Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Asteria walked down a long dark corridor in silence, the crisp sound of her sharp heels accompanied her like a seductive echo until the tall doors were opened for her to walk inside the majestic room without flailing her strong presence before the god of the underworld as she slowly bowed her head and rested one knee on the ground, in front of the man in black, sitting in his throne looking at her with cold and calculating eyes.

"Report to me the status of the mission."

"Almost complete, Milord." Asteria remained with her head bowed down for Hades, "The hybrid is in this realm, it will not be long until he is captured and locked in Tartarus."

"I want a location,"

"My sources tell me the hybrid is by the Mourning Fields—once he enters Limbo I personally will go and retrieve him to take his soul straight to Tartarus; it shall not take long," Asteria bowed her head lower to show her respects. Hades looked at her without a hint of emotion or doubt, "I am impressed by your keen abilities to perform with excellency this entrusted task."

"It is the job of a Polemarchos, Milord, to perform and surpass any expectations—my loyalty is with you, so are my services. I did what was asked to please Milord," Asteria finally looked up at Hades and arched her dark brow, "Mortals are easy to lure. They are weak, and as expected, it was no exception with the hybrid."

Hades pursed his lips with disgust, "Yes, well... what can you expect from a breed that lacks divinity," he shrugged his shoulder with disinterest, "They have no example to follow, they have no leader, they are common weaklings... that is what they are. But in the end, I find that very useful; I get to take their souls once their bodies give in. The more, the merrier." Hades' comment made Asteria crack a soft chuckle, "That is the truth, Milord."

"The army of shadows—what is its status?"

"Complete, Milord. Ready to take charge,"

Hades brought his hands together and arched his brow, showing his satisfaction "I knew I could count on you Asteria, always so assertive and merciless—that is how things should always work in this realm." He tapped the tips of his fingers with each other and narrowed his eyes with wonder, "But tell me, just how did you manage to lure the hybrid into this realm?"

"Eris Milord, and also, the Andromedian. There is clearly an old tension between the hybrid and the fallen soldier from Andromeda which is why I wanted to keep his soul intact. I knew he would be a great excuse to ignite the monster's deepest fury." Asteria narrowed her black eyes, "Eris helped him from getting lost in Limbo ever since my *Moirai cut his string of fate two thousand years ago—his soul is bound to this realm ever since he was exiled from Andromeda, Milord."

"Very well," Hades sighed and waved his hand, "Leave it attached to its body until the task is done." His grey eyes intensified as he looked at the titaness in black in front of him, "Allowing the living to come and go as they please from my realm is not something I am completely fond of. Finish the task as soon as possible and retrieve the souls of those condemned to their respective resting fields. This game has gone long enough—end it now."

"Consider it done, Milord."

Hades narrowed his eyes and stood up from his throne; with a slow but intimidating presence he walked down to meet Asteria face to face, "Is there anything else for you to inform me? Anything else I need to be aware of?" Asteria stood up straight and looked into Hades' eyes, the titaness shook her head, "No, Milord—that is all I have to inform you. Everything is taken care of as you ordered."

Hades looked into her eyes in silence for a minute and arched his brow, "When the war broke, I knew that not all of you rebels were contaminated. You are my strongest soldier now Asteria—our deal is unbreakable; I knew that you were the one to call instead of Saturn." Asteria widened her eyes with surprise, "Milord?"

"Saturn has grown weak. She is not an emissary of death anymore. I feel disgusted by how her once dark spirit has been corrupted by Serenity's innocence. She is useless to me now."

Hades' sudden confession brought a satisfying feeling to Asteria since she has worked under Sailor Saturn's powerful shadow and myth despite her titan nature for centuries. Since the great war between Titans and Gods happened thousands of years ago, Asteria made a deal with Hades to bind her soul to the underworld and become a faithful servant to avoid her condemned fate in Inferno. The paleness and scars in her body were clear evidence of the strain her race went through such a bloody war, becoming a shadow of what she once was. Accepted and now tied to the strings of death, Asteria became another soul in the underworld and pledged to serve Hades as a vessel for all the things he was not willing or longer interested in doing. She became the one in charge to end unfinished business, which in the end, only favored her deep desire to gain more power from the fates she has taken and manipulated over the course of time.

As she looked at him, she came to realize that indeed, it had been long since she saw him do something. She remembered when she saw him on the battlefield next to his younger brother, Ares, reaping the souls of titans and rebels with his majestic scythe. The way he moved in battle was one of a dark beast feasting on fresh flesh before disposing of them once he had what he wanted. It didn't take long for Hades to build all that he had, unlike Ares, who had a much more aggressive nature, Hades was an elegant man, one that barely ever raised his voice and that ever barely showed emotion toward anything, not even at war, but even a man like him had weaknesses; Asteria was sure of it.

