As we made our way to see Hades, I did my best to settle my nerves or whatever these feelings were called.
“You’re overthinking this, little one,” Mother murmured, her voice floating through the gloom like a warm breeze.
“Says the person who has been living with him for eternity. I’m sure you’re used to him.”
“Oh, come on! Under all that status and power, he’s just a big softy.
“Woof--wooof!”
Cerberus’s three heads loomed into view, each snout dripping with anticipation. His paws each the size of a small shield sent ripples across the marble floor. I froze as one head tilted closer, dark eyes alight.
I giggled despite myself when he nudged his wet nose into my cheek, whisking away a swirl of wandering souls with his wagging tail. “Down, boy.” I scratched behind his ears. His heavy panting sounded like distant thunder.
Mother caught my elbow and steered me forward. “We’re almost there.”
At last we entered his domain: a vaulted chamber where chaos reigned in gilded harmony. Feather quills darted through the air, dipping into inkwells that glowed with phosphorescent liquid. Scrolls and parchment lay scattered like fallen leaves, each bearing seals stamped in molten gold. Lanterns hung from invisible cords, their flickering flames shifting colors from amber to sapphire. Alcoves of smoky crystal held smoldering pots of ancient moss and oak essence, filling the room with a heady, timeless fragrance.
Hades looked up from his paperwork and locked his gaze on me. Instinctively, I knelt. “Your grace, have you summoned me?” As I tried to look up, my head directly tilted back down to the floor.
He studied me briefly before glancing back at Hecate, and then back at me.
He lifted a sculpted brow and chuckled, the sound echoing like rolling boulders. “HA-HA-HA! Who taught you that? I may be king, but I’m far from grace. Hecate, get your child up.”
Mother tried to hide her laughter behind her hand, and I squinted my eyes, attempting to look a bit annoyed but I suspect I resembled an indignantly adorable kitten in her eyes.
“So, Veil, how are you liking the Underworld?”
I pondered, weighing each word. “Home… it’s the only word that feels right.”
“Home. Very few would say this is home, but given your circumstances, I guess it makes sense.”
“So, Hecate, have you talked to your precious daughter about our agreement?”
I looked over at Mother in shock, surprised by this turn of events. “No, she has not.”
Mother’s fingers twined anxiously. “I planned to, when she was ready.”
“Well, nothing better than the present,” sitting back in his chair and setting down his pen. “The agreement was that when you’re prepared, you will return to the mortal realm. I’m sure you’ve wanted to anyway,” he pointed directly at the center of my chest. “I’m certain you want to do something about that emptiness you continue to feel.”
I placed my hand on my chest, as if cradling something precious where my heart used to be. Now only diamond-shaped core with divinity, essence and Mother’s blood. My fingertips tingled as if touching living fire. “I do,” I whispered, tightening my fist my nails bit into my palm.
“I don’t remember their faces, but I remember their names. I want them to feel the same sorrow I feel.”
As the words left my lips, the glow in my eyes intensified, vibrating the air around us. The lanterns overhead flickered.
“Darling, you’re trembling,” Mother murmured, she laid her hand on my shoulder. Her soothing presence enveloped me once again, knitting me back to calm.
Hades grinned ear to ear. “Allow me to finish. You will be taking over the Sin of Pride kingdom, or whatever those humans choose to call it now. You shall govern it as you see fit.”
“So I am to replace him?”
“No, not replace, but reinvent. You can do whatever you want. Of course, you will need guidance, which your mother will provide, I’m sure. You will help her with her duties in the mortal realm. Nyx and I have already discussed what you are, a sanctuary for wandering souls. You will create a place for them to find rest, redemption, and memories if they need be. You will assist your mother, just like her other assistants, and help ferry them to the river. Do you think you can handle that?”
I glanced at Mother; she nodded, giving me encouragment. “Yes, your Majesty. I would love… no, I would be honored to help my mother and the Underworld.”
“Great! Now, usually we don’t interfere with mortals, so I don’t know how they decide on the next king or queen for their territories. I assume it’s either through a vote or maybe some power struggle among the others, or inheritance through children. Humans are such complicated creatures.”
“Your Majesty, if I may, I have a question."
"Ask away"
"Through the church, we were taught the other kingdoms are sinners. Yet each kingdom used to represent other divine beings; there was once peace and prosperity for everyone.”
