Author's Note: To be honest, i felt this last month to have passed rather fast. Perhaps it is I've been keeping my attention divided in Questiona Questing, drawing ideas for new stories and thus I've been rather busy the past 4 weeks? who knows.
At any rate, at last we can dispense with all the bullshit, we have finally arrived. After this chapter, the fated confrontation.
Disclaimer: I own nothing; copyrights to the different series and/or franchises that appear in this fic belong to their respective owners.
THIS CHAPTER IS UPLOADED ON THE 11/06/2022
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Prologue
IN THE COMPANY OF THE DEAD
Part 7
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Caenis threw all thought regarding Jason out of her mind, branding it as irrelevant and instead focused her entire attention upon the Lord of the Dead. "As you command, Lord Hades…" The Golden-clad Lancer acquiesced with faux obedience, knowing she was so very close of achieving her objective and unwilling for something to crop up at the last moment and flush all her efforts down the drain. What is a little humiliation by pretending to show fealty to Hades if it meant she will be able to bring her former Master Kirschtaria back to life? It was a simple case of the pros outweighing the cons.
She wordlessly approached the King of the underworld and kneeled in front of him with her head down in a show of subservience, even the Dioscuri were unwilling to say anything that might sabotage her efforts since they too were keen of seeing Kirschtaria alive once more. However, that did not stop them from tossing antagonistic looks at the bronze-skinned Lancer since they knew very well what her game was. But regardless, they too know when to swallow their pride in the face of a much more important goal.
"Now Caenis, raise your sight and look me in the eyes…" Hades commanded, his hair turning ebony-black and his veins thickening as he temporarily unleashed the power of his ichor once more.
Caenis did so, and the King of the underworld immediately had full access into her mind, perusing through every single one of her memories she had of Kirschtaria. And once he did so, he couldn't help himself from chuckling… "I see, very interesting…" He declared sinisterly.
Caenis blinked in puzzlement, worried for a moment that something might have gone wrong. "Lord Hades…?"
The Lord of the dead simply waved her concerns aside with a gesture of the hand. "Do not worry Caenis, I gave my word I would bring your former Master back to life. And a promise made by the gods is an absolute…" He stated before once more his mind and spirit began to traverse through distant dimensions in search of his objective.
This time, his target was not inside the throne of heroes, but in the shattered remnants of a far-flung isolated dimension that was distinctly separated from the rest of Earth's timelines. "So this is a Lostbelt…" He commented out loud. "It is as you've said my fellow Olympians, this is a world unlike any other in the Greater history of man…"
After his declaration, Hades proceeded to finalize the task at hand and with a dramatic sway of his robe, he revealed the dignified form of the leader of the Crypters safe and whole. Unsurprisingly, the Magus nobleman required a moment to get his bearings as he suddenly found himself in a strange foreign place. "What is happening? Where am I?" He asked out loud, blinking in surprise.
"Kirschtaria!" Caenis exclaimed, showing real emotion for the first time since her new summoning, her voice laced by the faint traces of Ophelia's own reaction at seeing Kirschtaria Wodime being brought back to life.
"Caenis…?" Wodime inquired with some confusion, but his mind quickly began to formulate a theory about his current situation. "Eh? I must assume it is you who must be behind the fact I'm not currently a ghost…?" He asked with good cheer as he couldn't keep from cracking a smile.
Caenis nodded with a smug smile of her own, but then her countenance tensed and became serious. "It is all because of Lord Hades…" She stated, motioning towards the God of the underworld with a flick of her neck.
Kirschtaria was understandably surprised by that information. "Hades? I thought he had died many millennia ago back in the Lostbelt." He stated before slowly turning around in the direction that Caenis was signaling behind him. Once he took his first look upon the mortal vessel of the Lord of the Dead, just like Caesar, Wodime didn't hesitated nor wasted time to deliver a perfect bow.
"Please, I apologize for my thoughtlessness and lack of consideration Lord Hades. If I had knew someone of your high esteem would be present, I would have taken steps to give a more fitting first impression…" Wodime declared with great manner and poise.
Hades' expression as usual remained impassive. "Hmmmph… At the very least you know the proper courtesies on how to address the gods…" He stated before giving Kirschtaria his full attention. "So, you are Kirschtaria Wodime…?" The king of the underworld stated as he stared down at the curtsying Magus nobleman. "I have heard a lot about you from Caenis and my own Kin: Hera, Demeter, Aphrodite and the Dioscuri. I am sure you are already pretty well acquainted with them all…"
"Indeed, I've had the honor of working closely with your relatives Lord Hades during the events that transpired in our battle against the forces of the Chaldea Security Organization inside our Atlantic Lostbelt." Wodime promptly answered.
"Yes… I've been hearing a lot about these belts of fantastical divergent history as of late. I was able to take a small glimpse of the dimensional remnants of your Lostbelt when my spirit was wandering through the realms of reality in search of your adrift soul. I even was able to take a small peek at the ruins of your Olympus. To think humans were able to bring down the seat of the gods and slay several of my kin…" Hades spoke out loud, more as a rhetorical rather than a genuine inquiry.
Kirschtaria gave a nod in acknowledgement. "There were, a lot of extraordinary circumstances in play Lord Hades… Plus the Chaldeans are made of quite the stern stuff, they have to be to have survive two end of the world scenarios and turn the tables in quite the dramatic fashion in order to launch their own offensives." He replied.
The Lord of the dead seemed pensive at that. "Quite the accomplishment indeed for a host of stargazers…" He stated with some recognition. He then dismissed the subject with a gesture so that he could focus on the matter of his interest. "Regardless, I do not wish speak about the survivors of humanity from another dimension, I am more interested about you Kirschtaria Wodime…." Hades declares, staring intently at the Magus nobleman.
