Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Sixty

The light engulfing the talismans of Sailor Uranus and Neptune's finally reached out to the light of Pluto's Garnet Orb. The senshi of the sky and the deep ocean stopped in front of the gates of time and space, guarded by the senshi of time and revolution. "Pluto..." Neptune muttered with relief as she walked closer to the dark soldier; Pluto looked at both of her comrades with a face of shock and lowered her defensive stance before walking towards them, "Uranus! Neptune! How long have you been here?!"

"Enough to make us question whether we may or not made the right choice." Uranus greeted her fellow comrade. Pluto shook her head, "How did you manage to find a path to the fourth dimension?"

"Our talismans..." Neptune held her mirror up, "Their energy linked to yours and guided us here."

"Pluto, we're in a state of emergency..." Sailor Uranus sighed with distress, "The princess—"

"She has been taken hostage—I know," Pluto nodded sadly, Neptune and Uranus widened their eyes with shock, "You know about what is happening on Earth?"

"The prince... he informed me," Pluto tightened her grip on her rod, "Asteria broke the seal on several gates to allow her army of shadows filtrate to Earth—it had taken me much more time and energy than expected to close every loophole in the time-space corridor." Neptune gave Pluto a worried glance, "Prince Endymion... he was here then, he managed to find you..."

"Yes," Pluto nodded and let out a heavy sigh, "He did, yes..."

"Where is he now?" Uranus' voice held desperation, anxiety, and intrigue. Her opinions and beliefs had taken a drastic 180-degree change and now she was very much worried for the prince's whereabouts; after their encounter on Earth, she had to come to terms with who he really was and who he had become—a leader and a guardian but also, a strong ally to them. Sailor Pluto closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath, "Prince Endymion headed toward the Underworld. He came here to ask me to open the gates for him."

"Lord Hades' realm?" Neptune's eyes widened in horror, "The princess has been taken there?!"

"I cannot tell Princess Serenity's exact location—Asteria is a gatekeeper in the Underworld, but, she could be anywhere... and that is what the prince went to figure out." Pluto looked at Neptune with sad eyes. Uranus frowned and took a step forward, "Pluto, we need your help—we need you to open the gates for us too, we need to—" Pluto shook her head, interrupting the sky senshi "I cannot do that, Uranus."

"What?!" Uranus widened her eyes, "But you did it for him! Why is it different for us!? We need to go after him! We need to go and retrieve our princess from that horrible place! This is an emergency!"

"I know that Uranus, believe me, I am informed of the gravity of the situation but I cannot allow you to cross over—if I do, you will not be able to return. I cannot fault the laws of the gods again by breaking another taboo." Pluto looked into Uranus' glare, so full of desperation and confusion "The reason I did it for the prince is different—I had no other choice but to comply to his request."

"Why?" Uranus frowned, "Why was he allowed to cross and not us? What is it that you know and we do not... what else do we not know Pluto?!" she put her hands on the dark senshi's shoulders and shook her in frustration, "What is it that you are not telling us!?"

Pluto closed her eyes and took a deep breath with resignation. If she had to talk about the truth about them, now it was the time, "Two thousand years ago, my Father, Chronos, gave me a task. He said: When the time comes, you must use your power to aid your kind,"

"Your kind?" Neptune frowned with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"A task? What are you talking about? You knew this was going to happen?" Uranus shook her head in disbelief. Pluto opened her eyes and looked at Neptune first, "I knew we were destined to face darkness, I knew we had to use our powers and rise once again to fight something strong, something that would put all of our will to the test but I didn't know this is what was going to happen." She then turned to Uranus, "Uranus, the reason why I had to open those gates for the prince is because he is the warrior Father asked me to aid in the future—Prince Endymion is not a demigod like you all have believed all this time, he is called a hybrid or monster, because just like me, he is a descendant of Titans."

Both Uranus' and Neptune's eyes widened twice in size in shock, "What?!"

"Prince Endymion's family is one of titans—that is what made Queen Gaia so strong in the past and what made her situation more complicated when she was exiled from the heavens—she was a Titan, the Senshi of Earth and as Helios' granddaughter, she earned the title of Polemarchos of Earth with the blessings of the Sun; the treasure of their dynasty. The title of a goddess is something the High Gods imposed on those who remained to keep their nature concealed and allow them to coexist with the gods. Helios' dynasty is one of the few that remained intact in Olympus, just like my Father's, Chronos—the Titan of Time and Space." Pluto tightened her grip on her titanium rod, "When God Ares explained this the day the prince awoke, he mentioned he was part of a family of strong warriors—this is the truth behind his words and this is why he was constantly targeted by enemies; they knew what he had in his power and they wanted to take it at all costs but also, that is why his existence is such a taboo." She shook her head, "Demigods are everywhere and some of them are easy to ignore and pardon... but there is no one like him because there are no other titans that shared a life with a mortal before. He is his own kind."

"You knew about this all this time and you never said anything, why?" Uranus frowned, "Why to keep such an important piece of information from us?"

