The Festival

Tribe or stranger?

Alekos was the name of Satyr who sheltered the child of the king, without realizing it. At first, he did not particularly want to leave such an ugly child with him, since he is a musician and creator of art, however like most of his other relatives. And constant cries of the child, like thunder, devastated Alekos' head, thereby preventing the creator from touching the halls of inspiration. Even most of the relatives advised him to leave the child in the forest, which according to them boy will only bring bad luck to them. "Alekos, no matter how hard it's to realize, but you need to get rid of the child. This creature will bring us only destruction!" The eldest-looking of the Satyrs always tried to convince his brother to kick off a child.

In the end, Alekos could not stand the pressure from both sides and decided to get rid of the child. Climbing into the forested bowl, he could not help thinking that someone or something was watching him. "Hey get it together Alec, it's just a forest let's leave the baby somewhere better and go away!" Nervously, he repeated it over and over again, trying to calm himself. The brown eyes of the Satyr kept searching for something in the shadows. "I'm sorry baby but I need to do this, I'm not able to take care of myself, much less a child!" The spoken words were more for him than for the child. Thus, he wanted to convince himself that he had made the right decision.

Seeing a neatly felled stump, he immediately jumped up to him. With trembling hands, he tried to put the baby on top of that and couldn't. As much as he want to he couldn't do this to an innocent child. Leaving a child in the forest is too much even for a selfish like him. "Abyss devour me! I can't do that! Why do I need all this, why me when the world has much better fathers and mothers than me!" With a wild cry, he pulled the child tighter to him and galloped as fast as he could. Paying no attention to anything and no one, now he has no place in the tribe, but now at least his conscience will not torment his mind in the evenings. With such thoughts, he rushed away, and away from all of this.

A family

More than one year has passed since the day when the young musician made the most difficult choice of his life. Did he ever regret it? Well, if you asked him about that when he even had no idea how to feed the child. He would unequivocally answer yes, regretted. In the tribe, they could ask nymphs for milk. In a place far from the house, this was a problem, at first, he somehow managed to appease the hunger of a child with the nectar of flowers. But this eventually became clearly not enough, then one day they found an abandoned house inside a tree. In the garden of which a golden-horned cow dwelt quietly.

Satyr ran to milk the cow without even thinking to inspect the house. Finally, after managing to feed the child properly, he was able to take a deep breath. Inside the house, he doesn't find anyone, which is very strange given the fact that it's not empty. There was everything necessary for living together with a child. "Did Hestia herself decide to take pity on us, baby?" Alekos muttered as he put the baby to sleep. Deciding that this was a gift from above, Satyr and the child settled here. To be honest, the musician himself did not want to live in the forest anymore, running away from a pack of wolves is something different with a child in his arms.

Days went by and musicians became more and more attached to the boy, gradually starting to perceive him as his own son. To his surprise, the child turned out to be very calm, it was possible to hear his cry only when it need to be fed. And to a very unusual appearance, the child had an amazing defect in the form of bloody tears. As soon as the baby start to cry, blood stained his cheeks. And in honor of such a unique trait, Alec named his son Haemon. One who sheds or bleeds. A bloody son, a beautiful and terrible creature at the same time, born by who knows who, and who knows when. Satyr loved poetry and tried to look for it in everything.

The boy grew bigger and stronger every day. Gradually adapting to life in the forest. And no matter how much Satyr tries to stop his trips to the forest, to get meat. Haemon only pretended to listen to his father, and as luck would have it, he always returned to dinner with a deer or a bull in his arms. The boy liked to listen to his father's songs, they helped him not to feel lonely. Alekos also tried to teach his son to play some kind of instrument, but he, due to his physical characteristics, could not adapt. As soon as he tried to play the lute or pour, they immediately simply caused him wild pain.

All of his skin was covered with scars, because of which he could not play the strings normally. And he simply did not have enough air for wind instruments. It's hard to breathe when half of your nose is missing, but luckily the singing wasn't too painful for the boy.