"Me, your excellency? Yes… I suppose I can imagine the reason as to why I might have drawn your attention. You must be wondering about my friendship with your brother Zeus…" Wodime dared himself to guess, being pretty much right in the money.
"Correct, Kirstcharia Wodime… Just what exactly did Zeus saw on you as to grant you the greatest honors in all of Olympus? For a human, even a mystic like you, such a thing is pretty much unprecedented…" Hades inquired affably, but one could clearly tell by his tone of voice that he was demanding an explanation.
"I'm afraid the answer to that inquiry is pretty banal in nature… I simply proved myself worthy to your brother's eyes…" The magus nobleman answered humbly.
"Truly? Is that so?" The ruler of the dead countered.
"I have no reason to lie to you Lord Hades, no need of it either… What purpose would it have? What benefit would it gain me?" it was all that Kirschtaria said in reply as he kept showing deference to the king of the underworld.
Hades seemed to consider that answer. "That might be so… Nonetheless, you will have to excuse me for harboring some doubts… It is pretty hard to believe that Zeus would simply decide to offer you his hand in friendship just because you managed to get the drop on him and defeat him in a duel…" Hades pressed.
"And you would be correct, Lord Hades…" Wodime replied in agreement. "My miraculous victory over the king of Olympus would clearly not be enough to make your brother consider inducting me into his close confidence. However, it was enough for him to pay attention to my existence…"
"Then pray tell, what exactly convinced my brother Zeus into treating you as an equal…?" Hades questioned with undisguised disbelief.
Kirschtaria immediately answered unflappably, but making sure not to forget his manners. "We simply spoke, and pretty soon it became evident there was a great deal of similarities and shared ideologies between us…"
"Which means…" Hades prompted.
"He found in me a like-minded soul, someone who could relate with the constant struggles he had to undertake every day as the king of his Olympus, as I was well acquainted from first-hand personal experience of the monumental effort that was required in order to ensure the continual stability of his Lostbelt. All the sacrifices he had to make, the terrible prices he had to pay throughout the long millennia in order to keep the influence of the gods from fading from the Earth so that they could continue ruling over mankind until the modern day." Kirschtaria elaborated affably.
"Oh? And what is it exactly that you have endured that makes you think you can compare with the responsibilities that a god must carry?" The Lord of the Dead inquired with a degree of curiosity, even though Kirschtaria's statements were pretty much heretical for daring himself to be comparable to a god.
"Because I too had to pay a terrible price in order to bring the Lostbelts into existence so that I could have a viable path that would allow me to finally be able to achieve my dream." Wodime replied with humility.
Hades simply nodded at that. "Ah, yes… Your dream of seeing humanity evolve into an existence superior to the Gods that created them. Becoming the new divines that will have dominion over the world…" He stated with a foreboding smirk.
Kirschtaria was caught flat-footed by the insight that Hades had demonstrated to have regarding his ultimate goal for humanity. Caenis on the other hand, became immediately alarmed by that unexpected and (in her mind) unwelcome revelation.
"You seem surprised, Kirschtaria… You too, Caenis…" The King of the underworld stated with faux-innocence.
Despite his surprise, Wodime was quick to recompose himself, and once more became the perfect image of imperturbability. "I believe you have me at a disadvantage Lord Hades… By your words, I must assume Caenis made no mention regarding my plans and ambitions…?" He inquired respectfully towards the Lord of the Dead.
Caenis suddenly interjected in order to answer that question, even though it was a breach of Decorum since no one had asked about her opinion. "It wasn't me Kirschtaria! I don't know how Hades learned about our plans, but it wasn't from me! You know me! You know I'm not one to tattle! I would never willingly divulge any kind of information even under pain of death!" She hastily declared so as to clear her name.
Hades chuckled at the reaction of the Golden clad Lancer. "Oh, but you are mistaken my dear Caenis, it was indeed from you where I learned about your former Master's plans…" He announced much to Caenis consternation. "You see… Nothing can escape from the notice of a god… Thanks to my divine will, all attempts and illusions to try to obfuscate the truth from me are swept aside. And every fact is unequivocally brought to light in the end… The entire lives of mortals become mine to peruse at my leisure but with a single glance…
Hades then glanced towards Caenis with an inquisitive disposition. "Do you remembered when you locked eyes with me Caenis just before I brought your former master back…?" He asked rhetorically. A look of disquiet fell upon the Lancer as she began to realize what might have happened.
The King of the underworld smiled at her understanding. "It is indeed as you believe dear Caenis… I am able to peer inside the minds of whoever becomes the focus of my attention. So when you looked into my eyes, I had direct access to your memories, every single moment you spent in the company of Kirschtaria were mine to scrutinize as I saw fit, every single conversation, every whispered word and plans concocted in the dark, it was as if I had been standing in the same room as you two listening as you weaved your silly little plots…" Hades declared in a sarcastic tone that clearly told what he believe of their plan to uplift humanity.
Wodime was pretty much unbothered despite the fact his entire ambitions were laid bare in front of a god whose insights and beliefs he knew nothing about. "Oh, well? That is indeed quite the surprise lord Hades… But looking at the bright side, at the very least that means I will not have to waste time and effort tiptoeing around the issue to keep you in the dark, which in my opinion feels like weight off my shoulders…" He stated with a kind smile.
Hades was a bit curious at Wodime's apparent lack of concern. "I am surprised how unbothered you are at having your ambitions laid bare in the open. I don't believe you are aware just how serious the situation you currently find yourself in is… Let me tell you, I am not a god who is fond of humanity, in fact, my entire mission is to wipe out your entire race from the face of the Earth…" He stated with just the barest hint of danger in his tone.