OーoーO

Asteria gasped for air, she was exhausted, she was weak and defeated. Her black eyes barely ever focusing due to the great loss of blood. At this point, it was only a matter of time for one of her Moirai would come and pull the string still tying her soul to her body. She slowly turned to her side and widened her eyes when she saw the bodies of her allies in battle scattered lifeless on the ground, some beheaded, others soaked in their own pools of gore.

The dark titaness looked up and saw a man in golden armor walking towards her and giving orders to what appeared to be the legendary soldiers of the celestial army to carry the bodies of those that fell before her; blood was still trickling from his longsword as he now pointed it directly at her throat. Ares' eyes were cold; his face while granted with beauty, it held no sympathy, no mercy or trace of emotionーnot even disgust. Asteria knew then and there that the war that had been prolonged for years had now gone to its imminent end, with them, the gods, standing on the side of victory.

OーoーO

In a way, Asteria had been part of that war, the one between the ancient titans against the Olympian gods. She was part of a fraction of young titan warriors who took up arms from the shadows to take control of what they considered rightfully theirs as rebels. They aimed for power, and with that ambition clear in their minds, they created a rebellion to dethrone the king of gods, Zeus, and take control of other immortal realms but their battle did not last much, Ares, the God of War, was soon commissioned to end it with the help of the celestial army of polemarchos. Asteria was captured and imprisoned soon after and it was then when she heard about the Orphic powers of the underworld and the realm that harbored the darkest souls in the universe.

It was no secret, the fate of those with titan blood. She knew they were condemned, some tortured and some killed, and as a rebel, she was against the idea of going down the same path; gods were not forgiving entities and titans did not forget—that was the fuel of their eternal dispute and it only ignited their anger and thirst for blood even more. That is when she saw her possibilities and made the deal with Hades himself in exchange for her abilities and power, she would become his loyal servant: an accountant of souls. She would do the work the gallant god wasn't willing or not interested in doing any more for as long as she needed in order to gain his trust.

As a result for her much valuable and impressive results, Asteria was granted her to be part of the dark realm as the titan goddess of fates, later on earning her position as a gatekeeper in Thanatos due to her exceptional skills but deep down, her own wrath and desire to achieve what the others couldn't slowly ate her inside. The more time it passed, the more Asteria learned about the power kept in the depths of Hades' realm the more she wanted to achieve it—to have control, to have that level of power.

"Asteria,"

The dark goddess looked up at Hades's piercing gaze, "The minute you find the hybrid I want you to inform me, restrain yourself from doing something else," a slight frown graced his features, "There are words I still need to hear from its mouth."

Asteria bowed her head in respect, "Yes, Milord. I will give notification right away. My post will remain at Thanatos," she looked up at him and with one final bow, she took her leave. Hades looked at her dark figure disappearing in front of him and narrowed his dark grey eyes when he felt another strong presence standing close behind him in the shadows and turned to look over his shoulder, "You know what to do."

The gleam of a sword was the answer to the lord of the dead's request as it vanished the same way it appeared, leaving him behind with a face of satisfaction and triumph.

O—o—o—o—O

A steady and constant dripping sound slowly pulled consciousness back into Serenity's mind as she slowly opened her eyes and let reality sink in. She managed to pull herself up and growled softly with pain; her pale blue eyes suddenly widened when she remembered what had happened, why she was there and feeling so much pain all over. "Athamas..." she growled angrily between harsh breaths and leaned her back against the cold wall.

"Serenity,"

Serenity widened her eyes and turned to see the andromedian general standing at a considerable distance with his arms crossed, looking down at her "What are you doing here?"

"Watching you sleep, I always wanted to watch you sleep," Athamas murmured softly but loud enough for her to listen. Serenity frowned, "I wasn't sleeping,"

"To me, it looked like you were," Athamas walked under the light of the bone candelabra hanging from the tall dome-like ceiling, "Like an angel..."

Serenity's frown deepened, "You threw me against the ground—you left me in—" she widened her eyes when she realized she was no longer in that dark hole with chained corpses, "W-Where am I?" Athamas sighed tiredly, "I have chased your memory for more than two thousand years. I learned you were alive not too long ago and now that I have you within my reach, did you really expect me to leave you with those demons? You should be thanking me—"

"I have nothing to thank you for," Serenity muttered dryly, Athamas narrowed his deep green eyes, "I saved you from hell demons,"

"You and I have a different concept of what saving someone's life is," Serenity tried to stand up but her body was still too weak to overcome the soreness in her muscles; her chest felt heavy and her throat felt like it was harboring blazing fire. "It doesn't matter how much you try to move, the weight of this realm is too strong to keep you on your feet—your light does not shine in this place; your lifeline is too fragile Serenity, you make a wrong move and it will shatter like a piece of glass."

"What do you want from me?!" Serenity couldn't hold her frustration any longer, "Why can't you leave us alone?"

