Up on Mt. Olympus, numerous guests had already started to pile into the Pantheon; it was decorated with black banners and royal blue streamers hanging from above and blue flame torches clinging to the cloud pillars, there was a huge buffet table covered with all sorts of food and drink, there was even a table that had an array of gifts for Hades, and the band consisting of the Muses, their sons, and Nyx and her own musical group were getting themselves ready on the stage. The Gods, Goddesses, and even the nymphs and demigods who were already in attendance casually mingled amongst themselves waiting for the ball to officially begin; Zeus, Hera, Hercules, and Megara were standing at the very front of the room, all dressed in their best garments. But Hades was nowhere in sight; Rhea insisted that her son should have a proper introduction, with a grand unveiling and additional fanfare. Hades initially rejected the idea and claimed that it was silly, but his mother was very adamant and refused to take no for an answer. So he reluctantly agreed.

Rhea soon made her way onto the stage, cleared her throat, grabbed a megaphone, and said, "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention please?" The guests all turned their heads towards the stage to face her. "Thank you. Now first of all, I would just like to thank each and every one of you for coming to this grand little get together tonight. And I myself am ever so excited to be here, especially since this ball is to celebrate the youngest of my children, my precious little hothead."

Some other deities grimaced at the mention of Hades while some giggled under their breath. While his mother was talking, Hades stood behind a set of black curtains near the front of the Pantheon and waited for his introduction, but he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

"Oh boy." He said, taking off his cloak and tossing it to the side; he started to fan himself with his hand. "I don't know if it's just nerves or if I ate some weird grubs earlier, but something is making my stomach squirm. Okay, okay. Cool it, Hades. Take a deep breath, relax." He took a few deep breaths and ran a hand through his hair to calm down. "You can do this."

"And now to officially kick off this little party, allow me to introduce the birthday boy himself." Rhea said. "It is my greatest honor to present to you the Lord of the Dead, the God of the Underworld, and my youngest son, Hades!"

And with that, the curtains concealing Hades pulled away and he stepped out as a spotlight shined down on him. The Gods and Goddesses reluctantly clapped for him, but they also started staring at him and whispering to one another about what he was wearing. He wore an ashen gray long-sleeve shirt underneath a navy blue tunic, dark gray pants, black leather boots, and even a black and blue cape that was held in place with a silvery blue chain hanging across his chest. He gave a quick bow and made his way over to Zeus, Hera, Herc, and Meg, who all gaped at him in surprise.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, Gods and Goddesses, and other assorted deities of our grand Pantheon, let our ball commence!" Rhea declared before the audience clapped their hands in applause; she made her way off the stage and strode over to her sons just as the band started to play.

Hades quickly noticed the looks on his family's faces and he cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing." Hera replied. "It's just… what in the world are you wearing?"

"Yeah, that outfit is kinda… severe, isn't it?" Meg asked.

"Hey! This is the fashion of the current century; it's in. Nyx designed it for me, to which I am very grateful, thank you very much." Hades argued before he sat down in a throne of dark clouds which formed below him.

Then he heard Zeus clear his throat behind him; he rolled his eyes and turned to face his brother. "What?"

"Do you remember your last birthday present from me, little brother?" Zeus asked.

"How could I forget? My present was an IOU."

"Well, I'm afraid I'm gonna need that back."

"Ugh. Really?" He reached into his shirt, took out a small piece of paper, and handed it to his older brother who promptly ripped it in half.

"Because…"

Zeus then took out a small package and placed it into Hades' hands; it was wrapped in sky blue paper with a silver ribbon. Hades looked at the gift with a curious and anxious expression, unsure of what to think. He reluctantly opened the gift and to his surprise, there was a brand new belt with a silver buckle in the shape of a skull in the box. He turned back to Zeus, who had a rather proud look on his face.

"Hercules and I fetched the materials from all over the world and had Hephaestus make this for you. The strap is onyx serpent skin and the buckle is real silver with obsidian accents. What do you think?" He asked.

"Whoa. Zeus, I… I don't know what to say." Hades said in astonishment; this was probably the nicest thing his eldest sibling had ever given him.

