If any of you are interested, I have complied a playlist of songs that I feel go along well with the characters of Hades and Persephone. You can find it at playlist?list=PL5KSQhVpG-QFLnZjVPLT5VIVqBbjeAEQF (and, yes, I realize that a majority of it is Mumford and Sons...but what can I say? They have really great moody songs.)

Prologue: The Betrayal

Two gods stood on the edge of an abyss. One, the taller of the two, looked down into the gaping earth with eyes as deep blue as the sky.

"We finally are rid of him, brother," he said. "We could never have done it without your help."

He clapped his younger brother on the shoulder with a smile. Next to the thick beard, the long, tangled hair, and the broad shoulders of his older brother, the younger one looked hardly more than a youth. His eyes were blue as well, but of a lighter shade and his hair and small beard were golden as the Spring.

"Come," said the older, "it's time to return to Olympus. We must announce the succession." He started to walk away, expecting his brother to follow him. "I trust you won't forget your promise," he said over his shoulder.

"About that, Hades…." Zeus, the younger of the two's, voice was hesitant, almost fearful. "I was speaking to the other gods and they thought that it wouldn't be proper for the King of the Gods to rule anything but the sky."

Hades stopped dead. His fists were clenched, which betrayed his calm voice, "They want me for their king, then? I had thought it was decided that you would be a good choice, the Hero of the Titan War and all. However, if it's want the siblings want, I can assert my right as the eldest."

"No, they still want me to be King-"

"Then what is this talk about the King and the sky? You have already promised it to me in return for my support."

"Hades, we decided that it might be better for a god of your strength and ability to guard our father's prison. If he were to escape, we need a strong first defense."

"You mean, you want a god of my strength out of the way, so that you don't have any other clear contender for the throne."

"It was a decision reached by all of us-"

"Without me."

"Everyone thought it would be the wisest course."

Hades was breathing heavily now and rage shone in his eyes. "Everyone? Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Aphrodite? They all agreed to this?"

"Well, Poseidon is better suited for the ocean, don't you think?" Zeus had gained confidence and he took on a slight smirk. "He doesn't have the proper temperament to rule the Underworld. And Hera, well, she dislikes the water and I couldn't very well live with my new Queen in the ocean, could I? And Aphrodite-"

"You bribed them all."

"That's a crude word for it." His eyebrows furrowed in feigned distress. "I didn't bribe them. I helped them see the advantage of having a King that was ruler of the skies as well."

"Even Hestia turned against me?" A note of rough sadness crept into the god's voice at the mention of his favorite sister.

"You know Hestia. She hates a conflict. Once everyone had made up their minds, she joined the majority."

Zeus walked to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder ceremoniously. "As King, I name thee, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, God of the Dead." With that, he walked away, leaving Hades alone to deal with his fate.

What fully had passed that day in the Underworld was never revealed by either brother and the part of the betrayal that the Originals played was buried deep in each of their hearts, almost forgotten by all except the one betrayed.

What anger burned in Hades' heart that day can hardly be written. It lasted thousands of years, quietly smoldering into bitterness as century after century passed. Whispers came of the god's harshness. His kingdom, they said, was ruled by an iron fist and followed strict laws that none, not even the gods of Olympus, were exempt from. And so, the years passed, unable to reach the cold heart of Hades, until, one day, Fate took an unexpected turn...