Hades woke up the next morning and traveled straight up to Mt. Olympus on a mission. He made a promise to Maleficent that he would find out why she was being plagued with such vivid nightmares and he believed Phantasos would have the answers to his questions. However, when he made it to the golden gates of Olympus, the gates themselves automatically flew open for him as if he was being expected. It was odd, but he didn't think much of it, so he walked in. But he noticed a few Gods and Goddesses were hurrying towards the Pantheon at the center of the grand kingdom in the sky.
"What's going on?" He asked himself before deciding to follow their lead.
The moment he made it up there, however, Hades was surprised to see the entire place being decorated and set up for some kind of big party. Every deity in sight was practically buzzing about like bees in a hive either making decorations, preparing food and beverages, or even practicing music and singing. He wondered what they could possibly be doing, but he shook these thoughts out of his head and pressed onward.
"No, no, nope. Focus, Hades. You're here to find Phantasos." He said as he walked.
"Hi, Hades." A voice said.
Hades turned to see Hebe, his eldest niece and the Goddess of Youth, walking by and waving at him while carrying a jug of nectar; then a few other Gods noticed and waved at him and greeted him too: Astraeus the God of Dusk and the Constellations, Eirene the Goddess of Peace, and Asclepius the God of Medicine along with his wife, Epione the Goddess of the Soothing of Pain. Then after them, Aura the Goddess of the Breeze, Gelos the God of Laughter, Fortuna the Goddess of Luck and Fortune, and Koalemos the God of Stupidity said hi and waved at him from another corner of the room. He nervously smirked and waved back at them and continued walking before another voice caught his attention.
"HADES!"
The flame-headed God yelped and nearly jumped out of his skin when Iris, the winged Goddess of the Rainbow, suddenly appeared in right front of him; she was carrying a few big swatches of fabric, one black and a couple in different shades of blue.
"Iris?! What are you doing? You scared me!" He exclaimed.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry. But I'm really glad you're here. I need your help." Iris quickly replied.
Hades' eyes widened. "MY help?"
"Yeah. I wanted to ask for your opinion on something." She showed him the swatches she was holding. "I've been told to set up banners and streamers and I can't decide on a color. Blue or black? Blue is always so pretty, but it might blend in with the cloud podiums and I don't think that's very flattering. But what do you think? Which one do you like?"
Hades was taken aback; for as long as he could remember, no other God or Goddess on Olympus had ever asked for HIS opinion on anything, even when it came to important matters. Iris showed him the color swatches and Hades examined them carefully, squinting his eyes and scratching his chin in thought.
"Well, I'm no decorating expert." He started. "But if it were me, I guess I'd go with black banners and dark blue streamers as accents. But if you really want to really add some flair, try blue flame torches on the walls or podiums."
"Torches? Oh, why didn't I think of that?" Iris asked, gently facepalming herself. "But those are great ideas. Thanks, Hades!" And with that, the winged Goddess flew off to get to work.
"Well, that was… crazy."
"Hades, Hades! There you are!" A new voice shouted.
"Huh?"
It was Aristaeus, the God of Cheesemaking, Beekeeping, and Honey. He was running over to Hades and carrying a large glass jar and a wooden spoon.
"Hades, I… I need… Sorry, let me just… Phew." Aristaeus wheezed, trying to catch his breath.
"Uh, Aristaeus? What are you doing?"
"I… I need you to taste this." The beekeeping God said before dipping his spoon into the pot of honey.
"Taste what?" Hades started before the honey-coated spoon was suddenly shoved into his mouth.
He was about to spit out the unknown contents in his mouth until he actually got a taste. It was honey, but it had a different kind of flavor to it. It was still sweet like honey, but it was also spicy… like some kind of pepper. He looked at Aristaeus who was giving him an expecting look.
"So what do you think?" He asked.
"Um…" He swallowed the bit of honey and thought for a moment. "It's… good."
"Oh, thank you." Aristaeus said, almost sounding relieved. "It's a new recipe I'm trying out. I added a bit of cayenne pepper to this new batch of honey. I thought it would be a bit too much, but I'm SO glad you like it. Thanks again!" And he ran off, taking the honey with him.
