Chapter 3 - The Beginning of the Unavoidable Prophecy.

After being devoured by his father Cronus, and witnessing the heart-wrenching cries of his mother desperately trying to save him, he found himself plummeting into the abyss of his father's throat. The descent seemed interminable, as if he were traversing several dozen miles through an ever-expanding darkness.

What perplexed him even more was the astonishing transformation of his father, who, once a mere 10 meters tall in the outside world, now defied the very laws of space and time by growing in a conceptual manner that should have been deemed impossible.

In the wake of his father's callous actions, Hades harbored a deep-seated resentment, deeming Cronus's behavior both foolish and cruel. Despite the tumultuous circumstances, he clung to the hope that his mother would find the strength to endure the ordeal.

In the recesses of his determined heart, Hades made a solemn vow — a pledge to return and bring an end to the oppressive reign of his father.

While destined to fulfill the prophecy, Hades adamantly refused to let the foreseen horrors unfold in the near future. With an unwavering resolve, he vowed to alter the course of fate, promising to reshape the narrative and usher in a transformative change.

Shortly thereafter, Hades experienced a disorienting sensation as if he were submerged in water, only to realize with a jolt that the liquid enveloping him was none other than the corrosive stomach acid within his father's insidious depths.

A wave of excruciating pain surged through him as he felt his flesh succumb to the relentless assault of the acidic medium, each moment accompanied by a searing agony that seemed to rend his very essence.

The destruction of his physical form became a harrowing ordeal, an unbearable torment that echoed within the confines of his consciousness. The infant found himself in the clutches of this nightmarish dissolution, captive to the macabre reality unfolding within the confines of his father's devouring abyss.

In an unyielding defiance of his impending fate, Hades summoned an inner strength that seemed to transcend the very essence of his being.

As a profound rejection of the devouring darkness, an ethereal shadow emanated from his body, enveloping him in an otherworldly shroud. Amidst the nightmarish dissolution within the corrosive stomach acid, a miraculous metamorphosis unfolded.

The once-melted flesh began to reform, as if time itself had reversed its relentless march. Hades, against the onslaught of his father's relentless stomach acid, witnessed the remarkable restoration of his physical form.

However, this miraculous rebirth was far from a singular event; it unfolded in an endless cycle, a perpetual dance between dissolution and regeneration.

The might of his father's stomach acid proved to be an unrelenting force, triggering a relentless oscillation between destruction and reconstruction. Hades, caught in this cosmic paradox, grappled with the ceaseless ebb and flow of his existence.

The darkness that emerged from him became both a shield and a manifestation of his indomitable will, a testament to his refusal to succumb to the cruel whims of destiny.

'I refused to die!'

Within the tumult of his thoughts, Hades unleashed a primal roar that echoed through the depths of his consciousness, a resonant manifestation of his divine power.

Drawing upon the core of his being, he channeled energies that surpassed mortal comprehension, each surge contributing to the reaffirmation of his undying divinity.

In a relentless pursuit of what he deemed right, Hades, amidst the unending pain, embarked on a cyclical endeavor, an unwavering commitment to defy the oppressive forces that sought to consume him.

The ceaseless agony, akin to an inferno that refused to be extinguished, failed to erode Hades's resilience. His spirit, fueled by an unyielding hatred for the injustice he faced, became an indomitable flame that flickered defiantly against the encroaching darkness.

The pain may have been never-ending, but Hades clung to his inner fortitude, a bastion of strength that prevented the corrosion of hope. In the crucible of suffering, he found solace in the knowledge that his mother, too, endured a parallel torment.

As Hades persisted in his struggle, the echoes of his determination reverberated within the confines of his father's devouring abyss, a testament to the enduring spirit of a god who refused to be vanquished.

In the heart of darkness, Hades stood as a beacon of resistance, his thoughts echoing with the resolute promise to overcome the unrelenting tribulations and reunite with his suffering mother.

As an indeterminate span of time unfurled in the enigmatic abyss, Hades harnessed the reservoirs of his divine power with an unwavering determination.

