03: A New Sibling

Beneath the depths of the earth,

Where the shadows dance,

Where the cries of the damned echo like a requiem,

There lies the Charonian Chancellor.

O, thou, Despot of the Abyss,

We sing for thy reverence,

We kill in a maddening joy,

We praise thy night that remains untold.

Wearing thy august crown, encircled by gloom,

Thou judgest the departed,

Thou rulest over thy sober realm,

Bloody tears shed, as fate unveils.

O, Hades Necromanthus,

The Shadow's Custodian,

Chthonic Master of the Subterranean,

Bless we!

Bath we in thy eternal splendor,

Grant we solace,

For thou alone,

Our tongue spreads from Tartarus' depth to Elysium's light!

For thee, all things should we do,

Amidst the depths where the shadows dwell,

We beg thee when judgment falls,

prithee forbear thyself from withholding thy pity.

-Ixion, the first Greek Kin-Slayer, begging Hades, the unborn god of the Underworld, for mercy.

***

*Splaf*

After an eternity of falling, Hades fell into a strange puddle of eerie yellowing water. As his body became fully submerged, the strange liquid swirled around him. It created a cocoon, trapping him.

The acid then tried to seep into his divine flesh. It crawled upon his skin akin to an army of poisonous ants. At first, it wasn't very painful, yet it soon became intolerable as his body regenerated at a godly pace.

Hades felt like he was trapped in a perpetual circle of pain. Each time his body healed, the acid liquid intensified, making adaptation a futile dream. The sound of his bones burning away only exacerbated his suffering.

Muffled screams of agony escaped his lips. His ichor merged with the puddle, creating a dark aura that seemed putrid, yet gentle in this hellscape. Crystal tears shimmered on his cheeks, reflecting a dim light, struggling to penetrate the cocoon.

If Hades was not overwhelmed by the pain, he would question the presence of light. For even his seemingly boundless curiosity was brought to a halt by the suffering.

'Pain… So this is how it feels like' this was his first sensory experience, and yet he was already on the verge of falling unconscious. His mind was squalid at the revelation of how "life" was.

'𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡! 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑖𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠.'

Once again, Haethan's voice helped him reach a conclusion. And his first resolution became to fight!

No matter what stood before him, he would fight!

In order to resist the anguish, he suddenly gained the strength to clench his fist.

However, only enduring would bring naught!

As the realization dawned upon him, a peculiar sensation welled up in his heart. An undefined yet palpable and overwhelming power surged within him. He felt like he could do almost anything; he could make this tormenting liquid vanish.

"Go 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲!" bellowed Hades in a humongous voice. As if the very world heeded his command, an invisible pressure materialized, breaking the cocoon, and preventing the liquid from ebbing away.

Black fire, akin to fluttering shadows, crackled upon the surface of the acid water. It raged with cadaverous, crisping whispers against its tormentor. Soon, the liquid disappeared, and the flames dissipated into nothingness.

Exhausted, gasping for breath, Hades collapsed onto his knees. Fatigue, an entirely new sensation, embraced him.

'I can't…no, I don't want to move anymore. Is this what Haethan referred to as tiredness?' Surprisingly, Hades didn't find this feeling bad. It was like a needed reward and an acknowledgment of what he accomplished.

It was better than pain, that was for sure.

Remaining still, he gazed at his surroundings—a true hellscape.

The ground exhibited a sickening pink hue, as if an infant had haphazardly mixed a chewing gum with fermented blue cheese. Plumes of thick smoke arose from the ground, carrying a noisome stench even more repugnant than a purging station. Amidst the smoke, chunks of parching flesh strew. The walls exuded a putrid stench, akin to a squalid hummock of warm excrement. While pallid tufts of diseased mucus dwelled on the "ceiling", threatening to fall at any moment.

Frowning at the horrifying sight, Hades suddenly heard a nearby voice. "We have a new sibling!" Announced a voice with a fruity tone, contrasting with the infernal surroundings.

'New sibling? Does that mean I have sisters or brothers? Or maybe even both?!' He wondered, taken aback back by the prospect of having a family. His mind swirled with conflicted emotion. However, before he could ponder further, two arms gently embraced him.

Confused by this sudden act of affection, Hades looked up at his sister. Her hands behind his back were forcing him into a hug.

'Warm'

The woman possessed vibrant red hair cascading down her shoulder, with a single strand on top of her head, defying gravity. Bangs of a light red shade concealed her long lashes. Her eyes were a myriad of blue shades holding a celestial allure. She bore pupils resembling a planet shining with pure white light and behind it, a blue sun was rising. While her skin displayed various underlying warm and pale tones. She looked at him with such an innocent look that any weak being would swear on their lives to protect her.

Such beauty was dangerous.

Smiling, she gazed into his eyes, her skin shimmering as her eyes gained stars. "Hello, brother. I'm Hestia, your sister!" she announced warmly, her very presence soothing him.

'Hestia… A familiar name,' he realized, remembering Haethan's "Hellenic tales". In those fables, Hestia was the name of the goddess of family and other things. Though the thought of her sharing a name with that goddess intrigued him, he dismissed it. He did not want to make a bad first impression on her. After all, she was his sister, and he wanted her to like him.

'𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡.'

Returning her smile, Hades' pale blue eyes sparkled with curiosity and enthusiasm. "Nice to meet you, Hestia! My name's Hades."

Her excitement was evident as she took his hand, guiding him toward two nearby silhouettes. One approached with haste, while the other stayed behind, her arms crossed, her eyes glaring at his naïve smile.

"I'm Demeter!" waved the woman, not far away from him. She exuded a connection to nature. Her long green hair shimmered like untouched foliage. She had eyes of a darker shade of green, reflecting both nature's cruel and kind nature. Her ears were slightly stuck out, to always be able to hear the birds' songs. Her lips were thin, with rosy skin for everyone to see her sensible nature.

The moment he heard her name, realization struck Hades. Being swallowed by his father was already a scarce experience, but now with three sisters, one named Hestia, another Demeter, and himself Hades, the ties to Hellenism became undeniable.

His thoughts seemed to wander on every tale he heard about those famous gods. He once dreamed of being part of it, but now it had become reality.

He smiled, 'I-

"Llo!...Hello!" Two majestic pink glowing eyes bore him. They glared at him as if he had made the worst offense. Those two globs seemed so haughty, yet they shimmered with elegance. With her hands on her hips, she looked irritated, however, her mythical allure morphed it into a sight one could not easily look away from. Long august lashes adorned her eyes. Her shoulder-length purple hair framed her face with consummate grace, while her flowing white robe accentuated her divine appearance.

Even though she posed with stark allure, Hades looked at her, unaffected, only confused as to why she seemed so ostentatious.

'Is she one of those pretentious people Haethan talked about? He said that those people weren't all so bad, they were just hard to accommodate to.'

"Hello" smiled Hades, his head a bit tilted toward the right. Yet, when she did not respond, he became once again puzzled. "Nice to meet you?"

His emotions were laid bare, as he had yet to learn of the monster within everyone's heart.

Seeing her cute little brother being ignored by Hera, Demeter lightly pushed her away.

"Act as if she didn't exist. She's somewhat bitchy"

"What does bitchy mean?" asked Hades in a naïve tone. Haethan had never used such a word.

Hearing this, a small laugh escaped Demeter's mouth. "Don't worry about it" she told him, waving away.

***

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