A man dressed in an immaculate black suit paced restlessly through the moonlit garden of the hotel. Hades. His steps were taut with tension, his expression drawn tight with worry.
"I'm not going to the Underworld," Maria said, her voice unwavering, "and Zeus is a fool if he thinks sending them to Camp Nowhere will solve anything. We're staying together. That's final."
"Maria, please," Hades pleaded, voice frayed with exasperation. "Come with me. You're not safe here. I won't let you die for your attachment to this place. We're playing a dangerous game. We can bring the children too, but we have to go."
"And what do you think will happen, Hades?" she challenged. "If I go to the Underworld with you—if our children do—how do you imagine your brother will respond?"
A calm voice cut through the tension like lightning through still air.
"Badly," it said.
The couple turned, startled. Standing a few steps behind them was a man who appeared to be in his forties, his bright blue eyes electric against bronzed skin. There was something ancient in his gaze—piercing, calculating—beneath a facade of polite indifference. His beard was black, streaked elegantly with silver, groomed to perfection and framing a powerful jaw.
He wore a charcoal grey double-breasted suit of exquisite craftsmanship, the fabric unnaturally smooth, as if woven from cloud and storm. The broad shoulders of the jacket gave him a commanding silhouette. A crisp light blue shirt and a burgundy tie, patterned faintly with silver lightning bolts, completed the look.
"For the record," Zeus added with a chilling smile, "I am not an idiot. And I don't appreciate being called one."
Hades stepped forward, placing himself between Zeus and Maria. His helm shimmered into existence above his brow, and his bident slowly rose from the shadows at his feet.
"What are you doing here, brother?" he asked in a low, dangerous tone.
"I'm not here to provoke a fight," Zeus replied evenly. "Only to deliver punishment. You know how I am when orders are ignored. It's been five months since I told you to take your children to Camp Half-Blood."
With a wave of his hand, a table and three chairs materialized in the garden.
"Why don't we sit," he said smoothly, "and talk like civilized immortals?"
Maria looked at Hades, who gave the conjured table a brief glance—checking for traps—and nodded. The three took their seats.
Zeus began.
"You defied me, brother. But since you've never acted against my throne, and your political ambitions are nonexistent, I'll be lenient."
Maria's eyes narrowed, her mouth parting in protest, but Hades raised a hand. He was watching his younger brother with narrowed eyes, his expression unreadable.
"As I was saying," Zeus continued, now with a pointed glance toward Maria, "before a certain, very rude—might I add—mortal interrupted me… the punishment will be relatively light."
The air changed. The heavens seemed to hold their breath.
"Maria di Angelo is hereby forbidden from touching the living soil for all eternity. She will be bound to the castle of Hades.
Nico and Bianca di Angelo will be taken to the Lotus Hotel and kept there until further notice. Only their father may visit—once every thirty years.
Maria is prohibited from seeing them.
Since she will reside within the castle, she will be made immortal—but not free. She shall not walk Elysium when her days are done, for she will have no end.
And when her children awaken, they will swear an oath—never to rise against Olympus or its gods."
As the divine weight of his declaration lifted, the air returned to its normal stillness. Maria, tears welling in her eyes, seized her glass of daiquiri and threw it in Zeus's face.
"You're insane," she spat. "If you think I'll let my children rot in a hotel, you're mad!"
Zeus inhaled slowly, restraining himself. Thunder rumbled faintly overhead. Hades rose and stepped behind Maria, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. The message was clear: Go against her, and you go against me.
"Brother," he said with quiet steel, "please. She doesn't know what the Lotus Hotel is. She's only human."
Zeus's breathing slowed. A storm raged behind his eyes, but he remembered Themis's warning: Hurt the woman, and your brother will turn against you.
After a long, simmering silence, he spoke.
"Mrs. di Angelo," he said with carefully measured calm, "the Lotus Hotel is a place where time does not pass. To you, it may feel like millennia. To them, it will be a few months—at most, a few years. I swear on my honor: as long as your children do not rise against Olympus, I will not harm them."
He turned to Hades. "Call one of your servants to escort her to the Underworld. There is more we must discuss."
But before he could continue, a quiet voice stopped him.
"May I… say goodbye to them?" Maria asked softly. Her eyes were not afraid—but deeply, heartbreakingly sad.
Even Zeus, for all his irritation, paused. In that moment, he had to admit she deserved some measure of respect.
"Yes. You may," he said at last. "But once it is done, the servants will take you below."
As her fate was sealed, Maria began to glow. Subtly at first, then brighter. Her features refined themselves—her eyes shifting from brown to a dark honey, her lips blooming red like roses, her form becoming taller, fuller, idealized. She looked divine.
But even in her transformation, sorrow lingered in her gaze. The power she now held was not freedom—it was a cage.