Kirschtaria simply shrugged unconcerned. "It is as I have already told you Lord Hades, just like your brother Zeus, I have made great and terrible sacrifices to find myself in the place where I am today. To the point that, there's simply no reason as to why I should feel concerned about anyone, be it man or god, learning about the full scope of my ambitions. Not after everything I have already done…"
"Oh?" Now that response actually intrigued Hades a little.
Wodime simply gestured towards the Lord of the dead in deference. "Please, Lord Hades… Let us dispense of all formality for a moment and be honest with one another. Just tell me plain and simple, what is it that concerns you so about my ambitions?"
"You have to ask?" The king of the underworld replied with some mild disapproval in his voice. "You seek to usurp the power of the gods that created humanity, to dethrone us from our rightful seats of dominion over mankind and give the reins of their own destiny back to the humans who will now be in the position to replace us as the sole masters of all of creation…" Hades stated with thinly concealed disgust. "You are not the first mortal that I've met who has coveted the power of the gods for himself… They all fail in the end and I extract a great deal of pleasure when I punish them for their sins in my underworld…"
"Oh? But that is where you are wrong lord Hades…" Kirschtaria amended, interjecting upon Hades' budding rant. "I do not seek for humanity to replace the gods. No, what I seek is for humanity to surpass them all in every single aspect. There's a difference you see…" He pointed out.
"Blasphemy…" Hades simply replied but allowed for Kirschtaria to say his piece. "But very well… Let's hear it? What makes your ambitions any different from all those who came before believing they could usurp the gods…?" He inquired with mild expectation in a tone that told for Kirschtaria to better have a good answer, otherwise...
Wodime was about to reply, but then stopped and let out a sigh before addressing the Lord of the dead again. "Let me guess Lord Hades, the reason as to why you seek the extermination of humanity is because of our sins. Our predisposition towards violence, our capacity for malice, our cruelty and apathy towards our fellow men. All of our faults and wrongdoings that have plagued us time and again since the dawn of our species…" He inquired of the King of the underworld.
Hades simply nodded in acknowledgement. "Your proficiency for rationale is commendable. Those are indeed the reasons as to why Zeus has commanded for the destruction of mankind. But what does this has to do with the answer to my question?" He demanded with some irritation.
"Because that is exactly what I seek to eradicate from my species by forcing humanity to evolve into a higher state!" Wodime declared passionately.
"Truly?" Hades raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"What I seek is for humanity to reach a state of perfection above all the myriad of petty squabbles and quarrels that have hindered us throughout our entire history. I wish for a world where humanity is free of flaws in both character and nature, armed with perfect knowledge and wisdom to act with reason and prudence, where it never has to suffer needlessly or give in to evil impulses."
"Now, that is a tall ambitious order indeed…" Hades remarked, neither approvingly nor condemnably. "I assume there must be quite the tale behind the desire for such a laudable dream…"
"You assume correctly Lord Hades…" Kirschtaria simply said before turning away from the king of the underworld, needing a moment to collect his thoughts. Wodime let out a tired sigh before addressing the Lord of the dead again. "I gather you would wish to hear my story Lord Hades?"
"If you would be so kind…" The king of the underworld replies with a hint of command in his voice.
Wodime began to pace around the dais, steeling his nerves for what he knew were some unpleasant memories. At length the turned back to Hades. "When I was a young boy, I was always told that I was destined for greatness. I had the good fortune of having been born in a thousand year-old magi lineage, as the future heir of the Wodime family. From a young age I was lauded as a certified genius, every field of study I tackled, I mastered in record time, there was no discipline I couldn't learn, no insurmountable challenge that I could not overcome with my intellect alone. When the day came for me to depart from home and go study at the Clock Tower, the headquarters of the Magus Association, I soon began to garner the attention of the Lords and heads of departments within the association and the adulation of my peers as everybody became amazed of my genius. They all agreed that my future was bound to be a brilliant one, Kirschtaria Wodime, the jewel of the Clock Tower; the top disciple of the Lord of the department of Astromancy, Marysbury Animusphere, said to be a much better successor for the title of Lord than Animusphere's chosen heir, Olga Marie… That was my life once upon a time…" The blonde magus said with obvious nostalgia and sadness in his voice.
"I take it something must have occurred… From my experience the brightest of lights often cast the longest of shadows…" Hades commented in reply.
Wodime simply nodded in acknowledgement. "You are indeed right on the money Lord Hades… Outside of my notice, there were those who were jealous of my genius, who saw with envious eyes my quick rise among the ranks of the Clock Tower, those who I considered my friends and family were in reality plotting to bring about my downfall. My own father… He was the biggest threat of them all, he became jealous of my immense natural abilities and power as a Magus that far overshadowed his own, and jealously soon gave way to paranoia as he began to fear that I would plot to usurp and replace him as the head of the family. And thus he tried to have me assassinated…" He revealed as if speaking of a particularly unappetizing memory.
"Yes… Nothing is a greater tragedy but when a parent tries to attempt against the lives of his own children. I'm sure you must know about my own experience on the subject…" Hades stated, throwing a knowing look at Wodime.
Kirschtaria once more nodded in acquiescence. "Correct… Your conflict with your own father Kronos and the ensuing Titanomachy…" He mentioned before resuming his own tale. "At any rate, my father sent one of our own household manservants to wait for me on a bridge that I crossed every day to commute to and from the Department of Spiritual Evocation. There he ambushed me and shot me with a bullet that would end up permanently damaging my magic circuits, crippling my ability to perform magecraft for life. I fell into the river, and soon I lost consciousness. When I awoke, I was inside this rundown shack. Unaware from my notice, there was this homeless child, this orphan boy living underneath the bridge. He would watch me as I crossed the bridge every day, and I never knew he was there, didn't even acknowledged his existence.
