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📩 NEW QUEST AVAILABLE
🔴 [Epic Quest: Echoes of the Underworld]
"Demeter cries out for her lost daughter. The world begins to wither and Olympus trembles in silence. If Persephone does not return, not even the gods will be safe."
Objective:
🔍 Track down Persephone's whereabouts and restore the natural balance.
🎁 Rewards:
+100 🧱 Authority
+65 🧠 Will
+ 50 💨 Speed
Unlock Domain Access: [🕳️ Underworld – Outer Frontier]
Unlock Divine Trait: [🌘 Life and Death]
+10000 ✨ Divine EXP
Secret Reward [???]
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🟢 [ACCEPT] 🔴 [DECLINE]
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"Holy shhhiiiitttt." I thought out loud as I saw the notification.
If I completed this mission, I would receive more rewards than all the previous missions combined. The only downside was that I wouldn't get any stat boosts as a reward. I wonder why that is?
Oh well, it wasn't worth worrying about it now. What did worry me was the title of the mission. If it says that, I guess Persephone is in the underworld, but I can't say for sure that she's there. After all, how could I know that? Unless she had something to do with the kidnapping, and I didn't need to give Demeter any more reasons to distrust me.
"What also catches my attention is that secret reward. Hmph, I wonder what it will be and why they're not giving me any information. Maybe it's some kind of mystery box. It just makes me more curious," I thought as I mentally pressed 🟢 [ACCEPT], and the notification disappeared, bringing me back from my trance.
"So, where do we start looking?" I asked, and Aegle smiled.
---
"We'll start looking around here," said Aegle, pointing to a spot on the map.
After agreeing, I went with Aegle and the rest of the Hesperides to the center of the Garden, near the Tree of Hera, where the four of us gathered with Demeter around a tree trunk. There, Aegle unfolded what appeared to be a map of the world, and when I say the world, I mean the ENTIRE world.
We had gathered in the center of the Garden, near the Tree of Hera. Aegle unrolled what looked like an ethereal scroll, which remained suspended in the air by itself, illuminated by divine energy. The map showed not only Greece, but the entire known world... and beyond. There were markings with domain names, mystical symbols, and even lines between dimensions.
Aegle explained the five key areas where clues could be found:
🌿 Sacred Valley – Located north of Greece, it was the last place Persephone had been seen. A mystical enclave teeming with plant life that responded to divine will. It was said that the flowers there whispered secrets, and the trees held memories. According to Aegle, I should start there.
🏞️ Slopes of Eleusis – The oldest place of worship for Demeter and Persephone. It was said that there were hidden tunnels, passages between planes, and fragments of a power beyond human understanding. Aegle would go with Erytheia to investigate this place.
🌊 Islands of Sighs – A group of islands east of the Aegean Sea, surrounded by perpetual fog. Legends spoke of voices coming from the water and shadows that mimicked human forms. Hesperia would go there alone.
🏔️ Peaks of Nysa – Remote mountains where the fabric between worlds was thin. Sometimes, natural portals opened between the crags and the mist. No one would go there for now, but if the other routes failed, we would take turns exploring them later.
❄️ Frozen Fields of Thrace – A frozen region to the north, where winter had not left since Persephone's disappearance. Demeter would go alone to this área.
As each set off for their destination, the air changed.
A cold wind swept through the area, and the sky, though still blue, felt heavier. The shadows of the trees lengthened, and a strange scent—of incense, damp earth, and something... ancient—wafted through the garden.
A figure appeared from among the bushes, dressed in a black cloak that didn't seem to reflect the light. Her mere presence made the atmosphere grow quieter. I didn't hear her footsteps or see exactly where she came from.
I didn't recognize her.
"Who is this?" I thought.
The figure raised a hand, cutting off any questions anyone might have had.
"Don't waste your time with these places,"
said the woman in a deep but firm voice.
I turned to the others, waiting for someone to respond. Even Aegle seemed surprised by her appearance. It was Demeter who broke the silence.
"Hecate..."
Hecate? I had never heard that name before. Well, maybe in some divine history class about the Hesperides, but she wasn't on the list of the most mentioned gods of Olympus. I moved a little closer, wary but attentive.
Demeter stepped forward. "What do you mean by that? There's nothing in those places?"
"Not at the moment," replied Hecate. 'What you are looking for is not there, as simple as that."
"Then... where is Persephone?' I asked, unable to contain myself.
The hooded woman turned slowly. Her eyes, like embers in the shadows, fixed on me with a gravity that made me swallow hard.
"She's in the Underworld," she said firmly. 'Hades has taken her. He took her without anyone's consent... and now he's keeping her in his palace."
An icy silence fell over the group. Even Demeter seemed to hold her breath.
"He kidnapped her?' I asked, feigning disbelief, as I had already anticipated this scenario.
"Yes." Hecate nodded slowly. "He did it in secret. But I found out. Persephone trusted me... and I know the paths between worlds better than anyone. I felt the change. The exact moment her presence disappeared from the earthly plane."
Demeter closed her eyes tightly, fighting back tears. Her hands trembled slightly.
"I cannot enter the Underworld without causing a war between realms," she murmured. 'But if she does not return... the earth will die."
"Then we must go for her,' I said, stepping forward without thinking.
