Chapter 10 War Part 1

{Nyx POV}

Zeus has nothing to really offer us. Yes, we have once felt before that the Underworld was once a desolate wasteland. We were hiding and there is a great shame in admitting it, but since Hades had arrived I don't feel that shame. In fact, I feel elation in following him.

Hades himself had transformed the END into a paradise for his people. It is filled with colours and structures that nobody had ever seen before. We never wanted a king until he appeared and became our leader. I questioned many of his decisions about his rule. He has always explained his reasoning, never once raising his voice. When he freed the Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires from Tartarus once he had met them. I explained to Hades they were imprisoned for a reason. He told me they are in his territory, chained for no reason other than fear, and if he was in their places he would want to escape the despair and be angry as well. He was always putting himself in the shoes of those that were in the END. I guess that is why we follow him.

Hades has never really cared about his family beside Hestia, he has always looked to us as his family. I found it strange, I asked him once if we should rescue his siblings and he straight out said he was not interested. Hades was powerful enough to rescue them by himself and with his domains he would be able to easily escape any trap or seal, but he just did not feel any connection to them. I feel that I could understand him more though. He was the type of person that cares for only those closest to him and in his eyes, we are all close to him. I feel as though if any one of us were captured he would immediately rescue us. His siblings were not really close and he had never met them so he did not have an interest in them.

Zeus has raised points of what the future may hold, like a council that would govern all with the king as their leader. I never questioned the idea of a king, but I would not want Zeus as mine. I only saw greed in Zeus's eyes when we showed their group around the END, and when he looked at me, lust. He just did not have the same excitement or temperament when it came to being around Hades.

Hades was a spontaneous type of person. One moment he was bored and the next he has this spark in his eyes. That spark had led to many projects we have today, such as the obsidian highway that is calculated to map out the entire continent. It is still a work in progress, but when completed you would be able to open a portal anywhere in the world from there. The road will be enchanted to remain a certain temperature so it would not be affected by nether and frost biomes.

Hades also questioned who would be on the council. I never really thought to question the idea of a council, as Hades basically has one with all the ENDs residents pitching in ideas and reformating them to make them work. I never thought that how Zeus's council will work. It actually made me think, while Hades may appear childish, he has never really made any bad decisions. All his decisions were made after hearing from everyone's opinions. I never really looked at how wise he actually is. Hades's questions were honest questions while Zeus's were accusations. While Zeus evades his questions, our king openly admits his reasons and is blunt as a hammer. Their temperament is so different, I honestly would not be able to tell they were siblings if not for their mother saying so.

{Demeter POV}

When taking us through to his city, it was so full of life. Not people, but life. There were plants and trees everywhere, but what really took me away was the gigantic blue tree in the centre of the city. This was Hades's home, when I went up to it I noticed something, even this tree was alive. It felt like a community of trees singing to each other in harmony. I don't have the power to create something like this. I later found out, Hades built the tree from different trees combining them somehow. I would not have thought of that and some part of me wants to try and make a tree like this.

I found out Hades knew about us and did nothing, I mean he admitted it on the beach, but to hear him say it so bluntly hit home. I look around and see and feel the vegetation around me and the only emotion I have is jealousy.

Zeus has talked with them before about electing a king after this war and creating a council. Someone to lead us and guide the other gods. He talked out how we, his siblings, would be this council and the wisest one among them its king. I always felt we owed Zeus for freeing us and he would be the next king. He just felt so sure of himself and I wanted that confidence. I felt angry at Hades for questioning Zeus. As if he even wanted to meet us. (E/N: he didn't actually, so boom)

When we were escorted to our rooms, I noted how luxurious everything was. I felt anger from the way he lived his life. Later, Hestia came to meet us. Apparently she wanted to rescue us a long time ago, but she could not do so without the power of Hades.

She was so excited to meet us. She talked and talked about how she wanted to meet mother for so long and how much she missed her. She cried and cried asking for forgiveness. Through our mother's persuasion, we could not help but give it. Hera, Hestia, and I just talked about our lives after we escaped. We learned the END was really a wasteland with one mountain at one point. Everyone lived in caves until Hades came and became king. Apparently Hestia doesn't really know how he became king, but the Underworld just accepted him as its ruler. He was just given the position and did not even have to work for it. The dwellers of the realm just had to follow him since then.

How is that fair? He just has everything handed to him. We were already pretty furious with him when we learned he was just made king, but to just be handed the realm like a piece of candy. I thought when Hestia told us he was made king, that he had at least proved himself or something.

Once we were out of his home, we noticed Hades leave the tree and started to walk somewhere. My siblings and I tried to follow him. He took a greenish orb and threw it far into some direction and disappeared. We asked Hestia what he threw, and it made no sense explained it. The orb would allow for teleportation for where it landed. Telling us to hold on, she threw an orb herself.

Next thing I knew, and I'm standing in a forest, in front of a huge black and grey wall at least a kilometre tall. Then I saw the Arc de Hades mentioned earlier. It was so big, I could not describe its magnificence. The Arc itself was two kilometres tall and three kilometres wide. It had depictions of Hades' cities and all the residents of the END. It told the story of the END, through pictures. It even had a depiction of the city tree we were just in. Hestia explained that Hades wants to have a border around the first city and the first Nether biome.

Hades noticed something. Without thinking, I created a tree to hide from him. Hades immediately spotted us and came our way, "Hey, I have never seen brown trees before. Wait, or have I?" He then turned to me with a gleam in his eyes, followed by confusion. I have been looked at by many men since I was free, but he was different. He looked interested more in my ability than my looks, even ignoring Hera.

For the first time, I see another emotion other than indifference and boredom. He goes off to explain how he was looking for a different colour palette and if I could make more multi-coloured trees too.

"I can make any colour, I can think of." - Demeter

He seemed more interested in me. Usually, men approach us for our looks and Hera loves that, but now that I am receiving more attention than her, I think she's jealous.

I make a couple of trees of different shades and straight-away pulled me away from the group, asking for me to make a forest and a garden. He seems nicer now, it feels good to be appreciated. I may still be angry with him, but he is also different from anyone I have ever met. Hera tried to get his attention, feeling jealous, but he ignored her. My other brothers seem furious at Hera's and my actions, and I felt conflicted about how I should treat Hades.

A/N:

I feel like I just can't just jump into the war without having people's thoughts on how the meeting went on.

I wanted to give two perspectives. Someone who knows Hades and someone who doesn't.

Between Hera and Demeter, I picked Demeter because she has trees.

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(Edited by Slammeron00)