Duke William of
I really need to finish my quests. :V
- Pronouns
- He/Him
We're only talking to Hades here. The three Fates already poofed away.
Legends Unbound. (Adventure in the Trojan Saga and Try to Survive.)
- Thread starter Magoose
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
- Location
- Over the next hill.
Darn oh well. I wanted to see them show up.
[X] Because Cerberus would be sad if you did that.
-[X] Walk over to Cerberus and have Cerberus make puppy eyes at Hades.
-[X] Walk over to Cerberus and have Cerberus make puppy eyes at Hades.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X]Write in: I mean the door did open on itself when I knocked it.
[X]Write in: i mean the door did open on itself when i knocked it.
[X] Because Cerberus would be sad if you did that.
-[X] Walk over to Cerberus and have Cerberus make puppy eyes at Hades.
The interaction with the Fates reminds me of the four parables of Lies from KSBD.
[X] Because Cerberus would be sad if you did that.
-[X] Walk over to Cerberus and have Cerberus make puppy eyes at Hades.
The interaction with the Fates reminds me of the four parables of Lies from KSBD.
The Grand Enemy Called I
i. The Lie of the Giant and the Ant
YISUN sat once with his disciple Hansa in YISUN's second clockwise glass palace. Hansa was one of his most ardent students and a grand questioner of YISUN. Unlike Yisun's other disciple, Pree Ashma, he had no hunger in his heart for dominion of the universe, but a miserly scrutiny and a heart of iron nails. He was not an aspirant for royalty, and thereby attained it through little effort.
Hansa's questions were thus:
'Lord, how must I question space?'
'With an age, an ant may encircle a giant five million times,' spoke YISUN.
'Lord, how then may I question time?'
'A giant's stride of a moment takes an ant a week to surpass.' YISUN spoke and smiled in the 4th way.
Hansa was discontent with this answer and rubbed the stem of his long and worn pipe which he always kept with him and would eventually lead to his annihilation. Since he was royalty, he knew this, and kept it close to him as a reminder of his circular death.
'Lord, then which should I be, the giant or the ant?'
'Both,' spoke YISUN, 'or either, when it suits you. Destroy the grand enemy called 'I'.'
Hansa contemplated this in silence. Later he would recount this proverb to his daughter.[2]
ii. The Lie of the Iron Plum
There was once a king named UN-Payam who sat at the right hand of YISUN's throne and ruled a palace of burnished gold and fire and dispensed justice in all things. It was let known once that Payam had grown an extraordinary plum – enormous in size, with adamant skin that was burnished as a breastplate and fifty times as hardy. Payam was desirous of a pillow friend of fiery heart and excellent skill with their mouth and let know that whosoever could break the skin of that plum with their teeth he would swear to share his bed with for three nights in whatever disposition they may desire.
Many gods were in attendance at Payam's hall on the first day, and even more on the second day, but by the third day of this strange contest few remained who had not tested their mettle, for the plum remained implacable and immaculate and turned many away with sore teeth and roiling frustration in their brains. A great cry rose up and YISUN was called forth from the twenty third clockwise palace of carbon where YISUN had been meditating on the point of a thirty acre long spear of crystallized time. In companionship with YISUN was Hansa, who followed along.
"See this Payam!" cried the gods, "He deceives us! He cruelly abuses our lustful hearts!"
YISUN was very fond of plums and immediately grasped the iron plum and took a long, succulent bite, praising its merits to the amazement of all.
"How!" wailed the attended.
"Why, it is a plum of flesh, and quite ripe as well," said YISUN plainly, and indeed, it was apparent to those gathered that it was the case. The plum was passed around and touched and indeed it was sensual and soft and pliant. Hansa was not so convinced. "It is still a plum of iron," said he, "there is some trickery here, oh master of masters."
"Indeed, it is so," said YISUN, and it was again apparent to those gathered that the flesh of that plum was as hard and impermeable as a fortress. "How can it be so?" said Hansa, "How comes this fickle nature? Plums and the fifty winds are not so alike I think."
