A man in a black suit and pants-Hades- was pacing back and forth in the garden of the hotel, "Hades i'm not going in the underworld and Zeus is an idiot for thinking that'll send them to camp nowhere, we are going to stay together and that's my final answer!" Maria said in a matter of fact tone, "Maria, please go to the underworld with me.... you aren't secure here, i'm worried and i'm not letting you die here because of your attachment, we are playing a dangerous game Maria, we can go with the kids too, but we have to go", said Hades in an exasperated tone, "Hades i'm not going there, tell me what is going to happen if me and my children are going to the underworld? how is your brother going to respond?",
"Badly, i would respond badly" said a calm voice behind them, to this the couple turned only to find a man in his forties with bright blue eyes, startlingly vivid against his tanned skin, held an intensity that was both ancient and piercing, a stark contrast to the casual interest he feigned. His black beard, streaked with elegant white accents, was meticulously groomed, framing a strong jawline.
He was impeccably dressed in a charcoal grey double-breasted suit, the wool fabric of exceptional, almost impossibly smooth quality, as if woven from the very clouds themselves. The broad, padded shoulders of the jacket gave him an imposing silhouette, emphasizing his powerful build, while the wide, peaked lapels lay perfectly flat, hinting at the meticulous attention to detail even during wartime rationing. A crisp, light blue dress shirt provided a subtle counterpoint, its collar neatly pressed, and a rich, deep burgundy tie, subtly patterned with a faint, almost imperceptible silver lightning bolt motif, was tied in a perfect Windsor knot. "For the record i am not an idiot and i don't like to be called one" he said with a fake smile on his face.
"What are you doing here brother?" said Hades in hushed but menacing tone, his helmet manifesting in his head while the bident was rising from his shadow, with his body he shielded Maria,
"Brother i am not here to cause conflict, only to deliver punishment, you know i don't like my orders defied, and 5 months have passed since i gave the order of taking your children to camp halfblood" said Zeus in calm tone, with a wave of his hand a table and three seats appeared, "why don't we sit and talk about things like adults?" to this the couple Maria watched Hades, waiting for a confirmation and he, after briefly watching the table to make sure that there wasn't any sort of trap, confirmed with a nod.
With the trio sat Zeus started talking, "Well brother, you defied my orders, but since you never have gone against me or my throne and are pretty much ambitionless in the ways of politics, i'll be lenient, for this reason the punishment that i'll give will-," At this Maria scowled and was about to talk and give him a piece of her mind but hades raised his left hand, he was watching his younger brother incredibly closely, his eyes were almost completely closed, almost as if he was trying to read his next move,"As i was saying before a certain, very rude-i might add- woman interrupted me, the punishment will be relatively light," then the air itself changed as if the heavens themselves were empowering his next words "Maria DiAngelo is prohibited to touch living soil for eternity and will be bound to the castle of Hades," to this he added "the siblings Nico and Bianca will be taken in the Lotus hotel, and will remain there until further notice, only the father will be able to visit once in 30 years, Maria is prohibited from seeing her children they are inside of the Lotus Hotel, and since she'll inhabit Hades castle she'll be made an immortal, prohibited from living her days and go to elysium, moreover the siblings once out of the hotel must recite an oath, to never go against olympus or its gods" to this the air shifted back, Maria now with watery eyes, took the glass of Daiquiri she was drinking and threw its contents to the king of the gods, "You are mad if you think i'll let my children die in a hotel!" tears were falling down her face, at all of this the sky father took a deep breath and closed his eyes, visibly trying to stay calm, Hades, seeing what his-now consort did... stood up and had gone behind his-now seated- wife, putting an hand on each of her shoulder, the message clear, go against her, go against me, "brother please have a bit of sense, she doesn't know what the hotel is... she does not know, she's just human"
Meanwhile Zeus was breathing very slowly, a storm behind his eyes, he was really tempted at this moment to just incinerate the area and forget about it, but he didn't, remembering what Themis said, 'if you something to the woman your brother will turn against you', after a couple of seconds his nerves finally relaxed,
"Mrs. DiAngelo, the Lotus Hotel is a place where time doesn't flow, maybe for you thousands of years will pass, but for your children they will be just a couple months maybe in extremes a couple of years" he said with controlled fury "I swear on my honor that if your children won't go against me , i won't touch them, now brother if you could please call one of your servants to take her to your castle, there's other things that have to be talked about-" just be interrupted again, "could i say goodbye to them please..." said the woman voice but a whisper... eyes sad but not fearful, even though he was now even more annoyed, the cloud gatherer had to admit that this woman deserved respect for standing up to him, after a couple of seconds he said "Yes you may, but when you'll be finished, his servants will take you to the underworld" a this the woman began slightly glowing, her features perfected themselves, her eyes, from light brown, became a dark honey color, her lips now red as a rose, her body became more...divine, her hips widened slightly, she became taller, younger, even her breasts were changing to her idealization, she felt alive in that moment, as if she was becoming a being with power immense, but that sensation faded to a sorrow understanding, this wasn't freedom, this was her cage,
A woman with bat-like wings -alecto- rose from the shadow of the dark one, she then put a hand on Maria's shoulder and led her to her children, in their bedroom, to give them a last hug of goodbye, the mother let out sorrowful tears, she understood that all of this was inevitable and that she was not going to see her children in a long time,
As Maria was going away, the two brothers now alone, restarted talking, "Thank you for containing yourself brother, now, what else do you want to talk about and why are being so merciful?" Hades said in a serious and suspicious tone, while since the insurrection Zeus was a fairer king (to the gods), it was rare that he treated a mortal with such respect, "It's simple brother, it's because i think those children: 1. Aren't the ones who will play an active role in the prophecy, and 2. I don't want you as an enemy, in thousands of years, as I already said, you did not go against me and legitimated my reign, contrary to Poseidon, plus after we three swore the oath at the council....