"Because it is something I learned until recently... when things started happening and Megumi appeared. That is when I started to put the pieces together; Father talked to me before he disappeared, two thousand years ago. He entrusted me with the task of becoming the new guardian of the gates of time and space, and also, he entrusted me the to be of help to my kind when the time came. I know the dangers of the Underworld. I know his life is at risk and that he may or may not return but it is something I had to do—it is something he asked me to do... for his wife and the life he promised to her."

Pluto's words were the last thing Uranus needed to fully value the power and the devotion the terran prince had for the moon princess. He had everything in stake and everything to lose and still dove himself into a world where his soul has been wanted for more than a lifetime; in the end, they truly were different—Uranus thought. While she still thought about power and who had more authority and control, all he had in his mind was to save his wife's life and bring her back at any cost, even his own life.

"Saturn is probably talking to Hades as we speak, she wanted to warn him about Asteria's misdeeds and ask for his support and take care of her," Pluto turned to look back at the tight-shut gates and sighed softly. Neptune noticed the worried hint in her voice and realized her wise friend and comrade was mortified and felt guilty for what she had done. She knew that if something happened to the prince it would permanently damage the princess' spirit and she would be responsible for letting cross to the realm of the dead in the first place. "How long has he been gone?"

Pluto shook her head softly and turned to Neptune, "Time is relative once you cross the fourth dimension, and in a land like the Underworld it does not exist. It is something, not even me, as the Senshi of Time and Space can tell—but even here, it feels like it has been long since he crossed these gates."

"What can we do... now that we clearly cannot cross to that realm?" Uranus frowned with exasperation; Pluto peered at her comrade "This is not the end, I can sense a great distortion in the Time and Space continuum—we must be prepared, you, as outer senshi can help me prevent Asteria's minions from crossing while the inner senshi keep guard with the shitennou back on Earth." She turned to the gates and stomp her long rod on the marble floor making a loud echo, "The prince asked me for an important favor before he left, now that you are here... I can rely on you to help me with such task since now, more than ever, I cannot move from my post."

O—o—o—o—O

Hades looked at Endymion with hidden admiration. Unlike of what he had thought of him to be or look like, he was impressed by his handsome features and regal poise proving that he had inherited the classic and magnetic beauty of those in Helios' dynasty. There was no doubt about it, despite his unnatural upbringing, he was part of it as well.

"I am impressed—you look nothing of what I had in mind." Hades arched a dark brow, "Although, all that gore on your face makes you look quite grotesque."

Endymion looked at the man in a black cloak in silence; he felt an undeniable strong energy coming from him, something different from what he felt coming from Cerberus and even Asteria. The prince tilted his head low but his cold glare didn't break contact with Hades' or changed in color, it remained the same—like the ocean in the middle of the storm.

"Such a furious glare—so full of hate," Hades muttered, his voice came out loud enough for Endymion to hear. "So, you showed your face," The prince frowned and wiped the blood splattered on his face. "Lord of the Underworld,"

Hades looked down at one of Cerberus' severed heads at his feet and tilted his head down, "Cerberus had been with me since the very beginning, and now, I do not know how long will it take him to respawn." He looked at Endymion and narrowed his dark grey eyes, "You have been causing quite the commotion in this realm—you even bribed my ferryman to take you this far. I had the suspicion that you could do it, but I still had to come and see it for myself—the soul I get to lock in the deepest part of the Underworld."

"Where is she?" Endymion's glare changed from cobalt to indigo, "Where is Serenity, Hades?!"

"I do not know what you are talking about,"

"Either you tell me or I go through you too to get to her—your pawn has done enough,"

Hades' eyes darkened, "Pawn? Ah... that," the lord of the underworld clenched his jaw, "That is a different issue I will attend at a later time. I have no connection to that rebel creature, she has become quite the nuisance." Hades' dark cloak began to peel off like ash flakes revealing the intricate glory of his black armor underneath, "I have waited for this moment for more than a lifetime. Since I knew of your existence, I did the impossible to drag you to the depths of Inferno but there was always somebody blocking my way. You and your dreadful clan have defied our laws for far too long and your extinction is all I care about. Your soul will serve to pay for Gaia's treason and your blasphemous nature."

"First, do not attach my existence to him—second, don't you ever dare to mention my mother's name." Endymion narrowed his indigo eyes, "And third, my soul is not yours to have, now, where is my wife?"

Hades started walking toward the terran prince and extended his arm to summon his power and in a flash of dark thorn vines, his old and trusted weapon—the scythe of death appeared on his hand with its long and sharp blade gleaming with the specks of fire and ash floating in the atmosphere. "It is interesting how you feel like you can do whatever you like in realms where you do certainly are not welcome. I am amazed by your confidence, really, but you are nothing but a hybrid creature—a sin of nature."

