Of Shadows

Three people stood in the throne room of Hades palace. Zues and Hades were arguing yet again over the same topic, just as they had every decade. The object of their argument stood apart from the gods with a bored look on her face,staring at them the way a mother would when her children were arguing over a broken toy. She'd heard the argument repeated so many times she could say it word for word.

" Brother please! Has she not been punished enough? You have forbidden her from being known by mortals, taken the sunlight from her life, and sent her to Tartarus three times! Three Brother! The fact she still has her sanity is a miracle!" pleaded Hades.

"She deserves her punishment! She fought for the wrong side in WWII and massacred my children! Why does she deserve light or even sanity." raged Zues.

"She fought for her father just as your children did for you. She did not 'massacre' your children, they were armed and she beat them. You are simply upset that she beat your entire army single-handedly after that filthy trick your son used to kill ALL my children while they were unarmed!" shouted Hades in equal anger.

"Yes my son. My favorite son who she hunted down like a deer. It was not his fault her sister ate the poison instead of her."

"Her sister was six years old. No more than a child!"

"That does not matter Brother! It was war!"

The girl had had enough of this pointless bickering. That war had ended almost 70 years ago. Then the conversation took an interesting turn.

"If I agree to release her from her punishment, then she must agree to give up her immortality." says Zues with finality. Silence befalls the room.

" Katherine? Do you consent to this...agreement?" asks Hades, stunned. The girl nods. She never showed it but she was tired of hiding.

"Yes, Father, I accept."