Chapter 23 Someone New on Olympus
Hades POV
The past year has been different for me. I changed my routine a bit and decided I would judge souls myself to change things up a bit. I also decided to enter the coliseum arena to fight. In the arena, we are not allowed to use any of our powers only skill. Armour and weapons are provided. Honestly, it was the first time I had gotten my ass handed to me. The thing was though fighting was a skill I could improve. It would be boring if I just relied on my power to win the fights. Each year we have a tournament to show which person has the most skill. It was a surprise to me that the Morpheus the lazy one won two years in a row. The guy who sleeps all day and night, but when he fights he fights, it is like fighting the wind. He is amazing at strategy cornering his opponents easily and getting them into a position so he can easily manoeuvre and disarm them. The god is so fast and light on his feet he beats people with pure agility. I had so much fun fighting everyone and improved a lot.
A whole year had gone by and the Winter Solstice is coming up again. I really hate this time of year. I have to meet my family again and honestly, I hate doing so. Hestia is really the only one I like, but recently we have grown distant over the years. Probably because she doesn't live here anymore. She visits every two weeks and stays three days though, but the END has not been the same once she left. I visit mother once a week and invite her to my realm, but she refuses as she does not want to seem to favour any child.
I really just ignore Olympus as something just does not sit well with me about the place. Last year, I had forbidden Hermes from entering my realm after he tried to woo Hectate and when that didn't work he tried to take advantage of her. I just beat his ass and chucked him into a Nether region for a couple of days. Even for gods, without protection, that place will harm us. I don't tolerate anything like what Hermes tried to pull. Because of his actions, I called a conference, I made laws for my realm so they understood what is appropriate and what is unacceptable. Everyone was rather happy about my laws as they felt safer knowing that I don't let anything slide. When I released Hermes he was in a lot of pain with burns covering most of his body. Zeus tried to reprimand me during the last solstice, I just ignored him as I had grown tired of his shit. What can he do about it, sue me?
Aphrodite still has been looking at me weirdly every meeting. I do not understand what she wants. She just stares at me and flips her hair expecting something. What am I supposed to do, maybe she wants money or something, I am the god of riches after all. I asked mother for advice and she told me to just ignore her, she just wants attention. I just used Rhea's advice and ignored Aphrodite.
Today is the day of the winter solstice. The day I hate the most, as during this day monsters and dark magic are the strongest, but mostly today I have to meet the rest of the gods on Mount Olympus as I heard they are introducing a new daughter of Zeus. They have so many kids it is disturbing, as I had to chuck most of them into Tartarus for there actions. Because they are demigods they feel above themselves for doing many sins. I had a discussion with Yahweh and how he judges an individual. I do not agree with everything, but killing and raping are a one way trip to Tartarus. Killing in self-defence has to be judged separately though. Things like stealing I go by how the circumstances are. The scale helps with most souls, but there are always outliers that need to be judged individually. At some point, I feel like I should just chuck all demigods into Tartarus, but that would not be fair. The saddest part though the gods do not care about their kids and a lot of their deeds are to get their attention. I make my way up Olympus thinking of all the demigods that have never met their parents.
Persephone POV
Today is the day that Olympus will know about me, my father introduced me to his other children and I have to say I am a little worried about the way Ares, Apollo, and Hermes looks at me. I do not really like Apollo, the sun sets earlier and earlier each day making mine and my mother's job require more power. Ares's causes war that makes humans burn their enemies crops and farms. It has gotten out of hand a number of times requiring us to fix the fields. Artemis, who was one of the few people that knew of me also looks concerned. She told me to swear to be a virgin and I would be safe from their gazes. If a god were to try anything they would be cursed to never use their thing again. As a daughter of Zeus, I have much more protection, even Zeus is scared of the vow as it is sacred and powerful. Artemis and my mother told me everything wrong with Olympus and why they do not live on it. The first time I saw Olympus I was in awe at how beautiful it was now I see it as everything wrong with the world.
My mother reassures me that if I could get protection from Hades I do not have to take the vow. He sounds like an okay god compared to my father, but he doesn't like to concern himself with anything not of his realm. I asked my mother about the END. She told me she had only been there during the war. All she knows about him is that he likes to build things. Zeus had forbidden gods and goddesses from going to the END or face banishment from Olympus. This backfired though as a third of the goddesses took the chance and left Olympus under the advice of some Titanesses who were their friends. This forced Zeus to recind the law in fear of losing more people.