YISUN said, "I told you of this and, believing it, it was so. We are all secret kings of our own tower. In truth, it is whichever you prefer. In truth, there is no plum at all, just as there is no YISUN. A plum has no shape, form, or color at all, in truth, but these are all things I find pleasing about it. A plum has no taste at all for it has no flesh or substance, but I find its sweetness intoxicating. A plum is a thing that does not exist. But it is my favorite fruit."
"A pipe is a thing that does exist, and it is my favorite past time," said Hansa, lacking understanding, and growing in cynicism.
"What a paradox!" said YISUN, smiling, "I shall share my love tenderly with Payam."[3]
iii. The Lie of the Water House
YISUN and Hansa walked the king's road once, drinking plum wine. They were enfleshed as maidens at the time, for boastful, drunken Ogam swore on his high seat at the speaking house that any feat accomplished by his brothers he could redouble seven times again. Hansa, of crafty mind, and bearing little love for a brother whose raucous singing frequently interrupted his philosophical fugues, immediately saw an opportunity to deprive Ogam of his prized and well-boasted-about manhood for a fortnight, and challenged him to a contest of womanly love-making, sewing, and hearth sweeping, and for a time there was great mirth in the Red City.
"Dearest Un-Hansa," spoke YISUN, after a moment, as they strolled along an expanse of fractal glass and cold fire, "Art thou not flesh of my self love? Springst thou not from my recursive womb?"
"Sprung I from your brow, for it is my lot in life to beat my hands against it in return for ejecting me," said Hansa, in jest, but in truth he listened.
"Knowst thou the meaning of my name Y-S-U-N is the true name of sovereignty?" spoke YISUN plainly.
"I do," spoke Hansa, for it was true.
YISUN then assumed a speaking form that was bright and very cold, from her breath she inhaled the void, and when she exhaled, beautiful water came forth from her pliant lips in great rushing gasps, and there was a sound like a clear bell that meant emptiness. Hansa was very moved by this display and watched as the shining water curved and bent upon itself and crystallized, and suddenly before the pair was a great, beautiful house, translucent and all filled with light of many colors.
"Observe my work," said YISUN, pleased.
"It is an astounding work," said Hansa, clearly impressed. They strode inside the house at YISUN's bidding. The walls were clear and smooth as crystal, and warm to the touch. It had a wide hall, and a full hearth, and was full of light and air, and the openness of the place with the starkness of the void was incredibly pleasing. Hansa would have given half his lordship for such a house, in truth, for his own was a dark and cramped tomb of iron and dust.
"Observe again," said YISUN, with a keen eye. Hansa did, and as he looked closer, he saw the walls, the floor, the vaulted roof, the wall coverings, and even the altar with the flowers in the visiting hall were all made of water – water as clear and still and solid as smooth and perfect glass.
"Water, lord?" spoke Hansa, sensing some purpose.
"What," spoke YISUN playfully, "is the meaning of this allegory?"
They reposed for a while as Hansa thought, in the resting hall of that great water house, and gazed through the shining rim of that house across the great void, where the empty sky was perfect in its nothingness. The house rung gently like a bell and it was pleasing to Hansa as he sat in his woman's flesh and thought.
After a while, he said this:
"The house is a man's life."
"Why this?" answered YISUN, as was the fashion.
"Because although it is very beautiful and filled with many fine things, it is only water, after all. It would be poor to rely on its existence - it is only water pretending to be a house. In truth, there is no real house here at all, just as there is no Hansa, or no plums."
"This is a good answer," said YISUN, and made a small motion with her long white fingers, and smiled.
"It is an infuriating answer," said Hansa, his mood darkening, and his borrowed brow furrowing, "As is common with you. How can one grant themselves the pleasure to enjoy such a fine thing? It sparkles and shines like a gorgeous jewel, but its sparkle is an intimate falsehood."
"Death is my gift to you," spoke YISUN in reply.
"What's the point," spoke Hansa, bitterly,"Of such a fine house, if it is only a lie? What is the point of Hansa, if Hansa is only a lie?"
"I am a fine liar," spoke YISUN in reply.
Hansa was silent a moment.
"It is a beautiful house," he admitted, after some time, "It is a beautiful lie."