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5 months before, the night after the council
Zeus had the paranoia at 1000m above sea level, so once he returned from the council he had gone straight into his chambers, "My dear how was the council?" she said while sipping a british tea and reading a book, Leto was not really asking the question, you could see that for moment she was totally engrossed in her book "The Hobbit", at this the sky father "Dear I need a bit of your time could you please...", at this Leto put her book down, sipped another bit of her tea and"Tell me dear, what torments you?" she signaled her king to lie down next to her, Zeus obliged,inhaled deeply and put his arm on her shoulder, slightly pressing her against his frame, "It's about the prophecy dear," he said while kissing her hair, "I would want to know what this demigod looks like, maybe a detail about their eyes, or maybe one of their powers, you could summon your mother to the throne room? getting a clue about them could be crucial for knowing whose son they are," at this Leto put her tea on the nightstand nearby and started kissing her husbands neck, "Fine dear it will be done by tomorrow, when are the others arriving by chance?" she said in a muffled tone, "In five to ten minutes, why?" he said in anticipation, his mouth becoming dry, "Let's make them count then..." she said giggling.
The morning later Zeus, was sitting in his throne pretty impatiently, after all, hours had passed, a woman with smoke-like hair and golden eyes was scouring the future in a bowl of water, Hera was sitting close to him and while interested, held her hand on her husbands to prevent him from barking orders to the visibly-in-need-of-concentration woman,
"I see it m'lord I see it... m'lord,
Green are the eyes, where the ocean's depths gleam, A blade in his grasp, like a forgotten dream. Beside it, a spear, from a land lost to time, To pierce through the shadows, defying all crime.
The silver-bowed maiden, whose vows held so strong, Shall find her pure heart where it does not belong. When the ancient oath shatters, like ice in the sun, The fate of Olympus, by his hand, shall be spun."
The room was still nothing was moving, the mind of the monarch, was a whirlwind of information, possibilities, but, at the same time, Zeus was broadly grinning, there were a lot of things he could do to spun this prophecy in his favor, the first of which.... "Dear could you call Themis and Leto in here please, i'll summon Artemis from her chambers", so the king took to the silver bowed maiden's chambers
A minute or so later
knock knock
"Father... why are you here, i was sleeping" she said with a tired tone, after weeks of hunting she took a rare vacation home, the goddess did not know that what will happen next will change everything,
"Artemis good thing you are awake, come on, follow me" while the goddess was confused as to why her father was grinning so much, "What's going on it's early in the morning isn't it?" said the goddess almost yawning at the end, "You'll see where we arrive to the throne room", the goddess understood that, what she did not understand was why they were practically speeding toward the throne room,
After a bit of walking, after her father, threw open the side doors to the throne room as if he were a bulldozing helephant, she was met with an unfamiliar sight, Her grandmother, Phoebe was talking with her mother, while Hera and Themis were watching her from the moment she entered,clearly amused by what was going to happen next, now that she noticed it both her grandmother and mother were grinning like her father, a bit too much in her opinion,
After a bit her Phoebe and Leto rushed to hug her, "Oh honey! Congratulations!" said Leto with a melodically happy tone, the one she made when one of the twins made a thoughtful gift or in other such moments, then she became more dishorinted when she noticed what was said, "What?" was all that she could say before her grandmother gave another tight hug, the ones where you can't breath, with the corner of her eye she could Hera exiting the room almost crying of laughter, "Ho sweetie i'm so happy for you! You remind me your mother at your age, you know I made her dress personally"
her dress? the eyes of the poor goddess opened wide, her wedding dress, confusion was transforming into into confused anger, she is not marrying anyone without her consent, she was not going to be a trophy wife of some god that could not even clean his butt, how dare-
"I think we are overwhelming her, let's calm down, everyone please..."said Themis seeing her stepdaughters struggle, clearly the only one with a brain the younger goddess thought...