The life of a father and son was sometimes boring and monotonous, but they really cared about each other. Haemon was a very kind and obedient son when it was not about hunting. Alekos at first was mainly engaged in only farming, growing grapes with vegetables, and sometimes went into the forest to pick berries. But one day while picking berries, he was sitting on a stone playing his favorite song. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Charon appeared in front of him, a gloomy guard that guards the kingdom of the doomed without further ado, handed over a scroll with the royal seal into the hands of Satyr.

Frightened by the guard's appearance, Alekos without hesitation rode home, and only when he entered the house, he dared to open the scroll, thereby allowing his eyes to see the contents. As it turned out, Hades gathers talented musicians from all over the underworld to make the best of them as his personal lyricist. The king himself allows him to become something big, and this opportunity he does not intend to miss. Having collected everything necessary, Alek went to the king the same day, leaving his son to look after the house. Haemon was not offended by his father, but on the contrary, he was glad that his parent would be able to share his art with the world.

And a few weeks later, Alekos returned with a full bag of gifts, the king nevertheless chose him instead of the old lyricist. From that day on, the musician began to often go to the palace, thereby leaving his son alone more and more. Haemon began to gradually suffer from loneliness, he wanted to find someone with whom he could share this burden. Once he even tried to make friends with the nymphs, but when they saw his face, they immediately ran away, leaving the boy to revel in bitter tears.

Holiday in the palace

A huge deer was quietly eating without suspecting anything when something like a lion incredibly strong attacked him from the bushes. Quickly knocking the beast to the ground, the hunter did not hesitate and struck directly in the chest, thus giving the deer peace. A tall black-haired man pulled a knife from the chest of the beast with a sharp movement of his hand. Slowly pulling a rag from his bag, he wiped the blood from the knife.

"Ah, so today is venison, I was already hoping to taste beef. Anyway thanks for a meal" Scratching the back of his head, the man leaned over the beast and gently closed his eyes. Then, without much effort, he lifted the deer's body and put it on his shoulders. Blood continued to ooze from the man's chest, but the deer still managed to inflict at least some blow on his killer.

The hunter himself did not pay attention to this, only slightly clenching his teeth in pain. Haemon was used to getting a couple of scratches on the hunt, in all the years spent here he was injured more than once. And yet, every time he received at least one injury, it was immediately healed. As if the lords themselves did not want his death. From a small boy, Haemon grew into a tall man. He was almost seven feet tall, and his physique was, if a little lean, but powerful.

"Haemon you have already returned and as I look not with empty-hands!" The musician shouted joyfully as he ran out of the garden to help his son. Taking the bag from his son's back, he immediately held out a jug of water to quench his thirst. "The game has been getting bigger lately" The father commented, gulping nervously as he looked at the body of the deer. "Do you think the golden horns of this handsome man will suit me?" Alekos pointed with his finger at the huge antlers of a deer.

"Are you going to the palace again?" Haemon asked sadly as he started ripping open the belly of the beast. "Am I that predictable?" Alekos said guiltily, lowering his eyes.

"Every time before you leave, you start joking and talking more than usual" Haemon turned his head towards his father and smiled slightly. Continuing to tear the skin from the flesh, he asked. "Why so early? You usually stay at least a couple of days, and now you're leaving without even having dinner?" Alekos froze for a moment, not knowing how to answer, then after taking a deep breath, he decided to tell the whole truth. "Haemon, the truth is that the king will have a celebration today, in honor of the harvest festival" Satyr nervously smiled, clenching his hands into a fist.

Haemon stopped carving meat, his bloodied hands trembling. Turning around, he asked in a pleading voice: "Father, can I ..." Before he could finish, Satyr immediately answered sharply. "Yes, you can go to this Festival with me!" Closing his eyes, he turned away. Strong arms grabbed him in a bear hug. "Thank you father, I promise that I will do everything not to embarrass you!" Haemon lost his head with joy, and a smile shone on his face.

"Son! Could you let go or I'll suffocate!" Alekos began to convulsively clap his hands on his son's hands. Realizing that he overdid it, the hunter immediately released his father. He leaned over and began to breathe heavily, trying to regain his breath. "Son, you should be careful, otherwise you can kill someone like that," Satyr hissed, clearing his throat. "Sorry father" Haemon whispered apologetically, bowing his head. "It's okay that happens sometimes from joy. You better hurry up and take everything you need" Smiling, the satyr waved his hand to his son so that he quickly ran to collect things.

