I stood alone in the depths of my domain, the vast cavernous expanse echoing with the distant hum of the Underworld. The air was thick with the scent of brimstone and damp earth, the weight of the coming war pressing down upon me like an iron shroud.
Briareus and Cottus loomed before me, their towering forms casting elongated shadows across the training grounds. Twenty feet of raw power, each a remnant of a time long past, a time of war, conquest, and suffering. They were my allies, my sparring partners—but today, they were my adversaries.
Briareus grinned, his yellow eyes gleaming in the dim light. "You look troubled, Lord Hades."
Cottus planted the end of his bident into the stone floor with a resounding thud. "A leader's mind is never at peace, Briareus. We all carry burdens."
I rolled my shoulders, adjusting my grip on my longsword. "Burdens are an inevitable weight. It is how we carry them that defines us."
Briareus wasted no time in lunging forward, four massive Dadao blades slicing through the air. I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding the first strike, the wind from his attack whipping against my face. The clang of steel rang through the chamber as I deflected the next swing, the force behind it sending tremors up my arms.
Cottus followed suit, spinning his bident in a wide arc. He was less aggressive than Briareus, but his strikes were precise, meant to push me into a corner. I countered swiftly, parrying and sidestepping, my movements calculated. The past wars had taught me the art of patience, of measured brutality.
"You hesitate," Cottus observed as he thrust forward. I deflected his attack, but his words struck deeper than I cared to admit.
Briareus capitalized on the moment, his blades shifting into eight as additional arms sprouted from his torso. In an instant, I was faced with an overwhelming flurry of strikes. I leaped back, but even with my speed, I felt the sting of a blade grazing my shoulder. The warmth of blood trickled down my arm.
"Hmph." I exhaled sharply, the pain a mere whisper in the storm of my mind.
Cottus raised a brow. "Doubt weakens the mind, and weakness has no place in war. You, of all beings, should know this."
I met his gaze, my golden and blue eyes reflecting the flickering torches around us. "I do not doubt my abilities. I doubt the cost of victory."
Briareus scoffed, stepping back momentarily. "You think war does not demand sacrifice? It is a beast that feeds on it. We are all offerings, in one way or another."
I did not reply. Instead, I let the darkness that coiled within me expand, seeping into the cracks of the chamber like an oncoming tide. The flames from the torches dimmed, their flickering light barely able to cut through the encroaching shadows. I raised my hand, and from the abyss beneath my feet, tendrils of black mist slithered forth, wrapping around my form before vanishing into my skin.
The air thickened, the weight of my dominion pressing down upon the room. The power of the Underworld, the raw force of primordial flames and boundless darkness, surged through me. My shadow twisted unnaturally, rising from the ground, shifting and morphing into clawed appendages.
Briareus and Cottus tensed, recognizing the shift.
I vanished. One moment I was standing before them, the next I was behind Briareus, my sword slicing through the air like a comet. He barely managed to bring up two of his swords in time to block, but the force sent him skidding across the chamber, the stone beneath his feet cracking under the strain.
Cottus reacted immediately, slamming the butt of his bident into the ground. A pulse of force rippled outward, aiming to disrupt my movement, but I was already gone. The shadows bent to my will, allowing me to reappear above him. My blade descended, wreathed in the infernal fire of the Underworld, burning black with streaks of violet.
Cottus raised his bident just in time, but as our weapons clashed, a shockwave erupted, sending shards of stone flying. I pressed forward, the strength of the Underworld bolstering my strikes.
"You rely too much on brute force," Briareus called out, already recovering. His form convulsed, arms sprouting unnaturally from his back and sides, a grotesque yet impressive display of his abilities. He wielded ten swords now, each one moving independently, a storm of whirling death.
He descended upon me, every strike relentless, a seamless dance of destruction. But I did not falter. Instead, I let my instincts take over. The shadows whispered, guiding my movements, allowing me to weave through the storm. My sword became an extension of my will, parrying, deflecting, and countering with precision honed through centuries of battle.