"You have meddled into our lives for too long that I don't need to show any respect for you. You say I am a hybrid, a low less creature—a sin, and yet, you cannot seem to leave us alone." Endymion glared at him with the same defiance and drew out his golden sword in one smooth swing, letting the blade made its distinctive echo as it glided through the air, "You have done whatever you please with us, you condemned my mother as the lowest of beings when she was no longer useful to all of you and treated her like a criminal. I have passed the point where I don't give a single damn about you or your realms, about what lies above or below me—I couldn't care less of what the Lord of the Underworld thinks of me, I came here to get Serenity," the prince's frown deepened with rabid rage, "And I won't leave this place until I take her back with me!"

"Interesting choice of words, hybrid." Hades frowned and raised his scythe above his head and swung it down, destroying the ruins behind the prince with the centrifugal force caused by the blade cutting through the air. Endymion turned quickly avoiding the attack and clashed his sword against Hades' massive weapon, "No matter how much you try to convince yourself—the Moon Princess is not with me."

Endymion growled and clashed his sword against the scythe's sharp blade again and put force against Hades' to prevent the scythe come closer to his face. Hades was a man with elegant moves, clearly, he knew how to handle such a grand weapon but he held a different air from Ares' aggressive nature. Despite being the God of Death, he had a much more calculated and cautious grace with every attack he threw at him—Endymion noticed. He had to admit that it had been long since he battled someone who would give him such a hard time tackling and pinning down; not even the sins at the entrance of the underworld or Cerberus with its brutal proportions; not even Asteria and her vicious approach. It was clear that Hades had knowledge and skills in battle, and while maybe they didn't stand in the same level and caliber as Ares's, he was strong in his own right and his weapon was majestic and unforgiving.

Endymion knew at this point that he had to be sharper and faster in order to gain an advantage in this battle. But he was aware he had reached a point where he was met with several limitations; his energy was not on the same level as when he got there; he had fought more enemies in an unmeasurable amount of time and there was still a long way to go to his destination; he was tired—he barely has had any moment to take a breath before he would go against a new opponent, but what wearing him out, even more, was how he felt the strength in his connection with Serenity had started to weaken making him anxious and lose focus in his movements. The soft pulses in his chest were alerting him that she was either becoming weaker or unconscious somewhere deep in hell and it was eating him inside. Panic began creeping in Endymion's chest as he looked at Hades swinging down his weapon at him once again and made a cut on his arm while he turned to avoid the full blow and ran around him to get an opening to attack him from behind but Hades managed to block that as well.

"Just with whom do you think you are dealing, terran?" Hades growled with disgust, "Just because my brother allowed you to be part of his life-project by collecting you as another Polemarchos for his army, does not mean I have to owe you any respect." He swung his scythe again, crashing with Endymion's sleek sword in a deafening echo. Endymion gritted his teeth as he tried to keep the blade away from his face "I don't want anything from you. How many times do I have to tell you that whatever you think is worthless to me—after everything you have done, I don't owe you any respect either," Endymion pushed his blade against Hades' and kicked it back, giving him enough time and space to jump high and throw the dark lord an aerial counter-attack surprising Hades, but again, the lord of the dead managed to block him with the long and curved blade from his weapon and pushed him away with force, throwing Endymion close to one of Cerberus' heads. The prince turned and pulled was left of the head of fire and threw it back at Hades with superb force, knocking him down for a minute and distract him enough time to give him another opening to inflict more damage.

Hades growled when he saw the large head of his beloved beast coming toward him and used his scythe to cut it in half; he widened his eyes when he saw the prince up in the air, ready to perform another aerial attack. Endymion landed in front of Hades and high kicked him three times turning on his axis with force, the first blow with his right leg, the second with his left, and the third with his right leg again and ended the brutal combo with a heavy punch him on his jaw before swinging his golden sword just millimeters away from the god's face as he quickly jerked back to prevent the fatal blow as he covered himself from the other fast movements. He was attacking him with all the remains of energy he got, if he was going to get a window to attack the lord of the dead he was going to make sure to inflict as much damage as possible to put him on advantage or at least in a level similar to his.

Hades immediately reacted to Endymion's brutality and imitated his attack by kicking him away but the damage was already done, and he was silently impressed. "What a poor attempt your mother made to make a good warrior out of you,"

Endymion looked at Hades over his shoulder as he took long and hoarse breaths; fighting him was taking more energy than he thought and he was resenting it greatly, "And still, I make you taste your own blood."

"Is that all you have in you, terran?" Hades spit more of his blood pooling in his mouth with disgust and walked toward the prince. With a flick of his hand, he summoned his dark power to come through from underneath Endymion's feet, taking him off guard while wrapping him in nets of shadows soon morphing into thick vines of poison. He looked with pleasure at his creation as the sharp needle-like spikes pierced through the prince's armor, making him flinch with pain. Hades lowered his scythe with one thundering thud and narrowed his grey eyes with authority, "I was never one of those that had a brutal approach with my opponents—I have always found Ares' barbaric ways of fighting very disgusting. Unlike him who beheads and guts his victims, I like mine to howl in pain and suffer the consequences of rising against me."

