Down in the very dregs of Tartarus, Hades plumbed the very worst corners of the prison to discover the source of disturbance. All around the echoes carried, sliding past the god with a strange substance that threatened to become the rumblings of insubordination.

In Tartarus, even the King of the Dead had to be wary of losing his concentration. It was a place designed to seize upon the tormented's worst imaginings and live them out on their bodies, minds and souls. The horrors dreamt up by the gods of Olympus for those who had broken their laws or displeased them the most were considerable. Hades combed through the various inmates, looking for the one that may have raised a sound above and beyond the impenetrable gates of the prison. Such willpower had to be located, weakened and crushed with some very direct punishment for daring to try and find a way out from their just punishment.

There was Tantalus, still stuck fast in the middle of a stream underneath a glorious apple tree. When he hungered and reached his emaciated limbs upwards to try and grasp the bright fruits hanging over his head, the tree moved them out of his reach. When he thirsted and cupped his hands together to partake of the waters the river flickered out of his fingers, draining through his carefully bowl-shaped hands, never to reach his parched lips. The moans and sighs of an eternity of frustration and the inability to quench the gnawing hunger in his belly or his raging thirst were quiet, pathetic mews. Zeus's vengeance was a powerful force but Tantalus endured with a quiet desperation that issued no complaint.

Screams however did issue from the lips of Ixion, who was forever chained to a fiery wheel by Zeus himself for daring to try and seduce the Queen of the Gods. The man spun in eternal circles of blistering agony, screeching out his horror and despair as the fire took its toll. Hades passed him by quickly.

And then he was standing before the Maw. Hades knelt, one hand drawing his sword and listened intently to the mouth of the titans' specialised prison. He could hear fleeting conversation, which should not have been possible. Nothing at all should be able to issue from the Maw; usually when one drew near it was like the deepest, most silent black lake into nothingness that anyone could ever imagine. It was a formidable structure, ridiculously wide and a constant aura of utter despondency issued from, as palpable as a constant odour. He could hear something like the hiss of snakes. It was freezing, icier than could ever be experienced in Zeus's realm because this cold touched the very minds of those who drew near it. Cautious as ever, Hades bent forward to listen into the Maw.

When the titans had been defeated, especially at the downfall of Kronos, the three sons of the mighty titan had seized their victims and ripped their essence from their gargantuan bodies. Long since buried under civilisation, the bones of these great giants were at the heart of many mountains and gorges. But the most terrifying aspect of the titans was their formidable intellects and willpower. Hades was very mindful that his father had built the trap into which he now carefully listened and that he had so far been in there long enough, possibly, to devise a means of escape.

Hades gritted his teeth. The hand on his sword hilt tightened, his knuckles grew white. This was risky business but it had to be completed. He had to know what threat lay in wait for his kingdom and all of the realms.

Little Hades…

The voice was like the growl of the earth just before an earthquake starts. It was deep and bone-shaking, filled with malice. Hades recognised it as not his father, but as one of the other titans trapped with him in the Maw - Japetus, the father of Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus.

The whole family had spelt bad news throughout history. Prometheus had offended Zeus early in a multitude of ways immediately after the Titans War by interfering with humanity and by prophesising that a god would be surpassed by their offspring. Zeus – wary of those eyeing his throne and ever mindful of the downfall of his father – had seized Prometheus and chained him to a mountain with vultures to devour his liver every single day until the doomed titan revealed the identity of the child and of the immortal who would be overthrown. His brother Epimetheus had been the rather unfortunate husband to Pandora, the woman who Zeus had crafted to inflict punishment on humanity. The whole family was renowned for their prophecies and also for their tendency to cast themselves and others into doom.

How is it that your speech reaches far? Hades asked with his mind. There was no need of words to address creatures with no bodies to respond in the same fashion.

Little Hades. Japetus became increasingly mocking. You have found true love at last. But ask anyone you like, love can cripple even the most formidable of soldiers. A wife and children, they may spell the end of you.

You are one to talk, remarked Hades lightly. Your family has left a deep scar upon all of us and look at where they have led you.

Three children born to the King and Queen of the Dead, foresaw Japetus. The first is the carrier of light that shalt never see the sun. The second shall suffer a fate worse than Death or else mark the rise of the Titans. The third shall wander with ghosts as comrades, seeking that which should not be sought.

And you expect me to take on faith that the words spewing from your vulgar mind are accurate? Hades was not perturbed by the attempts of a prisoner to sow fear into him. You are sadly mistaken.