"Our self-realization is the most beautiful lie there is. I am the most conceited and prime liar. Lies are the enemy of stagnation and my self-salvation. How could we appreciate the shining beauty of my house of lies," spoke YISUN, arching her supple back, "if there was always such a house? How could we appreciate Hansa if there was always such a Hansa?"
They sat in stillness a while longer.
"In truth, we would get very bored," said Hansa, after a while.
"In truth, we would," said YISUN.[4]
iv. The Lie of the Small Light
Hansa was of sound mind and proud soul and only once asked YISUN a conceited question, when he was very old and his bones were set about with the dust and bent with age. It was about his own death.
"Lord," said Hansa, allowing a doubt to blossom, "What is ending?"
It was said later he regretted this question but none could confirm the suspicion.
"Ending is a small light in a vast cavern growing dim," said YISUN, plainly, as was the manner.
"When the light goes out, what will happen to the cavern?"
"It and the universe will cease to exist, for how can we see anything without any light, no matter how small?" said YISUN. Hansa was somewhat dismayed, but sensed a lesson, as was the manner.
"Darkness is the natural state of caverns," said he, vexingly, "if I were a cavern, I would be glad to be rid of the pest of light and exist obstinately anyway!"
"Hansa is observant," said YISUN.
i. The Lie of the Giant and the Ant
YISUN sat once with his disciple Hansa in YISUN's second clockwise glass palace. Hansa was one of his most ardent students and a grand questioner of YISUN. Unlike Yisun's other disciple, Pree Ashma, he had no hunger in his heart for dominion of the universe, but a miserly scrutiny and a heart of iron nails. He was not an aspirant for royalty, and thereby attained it through little effort.
Hansa's questions were thus:
'Lord, how must I question space?'
'With an age, an ant may encircle a giant five million times,' spoke YISUN.
'Lord, how then may I question time?'
'A giant's stride of a moment takes an ant a week to surpass.' YISUN spoke and smiled in the 4th way.
Hansa was discontent with this answer and rubbed the stem of his long and worn pipe which he always kept with him and would eventually lead to his annihilation. Since he was royalty, he knew this, and kept it close to him as a reminder of his circular death.
'Lord, then which should I be, the giant or the ant?'
'Both,' spoke YISUN, 'or either, when it suits you. Destroy the grand enemy called 'I'.'
Hansa contemplated this in silence. Later he would recount this proverb to his daughter.[2]
ii. The Lie of the Iron Plum
There was once a king named UN-Payam who sat at the right hand of YISUN's throne and ruled a palace of burnished gold and fire and dispensed justice in all things. It was let known once that Payam had grown an extraordinary plum – enormous in size, with adamant skin that was burnished as a breastplate and fifty times as hardy. Payam was desirous of a pillow friend of fiery heart and excellent skill with their mouth and let know that whosoever could break the skin of that plum with their teeth he would swear to share his bed with for three nights in whatever disposition they may desire.
Many gods were in attendance at Payam's hall on the first day, and even more on the second day, but by the third day of this strange contest few remained who had not tested their mettle, for the plum remained implacable and immaculate and turned many away with sore teeth and roiling frustration in their brains. A great cry rose up and YISUN was called forth from the twenty third clockwise palace of carbon where YISUN had been meditating on the point of a thirty acre long spear of crystallized time. In companionship with YISUN was Hansa, who followed along.
"See this Payam!" cried the gods, "He deceives us! He cruelly abuses our lustful hearts!"
YISUN was very fond of plums and immediately grasped the iron plum and took a long, succulent bite, praising its merits to the amazement of all.
"How!" wailed the attended.
"Why, it is a plum of flesh, and quite ripe as well," said YISUN plainly, and indeed, it was apparent to those gathered that it was the case. The plum was passed around and touched and indeed it was sensual and soft and pliant. Hansa was not so convinced. "It is still a plum of iron," said he, "there is some trickery here, oh master of masters."
"Indeed, it is so," said YISUN, and it was again apparent to those gathered that the flesh of that plum was as hard and impermeable as a fortress. "How can it be so?" said Hansa, "How comes this fickle nature? Plums and the fifty winds are not so alike I think."