It was not first time when Haemon asked his father to let him go, but he always refused, explaining that it was dangerous there. If suddenly the boy does something unlawful, then they cannot escape punishment. The king of the underworld was famous for his strict disposition. Alekos also didn't want the boy to be bullied because of his appearance.

After some time, Haemon ran out of the house in black clothes that hid his torso. And his face was wrapped in bandages, the man was clearly aware of his shortcoming and thus tried to hide it. "Haemon are you okay?" The father asked with a puff, he was well aware that his son could not bear to wear even simple clothes. And now he covered every part of his body, leaving only his mouth and eyes untouched. Right now child probably must now feel his self like a volcano.

"Yes, everything is fine, father! Are we going?" Haemon answered happily with a smile. "Yes, let's go," Satyr said briefly, clasping his hands and heading towards Charon's boat.

Royal chambers

Sitting on a luxurious black bed, Hades watched how his beloved preened for the upcoming fun. The room was all made of black gold, and many gems like flowers grew from the ground and hung from the ceiling. Lovely flowers with vines also decorated the room, making for a marvelous mixture. "I am very grateful to you for your concern, but we can not invite them," Softly said Persephone, while putting on a gold earring. Hades smiled at his wife's words, then getting up from the bed and approaching her gently ran his hand through her hair. "What are you talking about and for what are you thanking me? I just called my dearly beloved family to celebrate the harvest festival!"

"Please don't mock me, 'cause I know how much you hate our relatives. Dear, I am really very grateful to you, for such a generous gift, but it's not worth it if it hurts you" Persephone gently touched her husband's cheek. In response, the king put his hand over her and cheerfully replied: "While you are near, there is nothing in the world that could hurt me. And after all, your mother must see where her daughter lives"

"Her constant grumblings about the fact that the wine of the underworld is too sour, or rotten food notably got all of Olympus. You know Charon is not a messenger who should only deliver orders from your mother" Laughing, Hades kissed his wife on the forehead. "Ha-ha, you are right my king. But I ask you not to tease my father with your jokes about the fact that only here the miraculous rain did not fall" Raising an eyebrow and smiling broadly, the queen imperiously asked her husband about the latter. "As you wish my queen"

Their flirtatious conversation was interrupted by Thanatos appearance: "I beg your pardon for my faux pas, but the guests are already here" The Reaper bowed low. Hades kissed his wife and then, clapping his hands, went to the throne room to meet his relatives. "Well, let's not keep the guests waiting!"

Haemon and Alekos arrived just in time for the start of the holiday. Charon did not ask who it was in black clothes or why he was going to the festival. The boatman took the father and son to their destination without question. Haemon tirelessly looked at the boatman, so many questions were spinning in his head, but he did not dare to ask them because he was afraid of the gloomy look of the guard. The entrance to the palace was closed by huge gates, on which many disgusting faces looked at everyone who entered. A feeling of fear pervaded everyone who entered through these gates. On one side was the image of Hades, a harsh but fair king. And on the other generous queen Persephone, famous for her kindness.

Haemon was overwhelmed with emotions, he wanted to scream with joy, but the voice of reason suppressed this desire. As soon as they passed through the gate, the most beautiful aroma of expensive wine with spices immediately hit their nostrils. Everywhere tables were overflowing with all kinds of dishes, and the great heroes of epics and legend, sitting next to the Olympians, discussed the days of past eras. Near each table, there was a guard consisting of minotaurs in black armor. Harpies flew over the heads of the guests like birds carrying various treats. "Son, we need to hurry!" Alekos called to his son so that he would not be too distracted. Nodding, Haemon quickened his pace.

Something round and green flew out of the crowd, something vaguely resembling a watermelon. Of course, there are hardly any watermelons in the world with appendages in the form of snakes. As soon as the thing approached, it became clear that this was not a watermelon at all, but ahead. Seeing the father and son, the creature immediately rushed toward them. "Lord Alekos you finally came, I'm so glad Lord Hades asked you!" The creature's voice was somewhere between a croak and a hiss, making it not the best impression.

