Hades finally reached the peak of Mt. Serenity, the tallest mountain on the Sunken Island. He paused to catch his breath for a moment, and then he stared out over the vast stretches of the land. Being at the center of the island, it gave him a clear view of the striking beauty of it. Though it almost mirrored the Floating Island, its counterpart, it was still as if it was an entirely different place.

He let his eyes wander all about him. Over the beach, across the vast grassland, past the many ancient palaces and ruins¡­his eyes truly perceived a form of true beauty.

Suddenly, his communicator started beeping. ¡°H¡¯lo?¡± he said.

Right when Knuckles started talking, Hades knew something was up. ¡°Eggman¡­came¡­stole the emeralds¡­after¡­yours¡­now¡­¡± There was a dull thud as Knuckles passed out. Hades didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he knew that it couldn¡¯t be good. He got his sister Verna on the communicator.

¡°Hey, bro,¡± said Verna.

¡°Verna, Knux is in trouble. I need you to cover for me,¡± he said. ¡°You know where to go.¡±

¡°Okay.¡±

¡°Seeya later, then.¡±

Hades threw a neon green sphere onto the ground. The sphere burst into light, and a teleportal appeared. He looked to make sure Verna got there, then he jumped through.
_______________________

Seconds later, Hades arrived at the Hidden Palace on Floating Island. He sensed a lack of power from there, and thought it highly suspicious. He entered and made his way to the emerald chamber. He didn¡¯t like what he saw.

Knuckles lay bloody and poleaxed about 20 feet to Hades¡¯ right. He immediately rushed to his side. He felt for a pulse. Finding one, he checked the carotid artery. Seeing that Knuckles would live, he redirected his attention to the emeralds.

The Master Emerald was gone. In fact, so were all the other emeralds. This was worse than the time that Eggman had gotten a hold on the Master Emerald by itself. Hades wanted to swear, but controlled himself.

He picked up Knux¡¯s prostrated form and flew off in his winged shoes, the tallaria. Upon exit of the palace, he stopped for a moment. Hades set Knux down for a moment, then took seven reflective, colored gems from his quiver. These were the Emeralds of Reflection, the counterpart of the stolen Chaos Emeralds. He put them in a straight horizontal line in front of the palace doors. He muttered something under his breath. The emeralds began to glow. The glow intensified, then transferred over to the palace. After a few seconds, the glow faded out. He had sealed off the palace of his fifth cousin. Hades began to look for the Chaotix so that Knux could be tended to properly.