Endymion growled as he felt the thorns starting to dig in his flesh and an unbearable burning sensation like if he was being injected with corrosive venom. Hades looked at the prince with satisfaction, "It is beautiful... the agony before death, that moment fear echoes in the gleam of a victim's eyes."

Endymion started to feel light headed, the agony Hades mentioned was different from anything he had felt before in this or his previous life. He felt as if his life was being drained from his body, like if the vines tightly around him was were suctioning every ounce of his strength and power. He was beginning to feel angry and frustrated with himself because he felt the alert and panic in Serenity as she was struggling to keep safe and sane. The uncertainty of not knowing where she was kept hostage was pushing him to the edge of insanity but the strain put on his body was claiming the best of him.

It didn't matter how much he squirmed and hurt himself with the thorns to free from Hades' trap; the vines were too tight to give him enough room to even move. The lord of the underworld extended his arm and let go of his weapon as it slowly vanished from his grasp, "What is the matter, mortal? Is this all the fight you can give me? How pitiful—being in Purgatorio sure did not teach you anything of worth. I knew I should not have trusted my brother in this." Hades closed his fist, making the vines tighten even more around the prince's body. Endymion flinched, but his pride was too strong to show any weakness or pain to the lord of the underworld despite his struggles for catching his breath and the stinging pain all over his body. The words ringed in his mind with panic and squinted his sapphire eyes as he looked down at Hades, "What did you just say?"

"Oh, titan hybrid—I know your every move. Did you really believe I would not notice your nature when you reincarnated?" Hades arched his brow, "I always yearned on having your soul in my power—you see, despite their brusque and savage nature, titans are still very valuable and I hold the pride of having most of their corpses and souls locked in this realm, either as servants or criminals." He frowned, "But now that I have you right before my eyes, I do not see that worth in you—while you might be very skilled in battle, in the end, you are just a heightened mortal, but nothing more than a terran." His eyes darkened, "Where is that descent you so much think you own?!"

Endymion started to feel nauseous and weak, no matter how much he fought the feeling and his demons of self-doubt, Hades' words were piercing into his soul, scratching the very essence of his existence. He was mocking his nature, his family, his life, and everything he believed in; he was questioning his duty as royal and his strength as protector of Earth but most importantly, he was defying and mocking his deep devotion for the Moon Princess.

"Serenity..." Endymion muttered to himself as he felt another weak tug in his chest, "Serenitati..." His eyes could no longer take the heavy weight of his body due to Hades' power. He felt tired, he felt weak, and without realizing it, he was conceding his fate to the dark lord. The worried look on Pluto's face when she opened the gates for him suddenly came to his mind as he slowly closed his eyes, "Ser—"

Hades arched his brow as he watched the vines almost covered the terran prince's body to a point that it was hard to see his handsome face anymore. "Pitiful..." he muttered with a cynic tone in his voice, "Is this why you came all the way here?"

"No,"

"No?"

"I am here..." Endymion frowned, feeling completely hazed. Hades crossed his arms in wonder, playing along with the princess confusion to confirm he was almost under his entire control, "Then what do you want from this place, mortal, why are you here?"

"I came here... to..." He felt another tug in his chest. Endymion shook his head, "I am here to..."

Hades narrowed his eyes, "You came here to die—you are dead,"

"No, I am..." Endymion frowned, "...Here... to..."

"I want to see you..."

"Here... to..." Endymion took a deep breath, "To..."

"I need to see you..."

"I..." The prince heard a soft voice as a faint memory hazily appeared in his mind, "I..."

"Endymion..."

-O-

Endymion slowly opened his blue eyes and traced the line of Serenity's nose with his finger in a soft, feathery touch as he admired her beauty and innocence in silence. It had been the first time they gave themselves to the sweet and passionate act of love in the privacy of his bedchambers at the terran palace while basking in the intimacy of their forbidden romance.

"I love you…" He muttered in a husky tone, making her blush. Serenity responded him with a beautiful smile as she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and took a deep breath, taking as much of the woody undernotes of cedar and sandalwood of his cologne impregnated in his skin into her lungs with desire and pleasure; she was addicted to it, she was addicted to him as much as he was addicted to her. After their passionate night together, it was more than clear. What they had to do in order to be together.

"I wish I did not have to go... I want to stay here with you, forever..." Serenity whispered as she looked into his alluring blue eyes. Endymion tucked a piece of her pearlescent hair behind her ear, "I will fight whoever I need to fight in order to be together… I cannot stay away from you any longer." He saw Serenity's eyes gleam with tears catching his attention, "Love?" Serenity let out a soft sob, worrying the prince in the process, "Love, why are you crying?"

"Are you really going to fight for me?" Serenity cupped his face with her hands, "Would you fight for me?"

Endymion wiped her tears with the back of his hand, "Serenity, I will do whatever it takes to make it happen… if I have to fight all the gods in the universe in order to be with you—even the God of Death himself if it is necessary, whatever I need to do to be with you, I will do it."

