Chapter 1: The Beginning

World domination, hostile takeover... Just the idea of getting the respect and power that he deserved had the God of the Underworld giddy. Or as close to that as he could get. His minions, Pain and Panic, had gotten rid of the little Sunspot but Hades couldn't just sit back and wait for 18 years. No, while the planets took their sweet time aligning for the fateful day, he planned on stacking the deck with monsters that would join his side, the winning side. The Fates had predicted his victory and it was assured. 'Should Hercules fight, you will fail...' Well, the whelp was dead and gone and Zeus and Hera were mourning the loss.

Now he sat upon his throne, plotting and planning. Who would be the next monster to fall in line, to follow him into a war to end all wars? He still had to get the river guardian on his side but the big brute had an eye for pretty females and all the women under his control were...dead or yikes! While the Fates weren't against him, they certainly weren't 100% on his side or particularly attractive. The female monsters that helped torture the damned souls of Tartarus were more inclined to rip the guardian's legs off and shove them down his throat than allow him to paw at their bodies. Nyx would blind him with an unending night. And Hecate... yeah, no. He had no idea which form she was taking at this moment (maiden, mother, or crone) but she would play her games and use him for fodder in one of her numerous spells and potions.

The king of the Underworld ran a hand through his flame-hair. Hercules was dead... but the Fates wouldn't have mentioned the possibility of failure if they hadn't wove it into the Tapestry of Life. Which meant that he had better line up a runner-up prize, just in case. After all, he was playing this game to win. And win or lose, he would win! But what? The throne of Olympus was the grand prize... what could be considered just as good as that? The sound of vicious barking shattered his thought process and he snarled as he rose from his throne and teleported to the gates of Hades (the underworld's official title) where his guard dog, Cerberus, kept all souls in and ensured that none left. But the big three-headed brute wasn't at his station. Instead, the mutt was scratching, biting, and barking at a crevice. Apparently a little mouse had been trapped by the beast.

Hades' lips curled in cruel delight and he whistled at the monster. Two heads looked at their master while the third kept it's red eyes on the intruder. "Good boy... can't let a soul get to the surface. Thanatos takes his job very seriously and Zeus would start sticking his nose down here. Not good at all... alright, little mouse, come on out. Everyone has to get judged. Keep it up and you may wind up in the deepest pit of Tartarus instead of where you were meant to go." Of course, he wouldn't do such a thing-he wasn't THAT big of a tyrant. He had judges that would put a soul where they belonged. But he had plans to make and 18 years to gather his army for the uprising. Time was of the essence!

Cerberus moved a few steps back and sat on his hind legs, short fur still raised with little growls that Hades could feel in his chest. As he waited, he noticed a slight pale green glow within the crevice. It brightened and soon a small bare foot slipped out of the hiding place, lightly tanned skin covered by a small white dress with dark dirt stains, probably a result of falling on the way to the Underworld. More of the body became exposed to the dim light that came from phosphorus rocks that lit the realm. And then he saw flowers nestled into the mass of long auburn curls and eyes as green as clovers. Lips pulled into pout that had his cold heart beating faster. A nymph... or a lesser nature goddess had found their way to the land of the dead. She wasn't dead by any means but still, what was she doing here?

"Hey, babe. Uhh..." Hades couldn't think of anything intelligent to say which was strange. He was born with the gift of gab. Why was he suddenly tongue-tied?

The green-eyed girl looked at the growling monster dog before turning that gaze to the grey-blue skinned god. "I'm lost... I was picking flowers when the ground opened up. I went the only way I could go but your... dog... frightened me..." She couldn't stop the slight smile from lighting up her face. "I suppose he was just doing his job, hm? Well, would you help me get back to the surface?"

And that was how Hades, king of the underworld, the cruel and terrible god, despised by most of Olympus and feared by all mortals...that was how he became the escort of the nameless deity before him. Her hand was tucked in the crook of his arm, warming his cool flesh. She stayed close to him as they walked, WALKED, passed mortal shades. He could have simply teleported to the earth above but he found that he didn't want to be removed from her presence so soon. He asked her many simple questions. Her name was Persephone. She was the goddess of Spring and renewal. Her mother was overly protective of her and treated her like a little girl though she was anything but. She had her own grove that she kept secret from her mom where she grew darker, poisonous plants. And her favorite fruit was pomegranates.

By that point, they arrived at the Earth's crust and he used his influence to break through the surface. He helped her through the crack and she smiled as the moon beams lit up the plants around them. He prepared to leave her when she happily took his hand and pulled him along with her. "I want to show you my secret grove... as a thank you for helping me." He didn't have the heart to refuse- he had an uprising to plan but hey, 18 years was kind of a long time to a mortal. He could spare 10 minutes for this beauty.