Lovers are the worst of weak fools, Japetus laughed back. For see, we make progress, hammering on your little door. We shall free ourselves, even as you did. And it is possible your own son shall assist us.

Your sons thought they had prosperous times ahead of them too. Hades let steel enter his voice. I believe their father is now just as arrogant. Beware titan, to talk hollow words of fate always spells disaster. The Moirae do not give up their secrets easily.

It was not a small threat that Hades made – the three Fates deplored those who dared to speak of others' destinies and make up fictional accounts. Their payback for such a misdeed was usually swift and ruthless. It was never a good idea to anger three powerful beings who controlled fate.

You should hurry back to your wife, Japetus taunted. I think there is a certain individual who would dearly love to whisper poison in her ear that will turn her from your side and cast the Underworld into chaos.

Enjoy my father's dungeon; Hades stepped away, done with the conversation. I remember well the unpleasantness you now endure. I believe you deserve worse, but short of that, the Maw for eternity will suffice.

When he is born, tell your son to come and greet us anytime little Hades….

Japetus's derisive laughter faded and Hades brought a level of his will to contain the lip of the Maw and reinforce his protective barriers. He laid a warning alarm over the terrifying pit so that he may be alerted if anyone should approach or attempt to break the surface of the prison.

With the power of his will, he stepped forth from the barrier of Tartarus and back onto his chariot. He breathed in the pleasant, crisp air of the Underworld for a moment before taking the reins.

"Have the sounds lessened?" he asked the giants who stood guard. As one, they nodded.

"Stay alert," Hades instructed. "It was the titans, not the other prisoners. I will send word to my brothers to ask for their assistance in defending the door but I place my faith and reliance in you."

Each of the hundred-handed ones bowed shortly to their Lord, feeling the weight of that great responsibility upon them. Unblinking, unfaltering, the guards of Tartarus watched on.

On the return ride from Tartarus's most dank and deep levels, Hades breathed and tried to put his priorities in some sort of semblance of order. The threat had been contained but not well and not for the long term; Poseidon and Zeus would have to assist.

And another thing – he intended to seek the audience of the Fates in regards to the prophecies about his children. Japetus was most likely trying to instil fear and doubt in him but it would be an idiot who dismissed all of his words out of hand. His sons after all had been famous for their accurate prophecies, however stupid they may have been in other affairs.

If he speaks true… Three children, Hades marvelled. Three little children. However did I get to this? I had not intended to be a father.

He had enjoyed the company of some lovely immortal women who had been willing to endure both the Underworld and his temperament to share his company but he had never had any plans for a family or fatherhood. The prospect took his breath away a little. And as for Persephone as a mother to his children… Hades hoped that they would look and sound more like their mother than their father.

He spurred the horses on faster, so that the air whipped past them and the Underworld fixtures spun by in a blurred whirl of colour. The horses snorted, delighted at the race against the world, pulling fiercely against Hades's control of them.

Hades wasn't particularly concerned with Japetus's allegation of someone trying to persuade Persephone to turn against him. He had unshakable faith in his wife and her ability to speak her mind to him. He only hoped that nothing more could interrupt their reunion this day.

For the sake of all creation, Hades sighed to himself, can a god find no peace in his own dominion just to enjoy the company of his wife? He spurred the horses on faster and they were only too eager to obey. They soared higher into the upper reaches of the Underworld where some semblance of brightness returned.

The House of Hades was illuminated from within and Hades saw that flickering light, banked hard and landed on the shore. Snorting and tossing their mighty heads, the horses complained of their fun cut so short by their master. An immortal servant hurried to collect the chariot and the noble beasts from Hades, who didn't even see who it was as he leapt up the stairs back into his abode.

Nymphs and dryads and all sorts of minor deities bowed low to the Lord of the Underworld as he rushed past, his helmet tucked under one arm and his sword riding on his hip. He didn't even see half of them as he hurried on this way. With an abrupt flourish of his white hands, Hades sent the armour away to its resting place and pulled the doors of his chambers wide.

Reading a scroll by firelight was Persephone; a vision in that gorgeous dress Hecate had designed for her and her face pink from the heat of the flames. She glanced up and their eyes locked. Hades watched all the tension melt out of her shoulders as she realised he had returned. She gave him a soft and welcoming smile. He felt most of the tension after Tartarus slide away too, to be dealt with later.

Whatever will be, will be.

Hades went to her side and gently cupped her face in his hand, staring into her beautiful and mesmerising eyes. Her lips found his and he stopped thinking coherently after that for a long, long while.