Serenity could not hold her emotions any longer and inched closer to kiss him fully on the lips, "I will fight for you as well," she opened her crystal blue eyes and rested her forehead on his, "I swear it with my life—I will fight for us with everything I have."

-O-

Endymion opened his eyes and slowly changed from its deep indigo color to an ultramarine shade; "I won't let fate repeat itself—I won't let you win, not this time." He took a deep breath and called for his inner power, "O, custos magni solis per me- fac ut flammam arcessam. Voco te, Titaniaque astra forti in Terra, Gaia, ut benedicat mihi anima tua in mundum," his body started to feel warmer and revitalized as he continued chanting the ancient prayer; he frowned as he tried to move his hand and curled his fingers around a spiked vine and pulled it with force, "Hercle voca—lumen terebramus acuto in tenebris et incenderent in minimo usque malitiae tua!" His hand began to gleam with golden sparks and in a matter of seconds, a rabid and blazing fire ignited from his fisted hand, devouring the vines and freeing him from its dark energy.

Hades' eyes widened when he heard the cracking sound of flames and then when his intricate work was devoured by the sacred flames in a matter of seconds. "No! I cannot allow you to escape! Your soul is mine!" he raised his hand to summon more vines to come from beneath Endymion's feet but the princes' energy was too strong to allow them to curl around his body anymore. Endymion turned to rip the remains of dark vines curled around his chest and arms and turned to Hades with a determinant glare of death, one the lord of darkness recognized very well. Endymion groaned in serious anger and took control of his weapon again and manipulated the strong energy in ribbons of golden fire and dig the sharp weapon deep on the ground making it growl and rumble with unforgiving force. Hades clenched his jaw with anger and deception, but his pride was bigger than his sense of failure and he was not going to admit defeat before the prince.

"It's appalling to see how much you don't know about your own realm—God of Death," Endymion narrowed his ocean blue eyes, "You have the nerve to claim my soul as yours and you do not even know what is happening below your own feet." His blue eyes slowly gave in to his anger and lost any remains of color as they changed into the deepest and darkest shade making them look as black as a starless night. "I will burn this damn place to ashes even if it is the last thing I do... I will find that pawn of yours and I don't care if you find it disgusting or alluring, I will take her head as a goddamn trophy and spread gore all over; you have played with my patience for far too long and I had enough,"

"Do not underestimate me, hybrid." Hades narrowed his eyes with hidden knowledge and pride, "I am aware of everything that happens in the Underworld—Serenity's daughter, she is not with me as you so desperately want to believe. I know where she is but I have my reasons not to go there."

At the mention of his wife's name, Endymion pulled his sword from the ground but never left Hades' cold eyes. The dark lord arched his brow, "As my brother so eagerly insisted—I had to prove your worth and performance in this realm and see if you were fit for the task."

"What task?" The prince muttered with a threat in his voice; Hades looked at the golden flames still going strong behind the prince and how despite his imposing force and determination, he still hadn't made a move. He still had the ability to contain himself, proving he was in control of his power, "While I still believe your existence is a curse—I also have my share of interests,"

"Where are you getting at, Hades?"

"Your soul is the only one I would come to collect personally, Prince of Earth, you see, you have Helios' blood running through your veins and I cannot let that roam freely, hence why I am standing here before you."

Endymion snapped his fingers to put an end to the flames still feasting on the dark energy of Hades' attack behind him and frowned, "You want to make a deal with me—like the reaper you are."

"Sharp as expected,"

"What do you want?"

"Asteria brought you here by my command, yes, but she has taken too many liberties with the position she was given—which disgusts me," Hades narrowed his eyes, "Nobody can do as they please and not pay a high price for it, in this realm, I am the one who gives the last word, the Underworld is something I built to what it is now and it is mine alone."

"You want Asterias' head in exchange for Serenity's freedom,"

"You catch on quick, hybrid. I want her soul—the binding contract of our deal that still links her soul to her body, not her head—don't be grotesque like Ares." Hades arched his brow, "I will grant you full permission to roam this realm so you can have your little revenge and be the princess' hero but after you are done, your soul is mine."

"If you made this place what it is and you are the ruler of it all, then why don't you dissolve such contract?" Endymion squinted his eyes with defiance, "Don't tell me you are afraid of her, please."

"I have a pride and you are desperate. I don't waste my time with these things, I do not fight demons, I do not have a thirst for blood." Hades sighed and crossed his arms, "If you excel with this task and meet the deal, I will grant you a minute of my time to consider on either giving you a place with Rhadamanthus and the other judges of the Underworld or as keeper of Thanatos—the gates of Tartarus. I am the God of the Underworld, not a barbarian—I negotiate and plan my strategies to fulfill a purpose, I don't soak my hands in the stench of a demon's gore."

Endymion looked at Hades in silence, his fate was sealed—there was nothing to think about. His whole goal of coming this far was to save Serenity from Athamas and Asteria's grasp; the minute he went to the fourth dimension to meet Pluto he was already aware of the commitment that had to be done to bring the princess back safe and sound.

