Hades trudged through the towering gates of his castle, the immense weight of the battle finally crushing the last of his strength. Hecate was there, waiting as she always was. He didn't speak, simply collapsing into her embrace, his body sagging against hers. He buried his face in the curve of her neck.
"We won," he mumbled into her ear, the words thick with exhaustion.
Hecate's arms tightened around him, one hand moving in a soothing circle on his back. "You must be exhausted, dear. Come to me and get some rest."
---
He lay with his head in her lap on their bed, his eyes closed. His fingers idly twisted a strand of her dark hair. The window was open, allowing a serene, cold wind to drift into the room. High in the star-strewn night sky, the full Nether Moon cast its ghostly luminescence over them.
"How did you attain another divinity?" Hecate asked, her voice a soft murmur.
"Hmm…" Hades kept his eyes shut, retreating into the memory. "When I faced the Golden and Silver selves. I held a sharp feather as my weapon, and my target was before me. All I had to do was one slash to end the whole game…" He paused, his fingers stilling.
Hecate's brows arched, a spark of curiosity lighting her features. "Then what happened?"
"They didn't beg for mercy. Instead, they… inspired me. 'Kill us and become who you are meant to be,' they said. 'Become the real one.' Their words echoed a question Lord Kaos once asked me."
Hecate's eyes widened. "What! You met Lord Kaos!?" she exclaimed, her voice rising in shock.
A faint smile touched his lips. "Yes. When I was unconscious. But let's return to the topic. Lord Kaos once asked me, 'Who are you?' That question kept repeating in my mind as I looked at them. And in that moment, I found my answer." Hades sat up, his dark eyes now open and staring directly into her violet ones. "I am Hades."
Hecate's purple eyes dilated.
He continued, his voice gaining certainty. "I am also your husband. I am a destroyer. I am a preserver. But the most important truth is that I am Hades. Those two were not different entities; they were parts of me that I had cast away."
"Did answering the question resolve everything?" Hecate asked, captivated.
"No. The question was merely the path. The thing that resolved it all was… self-acceptance." His face softened. "I never fully accepted myself. I always feared that prophecy. The thought of being a calamity, the destroyer of worlds, a murderer of my kin… it gnawed at my mind. Those thoughts forced me to split myself apart from my own being."
"But when I finally accepted that dark part, I understood his longing. He was just like me, searching for someone to care for him, to love him. He wanted to destroy the world because he believed it had taken me from him."
Hades released a deep, shuddering sigh. "Now, we are no longer apart. We are whole. And with that wholeness, a change happened within my soul and divinity."
Hecate leaned closer. "What changed?"
"My soul expanded, becoming vaster. All my divinities fused into one single, cohesive power Underworld divinity, with the exception of my secret divinity. And I also obtained the Harmony Divinity. Unknowingly, I fulfilled one of the conditions for becoming a Primordial."
A proud smile bloomed on Hecate's face. "Congratulations! My love, that is a monumental achievement."
Hades reached for her hand. "Thank you. But I will not ascend without you."
Hecate blushed, a rare and beautiful sight. She gently placed her hand over his eyes. "Then get some rest, my future Primordial."
---
Next day, in the garden.
Rhea sat beneath a great, twisting oak tree, her form looking small and fragile. Hades walked steadily toward her. He paused, glancing back to where Hecate was peeking from the doorway, making frantic but encouraging 'go on!' gestures with her hands.
He adjusted his suit, took a deep breath, and approached. "Mother…" he said softly.
Rhea's head snapped up at his voice, then immediately dropped again. Her hands clenched the fabric of her white dress into tight fists. "Y-Yes… H-Hades?" she stammered, hiding her eyes from him.
He could feel the waves of sadness and guilt rolling off her. Without a word, he sat on the ground before her and gently pried her hands from her dress, holding them in his own. "Mother," he said, his voice low and soft. "Do you want to say something? You can say or ask anything without hesitation. I am your son. You have every right to speak your heart to me."
Tears fell onto his hands, hot and heavy. Then, she broke. A raw, guttural sob wracked her frame as she buried her face in his hands, weeping uncontrollably. "I am a terrible mother! When I saw you there, in that state… those horrible words came from my mouth! Forgive me, my son, for having such a wretched woman as your mother!"
Hades pulled her into a firm embrace. "No, Mother! No! You are not terrible. It was I who was terrible. I was ready to destroy the entire world. What mother wouldn't be horrified to see her son like that?"
Rhea tried to protest through her tears. "But I—"
Hades interrupted gently, "No means no. You are my mother. That is all I need to know. The place you hold in my heart is the highest one. It is a place no one else can ever take."
A soft, familiar whisper then came from just behind his ear. "Not even Hecate?"
Caught in the emotional flow, Hades nodded. "Yes, not even Hecate—" He stopped mid-sentence, his blood running cold. 'That voice…'
He turned his head slowly to find Hecate standing behind him, arms crossed over her chest, her chin slightly raised. Her gaze was fixed on him, utterly unreadable. 'Crap.'
