For a week, the Isle of Crete has been a peaceful refuge for Hades and Hecate. Now, as evening descends, the sun is a fiery half-circle sinking into the sea, staining the water a deep, burning orange. The silver crescent of the moon begins to glow softly in the darkening violet sky.
A quiet solemnity hangs over the group at the villa's entrance. Rhea steps forward, her movements filled with a mother's grace. She gently cups Hecate's face in her hands. "Hecate, my dear child," she says, her voice warm but serious. "Please, watch over him. The world sees his fearsome appearance and immense power and misunderstands him. They fear what they do not understand. But I am his mother. I know the kindness he holds inside. Never let the world break the bond you share." She turns her loving but firm gaze to Hades. "And this applies equally to you."
A confident, proud smile touches Hecate's lips. "Do not worry, Mother. Such doubts have no place in our lives."
Rhea's smile is soft and a little sad. She slowly twists a simple, ancient golden ring from her finger and presses it into Hecate's palm. "Take this as my blessing for your future together."
Hecate looks down at the ring, her usually stern expression softening with genuine emotion. "Thank you. I will treasure it always."
Hades interrupts with a playful pout. "And what about me? Does my queen get all the gifts?"
Rhea laughs softly and kisses his forehead."You, my son, have carried my blessings in your heart from the day you were born. That is your gift."
"Then, with your permission, we will take our leave," Hades says, his tone shifting back to its usual gravity.
On cue, Nixi springs from Hestia's lap. In a ripple of shadows, the small cat transforms into a giant panther, her fur like polished obsidian. Hestia gasps in shock. "Oh! Nixi! I had no idea you could do that!" She steps forward, hesitantly at first, then strokes the powerful beast's neck. Nixi responds by nudging her gently and giving her a rough, affectionate lick.
The panther then pads silently over to Hades and Hecate. They mount her broad back with ease. Hades looks down at his mother and sister. "This is not a farewell. The Underworld is your home too. Come whenever you wish."
"Don't be a stranger, brother," Hestia calls out, her voice thick with emotion as she waves.
With a final, ground-shaking roar, Nixi gathers her strength and leaps not into the air, but into the deep shadows cast by the villa, vanishing completely.
The sudden silence feels heavy. Hestia rubs at her eyes, surprised to find tears there. "I don't know why," she whispers, "but I feel like crying."
"Then let the tears fall," Rhea says, opening her arms. Hestia sinks into her mother's embrace. "Mother, why does it hurt so much when someone close leaves?"
Rhea holds her tightly, her own eyes looking into the distance. "The heart naturally yearns for connections. When it is denied what it longs for, it aches. Not just for a person, but also for moments, comfort, warmth and the dream tied to them... It aches most fiercely for those we hold closest." A profound sadness settles on her face.
---
The world reassembles itself from a vortex of shadows. Nixi lands smoothly on the polished obsidian steps of their Underworld temple. Hades and Hecate dismount. With another shimmer, the giant panther condenses back into a small, sleek cat. She stretches her entire body with a long, tired yawn before leaping into Hecate's waiting arms.
"Meeooow," she complains.
"I know, little one. You've done well," Hecate murmurs, stroking her head.
As they step into the grand, echoing hall, the atmosphere shifts from the warmth of Crete to the cool, still air of their domain. Sebastian, their steward, materialises from the shadows, two nymph maids flanking him. They bow in perfect unison. "Welcome home, Lord Hades. Lady Hecate."
Hades gives a curt nod. "Thank you, Sebastian and others. The household may return to its duties." The staff disperses silently. Only Sebastian remains. "My Lord, we have visitors. They identify themselves as the 'descendants of Lady Nyx and lord Erebus.'"
'Children of Primordial Night and Darkness themselves...' Hades considers this for a moment. "They are honoured guests. Ensure their comfort. We will meet with them tomorrow."
Sebastian bows slightly.
"Lord Brontos sent a message," Sebastian continues. "The project you commissioned is complete. It awaits retrieval from the forge."
"Hmm. Summon Julie tomorrow, to handle the retrieval. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, sir. A message for Lady Hecate, from Principal Amazel. She states she will not complete the assigned tasks and is... resigning her post effective immediately."
Hecate's face freezes for a heartbeat, then hardens into a mask of sharp, cold fury. A slow, dangerous smile curves her lips. "Oh, is that so? Summon my dearest little sister to the gardens tomorrow morning. It seems we require a... discussion."