-O-

"There is something else I must ask of you, Pluto—" Endymion turned to look at her over his shoulder, "A last favor, if you will..."

Pluto looked at him with a serious face and took a deep breath, already suspecting what he was going to say, "You do not have to ask me for such thing, Prince, there will be no ne—"

"Pluto," Endymion interrupted her, "I know what I am getting myself into—I know what is going to happen once I cross these gates but I am not afraid of what will happen to me; I have come to terms with it—it's part of the oath I took when I became a polemarchos. It does not matter what comes to be of my life but I have to make my purpose worth and Serenity is the only one who can follow that will. If something happens to me, I put my trust and Earth's fate in her hands—I know she will become a great Sovereign of Terra and its inhabitants. I know she will carry on with our legacy with fairness and compassion and lead Earth to greatness with you, by her side."

Pluto felt her heart shatter into millions of pieces inside her chest; her garnet colored eyes burned with tears with the prince's confession, "How can you think she will continue a life without you by her side, huh!? She has claimed her life in grief in the past, what makes you think she won't do the same this time!? What you are asking me is unacceptable! I won't serve another King that it is not you! Do you hear me?!"

"Pluto..." Endymion sighed heavily; Pluto shook her head, exposing the deepest feelings she had locked in her heart, "What about the future you promised to her!? What about the family you wanted to have together!?"

Endymion gave the senshi of time and space a sad smile, "Pluto... the future is always changing—you said so yourself in the past. Serenity will not take her life this time because she is not the same as she was two thousand years ago—she is stronger, she is a sailor senshi now. We don't know what is going to happen—but if this is what brings a peaceful new era to existence, even if I cannot be there to witness it, so be it. I believe in Serenity and I believe in you—all of you. The shitennou are aware of this as well and they will follow my command without fail."

Pluto closed her eyes and let her tears roll down her cheeks that exposed her heartbreak, "I can't... I can't commit such act of treason to my Princess... to you..."

"You better than anyone understands the power of sacrifice."

Pluto opened her garnet eyes and looked at him, "Prince..."

"Sadly, this is how things come for us," Endymion looked at the strong winds behind the open gates and then back at the senshi of time, "But I do not care. I love her with all my heart and soul, Pluto. I made Serenity a promise to do everything in my power to make Earth a safe place where she could live in peace and freedom."

"But at what cost?"

"Her life, and the life of both Earth and Moon."

The words while sad and harrowing were real—too real. Pluto tried to contain her sobs under control but she felt guilty about what was happening and to be the responsible for the sentence he was putting on his life. She turned to look at the open path that would lead him to a future where he could not be by Princess Serenity's side and the more she thought about it, the more broken she felt. Is this what her father wanted her to do in the end? Destroy the course of fate? Is this what he meant when he said she needed to aid their kind? Was this the foundation of Crystal Tokyo? Was this it?

As one of the last of their kind, she had to support his wishes and comply to his request. Like her, he had different duties than those of a sailor senshi—they had sacred legacies to protect, no matter the cost. She too had succumbed to that duty the minute she followed Chronos' wishes and took her stance as the guardian of the gates of time and space—her freedom was taken away and in order to protect their legacy she lived a life of eternal solitude; how sad is the fate of those with titan blood—she thought miserably.

Pluto turned to look at Endymion and bowed her head with respect, "My loyalty will be forever with you, Your Royal Highness Prince Endymion of Earth. I swear to look out for Princess Serenity and guide her way to the throne of the Moon and the Earth as rightful Sovereign of both realms." She looked up at him, "But please... for the deep love you have for her, for the weight of that promise that has defined your love and that has accompanied you for thousands of years, please be safe, please return with her."

"One last thing," Endymion looked at her with gratitude, "No matter what, and under any circumstance, I ask you not to allow anyone to cross these gates. Do not let anyone try to follow my trail, this is a battle I must fight alone. Serenity is my wife and your future queen, but above all, she is your friend." He gave her a soft smile and turned to leave. He stood at the gates and looked over his shoulder one last time, "Take care Pluto, thank you for everything."

Pluto couldn't hold her tears at this point as she silently watched him throw himself into the void of the space-time corridor.

-O-

Endymion clenched his jaw in thought as he thought about the situation; Hades arched an expectant brow, "So, what is it going to be, hybrid? Do we have a deal or not?"

The prince put his sword back in its sheath and took a deep breath. In all his life, he had fought wars and made many deals he has made in order to concede peace between kingdoms but to make a divine pact with none other than the god of death was something he never thought he would be doing. He looked at him with serious determination, "Serenity will leave this place,"

"Of course," Hades gave the prince one nod, "The Moon Princess's departure will be arranged as soon as you meet the conditions of our deal—I have that covered." He elegantly extended his hand and materialized a binding contract in front of Endymion that showed him the terms and conditions of the deal; the same Hades had already explained as the prince gave a cautious read and looked at the lord of the underworld, "Why are you doing this? Why going all the way to make a contract when you have been saying I am forcefully bound to spend an eternity locked in Inferno?"