YISUN said, "I told you of this and, believing it, it was so. We are all secret kings of our own tower. In truth, it is whichever you prefer. In truth, there is no plum at all, just as there is no YISUN. A plum has no shape, form, or color at all, in truth, but these are all things I find pleasing about it. A plum has no taste at all for it has no flesh or substance, but I find its sweetness intoxicating. A plum is a thing that does not exist. But it is my favorite fruit."
"A pipe is a thing that does exist, and it is my favorite past time," said Hansa, lacking understanding, and growing in cynicism.
"What a paradox!" said YISUN, smiling, "I shall share my love tenderly with Payam."[3]
iii. The Lie of the Water House
YISUN and Hansa walked the king's road once, drinking plum wine. They were enfleshed as maidens at the time, for boastful, drunken Ogam swore on his high seat at the speaking house that any feat accomplished by his brothers he could redouble seven times again. Hansa, of crafty mind, and bearing little love for a brother whose raucous singing frequently interrupted his philosophical fugues, immediately saw an opportunity to deprive Ogam of his prized and well-boasted-about manhood for a fortnight, and challenged him to a contest of womanly love-making, sewing, and hearth sweeping, and for a time there was great mirth in the Red City.
"Dearest Un-Hansa," spoke YISUN, after a moment, as they strolled along an expanse of fractal glass and cold fire, "Art thou not flesh of my self love? Springst thou not from my recursive womb?"
"Sprung I from your brow, for it is my lot in life to beat my hands against it in return for ejecting me," said Hansa, in jest, but in truth he listened.
"Knowst thou the meaning of my name Y-S-U-N is the true name of sovereignty?" spoke YISUN plainly.
"I do," spoke Hansa, for it was true.
YISUN then assumed a speaking form that was bright and very cold, from her breath she inhaled the void, and when she exhaled, beautiful water came forth from her pliant lips in great rushing gasps, and there was a sound like a clear bell that meant emptiness. Hansa was very moved by this display and watched as the shining water curved and bent upon itself and crystallized, and suddenly before the pair was a great, beautiful house, translucent and all filled with light of many colors.
"Observe my work," said YISUN, pleased.
"It is an astounding work," said Hansa, clearly impressed. They strode inside the house at YISUN's bidding. The walls were clear and smooth as crystal, and warm to the touch. It had a wide hall, and a full hearth, and was full of light and air, and the openness of the place with the starkness of the void was incredibly pleasing. Hansa would have given half his lordship for such a house, in truth, for his own was a dark and cramped tomb of iron and dust.
"Observe again," said YISUN, with a keen eye. Hansa did, and as he looked closer, he saw the walls, the floor, the vaulted roof, the wall coverings, and even the altar with the flowers in the visiting hall were all made of water – water as clear and still and solid as smooth and perfect glass.
"Water, lord?" spoke Hansa, sensing some purpose.
"What," spoke YISUN playfully, "is the meaning of this allegory?"
They reposed for a while as Hansa thought, in the resting hall of that great water house, and gazed through the shining rim of that house across the great void, where the empty sky was perfect in its nothingness. The house rung gently like a bell and it was pleasing to Hansa as he sat in his woman's flesh and thought.
After a while, he said this:
"The house is a man's life."
"Why this?" answered YISUN, as was the fashion.
"Because although it is very beautiful and filled with many fine things, it is only water, after all. It would be poor to rely on its existence - it is only water pretending to be a house. In truth, there is no real house here at all, just as there is no Hansa, or no plums."
"This is a good answer," said YISUN, and made a small motion with her long white fingers, and smiled.
"It is an infuriating answer," said Hansa, his mood darkening, and his borrowed brow furrowing, "As is common with you. How can one grant themselves the pleasure to enjoy such a fine thing? It sparkles and shines like a gorgeous jewel, but its sparkle is an intimate falsehood."
"Death is my gift to you," spoke YISUN in reply.
"What's the point," spoke Hansa, bitterly,"Of such a fine house, if it is only a lie? What is the point of Hansa, if Hansa is only a lie?"
"I am a fine liar," spoke YISUN in reply.
Hansa was silent a moment.
"It is a beautiful house," he admitted, after some time, "It is a beautiful lie."
"Our self-realization is the most beautiful lie there is. I am the most conceited and prime liar. Lies are the enemy of stagnation and my self-salvation. How could we appreciate the shining beauty of my house of lies," spoke YISUN, arching her supple back, "if there was always such a house? How could we appreciate Hansa if there was always such a Hansa?"
