Hecate and Hades returned to their office, the weight of Nyx's warning hanging in the air between them. Hecate turned to him, her usual composure replaced by a worried frown.
"That 'Giant Chasm'... what is it, Hades? The way Lady Nyx spoke... it sounded like the end of everything."
Hades let out a long, weary breath. He didn't go to his throne but instead guided her to a sofa, sinking down beside her. He suddenly looked very tired.
"It is," he said, his voice low. "Or it could be. It is our generation's burden to inherit. The 'Greatest Sin of the Primordials'."
Hecate leaned closer, placing a hand on his arm. "A sin? What could beings that powerful possibly have to atone for?"
"It wasn't a sin of malice," Hades began, choosing his words carefully. "It was a sin of curiosity. Of desire. To understand it, you need to know what came before the Titans, before even the shape of the world was set." He looked at her, gauging her readiness. "It begins with two beings. Lord Kaos, the universe itself, and Lady Ananke, the cosmos and its inevitable fate."
Hecate's eyes widened slightly. She knew the names, but as distant concepts. Hearing Hades speak of them as real entities made the cosmos feel suddenly much larger and more fragile.
Hades continued, "Then came the first children of creation. Lady Nyx, the night and darkness, and my grandmother Gaia. But there were others, ones history has tried to forget. Drexnor, who was reality itself, and Eros, the very concept of desire and attraction."
"Eros? But she's—"
"Older than anyone remembers," Hades interrupted gently. "And it was desire that undid them. Drexnor desired power above all else, power to rival Lord Kaos and Lady Ananke. And Eros... she desired Drexnor. His ambition became her own."
He paused, the silence stretching as he gathered the painful truth. "Drexnor found a source of power that was never meant to be touched. Primordial energy. The raw stuff of creation. He tried to harness it. The other Primordials didn't interfere, as they were also curious about it."
"What happened?" Hecate whispered, captivated.
"He failed." The simple words were heavy with finality. "He was unmade. And Eros, in trying to save him, was unmade alongside him. But their destruction wasn't clean. It was a cataclysm."
Hades's gaze grew distant, as if seeing the event through the eyes of his divinity. "Their shattered essence... their power, mingled with the primordial energy... it exploded across the cosmos. It changed things. It created monsters, artefacts, and realms with laws that shouldn't exist. And the violence of it... It wounded Lord Kaos. It tore holes in the fabric of everything."
"The chasms," Hecate breathed, finally understanding.
Hades nodded. "The chasms. Four terrible wounds in reality, which are about to become a reason for the destruction of the universe. At the right time, Lady Ananke stepped in and stopped the catastrophe. The Primordials couldn't heal him, so they did the only thing they could. They gathered all of the primordial essence, creatures, corrupted things and weapons that had spilt out and sealed them inside a chasm."
"But why not just destroy the monsters?" Hecate asked, a practical note in her voice.
"Think of Miramor," Hades said, a wry smile touching his lips. "If he uses his ability correctly, then he is powerful enough to challenge a god king, and he only absorbed a speck of that energy. Now imagine a creature that bathed in it. Some things are not so easily killed. And in the chaos after the explosion, these monsters were not only a threat but also a threat to the stability of the universe. Imprisonment was the only option left. They have been guarded ever since. One by Tartarus, one by Gaia, one by Pontus..."
"And the fourth?" Hecate pressed.
"The sky," Hades said, his expression darkening. "Once under grandfather Uranus, Lord Aether, and Lady Hemera. Now, it falls to my father Cronus... Lord Aether and Lady Hemera. Surprisingly, my father never slacked off or made any mistakes in this matter."
The full horror of the situation dawned on Hecate. "And Tartarus is growing weak... which means the others will too."
"Yes," Hades said, his voice grim. "The guardians will soon fall into a deep sleep at their posts. And when they do, the locks on those prison doors will begin to fail."
"Why not tell your brothers?" Hecate suggested. "They could help in this matter. Poseidon could guard the ocean chasm, Zeus the sky..."
Hades actually laughed, a short, harsh sound. "Tell Zeus and Poseidon that the chasm contains a prison of primordial horrors and god-killing artefacts? They would either try to loot it for a new weapon, convinced they could control it, or they would ignore it until something big happened." Hades moved his head from side to side. "No. If they do not know, it is much better for us. This burden is mine. No, ours."
The immense weight of it settled on them both. The office, once a place of authority, now felt like the command centre on the eve of an unwinnable war.
Hecate leaned her head against his shoulder, a silent offer of solidarity in the face of the impossible. "Then what do we do?"
"We do what we must. We finish my second task. We make the Underworld strong, independent, and ready. We become the shield the world doesn't know it needs." His voice softened. Suddenly, he moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. He kissed her neck softly, then her cheek, his lips moving closer to hers.
Suddenly, the air shimmered and a portal tore open. Lady Nyx stepped out, took one look at the intimate scene, and brought a hand to her mouth with a gasp. "Oh my! I see I am disturbing you both." She quickly turned to leave.
Hades and Hecate sprang apart, putting a respectable distance between them in a flash. Hecate swiftly smoothed her dress. "Wait, Lady Nyx! It is not what you thought! I, uh, I just slipped! Please, come in."
Nyx turned back, a knowing smile playing on her lips. She glided over to Hecate and whispered in her ear, "There is nothing wrong with being intimate with your husband, dear."
Hecate's blush spread from ear to ear. "What... what brings you here?"
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Nyx said, as if just remembering. She produced a beautifully woven basket and handed it to Hecate. "A wedding gift from us." Hades came to stand beside his wife.
"Thank you, Lady Nyx," Hecate said, curious. She opened the basket and a small, sleek black cat peeked its head out. It had brilliant blue eyes that locked onto Hecate's. It let out a soft "meow" and rubbed its cheek against her hand.
Hecate lifted the gentle creature out, handing the basket to Hades so she could cradle the cat. She stroked its fur. "Wow, so soft."
"She is one of the ancient ones," Nyx explained. "She absorbed a small portion of that scattered primordial power. She has been under my care, but she grows bored in my temple. I thought she would be a good companion for you."
"What is her name?" Hades asked, reaching over to scratch the cat behind its ears.
"I call her Nixi," Nyx said. The cat, Nixi, purred in agreement. "Now, I must take my leave." Nyx stepped back toward her portal.
"Please, visit again soon," Hades said, offering a farewell.
Nyx returned to her temple and sank onto a luxurious couch. A moment later, Erebus emerged from the shadows behind her.
"That was quite a grand gift to give as a simple wedding present," he remarked, his voice a low rumble.
"I know," Nyx sighed, leaning back into the pillows. "But it is necessary. Even with all this, it feels like our preparations are not enough."
"I have just spoken with Tartarus," Erebus said, moving to sit on a couch opposite her.
Nyx glanced at him. "How is he?"
Erebus moved his head from side to side, a gesture of deep concern. "He is exhausted. He will fall into a deep slumber very soon." He leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "By my calculations and predictions, Tartarus, Pontus, Aether, and Hemera will all succumb to sleep within the next 40 to 50 years. Gaia may last another century, perhaps 150 years."
He looked at his wife, his expression solemn. "Now, the world is truly in the hands of the younger generation. It is up to them to decide whether they will lead it to prosperity... or to extinction."