"Us? " Athamas arched his brow, "No, no, no, my dear, do not confuse things, I only want you. That is why you are here."

"In hell, how charming of you... what a gentleman." Serenity narrowed her crystal blue eyes and turned to look away. Athamas sighed, "Oh, Serenity... you had everything. You had it all in the palm of your hand but you always had this curious nature that always kept me on an edge. At what moment did you become so rebellious? You did whatever you please; you went against me, you went against the law, you even dared to challenge your own kind and betray your realm and kingdom for a monster and all for what?"

"Freedom." The courageous tone of the moon princess' voice made Athamas widen his eyes with a new found feeling of admiration for her. It had been a question that with the passing of time it only fermented his frustration and hatred towards the memory of the terran prince and everything he represented and everything he took; like a violent wave, his existence washed away any possibility for him to become king and obtain everything he so much ambitioned since he joined the andromedian army. The fire in her eyes and the security she portrayed despite being in such penumbra only made him desire her more, "Freedom? You had freedom,"

Serenity narrowed her eyes in pain, "You're right, I had everything... I lived in a beautiful palace, I lived surrounded by luxury and wealth; my gowns were made with the finest silks and satins, my hair was always adorned with the most exquisite selection of pearls and crystals from all places in the universe. I had it all, yes, except the right to choose how I really wanted to live my life and the liberty to speak up for what I believed was right. I was always silenced, bound to be just another princess locked in a marble palace and left at the mercy of whoever got to take my hand in marriage—I was bound to be a trophy." She leaned forward, supporting her weight on the palms of her hands as she looked up at Athamas furiously, "That is what I have always been to you Athamas... a trophy. A prize to be won."

"And what makes you think the monster does not think the same of you?" Athamas stepped closer and crouched in front of her, "Eh, Serenity? What made him so special? " His eyes were finally at the same level as hers and looked at her with deep curiosity, "Was it because he was forbidden to you? Was it because he was something you knew you could not have? Was it a caprice of yours to own a creature like him?"

"This isn't about possession, Athamas," Serenity shook her head, "Neither he or myself are objects to be possessed."

"Why him, Serenity?"

Serenity frowned and shook her head with deception, "You are infatuated with power—you always have."

"Answer the question, Serenity! Why him!?" Athamas pounded the ground with his fist; Serenity narrowed her eyes, "Because he gave me what you never could." She looked at him with pride in her eyes, "He never laughed at my desire to become stronger. Unlike you, he understood my frustration of being treated like a porcelain doll... he treated me with respect, he listened to me and was open to sharing his knowledge with me, unlike you, he was kind. He gave me the freedom and the confidence to speak up for myself and go against your retrograde thoughts. I chose to be with the so-called monster because he encouraged me to believe in myself, I chose Endymion because he saw beyond a title, above all, he loved me for who I was and not what I represented."

There it was again, love, that dreadful word. Athamas shook his head in disgust as Asterias' words began pulsing in his head in a poisonous rhythm igniting his jealous nature. The mere thought of her delicate body entangled with the one of the mortal prince between the sheets while he was at the moon palace thinking he had everything under control was eating him alive; just imagining them together, his hands caressing every inch of her body, claiming her as his as she willingly responded to him was too much for him to bear. The princess didn't need to confirm that her innocence had been taken like Asteria mentioned before, Athamas didn't want to accept it since he truly believed she was bound to be his and he wasn't sure either as to why he needed to hear it from her. "Did you give yourself to him, Serenity?"

Serenity in response widened her eyes in disgust, "How dare you ask me such a thing?"

"I deserve to know,"

"You deserve nothing. Not after everything you have done,"

Athamas moved closer and grabbed the princess' face with force, "Do not play that card with me Serenity—answer the damn question!" Serenity struggled to free her face from his strong grasp, "Let me go!" she growled. Athamas narrowed his eyes, "Answer the damn question Serenity! Did you or did you not give yourself to the terran monster!?"

"Yes!" Serenity glared at him angrily despite the tears glistening in her eyes, "Is that what you so desperately wanted to hear from me?! Yes! I did, many ti—" her words were interrupted by a strong slap across her face, throwing her back to the ground. Athamas widened his eyes in horror and shook his head in total disbelief, "Disgusting,"

Serenity brought her hand up to her swollen cheek and felt moist on her lip, she looked at her trembling fingers stained with her blood, "What is, Athamas? The fact that I fell in love with another man or the fact that you are a masochist?" She glared at him over her shoulder with anger, "I don't care whatever you think of me and I am certain Endymion doesn't give a single damn about what you think of him either. What is that you want? Do you need to know so desperately if I slept with him while I was still engaged to you? —No, I didn't. Did I end our engagement so I could go and sleep with him? —No, I didn't. Was he the reason why I ended things between us? No. It was you and your threats, your mockery, your abuse of power and your lies—your violent ways, your venom and hatred towards other people dreams and success!"