"Like I said, I am a negotiator. Ares has insisted on the value of your lineage for so many years that I had to see it for myself, and just like he did, I measured your value and strength for a valuable purpose. He already conceded you a place in his celestial army to fight either way, so, I came to the conclusion that it would be such a waste to keep you locked in a dark hole if you were to stay here. If your soul will be chained to this realm, you might as well put that knowledge you have as a warrior to use and keep the gates of Tartarus closed—you know, to keep the family safe."

Endymion frowned, he knew perfectly what Hades was doing with such a deal. Proving his words, the god of death was not a barbarian contrary to what everybody thought of him in his or any other realm. The man negotiated until he would get what he wants, and right now, what he wants is to keep him locked in hell and settle the pending account he had with Gaia. He was his family's alibi and with him imprisoned, his honor and rank would become stronger and much more respected, even more than Zeus'. In the end, it is like he always thought gods would be like—ambitious and hungry for power, blind to ambition.

The prince looked at the contract in front of him and felt a tight knot in the pit of his stomach, he was disgusted, he was angry because he was allowed himself to be defeated in the most corrupted way. He had been focusing too much of his side as polemarchos that he never thought of Hades being the strategist kind; the god of death knew how to play this game well and he was using the person he loved the most as his wild card.

He knew what he was getting into, he was aware of the challenge and the consequences of his actions but just the thought of being pulled away from Serenity was crushing him inside; how could he look her in the eye and bid her farewell when they had promised themselves a life together and have a family on their own for more than two thousand years? There was no way to explain this, there was no time.

"Life can be funny like that, hybrid. Sometimes, the least expected are the ones who pay full price for other's mistakes—in this case, you have to pay for Gaia's treason and your mortal father's insolence—not to mention Chaos' barbaric crimes. Your existence, in the end, served a purpose. I am just keeping a balance in the universe, do not take it personal."

Endymion looked at the contract in front of him with his jaw clenched and traced his signature on the piece of parchment with his index finger, sealing the deal. Hades snickered with pride and snapped his fingers to materialize the contract in front of him and looked at the prince's precise and strong strokes of his signature, "I am very impressed to see you are more than just a beautiful creature of muscle and violence, Endymion De Terra. You are far more intelligent than I expected. I could even dare to say you are as resourceful as Helios himself."

The prince felt a burning sensation and looked down at the ancient symbols marking his wrists sealing the deal he just made with the devil, "It is done, then," he heard Hades say with some pride. The god of the underworld turned on his heel and began walking back to the dark palace that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, "Welcome to the Underworld, Hybrid. Come along, the path for you to follow will be cleared and the one you so desperately seek for revenge will appear soon enough,"

Endymion followed the god of death inside the palace in silence; as they walked down the long and unsettling silent halls toward he imagined would lead them to Hades' throne room he looked around at the sleek and elegant décor, silently admitting that this was not what he had in mind when he thought about Inferno and the dark lord's home.

Several guards in dark armor stood on each side of two large obsidian doors; the minute they saw Hades walking closer, they immediately opened the path for him to cross revealing a majestic gothic room with a throne sitting at the highest point of a long onyx staircase.

At the foot of the said pair of stairs waited Saturn with her silence glaive shining proudly with the flickering light of the hundreds of candles lit on the many chandeliers hanging from the tall and domed ceilings. She turned to look over her shoulder the minute she heard the doors open with a loud echo and widened her violet eyes with shock when she saw the terran prince walking behind her father. Hades stopped next to his daughter and looked at her in silence for a minute before arching his brow with authority, "It is done, child—you wanted to see him, here he is."

Saturn quickly turned and walked toward the prince half relieved and half mortified, "Prince Endymion..."

"Saturn," Endymion looked at her and gave an almost untraceable smile, "I am glad to see you are alright—"

"Princess Serenity—"

"The Moon Princess' departure is settled, Saturn." Hades interrupted his daughter, "The hybrid and I came to an agreement,"

"What?" Saturn frowned and looked at Endymion with worry clouding her always stoic eyes, "An agreement? What is he talking about?"

Endymion shook his head, "Saturn, there are things I need to do—the only thing that matters now is that I will make sure Serenity returns to Earth safe and sound."

"But at what price?! Prince Endymion..." Saturn looked at the prince with horror, "What did you do!?" She shook her head desperately, "No... no, no... what have you done?!"