Haemon stared at the creature with eyes full of bewilderment, how can something live without a body? With such questions, he slowly tried to touch the place where the neck should be. Father stopped his attempt and said with a smile: "I'm also glad to see Dusa! Say hi to my son Haemon, please forgive him, sometimes the boy is a little curious. Could you, by the way, look after him while I go to Lord Hades?"

Without even giving a chance to Gorgon an answer, satyr immediately ran to the king. "Okay, how do you say! And be careful today we have important guests!" The gorgon shouted merrily after him, waving one of her snakes at the same time. "Are there always so many people here?" Haemon asked uncertainly, looking at the crowd with shining eyes. Dusa screamed in surprise for a second, she completely forgot herself. "Oh, no, such many people happen only on holidays, usually there are no more than a hundred people here" The snake joyfully answered, sticking out its tongue.

While walking around the palace, Dusa non-stop asks Haemon different questions. Making him stutter more and more. Although Haemon was happy to talk to someone other than his father, he still didn't feel comfortable. The feeling that everyone was looking at him, did not stop spinning in his head. And because of the clothes, physical pain dulled the mind. Without noticing it, he accidentally bumped into someone. "Tch, what a cyclops are you doing a worm!" The tall woman in the blue dress hissed viciously. On her back was a single black bat-like wing, and on her side was a pinkish whip that clearly throbbed with magic. She was one of the three Furies Sisters.

"Oh, I'm sorry, forgive us, Lady Meg! It's all my fault, I talked too much as always, and for that Haemon get distracted and didn't notice you!" In a panic, Dusa began to explain the whole situation. Megaera made a gesture with her hand to stop the servant: "I don't care! You'd better get on with your business right now. And you boy better not get caught in my eyes!" Meg ordered angrily, pointing her finger at Haemon. Grabbing a glass of wine, she headed towards Charon, who was sitting with Hephaestus.

"You were chastised because of my clumsiness" Haemon apologized by lowering his head. "It's okay, I'm already used to being scolded. To be honest, Meg has been getting annoyed over every little thing lately" Dusa answered with a laugh, then grabbed one of the jugs of wine with a snake and handed it to the Olympian. He smiled and took a sip. "Now I have to go! I'm sorry that I can't show you the whole palace, but things are not waiting, be careful. Better yet, just sit at one of the tables, and wait for Lord Alekos" Having waved goodbye, Dusa immediately rushed off to fulfill her duties.

With a heavy sigh, Haemon went alone to the farthest of the tables where no one was sitting. Halfway through, someone stopped him sharply by grabbing his hand. And as soon as the boy turned around, he immediately blushed at the beauty standing in front of him. "Oh, I finally caught you," the Girl said gently while smiling at him "Do we know each other?" Haemon asked in surprise, tilting his head to the side and trying to remember such a beautiful girl.

"Of course, you and I have known each other since our childhood!" The girl whispered as she came closer, her smell of flowers mixed with wine was something beyond. She gently wrapped her arms around the Olympian's neck and then moved closer so that her lips were almost touching his. "Please let me see all your secrets!" It was as if pink lights appeared in the girl's eyes, and her breathing quickened so much that she was about to swallow a man whole. As soon as her hand touched the bandages on Haemon's face, he immediately jumped back with a cry of "No!" While covering his face with his hands.

"Hey what are you doing? I just wanted to look at your beautiful face!" Coquettishly said girl licking her lips. She was about to come closer to him and try to rip off the bandages when a hail stopped her. "Aphrodite, there you are! Are you torturing innocent children again? Get away from boy and quickly go to Ares, he was looking for you" A tall woman with red hair burning like fire commanded authoritatively. "As you wish!" Bowing low, Aphrodite twisted her face in a grin, like a predatory beast that missed its prey.

"What a crazy girl, as soon as you turn your back, she immediately starts causing trouble for others" Sighing heavily, the woman put her hand to her forehead, then out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Haemon was still squatting with a covered face. "Are you all right, child?" The woman asked gently while stroking the boy on the back. "I o...k... I need to be alone! Yes, please leave me, madam, and thank you for your concern" The young man warily muttered without showing his face. "Hey, did that girl do something to you? Maybe something hurts you?" The woman did not leave attempts to help, her kind heart could not leave the child in such a painful situation.