They sat in stillness a while longer.
"In truth, we would get very bored," said Hansa, after a while.
"In truth, we would," said YISUN.[4]
iv. The Lie of the Small Light
Hansa was of sound mind and proud soul and only once asked YISUN a conceited question, when he was very old and his bones were set about with the dust and bent with age. It was about his own death.
"Lord," said Hansa, allowing a doubt to blossom, "What is ending?"
It was said later he regretted this question but none could confirm the suspicion.
"Ending is a small light in a vast cavern growing dim," said YISUN, plainly, as was the manner.
"When the light goes out, what will happen to the cavern?"
"It and the universe will cease to exist, for how can we see anything without any light, no matter how small?" said YISUN. Hansa was somewhat dismayed, but sensed a lesson, as was the manner.
"Darkness is the natural state of caverns," said he, vexingly, "if I were a cavern, I would be glad to be rid of the pest of light and exist obstinately anyway!"
"Hansa is observant," said YISUN.
- Location
- Second French Empire
Damn we really pushing our luck with God's guys... Hades is chill but I dunno if us being smart asses would fall under what he could consider passable
[X]Write in: i mean the door did open on itself when i knocked it.
Amused Bystander
Herald of 'She who Umu's' Be Brave!
- Location
- Philippines
[X]Write in: i mean the door did open on itself when i knocked it.
[X] Because Cerberus would be sad if you did that.
-[X] Walk over to Cerberus and have Cerberus make puppy eyes at Hades.
[X] Because Cerberus would be sad if you did that.
-[X] Walk over to Cerberus and have Cerberus make puppy eyes at Hades.
williams1996
Alba gu bràth
- Location
- Scotland
[X]Write in: I mean the door did open on itself when i knocked it.
- Location
- Anchorage, Alaska
[X]Write in: i mean the door did open on itself when i knocked it.
[X] Because Cerberus would be sad if you did that.
-[X] Walk over to Cerberus and have Cerberus make puppy eyes at Hades.
[X] Because Cerberus would be sad if you did that.
-[X] Walk over to Cerberus and have Cerberus make puppy eyes at Hades.
[X]Write in: I mean the door did open on itself when i knocked it.
I would like to point out that this was a lost opportunity to have Hades be more like the game version, working on his desk, looking over some documents.
I would like to point out that this was a lost opportunity to have Hades be more like the game version, working on his desk, looking over some documents.
Vote closed
Book 1: Hades
Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
- Location
- California USA
- Pronouns
- He
Book 1: Hades
[X]Write in: I mean the door did open on itself when i knocked it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You looked at the Lord of the Dead and finally focused on the other members of the House of Hades that gathered.
Standing before you was Hades, Lord of the Underworld, the Master of this shadowed realm. His presence was imposing, though not in the way you had imagined from the tales spun by priests and storytellers. The stories had always painted him as a fearsome, bearded figure, his long, flowing beard a symbol of his ancient power, tied neatly in a knot that spoke of both his authority and his meticulous nature. But the reality of Hades was strikingly different.
He was clean-shaven, his face smooth and chiseled, exuding a stern, unyielding strength. The absence of the expected beard gave him a more severe, almost austere appearance as if his lack of ornamentation was itself a declaration of his unassailable power. His hair, too, was much shorter than you had anticipated, cropped close to his head, lending him a look of disciplined restraint. There was nothing wild or untamed about him every aspect of his appearance seemed carefully controlled as if he allowed no room for chaos in his domain.
Beneath one of his powerful arms, you noticed the Helm of Darkness, the legendary cap that rendered its wearer invisible, a symbol of his dominion over the unseen and the unknown. The helm's dark, gleaming surface seemed to absorb the light around it, casting a shadow that added to the aura of mystery and dread that surrounded the god of the dammed
His attire, however, was another surprise, because you expected the Lord of the Underworld, who had all the wealth of the world before him, would be garnished with splendors, gold, and iron. The fine red chiton he wore was short, practical, and elegantly draped over his broad shoulders and chest. The deep crimson fabric seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light of the underworld, the rich hue a sharp contrast to the black and grey tones that dominated the realm. The chiton's simplicity belied the wealth and power it represented, a garment fit for a king, yet worn without ostentation. Like he did not have time to do anything more than the absolute basics, damn everything else.