A woman with bat-like wings -alecto- rose from the shadow of the dark one, she then put a hand on Maria's shoulder and led her to her children, in their bedroom, to give them a last hug of goodbye, the mother let out sorrowful tears, she understood that all of this was inevitable and that she was not going to see her children in a long time,
As Maria was going away, the two brothers now alone, restarted talking, "Thank you for containing yourself brother, now, what else do you want to talk about and why are being so merciful?" Hades said in a serious and suspicious tone, while since the insurrection Zeus was a fairer king (to the gods), it was rare that he treated a mortal with such respect, "It's simple brother, it's because i think those children: 1. Aren't the ones who will play an active role in the prophecy, and 2. I don't want you as an enemy, in thousands of years, as I already said, you did not go against me and legitimated my reign, contrary to Poseidon, plus after we three swore the oath at the council....
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 months before, the night after the council
Zeus had the paranoia at 1000m above sea level, so once he returned from the council he had gone straight into his chambers, "My dear how was the council?" she said while sipping a british tea and reading a book, Leto was not really asking the question, you could see that for moment she was totally engrossed in her book "The Hobbit", at this the sky father "Dear I need a bit of your time could you please...", at this Leto put her book down, sipped another bit of her tea and"Tell me dear, what torments you?" she signaled her king to lie down next to her, Zeus obliged,inhaled deeply and put his arm on her shoulder, slightly pressing her against his frame, "It's about the prophecy dear," he said while kissing her hair, "I would want to know what this demigod looks like, maybe a detail about their eyes, or maybe one of their powers, you could summon your mother to the throne room? getting a clue about them could be crucial for knowing whose son they are," at this Leto put her tea on the nightstand nearby and started kissing her husbands neck, "Fine dear it will be done by tomorrow, when are the others arriving by chance?" she said in a muffled tone, "In five to ten minutes, why?" he said in anticipation, his mouth becoming dry, "Let's make them count then..." she said giggling.
The morning later Zeus, was sitting in his throne pretty impatiently, after all, hours had passed, a woman with smoke-like hair and golden eyes was scouring the future in a bowl of water, Hera was sitting close to him and while interested, held her hand on her husbands to prevent him from barking orders to the visibly-in-need-of-concentration woman,
"I see it m'lord I see it... m'lord,
Green are the eyes, where the ocean's depths gleam, A blade in his grasp, like a forgotten dream. Beside it, a spear, from a land lost to time, To pierce through the shadows, defying all crime.
The silver-bowed maiden, whose vows held so strong, Shall find her pure heart where it does not belong. When the ancient oath shatters, like ice in the sun, The fate of Olympus, by his hand, shall be spun."
The room was still nothing was moving, the mind of the monarch, was a whirlwind of information, possibilities, but, at the same time, Zeus was broadly grinning, there were a lot of things he could do to spun this prophecy in his favor, the first of which.... "Dear could you call Themis and Leto in here please, i'll summon Artemis from her chambers", so the king took to the silver bowed maiden's chambers
A minute or so later
knock knock
"Father... why are you here, i was sleeping" she said with a tired tone, after weeks of hunting she took a rare vacation home, the goddess did not know that what will happen next will change everything,
"Artemis good thing you are awake, come on, follow me" while the goddess was confused as to why her father was grinning so much, "What's going on it's early in the morning isn't it?" said the goddess almost yawning at the end, "You'll see where we arrive to the throne room", the goddess understood that, what she did not understand was why they were practically speeding toward the throne room,
After a bit of walking, after her father, threw open the side doors to the throne room as if he were a bulldozing helephant, she was met with an unfamiliar sight, Her grandmother, Phoebe was talking with her mother, while Hera and Themis were watching her from the moment she entered,clearly amused by what was going to happen next, now that she noticed it both her grandmother and mother were grinning like her father, a bit too much in her opinion,
After a bit her Phoebe and Leto rushed to hug her, "Oh honey! Congratulations!" said Leto with a melodically happy tone, the one she made when one of the twins made a thoughtful gift or in other such moments, then she became more dishorinted when she noticed what was said, "What?" was all that she could say before her grandmother gave another tight hug, the ones where you can't breath, with the corner of her eye she could Hera exiting the room almost crying of laughter, "Ho sweetie i'm so happy for you! You remind me your mother at your age, you know I made her dress personally"
her dress? the eyes of the poor goddess opened wide, her wedding dress, confusion was transforming into into confused anger, she is not marrying anyone without her consent, she was not going to be a trophy wife of some god that could not even clean his butt, how dare-
"I think we are overwhelming her, let's calm down, everyone please..."said Themis seeing her stepdaughters struggle, clearly the only one with a brain the younger goddess thought...