"Are you one of the queens of Olympus?" Haemon asked as he looked at the woman with his bloody eye through his fingers. For a moment, it seemed to the woman that in front of her was not a young man at all, but a bloodthirsty beast. The hoarse voice of the young Olympian only aggravated the situation, it seemed as if the bloodthirsty demon was looking directly at the daughter of Olympus. Quickly recovering, the woman answered with a smile: "Yes, child, I am one of the Olympians. And to be more precise, I am Hestia, the mistress of the family hearth!

"Then queen please, heal me!" The bloody eyes of Haemon looked directly into the soul of the Olympian, there was no fear in them, only begging for help. "Do you have any body defects?" Hestia noticed that the boy's body was trembling slightly, as if in constant pain. Also, the young man's clothes were too closed, he was clearly trying to hide something that no one else should see. There was no need to talk about his bloody eyes, the youngster is sick and moreover, with a very strong illness. "Father says that I was born this way," the Olympian whispered, holding out his hand, then he slightly pushed back the cape, he revealed to the world a scarred hand.

"Oh child, I'm afraid I can't help you" Gently touching the boy's arm, Hestia tried to draw her power through his body, but it didn't respond. This usually happens as a result of curses, when one Olympian curses someone, another Olympian becomes unable to heal the victim of the curse, and this is almost irreversible.

Haemon was about to withdraw his hand, as Hestia hurried to cheer up the child. She hugged him and whispered in his ear: "Do not be sad, my son, if I could not help you, this does not mean that no one else can! You should talk to Asclepius, since he is the father of medicine, and he will certainly find a cure for your illness" Hestia released the young man with a smile. "Lord Asclepius is here, can I speak to him now?" Haemon asked excitedly. "Oh, unfortunately, he is not with us now, he is in the upper world. He can usually be found somewhere near villages. Don't worry, I will definitely take you to him, after the feast is over, of course"

Rejoiced, Haemon bowed to the queen and then ran to look for his father, to tell him about the opportunity to be healed. Hestia herself smiled at the youth's similar behavior and waving her hand at him in the end, sighed heavily. "Apparently the boy does not know whose blood flows in him"

Meanwhile, the big trio sat at the one table discussing things to come: "So you say that the north is ready to provide us with knowledge in exchange for ore?" Thoughtfully stroked his beard Hades. "And not only this! They also offer one of their glorious daughters," Declared a tall old man with gray hair, holding up his index finger. "And you are not embarrassed by the fact that your dear son recently, almost made a massacre in distant lands. And for some strange reason, while being in the company of these same northerners," Commented the similar gray-haired man of high stature, although he differed from his brother in a more serious look. And a lot of tattoos all over the body, which depicted tentacles with horses. Their clothing also differed, for while one only wore a white tunic, the other only wore jade-colored scaly trousers.

"Brother, we have discussed that earlier, and more than once, Ares realized his mistake and was punished. Poseidon you should take a rest, maybe like in good old days, let's go surfing the expanses of the universe together?" The blue-eyed man suggested, holding out a red apple to his brother. Grabbing the juicy fruit with a strong hand and then taking a bite, Poseidon smiled wickedly. "I'll think about your offer Zeus!" The eyes of both brothers shone like lights in the darkness. "Ha-ha, so what type of metal do they need?" Hades asked with a laugh, whose eyes also gradually began to sparkle.

"The one that absorbs the power of lightning well," Zeus answered with a sly smile, while narrowing his eyes a little, thereby trying to portray himself as a good-natured grandfather. "Hmm, has your fame even reached such a distant land?" Hades put his fist to the temple, sitting comfortably on the throne. "Ha if it was true! It's not about me at all, as it turned out, they have their own thunder boy" The Olympian said after drinking wine. "Hmm, well, there is such a metal, but they just won't be able to get too much. If this boy is at least half skilled as you, then my metal will give them not too long protection" Hades answered, creating a small green stone in his hand. "Try it" The king of the world of the damned threw a pebble into his brother's hands.