"So," Hecate stated, her voice as cold and sharp as a glacier's edge, "where does that leave my place in your heart?"
Hades offered a cheeky, desperate smile. "What are you saying, wifey? You are my heart. You exist on a plane entirely above any ranking system."
Rhea, her tears already drying, asked with a suddenly cold tone, "Then am I lower than this other woman?"
"No! I mean that—" Hades floundered, trapped in the web of his own words.
A moment of silence hung in the air, and then it broke.
"Hahahahaha!"
Both Rhea and Hecate dissolved into soft,melodic laughter, the tension shattering. Hades shook his head, a soft smile finally gracing his own features. "Ah, you two set me up."
---
Meanwhile, Deep in the Ocean.
Poseidon strode into the magnificent throne room, stopping before the dais and offering a respectful bow. "Greetings, Master."
"Welcome back, Poseidon." Oceanus's voice reverberated through the watery hall. A genuine, proud smile touched his ancient face. "Congratulations on your victory."
Poseidon bowed again. "Thank you, Master. I could never have achieved this without your support and teachings."
Oceanus's smile widened slightly. "No, Poseidon. This victory is yours, earned through your own hard work and dedication. But let us leave that for now. Amphitrite has been worried sick. You should go to her."
A slight blush colored Poseidon's cheeks. He bowed once more and took his leave. The moment Poseidon was gone, the warmth vanished from Oceanus's face, replaced by a calculating, expressionless cold. He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
'Cronus is fallen. One major obstacle on my path has been removed… Now, as tradition dictates, a vote will be held. And all the divine beings of the world will be the voters.'
"Orcanon," Oceanus summoned.
The servant emerged from the shadows and knelt. "My Lord."
"Between the ocean realm and the others, which holds the most divine beings?"
Orcanon did not need to consult records. "My Lord, the Underworld has the fewest. The Sky and Ocean realms have nearly equal numbers. The Earth realm has more than the Underworld, but not as many as us."
Oceanus nodded slowly. "Hmm." He then issued a new command, his voice low and decisive. "Orcanon, send a message to Metis. In tomorrow's voting, Poseidon must win."
Orcanon bowed deeply. "As you wish, my Lord." He then disappeared back into the gloom.
---
Gaea's Temple.
Gaea returned to her secluded temple, her face a mask of tense frustration. "Cronus has fallen," she mumbled to the silent walls as she entered. "But Hades still lives."
Her eyes fell upon an ornately carved golden box. She opened it to reveal ten Sky Pearls, resting on velvet and glowing with captured light. "The time has come to use these."
She snapped her fingers.
A forest spirit materialized before her, bowing low. Gaea's order was sharp and clear. "Go. Tell every mountain god, every forest spirit, and every divine guardian under my influence. When the time comes, they are all to vote for Zeus. No exceptions."
The spirit bowed again and vanished.
---
A full day had passed since the fall of Cronus. The three brothers stood on the shore of the desolate sea where Mount Orthys had once stood.
Poseidon stepped forward first, raising his trident high. Its runes ignited with a sapphire radiance. The ocean floor trembled, and the very tectonic plates groaned in response. From the epicenter of the devastation, the earth tore itself asunder. A new mountain, sharp and formidable, burst from the depths, piercing the ocean's surface and soaring towards the heavens. It was a raw, powerful creation, though it lacked the groomed majesty of old Orthys. Molten rock bled from its fresh wounds, and the air filled with ozone and ash.
Zeus moved next, raising his prosthetic arm. The runes along its length flared with silver light. In response, heavy, dark clouds gathered over the newborn peak. A torrential, purifying rain fell, hissing as it met the scorching rock, cooling the rivers of lava and washing the ash from the air. The island was now stable, but barren and lifeless.
Then, it was Hades' turn. He knelt, placing a hand upon the dark soil. "Twilight Flame," he murmured. A wisp of ethereal, life-giving fire bloomed in his palm. He pressed it into the earth, channeling all the residual life force he had gathered from the Life Harvest.
The effect was instantaneous. Where his touch met the ground, verdant green exploded outwards. Trees sprouted, grew, and stretched towards the sky in the space of a single breath, their leaves a dazzling emerald in the newborn sun. Then, Hades tap Helkarion on the ground. 'Mineral Manipulation.'
The earth shuddered once more. A fine dust of marble and gold rose from the ground, swirling and coalescing into form. A grand staircase took shape, leading up to a magnificent castle of gleaming white marble and brilliant gold, a crown for the reborn mountain.
The work was done. The stage was set.
One by one, deities from every realm began to arrive, their eyes wide with awe and apprehension. They gathered in the grand hall of the new castle, their gazes fixed upon the three brothers who stood united, ready to be judged by the world.