Yet, it was this orphan child who would save my life and bring me into his shelter where he would try to nurse me back to health the best he could by feeding me from his dwindling reserves of stale bread and keeping me hidden from my enemies with the help of a magical pendant of concealment. What a comical sight must I have been, this spoiled noble brat who had been feed with a silver spoon all his life while being attended by a veritable army of retainers was now forced to eat nothing more but stale bread while being cared upon by a filthy orphan child, unsurprisingly I was less than enthused about my new situation.
But the child was adamant in his efforts of nursing me back to health, and slowly but surely my strength began to return with each passing day. However, after several weeks the boy finally ran out of food, so he had no option but to leave in order to get more supplies, but not before leaving the pendant of concealment behind with me to keep me hidden from my enemies, knowing pretty well he was left vulnerable without it. Latter I learned that the child had tried to steal a basket of fresh bread but was caught and beaten brutally because of it, nonetheless, he was able to return back to the shack to hand me the basket before succumbing to his wounds, dying in front of me…
It was in that moment that I discovered what the perfect ideal of humanity was, that the kindness and altruism shown to me by this child at the expense of his own life was the exemplar that all of mankind should try to aspire. A true act of charity without the promise of any kind of reward or remuneration, and the will to act just because it was the moral thing to do. In that respect, this homeless child whom I never learned his name was greater that all the lords of the clock tower and the rulers of all nations combined, who do not hesitate to plot against each other and stab themselves in the back in order to gain any perceived advantage. So, from that day on I decided that I would become all that was good in the world, that I would attain all the virtues under all of heaven and that I would strive to one day bring about a better humanity. My ultimate goal from then on was to find a way to remake the world…"
An uncharacteristical look of pity feel upon Caenis' features but a moment as she gazed upon her former master. "Mast... Kirschtaria..." She corrected herself mid-statement before she ended up commiting a faux-pas.
The Magus nobleman ignored the almost blunder of his erstwhile servant and continued with his retelling as if nothing had happened. "It was for that reason that I accepted the deal proposed to me by a foreign god, an outsider from our world hailing from a distant star, just so I could bring about my vision for a better humanity into reality. For that, I allowed the foreign god to recruit and elevate my fellow Crypters into a standing similar to mine, I helped the Apostles of this Alien God to infiltrate the planet so that they could carry out his plans in secret without the knowledge of any other nation or their organizations tasked with safeguarding the human world. I brought forth the descent of the seeds from the fantasy trees upon the Earth which brought forth the complete annihilation of mankind and the entire leveling of the planet's surface, turning it into an even endless white desert of salt. And with the help of the fantasy trees taking root and blooming into maturity, the birth of the Lostbelts was all but guaranteed in the hopes that they would thrive and expand all over the world just so I could replace the entire history of humanity with a new one.
With my direct actions, I became the prime responsible for the extinction of my own species, but it was not a state that I had envisioned for it to remain permanent. My wish was to renew the now dead humanity and elevate it into a higher existence. I killed all of humanity for the chance of instigating it to be reborn again into a better future, one where cruelty, selfishness and despair do not exist. Where humanity has overcome all its petty differences and conflicts of the past and has managed to ascend into new heights to stand alongside the gods that once oversaw and lived among them…" Wodime passionately declared before falling silent, waiting for the judgement of the king of the underworld.
Castor was livid after hearing Kirschtaria's confession. "Wait! So, you're telling us, Master! That the only reason you were helping our father Zeus was for the opportunity to claim the power of the Fantasy Tree and use it to rebuild humanity!?" He demanded with great sarcastic scorn applied upon the word Master, before he lifted an arm and pointed towards Wodime accusingly. "You never had any intention of allowing Olympus to exist as the new history of the world! You were just using us, using the gods for your own aims!?"
Kirschtaria simply answered without hesitation. "Yes, it is as you say Castor. I never had the intention for Zeus' vision for the world to thrive, it was all an alliance of convenience to help each other achieve our own personal goals, but eventually, our own opposing visions would had inevitably led us into conflict. Though for what is worth, I do believe wholeheartedly that humanity should be ruled by the gods." He unapologetically confessed much to the shock of the twins.
"Just not us, the gods of Olympus…" It was Pollux who spoke aloud, having reached this realization and speaking on behalf of her brother who couldn't even utter a single word due to his outrage. "But rather, the humans who would be elevated to stand at the same level as us and displace us as the new gods of the Earth, to rule their own destinies and that of the World as they might see it fit…"
Kirschtaria didn't bother to answer that assertion, letting his silence to serve as response since he felt there was no need for words.
A look of utter loathing and betrayal appeared in Castor's face, a rather unsurprising development considering the deep seethed hatred the eldest Dioscuri had towards humans, more so considering Kirschtaria was the only mortal he had learned to tolerate.
Hades of course, didn't hesitate to capitalize on this turn of events for his own benefit. The lord of the dead laughed, a long ominous sinister sound that brought great apprehension to every single of his listeners. Finally, after long tense moments, the King of the underworld spoke towards the Crypter again while gesturing at Wodime with an arm. "See, my dear niblings… This is exactly what I was telling Eros about, there is no real love between the humans and the gods. It is all pretenses and falsehoods at the end of the day…" He declared with a smile.