A sudden shift in the air warned me of Cottus' next move. He raised his bident, and from the ground, jagged obsidian spears erupted, aiming to skewer me. I exhaled, tapping into the depths of my power. The flames of the Underworld surged, and with a sweep of my hand, they devoured the spears before they could reach me.
Briareus lunged again, but this time, I met him head-on. Our weapons clashed, sending another wave of force through the chamber. But I was done playing defense. I surged forward, twisting my blade with an expert flick, disarming one of his hands in a single motion. His sword clattered to the ground, and before he could react, my shadow lashed out, wrapping around his remaining weapons, pulling them from his grasp.
Cottus moved to assist, but I turned, extending my free hand. The air trembled as a vortex of dark flames ignited in my palm. "Enough."
The chamber fell silent, the weight of my power pressing against both of them. Briareus and Cottus locked eyes with me, their expressions unreadable before they both exhaled, stepping back.
Briareus chuckled, rolling his shoulders. "You've gotten stronger."
Cottus nodded. "But strength alone will not win the coming war. You must steel your mind as well, Hades."
I let the fire in my hand extinguish my breathing even. "I know. And I will."
The clang of steel brought me back to the present. Briareus attacked again, this time faster, his arms multiplying until I was completely surrounded by a storm of slashing blades. I let go of thought, letting instinct take over. My sword became an extension of my will, parrying, dodging, countering.
Then, I struck.
A powerful slash of my blade sent a ripple through the air, a shockwave of divine energy exploding outward. Briareus staggered, his many arms retracting. Cottus lunged forward, but I twisted my sword, channeling my power. Shadows burst forth, momentarily blinding him as I sidestepped his attack and brought my blade to his throat.
Silence hung between us, heavy and unspoken.
Then, Briareus laughed. "Now, that is the Hades I know."
Cottus smirked, lowering his weapon. "You fight best when you abandon hesitation."
I exhaled, lowering my sword. "Hesitation and caution are not the same. I do not fear battle, but I will not rush blindly into it."
Briareus sheathed his blades, his yellow eyes flickering with approval. "Good. Because war is coming, and it will not wait for you to decide."
I turned, gazing at the cavernous darkness beyond us. The shadows whispered, carrying the memories of past conflicts. I had fought countless battles, led armies into the abyss and back. But this war was different.
The Norse. Typhon. Forces that threatened to undo everything.
Victory would not come without a price.
The only question was—what was I willing to pay?
I sheath my sword, the echoes of our battle still humming in the chamber. "Then let us be ready. Now if you excuse me, I am going to take a bath. I stink."
I waved them off as they bowed as I headed back into the castle.
The cold stone of my chambers welcomed me as I stepped inside, muscles aching from my bout with Briareus and Cottus. The Underworld was a realm of shadow and silence, but even here, I was never truly alone. I reached for the clasps of my armor, preparing to remove the sweat-slicked plates when a presence made me halt.
A figure stood by the brazier, her form bathed in flickering firelight, casting long shadows against the walls of my chamber. It took me a moment to register who she was, but the weight of her presence was unmistakable. I exhaled sharply, setting my sword against the table.
"You Primordials have a habit of appearing in my life unannounced. Is there something that I could help you with, Lady Ananke?"
Ananke, the embodiment of necessity and fate, tilted her head with a knowing smile, her golden and silver robes shimmering as though woven from threads of time itself. "And you have a habit of acting as if fate is not already woven around you, Hades."
I stepped closer, wary but unsurprised. "I do believe my fate is my own to weave. If it bothers you so much, I dare you to stop me." I folded my arms, studying her with a measured gaze. "Now, how long has it been since we last saw each other? Ah yes, it was when you oversaw my duel with Zeus. Why are you here?"