"That won't be easy," warned Hecate. 'Hades' palace is deeply hidden. First you must face Cerberus at the entrance to the Underworld. The three-headed guardian does not allow any living being to pass... unless they carry an offering or a favor from the gods."
"And then?" asked Aegle, tense.
"The River Styx," replied Hecate. "The only way to cross into the inner realm. Its waters cannot touch a mortal. Not even the gods can navigate it without risk."
She pulled a floating sphere from her robes. Inside, a purple light flickered faintly.
"This is her trail," she explained.
"Persephone is still alive, but not for long. If we don't get her back... Hades could turn her into something else. Something you won't want to face."
A new notification popped up in front of me:
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📩 QUEST UPDATED
🔴 [Epic Quest: Echoes of the Underworld]
"Hades has kidnapped Persephone and is keeping her hidden in his palace. To rescue her, you must enter the Underworld, defeat the guardian Cerberus, and cross the River Styx."
🛡️ New Objectives:
Defeat or outwit Cerberus at the Entrance to the Underworld. Cross the River Styx without succumbing to its corruption. Reach Hades' Palace. Free Persephone.
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"Why would you help?" asked Aegle, with a hint of distrust in her voice.
Hecate tilted her head slightly, not arrogantly, but with an ancient solemnity. Her eyes glowed with a dark light, like the remains of an extinguished torch.
"Because I am her friend," she replied. "And because I was the first to realize that Hades had taken her. Persephone disappeared without a trace, and her energy was dragged into the Underworld. No one else noticed.
But I felt the exact moment when her essence was diverted from the mortal plane."
Her words were not warm, but her tone carried absolute gravity.
"Demeter and I don't need oaths. What we share goes beyond that. She asked me to help her... and I will."
Demeter lowered her gaze, unable to speak for a moment. She pressed her lips tightly together, holding back emotions that no goddess would easily show. Then, without further ado, she turned to the floating map.
This time, her eyes were fixed on the south: the domain of Hades.
There, in the shadowy region where no mortal enters of their own free will, the Ebony Palace began to manifest itself on the map. Surrounded by the rivers Styx and Lethe, guarded by Cerberus, the Underworld unfolded before us like a labyrinth of death.
A thick fog rose from the ethereal projector, revealing hidden routes, broken paths, and the echo of distant footsteps.
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🗺️ New Realm Unlocked: The Underworld
"Where even the gods tread with fear."
Entry requirements: Ritual offering or divine guidance
Active dangers: Cerberus – Guardian of the Entrance, River Styx – Corrupting Water
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"Hades' palace lies beyond the Styx," explained Hecate, pointing to the map. "To get there, we must pass through the main entrance to the Underworld, guarded by Cerberus. No living being has ever passed through that gate without being devoured... unless they have divine protection or right."
"The Styx... I've heard of it," I said. 'It's known as the untouchable river."
"Exactly,' Hecate nodded. 'Its water not only kills but corrupts. A single drop on your skin could erase your name from the fabric of the world."
Aegle tensed. 'And Persephone is in there?"
Hecate nodded slowly. "Hades is holding her in his palace. We don't know if it's on a whim, out of obsession, or by design. But if we don't get her back soon... she could be trapped there forever as part of his kingdom."
Demeter dug her fingers into the edge of the makeshift altar we were using as a table. She was no longer the serene goddess. There was a emptiness in her face that only a grieving mother could know.
"I will go with you," Hecate finally said. 'I know all the paths that lead to the Underworld. I can guide us... but I cannot promise that everyone will return."
"Then you and I will go,' Demeter said firmly.
There was a moment of silence.
"Take me too," I said, stepping forward.
Three pairs of eyes turned toward me.
Aegle, who had not spoken until then, broke the moment calmly.
"Demeter," she said, "let him come. Akhon is the strongest in the Garden. Not just physically. His soul is not yet completely bound to any realm. He can move freely between planes."
Demeter hesitated.
"And why should I trust someone I barely know?"
Aegle took another step forward. "Because he chose to help you? When others would have given up. And because I have just appointed him as the official escort sent by the Hesperides." She said this in a tone of finality.
The goddess looked at me again. Her gaze was like a storm in containment.
"Do you know what it means to enter the realm of the dead?"
"No," I replied. 'But that's never stopped me before."
Finally, Demeter nodded. 'Very well. But if you delay us or put us in danger, you're out. I'm not going to risk my daughter for a brat trying to make a name for himself among the gods."
'Noted,' I thought.
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✅ New Team Formed: [The Echo of the Underworld]
👤 Akhon – External Avatar | 🧱 High Spiritual Strength | Partial Connection to the Dominion
🌾 Demeter – Goddess of the Harvest | Waning Power | Latent Fury
🌑 Hecate – Goddess of Magic | Knowledge of the Underworld | Bearer of the Gray Fire
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Hecate extended her staff and struck it against the ground. The garden shook, as if a primordial root had awakened. A circle of ash and obsidian emerged from the ground. A portal began to form, black as the void, without vibration or light.
"This is the first step," said Hecate. "It takes us to the antechamber of the Underworld. From there, Cerberus awaits us. And if we defeat him... we will cross the Styx."
Demeter nodded. "With every passing second, winter spreads. There is no time to lose."
I clenched my fists. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But I never expected it to be.
"I'm ready," I said.
And we took the first step into the realm of the dead.