Oceanus sat upon his coral throne, his gaze falling upon his son. Poseidon stepped forward, his armor gleaming. "Master, our preparations are complete. Our army will soon advance on Mount Othrys."
"Hmm… Be victori—" Oceanus began, but his words were cut short as the entire palace shuddered. The ocean beyond the windows churned violently.
Poseidon instantly armed himself, his trident humming with power.
"Oceanus…" The deep voice of Pontus echoed through the hall, resonant and ancient.
Oceanus was on his feet in an instant, stepping forward with deep respect. "Yes, Lord Pontus?"
"Something… grand is happening in the Underworld. Go. See it."
A single thought flashed through both their minds: The Underworld… Hades!?
As Oceanus prepared to leave, Poseidon interrupted. "Father, let me come with you."
Oceanus saw the determined fire in his son's eyes and gave a grim nod. "So be it. Do not leave my side." Their bodies disintegrated into pure water, which then sank into the earth itself.
They rematerialized in the void beneath the Earth realm. Poseidon's eyes widened. Before them stretched an immense, flawless black sphere, so vast its edges vanished into infinity.
"We are not the only spectators," Oceanus said quietly, pulling Poseidon behind him. He gestured to the shadows where other Titans and divine beings watched, their forms shimmering with wary energy.
Suddenly, Atlas lunged from the darkness, a comet of rage aimed at the black sphere. He never reached it. An invisible barrier flashed, repelling him with catastrophic force. The Titan crashed against the earthen roof of the void with a world-shaking impact.
Above the sphere, dark smoke swirled and coalesced into the forms of Nyx and Erebus. Their combined auras erupted, a pressure that turned the void to stone. Oceanus grunted, throwing himself in front of Poseidon. The backlash was immediate; he coughed, vomiting a spray of golden ichor.
"Master!" Poseidon cried, his face etched with worry.
"Do not act!" Oceanus commanded, his voice strained. He wiped his mouth. "We are mayflies before such power. Remember this feeling. You will face it again." The lesson was imparted not with words, but with the taste of his own divine blood.
Nyx's voice cut through the void, cold and final. "Heed this warning. Do not pry into the affairs of the Underworld, unless you have no love for your life."
Her eyes lingered on Atlas, who trembled, his body broken, his courage shattered. That glance alone was punishment enough.
The message was received. Oceanus, along with the other watchers, immediately retreated. Back in his palace, Oceanus sank into his throne, the image of the primordials burning in his mind. He waved a dismissive hand. "Leave me, Poseidon. I must… contemplate."
Once alone, he leaned back with a groan that held a thread of dark amusement. "From this moment, the primordials are no longer neutral. The world will drown in chaos." A wise, calculating smile touched his lips. "This will make the game far more interesting."
---
In the newborn Underworld, the realm was almost complete. Only the final adjustments remained.
But the five minutes were over.
Hecate collapsed to the ground, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Hades remained standing. He placed the crystalline shard from Tartarus into his mouth. "Rest. I will finish this."
The fragment ignited within him. It did more than energize him; it supercharged him, a wildfire of primordial power his current form was not meant to contain. His skin split, and black ichor welled from the cracks, sizzling as it dripped onto the newborn earth. He gritted his teeth, enduring the agony, and violently channeled the torrent of energy into the realm's core.
The violet star pulsed one last time and vanished, its work done. The Underworld was reborn.
Hades flew high into the sky. Below him stretched a barren landscape, lit by the dim, perpetual sun Hecate had created. He raised his hands, which flared with Abyssal Flame.
The central temple grew larger and more grand. To the west, the Gate of Tartarus rose from the rock. To the north, Elysium bloomed into the most beautiful land in all creation. To the east, Asphodel formed, a plain of neither great beauty nor utter desolation.
From Tartarus, a desert spread to the north, a barren wasteland to the south, and a land of lava and erupting volcanoes to the west. From Elysium, a dense, evergreen forest climbed to the north. From Asphodel, a land of lakes formed to the north, high mountains and canyons to the east, and an arctic land of glaciers to the south.
The panicked beings floating in the void felt a gentle force lower them until their feet once again touched the solid, blessed ground of their reborn home.
Hades's voice rang out, the law of reality itself.
"Styx! Flow from the Earth realm and enter my domain from the south. You will form the boundary of the entire Underworld!"
As he commanded, a silver thread of water pierced the dimensional barrier, carving a solemn channel around his kingdom.
"Phlegethon! Originating from Tartarus. Your fiery flow will bound the desert, the barren lands, and the volcanoes, ending where you meet the Styx!"
"Lethe! Originating from Elysium. Your waters will separate the northern forest from Elysium's fields, and end at the central border."
"Acheron! Originating from Asphodel. Your sorrowful path will divide the plains from the northern lakes and mountains, meeting your end at the centre."
"Cocytus! Originate from the glaciers. Your icy lament will form the boundary of the frozen south, ending at the central land."
The river gods obeyed. Their waters flowed from their origins, carving their designated paths until they all converged at the border of the central land. There, they did not simply meet; they fused in a brilliant, silent explosion of light. From this confluence, a new river glowed with vibrant blue light, and from its waters rose a teenage boy with hair of flowing azure. He bowed to his creator.
"Thank you, my Lord, for my life. I am Eridanos."
Hades gave a curt nod and continued his work. He divided the sky itself into four layers: the first, the normal sky; the next, the Arcane level, filled with mist and nebulae where the solar body resided; above that, the Dreamland; and finally, the dark void where Nyx and Erebus dwelled.
"One final task," Hades murmured, descending to the ground. He formed a well of pure Twilight Flame. As it stabilized, the Reincarnation Cycle clicked into place, and the entire Underworld thrummed with stable, eternal power.
A surge of energy flooded Hades. His power ascended, breaking through to the lowest level of God King. But the cost was absolute. His body and mind, pushed far beyond their limits, gave out. He collapsed where he stood, as the first true day of his reign began.