"Uh… you're welcome?"
"Oh Hades!" Another voice called.
Hades turned to see Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth, coming towards him with a mixing bowl filled with a strange substance and a spoon. She stopped in front of him.
"I'm glad you're here." She started. "Could you taste this cake batter and tell me what you think?"
"Cake batter? But wh—"
Before Hades could even finish his sentence, the batter-covered spoon was shoved into his mouth and quickly extracted. Hades paused and licked his lips as he tasted the raw batter; it was sweet, a bit TOO sweet for his tastes.
"Well…?" Hestia asked.
"Well, uh I… I don't know." Hades replied with a shrug.
"It's a new recipe; it's called chocolate. Does it need anything? Any ideas? I want this cake to be perfect."
"Uh… I'm not sure. It's too sweet for me. But if you want to spice things up, why not add some literal spice to the mix? Like chili or cinnamon? I dunno. Whatever you got around, your choice."
"Ooooh, adding spice to sweet. Great suggestion. Thank you, Hades." Hestia said before walking away to continue her baking.
"Geez, what is with everybody today?" Hades asked himself before he felt something hit him in the back of the head. "Ow!" He turned around to see the Charites, the three winged Goddesses of Charm, Beauty, Human Creativity, and Goodwill, hovering a good ways away from him.
"Uh… sorry." They nervously said in unison.
He picked up the ball they were playing with and quickly popped it with his sharp fingers. He glared darkly at them and the three Goddesses all quickly flew away in fear, leaving behind a young Goddess Hades had never seen before; she was rather short with yellow skin, purple eyes, lavender hair, and wearing a purple and gold dress. She had a curious look on her face.
"Would you mind telling me what that was for?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head and tossing the popped ball to the side.
"…You're funny looking." The girl bluntly said.
"Oh yeah? You're funny looking, too." Hades retorted.
"That's a funny looking shirt."
"That's a funny looking dress."
"You got funny looking eyes."
"You got a funny looking face!"
After a moment, the young deity let out an amused giggle. Hades facepalmed in response.
"I don't have time for this. Kid, do you know Phantasos? He's the God of Dreams and I need to talk to him ASAP." He said.
"Phantasos? He's in another part of the Pantheon talking with his mom, Selene." The girl replied. "Excuse me, but are you Hades?"
"Yeah, that's me. Lord of the Dead, God the Underworld. How you doin'?" He offered his hand to her, but she stayed silent. "And… you are?"
"I'm Margalo, just Margalo." The girl answered.
"Margalo, huh?"
She nodded.
"So… you have any idea what's going on up here? And why everyone is acting so crazy?"
"Well, uh… I heard my father, Zeus, saying something about a—"
"Hades! H-Man! Just the God I needed to see!" A familiar voice said; it was Hermes flying towards him carrying a large scroll and a quill pen.
"What do you want, Hermes?" Hades asked.
"Nice to see you again, too. I just need you to take a look at this." Hermes then unfurled the scroll he was holding and it was revealed to be a huge list of names of the different Gods and Goddesses of Olympus.
"W-what the? What's all this?!"
"It's the guest list for the ball."
"Ball? What ball?"
"The ball Zeus is planning for your birthday."
Hades froze. "Wait… Zeus is WHAT?!" He then grabbed Hermes by the neck and Margalo by the arm and stomped off towards the front of the Pantheon. "ZEUS!"
Hades screamed so loud that his voice could be heard from all over Olympus… and it definitely reached the ears of Zeus, Hera, Hercules, and Megara. When they saw him approach with Hermes and Margalo in his grasp and an angry look on his face, they were frightened, but they all stood their ground. The flame-headed God walked up to his older brother until they were practically nose to nose.
"Um… hello, Hades. Long time no see, eh?" Zeus nervously greeted.
"…Not long enough." Hades said coldly as he let Margalo and Hermes go. Margalo quickly ran up to Hera and ran behind her mother for protection while Hermes made his way next to Hercules. "So… what's all this about a ball? For ME?"
