Hello, I've been in a bit of a writer's block due to some personal issues. However, it is time I actually get to work, as time keeps moving forward. This is a mesh of the game Hades as well as DxD... mainly to give the Greek pantheon some love and try to warp things.
I will try to stick to some aspects of the DxD events as well as some events for Hades. Any Greek gods that appear in DxD will be replaced with their Hades counterparts.
I will also be adding some things,
?: Some say that godhood blesses you with visions of the past, present and future. Others say that they are blessed to endure all hardships and get away with it all... but I can't vouch for any of that garbage. I can only say this: as it turns out, the cost of godhood and its binding contract known as power has brought nothing but suffering, loss... and pain.
The contract is a formal and legally binding agreement by nature, though the fine print gives it a horrid change of nature. This, is the tale of Issei Hyoudou, a man whose worst moments were forged by contracts, and his tale of fulfilling and breaking free from said contracts.
"Fate can be woven by our mistakes; often what is seen as defying it is actually remedying those mistakes."
- M&A, April 12th, 2021
Mount Ymittos, Athens, Greece
The hunt was good as ever, or so the huntress would say. Green hair, a matching dress, what seemed like a raccoon pelt on her back, and a headpiece composed of a crescent, teeth and a set of antlers, Artemis set out to find her first prey. The hunt would vary, with deer and bears, and on rare occasions, a boar or supernatural creature. Callisto stayed behind on this occasion, and she was glad that her partner did... as to avoid seeing her sorrow. Zagreus was his name, a godling said to be born from Hades and Nyx. Her father and uncle were aware of his existence, along with a few of her half-siblings and cousins. The demigod was said to have made several escape attempts, none of them truly succeding. All of a sudden, he went silent, along with the residents of the Underworld and Hermes.
Artemis was not one to mingle with people all that often, much less men. Zagreus, on the other hand, earned her favor and treated her to tales involving his mentor and the rare case of Nectar and Ambrosia. He would contact her every now and then, but she was starting to get worried. Hell, none of her family members had been called in by the young god!
'Perhaps he got lost,' she thought, readying her bow as she had her prey in sight. Channeling her essence into the bow, she pulled the string back, her aim dead set on its the space between the shoulder and lung. The outcome of a good hunt was one she anticipated, an outcome that would not be reached. A whip quickly struck the animal, killing it upon contact. Turning her head to the source of the whip, she saw a blue-skinned woman, whose expression was grim.
"I'm glad I got your attention, Artemis," the woman said, taking a seat on the fallen bear. Her presence shocked the huntress, yet she quickly recovered her composure.
"Megaera, what are you doing here?" the greenette asked, lowering her bow slightly.
"A matter that requires us being in this particular spot, where neither the Underworld nor Olympus can listen in. Take a seat, this may be quite time-consuming." After the Olympian goddess took a seat on a stray log, the Chthonic entity began.
"As you and your fellow Olympians may have noticed, Zagreus has gone silent. The truth behind it is something I will narrate to you and you alone, for the sake of context. Anything mentioned here must not be mentioned to anyone else, hence my insistence of us metting here. Understood?" Megaera asked, readying her whip.
"Crystal."
"Good, allow me to elaborate on what happened after the last time he spoke to you," she said, bringing out a spindle with string before making a circle with some of the string, an image coming up...
A few days ago...
"Boy, do not take your eyes off of him!" A tall, bearded man said. Pitch black hair, a stern expression on his face and a mighty spear in his hands, the god known as Hades fired several beams towards a bald man with a gray beard, said man considerably taller than the others. In retaliation to the beams, the later raised his arm to block the attacks.
"I know, father! He's deflecting everything we throw at him!" a young man whose hair was as black as Hades' replied, firing what seemed like a railgun. Wearing a short toga with a shoulderpad that had three small dog heads on it, the young man watched watching a blonde man rush at him, spear in hand as the old one grabbed the tip of the spear and tossed it along with its wielder.
"The obvious aside, how does one deal with him, Your Majesty?" a man asked, wearing a green toga as he had broken shackles on his ankles and wrists, a boulder behind him.