Athamas looked at her but couldn't reply to her strong declarations, he was too stunned by her defiant attitude, "You will pay for this, Serenity."

"You can lock me back in that putrid cell for as long as you want but the facts will remain the same." Serenity narrowed her eyes, "Endymion is my husband, he is the man I chose to share my life in the good and the bad and I couldn't care less if you approve or not. You are a nothing but a traitor to your realm, to your people, and to your own self—you can't even find the courage to fight for yourself; all you have achieved is because somebody else did it for you. You live out of false glories and now is no exception. You may have Asteria on your side but it's appalling to see how you haven't realized that not even she holds any respect for you. While you think she is doing the work for you, it is in fact, the other way around—you are working as her pawn. You will never earn the title of polemarchos, Athamas, no matter what you do, no matter how many innocent lives you take—you don't have what it takes to become one. I can see now why you hate Endymion so much, I now understand why you are so obsessed with power... it is because even when his nature is far different from yours, even the gods acknowledge he earned the title fairly while you, a soldier from a celestial realm, can't even achieve a single thing of worth... you are just a—"

"Silence!" Athamas walked towards her and grabbed her by her neck again, pulling her up from the ground and pinning her against the wall, "You have no idea of what you are saying—you still live in your own little cloud while playing warrior—open your eyes Serenity and see the reality you are in! You are in hell—away from your little guardians and away from that man you so eagerly insist on calling your husband. The mortal is not coming for you—there is no way he can cross to this realm, you are now mine and mine alone and to prove my point, I will take over that immaculate body of yours like I should have done back then when I had the chance!" Athamas pulled Serenity's hair to tilt her head up to give him access to lick her cleavage and brushed his nose while sniffing his way up to her neck, savoring every inch of her milky skin, "I cannot stand his scent all over you, I cannot stand knowing that he had you first."

Serenity felt his body reacting to their closeness and began to panic; he had her pinned against the wall with one hand holding her wrists up and the other was brusquely trying to go under the many layers of her royal gown. This was the first time the lunar princess felt helpless and on the verge of having a mental breakdown; her eyes burned with tears as she felt his hoarse breath on the curve of her neck, right where Endymion liked to cuddle with her in their moments of intimacy. Her own breathing began to pick up the pace and became short and hoarse as she felt him ripping the fabric off her gown; the sound of pearls and crystals falling to the ground and the pieces of silk being torn apart echoed in the vacant room making her realize with horror what was happening. He was going to take her—by force.

Serenity closed her eyes and tried to suppress her sobs, no matter how much she tried to fight him, he had her anchored against her will between his hot body and the cold stone wall.

"Endymion..." she thought painfully as she felt his hand desperately trying to reach for her thighs, "I have tried to be strong... but I don't know just how long I can hold on... I am reaching my limits... help me... please..." A heavy sob escaped her lungs and bit her lip with pain and horror, "I want to see you Endymion... I want to look into your eyes and hear you say that everything will be alright... that I can do this... that I can fight whatever comes my way... that I am strong to fight whoever stands in my way..." Serenity heard another piece of fabric ripping and let her tears roll down her cheeks with panic and dread, "I want to see you Endymion..."

-O-

"There will be times when the contact is close enough for the enemy to reach you—even then, you must be sharp and quick to free yourself and ready to counter-attack. The enemy thinks they have you under its control—by now, you are aware of your surroundings it is then when you make your move and attack with your legs."

-O-

Serenity gasped for air, trying to break free from Athamas' strong grip. The weight of his body crashing against her was making it harder for her to breathe but Endymion's words echoed loud and clear in her mind as she remembered the day when he prepared her for something like this, she could listen to him like if he was right there, standing next to her giving her the support she needed.

-O-

"Keep your sight in the red areas—beware of your opponent's ability to hurt you somewhere else. If pinned either against a wall or on the ground, abdominal breathing can lower your heart rate and help you collect yourself so that you can think: What part of my body is free..."

"What targets are presenting... "

"...Where is the nearest exit?"

The image of his handsome face just inches away from hers and the warmth of his breath caressing her ear slowly brought back the reason she needed to keep herself focused.

"Now, breathe Serenity, and tell me, what is your closest solution?"

-O-

Serenity slowly opened her eyes and exhaled slowly and steadily, showing determination and a renewed sense of bravery. She felt Athamas' hand finally going up her thigh but before he could make another move, the lunar princess noticed she still could win over her predator and lifted her knee high enough to hit him in the crotch, with anger and disgust she repeated the attack several times until she finally freed from his grasp and knocked him on the back of his neck with her bent elbow once he was down and dealing with the pain of her first counter-attack.