Through an intricate manipulation of his formidable abilities, he managed to conjure a semblance of stability within the chaotic expanse – a small hovering land, suspended in the void, endowed with the resilience to withstand the corrosive onslaught of his father's stomach acid. This ephemeral sanctuary, a testament to Hades's unyielding will, afforded him a momentary respite amidst the relentless tumult.

On this precarious terrain, woven from the fabric of his own godly essence, Hades reclined upon the earthen surface. The land he had meticulously crafted stretched across a modest expanse, measuring only a few dozen meters in diameter.

Though diminutive in scale, it became a vital haven in the face of the ceaseless turmoil surrounding him. Here, on this makeshift refuge, Hades found a brief reprieve from the unending torment, allowing him the precious opportunity to rest and gather his strength.

As he lay upon the gritty soil of the ethereal land, the god of the underworld contemplated the resilience that had sustained him thus far.

The creation of this hovering sanctuary, while a testament to his prowess, also served as a symbolic gesture of defiance against the oppressive forces seeking to consume him.

In the quiet moments of reprieve, Hades envisioned a path forward, a strategy to navigate the treacherous landscape of his father's devouring abyss and, ultimately, to emerge victorious against the inexorable grip of fate.

In the confines of his ethereal refuge, Hades found himself squirming on the gritty terrain, his divine form contorting with the remnants of the unrelenting pain that had become an intimate companion on his arduous journey.

The perpetual cycle of teetering on the precipice of death only to resuscitate anew had inadvertently sculpted him into a being of augmented strength and unparalleled resilience.

As he struggled to move on the earthen surface, every motion seemed to carry the weight of his accumulated suffering. The paradoxical dance between mortality and immortality, the perpetual flirtation with the brink of oblivion, had become an unwitting crucible that forged Hades into a formidable force.

Each revival, a testament to his indomitable spirit, left an indelible mark on his essence, fortifying him against the malevolent forces that sought to devour him.

The very dirt upon which he squirmed bore witness to the cosmic drama unfolding, a narrative etched with the echoes of divine perseverance. Hades, through the crucible of perpetual near-death experiences, had unwittingly become a manifestation of divine tenacity.

His struggles, once agonizingly personal, now resonated as a celestial anthem of endurance, a symphony of defiance against the relentless currents of fate.

In the throes of his relentless ordeal, Hades discovered an uncharted reservoir of strength within himself – a resilience that transcended the boundaries of conventional godhood.

The dirt beneath him, marked by the imprints of his divine struggle, became sacred ground, a testament to the deity who, against all odds, embraced the crucible of suffering and emerged as an embodiment of unyielding strength.

"Ha….haaa..hahahahahaha!!!"

In a surreal moment of catharsis, Hades, having weathered the relentless storms of hellish torment, found himself engulfed in a maniacal laughter that echoed through the metaphysical corridors of his consciousness.

The taste of liberation, albeit a fleeting semblance, ignited a wild exuberance that bubbled forth, punctuating the oppressive atmosphere with a chaotic symphony of laughter. It was a sound that defied the agony of the abyss, a cacophony of defiance reverberating against the very walls of his father's devouring realm.

In the wake of this tumultuous release, Hades harnessed the depths of his divine reservoirs, unleashing a colossal wave of energy that rippled through the fabric of existence itself.

However, the magnitude of this divine outpouring, akin to a celestial tsunami, remained nearly imperceptible to his father. The vastness of the power he wielded eclipsed the meager ripple that traversed the tumultuous expanse, rendering his monumental feat of liberation a mere whisper in the cosmic cacophony.

As the maniacal laughter subsided, replaced by an eerie calm, Hades stood amidst the aftermath of his divine outburst. The landscape, once tumultuous and rife with torment, now bore the indelible imprints of his unrestrained power.

Yet, the vastness of the devouring abyss, akin to an insurmountable cosmic ocean, absorbed his triumph like a drop in an endless sea.