Castor's lips turned into a line as he lowered his head in disappointment, when he raised his head again, a look of inflexible resolution had taken over his eyes. "Yes… Divine uncle, it is as you say… There is no love lost between us gods and the humans beneath us… Father Zeus is in the right for commanding their extermination…"
Hades simply nodded at that. "Indeed, we will of course be taking care of that matter in due time, for now…" He turned to address Kirschtaria. "I must say, your misguided idealism amuses me greatly human. You were right however in saying you were different from all others who have coveted the power of the gods in the past… Indeed, with such lofty over-reaching ambitions, you are in many respects much like Icarus, soaring through the air with reckless abandon while daring to fly too close to the sun with wax-held wings. Believing for a moment you can do something as careless as to think yourself capable of touching the gods themselves with your bare hands (Chuckles) and just like Icarus, you will end up falling back into the ground and into your doom." He declared perversely as he focused his unblinking gaze upon the Magus nobleman. After a steady heartbeat, Hades spoke again.
"I will allow for you to continue with your blasphemy, human, because I find your pitiful ambitions entertaining. But once your inevitable failure arrives and you witness all of your dreams and aspirations crashing down all around you in flames, I will be there watching and waiting to drag your soul into my underworld and subject your spirit to the greatest torments available on each of my circles for daring yourself to believe that humanity could ever stand in equal grounds with the gods that created them, Kirschtaria Wodime. But until that day, you are welcome to remain as a guest of my halls under Caenis' care as her personal charge." He then turned towards the bronze-skinned lancer. "Do not worry Caenis, I will not punish you for your poor attempt at Deceit. I'll overlook your transgressions just this once, because I am a forgiving god. So long as you remember your oaths of servitude, I do not particularly care what insignificant plots you try to weave with your former Master. But do not dare to try my patience a second time, lest that you incur my wrath worse than Eros did… After all, you wouldn't want to look ungrateful after all the blessings I have bestowed upon you, wouldn't you?" He commented with a pointed look towards the warrior woman.
The King of the underworld then proceeded to return to his throne and settled back on it before performing a dismissive gesture, signaling the end of the conversation. "You both are free to go, you may now take your leave…" He commanded, both Crypter and former Servant didn't waste time and proceeded to retreat from the god's presence, Kirschtaria offering a bow, not forgetting his manners even under duress. Something that even Hades could appreciate.
The Olympian God then turned towards the still awaiting servants at the foot of the dais to his throne. "With this last matter settled at last, you all may now rise and take your rightful place among my armies…" He idly stated before turning towards the rest of his audience witnessing his proceedings quietly from the front of the throne room's main double doors. "And now we can finally proceed to sort the rest of you… To you all… Strangers and newcomers from far and distant Dimensions, you have all heard my history and my intentions. So, it is now my turn to hear all your answers to the offer I have already laid at your feet. Will you accept to join my armies? Decline my generous offer? Or perhaps you have further questions?" The king of the underworld lazily inquired.
"Out of curiosity, and just as a thought exercise… What would happen if we were to say no?" Ragyo Kiryuin inquired with mild interest.
Again, there was no immediate reaction from Hades. "And just what exactly do you expect to happen if you were to reject my offer? Have none of you been listening to my words? I've said it many times now, I am Hades, God of Olympus and King of the underworld and ruler of the dead. The souls of the departed are my domain, to command them without question or defiance is my right. Many among you were already dead, nothing but lifeless corpses when you first arrived on this place. It is by my divine will alone that you all walk again among the living, because such was my desire. If you were to reject my offer, then I will simply drag your souls back into the underworld and bestow my judgement upon you immediately, into whatever fate or punishment awaits you, for the dead cannot escape from my sunless realm unless I allow it…"
"So, let me get this straight…" A demonic-looking blonde girl with bright red-sclera eyes dressed in a black skirt interjected. "You want us to join you and follow your orders as your little tune-dancing loyal soldiers in order to kill people…?" The girl made a show of taking a second to think the offer through, only for a terrible wicked smile to grace her lips. "I see absolutely no problem with such an offer…"
"Same with me…" A deranged-looking blue-haired girl with a scar over the bridge of her nose and dressed in a skimpy harlequin outfit said.
"Phyrra!" Both the older blonde woman in the white Greek toga and a young blonde warrior exclaimed in alarm.
"Shut up! Mother… Brother… As I've already told to the both of you time and again, nothing will stop me from feasting upon the souls of weaklings and spread death and destruction wherever I go." The demonic-looking blonde declared, her pretty face twisting in rage.
Laphicet pointed at that. "Look Velvet, there's someone trying to take your title as the Lord of Calamity away from you…."
"Ha! I seriously doubt it Laphicet" It was the simple answer from the Ravenette.
Teresa became alarmed at hearing those voices, she began to frantically look among the mass of bodies that was the audience of the God of the underworld until her eyes fell upon a familiar and hated form. And it was then that a great irrational hate began to fill the insides of the former exorcist, she would had launch herself towards the abhorrent lord of Calamity in an attempt to extract her revenge form her, but the hand of her brother fell atop her shoulder to keep her from doing anything rash.
Theresa turned to look at his half-sibling with an unusual expression of outrage, but the serious demeanor on Oscar's expression and the stiff shaking of his head told her this was not time for that type of violent shenanigans. A pointed look towards Hades' direction reminded her of their current place and situation. Grudgingly, Teresa postponed her revenge for a more appropriate time, since she damn well knew it would be beyond stupid to draw the anger of the King of the underworld by acting thoughtlessly, much as it irked and gnawed at her insides. The other people in the room kept speaking, unmindful of her little outburst.
"It is only natural for the weak to be trampled upon by the strong, even if the whole of humanity were to die, then clearly it was deserved since they were not strong enough to survive." Esdeath declared before kneeling with a bow, completely ignoring the comments of the peanut's gallery. "I can feel you are the most powerful being I've ever laid eyes upon, Lord Hades. Consider me your loyal general under your command…." She stated with a smile.