This was not the distant, wrathful god of the myths and stories told to you, but a being of immense power who had no need for grand displays. His authority was absolute here, and you knew it.
Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, was an even stranger presence than her husband, Hades. Despite her more understated appearance, there was something about her that instilled a deep, instinctual fear—a power that was far more terrifying than the imposing strength Hades displayed. Unlike him, Persephone did not need to project authority or command respect through sheer force of will; her power was more subtle, more insidious, and yet infinitely more potent.
She was dressed simply, in a black himation that draped gracefully over her form, its dark fabric absorbing the dim light of the underworld. The simplicity of her attire mirrored that of her son, Zagreus, though it was clear now that it was Zagreus who had modeled his look after her, not after his father. The black cloth seemed to blend into the shadows that clung to her as if she were an extension of the darkness itself, a living embodiment of the underworld's cold embrace.
Her eyes, however, were what truly unsettled you. They were deep, dark pools that seemed to hold within them the very essence of the underworld. There was a calmness in her gaze, but it was the calm of a storm gathering on the horizon, a silent force that could unleash unimaginable power at a moment's notice. Her eyes belied a strength that was different from Hades's a power that thrived in the darkness, growing and spreading like the roots of her infamous garden, reaching out with invisible tendrils to touch everything within her domain.
It was a power that felt ancient and elemental, something that existed beyond the realm of mortal comprehension. You could sense that her reach extended far beyond the confines of this dark world, that her influence was as vast and unknowable as the night itself. It was a power that could crush you, not with brute force, but with the inevitability of nature a creeping, inescapable force that would envelop you before you even realized it.
You wondered, ever briefly, if Hades was the one in charge of the underworld, or his queen was.
And finally, there was Cerberus, the Three-headed Hellhound of legend, who had trampled your fields and was covered in a blackness of shadow. It was as if his fur had changed to suit his environment.
He was also much smaller, standing like an average guard dog at his master's side.
And with such power before you, you said the only thing you could. "I mean the door did open on itself when I knocked on it."
Hades then pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at his son. "Zagreus… did you let him in? Through the temple that you continue to use to frolic among the mortals, despite my clear instructions not to."
"I did father." He replied without any hesitation.
A moment passed and Persephone spoke. "You know your father dislikes you disobeying him."
"Melonie does it all the time. And you let her get away with it." Zagreus snarked.
"Do not speak to your mother like that boy!" Hades boomed and even Cerberus was surprised, though you looked at the dog and held out your hand, and the three-headed beast walked over, sniffed it, and gave you a lick with all three of his heads. "What are you doing to my dog?!"
"I wanted to pet him, and held out my hand." You said. "Wanting to find out if he would allow it or not?"
The dog then sat before you, and you began scratching his middle head, then petting the other two.
Then Persephone giggled. "The dog likes him Hades."
Hades then grumbled in frustration. "Fine." He then turned. "Zagreus, to your room, I will speak to our guest privately."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As you stood before the Lord of the Damned, the atmosphere around you crackled with tension. The vast, cavernous chamber was filled with the ceaseless activity of thousands of clerks, each meticulously recording the endless procession of souls passing into the underworld. The weight of their work was palpable, the scratch of quills on parchment like a whispered chorus of the damned, a reminder of the immense power and responsibility that Hades wielded.
Hades himself loomed before you. His gaze was piercing, his expression one of cold calculation as he assessed your presence in his domain. The very air seemed to thicken with his power, a suffocating pressure that made it clear you were standing in the presence of a god—one who had little patience for mortals.
"You are here for a reason," Hades intoned, his voice a deep rumble that resonated through the stone walls. "To steal a soul? To battle me for your fate? Escape so that you may do it again when you die?"
You swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words pressing down on you. But you had come too far to falter now. Taking a deep breath, you steadied yourself and met his gaze with as much resolve as you could muster.
"I mostly wanted to make sure your dog was okay," you began, your voice carrying a hint of wry humor, though it trembled slightly under the intensity of Hades's scrutiny. "Seeing as he trampled my fields."