"It's… for your birthday." Hera said hesitantly.
Hades sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If I remember correctly, I specifically asked you guys NOT to throw me a huge party, especially if it's for my birthday."
"I know, Hades. I know. But…" Zeus said.
"Nyx ordered us to plan a party for you." Meg said, taking a few steps closer to her mother-in-law.
"…She did?"
"Yes." Zeus explained. "She ordered us to plan you a ball. Nyx also told us that if we didn't do as she said, then we'd suffer the consequences. And I'm sure you know how she can be, she is your friend after all."
"And not to mention, she's uh… what's that word? Oh yeah. Scary." Hermes chimed in.
"Do you really think this party will make things better between any of us? After what you, the other gods, and especially Wonderboy and Nutmeg did to me?" Hades asked, glaring at Herc and Meg.
As they were talking, someone new had just arrived to Olympus; they were wearing a long cloak and a large hat that covered most of their face. But even though they were wearing so much, most of the other Gods and Goddesses knew who that was and they quickly moved out of the way to let them pass, as well as offer a nervous yet polite greeting. The figure proudly strode through the Pantheon and past the busy deities until she caught sight of Zeus and Hades talking.
"Well I don't know what Nyx told you, but throwing me a party is not going to fix everything. At least not right off the bat." Hades said before noticing the change in Zeus's mood; he looked rather terrified. "Zeus? What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost. Are you THAT afraid to put the past behind us or something?"
"Behind you." Zeus simply said.
"What? No, no, no. Bro, the term is 'behind us', ALL of us."
"No, Hades. What is BEHIND you?"
"Huh?"
Hades then turned around to see the figure standing behind him. They then removed their cloak and hat to reveal a woman with bright yellow hair, sky blue eyes, pink skin, and wearing a golden tiara and a fuchsia and orchid dress. She had a bright smile on her face when she saw Hades and Zeus.
"Hades, darling!" She beamed.
"MOTHER?!" Hades exclaimed before he and Zeus were suddenly pulled into a bone-crushing hug.
"Oh, it's so good to see you two again!" She said.
"Rhea?" Hera exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Uh, mother? Could you… please let go? You're hurting us." Zeus strained.
"Oh, sorry." The woman, Rhea said as she let the two Gods go. "I'm just so excited to see you again after so long."
"It's good to see you too, mother. But, um… what are you doing here?" Zeus asked.
"Oh, me?" Rhea started. "I just wanted to drop by and check on my boys. Not in a meddling kind of way; in a friendly "how's it going?" kind of way. So, how's it going?" She grinned.
"Uh… fine, I guess?" Hades said with a shrug.
Rhea then looked around to see the Pantheon being decorated and asked, "Zeus, would you care to fill me in on what's going on? Why do you have all of these decorations set up? What's the occasion?"
"Oh. Um, Hades' birthday is in a few days and we're throwing him a ball. It's tradition." Zeus answered.
"Ooh, a ball? In honor of my precious little Hades?" She then reached up and gave Hades' cheek a hard pinch, which made him wince in pain. "How wonderful! I'm sure everyone will be there, including the birthday boy himself!"
"I'd rather stay home and gargle a bucket of lava." The flame-headed God said, taking a step away from his mother and folding his arms in defiance.
"What? Come on, don't be like that." Zeus said.
"Yes, Hades. Every God and Goddess on Olympus has a grand ball planned for their birthday. Like Zeus said, it's tradition." Hera chimed in.
"Don't be such a wet blanket, Rex." Meg commented.
"You stay outta this, Nutmeg." Hades glared at Meg who quickly went quiet. "I told you before, I'm telling you again. I don't want to go. In fact, I want you to call off this whole thing, NOW."
"What?! Hades, we can't! It's difficult to cancel once you've got the ball rolling." Zeus said before he started laughing at his own joke; Meg, Hera, and Rhea rolled their eyes while Herc, Hermes, and Margalo laughed under their breath. "Besides, what would we tell everyone?"
