Blink, blink, Persephone’s vision alternated between darkness and light.

“Ugh…”

A pained groan escaped through her lips.

‘Am I really alive?’

Even for an immortal god, it was said they could experience eternal pain or fall into a comatose state…

‘I haven’t already been dragged to the Underworld, have I?’

Persephone summoned all her strength, even the power she used as a child to run away with Demeter’s seed pouch, to open her eyelids.

Then she saw a gap split between the cliffs high above.

‘So I fell between the cliffs.’

Persephone, who had been staring at the sunlight pooled at her fingertips, startled and gathered her wits.

Right. If she had fallen deep into the cliffs, the chariot of the one who was going to kidnap her should be nearby.

Though every muscle in her body screamed in agony, this time she squeezed out even the strength she used to secretly steam and eat the chickpeas Demeter had grown.

Exerting great effort, Persephone’s vision caught sight of a pitch-black chariot.

“You, crazy… bastard…”

Persephone pressed her trembling arm against the stone floor. She muttered not only “crazy bastard” but other colorful curses she knew.

Who causes a traffic accident just to kidnap the woman he loves?

‘No, if you love someone, you shouldn’t kidnap them in the first place!’

A deep sigh escaped Persephone’s lips.

Perhaps she should have realized earlier that the one who would kidnap the woman he wanted as his wife, even if it meant ramming her with a chariot, was Hades.

‘You, you son of a bitch. Just wait until I get back up there, I’ll definitely tell my mom about this. You’ll see.’

As Persephone lay on her stomach with her hands pressed to the ground, burning with determination, that’s when it happened.

Rustle.

The awning of the chariot was pulled back.

Persephone’s expression suddenly hardened.

As expected, a robust man stepped out of the chariot.

The man slowly looked around before spotting Persephone and stopping his gaze.

Though only his silhouette was visible in the deep shadows near the chariot, some sunlight was filtering in between Persephone and Hades.

If he took even a single step, his form would be revealed in the sunlight.

Just as Persephone bared her teeth, about to shout at him not to come closer.

“Are you alright?”

A low voice pierced her ears like an arrow.

A tall man was reflected in Persephone’s leaf-green eyes.

The first thing she saw was the man’s face.

Pale skin that hadn’t seen sunlight for a long time. Sharp, distinct features. And eyes that seemed to have scooped up the darkness of Nyx herself.

Hades’ long robes spread out like the night sky.

The fine hairs between his jet-black locks swayed gently with his urgent movements.

The distance that would have taken her about ten steps was closed in an instant.

“Can you stand up?”

Persephone’s eyes shook violently as she took in his appearance.

‘…He’s not an old man?’

Until now, Persephone had thought that her uncle Hades would be a bearded old man.

Given the generational difference, Hades was obviously much older than Persephone.

Persephone observed Hades as he carefully grasped her shoulder.

‘Could this not be Hades?’

But it was unreasonable to say that this young man before her eyes was not the ruler of the Underworld.

After all, Persephone was a god herself, so she could roughly tell what kind of aura emanated from other gods.

‘A feeling that’s opposite to mother’s aura, yet connected…’

He was definitely the king of the Underworld.

At that moment, perhaps finding it strange that Persephone was staring at him so intently, Hades gently cupped her cheek.

His strong and calm voice fell softly.

“Even if you’re sleepy, you shouldn’t sleep in this state, okay?”

…Why is he being so kind?

Persephone, who had unknowingly opened her mouth, suddenly went “Ssup!” and smacked her lips.

She had sucked in the saliva that was about to flow out with her breath.

At that moment, Hades’ eyebrows furrowed.

‘Ah, no, I shouldn’t casually smack my lips! I need to escape!’

Seeing his puzzled expression, Persephone hurriedly got up.

“He, hehe…”

Hastily pulling up the corners of her mouth, she let out a foolish laugh while wiping her mouth.

Touching it, she felt it was slightly wet. Whether it was blood flowing or saliva.

Judging by how her thighs were throbbing mercilessly, she seemed quite injured, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

She didn’t understand why he was being so kind to the woman he was trying to kidnap, but if she didn’t seize this opportunity, she might never be able to escape.

“You asked if I was alright earlier, right?”

“Yes-”

“Yeah, I’m fine!”

Persephone smiled brightly as she stepped backward.

Hades, who had risen from his seat, tried to reach out his hand. But Persephone was quicker in extending both her hands.

“I’m really fine!”

“…Didn’t you just say you were fine?”

“Yes!”

“But you’re staggering and can’t even stand properly…”

“No, I’m fine. Really, truly!”

Persephone deliberately answered like a parrot.