"Breaking his defenses, Sisyphus. This is Cronos, the most fearsome of the Titans. Be thankful he is still not at his peak, let alone accompanied by his siblings," the lord of the Underworld replied.
"Say no more, Your Highness," the former king said, tossing the boulder into the air before jumping after it.
"At this rate, we may need more help, Lord Hades," a woman with pale skin, her hair as black as the night itself replied.
"Dear, should we reach out to Olympus?" a blonde woman said, conjuring a pomegranate and taking a bite from it before handing the rest over to Hades.
"No, and by the time we do we will already be damned. A moment of weakness will be all that is needed, either for our benefit, or his," the ruler of the Greek Underworld stated.
"Father, if I may," the ravenette from earlier said, making his way over to the lord.
"Zagreus, are you alright?" the blonde woman asked, concerned for the young man who was catching his breath.
"Yes mother, though it's difficult breaking through. I can feel him getting stronger as we fight," the young man, now identified as Zagreus said.
"Nonsense, boy. Cronos has fallen once, he can fall again. If there isn't an opening..."
"Make your own," Zagreus replied before zipping off and fighting the titan alongside Achilles and Patroclus. As a sword and a couple spears clashed against Cronos, meeting resistance from the titan. Slashes and stabs became plentiful, the Titan meeting its match. Zagreus smirked, seeing as the Titan had slowed down enough for him to go in and deliver the killing blow. The Fates, however, told another tale. At one moment, he had exposed himself, a window of opportunity.
The moment's joy became despair as the son of Hades looked down, an arm having gone through his chest.
"ZAGREUS!"
"SON!"
As the titan pulled his arm out of the dying god's chest, he took a moment to look at the fallen one's form, before looking back at Hades.
"He didn't prove to be much of a threat, maybe you could demonstrate the power from back then once more, 'Little Hades'," Cronos said in a mocking tone, making his way towards the Ruler of the Underworld.
"CRONOS!" he yelled, becoming invisible, only to appear next to the titan and deliver a flurry of blows. With the titan distracted, a scythe struck his back, his attention now on a skeletal figure in dark robes, letting out a ghostly groan.
"Charon, here to esco-" the being said, now ambushed by spears, a trident, another scythe, and whips. The pale figure with the scythe from earlier appeared, delivering a quick swipe, striking down the father of the three great gods. After countless blows, the titan fell on a knee, looking at the Ruler of the Underworld.
"The cycle repeats," Cronos said with a laugh as he coughs up blood and slowly turns to ash.
"So that's why you didn't reach out to us... aside from the shaky relationship you have with us," the huntress said.
"Indeed, along with the fact that the loss of Zagreus affected us all. Thanatos and the head of the house did not get the privilege of mourning, and the Queen vanished. However, that is where you come into play, Artemis. My sisters and I have seen into things, and I ask of you a favor."
"What favor would require me of all people? Surely another Olympian would be better."
"Indeed. I would've reached out to Hestia, but I can only go so far. From there on out, I entrust you with this," she said, handing the goddess of the hunt a small case and a blue crystal glass.
"What are the contents?"
"Not for you to know... yet. Hang the bell from a tree, a wall, wherever you please. When the bell rings, you must deliver the box. Until then, stay safe, Artemis," Megaera said, looking away before warping away in a red circle.
"The Fates have spoken... no objections to that," Artemis said, hanging the bell from a thread and hiding the box in a hollowed tree, away from the sight of others. She would wait, and she would not question Megaera's statement.
Several years later...
A woman sobbed uncontrollably, her face covered by her hands as a man sat by her, his attempts at consoling her fruitless. His personal grief was something he did not show as an attempt to aid her, for their child was in a white room, their fate unknown...
And there we have it! As mentioned before, this was spawned from my love for the game Hades and DxD's lore... as well as the need for love for the Greek pantheon. I look forward to getting back into rhythm and fixing things this year, and I hope we can all see this year through. With this said, feel free to ask any questions, give an opinion, provide feedback, so on and so forth in the comments or by PM'ing me.
With this said, thank you all, and may you all have a splendid day.
