In the suffocating, acid-washed dark of Cronus's gut, where time is not measured by days and nights, but in the slow, grinding churn of digestion.
In the fleshy cave, in the corner, Hades sits cross-legged, eyes closed. Hades, the God of Secrets, watches the threads of fate weave and coil.
He sees it all.
The concealed ambition in Metis's eyes, the careful manipulation of Prometheus's wisdom, the heavenly favour poured upon Zeus like rain from the cosmos, and now, the threads of rebellion turning their blades toward their own blood, Cronus, King of Titans.
He understands Destiny's game better than anyone. And so, with calm resolve and quiet clarity, Hades prepares.
As the moment of their escape nears, he warns his fellow imprisoned siblings: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and Poseidon through divine whispers and shared vision. They understand the gravity. This is no longer mere hope. This is the execution of fate.
With a surge of divine will, Hades transforms.
Into a colossal black phoenix, his massive wings feathered in black velvet shadows, his eyes glowing with a gleaming purple light, like amethysts charged with stars.
All siblings hesitate at first, but the desire for freedom is far greater than their fear. They all climb upon his back, one by one.
And Hades, with his divine power of secrecy, wraps them in an aura of concealment, veiling them not just from sight, but from divine perception itself.
---
Meanwhile, on the Isle of Crete, the plan moves forward.
Rhea, now draped in solemnity and hope, opens a portal in the kitchen and quickly pours all the vials of potion into the nectar and mixes it before anyone notices.
At night, Cronus, seated on his obsidian throne, takes the nectar without thought. As it touches his lips, he grimaces slightly, a strange taste lingering on his tongue. Moments later, a wave of dizziness washes over him, followed by violent retching.
Without warning a roar of pain erupts from the King of the Titans.
He vomits, unknowingly expelling his own children, the very gods he believed were forever trapped within.
He curses the nectar, thinking it a spoiled mixture, and casts it aside in disgust.
He has no idea.
His children have already escaped.
In that precise moment, Hades flies with all his strength, wings slicing through the acid-heavy air, cutting through the dimension Cronus created.
He can feel his mother's presence, a thread of love radiating across the realms.
Rhea, through the Godhood of Motherhood, Space, and Time, receives her eldest son's message.
"Mother, open the portal."
Her heart aches, trembles… and then surges.
She raises her hands and opens a divine portal, splitting space itself. A gateway between the belly of Cronus and freedom.
The portal shines with pure white light.
Hades, still cloaked in shadows, dives toward it at full speed. Then, just before crossing, he reverts to his divine form, now grown and majestic.
With a burst of power, he flares his wings, protecting his siblings as they pass through.
And then they emerge.
All five children of Rhea and Cronus, now grown, radiant, powerful and free.
Rhea collapses to her knees the moment they stand before her.
Tears pour from her eyes, her tears heavy with centuries of grief, guilt, and love. Her body trembles as she beholds the faces she once thought lost.
"My children… My children…"
She weeps not from weakness, but from the unbearable relief of a mother whose broken heart has finally found healing.
In unison, the gods surround her.
As they gather around her, the air is thick with an overwhelming sense of joy and relief.
They support her, wiping away her tears with gentle hands, their hearts swelling with love. Each embrace feels like a bridge spanning the years of separation, healing the wounds of time apart.
In that moment, they are no longer just individuals; they are a family reconnected, sharing the deep, unbreakable bond that comes with being together again.
The happiness radiating from their smiles reflects the warmth of reunion, a precious gift after so long.
It is a moment filled with hope, comfort, and the purest form of love that only a mother and her child can share.
The Night of Reunion has come.
For the first time in aeons, the children of Rhea stand together under the stars not as prisoners, but as gods, as heirs of thrones, and the dawn of a new age.
The next day, they meet their brother Zeus, the one they owe their freedom to. Each sibling carries their own emotions and thoughts.
Poseidon, standing tall but prideful, looks at his younger brother and recognises something unsettling: Zeus is stronger. The realisation stings his pride. Without a word, he turns away and heads toward the sea, his domain. If he is to match his brother, he will need to train, to master the ocean's depths and secrets.
Hestia and Demeter remain by their mother Rhea's side, still shaken and seeking comfort in her presence.
Hera, however, lingers near Zeus. She is drawn to him not just by blood, but by his striking appearance, his commanding presence. Though she says nothing, her eyes betray a quiet fascination.
Hades stands silently. Calm, composed, yet distant. He can feel their emotions—envy, desire, pride, even fear—like whispers carried by the wind. Without complaint, he turns away.
The Underworld is calling him. Not exile, but it is a purpose. He glances toward Hecate, the mysterious goddess of magic and shadow.
She meets his eyes, bows slightly in quiet understanding, and follows. After a brief farewell to her mother, she descends with Hades into the dark realm that will soon become their kingdom.
Zeus, standing at the centre of it all, watches them go. He feels wary of his siblings. They are, after all, potential threats to his future reign. But as he measures their strength one by one, he is reassured. None matches his power.
Still, his thoughts are not noble.
He views Demeter and Hera with a lustful gaze, their beauty captivating him in a way unbecoming of a brother.
Toward Hades, however, he feels only disgust. There is something about his elder brother. Silent, unknowable and evil aura that makes Zeus uneasy.
Hades seems untouchable, otherworldly. A shadow to banish from this world.