Hades opened the door to his bedroom, the chamber illuminated by the pale, spectral light of the nether moon. Hecate sat on the edge of the bed, a pair of simple glasses perched on her nose as she studied an ancient, arcane text.
He entered, shrugging off his long coat and letting it fall onto a nearby chair. He toed off his shoes and sank onto the mattress beside her with a weary sigh. Hecate marked her page and closed the book, removing her glasses to study his face.
"Has your visit answered all your questions?" she asked, her voice soft in the quiet room.
Hades didn't speak, offering only a slow, heavy nod. Hecate watched the blank mask of his expression. 'He's wrestling with something deep,' she thought.
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me what weighs on your mind."
Hades took her cold hands in his, his thumbs tracing circles over her knuckles. When he finally met her gaze, his eyes were shadowed. "I was thinking... what Cronus and his allies endure is excessively harsh. The punishment has crossed into something that feels like..." He trailed off, unable to finish, and dropped his head as if the weight of the crown had become too much to bear.
Hecate squeezed his hands. "Then why don't you give them the judgment they truly deserve?"
Hades shook his head, his voice low. "That authority belongs to the Celestial King—"
"Does it matter?" she interrupted, her voice sharp as a shard of obsidian.
"It matters!" Hades' head snapped up, his eyes flashing. "To overstep his authority is open rebellion. The entire world would stand against us."
A fierce, unwavering smile touched Hecate's lips. "So, what!? If the world stands against us, have we ever feared them? Do our subordinates fear them? No. Then why cling to a meaningless technicality?" She met his gaze, her eyes blazing with conviction. "Hades, you are not alone. I am with you. The whole Underworld stands with you. You are our king. Whatever you decide, we will follow, whether it leads to oblivion or to heaven."
The fog of doubt in Hades' eyes burned away, replaced by a familiar, sharp glint. His shoulders straightened as if a great burden had been lifted. A faint, grateful smile finally appeared on his face. "Thank you, Wifey," he murmured, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You've helped me find my resolve again."
Hecate smiled against his shoulder, gently patting his back.
---
The Next Day
In the throne room, Hades and Hecate sat upon their obsidian thrones, the air crackling with unspoken purpose. Julie and Druvak knelt before them, awaiting orders.
Hades rested his chin on his hand, his voice calm but edged with steel. "Report our military strength."
Julie answered without hesitation. "We currently field over five thousand active soldiers, forty-six of whom hold minor divinities, with an additional two thousand in reserve."
Hecate's voice cut through the hall, low and unnaturally cold. "Could our army fight the combined forces of the world?"
An icy dread seemed to physically touch Julie and Druvak's minds. Julie's thoughts raced. If Lady Hecate asks this, war is inevitable. She exchanged a glance with Druvak, who gave a barely perceptible nod. Julie's throat tightened, but she forced herself to look up.
"Yes, Lady Hecate… if you command it, we will face the world."
A slight, satisfied smile graced Hecate's lips. She looked at Hades and nodded.
Hades' voice was final. "Julie, a group of prisoners will be arriving. Receive them with the respect of honored guests, not captives. Druvak, ready the army for mobilization."
They both bowed deeply. "By your will, my Lord." They rose and exited with quick, purposeful strides.
Hecate turned her gaze to the attendants. "Sebastian." The servant stepped forward from the shadows. "Deliver this to Prometheus." She handed him a sealed scroll. "Remember," she warns, her voice dropping, "do it secretly."
Sebastian bowed, tucking the scroll into his robe. "It will be as if I were never there, my lady."
---
At the Shore of the River Styx
At the edge of the Earth realm, a contingent of celestial soldiers marched a group of haggard prisoners toward the dark waters. The captives were a pathetic spectacle of fallen grace; their divine forms were gaunt, draped in tattered remnants of their former glory, and their movements were a heavy, shuffling trance induced by the crushing weight of their glowing chains. Their faces, pale and etched with grime, were masks of hollow-eyed despair, staring at the chilling fog of the Styx with the bleak resignation of souls stepping into their own damnation. Bia and Nike, generals of Zeus's army, halted their troops at the stygian shore.