"That is true… The strong lives and the weak dies, nothing more and nothing less. As long as you promise me battles and slaughter, I don't care what you order me to do. Just give the order and all your enemies will die in pain…" A purple long-haired, red-eyed beauty interjected before kneeling, following Esdeath's example.
"Oh? Another woman after my own heart…" Karasuba stated with a smile. "The same goes for me, just give me worthy battles in which to put my swordsmanship to the test and I'll follow you without complaint…" She declared before bending the knee.
A quintet of girls dressed in white military outfits similar to the blue-haired Ice wilder seemed indecisive for a moment, before the one in the lead decided to take charge. "I'll follow after Esdeath-sama example and offer my loyalty to your efforts too, Lord Hades…" She stated as she kneeled. Her companions, a pinkette and two blondes simply glanced among themselves before shrugging and copying after her.
It was her last companion, a lithe long black-haired girl (?) who showed signs of dissention. "Oh Bambietta, you've always been so quick and eager to please others, such the greedy doll if my memory doesn't fail me…" She (?) cooed.
"I don't want to hear any word from your filthy mouth!"
"If your plan is to destroy humanity then you have the same objective as us, and as a fellow deity, it is natural for us to join forces." A bodacious Magenta-haired woman clad in a revealing purple dress and wearing a staff said with a sinister smile as she stepped forward alongside a green haired woman in a white dress wielding a hammer.
Hades glanced at them seemingly uninterested. "I can feel the light of divinity inside you two, so you must be fellow goddesses from another realm…" It was the simple observation from the Lord of the dead.
The magenta-haired woman offered a bow as she introduced herself. "Correct, my name is Loki, and this is my sister Thorr…" She gestured towards her companion. "And just like you, we strive to see the complete eradication of mankind…"
"And thus, you see no issue in joining my forces… Very well, not the first time a fellow god decides to support my efforts…" Hades said before turning back to the Servants. "In fact, I sense the touch of Divinity coming from others among you… Especially from the rest of you who share the designation of Servant. Come forth and introduce yourselves…" He ordered to the rest of the servants.
The first one to step forward was a lithe blue-haired girl with a cloak made of stars, her entire appearance, especially the glint of her eyes screamed otherworldly. "You can address this one as the primordial Goddess from space, Ishtar… The living consciousness and will of an entire galaxy. I can relate to your endeavor to eradicate the pitiful mortals, and greatly approve of it since I too have experienced first-hand what is like to have all of one's property and authority stolen from me by these gnats… You will find no complaint from me in the pursuit of your goals." She declared with such an inexpressive face as to rival that of Hades himself.
A blonde woman in a black dress and veil came next, a long blue scaly tail swaying behind her. "My name is Vrita, the serpent demon god, the dragon of confined boundaries. I have no predilection whether or not you were to kill all of humanity, though I do admit that I find interesting the notion of humans rebelling against the gods, it will be entertaining to watch them struggle against you." She declared with what everyone could tell was a sadistic smile beneath her veil, despite it concealing her features. It was the eyes what clearly revealed her true intentions.
A blonde girl with twin tails and a black dress who was the spitting Image of Space Ishtar soon followed, trying to grandstand a little to give a haughty image as she stuttered in her introduction. It had some mixed results. "Ehhh!? I-I am Ereshkigal! The Sumerian Goddess of the underworld…"
"Ah! A fellow ruler of the dead, you are most welcome upon these new halls of mine…" Hades declared with what seemed like contentment, an emotion to be showed for the first time from his part in a long time as far those closest to him knew him.
Ereshkigal seemed to have been caught off-guard by the interruption as she tried to stammer an answer. "I-I-I-I I thank you for your hospitality lord Hades… T-that said, I—Ah! Are you really sure you wish to exterminate all of humanity?" She ventured herself to ask.
"Do you disapprove of my goals?" Hades questioned with no discernable emotion.
"N-no!" Ereshkigal was prompt to amend in order to avoid any kind of unwitting offense. "I just question whether or not you are truly aware of what killing all of humanity entails. I-I mean… I been there where you are right now, feeling that killing all the humans is the only way to bring them salvation. But let me tell you, it is such a troublesome hassle dealing with so many souls of the dead at once!" She exclaimed rather frantically.
Hades raised a single eyebrow in interest. "Elaborate… What is it that you are trying to say lady Ereshkigal?" He compelled affably.
Ereshkigal turned a little contrite as she began to press the tips of her index fingers together. "W-Well… Gorg- I mean Me-Medusa, Jaguar Warrior (Another Servant that's not here) and Quetzalcoatl over there… (She pointed at the blonde woman in question) We joined together in an Alliance with the intention of destroying the ancient kingdom of Uruk and ending the life of all its inhabitants. W-we failed for several reasons, in any case, it wasn't until the primordial Goddess Tiamat (Over there) awoke, that she single-handedly wiped out the entire country in a deluge of her primordial mud. And let me tell you… It is not pretty to have the underworld under your supervision to be suddenly overrun by an unplanned influx of souls, I couldn't keep up with the flood and I was all on my own since my Gallu spirits were completely useless, and I ran out of cages where to put the arriving dead in the first ten minutes and my entire infrastructure began to fall apart. It was horrible!" She exclaimed with a rather frenetic rant.
Hades just remained there, sitting in his spot, refraining from immediately saying anything. "Cages?" He said with actual amusement.
Ereshkigal was puzzled for a moment at the inquiry. "Eh? Oh, are you asking about my cages? Oh well, I just put the souls of those that arrive on my underworld inside these cages…" From beneath her cape, the blonde Goddess pulls out a shiny golden cage the color of the sunset sun, a vibrant flame burning inside, the soul of a departed human. "That way they are preserved and comfortable so that I can gaze upon them for all eternity, are they not pretty?" She declared happily, proudly displaying her treasure.