There was a moment of silence, the tension in the room thickening as you realized how absurd your words might sound in this dark, solemn place. But then you sighed, the levity draining from your voice as the gravity of the situation returned.
"But in honesty," you continued, your tone now earnest, "I came to recruit your son, to help me in my travels. I seek to slay monsters that have absconded from the Underworld, or that still need to be slain. Your son… Zagreus… he could help me."
Hades's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he processed your request. His presence seemed to grow even more oppressive, the shadows around him deepening as his anger simmered just beneath the surface. When he spoke again, his voice was a low, dangerous growl, like the rumbling of a distant thunderstorm that his brother would conjure up.
"You seek to recruit my son, a god, into your services?" The words were laden with disdain as if the very idea was an affront to his divine authority.
"Yes."
Hades then bellowed with laughter. "And why, should I even consider allowing that to happen? Gods do not follow mortals, it's the other way around?"
What do you say to him?:
[]Write in
[]Say nothing: Well there was nothing you could say to save yourself.
[X]Write in: I mean the door did open on itself when i knocked it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You looked at the Lord of the Dead and finally focused on the other members of the House of Hades that gathered.
Standing before you was Hades, Lord of the Underworld, the Master of this shadowed realm. His presence was imposing, though not in the way you had imagined from the tales spun by priests and storytellers. The stories had always painted him as a fearsome, bearded figure, his long, flowing beard a symbol of his ancient power, tied neatly in a knot that spoke of both his authority and his meticulous nature. But the reality of Hades was strikingly different.
He was clean-shaven, his face smooth and chiseled, exuding a stern, unyielding strength. The absence of the expected beard gave him a more severe, almost austere appearance as if his lack of ornamentation was itself a declaration of his unassailable power. His hair, too, was much shorter than you had anticipated, cropped close to his head, lending him a look of disciplined restraint. There was nothing wild or untamed about him every aspect of his appearance seemed carefully controlled as if he allowed no room for chaos in his domain.
Beneath one of his powerful arms, you noticed the Helm of Darkness, the legendary cap that rendered its wearer invisible, a symbol of his dominion over the unseen and the unknown. The helm's dark, gleaming surface seemed to absorb the light around it, casting a shadow that added to the aura of mystery and dread that surrounded the god of the dammed
His attire, however, was another surprise, because you expected the Lord of the Underworld, who had all the wealth of the world before him, would be garnished with splendors, gold, and iron. The fine red chiton he wore was short, practical, and elegantly draped over his broad shoulders and chest. The deep crimson fabric seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light of the underworld, the rich hue a sharp contrast to the black and grey tones that dominated the realm. The chiton's simplicity belied the wealth and power it represented, a garment fit for a king, yet worn without ostentation. Like he did not have time to do anything more than the absolute basics, damn everything else.
This was not the distant, wrathful god of the myths and stories told to you, but a being of immense power who had no need for grand displays. His authority was absolute here, and you knew it.
Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, was an even stranger presence than her husband, Hades. Despite her more understated appearance, there was something about her that instilled a deep, instinctual fear—a power that was far more terrifying than the imposing strength Hades displayed. Unlike him, Persephone did not need to project authority or command respect through sheer force of will; her power was more subtle, more insidious, and yet infinitely more potent.
She was dressed simply, in a black himation that draped gracefully over her form, its dark fabric absorbing the dim light of the underworld. The simplicity of her attire mirrored that of her son, Zagreus, though it was clear now that it was Zagreus who had modeled his look after her, not after his father. The black cloth seemed to blend into the shadows that clung to her as if she were an extension of the darkness itself, a living embodiment of the underworld's cold embrace.
Her eyes, however, were what truly unsettled you. They were deep, dark pools that seemed to hold within them the very essence of the underworld. There was a calmness in her gaze, but it was the calm of a storm gathering on the horizon, a silent force that could unleash unimaginable power at a moment's notice. Her eyes belied a strength that was different from Hades's a power that thrived in the darkness, growing and spreading like the roots of her infamous garden, reaching out with invisible tendrils to touch everything within her domain.
