In the heart of the magnificent temple, nestled deep within Mount Othrys, its walls were encrusted with gold and shimmering jewels.
A tall, beautiful woman lay on the bed, her nails digging deep into the sheets. Her golden hair, as if carved from starlight and earth, was dishevelled and clung to her sweat-dampened skin. The twin fires of her emerald eyes, usually so full of compassion and warmth, now glistened with tears that gathered at the corners like morning dew. She was Rhea, queen of the Titans and mother of the gods.
Another wave of agony seized her, and a raw, guttural scream tore from her throat.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
Rhea's breath caught from the pain of birth. One servant wiped the sweat from her brow, while another held the baby and bathed him in warm water.
She gently washed his pale, almost ghostly white skin. Then she carefully rubbed his dark black hair and black wings, which gleamed with a metallic sheen; each feather was like an obsidian blade.
The servant's eyes widened, her brows furrowing as the warm water suddenly turned cold and chilling. This baby was not like other children; his body was cold instead of warm, and a black haze drifted from his skin.
"Give me my child," Rhea said, her voice weak but brimming with eager joy, her arm outstretched. "Let me feel him. I am sure he radiates a legendary aura, just like his father."
"Y-Yes… my queen," the servant stammered, unable to meet Rhea's eyes. "H-He… he radiates with the king's aura. J-Just… just like Lord Cronus."
How can I say that this child was born under the worst constellation imaginable, as if the stars themselves proclaimed him fated to be a calamity? Leave it. It is better not to say anything.
The moment she placed the child into Rhea's hands, a deep, unnatural chill seeped through her skin. She looked into the child's black eyes, tinged with purple. Suddenly, she began to sweat heavily, her clothes soaked, her body shivering with unknown fear. She took long, uneven breaths, struggling to breathe.
"M-Madam, I must take my leave," the servant blurted out, already backing away, her face pale. "F-Forgive me… my queen. I… I suddenly feel unwell."
Rhea said nothing and simply waved her hand.
The servant did not wait for dismissal. She turned and nearly fled the chamber, the other servant quickly following her.
From the child's back stretched a pair of black wings with a metallic sheen, reflecting the torchlight like forged obsidian blades.
Rhea wrapped him gently in the warm, tender embrace of her arms, and the strange chill of his body slowly softened, comforted by her heartbeat.
Rhea leaned forward and kissed his forehead. In a loving whisper close to his ear, she said, "From now on, my child… your name shall be Hades." The name echoed in his soul like a distant memory, familiar yet new.
Hades tried to open his eyes, struggling to see the face of the one who held him, but his newborn vision was not yet fully formed. Only blurred shadows and warmth greeted his sight.
Despite his confusion, he felt something he had not felt since before the void: peace.
Slowly, the strange haze around his body calmed, and lulled by the soothing rhythm of his mother's breath, Hades drifted into his first sleep in this new world.
Rhea gazed down at the sleeping infant in her arms, his pale skin and black, metallic wings a stark contrast to the warmth of her embrace.
From the moment he had been born, she had known this child was different. His cold body, the black haze that clung to him, the unnatural stillness of his sleep—all of it stirred a deep unease within her.
Her thoughts drifted darkly, unbidden, to the ancient curse Ouranos had laid upon her husband, Cronus—a prophecy that one of his own children would bring about his fall.
Fear crept into her heart, whispering memories of how Cronus, driven by terror and madness, had swallowed Hestia.
Would he do the same to Hades?
The thought made her arms tighten protectively around the sleeping child. For a moment, dread threatened to drown her, but she closed her eyes and pushed it away.
No.
She refused to believe that Cronus, the man she had once loved so fiercely, would harm this child. Her love for him still lingered, struggling to overshadow the growing fear.
And so, Rhea sat in silence, holding her strange, cold child close, torn between prophecy and love, between a mother's instinct and a wife's devotion.
Knock. Knock.
The sound was an unwelcome intrusion. Rhea's eyes narrowed in annoyance, her peaceful moment shattered.
"What is the matter?"