Soon, they arrived at a weeping willow's branches. She pulled some of them to the side and brought them into the hidden grove. Belladonna with their black berries of poison, some death cap mushrooms in the corner with some soft moss, Henbane with their yellow petals and purple veins, and mandrake with their rosette leaves and pale green flowers. He also took note of the small pomegranate tree tucked farther away from all the poisonous plants, a small table and a stump that served as a seat next to it. She waved a hand and another stump appeared. "Sorry... I don't get much company thanks to Mother..." Her cheeks flushed under the pale moonlight that snuck through the branches. "Oh, wait. I never got your name..."

Hades raised his own hand and several phosphorus rocks rose from the earth to help illuminate the hidden grove. "...Aidoneus." It was, technically his name. Humans and even gods took to calling him the name of his realm, tying him with death and chaos. Normally, he didn't mind it but for some reason, he didn't want Persephone to make the same connection. And the fact that she smiled brighter once she had a name for his face made it obvious that he had made the right choice. She never would have looked at him like that if he had told her the name everyone else called him.

"Aidoneus..." His name rolled off her tongue like honey and she found that she longed to stay in his company to learn even more about him. She motioned for him to sit and summoned some of her mother's ambrosia and honey cakes. "So what do you do? I feel as though you know more about me than I do about you..."

The fiery-haired god swallowed a bit of his honey cake as he thought quickly. "A little bit of this and that...nothing too phenomenal. I mean, the cosmos doesn't exactly revolve around me. It just sort of...ends at me, you know?" He inwardly winced and hoped she didn't come to the realization that she was talking to the head honcho of the dead. But come on, who else would she think he was? Thanatos? Sure, he was a decent looking god of death-- how else would he get souls to follow him to Tartarus in the first place? But Thanatos' name was simply that and everyone knew it. Yet somehow, he wasn't as despised as Hades was.

But Persephone didn't seem to mind his aversion of answering the question. Instead, she teased him. "I guess it's something you'll have to kill me if you tell me, hm?" Her soft giggles warmed his heart much more than the ambrosia chasing the honey cake.

"Maybe one day, I can show you what I do... but I'll have to get back soon. Work never dies and all that..." Hades bit the inside of his cheek. So many death puns! If this girl wasn't so innocent, she would have been running for the hills or at least banishing him from her hidden grove. And strange enough, he found that he liked it here. It was nice and dark... plenty of poisons and soft moss... pomegranate was one of the fruits of the dead on top of the other various meanings behind the multi-seeded fruit. He particularly liked that the fruit's juices were almost red and bound any creature who ate a single seed to his realm if they were consumed down there. It was like signing away your life to him in blood.

She pouted softly but nodded. She was used to not having company, she said so herself. He had fated himself to the reality that this would be the last time they would see each other. After all, a spring goddess had no business with the stern wise-cracking god of the Underworld. Reality was harsh...

But hey... wasn't he going to take over the skies and become the head honcho? Sure, he had a feeling that the Fates were playing him. However, he had been trying to get a 'participation' prize... and Seph wasn't a runner-up prize but the grand prize. He needed a queen, whether he was beneath the earth's crust or flying high on Olympus. Nyx and Hecate had been hounding him for a few centuries about the need for a woman's touch in his realm.

An easy grin crept over his narrow face and he gently took her hand, enjoying the feel of her soft skin against his. "I would like to see you again... you ever grace Olympus with your beautiful presence?"

Her cheeks flushed and she nodded. "I've been there a few times... Mother prefers me to stay out of sight but every so often, Zeus demands I mingle with the gods and goddesses..." Her green eyes gazed into his yellowed orbs, inquiring when he would visit Olympus silently. He had implied that he was quite busy.

"Zeus and Hera have their bonding anniversary soon. I believe it's in 15 days. If I find time to greet the happy couple...?"

Persephone's hand squeezed his, a smile replacing the earlier pout. "I'll be there. Mother will have to let me go or it would be disrespectful to our king and queen."

He hid his grimace, too happy with the chance to talk to her again and take in her sweet presence. He didn't know what it was but she was worth it. The souls could wait a few hours. Brushing his lips against the back of her hand, he stood up and bid her goodnight. He felt her eyes on his back as he carefully made his way into the shadows beyond the willow's branches.

Hades was so focused on breaking open the ground to begin his descent to his realm, needing time to process what had happened in such a short time, that he failed to sense a truly annoying being flying above his head. A golden glint flew through the slight breeze and pierced the god in the back just as the earth knitted itself back up. He stood in the darkness, confused by the sudden sharpness that struck him.

But his mind's eye refocused on Persephone and the feelings that she inflicted upon his wretched being were easily tripled. He failed to notice but his godly glow brightened significantly with every step away from the young goddess. He had a date and had plans to make in between his hostile takeover plans. After all, 18 years was a long time to plan to rule the universe. He might as well court a lovely nature goddess and win him a future queen in the process.