Having caught the stone, Zeus immediately sent a few sparks into it, surprisingly the stone did not immediately disintegrate, but was able to hold it for at least five seconds before finally turning into dust. "It's not bad, I think it's even very good for them, if they can strengthen it with magic, then it will be a best defense" The Thunderer commented while blowing dust from his hand. "By the way, brother, I heard that you have the most skillful musician who has ever lived here," the King of Olympus declared, putting a grape in his mouth. "I see the rumors of the underworld even reaching the surface," The king said sarcastically as he tapped his finger on the throne.

"However, the rumors do not lie, Alekos is indeed incredibly talented, perhaps even the best of those who have ever lived" A mysterious spark played in Hades' eyes. "Hmm, listen, brother, then maybe we can make a deal?" Zeus suggested with a sly smile. "Oh, how interesting I listen!" The king declared enthusiastically, leaning towards his brother.

Abyss

Haemon, full of hope and joy, ran through the crowd to find his father. Running around each table, he finally found himself surrounded by three kings.

The tallest of the trio, a blue-eyed old man laughed out loud with his hand on the shoulder of the satyr. But in the eyes of the father, there was no joy, only fear, and fear. Haemon was about to come closer when the satyr, who noticed him, yelled: "No! Run!" Alekos stretched out his hand in panic towards his son. The young man did not even have time to understand anything, as a sharp, previously unseen pain covered his entire body, tearing his mind apart. The pain is like hundreds of thousands of needles digging into the bones and muscles. Bright light and then emptiness.

"Well, we figured out the child, now you can go on a new path, my friend!" Joyfully clapping his hands, Zeus smiled looking at the shocked poet. "My son is my son dead? How is that possible, no, it's not real, I'm just dreaming!" The satyr muttered in half-madness, pointing with a trembling finger at the ashes that were left of his child. The boy was hit by one of the Thunderbolt's lightning bolts, leaving not even bones from him. Grabbing the distraught musician by the hand, Zeus dragged the poor Alekos into the portal.

Hades then cynically watched as the Olympians left his kingdom one by one. It seemed as if he absolutely did not care, and only the corners of his lips did not stop twitching. The servants didn't know how to react, the situation causing their blood to boil with anger. Everyone wanted to pounce on the Olympian and tear him to shreds, but the superiority of his strength suppressed this desire. Hestia took one last look at the boy's remains before leaving, her heart bleeding from pain.

As soon as the last Olympian passed through the portal, the entire throne room erupted in blue flames. Each of the servants was able to feel the wrath of their king, anger that cuts to the bone, anger that can burn the world. "WHAT HE THINK HIMSELF!" A black mist enveloped the body of the king, transforming him into a kind of demon. The voice shook like an earthquake. "I've had enough! I'm not going to put up with this kid's antics anymore!" The spear in hands of king hit the ground with a roar. The servants began to chant furiously in support of the lord. Hades was about to continue his speech when suddenly a squeaky cry turned all his attention to Dusa. The Gorgon was afraid of what rose like a phoenix from the ashes, in the literal sense. A black, charred skeleton with red eyes slowly walked towards the king, pointing his finger at the place where his father stood.

Everyone witnessed a truly disgusting process, flesh and blood slowly overgrowing on the body of a living corpse. Turning that from an ordinary skeleton into a zombie, in the end, the boy's body simply collapsed without strength. He switched off, Hades scratching his beard smiled at a new amazing find. An unknown half-breed fell into his hands, with the ability to heal his wounds. Ha-ha, it becomes very curious, and what else he is capable of is very intriguing.

Deal

The body of the young man showed no signs of life. Lying on the ground, he did not move at all, it seemed he did not even breathe. The muscles of his chest swelled sharply and then with a cry he woke up: "Father!" Jumping up, he tried to run, but the black bars stopped his escape. "Nightmares don't let you go?" Hades asked as he emerged from darkness, his eyes burning with an orange flame. At the sight of prince Haemon immediately fell on his face. "Lord Hades, please have mercy on me, I honestly did not want to embarrass you in front of the guests!" The boy did not dare to raise his eyes. "Disgrace me? Ha-ha, youngster, you have no idea what a service you have done for me" Laughing, Hades grabbed the steel bars, his crazy eyes staring straight into the boy's soul.