Undeterred by the seemingly indifferent cosmos, Hades harbored a newfound sense of agency, a realization that even in the face of overwhelming power, his laughter and liberated energy were sparks of rebellion against the oppressive forces that sought to shackle him.

The echoes of his laughter lingered in the cosmic ether, a testament to the deity who, against all odds, had tasted a sliver of freedom in the heart of his father's devouring abyss.

Though, his voice was high pitched as he was nothing more than a toddler having reached the age of 5 years.

He confidently rose to his feet, revealing his burgeoning physique, adorned with an ethereal, creamy-smooth white complexion. Cascading down his back was a cascade of long, jet-black hair, complemented by eyes tinted in a captivating shade of wine red, captivating anyone fortunate enough to gaze upon them.

As he was in the early stages of youth, his masculinity, though promising, bore a certain modesty, with the size of his male attributes yet to reach their full potential. It was an anticipation, a promise of future allure that held the potential to bring pleasure to many women in the times to come.

"Haaa…haa…can't believe it's been 5 years since I was in that hellish cycle." Hades, having finally quelled the tumultuous storm of euphoric laughter that had gripped him, felt a newfound tranquility settling within him. His sanity, a precious commodity in the hellish realm, had been restored, and he now stood in the darkness, his godly eyes piercing through the obsidian veil that would have otherwise engulfed the realm in an impenetrable shroud.

In the aftermath of his mirthful outburst, Hades surveyed the surroundings that should have been shrouded in an impenetrable cloak of darkness, owing to the absence of any conventional light source. However, the divine radiance emanating from his eyes, superior to those of mere mortals, illuminated the abyss around him.

As he gazed into the void, the shadows seemed to dance in submission to his newfound calmness. Hades' eyes, once ablaze with manic energy, now held a serene intensity that belied the recent chaos. In this paradoxical moment of tranquility within the underworld, the god of the dead stood, a beacon of divine light in the heart of darkness.

"I am Hades huh."

In the reflective silence that followed, Hades found himself muttering under his breath, contemplating the curious nature of his existence.

He couldn't help but muse on the irony that his current life, despite its divine complexities, cast him as the most reasonable deity within the sprawling tapestry of the Greek Pantheon.

The exceptions to this rationality were few, primarily embodied by the serene Goddess Hestia and the industrious Hephaestus, each weaving their distinct threads of reason within the divine mosaic.

A heavy sigh escaped Hades' lips, a manifestation of the annoyance that welled within him. As he ruminated on his divine predicament, the stark reality of his prolonged entrapment within his father's stomach gnawed at the edges of his consciousness.

The seemingly eternal struggle against the omnipotent titan Cronus loomed over him, and despite his godly essence, Hades couldn't shake off the frustration that his powers remained minuscule in comparison.

"I'll most likely be stuck here for several decades if not centuries…but that's fine considering it will give me time to explore my godly powers."

In the face of his seemingly interminable predicament, Hades exhibited an uncommon stoicism that set him apart from the tumultuous emotions that often gripped the divine denizens of Olympus.

It wasn't a blind assurance that he would inevitably escape the confining depths of his father's stomach, but rather a profound understanding that, in this cosmic dance of fate, patience and self-improvement were the only companions that mattered.

The eternal expanse within the belly of Cronus failed to sow the seeds of despair within Hades. Instead, he embraced solitude as an opportunity, a canvas upon which he could paint the strokes of his personal evolution.

He dedicated himself to a relentless pursuit of self-betterment. With unwavering determination, Hades honed his divine abilities, transcending the limitations imposed by his confinement.

In the shadow of Cronus, Hades metamorphosed, not just as the god of the underworld but as a celestial artisan shaping his own destiny.

His calm demeanor in the face of hopelessness spoke volumes about the profundity of his character, a testament to the resilience that thrived in the crucible of divine adversity. And so, within the belly of the titan, Hades continued his silent symphony, orchestrating the harmonious chords of his evolution in the cosmic stillness that enveloped him.