Feeling the weight of the journey, Hades walks into their chambers and collapses backwards onto the large bed with a heavy sigh. "I'm exhausted."
Hecate places her wide-brimmed hat on its hook and sits beside him, pulling off her boots. She watches him for a long moment. "I've noticed something about you," she says, her voice softer now. "You become different around your mother and sister. Softer. Almost... boyish. It's a side of you your subjects would never recognise."
Hades rolls onto his side, laying his head in her lap. He looks up at her, his crimson eyes unguarded. "I know exactly who I am. The cold, cruel and evil King. But with them, I choose to be the spoiled, foolish brat. It's a shield, for them. So they never feel they have to be on guard around the monster."
"You are not a monster to them," Hecate states firmly, her fingers gently tracing the line of his horn.
"Maybe not," he concedes, closing his eyes. "But they are among the very few who see past this... appearance. The fear that they might one day see my true nature and turn away... I would rather play the fool forever than risk that loss."
---
Far from the ordered silence of the Underworld, a Titan spy swims through solid rock, his earth-related divinity allowing him to move as if through water. 'The activity in the Underworld is suspicious, but my information is vague. I need solid proof, not rumours.'
He bursts through the stone ceiling, expecting to drop into the familiar, gloom-lit landscape.
Instead, he plunges into an absolute void.
It is not mere darkness. It is the absence of everything. No light, no sound, no sensation of ground or air. A primal, gut-wrenching terror seizes him. 'What is this? I'm being unmade!'
Blindly fumbling, he claws for the emergency talisman around his neck. He pours his panic into it, and with a searing flash of light, he is violently torn from the nothingness.
---
In the temple of primordial night, Nyx stirs. "He escaped," her voice echoes softly. "They will know the Underworld's defences are active."
Erebus shifts on his throne. "This will draw Chronos's attention to Hades sooner than expected."
"Perhaps. But Hades will take care of it," Nyx replies, her voice laced with lazy confidence.
Erebus frowns, his dark brows drawing together. "How? By hoping the problem ignores him?"
A low, melodic laugh escapes Nyx. "Oh, dear husband. It seems you underestimate our new neighbour quite gravely." She shifts on her throne, a shadowy smile playing on her lips. "Let me illuminate one of his recent feats. Why do you think he truly travelled to the surface?"
"To formalise the separation from Gaea and to see his mother," Erebus answers, his tone suggesting the answer is obvious.
"That is the performance he staged for you, and for all the other watching eyes," Nyx counters, her amusement growing. "But the truth moves in the shadows. While he played the part of the devoted son on his sentimental journey, Hades used his power to help the escape of the monster from the giant chasm of the sky. Now, an ancient beast rampages through the sky realm. Chronos's first priority is the monster, not rumours from below. With a single, hidden move, Hades has bought himself precisely what he needs most: time."
Erebus crosses his arms over his broad chest, a sceptical look on his face. "Then why not have him do it while staying in the Underworld? Why the elaborate show?"
"Because," Nyx explains, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "he knows the board is full of hidden players, all calculating the strength of each piece. He deliberately shows them a carefree and seemingly weak nature. He makes himself appear an unworthy card, a minor player. This way, no one observes him too closely. He positions himself as the weakest pawn on the board, all while being the shadow player who manipulates the strings unseen."
Erebus considers this, his stern expression giving way to dawning realisation. "Do you believe he will seek the throne of the gods?"
"The throne?" Nyx muses, leaning back into the darkness. "No. I do not think he will."
"Why?"
A profound silence hangs between them before she answers. "I cannot say. It is merely a feeling."
---
The spy rematerializes in a rocky outcrop in the upper world, but safety is an illusion. His body is a ruin. His limbs are corroded by a pure, devouring darkness that is now flaking away like charred paper. He tries to move, but his arm crumbles into black dust. He tries to scream, but his throat produces no sound.
The frantic beat of powerful wings echoes. A second spy, riding a giant eagle, lands nearby, his face a mask of horror. "Brother! What happened? Who did this to you?" He receives no answer, only the silent, crumbling terror in the other's eyes.
Acting quickly, he binds the disintegrating form to his back and leaps onto the eagle. "To Lord Iapetus's palace! Now! Fly for your life!"
"Kwaaaa"
The eagle shrieks in alarm and surges into the sky, leaving a faint trail of black dust drifting to the ground.