The meeting is finally starting and I was introduced to all the gods and goddesses. Hades had finally arrived, he was dressed oddly in a button-up shirt and jeans. It looked good on him, he had a trimmed beard unlike my father and Poseidon's long ones. It looked different and his purple eyes were somewhat enchanting. Everything about him was different from the other gods. He was so calm and composed. Unlike other gods, he did not look at me and just went to his throne and sat down, took a book and started to read. My mother said that was not his actual throne, but a comfy chair that Hades uses. He placed it himself, my mother tried it when no one was around and she told me it is really comfy and has books for entertainment on it.
I did not know this, but I stared at him throughout my introduction from Zeus. I think my father was annoyed with that and so were many of the gods. I heard Hades was feared, but he did not look or act like it. I feel he was approachable. After my introduction I was asked to leave the room. I met other goddesses and tried to strike a conversation. They seemed pretty nice, they took me on a tour around Olympus. I asked them abou Hades, they just told me that he was a powerful god that many feared. His mear presence on Olympus provided protection for many of them. They actually have not met him, but have told me that many gods respect and fear him. I asked about the END and they said they did not know anything about it as many gods do not visit other realms. After the tour, we parted ways as I needed to meet Hades. I waited outside the throne room for the meeting to end.
General POV
Persephone did not wait long as meetings were generally not long as many of the Olympians did the same thing year by year and even then they mostly ignored their duties. She finally saw Hades and decided it was a good time to talk and approached him.
"Hello Lord Hades do you have time to talk in private." Just as she asked Hades just looks at her in interest. Contemplating what to do, he decides he could use this oppurtunity to get off of Olympus and opens a portal to one of his homes.
"Yeah sure follow me." Just like that he enters the portal and gestures her to follow him.
Them leaving left a sour taste in many of the gods as they saw this as Hades claiming a goddess. Many of the older goddesses knew how Hades was and were a little jealous of Persphone. Aphrodite though was angry beyond belief.
In the END, two gods exit the portal. Hades turns around and gestures to sit at a couch in front of the window of his realm. Outside you could see many skyscrapers as this was one of Hades's penthouse suites overlooking a city. There was a rectangular shaped dark obsidian on the wall projecting an arena with monsters and gods fighting. Persephone sat down and followed by Hades.
"So what do you want to talk about? Not many people ask to talk with me on Olympus." Hades was genuilally interested as this was the first time anyone actually asked to speak to him in private. He also blew many people off if they didn't get their point across to him.
This was really not the first time for him though as he does not understand anything not blunt as a hammer. If someone wanted to speak to him they would have to say what they wanted as he did not really understand what many goddesses implied. Persephone was actually the perfect person to talk to him as she grew up isolated from the rest of the world and did not fully understand how to communicate. This actually gave her more of an oppurtunity to speak to Hades.
"I want to know about you and your realm. I heard many different things about you from everyone I met, but a lot of it was contradictory." Hades was actually excited about what she said because it has been a long time for him to show his creations to someone new. He took the opportunity to show her all of the realm and his creations and the history of it. Persephone grew more and more intrigued by his realm and all the different biomes. She especially liked the gardens and forests. She inherited the gift for making trees and plants from her mother and showed it to Hades. Hades was overjoyed as Demeter never visited and made new trees and saw this as an oppurtunity to ask for some. He talked about his joy of building things and how the END is run. Persephone truly believed he was a just god. By the end of the tour, he told her to visit anytime.
Hades took her home though a portal and she was met by Demeter and Artemis. They were worried that something happened to her in the END. Persephone explained everything that happened there. She loved the END and wanted to visit again. Artemis disagreed as she did not trust Hades. Demeter had mixed feelings as she did not want her daughter to leave her. All throughout the night she told them of the wonderful time in the END and about Hades.
Aphrodite POV
I had spent years trying to get his attention, but as soon as that bitch comes in he just takes her to his home. I have had such bad luck these past few years. First being forced to marry that cripple and now being shown up by some new goddess I have not even heard of. She is going to pay for what she did. I am already hearing rumours of how she seduced Hades the untouchable. Many have tried to get his attention, but were rebuffed. Now she just walks in and ruins everything. For now, no one can touch her, but I noticed how frantic Demeter was. She wanted to get her daughter back but was stopped by Hera. I think it was petty revenge for sleeping with her husband though. I could use this, I just need help from my son, Eros.
A/N
Sorry, I did not update yesterday, I was busy and could not finish the chapter. Today was also a long day so I am updating late.
I chose Persephone as I found it appropriate. Athena will just visit the END for the library often.
PVP is introduced