Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 58: The Peculiar Temple of Hades

As Davos bowed respectfully to the bust of Heracleides, the citizens also bowed in prayer and expressed wishes that they too might receive such divine favor at their death.

As the statues were carried into the temple, it was already afternoon. Though the people were somewhat weary, the unprecedented and novel ceremonies held one after another kept their spirits high.

Only the last and most important ceremony remained—entering the temple to visit and pray.

Under Davos's direction, the soldiers maintained order, and the citizens voluntarily followed the regulations, entering the temple in groups one after another.

After going through the previous rituals, Canios's perception of the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, had greatly improved. Now he was eager to enter the temple and explore it.

Following the flow of people up the entrance steps and onto the temple's foundation, he saw two statues on either side of the main gate: on the left, a handsome young man holding a lyre, playing with devotion; on the right, a beautiful woman, fingers pinching the edge of her garment, her brows and eyes smiling gently as she gazed tenderly at the young man.

Both statues were carved from milky white marble, with smooth lines and lifelike appearance. Their affectionate gaze created a serene and beautiful atmosphere.

Canios's eyes lingered between the two statues until someone exclaimed, "Could these be the hero Orpheus and his beautiful wife Eurydice?!"

Once reminded, Canios looked more closely and found it was indeed so, because the names of the two were engraved on the statue bases.

Orpheus was the son of the sun god Apollo and the muse Calliope, a hero in ancient Greek legend, unmatched in singing and lyre playing. His wife Eurydice died from a viper's bite. Deeply in love, Orpheus bravely entered the underworld, moving Hades and his queen Persephone with his beautiful music, who allowed him to take Eurydice's soul away, on the condition that he must not look at her before leaving the underworld, or she would remain there forever. Orpheus kept his promise and trudged back with his wife, but just as they were about to emerge from the underworld, he accidentally looked at her, causing Eurydice to be taken back to the underworld. Orpheus fell into remorse and died of depression.

But here, the two statues did not show sorrow or resentment—they radiated happiness and warmth.

Influenced by this emotion, Canios stepped into the temple with a peaceful heart. What met his eyes were the three stone markers that had been carried in earlier.

This was the Hall of Heroes, he saw the letters engraved on the eaves.

The Hall of Heroes was only a side chamber of the temple, not very large, with colorful paintings on all four walls. Canios looked closely: the paintings mainly depicted the former mercenaries enduring hardships, crossing the sea, rescuing the people, fighting barbarians, building a new city, and founding the alliance—a magnificent panorama of war...

Even an outsider like Canios couldn't help but sigh at the hardships of Daonia's founding. But unlike the Daonian citizens, he did not kneel in devout worship. Instead, he bowed before the fire basin, then exited through the side door.

On the right was another side chamber, which must be what the people called the Hall of Sages. It seemed many people were already lingering inside.

Canios walked straight ahead, crossed the middle gate, and entered the main hall of the temple.

This hall was over twenty meters high. As soon as one entered, one immediately felt one's own insignificance. In front of the hall stood a bronze statue over ten meters tall, its massive form giving a strong sense of oppression. Fortunately, this statue of Hades did not show the ferocious, hideous face of legend. Instead, it depicted a kind-eyed, benevolent, and gentle elder. Beside him nestled another statue—the beautiful Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, holding her husband's arm, smiling at the mortals. The most feared of the Greek main gods, the Lord of the Underworld, now stood in harmony with his queen, evoking a sense of closeness.

Looking at the floor, it was made of carefully selected bright striped marble, smooth as a mirror. The walls were still colorful paintings—dense forests, green mountains, lush meadows, rare beasts and exotic animals, divine couples and messengers, while humans frolicked and relaxed among them, perfectly harmonious... making it hard to look away. Sunlight streamed in beams from the central skylight and the windows on both sides above, complementing the bright hues of the hall, making it appear resplendent as if in a fairyland. Many Daonian citizens' eyes glazed over in rapture, murmuring, "Elysian?! This is the Elysian Paradise!..." They fell to their knees before the sacred flame, unwilling to rise for a long time.

The soldiers maintaining order could only helplessly urge them again and again.

Witnessing this, Canios had to marvel: the Daonians' design was bold and ingenious—turning the underworld into paradise, the fierce god into a benevolent one! With such a warm place, there was no worry about lacking worshippers!

As Canios walked out of the temple, he was still savoring the beautiful scene inside.

"That temple over there is too scary! Many people dare not go in!"

"No way?! This one is really nice! If the soldiers hadn't urged me, I'd still be inside!"

"That side... that side is completely different from this side. Believe me, go check it out!"

...

The voices of the people reached Canios's ears, and he froze: Another temple? No, there was only one here. Could it be... Impossible?!...