"what is happening?" she said with a decisive tone "from the start, thanks" her tone was calm but her eyes were fierce, everyone in the room could see that, the eyes of the father could only swell with pride, of everything she could have taken from him his stubbornness was the one, it reminded him of his younger self, during the war, determined to win, to free his mother from his father's' shackles, ha the younger years, when you thought you could do everything, not that he couldn't do everything to be clear,
"So what do you all have to say?" she said, "Come on dear sit" said Themi, who now stood up and was walking her stepdaughter to her throne, "Themis what is happening here, they-" said the younger goddess, she did not know what to think, she only hoped they weren't marrying her off to someone, "O dear i'm sorry I overreacted" said Phoebe, "Yeah, sorry i was just, so happy" said her mother in a happy but self-disappointed tone,
And so they told her about the details of the prophecy, obviously not before making making her swear on the styx to not divulge this information,
She was... speechless, "so essentially, the demigod, son of poseidon who i'll fall in love with is the one who will change olympus's faith", "yes!" said her mother in an enthusiastic tone, Hera restarted laughing, the face of the young goddess was a picture to be hung in the walls, "honestly.. could have been worse" said the goddess, she was exhausted by the mere thought of it all, but was comforted by the the fact that, her uncles and his father took an oath of celibacy, then she remembered... we were talking about poseidon, one of the most lustful gods in olympus, the same guy who has fathered more than a hundred children, that is just in ancient times.... all it would take was one beautiful girl in a beach and the oath would have been broken, not that she trusted her father that much either.
Then she watched her father, who was grinning like an idiot, the same father who would not trust poseidon even to tie his own shoelaces "Father i fear to ask but why are you grinning?"
"Simple dear because he cannot be a threat to us, after all he'll have you.. the weakness of Poseidons lineage is lust and you my dear, are gorgeous"
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Back in the garden of the hotel, Hades swore in his mind that he was going to punch his brother soon. The arrogance, even now, was unbearable.
"So, dear brother," Hades began again, his voice carefully neutral, "what do you propose we do about this new development regarding the prophecy? You've taken great lengths to ensure my family's, Maria's, discomfort. What is the real play here?" He crossed his arms, his obsidian eyes narrowed, waiting for the inevitable grand strategy to unravel. "first of all... the punishment is barely a punishment, effectively, the only part of the punishment is not seeing them for a couple decades, moreover as said before for them it will be a couple weeks" as Zeus said that the dark one conceded with a slight nod. "So you think that Poseidon's kid will manifests within a few decades, and are planning to have your own children and free mine right around his age...why?"
Zeus chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated through the air. "The play, Hades, is foresight. You, my brother, understand loyalty. You have been content in your kingdom, not meddling in affairs that do not concern you. Poseidon, however..." He paused, his gaze drifting upwards, as if he could already see the restless seas. "Poseidon is ambitious. Always has been. He might honor the oath in word, but his nature... it chafes. A son of his, one destined for such power, could be a formidable weapon against us, against my reign."
He leaned forward, his blue eyes glinting with a familiar, calculating light. "But if this prophesied demigod, this son of the Sea, is tied to Olympus not by fear, but by... affection... then his loyalty is secured. If he is destined to capture the heart of my Artemis, a goddess who has never swayed from her oath, a goddess whose very essence embodies untouchable purity and loyalty to Olympus... then his allegiance is guaranteed. A son of the Sea, bound to the Sky through love, a powerful new ally, rather than a potential rival. And his very nature, tied to water and winter, balances the fiery spirit of my Artemis. It's... elegant."
Hades frowned, considering this. "You haven't responded to the question brother, plus, you mean to use your daughter as a pawn, to secure a future alliance with a child of Poseidon?"
Zeus merely waved a hand, dismissing the accusation. "Pawn? Nonsense. Artemis is a goddess. Her choice will be her own. But fate, Hades, has a way of guiding us to where we need to be. And if her path, and Olympus's, aligns with this demigod's destiny, then it is simply... opportune." He took a deep breath, the subtle scent of blooming lotus around them doing little to soothe his nerves. "This is about stability, brother. With the Veil thinning, with threats we barely comprehend looming, we need every advantage. And you, Hades, by remaining neutral, you ensure our combined strength is not wasted on internal squabbles. You ensure that when the time comes, Olympus stands united, not fractured by ancient grievances. That is why i want your children alive, so that they all fight for the good of Olympus, here is the deal, once they are free you can educate however you want, this way you know i can't turn them against you, how does it sound?"
Hades scoffed, but the fury in his eyes had mellowed into a weary resignation. He knew Zeus too well. This "mercy" was a calculated move, a cold bargain struck for strategic advantage. Yet, for once, Zeus's goal of stability aligned with his own.
"So, the plan," Hades said, his voice flat, "is to wait for Poseidon's brat to appear, groom him, and marry him off to your daughter to keep him in line?"
Zeus smiled, now tinged with a hardened pragmatism. "Precisely, dear brother. And you, Lord of the Underworld, will ensure the oath holds. No interference. No escape. And a powerful ally secured through an unexpected bond. A win for Olympus, would you not agree?"
The silence stretched between them. Hades looked at the sky, "fine brother i accept your terms, but beware if you have your children before poseidon there will be hardships for them, a lot" at this the sky father arched an eyebrow "and why would that be?" at this the dark one grinned, "You cast my children into time's unending dream? Then a parallel slumber awaits those born of your own glory. For I know your pride, King, will not permit their final breath, but compel you, as is your ancient habit, to bind them in weeping bark or unyielding stone, preserving their lives for a later return."