Inside the God King's Hall, Zeus received a signal from Aphrodite, then winked at the main gods below him:
"Aphrodite has sent the signal; we can begin."
This plan was originally discussed and formulated by the twelve main gods, and theoretically, all main gods should have been informed when it was put into action. However, at present, only Athena and Hermes were involved with Zeus in the God King's Hall.
This was a decision Zeus made after much deliberation. Firstly, Apollo and Artemis showed little interest in ambushing Hades. Poseidon was someone Zeus had always guarded against, just as Ares targeted Athena, Zeus had always tried to marginalize his brother.
Demeter's beloved daughter, Persephone, was the candidate for Queen of the Underworld, and if she knew, she might divorce Zeus. As for Ares, Zeus feared that his foolish son would only mess up their plans if he joined.
As for Hestia, Zeus didn't dare mention this to his eldest sister. Hestia always valued family relationships, and if the Goddess of the Hearth knew about the absurd scheme Zeus and Poseidon concocted to entrap their elder brother, she might get angry and complain to Rhea, ultimately leading to the Earth's Will questioning Zeus's qualification to be God King.
So, after much deliberation, besides Aphrodite, Zeus only enlisted Hermes and Athena to command this plan with him.
Upon receiving Aphrodite's signal, Zeus immediately ordered Hermes to go to the earth. He first had Hermes issue a command to a city-state that worshipped him, asking them to hold a large sacrifice prepared for Hades. Then, he had Hermes go to the Underworld to inform Hades of this, telling him to leave the Underworld and enjoy his offerings on earth.
After Hermes left, Zeus looked at Athena: "Athena, I'll leave Persephone to you."
"Leave it to me, Zeus."
Athena bowed:
"I promise not to arouse Demeter's suspicion."
"Mm."
Athena turned and walked out of the God King's Hall, while Zeus continued to observe the overall plan using the olympus holy fire within the God King's Hall.
He saw that after leaving the God King's Hall, Athena went directly to Artemis's temple, inviting the Goddess of the Hunt to go pick flowers in Enna. Artemis, unsuspecting, readily agreed. Then Athena took her to Demeter's temple, calling upon Persephone, who was still Demeter's subordinate goddess.
Throughout this entire process, Athena acted extremely naturally, showing no hint of anything amiss. Demeter also had no reservations about Athena and Artemis. After all, they were two virgin goddesses, and she believed they wouldn't do anything to her dear Persephone like those old perverts on Olympus.
After Demeter nodded in agreement, the three goddesses chatted and laughed as they rode the clouds from Olympus.
The three of them, like good friends, arrived in Enna, finding it lush and green everywhere. Under the influence of Demeter's divine power, even more flowers bloomed there for the three goddesses to pick.
Upon seeing the esteemed Athena, Artemis, and Persephone arrive, the nymphs of Enna also flew out from their respective dwellings, actively following the three goddesses, picking flowers with them, and trying to make an impression on the three goddesses.
Upon seeing Persephone arrive at the designated location, Zeus reluctantly averted his gaze from his beautiful daughter and looked elsewhere. He saw that shortly after Hermes arrived in the Underworld, a crack appeared at the edge of the earth, and Hades, driving a chariot pulled by four black steeds, emerged from the Underworld and moved towards Enna.
Seeing this, Zeus quickly sent a message to Aphrodite and her son:
"Aphrodite, Hades has appeared. Get into position quickly."
"Understood."
After Aphrodite ended her communication with Zeus, she also took her son, Eros, to the skies above Enna. The mother and son quietly hid in the clouds of Enna. Zeus then used his God King authority to conceal the figures of the beautiful goddess and her son with more clouds, preventing them from being discovered by unrelated individuals like Demeter.
Soon after, Hades's chariot, billowing black smoke, drove overhead. In the clear blue sky, the Underworld King's chariot was quite conspicuous. The goddesses on the ground in Enna also noticed their uncle's chariot, but Persephone paid no mind. Her great-uncle had always been aloof, and she believed Hades was merely passing by.
Hades, who was driving, also saw the goddesses. He frowned slightly, seemingly sensing something, but after touching his chest, he paid no attention and continued driving towards the location Hermes had informed him of.
At this moment, Aphrodite, hidden in the clouds, leaned over and embraced her son, Eros's, shoulders. She whispered in her son's ear:
"The time has come, my dear Eros. This arrow will make the gods recognize your power. Do you see? Your target is on that black chariot. Even the aloof Hades cannot escape love and entanglement."
"Yes, Mother, I understand."
Eros, a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, had no idea what it meant to shoot an Underworld King with a bow and arrow. He wholeheartedly believed his mother would not harm him. Thus, fearless in his ignorance, Eros picked up the bow and arrow of the primordial god of love, aimed from the clouds at the figure seated on the black chariot.
He took a deep breath, relaxed, then, using the steady stance Apollo taught him, drew the bowstring taut, aimed at Hades's chest, and then gently released—
Whoosh!
The arrow of the primordial god of love, with its heart-shaped tip, cut through the air with a faint pink glow, flying directly towards Hades's chest at a visible yet unavoidable speed, successfully hitting him.
But just as Zeus and Aphrodite were about to cheer, the arrow of the primordial god of love seemed to hit some hard armor, making a faint "clang" sound. Then, it was directly deflected by the Underworld King's chest, changed direction, and flew straight down to the ground, shooting towards the three goddesses picking flowers in Enna.
Danger!
Seeing this, Athena quickly dodged, and Artemis was also pulled away by a hand suddenly reaching out from behind, leaving only Persephone, who didn't understand what was happening, frozen in place.
Thud!
The deflected arrow accurately pierced Persephone's chest, then transformed into a pink light and disappeared into the body of the Goddess of Seeds.