22. Hades

Levana flew through the tunnel that Tartarus had made for her. Eventually, she ended up on the doorstep of what looked to be a palace. A gate engraved with images of death bared her way.

For a split second, Levana thought about just destroying the gate, barging into the palace and demanding a duel for authority over the Underworld. However, she gave her head a good shake and choose to be civil. It was not as if she wanted to rule over such a deary place anyway.

Seeing no bell or guards to open the gate, she knocked on the gate thrice causing the gate and the wall it was attached to rattle. In the distance, she saw animated skeletons running to her position. They were armed like soldiers though they lacked the muscle that soldiers usually had.

Letting out a breath, Levana released the divine presence that she normally suppressed and was surprised. Her presence flared much further than she had anticipated. She guessed it was the result of having more power than any new goddess, such as herself, should have and shrugged.

She then brought her presence back to a more reasonable size and weight. She planned to be civil after all, she was not here to pick a fight... just yet. As the skeletons ran up to her, she studied how her domains mingled in her presence. Her divinity over heat just stood out like a sore thumb compared to her other three.

Levana stared at one of the skeletons as she felt divinity from it. The skeleton's eye sockets seemed to contain a dim flame that the rest didn't have. Smiling, Levana treated the skeleton.

" Hades, I know you can see me through this skeleton. I am here... to visit. As you might be able to tell, I am not an Olympian but I am not here to cause you physical harm. Let me in, please. My name is Levana by the way." Levana announced herself without skipping a beat.

The skeleton seemed to hesitate for a second but eventually, it nodded and lost the dim flame in its eyes.

Cooly, Levana walked in once the gate was opened for her. She followed the skeletons and entered the palace. She was brought straight to the throne room as she had expected. However, as the skeletons began to open to door to the throne room, Levana cracked a mischievous smirk.

It was time to do a bit of trolling.

She condensed a ball of plasma using her Heat Divinity and threw it into the throne room before the skeletons could fully open the door and used the light it emitted to imitate a flashbang. Then, she lunged into the room breaking the skeletons in front of her and rolled to a stop in front of the man and woman sitting on their thrones.

Levana then conjured two desert eagles in each of her hands made of light and shouted.

" Put your hands in the air!" Hades just flinched at being blind, while the woman, who Levana assumed was Persephone, reflexively put her hands in the air. Hades barely had a change in expression and seemed rather perplexed at the sight, once he regained his sight.

Persephone, on the other hand, had a much more amusing reaction. At first, she seemed frightened, then confused as she spotted Levana's pose, and then amazement as she obviously recognised what Levana was doing. She then burst out into a fit of laughter as Levana started laughing at her reaction.

" Ahem! Why did you do that?" The killjoy, Hades asked not looking amused. Levana quickly stood up and replied swiftly.

" To test your reactions of course. To see if you are worth socialising with." Levana said proudly while standing up straight with her eyes closed and her nose in the air. She then opened an eye and pointed at Hades.

" You, Hades, are not a fun person but your wife is. So... I have decided not to destroy your palace in a fit of rage." Saying her part, Levana closed her one open eye and smiled, proud of her performance. There was an awkward silence for several moments before Hades spoke again.

" You-" But he was interrupted as Levana began giggling.

" Chill, Hades! I am just here to have fun. My name is Levana, I am a Goddess of Heat and Contracts, adopted daughter of Gaia and Tartarus." Jabbing a finger at herself, Levana continued her introduction.

" I am a foreign goddess and I am here to socialise. So... I would like to hang about your palace for while. All good?" Levana asked. She stood with her legs planted on the ground. It was clear that she wasn't taking a no for an answer and Hades noticed that.

" You would threaten me in my own realm?!" Hades shouted at Levana. However, the girl didn't flinch and instead replied calmly.

" Oh? Do you think that this is threatening?" Moving faster than Hades could see, Levana lunged at him, grabbed him by the throat, gently, and brought her face in front of his. With a deadpan expression on her face, she continued her statement.

" This is what threatening looks like Hades." The muscular god flinched and began gathering his power for a fight.

" No, no, stop that Hades. I said I am here to socialise, not fight. Besides, I have my hand on your throat. No amount of magic or divinity will save you if I decide to decapitate you." Levana said with a rather apathetic tone that scared both the rulers of the Underworld and Levana herself.

Seeing her chance, during the short pause. Persephone touched Levana's hand gently.

" Alright, you may stay to socialise as you call it. However, you must promise not to cause damage to the palace and to its inhabitants." She said quickly. Withdrawing her hand, Levana stared at Persephone for a moment before nodding.

" Alright, but if the inhabitants of this palace harm me first, I will retaliate." Seeing Persephone nod, Levana's glowing eyes flared a little but she cracked a smile to defuse the situation.

" Cool! For now, I want to watch how you two run this place."