"But yes, I really don't like it when too many people flock into my underworld all at once. It is a pain to build these cages, and I worry I would be incapable of making my realm comfortable for all the new arrivals. I pride myself of being a good hostess you know, so having the entire place being overrun… No, that's just a nightmare!" She exclaimed in alarm.
The corners of Hades' mouth turned up in the ghost of a smile. "I see… You are correct, Honored Ereshkigal that preparations need to be made in order to host such a great influx of souls. I needed not worry about such complications in my own underworld since it was big enough to fit the entire population of Earth and administer their due punishments. But as I've said, after my defeat, my underworld, the Elysian Fields which serve as my gardens of eternal bliss and the Hyperdimension separating them have all been destroyed. So, yes… Time and effort will be required in order to rebuild them. Just another indignity to be laid at the feet of Athena… But worry not my fellow Goddess of the dead, I will make sure you have all the pretty cages you might desire to gaze upon the tortured souls of humanity until the end of time itself." He declared, making Ereshkigal grow silent, a little blush appearing on her features.
Hades' gaze then turned towards the tall fit and toned Blonde woman that had taken place besides Ereshkigal, prompting an introduction with his sight alone. "This Elder sister's name is Quetzalcoatl, feathered serpent and Goddess of the sun and wind…" She said with a seemingly pleasant and happy-go-lucky expression.
"And do you have anything to say about my plans? Any complaint at all?" Hades prompted.
"Oh, no. Everything is fine! No hay problema!" Quetzalcoatl replied, a little too quickly with a little cheery laugh at the end. A bit too cheery in fact…
"Laaaaaaaa…!" The lithe blue-haired horned woman a few steps behind Quetzalcoatl crooned.
"Tiamat-chan says she has no problem with your plans either…" The blonde Aztec Goddess was quick to say in Tiamat's stead.
"Laaaaa…." Tiamat appeared to be in agreement if her nod and general body language was any indication. It was hard to gain an accurate reading of what the Alter-Ego might be thinking. Not only because of her lack of proper speech patterns, but because of her lackadaisical bearing that made one believe she was completely apathetic to everything going around her.
A tall, bodacious woman with long lush violet hair came forth. "My name is Ushi-Gozen, cursed child of the god Tenjin and descendant of Indra. I have no problem with you wanting to kill all the humans, In fact, I'm looking forward for the upcoming slaughter. It's going to be fun!" She declared with a pleasant, malignant smile.
Hades, nodded and then turned towards someone he considered a surprise. "Astraea… How unexpected to find you in here…?" He said towards the fit blonde woman dressed in blue.
"Lord Hades…." Astraea replied a little curtly.
"Do you have any objection about my designs…?" The King of the underworld inquired.
"It does not matter what I think about your little penchant for genocide. If that is the will of Olympus then there's very little I can do about it… But know this, I am the Goddess of Justice, and my scales will constantly be weighting the worth of both humans and gods. If at any point the measure of an individual ends up coming short, then I will be prompt in dispensing my justice upon them, regardless of whoever it might be…" She lectured in what could be considered a threat.
Hades waved his arm at her in dismissal. "We are the gods that rule over all of creation. Our judgement is always right and just…"
"Then pray for that to actually be the case Lord Hades." It was all she said in response.
Hades chuckled without any cheer. "As steadfast and unwavering as always, my dear Astraea…" He then turned towards a magenta-haired woman in a purple suit.
"I am Skadi. Bride of the Gods and Goddess of the Mountain and Ski. Ruler of the Scandinavian Lostbelt. With me is her majesty Morgan Pendragon, Queen of the fairies and ruler of the English Lostbelt…" The Nordic Goddess said as introduction, gesturing towards Morgan who had taken off her veil by this point, revealing her beautiful yet cold features.
"It is an honor to meet you Lord Hades…" Morgan said with a reverence.
"More people from these Lostbelts? I expect your stories to be quite intriguing as what my fellow Olympians have told me already… I look forward to our further conversations…" Hades affably said before moving to the next deity, his face showing a faint hint of surprise.
"Artemis…?" You are here too?" He commented, raising his eyebrows.
The sky-blue haired goddess dressed in an outrageously revealing black dress and wearing a broken V-shaped visor over her eyes awkwardly rubbed her arm at being put on the spotlight before offering a reply to the Lord of the dead. "In-a-matter-of-speaking… Hello uncle, is nice to see you alive and well again…"
Hades was a little puzzled by his niece's appearance, considering he was accustomed for the Artemis he knew to be blonde and clad in Golden Armor. "Let me guess… You are the counterpart of my niece hailing from one of these 'Lostbelts' too?" He inferred considering all he had heard already.
Unsurprisingly, Artemis simply nodded in confirmation. "I am from the same Lostbelt as Lady Aphrodite, Demeter, Europa and the others. And just like them I've had my Aletheia destroyed. This body you see in front of you is nothing more but a remote terminal that I normally use to scout ahead. It was the only vessel I found available after my apparent death…"
"I see…" Hades replied as he processed this information. "I suppose now I will have to carry a second ceremony to bring you back to life and restore your divinity. You should have made mention of your presence before, dear niece, to avoid these kind of inconveniences…" He stated with a note of chastisement in his voice.
Artemis simply lowered her head in apology. "I'm sorry dear uncle, is just I simply didn't feel it was my place to speak out of turn…" She contritely offered as an answer.
Hades dismissively waved at her from his throne. "No matter, we will deal with this issue latter. I welcome you nonetheless in these halls dear niece of mine…" He simply declared, receiving a 'thank you uncle' and a curtsey in response before turning to the next Servant. A scantily clad lilac-haired woman whose limbs seemed to be burning with blue cosmic fire and her hair reflected the vast depths of the universe, the woman was sporting a rather morose expression, quite peculiar considering he had yet to do anything towards her person.
