For a week, the Isle of Crete had been a peaceful refuge for Hades and Hecate. Now, as evening descended, the sun was a fiery half-circle sinking into the sea, staining the water a deep, burning orange. The silver crescent of the moon began to glow softly in the darkening violet sky.
A quiet solemnity hung over the group at the villa's entrance. Rhea stepped forward, her movements filled with a mother's grace. She gently cupped Hecate's face in her hands. "Hecate, my dear child," she said, 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 turned her loving but firm gaze to Hades. "And this applies equally to you."
A confident, proud smile touched Hecate's lips. "Do not worry, Mother. Such doubts have no place in our lives."
Rhea's smile was soft and a little sad. She slowly twisted a simple, ancient golden ring from her finger and pressed it into Hecate's palm. "Take this as my blessing for your future together."
Hecate looked down at the ring, her usually stern expression softening with genuine emotion. "Thank you. I will treasure it always."
Hades interrupted with a playful pout. "And what about me? Does my queen get all the gifts?"
Rhea laughed softly and kissed 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 said, his tone shifting back to its usual gravity.
On cue, Nixi sprang from Hestia's lap. In a ripple of shadows, the small cat transformed into a giant panther, her fur like polished obsidian. Hestia gasped in shock. "Oh! Nixi! I had no idea you could do that!" She stepped forward, hesitantly at first, then stroked the powerful beast's neck. Nixi responded by nudging her gently and giving her a rough, affectionate lick.
The panther then padded silently over to Hades and Hecate. They mounted her broad back with ease. Hades looked 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 called out, her voice thick with emotion as she waved.
With a final, ground-shaking roar, Nixi gathered her strength and leapt not into the air, but into the deep shadows cast by the villa, vanishing completely.
The sudden silence felt heavy. Hestia rubbed at her eyes, surprised to find tears there. "I don't know why," she whispered, "but I feel like crying."
"Then let the tears fall," Rhea said, opening her arms. Hestia sank into her mother's embrace. "Mother, why does it hurt so much when someone close leaves?"
Rhea held 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 dreams tied to them... It aches most fiercely for those we hold closest." A profound sadness settled on her face.
---
The world reassembled itself from a vortex of shadows. Nixi landed smoothly on the polished obsidian steps of their Underworld temple. Hades and Hecate dismounted. With another shimmer, the giant panther condensed back into a small, sleek cat. She stretched her entire body with a long, tired yawn before leaping into Hecate's waiting arms.
"Meeooow," she complained.
"I know, little one. You've done well," Hecate murmured, stroking her head.
As they stepped into the grand, echoing hall, the atmosphere shifted from the warmth of Crete to the cool, still air of their domain. Sebastian, their steward, materialised from the shadows, two nymph maids flanking him. They bowed in perfect unison. "Welcome home, Lord Hades. Lady Hecate."
Hades gave a curt nod. "Thank you, Sebastian and others. The household may return to its duties." The staff dispersed silently. Only Sebastian remained. "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 considered this for a moment. "They are honoured guests. Ensure their comfort. We will meet with them tomorrow."
Sebastian bowed slightly.
"Lord Brontes sent a message," Sebastian continued. "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 froze for a heartbeat, then hardened into a mask of sharp, cold fury. A slow, dangerous smile curved 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 walked into their chambers and collapsed backwards onto the large bed with a heavy sigh. "I'm exhausted."
Hecate placed her wide-brimmed hat on its hook and sat beside him, pulling off her boots. She watched him for a long moment. "I've noticed something about you," she said, 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 rolled onto his side, laying his head in her lap. He looked 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 stated firmly, her fingers gently tracing the line of his horn.
"Maybe not," he conceded, 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 swam 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 burst through the stone ceiling, expecting to drop into the familiar, gloom-lit landscape.
Instead, he plunged into an absolute void.
It was not mere darkness. It was the absence of everything. No light, no sound, no sensation of ground or air. A primal, gut-wrenching terror seized him. 'What is this? I'm being unmade!'
Blindly fumbling, he clawed for the emergency talisman around his neck. He poured his panic into it, and with a searing flash of light, he was violently torn from the nothingness.
---
In the temple of primordial night, Nyx stirred. "He escaped," her voice echoed softly. "They will know the Underworld's defences are active."
Erebus shifted on his throne. "This will draw Chronos's attention to Hades sooner than expected."
"Perhaps. But Hades will take care of it," Nyx replied, her voice laced with lazy confidence.
Erebus frowned, his dark brows drawing together. "How? By hoping the problem ignores him?"
A low, melodic laugh escaped Nyx. "Oh, dear husband. It seems you underestimate our new neighbour quite gravely." She shifted 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 answered, his tone suggesting the answer was obvious.
"That is the performance he staged for you, and for all the other watching eyes," Nyx countered, 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 crossed 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 explained, 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 considered this, his stern expression giving way to dawning realisation. "Do you believe he will seek the throne of the gods?"
"The throne?" Nyx mused, leaning back into the darkness. "No. I do not think he will."
"Why?"
A profound silence hung between them before she answered. "I cannot say. It is merely a feeling."
---
The spy rematerialised in a rocky outcrop in the upper world, but safety was an illusion. His body was a ruin. His limbs were corroded by a pure, devouring darkness that was now flaking away like charred paper. He tried to move, but his arm crumbled into black dust. He tried to scream, but his throat produced no sound.
The frantic beat of powerful wings echoed. A second spy, riding a giant eagle, landed nearby, his face a mask of horror. "Brother! What happened? Who did this to you?" He received no answer, only the silent, crumbling terror in the other's eyes.
Acting quickly, he bound the disintegrating form to his back and leapt onto the eagle. "To Lord Iapetus's palace! Now! Fly for your life!"
"Kwaaaa!"
The eagle shrieked in alarm and surged into the sky, leaving a faint trail of black dust drifting to the ground.