"You bitch..." Athamas growled and slowly turned to look at her but the princess moved faster and angrier and kicked him down again using the pointy heel of her shoe as an added weapon. She turned to run away but he still managed to grab on to the skirt of her gown, she turned with a disgusted glare and saw his sword still on the sheath of his belt. Serenity took a deep breath and turned quickly, grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out. In one clean move, she cut the fabric of her gown enough to free herself from his grasp then threw another high kick on his jaw to give herself time enough to run away. She was about to drop the weapon but she knew that even when he was clearly feeling the pain of her attacks, he still had an advantage over her by just being in such horrid and poisonous place. Without thinking it twice she turned and stabbed the long sword on Athamas arm to keep him down, making him howl with pain and looked down at him, "You are the monster Athamas and the one who will pay is you..." Serenity felt her whole body shaking without control but she knew she had to keep her ground if she wanted to find a way to escape. She turned and sprinted out of the dimly lighted room, leaving Athamas behind. "The nearest exit..." she mumbled as she continued running and looking for a way out, a window, a door, a crack on a wall—anything that could give her an alibi to escape from the Andromedian.

Athamas growled and turned to look at his sword pinned on his forearm, the hilt was too high and out of his reach at the moment so his only option was to grab the weapon by the sharp blade and pull it up, allowing his blood to pool from his deep wound. Once freed, it wasn't long after Athamas recovered slightly from the attack and went after her like a frantic beast, "Serenity!" he brusquely wiped the blood of his broken lip with the back of his hand and spit the remains pooled in his mouth with disdain, "There is nowhere to run Serenity—no matter how much you try, you cannot escape this place—whoever dares to walk these halls without a guide, is condemned to rot and die."

Serenity kept running without direction until her legs felt like they were going to fall apart; she finally found what appeared to be a long door and went through it but before she could call herself victorious, she found herself in the middle of an endless valley crowded with cadavers and corpse shadows ready to feast on her flesh and soul. She looked over her shoulder before taking a deep breath and continue ahead before Athamas could find her and capture her again, she was not going to give him that, she was not going to succumb to him—that was a promise she had made to herself more than two thousand years ago.

Serenity looked with horror at the creatures sprawling all over the ground, some begging and others crying for mercy. It didn't take long until the putrid smell of death and decay began overwhelming her senses as she carefully made her way further away from the hole she was kept hostage, hoping to soon find an exit. She wanted to break, she felt like if her sanity was being put to the test—in all her years of being a sailor senshi, she had never been in such hellish place before, not even when she fought Galaxia at the Cauldron and it took all of her willpower to remain strong and centered in her quest. Trembling and scared, she brought a hand to her lower abdomen and took a deep breath, "I have to get out of here... I have to go back... I have to go back... to Endymion, to my friends... my family... home... "

"Serenity!" Athamas yelled when he realized the princess had left him behind and growled with accumulated rage, "Damn you vixen!" he narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers to summon a shadow pawn, "Bring her back to me, whatever it takes," he growled and saw the shadow crawl to follow his command. "The more you rebel against me... the more I desire to make you mine." His eyes slightly turned darker, "One way or another Serenity... you will be mine."

O—o—o—o—O

As they continued their path down the rabid fire waters of the river of Phlegethon, Charon narrowed his gleaming eyes when he felt a shift in the energy surrounding them, "The destination is close, boy, but there will have to be certain changes done."

Endymion frowned and rubbed his chest before he turned to look over his shoulder at the old man at the other end of the boat, "What kind of changes?"

"The path to Tartarus has a seal—I am suspecting the rebel had something to do with it—we are far beyond the Underworld at this point but there is still a long way to go... I am afraid this is where we part ways, boy," Charon continued paddling and pointed his long bony finger towards the dark gates in the distance, "Those stone gates you see in the distance are the entrance to Inferno—and in its depths, Thanatos and Tartarus await."

Endymion walked towards the edge of the longboat and looked down at the waters that slowly started to turn as dark and thick as tar. "How close can you get me to land?"

Charon widened his eyes with surprise and admiration for the soldier in front of him; it had been long since he met someone who would not flinch in fright to him or the terrors of the dark realm. This was one of the few times he even dared to go so deep into the hellish realm and he had to admit that he has enjoyed the adventure, "I suppose we will find out just now but before you can say you can swim, this river is not like the others... if you fall from this boat, you will sink and disintegrate almost immediately, this is not water but demon blood—it is pure acid." With a smirk, he paddled away from the current and led the boat to the gates and floated just a few meters away from the thin and unsteady shore "My work here is done, boy, whatever you do from beyond this point is up to you."

