Dipped in the dark depths of Tartarus, lost souls wandered aimlessly under the mortal realm in search of redemption, of Elysium, in an endless and tortuous search for life. Eternally persecuted by hellish creatures, these souls were forced to accept their fate, living in torment even in death.
Sitting on the throne of this cruel and dark world stood the guardian of said souls. Rulling over the beings of Hades with impetuosity and clarity of mind, the God of the Underworld, Hades himself, watched over everything and everyone, over the dead and the living. Mortals never pronounced his name for it brought them fear and it was said to be a sign of a bad omen. Having inherited the dominion of the Underworld after the Great War against the Titans, it was Hades' burden to care for this world and its dark beings. Therefore the God's watchful eyes, hidden under his helmet and under the constant fire that kept on burning against his face, never deviated his attention from this responsibility or from the creatures from his dominion.
On this day, however, something stronger than the duty as the Lord of the Dead made him feel uneasy and his fingers slid shakily over the six ears of the dog Cerberus, its three heads resting on the leg of its owner and master. The Keeper of the Underworld, It was rare for Cerberus to leave its post from where it allowed the entrance - but not the exit - of the dead and destroyed any mortal who dared to approach their realm. Today, however, even the fierce and monstrous dog felt uneasy and, sensing the discomfort of his beloved owner, decided to stay next to him as a sign of affection and companionship. Hades thanked him stroking his head affectionately, realizing the dog was his only true friend, and now both deepened in diffuse and gloomy thoughts.
His wife, Persephone, had been acting so strange ... And now her sudden absence worried the God of the Dead. When he brought her to his reign, millennia ago, he managed to get her attention. At first she had truly loved him and she had been the one to calm his desires, his sorrows, his hatred. Living in the Underworld alone was something that even the Lord of this world could not endure and having Persephone, his niece and wife, by his side, made of him a fearless and happy God. He made her the Queen of the Underworld and together, for a long time, both reigned over the dead. They had no children, but they did not need these - The souls of Hades were their children just as all the dark creatures that lived among these. He felt happy... And she had loved him.
And then everything was gone. The determination, the affection, the love. Hades could not understand what he had done wrong, he could not understand why his beautiful Queen had begun to despise him and leave him alone again. Now that she had disappeared and Helios could not find her for he too was missing, a suffocating feeling was growing inside his chest and even the hellish creatures of Tartarus seemed restless. Never, at any time, had the Kingdom of Hades met such silence, such stillness. The subordinates of Cerberus, small dogs responsible for tormenting souls, were lying on the ground, alert to any noise, but still motionless. The harpies were hidden in their nests, barely moving. The souls who lived in torment were no longer moaning or screaming, preferring to remain hidden in the shadows. All of the Underworld seemed to be sensing the arrival of something unpleasant and Hades, more than anyone, felt madness taking over him. This agony seemed to last an eternity until, unexpectedly, Cerberus started to bark violently and, its three heads moving menacingly, multiple pairs of teeth cracking its three mouths open, the creature stood up on his hind legs and sniffed the air staring to the entrance of the Underworld. Something, however, made Hades remain calm, something that warned him about the arrival of someone known to him. When Hermes, the messenger of the Gods and the only one who could walk in and out of the Underworld, entered his throne room, he knew something was wrong.
Recognizing the man, Cerberus immediately stopped barking. As if also sensing a bad feeling the dog ran back to its owner and licked his hand trying to comfort him in vain. The usually playful messenger knelt before the God of the Underworld, showing his respect for the Lord of the Dead and also his uncle, but Hades did not give enough attention to this act; his eyes had fallen over something more important.
Behind Hermes was Zeus, older brother to Hades, and Poseidon, his younger brother. Both approached solemnly, their eyes fixed on him. Hades, in turn, had his eyes fixed not on his brothers, but on a silhouette wrapped in a long white cloth, held in the arms of the God of the Seas. An unusual silence filled the air and Hades, trembling, let himself wait, an agony worse than anything he had ever experienced taking over him.
"I am sorry, my brother" Zeus said, approaching as he realized Hades found himself unable to move. Cerberus whimpered softly and pulled away while Zeus kept on walking. Time itself seemed to stop and Hermes, benevolent, returned to the entrance of the Underworld leaving the three siblings alone.
Now face to face, Zeus' gaze seemed to pierce through the very soul of the Lord of the Dead, destroying him from within. Hades tried to speak but the words refused to leave his lips. Slowly Poseidon approached his siblings and, kneeling down, carefully lay the body before Hades. He, still incapable of moving, felt his shaking legs trying to overthrow him and an incredibly strong pressure blurred his vision. For a moment the three of them were silent, Poseidon's hand now on the shoulders of his beloved brother, until Zeus spoke.
"We all knew this this would come to happen sooner or later. I hope you do not blame the mortal, Kratos, for his action. You must understand that, without him, Olympus and life itself would be no more"
Hades said nothing. His eyes were still fallen over the silhouette at his feet, the white cloth involving her fragile and beautiful body. He had no strength to speak, to move or to breath and the last thing he heard were Poseidon's words.
"Be strong, my brother," he said and both, the God of the Seas and the God of the Gods, departed to meet Hermes who waited for them at the exit of the Underworld. For a few seconds Hades just stared down to his beloved, not believing in what had happened, but soon enough his legs gave way and he fell to his knees, his arms, cut and torn, carrying the body with a gentleness and love never seen before in any part of Olympus. She had once loved him... And even if she did not love him anymore, he would always love her. He loved her more than his own existence. He would love her until life left his body. His queen. His reason for living. Persephone ...
The terrifying Cerberus growled against the breath of life and its three heads moved towards the heavens, its mouths open in a thunderous and terrifying howl. Smaller dogs responded to the call and immediately joined the howl of the guard of the Underworld, a maniac instinct unexpectedly taking over the animals. The harpies immediately left their nests and advanced against everything and everyone and the lost souls, once quiet and calm, screamed like they had never done before, screams of pain, of despair, of pure fury. The Underworld had never faced such chaos throughout its existence and now this whole kingdom cried for its dead Queen. Creatures of the shadows left their posts immediately, creeping out of their hiding places and all creatures of all species watched over, from afar, the Lord of the Underworld, his head propped on his beloved. The fire that covered his face no longer burned vividly, his vivacity had been taken by the chaos in his heart and all his servants realized, horrified, that this had been the very first time they had ever seen their Lord and Master cry.