"what is happening?" she said with a decisive tone "from the start, thanks" her tone was calm but her eyes were fierce, everyone in the room could see that, the eyes of the father could only swell with pride, of everything she could have taken from him his stubbornness was the one, it reminded him of his younger self, during the war, determined to win, to free his mother from his father's' shackles, ha the younger years, when you thought you could do everything, not that he couldn't do everything to be clear,
"So what do you all have to say?" she said, "Come on dear sit" said Themi, who now stood up and was walking her stepdaughter to her throne, "Themis what is happening here, they-" said the younger goddess, she did not know what to think, she only hoped they weren't marrying her off to someone, "O dear i'm sorry I overreacted" said Phoebe, "Yeah, sorry i was just, so happy" said her mother in a happy but self-disappointed tone,
And so they told her about the details of the prophecy, obviously not before making making her swear on the styx to not divulge this information,
She was... speechless, "so essentially, the demigod, son of poseidon who i'll fall in love with is the one who will change olympus's faith", "yes!" said her mother in an enthusiastic tone, Hera restarted laughing, the face of the young goddess was a picture to be hung in the walls, "honestly.. could have been worse" said the goddess, she was exhausted by the mere thought of it all, but was comforted by the the fact that, her uncles and his father took an oath of celibacy, then she remembered... we were talking about poseidon, one of the most lustful gods in olympus, the same guy who has fathered more than a hundred children, that is just in ancient times.... all it would take was one beautiful girl in a beach and the oath would have been broken, not that she trusted her father that much either.
Then she watched her father, who was grinning like an idiot, the same father who would not trust poseidon even to tie his own shoelaces "Father i fear to ask but why are you grinning?"
"Simple dear because he cannot be a threat to us, after all he'll have you.. the weakness of Poseidons lineage is lust and you my dear, are gorgeous"
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Back in the garden of the hotel, Hades swore in his mind that he was going to punch his brother soon. The arrogance, even now, was unbearable.
"So, dear brother," Hades began again, his voice carefully neutral, "what do you propose we do about this new development regarding the prophecy? You've taken great lengths to ensure my family's, Maria's, discomfort. What is the real play here?" He crossed his arms, his obsidian eyes narrowed, waiting for the inevitable grand strategy to unravel. "first of all... the punishment is barely a punishment, effectively, the only part of the punishment is not seeing them for a couple decades, moreover as said before for them it will be a couple weeks" as Zeus said that the dark one conceded with a slight nod. "So you think that Poseidon's kid will manifests within a few decades, and are planning to have your own children and free mine right around his age...why?"
Zeus chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated through the air. "The play, Hades, is foresight. You, my brother, understand loyalty. You have been content in your kingdom, not meddling in affairs that do not concern you. Poseidon, however..." He paused, his gaze drifting upwards, as if he could already see the restless seas. "Poseidon is ambitious. Always has been. He might honor the oath in word, but his nature... it chafes. A son of his, one destined for such power, could be a formidable weapon against us, against my reign."
He leaned forward, his blue eyes glinting with a familiar, calculating light. "But if this prophesied demigod, this son of the Sea, is tied to Olympus not by fear, but by... affection... then his loyalty is secured. If he is destined to capture the heart of my Artemis, a goddess who has never swayed from her oath, a goddess whose very essence embodies untouchable purity and loyalty to Olympus... then his allegiance is guaranteed. A son of the Sea, bound to the Sky through love, a powerful new ally, rather than a potential rival. And his very nature, tied to water and winter, balances the fiery spirit of my Artemis. It's... elegant."
Hades frowned, considering this. "You haven't responded to the question brother, plus, you mean to use your daughter as a pawn, to secure a future alliance with a child of Poseidon?"
Zeus merely waved a hand, dismissing the accusation. "Pawn? Nonsense. Artemis is a goddess. Her choice will be her own. But fate, Hades, has a way of guiding us to where we need to be. And if her path, and Olympus's, aligns with this demigod's destiny, then it is simply... opportune." He took a deep breath, the subtle scent of blooming lotus around them doing little to soothe his nerves. "This is about stability, brother. With the Veil thinning, with threats we barely comprehend looming, we need every advantage. And you, Hades, by remaining neutral, you ensure our combined strength is not wasted on internal squabbles. You ensure that when the time comes, Olympus stands united, not fractured by ancient grievances. That is why i want your children alive, so that they all fight for the good of Olympus, here is the deal, once they are free you can educate however you want, this way you know i can't turn them against you, how does it sound?"
Hades scoffed, but the fury in his eyes had mellowed into a weary resignation. He knew Zeus too well. This "mercy" was a calculated move, a cold bargain struck for strategic advantage. Yet, for once, Zeus's goal of stability aligned with his own.
"So, the plan," Hades said, his voice flat, "is to wait for Poseidon's brat to appear, groom him, and marry him off to your daughter to keep him in line?"
Zeus smiled, now tinged with a hardened pragmatism. "Precisely, dear brother. And you, Lord of the Underworld, will ensure the oath holds. No interference. No escape. And a powerful ally secured through an unexpected bond. A win for Olympus, would you not agree?"
The silence stretched between them. Hades looked at the sky, "fine brother i accept your terms, but beware if you have your children before poseidon there will be hardships for them, a lot" at this the sky father arched an eyebrow "and why would that be?" at this the dark one grinned, "You cast my children into time's unending dream? Then a parallel slumber awaits those born of your own glory. For I know your pride, King, will not permit their final breath, but compel you, as is your ancient habit, to bind them in weeping bark or unyielding stone, preserving their lives for a later return."