Endymion looked at the man and nodded, "You have my gratitude, old man—"

"You paid a fair price for the service you asked, boy, the adventure attached was just something extra you added to the plan. It has been quite a while since I set this boat to farther lands..." Charon pulled his cloak down to cover his face again, "But I must warn you—what is beyond those gates is nothing compared to what you saw when you entered the valley of rivers." He turned and put his paddle between the boat and the shore to give Endymion something to help him step out without touching the dark thick waters, "I do not know if I will see your face again, boy, but it was very interesting to find out creatures like you still exist in dull places like these."

Endymion stepped into the paddle and leaped to the dark shore and looked at the man, "Creatures like me aren't supposed to exist, old man, I am just a casualty of the universe."

"If you ever find yourself in need of my services—" Charon bowed his head and pulled his paddle back into the water. Endymion tilted his head low and looked down at the pocket watch secured from its golden chain close to his chest and then at the man on the boat, "Speaking of which, old man, I may require your services sooner than expected..."

-O-

As Endymion walked towards the dark gates in silence, Charon he pushed his boat farther and farther away from the shore with a stern look in his sunken face, "Your plan is an ambitious one," he muttered as he led his boat to the maniac river's current and smirked with excitement, "But I want to see it succeed—may the fates work on your behalf, boy... good luck."

O—o—O

Endymion looked up at the stone gates and crossed to the next realm, immediately sensing the change in energy just as Charon had warned him. It was darker than the other realms he got to see on his way down the many rivers of the underworld. There was no magic, there was no mysticism but pure darkness and malice. The soil was moist, Endymion didn't have to guess what he was stepping on—the putrid smell said it all; it was all too familiar for his liking.

The terran prince kept walking into the depths to a point he no longer knew just how far he was from the gates, the fog around him made him difficult to see his way ahead and his way back, one false move and he could be taken to a different passage, maybe another demonic realm—Limbo, Hell—he didn't want to risk his chances. Time was relative in this place, just like it was in Purgatorio—it could have passed days, weeks, or even years since he started his journey to find Serenity. Endymion mentally thanked his luck in finding Charon before any other creature in the underworld because he was certain that if it wasn't for him and his hidden passages through the many rivers, it might have taken him longer to be where he was now.

Another strong tug in his chest alerted Endymion of his surroundings; it was becoming slightly painful, like if something was stabbing his heart. He frowned and took a deep breath, trying to keep his worry and anxiety at bay. He knew the feeling, he knew it very well; it was the string of fate that tied him to his wife, the pull was the same as when she called him for help aid every time Sailor Moon was in danger, very different from the one when she transformed. She was desperately pleading for help, that he knew, but the fact of not knowing where she was exactly it was what was keeping him on the edge of madness. The intensity was clear to confirm he was getting close and now more than ever he had to stay focused, "Hold on Serenity, I'm getting close... I'm almost there."

Endymion looked up and realized that he had come to a valley of ruins; it was decadent and alluring to see at the same time. It looked like if a kingdom once stood there thousands of years ago and had crumbled to its demise with the passing of time and the decoy lingering in the air. Many charred constructions of dark stone were seen in the distance turning the place into a maze. Endymion closed his eyes and took a moment to continue when he heard a low rumble not far from where he was standing and turned quickly as he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as a quick reflex to prepare himself for any unexpected attacks. He waited a moment to continue but soon enough his path was blocked by a wall of extraordinary proportions. Before he could think and plan for a quick solution, a thundering growl caught the prince's attention again and turned to look up at the large creature coming from behind one of the tall burnt constructions. His deep blue eyes widened when he saw a massive three-headed beast in the body of a hound and a long snake tail.

All three heads immediately spotted the terran prince and roared in an almost deafening tone, so loud it made the ground rumble underneath Endymion's feet. The beasts' gleaming eyes narrowed when noticed something particularly different about the man standing before them. "Ah... so the tales are true... the bastard... the creature born from sin, labeled as a hy—"

Endymion rolled his eyes with annoyance, "Here we go again with the same hybrid speech. Categorizing my nature is the only thing you do."

"How dare you cross to this realm, you low-less creature?" Cerberus low and beastly tone growled loudly, making the ruins shake with its profound and demonic voice. Endymion soon learned this was the home of the famous beast of the underworld, "Cerberus..." he muttered dryly, "The Lord of the Underworld's mythical hound—so, you exist."

"You putrid creature, how dare you to question my existence?"

"The same way you question mine, I suppose we are two peas in a pond—monster."

Cerberus growled, "Your existence is a sin—your presence here a heresy!"

"I could care less what you think—I would not be here if you had muzzled well that gatekeeper of yours." Endymion frowned, "We would not be meeting if she hadn't meddled in places where she is not welcome. She did things she should not have done, now, let me pass if you do not want to get caught in the middle of the mess she created."

"You speak with such security when in reality you are nothing but a speck of dirt, a mortal." Cerberus glared at Endymion with eyes full of death; Endymion took out his sword and narrowed his eyes, "You are wasting my time, beast, and I have places to be—people to meet, so let me pass."

