, ashen-gray flowing light streaked across the dim sky of the underworld and rushed toward the verdant garden.
"He is here! Go quickly!"
Persephone's expression changed slightly when she saw this. She subconsciously pushed Lorne behind her.
At the same time, she casually broke off a golden branch from the garden and stuffed it into Lorne's hand, solemnly instructing him.
"Take this and follow the river to find Charon. He will take you out of the underworld!"
In the epic Aeneid, it is mentioned that Charon mainly ferries the souls of the dead, but if a living person obtains a golden bough broken from Queen Persephone's garden and hands it to the ferryman of the underworld, he can be ordered to send them in and out of the underworld.
Lorne looked at the [Garden Golden Bough] that still retained warmth in his hand and at the figure standing in front of him, fully activating the aura of life to block the deathly aura of the underworld. It seemed he understood something.
Perhaps the queen of the underworld had never really intended to forcibly keep their group in the underworld.
What she possessed and showed was only a mother's longing for her dead son.
"I will come back!"
Lorne declared loudly. After seeing the figure blocking the front tremble noticeably, a brilliant and sincere smile appeared on his face.
"Once I finish the matters on the surface, I will definitely come to the underworld to see you! I swear this upon the River Styx!"
"Why are you still not leaving?"
The queen of the underworld ahead furrowed her brows coldly and waved her fair hand backward.
Instantly, a gray-black vortex formed beneath the four of them and swallowed Lorne, Thetis, Sisyphus, and Adonis in one go. In the blink of an eye, accompanied by the tremor of the earth, they disappeared without a trace.
(End of this chapter)