"You can tell everyone that you went behind my back and you're VERY ashamed of yourselves. And I have a feeling NYX won't be too happy to hear about it."
"Ashamed? I've hardly been ashamed of anything in my entire life. And we can't cancel now; we're already almost done decorating the Pantheon."
"Not my problem. CANCEL the ball."
"Hades, calm down!" Rhea said, trying to get her youngest son to relax. "You're being unreasonable. I honestly don't see what the big deal is. Your big brother is trying to do something nice for you and you're pushing him away. I think it would be great for you to go out and socialize with the other Gods and Goddesses. I'm sure you haven't been out in a dog's age. What've you got to lose?"
"Hmm, let's see. My self-respect, my dignity, my patience, my sanity, my temper…" Hades snarled as his hair started to change color.
"See? There he goes again! Already with the bad attitude and the day of the ball isn't even here yet!"
"Oh please!" Hades paused and turned to his brother. "Wait a minute… this isn't just about my birthday, is it? There's something else going on, isn't there?"
Hera, Zeus, Herc, Meg, and Hermes all looked at each other with nervous looks and Rhea and Hades caught up on it immediately.
"Zeus, Hera…" Rhea started, narrowing her eyes at the ruling deities.
"Does it have anything to do with this?" Hades then grabbed the guest list from Hermes and unfurled it to reveal that most of the names on the list belonged to Goddesses and nymphs.
"Well, uh… to be honest, it's nothing too extravagant. It's just family and a few close friends… and pretty much all of the eligible deities on Olympus." Hera answered.
"Hold up… ELIGIBLE?!" Hades screamed in realization, his hair burning red with anger. "I knew it! Now I see what's going on! You're trying to make me find a WIFE! Well you can forget it! I've sworn off women a LONG time ago!"
"But you have to find a wife! You can't avoid this sort of thing forever!" Zeus said. "If you don't find someone to marry, then…"
"Then what? What'll happen if I don't?"
Zeus hesitated. "…Then you will no longer rule the Underworld."
"Wait, wait, wait… what?! If I don't find someone to marry, I can no longer rule?! Zeus, is this some kind of joke?! Because if it is, it's NOT FUNNY!"
"No, it's true!" Herc said, stepping forward. "The Fates came to us last night and told us a prophecy. They said that if you don't get married soon, then you'll lose control of the Underworld. And you know as well as I do that the Fates are never wrong."
"Oye." Hades shook his head; even though he hated to admit it, Hercules did make a valid a point. "So if I want to continue ruling the Underworld, then… I gotta get MARRIED?"
"Yes." Zeus said, nodding his head. "I mean, you do have certain obligations."
"Look, Hades, what we're trying to say is… we think it's time you chose a bride and produced an heir." Hera said.
"What would I need an heir for? I'm not going anywhere any time soon."
"We know, but still. You're one of the only few Gods left who isn't married."
"So? What if I don't wanna get married?"
"That's your choice." Herc said. "But if you'd rather let Hecate rule the Underworld instead, that's fine." He smirked.
Hades flinched; he knew what happened the last few times Hecate tried to take over the Underworld and she was severely punished for her crimes. Even though he hated his job, he decided that the Underworld would be much safer in his hands than someone else's and no one can do the job better than he can. And this ball could be a good way to have a bit of fun and get out of the Underworld for a change. He turned to Zeus.
"Okay, Zeus." He said. "I'll go to this little soiree, but only on THREE conditions."
"Yes, absolutely. Anything, little brother. Name them." Zeus said, relieved that his brother was willing to listen.
"One, I get to invite at least ONE person of MY choice."
"Done."
"Two, you allow Nyx to sing at the party."
"Uh… of course."
"And three, if I don't choose a bride that night, you let me find one MY way. With NO interference, no matter how long it takes. Do I make myself clear?"
Zeus was very hesitant, but he saw that Rhea was giving him a rather dark glare, silently telling him to do what his brother said. After a long moment of silence, Zeus finally relented and he and Hades shook hands.
"Very well, Hades. Whatever you say."