Many were as shocked as Canios. Their surprise was natural, since from ancient times to the present, Greek city-states' temples had always housed one main god per temple. Placing a statue of Persephone inside this temple was already a bold breakthrough, but people saw her as an accessory to Hades, so not too shocking! Yet they never expected the designers to go even further, splitting one temple into two parts—a single temple with two gods! No wonder the Temple of Hades was twice the length of an ordinary temple!

Driven by doubt and curiosity, Canios quickly passed through the temple's outer portico supported by a dozen huge Doric columns and arrived at the other side of the temple.

Indeed, there was another entrance to the temple here, equally crowded with people.

On both sides of this entrance were also two stone carvings, but black—Charon the ferryman of the River of the Underworld and Cerberus the three-headed guardian of the gates of the underworld. Their ferocious forms made Canios's heart tighten.

Entering was a side chamber with "Prison of the Wicked" engraved on it. In the center stood a fierce statue of Thanatos, the death god, wielding a sword. On the sides were black letters: "Betrayers of the state shall enter this prison! Murderers shall enter this prison! Rapists shall enter this prison!..."

At the end of each line was a painted blood-red skull, chilling the heart. The walls depicted terrifying scenes of evil spirits torturing souls, even more hair-raising.

Canios staggered out. The dreadful sights made him hesitant—should he go further?

Then he saw a side chamber to the right inscribed "Confession Chamber" with a prominent inscription next to it: "Repent and correct your mistakes, and the god will forgive!"

Canios steadied himself and moved forward. He passed through the Confession Chamber and stepped into the main hall.

This was a world of black. Black marble floor, black walls, no skylight or windows, so no sunlight. Only the fire basins in front of the statues provided some light to the hall, but they did not add much warmth; instead, the flickering flames cast gloom on every face.

In front was not just one statue. The ten-meter-tall statue of Hades no longer had the gentle Persephone by his side. He was draped in a black robe, holding a bident, with a majestic expression, his piercing eyes seeming to see through people's good and evil.

Before him stood three eight-meter-tall statues: Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus, the three judges of the underworld. Each had a stern face—one holding a scroll, another roaring a question, and the third holding a scale, with a weight on one tray and a bright red heart on the other. This was the only red color in the entire hall, yet it made every worshipper inside tense and sweat profusely, because it was so eye-catching, as if asking: What is your conscience like?

Canios walked out of the temple in a daze. Even the fresh air did not lighten his mood—this was truly a trial of the soul!

Canios descended the hill, still involuntarily looking back at this magnificent temple.

People coming out from one side of the temple had smiles on their faces and felt joyful; people coming out from the other side looked solemn and thoughtful. Heaven and hell stood in extreme opposition, yet were perfectly contained within a single temple. The Daonians' genius conception had built this extraordinary temple. Who knew what kind of impact it would have on the Daonians in the future!

At dusk, the clamor of Thurii had not subsided. People in the streets and alleys were still discussing the day's temple festival with great interest, including this well-known restaurant of Cheiristoya.

Canios chewed bread and drank goat soup as he listened to their chatter.

He learned that the unique design of the Temple of Hades originally came from the suggestion of the magistrate Davos, and even every unprecedented ceremony in the festival was arranged by him. This made Canios even more curious: What kind of man was the magistrate of Daonia?

During the festival, Canios had only seen Davos from afar in front of the temple. He seemed young but had an extraordinary demeanor. Thinking that he had not yet been received by this Daonian ruler, Canios felt a bit disheartened.

"May I sit here?" A man came to the opposite side of the wooden table and asked politely.

Canios nodded.

"A large plate of tripe!" the man shouted loudly. Soon after he sat down, the steaming food was brought. He quickly scooped a large spoonful of sauce from a clay pot on the table into his plate. The sauce was made from sea shellfish—strong and strange to Canios's taste—but the man opposite dipped the tripe in it and ate with relish.

"Mmm, this is still the best! Haven't eaten it for a few months, been thinking about it every day—it's been driving me crazy!" The man looked entranced, drawing a slight smile from Canios.

The man glanced at Canios and said, "You know, when the Greek mercenaries were in Persia, Davos was just an ordinary soldier. It was by using this tripe that he won over the other soldiers' taste buds and got everyone's attention. Later, he became the leader of the mercenaries."

Note: The concept of one temple with two gods was not Davos's original invention. Several hundred years later in history, Hadrian, one of the Five Good Emperors of Rome, designed and presided over the construction of the Temple of Venus, where one side was dedicated to Venus and the other to the Roma goddess (the personification of Rome). The ruins of that temple stand in front of the Roman Colosseum.