She extended a letter, sealed with no insignia, its parchment untouched by time. "The Convergence," she stated, her voice tinged with something that sounded like amusement.
I frowned. "The what?"
Ananke raised a delicate brow. "The Convergence, Hades. I told you about it when you took the crown and became King. Surely you remember? You've already missed the last two meetings. They are mandatory, you know. Everyone is required to attend. Though, Chaos had to excuse you both times."
"Look, I have no idea what you are even talking about." I took the letter but did not open it immediately. "You never told me anything about the meetings at all."
She blinked. "I didn't?"
"Nope."
"Are you sure? Maybe—"
"Look, you didn't tell me!" I sighed in frustration and moved to grab a towel from one of the drawers. "I would have remembered something as important as this."
Ananke rubbed her temples, letting out a soft sigh. "Oh. That explains a lot. I guess I did forget to tell you about it when you were crowned. That would explain why you've missed the last two meetings."
I narrowed my eyes. "Speaking of which, why was I not notified of the meetings? Shouldn't a notice be sent when a meeting is going to take place?"
"You should have been receiving letters," she said matter-of-factly.
I shook my head. "No, I have not received anything."
Ananke's lips parted slightly, and then she let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "Oh. I think I might have sent them to the wrong... you."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Am I wrong? I am not even going to ask. So, what is this meeting about?"
She took a moment to gather her thoughts before explaining. "The Convergence is a gathering of the rulers of every pantheon, where the fate of gods and mortals alike is discussed. It is where we decide the future of humanity."
I turned the letter over in my hands, feeling the weight of its meaning before tucking it away. "And what do you think will come of this Convergence?"
"Change," she said simply. "For better or worse, that is up to you all."
I nodded, my mind already turning toward the possibilities, the dangers, the alliances that could be forged or broken. My thoughts drifted to those who would be in attendance—Odin, Zeus, Ra, and others who held dominion over entire civilizations. Would we truly find common ground, or was this simply another battlefield cloaked in diplomacy?
Ananke's gaze flickered over my partially undone armor, a trace of amusement in her voice. "I should take my leave. I imagine your wife would not appreciate another woman peeking at you while you bathe."
I smirked despite myself. "Hecate does have a particular sense of possessiveness."
Ananke chuckled softly, a sound like the whisper of time itself, and then, with a shimmer of gold and silver, she vanished, leaving behind only the faintest trace of her presence, like an echo lingering in the air. For a moment, I remained still, watching the space where she had stood, my thoughts heavier than before.
Left alone, I let out a slow breath before unsealing the letter. The parchment was smooth beneath my fingers, the ink bold and unwavering, written in careful script by a hand that did not know hesitation. The words were simple, yet their weight was immense. A time. A place. A destination set beyond the mortal and divine realms alike. A gathering that would shape the fate of all existence. I exhaled through my nose and folded the letter back into my tunic, my mind already calculating the significance of what was to come.
The Convergence of Kings. A summit of deities, an assembly of those who ruled over gods and mortals alike. What decisions would be made there? What alliances would be forged or shattered? My stomach coiled at the thought. Odin. Zeus. Would they be in attendance? And if so, what words would be exchanged? What threats would be veiled beneath diplomacy? The weight of history, of past wars and old grudges, sat heavily upon my shoulders.
With a sigh, I turned toward the adjoining chamber, where steam curled in lazy tendrils above the waiting bath. The scent of crushed herbs and warmed minerals filled the space, a brief comfort amidst the growing storm of my thoughts. I shed the rest of my armor and sank into the water, the heat wrapping around my muscles, loosening the tension I had not realized I carried. My head rested against the carved marble edge, my gaze lifting to the ceiling, where constellations of a world above had been etched with delicate precision.
Closing my eyes, I allowed the water to wash over me, but my thoughts refused to quiet. I did wonder if Odin would be there, what about Zeus? It has been quite some time since I have last seen him. I do wonder what he has been up to.