I Left the Sea God To Rule the Underworld

“This is an insult!” Suddenly, Poseidon stood up, his voice sending chills down my spine. “Choosing a cursed prince over our sons- is she looking down on our deities?”

Behind me, several deities whispered, “What does she think of herself, throwing so many tantrums?”

“Even Goddess Aphrodite didn't show as much attitude as her!”

“Mortals should never be invited to Mount Olympus. She doesn't deserve to be here.”

I quickly patted my head before Zeus as I begged, “I’m not looking down on anyone, Allfather! I just… don't deserve to be here.”

“If that's your choice…” he finally said, “I’ll just grant your wish, Laena. But always remember, once you move to the underworld, there is no way back.”

“Thank you, Allfather!” I said, finally raising my head. “I’ll never regret my decision.”

The echoing silence of the Grand Hall was broken only by the sharp, metallic scraping of a trident being shoved back into place. Poseidon sneered, turning his back on the court, while the surrounding deities continued to cast scathing glares in my direction.

Among them, Kael’s gaze burned the hottest. His icy blue eyes, usually so indifferent and aloof, were now narrowed in a tempest of bruised pride. He didn't want me—he had made that horrifically clear in another life—but being so publicly cast aside for a prince of decay was a blow his arrogance could not digest.

"Mercury," Zeus’s voice thundered from high above, weary and uninterested. "Escort the mortal to the threshold of the Underworld. Let Hades deal with his son’s new burden."

"At once, Allfather," a light, airy voice replied.

As I stood up, smoothing the simple fabric of my priestess robes, I caught Kael’s gaze one last time. He took a subtle step forward, his jaw clenched, as if expecting me to hesitate, to look back at him with the desperate, longing eyes he was used to.

But when I paid no attention to him, he grabbed my arms and said, “Stop it, Laena. If you are doing this to grab my attention, you are only ruining your own life. Because this pathetic act of yours won't win my heart.”

I looked at him, really looked at him. Once, when my village was suffering from severe floods, he had helped us. That was when I lost my heart to him.

Even after ten years of our wedding, when he spared no glance for me, I really thought he was incapable of romance until one night I caught him panting and groaning in his chamber– looking at Aphrodite's pictures.

He was completely naked, venting everything out while murmuring her name. That was when I realised he was not incapable; he just didn't want to give in to me.

The shock made me stumble on my feet, and I was caught off guard. He sensed my presence at his doorway and immediately grabbed my neck. He sent me to the underworld as my punishment for trespassing on his privacy.

If it was not for Malar intervening, I would have been eaten alive by the underworld’s creatures.

Even after this cold realization, I gave him the benefit of the doubt, for he was drunk and I dared to use Aphrodite's perfume to seduce him. I thought because she was already married to his cousin, he would let his fantasies go and eventually accept me.

But I was wrong. He punished me even more harshly and eventually caused my death.

So, in this lifetime, I would definitely not choose this deity, not at all.

“You are mistaken, Lord Kael!” I said, “My decision to marry Malar, the son of Hades, has nothing to do with you.”

“I’m marrying him because I adore him and look up to him.”

“Adore him?” He sneered before leaning close to my ear as he whispered, “Do you even know which curse he has been suffering from?”