Cerberus roared loudly and without any other preamble stormed after the terran prince with its three rabid snouts ready to bite the life out of his body. Endymion ran towards it without hesitation and blocked Cerberus's attack with its tail and jumped out of the way when the beast turned its three heads to catch him on the ground.

The devil hound roared again and summoned for its infernal energy, charging its three heads with different kind of attacks. One head spits rabid flames like a dragon, the one in the middle and biggest head of the three, discharged lighting volts and the one to the right, shards of ice. As Endymion dodged the giant's first attack, he thought how there was no question as to why this was Hades' most precious servant, it had the savage nature of a beast with the loyalty of a hound.

Endymion managed to dodge another blast of fire from the first head but couldn't move fast enough to evade the ice that pierced his leg, pinning him to the ground. Cerberus roared another charge of lighting at him, making him feel the rage of his demonic power as he fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

The beast later slashed its long tail at him and throwing him several meters away, making him crash it into one of the thousands of ruins, leaving him almost unconscious in just a blink of an eye. It was too strong, something he had never experienced before in an opponent and somehow, it spiked his adrenaline to great heights. He looked up at the beast coming its way towards him and pulled himself back up as quickly as he could.

"Did you really expect to fight against me? We are not the same... not even equal, your power can never be compared to mine!"

Endymion groaned and turned to spit some blood then frowned at the beast in front of him with narrowed sapphire eyes. "It's clear why you are Hades' pride—you do the work not even a thousand soldiers can do. I'm impressed, beast, but you're right... we are not the same," he wiped the trail of blood trickling from his broken lip as he took out his sword and glanced up at him with a murderous glare, "You may be a beast that devours the souls of those who dare to cross but I have seen worse, I know it exists something worse that surpasses your existence so if you pretended to intimidate me... you met the wrong person."

"The certainty in your words is disgusting—"

The prince charged towards the beast and clashed his sword against its tail he used as a whipping weapon while roaring and swinging its three heads to catch him. Endymion swung his sword and made a cut right across Cerberus' chest, but the immensity of the mythological creature was giving him little room to cause more damage than he wished and that he knew he could do. In order to win, he had to continue dodging the beast's attacks to give him enough time to study its movements so he could plan a strategy of counter-attacking the gigantic creature.

Cerberus hit him again with his long tail and crashed him against another crumbling ruin; Endymion took this as an opportunity to hide between walls to give him some time to recover while he silently studied his moves.

"Is that all you can do mortal!? Run away and hide!?" The beast roared and engulfed their surroundings with fire, limiting Endymion's space to move around and narrowed his deep blue eyes when he finally caught the hell hound's pattern of attack. After the blazing fire, came the ice and following right after came a blast of lightning; three majestic attacks, one after the other-separated by mere seconds. That was his window. A second, maybe just a fraction but if it was well employed, it could change the whole course of the battle. Endymion turned to his side and saw the fire was claiming more territory coming closer to him and ran stealthily towards the beast who was still looking for him at the other end of the ruins at the first opportunity. Using his cape to camouflage in between the charred ruins, he used a broken pillar to impulse himself and jumped away from the shards of ice thrown by Cerberus and used his sword to cut through the air and send them away to his advantage and appease the fire raging below and around him so he could land on safe ground. The beast turned its fire head and spotted the prince coming closer and followed with another bolt of lightning, then continued the attack with its tail again giving the prince a small window to slid from under it and use his sword to inflict a deeper wound across the lower part of its chest as he continued to drag himself under him. This time, Cerberus roared with pain and stomped its gigantic paws on the ground.

Endymion rolled his way out from underneath and looked up at the furious hound. He knew exactly he was not going to achieve much if he continued using his sword as just that—a sword; he needed more than that, he needed to use his power, but just like the beast in front of him moving majestically despite its size and grotesque appearance, if he channeled his energy to blast an attack strong enough to beat him it was going to limit his attacks further on and even then, there was no guarantee that a single blow would take him down completely. Endymion needed to be smart about how he was going to take Cerberus down because he needed to be as complete as possible to bring Serenity back. Then the truth echoed in his mind: Cerberus was just a gatekeeper, the real demons were still inside, waiting for him.

To succeed, he needed to dismantle the beast piece by piece, one head at a time and to do that, he needed as much space as possible because, considering the size of his opponent, things were going to get very messy. Cerberus turned each head and blasted another charge of energy one, after the other. Endymion rolled on the ground again, barely dodging the blasts and ran towards the beast, knowing exactly what was going to follow next, "Alright puppy dog, let's do some tricks..." Endymion muttered to encourage himself to pursue his ambitious plan to defeat the devil hound. The giant beast growled again and waved its long tail with massive force against the ground to repeat its attack and whip the prince away. Endymion turned quick enough to avoid the blast and dig his sword on the flesh of Cerberus' tail, taking advantage of the force and height, with a clenched jaw and determination in his prismatic blue eyes he waited for the beast to perform as expected so he could do the first brutal attack. Cerberus roared and whipped its tail to throw the prince higher up in the air, "Good boy," Endymion narrowed his eyes and stretched his arm out to the beast and commanded the first stage of his power to come through, "Smoking Bomber!"

