Weeks had passed since the gods have won the war. Since Zeus had been the one who had 'resurrected' his siblings, he had been selected as the king of gods, and held his glorious throne on Mount Olympus, where he and his brothers had defeated Cronus on the spot.
Down below the surface of Mother Earth beheld the terrible depths of the Underworld, a place where the late Greeks pass on to.
Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld, dipped his oar into the River Styx and rowed his boat forth. The heat of the atmosphere blew into his pale, thin face as he pushed himself forward in his boat. His eyes rolled around to observe the typical sights of his journey across; flaming skulls, falling stalactites, monstrous crocodiles... It had not even been a full year and already, he's grown tired of encountering the absolute gloom below the ground. Every single day, someone loses a life. And when they lose a life, Charon was in charge of ferrying said souls deep into the Underworld, their new home for the rest of eternity. Back and forth, back and forth, all day, every day. It was quite a tedious position.
Charon tipped the brim of his hat over his tired eyes. Mortals just have such short life spans. He just doesn't understand them.
Who would, anyway?
The bow of the boat was halted by the island of dirt and mineral, and it nudged Charon slightly backwards from the sudden force. His head tilted up to see the great guardian of the Underworld's gates; Cerberus, the three-headed dog. They each lifted their mighty heads with their abundant necks, and a series of growls vibrated through their throats. Cerberus had recognized the ferryman, of course, but not the entities who were seated at the back of the boat. It was a group of souls of the recently passed, skeletal in figure, and glossy in the face. Their eyes were white as ivory as their faces held the last expression they displayed before they abandoned their broken bodies.
Charon turned sideways and looked over his shoulder to see them, frozen, each with their hands patiently in their laps and staring straight at him. Charon finally commanded them to enter with a jerk of his head towards the gates. Obediently, they stood in unison and sailed into their new homes. He watched the souls enter into the dark regions. This daily routine had grown almost tiring for him. Life after death, soul after soul, he had been familiar with it all within a short matter of time. Some days would be different, like this day, as he wondered if his master, Lord Hades, had felt the same way. The Underworld itself along with the deathly aura it gave of was quite terrible, even when the beautiful goddess, Persephone, came to visit her husband. Her glow would always fade from her soft, tanned skin just from the melancholy mood in the air.
Just as Charon was positioning his oar into the green river to return back, a faint glow appeared from the very mouth of the Underworld. His eyes strained to try and make out what it was, but it then seemed to be growing closer, gliding above the surface of the river at an incredible speed. When the glow was near enough for him to notice a figure in the center, he groaned and rolled his eyes in realization that this was none other than the messenger god.
"Charon!" the god's enthusiastic voice pierced the otherwise gloomy caves. He hovered above the ferryman with his arms folded over his puffed out chest. The bright expression alone rather annoyed Charon, and he hadn't the foggiest idea why. Charon grumbled in his raspy voice, "What is it, Hermes?"
Hermes kept his bright face towards him. "I have a message to Hades from Zeus!" he stated. As if he had been summoned, Hades appeared from the shadows of a beast's skeleton. "Zeus, you say?" he said, announcing his presence. At the same time, Cerberus bowed all three of their head down to their paws and flattened their ears. Hermes flew towards the god, then halted to admire him for a moment. "Uh," Hermes's voice trembled a moment, "Your brother requests your presence at once, Lord Hades." He cracked a forced smile. "I believe it may be urgent, from the sound of his voice."
An amused smile appeared on Hades's face, picturing his brother giving Hermes orders with his usual booming voice. "Very well, then." Hades turned to Cerberus, and put a hand on their mighty back. "I shall return shortly, my Cerberus," he said to the beast as he brushed his fingers through their coarse fur. Cerberus's ears pricked upward while their tail wagged back and forth.
Hades faced Hermes once more. "Go, let him know that I'm on way," he said, removing his hand from the dog. "I'll go fetch my chariot."
Hermes bobbed his head once for a quick nod. "Very well, then. We'll see you up there!" He glanced once more at Charon. "I'll see you later, too, Charry!" Then he flew off in an instant.
The ferryman only frowned at the ridiculous nickname, and made haste toward the opening of the Underworld again to gather up another group of souls.
It was no surprise to Hades that Zeus wanted to see him at all. Since he's been named the king of gods, he has been holding an ambition towards the other gods, that including his brothers and sisters. What irked Hades the most is that he has been assigned to rule down in the Underworld, despite being the eldest of his siblings. Every time Hades would examine across his desolate realm, envy would gnaw all over him the longer he stared. It even pained him, at times; to have a lower authority than your youngest brother. In rare occasions, whenever Zeus would invite him up to Mount Olympus, he always had a dreaded feeling that Zeus only wanted to see how miserable he was becoming, in comparison to the previous arrival. A string of resentment hung over Hades's face. That moment, he only pursed his lips and blew it out of his eyes while opening the stable doors, releasing his dark mares and stallions for his chariot. He knew dismissing this little of annoyance would be the best solution for now. His epic rage would just have to be saved for later.