Hades's chariot flew through the skies of Greece. He was en route from Echidna's den to the lair of the Banshees in Ireland, however, Hades was making one slight detour to a certain mountain in northern Greece. Hades landed his chariot next to the mouth of the cave and walked into the all too familiar cave. He entered the the main chamber of the cave where three inhuman looking witches were weaving an immense tapestry.
"Lord Hades," Atropos said.
"We knew you'd be dropping in," Lachesis continued.
"We are delighted that you have come to see us," Clotho added.
"Ah, ladies, forgive my intrusion," Hades replied, "I just came because I need to talk to you three about-"
"We know!" the Fates interrupted.
"We know everything!" Clotho replied with pride.
"You're here to ask us about Hercules," Atropos stated.
"Wow! You gals are good," Hades replied, "I almost forgot. Say what color am I-"
"Blue!" the Fates interrupted in unison.
"Nice!," Hades admired, "So babes, give me the down-low on what's been up with Jerkules for the past two thousand years. Is this brat gonna screw with my plans again?"
"Be silent and watch!" Lachesis ordered.
The Fates' shared eye began to levitate and expand into a large orb of images detailing the history of Hercules. An image of the wedding of Hercules and Megara appeared on the eye.
"After your defeat, Hercules refused godhood on Olympus to live life with Megara on earth and the two were married."
The image changed to Hercules and Megara walking along the shoreline of a beautiful river.
"After the wedding, the couple went to the river where they first met to reminisce."
A vicious blue centaur suddenly ran out from the trees towards the couple in the image.
"However, they had forgotten that the river was guarded by Nessus, the centaur."
The image detailed a battle between Hercules and Nessus.
"Hercules and Nessus fought in a brutal battle that years from now will be too violent to air on network television but Hercules ultimately won and dealt Nessus a fatal wound."
The image showed Hercules stabbing Nessus through the stomach with his sword and the centaur gushing blood.
"But Nessus would not allow himself to die in vain, for, with his last breath, he told Megara to fill a phial with his blood and that, should Hercules ever become unfaithful, drinking the blood would make Hercules love her once more."
The image detailed Megara filling a phial with blood and soon faded away as a new image of the happy couple with a baby materialized.
"Months later, the incident was forgotten and a child was born."
That image quickly faded and a new image of a middle aged Hercules and Megara materialized. Both of them appeared to be angry with each other. While they were not shouting, they maintained a cold silence.
"But, nothing good lasts forever and the two began to drift apart."
The image changed to that of Megara clutching the phial of blood in her hands.
"Megara, saddened by this, dug up the phial of blood that she had received from Nessus nearly twenty years prior."
The image changed to Megara and Hercules sitting at a table with goblets of wine in their hands.
"She put a few drops in his drink that night."
Hercules drank the wine from the goblet and immediately his expression changed to that of extreme pain.
"But Nessus had lied to her. The blood was no love potion but rather, a painful poison."
Flames began to envelope his body as Hercules was burned from the inside.
"Megara wept for what she had done as she held Hercules's lifeless corpse in her arms. She then knew what she had to do."
Megara then put Hercules's wine goblet to her own lips.
"Oi!" Hades commented, "What a way to go. Gotta give Nessus props, though. That was one fiendishly clever plot!"
"Wait!" Clotho said sternly, "There is more."
The image changed to the image of a strong young man who looked almost identical to the Hercules that Hades remembered but with Megara's hair color and her eyes.
"Hercules and Megara were both survived by their son, Telephus, who went on to become one of the last great heroes of Ancient Greece."
The image shifted from Telephus to another young man resembling Hercules and Megara and another and another and so on and so forth.
"Telephus also fathered a son and the blood line continued up until around two hundred years ago with a young Welsh war hero named Gwydion."
The image showed a strapping young man who, while sharing many of the traits that the descendents of Hercules had, possessed glistening silver hair at his young age.
"Gwydion was the war hero of Wales, some say the mightiest warrior of the era. Not surprising, considering his blood line."
The image changed to the image of deathless skeletal warriors marching horrifically with an oddly familiar figure riding on horseback in front of them.
"Soon, the forces of Arawn, the Death-Lord began to lay siege to Wales. Gwydion defended the nations the best that he could but Arawn's armies were composed of the dreaded Cauldron Born and were led by Arawn's vicious war lord, the Horned King."
Hades's hands clenched in fists of rage at the mention of the Horned King. The image showed a dark shadowy man being thrown into a stove by Gwydion.
"However, Gwydion was able to defeat Arawn and trap the wicked necromancer's soul within a crucible of molten iron. There his demonic spirit was captured in the form of a great Black Cauldron."
The image displayed an immense cauldron with a hideous face etched onto the front.
"With Arawn's soul trapped, the Cauldron Born were no longer able to continue and returned to the deceased state that they were before."
The image then displayed a battle between Gwydion and the Horned King.
"But not everything was joyous on that day. The Horned King, making his escape from Arawn's fortress, slew Gwydion and retreated back to the dark realm of Annuvin."
The image changed once again to that of a small infant, abandoned on a battlefield.
"Gwydion had but one child, and, with his father slain and mother dead from childbirth, the boy was left alone to die. Miraculously, he was found by an enchanter named Dallben who named the boy Taran and raised him as his own."
The image shifted to Taran battling the Horned King and the vicious king being sucked into the cauldron. Hades couldn't help but smile at this notion.
"Taran grew up and, true to his ancestors, defeated the Horned King. He took the princess Eilonwy as a wife."
The image showed the wedding of Taran and Eilonwy and the arrival of a plump fairy-like man wearing a crown.
"For their courage and bravery in defeating the Horned King, King Eiddileg, ruler of the Welsh fair folk, granted Taran and Eilonwy both immortality and the two survive to this day. Though the bloodline is thinned, they have enormous potential."
Hades scoffed.
"Potential to ruin my plans," Hades corrected, "But thanks for the info, babes. I really appreciate it."
Hades said his good-byes to the fates and flew off in his chariot towards Ireland.
Taran and Eilonwy, he thought, Perhaps I shall pay them a little visit after my meeting...