Prologue
Why do we classify acts into good and evil? Some hide their evil and take glee in the downfall of others, even instigating it. Why do we judge others using such simplistic methods? There was a time when I thought I knew the balance between good and evil, light and dark, life and death, love and hate, but then I matured.
Only when I was taken away from the light to be trapped in the darkest and most dismal cages by the coldest of Gods did I understand that not everything could be classified in such mundane terms.
To live in eternal darkness was the greatest test of all. To experience betrayal, pain, and loss was my burden. I didn't need to worry about the monster looming in the darkness but the monster hiding within me.
The Goddess of Spring and The Queen of the Underworld.
—Persephone
Chapter 1
Hades
Without opening my eyes, I knew it was time for me to rise for my morning rounds. My morning was full before it was time to preside over today's judgements. My invariable routine was as resolute as my endless existence. The Underworld was everything and more than I envisioned, yet today, I was listless.
Prometheus created mankind, and with time, they flourished. The God's offspring thrived but along with them created theatrics that made me appreciate my seclusion. I always knew there would be some contention, but not even I could have predicted their outcome.
The soft bed was enormous and comfortable but always empty. This usually never bothered me since I was at peace with my fate, but I occasionally pondered on my brothers’ promiscuous exploits. They indulged themselves while I learnt to restrain myself with rigid discipline.
I stretched out my body across my massive bed. Curiosity for mating had led me to a few encounters, but the Underworld took precedence over all aspects of my life. I remained steadfast in the ancient and the Olympian law for the dead.
I sat up, and from the gates, I sensed Cerberus move and begin to run towards my Palace. The beast always created a faint vibration beneath the palace as he bounded towards the main hall. I stood up to don my chiton and matching black and gold-edged cloak that I wrapped over my left shoulder before I fastened it. I chose my spiked dark gold crown for today.
Over the years, I was feared by the humans, but with time, a cautious respect emerged. The mortals' views of me were of little consequence to me. My role in the cycle of life and death was unwavering. Each soul would taste death by Thanatos, but they were all delivered to me for their final destination.
Cerberus whined at the door. He was unable to control his urges and began to butt his heads against my doors. I was to blame for spoiling him, but he was the most loyal of all the creatures. When I opened the doors, he immediately sat down, waiting eagerly to be petted. His tails began to swish back and forth when I raised my hands.
My boy barely fit through the doorways, and his huge paws could rip a body asunder with one foul swipe. He knew better than to damage my palace. I rubbed two of his heads while the middle one continued to whine.
“Patience,” I said softly, and he quieted down but kept his eyes on me.
My fingers rubbed through his soft fur, and his eyes glowed until they resembled the sun's golden rays. I brought both hands to the middle head to caress the top of his head before moving to his sides.
The middle head’s eyes closed in pleasure, and drool began to drip out of his mouth. The thick mess splattered onto the floor beside my feet, leaving a puddle. The mess didn't bother me as the shades kept my home in immaculate condition. The souls of the dead from the mourning fields made ideal servants.
The souls consumed by excessive mourning are the ones who wasted away their lives. Their endless wandering is gloomy without purpose. The ones that serve me get a brief reprieve from their exiled existence.
I patted all three heads before I stepped past them to walk towards the centre of my palace. It led to the main viewpoint where I could see most of my realm. The light beside my palace was from burning embers on the Phlegethon River. The same river of fire that led us to Tartarus so long ago. Behind my home was the light from the Elysian Fields. The golden fields glowed as bright as the rays from Helios’s sun.
Who knew my days in darkness would be lit up in the Underworld?
???
Cerberus stood beside me, but his two outer heads were always looking for danger, and the middle one looked ahead at the River Styx with me. He never once let a soul escape from my realm. The river looked black from the darkness surrounding the area. Charon, the ancient ferryman of the River Styx, led the boat towards us. Thanatos and Hermes took part in bringing the souls to the Underworld. There was no escape.
The souls onboard were always the same. The shaded souls with their faint and translucent forms. Some shimmered like wisps of smoke, blending in with the ominous mist from the river. My restlessness vanished as my responsibilities approached. I ignored their sorrow, regret and resignation. I’d seen them all countless times.
Charon stood tall and grim at the stern. His skeletal hand gripped the wooden oar as his hollow eyes gazed ahead, but they were empty as always. He was steadfast in his work and never moved by the countless generations of souls he ferried toward my gates.
As the boat drifted closer, the souls began to huddle together like a flock of terrified sheep. Their ethereal forms trembled with a mixture of fear and resignation. Their lost souls awaited judgment, and their deeds would find them in their place among the various shades in the land of the dead. The legendary kings, Minos, Rhadamanthus and Aeacus, would decide their final destination. Some would be reincarnated, but most would remain in my realm.
When the boat hit the embankment, Charon moved to the side, and his hooded black cloak fluttered in the air from the movement. I took account of them as the new shades stepped off the boat. I gazed across the River Styx with their souls marked and ready to process.
There was no good or evil down here. The Underworld remained neutral to all souls. Their fate was within them from when they were alive, and their deeds defined their destination. They shuffled past me, inherently knowing where to go.
There was no need for me to come to the river, but I did so to ensure I didn't miss any souls. On the rare occasion that one wandered off, Cerberus rounded it up. I moved back into the black shadows and transported myself to the courtyard. Judgement was the next phase.