"Is something the matter my lady? You seem rather discouraged for some reason?" The King of the underworld inquired with mild interest.
The scantily dressed woman just sighed tiredly as she crossed her arms over her enticing bust before offering a reply. "Oh? Do not mind me Lord Hades, I am simply resigning myself to the fact that from now on I'm going to be receiving all the blame when something goes wrong as usual since I fully expect I'm about to earn your distrust and suspicion from the get-go if the way you kicked the ass of that feather-brain Amour is any indication…"
"A curious thing to say even between gods who have never met each other before. Why is that?" Hades questioned.
"Because just like that disgustingly idealistic and lovey-dovey girl, I too am a deity whose authority holds dominion over Love. My name is Kama… The Hindu Goddess of Love…" The newly identified Kama said with apprehensive expectation.
Whatever sign of levity that could be found in the face of the ruler of the dead was lost in an instant as soon as he heard about Kama's domain, his expression turning back to his usual inscrutableness. "Yes… I suppose you do have a very good reason to believe I will not be fond of your presence Lady Kama. I have already made my views over love rather clear as nothing more than a fallacy invented by humans to chain themselves willingly to the whims of others and make their own lives unnecessarily miserable as result…" He stated imperiously.
Kama suddenly turned towards the King of the Underworld with a stern serious expression. "I completely agree with your assessment about Love Lord Hades…"
Now that! Was a true surprise, and a development that even Hades himself had not come to expect, and thus became immediately intrigued by it as he stared silently at Kama for several long seconds. "You are speaking the truth… How intriguing… Forgive me for asking my Lady, but will you be willingly to explain how is it that a Goddess of Love came to hate her own Authority?"
"Because as you say Lord Hades, love is a despicable thing that brings more trouble than what is worth…" Kama simply replied matter-of-factly. "As the chief deity of love in my Pantheon, it is always me who people come to bother every time they desire aid of any kind for their pitiful relationships. I am bound to always answer to the prayers of lowly downtrodden humans wishing to gain the affection of another equally insignificant human who has shown little interest in their pathetic lives; and when I give them what they desire, and the outcome begins to stray overtime beyond their expectations about what they thought should be the perfect result, then it is I who always has to shoulder the entire blame in the end.
Worst still is that I detest humanity, since they are nothing more but disgusting whimpering and selfish little creatures, yet as the Goddess of Love I have no other choice but to Love them no matter how pathetic or utterly repugnant they might be. I hate them, and yet I must Love them all the same…
I am, just so tired of working for other people's affections and love and not even receiving a paltry thank you in return…" The pale lilac-haired goddess stated in a tone of complete weariness and fatigue.
Hades remained quiet for a moment as he finished his assessment of the disillusioned Love Goddess, a look of consideration in his gaze. "I think I might have been a little hasty on my initial assessment of you Lady Kama, as long as you promise never to carry out your functions as a Goddess of love, I believe you and I will get along just fine…"
Kama was visibly surprised by that "You want me not to answer to the prayers of those wishing for Love!? Then what am I supposed to do? The exact opposite? Should I start boycotting other people chances in finding true love?" She stated skeptically in a cheeky tone, but inside she was finding Hades' idea much to her liking since that's exactly what she would prefer to be doing instead if she could.
"If you must…" It was the simple reply of the King of the Underworld. "I tire of all these baseless acclamations that wish to endorse the benefits of love without a single shred of proof, and yet for all their ovations the humans would instead do the exact opposite of what they preach and betray the tenets of their so called love at the first opportunity. Such blatant hypocrisy displeases me… Perhaps someone should be there to teach them just how little their vaunted love truly is…"
Kama raised a hand to her mouth as she began to laugh in delight. "Tee he he he he he, Now that is a new and intrepid idea. I believe I can accommodate your request easily Lord Hades…" She answered with a much more relaxed bearing than just a moment before.
The Lord of the Dead simply nodded. "I am glad, then I suppose no animosity will ever brew between us. Carry on then…" He stated before signaling to the next servant in line.
The beautiful dark-haired elfin woman in black dress and corset gave a reverence as salute. "I am Queen Semiramis of Assyria. A demigoddess, daughter of the Goddess Derketo of Ascalon and a mortal man. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lord Hades…"
The Lord of the dead nodded in acknowledgement. "The pleasure is all mine lady Semiramis. I get an impression from you similar to what I sense from the judges of my underworld. It tells me you are a highly competent and driven woman, who values efficiency and talent above all else. I feel we will be in good enough terms with one another…"
"Thank you, Lord Hades… Your kind words honor me…" Semiramis simply replied as she rose to her full height again.
Hades was about to turn to the next servant when BB's interface turned red and began to blare in alarm. Obviously, the deafening sound was not to the Lord of the dead's liking since it caused his daughter to cry due to the shock. "BB, what is that contraption of yours doing?" He demanded for an answer.
The Plum-haired girl quickly turned off the alarm before proceeding to check what the matter was, she was particularly curious about her findings. "Huh? It seems we have uninvited guests Lord Hades… Someone just teleported inside the flying city…" She dutifully informed to her new liege.
"Who…?" It was all that Hades said in reply.
A floating holo-screen immediately flickered into existence above the throne of the King of the underworld, in there, Hades had a perfect clear view of the intruders. What he saw made his expression turn into stone as his mood plummeted into glacial levels in an instant.
It was a figure of a woman clan in resplendent golden winged armor, accompanied by four other figures also wearing their own splendid armors.
Hades uttered but a single word, but that single word carried a deep, burning and unending hatred. "Athena…!"
I don't feel like writing anything in the afterword, until next time…