"And in gratitude for your labors, I will give you a reward!" Squatting down on his haunches, the king handed the young man a bag of gold. "Could you bring my father back?" Haemon asked, daring to raise his head to look the king in the eyes. "Wow, no offense but your face is even uglier up close." Turning away, Hades pretended to be sick at the sight of the boy. Haemon turned away, covering his face. "I'm joking son, your ugliness is not at all something new in an abyss, here every second one can boast of non-standard beauty. And as for your father, are you sure that he is your true father?" Throwing a gold coin into air, king made it disappear during the fall. "You know, I'm certainly not an expert on satyrs, but I know for sure that little goats should have hooves with horns"

"And you have neither one nor the other, although I may be wrong about the horns. It depends if you have a wife or not" A black figurine of a goat appeared in the ruler's hand. He squeezing it, and then poured the dust onto the ground. "Alekos is not my real father, he picked me up when I was just a baby, I don't know my real parents" Haemon answered calmly looking at the black walls. "It's clear that you're an orphan with us, hmm, if so, then I'll help you, but not for nothing. If you complete my task, you will be able to see your father again" Two golden figurines appeared next to Haemon, it was a warrior fighting a monster.

Raising both figures, the Olympian nodded to himself, realizing the current situation. The boy simply had no choice but to agree, to save his father at any cost, no matter what the cost. "I agree" He replied curtly as he tossed the golden figurines away. "That's the enthusiasm, just like a real warrior from legends" With a broad smile, Hades extended his hand to complete the deal. Haemon silently shook hands with a king. "Well, entertain me properly, Olympian!" Hades called out one last time before snapping his fingers and opening a rift in the floor. "Olympian?" Haemon asked in bewilderment before falling into the rift.

In the next moment, he was in an unknown place, all around was a forest consisting of dead trees, ready to collapse with just one touch. Earth was dry and covered with many cracks, red moon shone in the sky, and the clouds did not bode well. "Where am I?" Olympian wondered as he looked around the area in search of at least something familiar. Before he had time to ask another question, when suddenly a powerful blow to the back sent him flying straight into the trees. With a loud crunch, he crashed into several pine trees, also his hand was shattered on a stone during the flight. Clenching his teeth to blood from the pain, he stood up to see the enemy. "Dusa" Haemon said in surprise, narrowing his eyes to see the creature.

In front of hunter stood an almost exact copy of gorgon, except for the form of a full-fledged body. The relative was clearly not in mood for a conversation, and bloodthirsty look also betrayed intentions of monster. Without a second's hesitation, snake rushed to attack, intending to tear poor fellow with razor-sharp claws. Haemon also did not stand as a pillar, quickly breaking a sharper branch with healthy hand he become more prepared for attack. Creature rushed at him like a bull, sweeping away everything in its path, waving its clawed hand she hit exactly on the ribs of the young man. Creature start already mentally celebrating the victory, when suddenly man spat out a whole clot of blood right into her eyes, thereby blinding creature. Haemon immediately tried to plunge branch into monster chest, but the scales were too thick, and the branch broke under pressure, leaving warrior without a weapon.

"Demon!" Hissing through pain hunter shattered his own ribs with a powerful blow from his hand. In order to get out from the gorgon claws, after spitting up a fountain of blood, he ran to back of the gorgon. The broken arm has already healed and this is just what is needed, deftly jumping onto the back of the snake, Olympian grabbed her neck with a dead grip, thereby squeezing the carotid arteries. The creature began to fight with furious force, without stopping spinning. Attempts to throw the boy off his back forced her to starting beat on trees, just to throw off the freak what grabbed her neck with a death grip. But Haemon did not loosen his grip even for a moment, it only became stronger every minute. Causing the vertebrae to crackle. Then, when he felt that snake slowed down, he immediately plunged hand right into her eye with a sharp movement, grasping the apple firmly, then he pulled with all his might, thereby tearing out her brains.

Breathing heavily and covered in green blood, Haemon tried to smile, "Maybe you have the body of a snake but you head it still a human!"