It was a power that felt ancient and elemental, something that existed beyond the realm of mortal comprehension. You could sense that her reach extended far beyond the confines of this dark world, that her influence was as vast and unknowable as the night itself. It was a power that could crush you, not with brute force, but with the inevitability of nature a creeping, inescapable force that would envelop you before you even realized it.
You wondered, ever briefly, if Hades was the one in charge of the underworld, or his queen was.
And finally, there was Cerberus, the Three-headed Hellhound of legend, who had trampled your fields and was covered in a blackness of shadow. It was as if his fur had changed to suit his environment.
He was also much smaller, standing like an average guard dog at his master's side.
And with such power before you, you said the only thing you could. "I mean the door did open on itself when I knocked on it."
Hades then pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at his son. "Zagreus… did you let him in? Through the temple that you continue to use to frolic among the mortals, despite my clear instructions not to."
"I did father." He replied without any hesitation.
A moment passed and Persephone spoke. "You know your father dislikes you disobeying him."
"Melonie does it all the time. And you let her get away with it." Zagreus snarked.
"Do not speak to your mother like that boy!" Hades boomed and even Cerberus was surprised, though you looked at the dog and held out your hand, and the three-headed beast walked over, sniffed it, and gave you a lick with all three of his heads. "What are you doing to my dog?!"
"I wanted to pet him, and held out my hand." You said. "Wanting to find out if he would allow it or not?"
The dog then sat before you, and you began scratching his middle head, then petting the other two.
Then Persephone giggled. "The dog likes him Hades."
Hades then grumbled in frustration. "Fine." He then turned. "Zagreus, to your room, I will speak to our guest privately."
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As you stood before the Lord of the Damned, the atmosphere around you crackled with tension. The vast, cavernous chamber was filled with the ceaseless activity of thousands of clerks, each meticulously recording the endless procession of souls passing into the underworld. The weight of their work was palpable, the scratch of quills on parchment like a whispered chorus of the damned, a reminder of the immense power and responsibility that Hades wielded.
Hades himself loomed before you. His gaze was piercing, his expression one of cold calculation as he assessed your presence in his domain. The very air seemed to thicken with his power, a suffocating pressure that made it clear you were standing in the presence of a god—one who had little patience for mortals.
"You are here for a reason," Hades intoned, his voice a deep rumble that resonated through the stone walls. "To steal a soul? To battle me for your fate? Escape so that you may do it again when you die?"
You swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words pressing down on you. But you had come too far to falter now. Taking a deep breath, you steadied yourself and met his gaze with as much resolve as you could muster.
"I mostly wanted to make sure your dog was okay," you began, your voice carrying a hint of wry humor, though it trembled slightly under the intensity of Hades's scrutiny. "Seeing as he trampled my fields."
There was a moment of silence, the tension in the room thickening as you realized how absurd your words might sound in this dark, solemn place. But then you sighed, the levity draining from your voice as the gravity of the situation returned.
"But in honesty," you continued, your tone now earnest, "I came to recruit your son, to help me in my travels. I seek to slay monsters that have absconded from the Underworld, or that still need to be slain. Your son… Zagreus… he could help me."
Hades's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he processed your request. His presence seemed to grow even more oppressive, the shadows around him deepening as his anger simmered just beneath the surface. When he spoke again, his voice was a low, dangerous growl, like the rumbling of a distant thunderstorm that his brother would conjure up.
"You seek to recruit my son, a god, into your services?" The words were laden with disdain as if the very idea was an affront to his divine authority.
"Yes."
Hades then bellowed with laughter. "And why, should I even consider allowing that to happen? Gods do not follow mortals, it's the other way around?"
What do you say to him?:
[]Write in
[]Say nothing: Well there was nothing you could say to save yourself.
[X] Zagreus is already sneaking off to see the mortal realm, perhaps giving him a duty in the world above instill a sense of responsability unto him?
This is the best I got, help
Edit: correcting a mistake
This is the best I got, help
Edit: correcting a mistake
Last edited:
make about we would consider his son as an equal
I mean there were times gods served mortals, however it was more of a punishment thing
Magoose
SV's Questing Fanatic
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I don't think Hades wants his son to be a servant/slave to someone who is not…
Well important