"You wanna try it on? Your outfit looks like it's missing something." Herc commented.

With a shrug, Hades took the belt out of the box and fastened it around his waist; it fit perfectly, and it even helped show off his fit build. He hated to admit it, but the belt was quite good looking and very well made; it made his outfit look a bit better. He turned back to Zeus.

"…Thanks." He said; Zeus smirked and nodded his head before he, his wife, his son, and his daughter-in-law all sat down on their own respective cloud thrones around Hades.

"Okay, H-man. Let me fill you in." Hermes said as he flew over to the flame-headed God; he was carrying a list and a pen. "There's a line of ladies forming as we speak and they're all waiting for you to make a decision on who to have the first dance of the night with. Here's what we're gonna do. Once you give the okay, they're gonna come forward and curtsy to you one at a time. And if you see anyone you don't like, then you just say 'next' and we'll move on to the next girl. Okay?"

Hades looked out at the line of single ladies forming before him; most of them were either unenthused, nervous, or excited to meet him. Surprisingly, it seemed like he was actually an object of interest to quite a few goddesses and even a large number of nymphs.

'Too bad for them; they're all just wasting their time. I'm waiting for somebody else.' He thought.

"Sure, whatever. Let's get this over with." He said, sounding uninterested.

Hermes nodded and ushered the first woman in line forward, which happened to be Adephagia, the Goddess of Gluttony. She curtsied and Hades grimaced.

"Next." He said.

Adephagia pouted and moved to the side. Then Adikia, the Goddess of Injustice and Wrong-Doing, stepped forward and curtsied. He shook his head at her.

"Next."

Adikia rolled her eyes and stepped out of the way to allow Aletheia, the Goddess of Truth, to walk forward and curtsy before him.

"Next." Hades groaned and leaned on one hand as Aletheia stepped to the side.

'This is gonna be a long night.' He thought.

Outside at the entrance, Maleficent in her flying carriage had finally arrived and pulled up outside the gates of Olympus. Dementia got off of her seat again and opened the door, allowing Maleficent to step out. She gazed up at the stairway leading to the gates. She was very hesitant to go in and Dementia took notice.

"Hey, you alright? …You nervous?" She asked.

"What reason could I have not to be? I'm only a fairy, not a goddess." Maleficent said bluntly. She didn't want to admit it to anyone, but she was incredibly anxious. The butterflies in her stomach were practically swarming about, ready to burst out of her at any given moment.

"And I'm just a little imp. Enjoy it while it lasts. But don't worry; I'll be waiting here for you the whole time. And remember, my boss is expecting you. Do you really wanna disappoint him on his birthday?"

Maleficent paused and looked up at the gates of gold; they shined and glistened in the starlight up above and just beyond those gates was Hades waiting for her. The Lord of the Dead had become her dearest friend and the last thing she wanted to do was to disappoint him. She looked down at the bracelet adorning her right wrist; the Dragon's Eye Opal began working its magic and it gave her body an artificial green glow to match her complexion.

"You're right. I can do this." She said, looking back at the gates. Taking a deep breath and clutching the invitation in her left hand and the Ember in her right, she started to ascend the stairs.

"Yeah! Go get him, girl!" Dementia cheered.

Maleficent blushed and rolled her eyes before she reached the gates. She paused and held the opal on her bracelet up to the gold structure and to her surprise, the gates of Olympus opened for her. After a moment, she took a step forward and noticed a little box with a slot on her left which read 'Invitations Please'. With a shrug, she placed her invitation into the slot and a cloud suddenly appeared before her.

'This must be here to take me to the Pantheon.' She thought.

So she reluctantly stepped onto the cloud and Maleficent was suddenly whisked away to where the ball was taking place. Back at the Pantheon, Hades had already gone through most of the line of women waiting for him and he rejected every single one; he was growing pretty bored with the ball pretty fast and it was beginning to show. Rhea approached her son.

"Oh Hades, don't be so glum. It's your birthday." She said. "There has to be at least one girl you'd want to dance with. Isn't there?"

