In the suffocating, acid-washed dark of Cronus's gut, where time was not measured by days and nights, but in the slow, grinding churn of digestion, a quiet shift was stirring.
In the fleshy cave, in the corner, Hades sat cross-legged, eyes closed. Hades, the God of Secrets, watched the threads of fate weave and coil.
He saw it all.
The concealed ambition in Metis's eyes, the careful manipulation of Prometheus's wisdom, the heavenly favor poured upon Zeus like rain from the cosmos, and now, the threads of rebellion turning their blades toward their own blood—Cronus, King of Titans.
He understood Destiny's game better than anyone. And so, with calm resolve and quiet clarity, Hades prepared.
As the moment of their escape neared, he warned his fellow imprisoned siblings—Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and Poseidon—through divine whispers and shared vision. They understood the gravity. This was no longer mere hope. This was the execution of fate.
With a surge of divine will, Hades transformed.
Into a colossal black phoenix, his massive wings feathered in black velvet shadows, his eyes glowing with a gleaming purple light, like amethysts charged with stars.
All siblings hesitated at first, but the desire for freedom was far greater than their fear. They climbed upon his back, one by one.
And Hades, with his divine power of secrecy, wrapped them in an aura of concealment, veiling them not just from sight, but from divine perception itself.
---
Meanwhile, on the Isle of Crete, the plan moved forward.
Rhea, now draped in solemnity and hope, opened a portal in the kitchen and quickly poured all the vials of potion into the nectar, mixing it before anyone noticed.
At night, Cronus, seated on his obsidian throne, took the nectar without thought. As it touched his lips, he grimaced slightly, a strange taste lingering on his tongue. Moments later, a wave of dizziness washed over him, followed by violent retching.
Without warning, a roar of pain erupted from the King of the Titans.
He vomited, unknowingly expelling his own children, the very gods he believed were forever trapped within.
He cursed the nectar, thinking it a spoiled mixture, and cast it aside in disgust.
He had no idea.
His children had already escaped.
In that precise moment, Hades flew with all his strength, wings slicing through the acid-heavy air, cutting through the dimension Cronus had created.
He could feel his mother's presence, a thread of love radiating across the realms.
Rhea, through the Godhood of Motherhood, Space, and Time, received her eldest son's message.
Mother, open the portal.
Her heart ached, trembled… and then surged.
She raised her hands and opened a divine portal, splitting space itself. A gateway between the belly of Cronus and freedom.
The portal shone with pure white light.
Hades, still cloaked in shadows, dove toward it at full speed. Then, just before crossing, he reverted to his divine form, now grown and majestic.
With a burst of power, he flared his wings, protecting his siblings as they passed through.
And then they emerged.
All five children of Rhea and Cronus, now grown, radiant, powerful and free.
Rhea collapsed to her knees the moment they stood before her.
Tears poured from her eyes, heavy with centuries of grief, guilt, and love. Her body trembled as she beheld the faces she once thought lost.
"My children… My children…"
She wept not from weakness, but from the unbearable relief of a mother whose broken heart had finally found healing.
In unison, the gods surrounded her.
As they gathered around her, the air was thick with an overwhelming sense of joy and relief.
They supported her, wiping away her tears with gentle hands, their hearts swelling with love. Each embrace felt like a bridge spanning the years of separation, healing the wounds of time apart.
In that moment, they were no longer just individuals; they were a family reconnected, sharing the deep, unbreakable bond that comes with being together again.
The happiness radiating from their smiles reflected the warmth of reunion, a precious gift after so long.
It was a moment filled with hope, comfort, and the purest form of love that only a mother and her children could share.
The Night of Reunion had come.
For the first time in aeons, the children of Rhea stood together under the stars not as prisoners, but as gods, as heirs of thrones, and the dawn of a new age.
---
The next day, they met their brother Zeus, the one they owed their freedom to. Each sibling carried their own emotions and thoughts.
Poseidon, standing tall but prideful, looked at his younger brother and recognized something unsettling: Zeus was stronger. The realisation stung his pride. Without a word, he turned away and headed toward the sea, his domain. If he was to match his brother, he would need to train, to master the ocean's depths and secrets.
Hestia and Demeter remained by their mother Rhea's side, still shaken and seeking comfort in her presence.
Hera, however, lingered near Zeus. She was drawn to him not just by blood, but by his striking appearance, his commanding presence. Though she said nothing, her eyes betrayed a quiet fascination.
Hades stood silently. Calm, composed, yet distant. He could feel their emotions—envy, desire, pride, even fear—like whispers carried by the wind. Without complaint, he turned away.
The Underworld was calling him. Not exile, but purpose. He glanced toward Hecate, the mysterious goddess of magic and shadow.
She met his eyes, bowed slightly in quiet understanding, and followed. After a brief farewell to her mother, she descended with Hades into the dark realm that would soon become their kingdom.
Zeus, standing at the centre of it all, watched them go. He felt wary of his siblings. They were, after all, potential threats to his future reign. But as he measured their strength one by one, he was reassured. None matched his power.
Still, his thoughts were not noble.
He viewed Demeter and Hera with a lustful gaze, their beauty captivating him in a way unbecoming of a brother.
Toward Hades, however, he felt only disgust. There was something about his elder brother—silent, unknowable, and radiating an aura that felt deeply unsettling to him.
Hades seemed untouchable, otherworldly. A shadow Zeus instinctively wanted to banish from his world.