“How are they still able to be blessed? with everything that has happen and changed”
“Because names have power, little one, but they are not truth.”
I blinked.
“Just because mortals changed the names doesn't mean they changed what lies beneath them.” A knowing smile crossed his face. “They painted over old stories and called them something ugly, but paint does not change the stone underneath.”
I pondered his words.
“So you're saying… because they pray and worship the Sin of Lust, which is Aphrodite, she still blesses the land?”
“Of course.” Hades chuckled. “Did you think Aphrodite suddenly forgot who she was because humans decided to call love a sin?”
I opened my mouth, then quickly closed it.
“The mortals call it lust, but mothers still pray for healthy children. Husbands and wives still pray for happy marriages. Young maidens still ask for beauty, and lonely hearts still pray for companionship. Their prayers reach Aphrodite all the same.”
Hades rose from behind his desk, tucking his arms behind his back as he made his way toward me. With each step, his massive frame seemed to swallow the room itself. By the time he stopped in front of me, I had to crane my neck so far back it felt like I was trying to admire the ceiling just to meet his eyes.
He studied me for a moment before the corners of his lips curled upward.
“So small…”
My brows furrowed immediately. “I’m not small!” I crossed my arms in protest. “I’m at least six feet tall. You’re just… absurdly big!”
For a second, there was silence.
Then
“HA-HA-HA!”
His booming laughter thundered throughout the chamber, shaking the floating lanterns and sending loose papers fluttering through the air. The force of it nearly knocked me off balance, and I stumbled a step backward.
“I like her!” he declared between laughs, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “You’ve done well, Hecate.”
“In the past, you are correct; peace was once a thing. But when free will comes into play, appreciation for peace diminishes. It’s no longer viewed as comfort but rather entitlement. Especially for the human race, who feel they are the favorites of Zeus, when in truth, humans are only tools for entertainment.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was merely a tool for entertainment? The church a lie? The blessings given meant to accomplish what? To satisfy those who watch from above because they are bored?
“Am I a tool?” I looked up at Hades, already accepting the answer.
“Yes… but you are different.”
“How?”
“I looked upon your memories while you were still but a tiny soul,” Hades said, his voice losing much of its laughter. “Had you died a natural death, there would have been no need for reincarnation. Your soul was… remarkably pure. Your faith, your conviction, your devotion such things are exceedingly rare, even among the greatest heroes.”
His eyes softened slightly.
“Even with a blade pressed against your throat, you were willing to forgive. Do you understand how extraordinary that is? Most would curse the heavens, rage against their fate, or cling desperately to hatred. Yet you chose mercy.”
He placed a hand upon his chest.
“That, little one, requires a strength few beings possess.”
His gaze drifted toward the distance, as though looking upon a place beyond mortal comprehension.
“Had you lived out the rest of your days and met your end as nature intended, you would not have wandered these halls. You would have passed directly into the Elysium Fields, where the blessed find eternal peace and rest.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Such was the worth of your soul.”
My eyes widened at that Elysium Fields… a place of pure rest, peace, eternal bliss. And yet, it had been taken from me.
Something tight formed in my chest, but Hades didn’t linger on the thought.
“What’s done is done. It cannot be changed,” he said simply, as if closing a book. “Now, back to the main topic. Your mother will provide guidance. Keep studying you’ll be given a schedule for both study and training.”
“Training?” I blinked, pulled out of my thoughts.
“Of course.” Hades glanced over his shoulder at me. “You think I would send you back into the mortal realm carrying divinity, a soul core, and Hecate’s blood without teaching you control?”
His tone shifted slightly, more serious now.
“In the mortal realm, your existence borders on that of a descending god. If you cannot control what you are… you will not just struggle.”
He paused.
“You will destroy things you never meant to touch.”
As he returned to his desk and settled back into his chair, he continued, “Meaera and Melinoe will be training you, so be prepared. I’m sure your mother will guide you in magic as well. I hear you’ve already exceeded her expectations.”
As he settled back into his chair and picked up his pen, he waved a hand dismissively, as though brushing the conversation aside. “I have work to do,” he said. “Make sure she visit the smithy soon. It will take time to craft her weapon.”
“Come, little one,” Mother said, intertwining her fingers with mine, leading me away.
I turned around and bowed gracefully. “Thank you, your Majesty.”
He looked up from his paper and smiled. “You’re welcome.”
I exhaled slowly. “That went better than expected…”