Zeus knelt beside Hades, his massive hand ruffling the fur on Cerberus's head. "Good thing you have Cerberus," he commented and the dog whined in acknowledgment
Hades's face, a mask of fury and embarrassment, turned to Zeus. "I can't do this anymore. I'm going back to Othrys Keep."
Zeus shot to his feet, a storm brewing in his eyes. "What? You can't do that! Father wants you dead. You can't just hand your life over to him like that!"
Hades's gaze was hard, resolute. "If he wants me dead, hiding won't prevent it. I'd rather look him in the eye as he takes my life than die a coward under some rock."
The air crackled with tension. "I'm warning you, brother," Zeus's voice was a low rumble of thunder. "If you do this, I shall not assist you."
Hades turned his back on the threat and Cerberus clung to his side. With a final, silent flash of lightning, Zeus was gone.
The journey from Baros Chasm to Othrys Keep was a long one and through domains of Titans and Spirits. Without the aid of his brother, danger is included in the length of journey
As he passed through the desolate landscape of jagged mountains and steep ground, the world was a canvas of purple and gray, with no difference between day and night unless Nyx, the primordial goddess of the night, chose to spread her darkness, hours bled into one another.
***
A mischievous smile played on Hades's lips as the blue crystal light of Othrys Keep's gates came into view. The gates, a dazzling mosaic of thousands of crystals, shimmered with the blended colors of the sky. They were flanked by mountains so immense they seemed to pierce the heavens, a natural, impenetrable barrier protecting the Keep.
As Hades and Cerberus approached, the crystals shimmered in recognition, opening a small passage for him to enter.
Inside, the crushing, raw aura of Cronus demanded his eternal submission. He walked past silent statues of mythical beasts, their stillness a deceptive calm that could erupt into motion with a single command from their master. At the heart of the Keep stood a mountain so vast it dwarfed all others—a legendary peak that reached the very top of the sky. This was Cronus's castle, and it pulsed with a continuous, hot glow like molten lava.
Within the castle, a grand hall unfolded, with twelve towering seats for the great Titans, all arranged around the Obsidian Throne. To his surprise, the hall was filled with the boisterous sounds of a banquet. The Titans sat on their thrones, their servants standing by their side.
Hades's eyes widened at the unexpected generosity. He saw Nectar of Eos, a shimmering golden-red liquid brewed by Hyperion, the Titan of Light, and Selene, the Titaness of the Moon. He also saw Aetherion fruit and the meat of Phorus, a primordial beast that Cronus himself had defeated. This was a feast that fed the very core of a Titan's divinity, and Hades couldn't understand why his father would share it.
"Alas, the arrival of Hades, my first son, the first of all gods!" Cronus's voice boomed across the hall, his eyes gleaming with a strange, feigned pride. "Come here, my son, come up to my throne and I will show you to everyone!"
Hades was stunned. For so long, Cronus had been ashamed of him, and now he wanted to display him for all to see? He knew something was wrong. Just then, Zeus appeared, a stormy expression on his face, and stopped him.
"Something is wrong," Zeus said, his voice low and urgent. "You cannot trust Father. He has never been this generous."
"I'm supposed to do what now, turn back?" Hades queried, his eyes fixed on the throne.
"I can get you out of here in a second," Zeus said, grabbing Hades's arm.
"You said you wouldn't be a part of this," Hades replied, snatching his hand away. "Now leave me be."
As Hades walked down the aisle, the whispers from the Titans were daggers in the back.
"A failure."
"A disgrace."
"A god, my ass."
He ignored them, his gaze fixed on the Obsidian Throne. Once there, he was lifted to the same level as the twelve seats.
"Great Titans of the cosmos, I present to you my son, Hades," Cronus announced. "Themis prophesied that he is not a failure, but a conqueror. And today, his conquering days begin. In this banquet, you will all witness my son conquer Netherion, the dragon serpent of Nyx, born from night itself!"
A collective gasp filled the hall. They all knew what Netherion was—a serpent that had once terrorized them until Cronus subdued it. Its scales were impossible to pierce, and its breath, voidflame, reduced anything it touched to nothing. All eyes were on Hades, who they knew had no power.
"Let the show begin," Cronus said with a grin.
Golden runes began to burn in the center of the hall, rapidly forming a large circle. At Cronus's will, Hades landed in the middle of the runes. Before he could stand, an invisible barrier appeared, enclosing him.
A terrifying screech echoed through the hall. From a dot of darkness within the runes, Netherion rapidly materialized into the fearsome dragon. Sighting its target, the serpent opened its mouth, and Hades could see the voidflame brewing. He ran for the barrier, but was blocked by its invisible force.
Hades knew there was no way out. He looked at Cronus and shot him an angry gaze.
"Hold on!" Zeus screamed. He and Poseidon both shot towards the barrier. Zeus struck it with lightning, while Poseidon caused a massive quake, but their efforts were futile.
Knowing it was useless, Hades stomped his staff on the ground. It was his last resort. His staff, with a body molded like a snake and a dark orb at its head, shot a torrent of darkness at Hades and Cerberus, who was still by his side.
Netherion's low growl rumbled through the hall. It raised its head high, looked down on Hades, and poured its voidflame down, swallowing them both.
Reality hit Zeus and Poseidon. They stopped their attacks, falling to their knees. The hall was dead silent, the Titans stunned by the cruel spectacle.
Cronus just lost his first son.
The prophecy was wrong.
Was this his plan all along?
A random chuckle broke the silence, followed by another and another, until the hall was filled with laughter and mocking comments.
The laughter of the Titans echoed through the great hall, they pointed at the center of the ring where the voidflame had consumed everything, leaving behind a smoking, desolate patch of absolute nothingness.
"Hades the Conqueror, indeed," Oceanus sneered from his throne, his voice rumbling like the deep sea. "More like hades the dead. I can't believe we let you name these people gods."
"He didn't even put up a fight!" Iapetus said, his knuckles cracking with laughter. "My son would have swatted that serpent with a hand tied behind his back."
Their contempt was a palpable force, but it was lost on Zeus and Poseidon, who knelt in the silent grip of their despair. Poseidon's hands clenched, and the very ground beneath them trembled, a silent earthquake of his grief. Zeus, on the other hand, was unnervingly still. He stared at the empty space, a single bolt of lightning flickering in his hand, his rage a quiet, simmering storm. This was it. The final, unforgivable betrayal. Their father hadn't just broken a promise; he had murdered their brother in front of them. The laughter of the Titans now sounded like a war cry.
Cronus, from his Obsidian Throne, surveyed the scene with a cold, triumphant grin. "Let this be a lesson to all," he announced, his voice ringing with absolute finality. "Prophecies are not truths to be feared, but tools to be wielded. The prophecy is fulfilled. The first god has met his fate."
Zeus's head snapped up. His eyes, now pools of pure, concentrated lightning, met his father's gaze. The flicker of the single lightning bolt in his hand intensified, growing into a low, menacing buzz. "He was our brother, your son," Zeus said, his voice filled with rage. "And you will answer for this."
"I have answered for nothing in an eternity, little one," Cronus laughed, his gaze dismissing Zeus. "Now, feast! Celebrate the dawn of a new, purified age!"
Poseidon rose slowly to his feet beside Zeus, his body trembling with a suppressed power that threatened to shatter the very rock of the hall. He looked at the desolate ground where his brother had vanished, then at his father, his eyes reflecting the deep, cold fury.
In the flash of a lightning, Zeus took his sister Hera and stormed out of the hall along with Poseidon.