Hades’ eyes keenly scanned her. Stroking his chin, he crossed his arms, seeming displeased.

“…Are you serious?”

A strange light flashed in his eyes, as if obsidian had been embedded in them.

A chill ran down Persephone’s spine.

‘N-No way…’

Were those the eyes of a madman calculating his kidnapping?

She didn’t know what had triggered it, but she needed to escape immediately.

Persephone summoned all her remaining strength.

Her feet stepped behind her.

“I!”

One step.

“Really!”

Two steps.

“Am fine!”

And three steps.

Thinking she had secured a safe distance, Persephone began to retreat into the shadows.

As she moved further away from Hades, her cries began to echo.

“So let’s go our separate ways, okay?”

“…Go our separate ways?”

“Yes, didn’t you just say ‘let’s go our separate ways’? That’s exactly it.”

Persephone shouted towards Hades, who was staring blankly at her. She clenched her fist in the air as if stamping a seal.

“Don’t go back on your word later. You’ll definitely get scolded by my mom. When she gets angry, she’s so scary that…”

“Mother? What do you mean?”

Ah, that’s right. If I say this, it’ll reveal that I’m Demeter’s daughter!

“…Well, as you can see, I was born, so I must have a mother, right?”

“…”

“I just meant it like that.”

Persephone laughed awkwardly and then clamped her mouth shut while still smiling.

Having run out of things to say, she turned her body towards the end of the space between the cliffs.

“Then, goodbye!”

She ran away from Hades, who was standing dazed, giving it her all.

Though she didn’t know that Hades’ gaze held confusion beyond mere bewilderment…

[This is the timeline separator]

This place, strewn with five-colored white clouds, was the entrance to Mount Olympus.

This place, where humans sometimes stayed and left, was also a favorite spot of Hermes, the god of messengers and travelers.

“Huh?”

Hermes, who had been adjusting his winged sandals, suddenly raised his head.

“What’s this? A messenger bird?”

He had been wondering what creature was pecking at his hat, but what was circling above his head was a blackish messenger bird.

Shadows were stretching long from the tip of its tail, so this bird was probably…

‘From the Underworld?’

And there was only one god from the Underworld who would contact him so urgently.

“Yes. Did you call, Lord Hades? The messenger to us all, and your swift messenger – Hermes has received an urgent message!”

Hermes spoke in a bright voice, perching the messenger bird on his finger.

[I have something to ask you, Hermes.]

As expected, the King of the Underworld got straight to the point in his characteristically stiff manner.

Hermes raised the corners of his mouth and rested his chin on his hand.

“As the King of the Underworld, wouldn’t you be able to easily inquire about someone?”

[…What?]

“I mean, just like you’re cooped up in your palace, couldn’t you just drag that someone into the Underworld?”

Hermes shrugged his shoulders as he joked around.

[No time for wordplay.]

An eerie aura crawled up his spine like a spider.

[By the way, I’m behind you, so just answer the question.]

Hermes’ body stiffened while still smiling.

“Come on, you’re overreacting to a little joke…”

He hunched his shoulders slightly and blinked at the empty air where nothing could be seen.

[Enough. From now on, listen to the appearance I describe, and then guess who this person might be.]

Ignoring Hermes’ brazen attitude, Hades continued.

[First, she was a woman with pale skin and a thin build. There was an ornament woven with grass and flower petals in her hair.]

“Looks like you met her in person?”

[I said to just answer the question.]

“…Yes. A woman with pale skin, thin, and had decorations in her hair. And?”

[Pink hair, and eyes the color of spring buds, a pale green. Though the pigment was light, it was a clear and bright color rarely seen in the Underworld.]

“Her eyes were ‘like spring buds’? That’s too subjective, isn’t it?”

[It’s just a figure of speech.]

A deep sigh was heard from the Underworld’s messenger bird.

[And it seemed her mother’s side was a high-ranking deity. But her father must have been a mortal or a lesser god, because her blood was red.]

“Hmm… In any case, you mean her blood wasn’t golden like yours, Lord Hades?”

[Do you know who it is?]

After pondering for a moment, Hermes asked a question.

“By any chance, did you meet this friend in Sicily? You know, at the end of that boot-shaped peninsula?”

[…How did you know?]

“Well, the friend you described…”

Hermes trailed off, stroking the corner of his mouth.

“She’s Lady Demeter’s daughter, isn’t she?”

[…..]

“Her name is ‘Kore’.”

A moment of silence.

At the end of it, a thin voice leaked from the messenger bird.

[…Are you saying the child I hit with my chariot was Sister Demeter’s daughter?]