"It's alright Saturn," Endymion's voice was distant and monotone despite being polite "I know what I am doing—trust me on this." Saturn widened her eyes and turned to look at her father, shaking her head with disapproval, "What have you done? I thought you—"

Hades sat on his throne and looked down at his daughter, "—Upon your request as sailor senshi I listened to what you had to say, child, but as Lord of this realm there are things I must do in order to maintain order in the universe." He looked down at the prince and narrowed his grey eyes, "It is time,"

Endymion arched his brow and walked into the darkness behind Hades' throne and stood behind a pillar taking Saturn with him. The senshi of silence looked at the prince and shook her head with confusion but before she could ask any further questions, Endymion covered her mouth softly with one hand and pulled her closer to him to keep her and her intimidating glaive hidden from view. He turned his head to the side and heard the crisp sound of Asteria's spiked heels accompanying her like a seductive echo until she finally stood before the god of the underworld and bowed her head and rested one knee on the ground with respect, "Report to me the status of the mission." Endymion heard Hades' monotone command.

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

"I want a location,"

"Milord, my sources tell me the hybrid is at the Mourning Fields—once he enters Limbo, I personally will go and retrieve him take its soul straight to Tartarus; it shall not take long," Asteria bowed her head lower.

Sailor Saturn's eyes widened with shock when she saw Endymion's hands and came to understand what was happening. The prince and her father had come to an agreement so the prince could locate the princess much faster and without having to look too much into the realm she knew to be an endless maze and the marks on his wrists was the high cost he had to pay for such impressive favor.

She had to admit that it was the first time Hades would concede such liberties and control over somebody gaining a whole new sense of respect and admiration for the terran prince because he, just like her father, was a man who planned his strategies in advance and with complete hermeticism. Saturn sensed there was more to his protective gesture, she could tell there were hidden emotions and words in the caring and brotherly way he was holding her, it was a warm embrace, like if he was trying to comfort her and bidding her farewell at the same time. It was then when it hit her—what he had done.

Saturn felt a lump forming in her throat and as she tried to hold her character in check and be silent, all she could do was to respond to the prince's caring gesture and wrapped her arms around him as she listened to her father talking to the dark titaness.

"I knew I could count on you Asteria, always so assertive and merciless—that is how things should always work in this realm." Hades tapped the tips of his fingers together and narrowed his eyes, "But tell me, just how did you manage to lure the mortal 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. 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. Leave it attached to its body until the task is done. 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."

"Is there anything else for you to inform me? Anything else I need to be aware of?"

Endymion narrowed his eyes highly expectant of the titan's response, "No, Milord—that is all I have to inform you. Everything is taken care of as you ordered."

Endymion felt his chest burn with anger but the information Hades was getting from Asteria was exactly what he needed to measure the level danger of the situation so despite his murderous intentions toward her he had to remain still and quiet.

"Asteria," Hades' voice echoed in the room; "The minute you find the hybrid I want you to inform me, restrain yourself from doing something else. There are words I still need to hear from its mouth."

"Yes, Milord. I will give notification right away. My post will remain at Thanatos,"

Hades looked at her dark figure disappearing in front of him and narrowed his dark grey eyes when he felt the prince's strong presence standing close behind him in the shadows and turned to look over his shoulder at him, "You know what to do."

Endymion walked out his hiding place with Saturn walking next to him and looked at Hades with a deathly glare; Hades stretched his hand and opened a portal in the middle of the throne room that would lead the prince straight to Asteria's nest in Thanatos, "Go get your little bloody revenge."

The gleam of a sword was the answer to the lord of the dead's request as he vanished the same way it appeared leaving the god of death with a satisfied and triumphant look in his face. Saturn widened her eyes and looked at the prince walk through the portal without saying another word or turning back. She turned to her father with worry in her beautiful face, "What have you done, Father?"

"Saturn," Hades walked down the long staircase and stood in front of his daughter, he cupped her cheek with his right hand very gently, "If loyalty is what you have for the Moon Princess and you believe in her idealism, I cannot stop you and I cannot judge you either, above all and no matter what I say, you are my daughter. I listened to what you had to say and you proved your words and it will be taken care of, but there is nothing else I can do. We are different, my child—unlike Ares, I am too old to change my ways and I put a high value on every deal I make for the benefit of this realm. The hybrid and I came to an agreement for the life of the late Moon Queen's daughter—you want to be of aid to him and to her? This is your opportunity, take it or leave it, and be on your way."

Saturn turned to the portal still open and shook her head, "I always believed that I was destined to be a living shadow, always conceding your demands. I never questioned your methods and never judged your actions—I have served your wishes each and every time my soul has been ripped apart from using my given powers and I never argued your reasons. To you, I have always been a reaper of souls... and it is alright, I have made my peace with that," she looked over her shoulder at Hades with a determinant glare, "I love you dear Father—but I cannot agree to your terms and ideals this time, I cannot stand biased and not do anything to help preserve what the Prince and Princess have fought to achieve with so much effort... I believe in such ideals and if I have to go against you to protect them and carry on with them, so be it."

Hades looked at his daughter vanish inside the portal he opened for the prince and went back to his throne in silence. With one flick of his hand, he closed the link from his palace to the depths of Inferno and sighed softly; for the first time his face showing genuine emotion for his daughter. "Oh, my dear Saturn, my dear sweet child... how much you have grown. I hope such idealism does not break your heart in the future."

The Divinity Series are rated M. Violence, cursing and intimacy may occur.

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