From the other side of the door, a nervous voice answered. The servant, knowing better than to enter without permission, spoke to the wood. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. Lord Cronus has returned. He wishes to meet the young prince."
"Go."
Rhea looked down at the sleeping Hades and tightened her hold. Rising from the bed, she left the chamber, carrying her son toward the throne room.
---
In the throne room stood a grand throne made of gold and gems, yet it lay empty.
Thump. Thump.
The earth shook slightly as heavy stomping echoed through the hall.
Suddenly, a giant entered. He was vast, mountain-sized, wearing a white chiton embroidered with gold. As he stepped into the chamber, the torches guttered, their flames bending toward him as if bowing.
He seated himself upon the grand throne. The air grew heavy and oppressive, pressing down on Rhea's shoulders. The vast space seemed to warp around his presence, making the enormous hall feel suddenly small.
He was Cronus, King of the Titans. Nearly all realms lay under his dominion.
Rhea bowed lightly and greeted him in a loving voice. "Welcome back, Cronus."
Cronus hummed in response, his gaze fixed on the sleeping child in her arms.
"Hm… Rhea, is this my newborn child?"
Rhea removed the cloth that concealed Hades and showed him.
"Yes. This is our child. I named him Hades."
"Let me take a look."
Though she hesitated, she obeyed.
She placed Hades into his giant hand. The child awoke at once, disturbed by the sudden loss of his mother's warmth.
He opened his eyes and perceived a massive, mountain-sized figure, though his vision was too blurred to make out details. Still, instinct told him that this domineering, majestic being was his father.
Cronus examined the infant in silence. His gaze lingered on Hades' black-purple eyes, and a cold, ominous chill crept through his skin. His senses screamed danger. Suddenly, the voice of his father, Ouranos, echoed in his mind:
"Just as you betrayed and dethroned me, so too will you face the same fate."
This child is not normal. Could it be… him?
Cronus's jaw tightened.
Without a word, he hooked a finger beneath the baby's tiny leg and lifted him slightly, examining him like a creature under judgment.
In that moment, a surge of raw instinct exploded within Hades. Though his body was fragile, his soul carried the echoes of a warrior who had faced death countless times. He sensed something ominous—something terrible was about to happen.
Hades writhed, his tiny limbs flailing as black mist surged erratically from his body.
But Cronus's grip was absolute—unyielding, divine, and terrifying in its calm cruelty. The infant god's struggle was futile, a whisper of resistance against the titan's crushing will.
From behind Cronus, Rhea's trembling voice rang out. "He is just a child… our child…"
Cronus did not reply. His gaze remained cold and calculating.
Rhea's heart stopped, her breath catching as she saw the deadly resolve in her husband's eyes.
"Cronus…" she whispered.
He did not answer.
Before Rhea could step forward, before she could protest again, Cronus made his decision.
With terrifying swiftness, he lifted the infant to his lips and, in a single merciless motion, swallowed Hades whole.
Rhea cried out, her voice breaking with disbelief and anguish. Tears streamed down her face as the golden walls of the temple echoed with her shattered plea. The warmth of her child vanished from her arms.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then the silence shattered as Rhea unleashed a scream of fury that seemed to tear at the fabric of existence itself.
She summoned her powerful sword, its golden hilt once raised against the primordial sky, Ouranos, and stained with the blood of hundreds of Titans.
Gripping the sword with both hands, she raised it high and leapt forward, swinging with all her strength.
Cronus had already drawn his scythe. Their weapons clashed, and the impact made the earth tremble and the sky split.
Even so, he easily overpowered her. The force of his counterstrike hurled her back, slamming her into the wall.
She gasped, golden blood trickling from her lips as she struggled to rise, her eyes blazing with hatred.
Cronus regarded her with a cold, unfeeling gaze. He sighed, his voice a low, hollow rumble that echoed as if from beyond life and death.
"Enough, Rhea. This had to be done—for my kingdom, for my rule. You know as well as I do what he could have become. He left this world as quickly as he entered it."
As the golden doors closed behind him, Rhea's sorrowful screams echoed throughout the palace. Those anguished cries haunted the halls of Othrys, lingering long after the King of Titans had gone.