Aidoneous, my son. Come down to Tartarus and face me…win the crown of the skies that is yours by birthright. Hades is sitting in his throne, his jaw clenched. " I will not fight you, Father. My brothers and I defeated you together. I'd be a fool to try and fight you by myself…"
We both know that you were holding back. You wanted to give your brothers a chance. You always did have a thing about loyalty and rules. Such a shame that the strongest of my sons has the biggest weakness. Come now, boy, come down to Tartarus and show me your true form.
"No. This is a dream. I will not do as you ask…"
Really? Can a dream do this? Just then, Hades feels a shadow clench his neck in a vice grip. His eyes begin to water as his legs kick out in front of him. The only reason you gods are immortal is because there isn't anything on this earth strong enough to kill you. One day, there will be. The grip tightens, and Hades can feel himself slipping away. He tries to grip the shadow in front of him, but there is nothing to grab, no hands to pry off of his neck. You, my son, are ruler of the Underworld. So the question that begs an answer is: if you die, do you simply cease to exist? I think the answer is obvious. There is no Underworld for the gods – you exist or you do not. The grip tightens even further, and Hades' legs stop moving. Come fight me, or give up your existence…
Hades wakes with a start in his bed. His chest is heaving and he is covered in sweat. He rubs his throat and notices that it feels sore. Since he'd seen Persephone at Zeus' festival, his night terrors had stopped, replaced with images of her. Recently, however, they had come back, and seemingly stronger and more realistic than ever. It's time to do something.
A servant comes in. She gives Hades a low bow, "Do you need anything, my lord?"
Hades slowly nods and says, "Fetch me my weapons and armor."
"If I may ask, my lord, where are you going?"
"Tartarus."