Cerberus immediately turned its three heads at the sound of his voice but before it could spit the blazing flames at him, the piercing light bursting from Endymion's hand cut through it and with one swift slash with his sword claimed the head of fire first, making it fall to the ground with one thunderous thud. The beast howled in pain as blood began pouring from the massive wound; Endymion landed on Cerberus' back and ran towards his next target—the one of ice.

The beast howled showing excruciating pain but his duty to perform as asked came first. Both of its remaining heads turned to spot him running closer and used its tail to whip him away but little did it know that the prince had figured his routine, becoming predictable. Endymion took advantage of his rough coat and slid to repeat the action, pinning his sword on its tail again and waited to be thrown in the air; he grabbed on with force as he felt the rage of the beast shaking its tail with much more brutality. "You, insignificant fool! I will eat you alive!" Cerberus roared and blasted shards of ice at the prince used the impulse of Cerberus' tail to jump high again and threw the smaller blade attached on his belt to break the large shard of ice on his way, "An attack showed to me twice won't have the same effect on me, hound," Endymion stretched his arm again and commanded for his power to come through, "But to you—it's the end of another one of your heads." His palm began to shine again with the same piercing light and was followed by another sharp and precise cut with his sword, claiming its second head and making it fall on the ground.

Cerberus howled louder and shook Endymion off his back; as soon as the prince landed on the ground he crawled as quickly as he could towards one of the ruins to take cover. His blood splattered face looked up at the beast writhing in pain as he focused his attention on his next and most challenging target—the head of lighting. Endymion shook the blood off his sword with a strong side swing and prepared to dash to perform his final attack.

With the speed of a predator and the quickness of a well-trained assassin, Endymion ran towards Cerberus and dug his weapon on a tall wall and used his force to impulse himself up and summoned for the second stage of his power; instead of gathering the energy in the palm of his hand he channeled on to his weapon making it shine like a true ray of sun. Once he stood on the beast's back and took a position with his right knee bent and his left leg fully extended while his sword rested waist height as he calculated the precision of the assault. This was his only chance to perform before Cerberus would regain enough force to attack again. The beast turned its remaining head and looked at the prince standing still on his back and roared with rabid anger to charge his body with most of his power, "I will eat your heart while it is still pounding in your chest, mortal!" His demonic voice was accompanied by a strong charge of lighting that caught Endymion off guard, making him kneel with pain, trying to suppress the numbness in his muscles, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try his best not to succumb to the excruciating pain.

"Endymion...

"...I want to see you..."

His blue eyes snapped open wide when he heard the princess' weak voice in his mind, calling desperately for him, "Serenity..."

Cerberus roared again but widened its eyes when he saw the prince stand up despite being blasted with one of its strongest attacks and looked at him with a deadly glare, "I will rip your head off!" The beast growled as it spits another charge of electricity at him. Endymion charged his sword again and slid on his back to avoid the whip of Cerberus' tail and threw three sharp energy charges at the beast with enough force to make it stumble and fall, this was then when the prince changed position and pulled himself up and dig his sword into one of the hounds wounds and dragged the blade all the way to the other end; Cerberus' suffered the intense pain and desperately tried to kick the prince away but his force was beginning to yield and so was the remains of it life. "No... it cannot be!"

Endymion looked at him with death in his eyes, "Many things cannot be and yet, here-we-are." With one final glance full of rage and disgust, Endymion turned on his axis and high kicked the head off Cerberus' body, making it fall to the ground.

The remains of Cerberus' body fell into pieces, leaving only the three heads intact in their own pools of gore. The prince, exhausted and still dealing with the painful aftermath of the hound's attacks turned and spotted his smaller blade on the ground and kneeled to take it back when he spotted another figure coming toward him. Endymion looked up and frowned when a face was revealed behind the curtain of smoke and dust. In all his glory and impeccable black uniform and long black cape, Hades appeared with a glance of pure intrigue.

"And so, the hybrid has come to my reign," the lord of the underworld narrowed his grey eyes, "Finally."

The Divinity Series is rated M. Violence, cursing, and intimacy may appear.

I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.

A/N: In Greek mythology, the Moirai are known as the Fates. They controlled the mother thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They were independent, at the helm of necessity and watched that the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws might take its course without obstruction.

Clotho, the fate that spun the thread of life from her Distaff onto her Spindle. Lachesis, the fate that measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her measuring rod and Atropos, the fate that cut the thread of life.