"Not really, no." Hades replied. "Besides, I already dated a couple of those girls millennia ago and some of my exes even tried to kill me once or twice." He shivered as he remembered Lyssa, the Goddess of Rage and Frenzy, along with Eris and a couple of nymphs he knew, Leuke and Minthe, practically hunting him down and forcing him to date either of them.

"Kill you? Hades honey, you're immortal."

"Well, you know what I mean."

That was when the last girl in line stepped forward and curtsied; it was Wisteria, the daughter of Apollo and the Goddess of Cleverness. Hades rolled his eyes and shook his head; he didn't even need to say it. Wisteria sighed in relief and walked off.

"Wow. I don't mean to be a downer, but uh… that was the last of the bachelorettes." The messenger God said, sounding uneasy.

"You're sure about that, Hermes?" Zeus asked.

"Absolutely, my lord. There are no eligible girls left."

"Uh huh, sure." Hades said, not paying attention.

'Ugh, where is she?' He thought as he glanced around the ballroom, hoping to catch a glimpse of Maleficent. But she was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, you looking for something, Rex?" Meg asked.

"My star guest isn't here yet." Hades said, sounding defeated.

"Star guest? The one you wanted to personally invite?" Hercules asked.

"Yes. I really hope she gets here soon."

"She? This special guest of yours… is a she? Why didn't you say that before?" Rhea asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Don't hound him, Rhea." Hera said, coming to Hades' defense. "Perhaps he didn't think it was worth mentioning. And besides, we all know how you can get."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying that sometimes you can be… quite judgmental and a bit pushy. You may not be a love goddess, but you're still an incurable and hopeless romantic. No doubt you saw the whole thing detail."

As Hera continued talking, Hades turned away and looked out at the ballroom, not even bothering to pay attention. But then something caught his eye and he paused, his eyes growing wide with wonder.

"The fine bachelor is seen bowing to the assembly." Hera went on. "But suddenly he stops, he looks up, and there she is! The girl of his dreams! Who she is or where she came from, he doesn't know nor does he care! But his heart tells him that here… here is the maiden predestined to be his bride."

Meg chuckled. "Yeah. It's a decent plot for romance plays and fairy tales, but stuff like that doesn't happen in real life… or at least not too often."

"Oh please!" Rhea scoffed. "From what I've heard, you've always been a downer when it comes to romance, Megara. Isn't that right, Hades?" She turned around to face Hades, only to see him staring off into space with an awestruck look on his face. She strode over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hades? Dear, are you alright?"

Hades couldn't speak; all he could do was stare into space, babble incoherently, and laugh like a fool, not making any sense. This greatly worried Rhea and she feared that something was wrong with him. She gasped and put her ear to her son's chest.

"Oh no! He's having a heart attack!" She exclaimed.

"Heart attack? Hades? Not likely." Hera commented.

"Yeah. And no offense, but I'm pretty sure the only heart attack that could ever hurt HIM is with a wooden stake." Meg said dryly; Herc and Zeus suppressed their laughter at Meg's joke.

"Then it must be a stroke!" The elder goddess cried as she started shaking Hades' shoulders, but he didn't respond.

"Uh hey, cats. Sorry to interrupt, but I think it might be… her." Hermes chimed in, pointing to the entrance of the ballroom.

"What? Who?" Rhea whipped her head around to see Maleficent standing at the entrance on the other side of the ballroom. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Who is THAT?"

"She's here." Hades whispered excitedly; a grin quickly spread across his face.

"What? What was that, Hades?" Zeus asked.

"Huh? Oh! Uh… excuse me!" Hades said, practically flying out of his seat and rushing over to greet the new arrival.

"Whoa… Never seen him move THAT fast before." Hermes commented.

"What was that all about?" Herc asked.

The other deities around him shrugged their shoulders and smirked in confusion, unable to answer. Rhea remained silent as she watched her son approach this mysterious stranger who descended down the staircase into the ballroom. She furrowed her brow in distrust; she had a feeling Hades was hiding something… and that something must've been that horn-headed figure dressed in black and green.