My CEO Harem Cultivation System

One moment, Thana Dierdre was hesitating and considering leaving the CEO alone to face the Sanctum of Death all by himself—the next thing she knew was the freezing temperature and darkness that surrounded her.

The waters dragged her down to its depths, the songs and screams of the Lorelaies ever present in her ears. Whether that was of the souls that were present, or simply her imagination, Thana did not care. 

A vague sense of self-preservation flickered within her, but she did not move.

If she was stupid enough to get caught by water, mere water and fall prey to its depths, then so be it. She did not know if Grim Reapers themselves could die and yet without ever a clue, she sank like a rock.

Was it better that she came down here? 

She temporarily gazed up and shuddered at the shadowy and yet pink figure above her. The presence of the deity or one of the deities within this cave.

Better to fall here than incur the wrath of a god..

Thana couldn't exactly drown, but the sensation of liquids filling up one's lungs was never a pleasant experience. Her eyes glowed within this pitch dark blackness and she wished that she had instead kept her eyes shut in the first place.

In the distance, a silent splash came above her.

But it already seemed like thousands of meters away from each other. The waters around them were treacherous as much as the grotesque creatures submerged within it—Cocytus? Probably. Thana's memories were still sharp to think this was Lethe and she did not consider this as Acheron.

No solemn vows were made at this hour, but still, Thana's mind wagered on in her surroundings.

She wondered if she was ever alive or had always been this way. There was no semblance of any memory in her brain and all that was happening was this—he was suddenly in front of her, coming down from above.

It was Li Yang.

Thana blinked in surprise, she didn't think that he'd come back for her—and yet he silently pulled her into a kiss and swam back up, pulling her slowly with him. A second later, Thana realized that it was him attempting to give her oxygen, which he probably forgot she didn't need, but then they resurfaced.

Li Yang quickly grabbed onto the edge of the earth and pulled her up. The singular tree around them had stopped raging and so had the… her. Thana couldn't meet the goddess incarnate's gaze.

Whether it was a vessel or just a manifestation, ranking was still ranking—even though the goddess threw a fit. Thana immediately secured the scythe she had dropped on the ground and scrambled up to her feet and quickly bowed. 

She eventually threw herself on her knees and hoped for respite.

"Our deepest apologies for trespassing and desecrating your sanctum, honored deity of death." Thana said and hoped that Li Yang also did the same. 

Oh dear—he wasn't kneeling at all!

"Who are you?" Li Yang asked.

Thana wished to crack her head on a rock—this man was being too belligerent for his own good! 

"Do you not recognize me?"

"No."

Thana resisted the urge to hook the man's leg and bring him to his knees. She was still staring hard at the ground and couldn't read their expressions, but this was clearly a huge NO in the Grim's Guide to Dealing with the Deities and the Dead. 

"A shame when you've named your own company after my fellow deities."

"Oh, are you one of the twelve?"

"No, but I am well-acquainted with them."

"I see."

Maybe there was something wrong with him—seriously, there was bound to be something wrong when a mortal man decides to wander into this plane, but now so, even more! Thana was already aware of who this deity was and either Li Yang was playing dumb, or he clearly didn't know how important this goddess was!

"Is that all you have to say to someone who has personally visited you?"

A sigh came from Li Yang's lips. 

"I don't think there's much to say—I've already been watched for at least 24/7 by all of you. So I do not understand the need to see myself in the flesh, unless it was to torment me, and that's already happening now."

"You should be more delighted and magnified by my presence alone—not many would have taken the opportunity to visit a mere mortal."

"And yet I am not."

"..."

Thana felt a chill down her spine as the deity drew to silence. Considering the sudden scream earlier, it wouldn't be surprising if Thana found Li Yang's head on the floor already, decapitated with a scythe not too different from hers.

But another thing happened.

A sudden chirp sounded in the cave. The voice of the goddess turned into a much lighter and whimsical tone. "Ah, it's really true that you're as cold as ice and I can finally confirm it now that I've seen you in the flesh. A mortal woman would have already gotten upset if you treated her this way."

"What?" Li Yang's voice finally took in a startled quality.

Thana herself blinked and wondered if she heard the actual goddess gushing right now. Li Yang was being a disrespectful mortal and yet all the goddess was doing was mentioning it with a ditzy and airy voice.

Had she drank too much of the pond water and was currently going through an episode?

When Thana lifted her gaze slightly, she was given the sight of the goddess' perky and plump behind. The goddess was circling around Li Yang as if he was some sort of mannequin and she was gauging him with a critical and seasoned eye.

"A mortal woman can easily become offended by such harsh and callous treatment—it's a wonder why you're still even managing to sleep with multiple women." 

Li Yang's eye twitched at the comment. "I think you can ascertain that it's a mutual thing between me and them. Especially since you're one of the Observers, are you not?"

The goddess raised a hand underneath her chin. "But I suppose a woman can forgive a man with such a handsome face to look at. You remind me a little of someone else with your grouchy nature."

Li Yang sighed and then threw a look at Thana. "Are you alright?"

Thana was still on her knees and just awestruck at the conversation happening. The Grim Reaper still couldn't believe her ears and with how the two were talking to each other as if they were on the same level.

Li Yang cleared his throat and offered her a hand, "You don't have to keep kneeling—"

"Why this little Reaper certainly does need to kneel in my presence," the Goddess interrupted him. "But I suppose since it's you helping her up, I'll let it go just this once. I do love myself to see a man of few words and yet all action."

Thana struggled not to make a face, but accepted Li Yang's hand as he heaved her up. She quickly bowed once again and thanked the goddess for her mercy—and watched it fall to deaf ears.

"So are you going to include this grim reaper into your harem, Yang? I can call you, Yang right?" the goddess cheerfully asked but then suddenly demurred. "Or can I call you… Mister CEO?"

—-—-

Author's Note: I forgot which reader mentioned something about goddess' characters in the early chapters, but I hope this one did not disappoint xD Or if it disappointed you, make you root for the CEO unshackling himself from the "System" and "Contract" lol. Either way, thanks for reading!

Extra details:

If you're unfamiliar with the Greek Mythology then the waters mentioned by Thana were part of the five rivers in the Underworld. The Acheron (river of woe, sometimes, healing), the Cocytus (river of lamentation), the Phlegethon (river of fire), the Styx (river of unbreakable oath by which the gods took vows), and the Lethe (river of forgetfulness).

Lorelei (aka Loreley) is legendary German siren (often depicted with a mermaid tail), who was created by Clemens Brentano in 1801. 

Thana is a shortened version of Thanatos, the god or personified spirit (daimon) of non-violent death. Dierdre is a variant of Deirdre (Irish, Gaelic), and the meaning of Dierdre is "broken-hearted, sorrowful.

And finally, yes, it's Persephone. Goddess of Underworld and Spring!