Bia surveyed the dismal landscape. The dark blue river flowed sluggishly, its depths hidden by an abyssal blackness. A chilling fog clung to the surface, only parting for the sickly green glow of a lamp held by an old man in a worn black robe '…Charon.'
Bia and Nike offered stiff greetings. "Greetings, Lord Charon."
Charon nodded, leaning on his paddle. "What brings the Celestial King's top generals and this... entourage to my shore?" His sharp eyes swept over the entire army and captives before locking onto the two generals.
Unfazed, Bia stepped forward and presented a red-sealed scroll. Charon took it, his eyes scanning the contents.
"Hmm... Very well. I will contact—" He stopped mid-sentence, his head whipping toward the Underworld with unnatural speed.
Crack!
Charon grunted, his right hand flying to his neck. He squinted, his face contorting in pain. Nike and Bia flustered, stepping forward to help, but Charon raised a hand to stop them. He gripped his head with both hands and twisted.
Crack!
The sound echoed, and his neck straightened. Suddenly, a massive ship descended from the misty clouds above, crashing into the Styx with a tremendous splash that drenched Charon from head to toe. Water dripped from his robes as his face settled into a grim mask.
"Sorry! By mistake, I pulled the wrong lever!" Epimetheus's shout carried across the water. Charon's eye twitched. "Epimetheus..." he grumbled through clenched teeth.
A unit of soldiers clad in dark, sleek armor with gold ornamentation disembarked with disciplined precision. Julie led them, followed by Epimetheus. The soldiers bowed in perfect sync. "Greetings, Lord Charon!"
Charon merely nodded and handed Julie the scroll. She read it quickly, then turned to Bia and Nike. "Lord Hades has sent us to receive them."
At a gesture from the generals, celestial soldiers brought forward the Titans and divine beings, all bound in heavy chains. Their steps were unsteady, faces pale with exhaustion and despair.
Julie glanced at her unit, giving a subtle nod to Mia and Dire. They stepped forward with their squad and began the transfer with quiet efficiency. Once the prisoners were in Underworld custody, the celestial army turned and marched away.
Epimetheus approached Charon with a graceful bow. "We meet again, Lord Charon."
Charon pointed his paddle at Epimetheus like a spear, his wet hair plastered across his face. From between the strands, a single, furious eye glared. "YOU BASTARD! STAY BACK!" He retreated step by step until his heels were at the very edge of the shore.
"But, Lord Charon, you'll fall!" Epimetheus protested, stepping closer.
As he spoke, Charon's foot slipped on the slick stone. He flailed, barely saving himself from the dark waters by stabbing his paddle into the shore. "See!? Don't take another step! Take one more, and I'll throw myself into the Styx! My death will be on your hands!" he threatened, though his act was transparent.
Epimetheus froze. "Okay, I won't move! Please, step away from the edge." He took a careful step back, but his foot landed on a moss-covered stone. He slipped dramatically, and the stone flew from under his foot, sailing through the air in a perfect arc to strike Charon squarely on the forehead.
Thwack! Splash!
Charon disappeared beneath the dark waters.
"Lord Charon!" Epimetheus cries, rushing to the edge.
From a distance, Julie and Dire are engrossed in the scene, casually eating sunflower seeds. Mia looks on, concerned. "Shouldn't we help them?" Julie and Dire ignore her, completely captivated.
He reached into the water, but shadowy hands immediately seized his arm, pulling him in. Just then, Charon surfaced, sputtering. Epimetheus grabbed his robe and hauled him onto the shore.
Charon lay motionless. Epimetheus, 'What should I do!?…' Suddenly he remembers same incident happen with human 'Ah…this will be useful' in a panic, began CPR, but he misjudged his strength.
Crack!
A rib gave way with an audible snap. Undeterred, Epimetheus continued, then sealed his mouth over Charon's to force air into his lungs.
The sunflower seeds and spear clattered to the ground from Julie and Dire's hands. Their eyes widened, cheeks flushing. "WOW!" they breathed in unison.
Charon's eyes flew open. His eye wide open when he found Epimetheus pationately kissing him. He shoved Epimetheus away with a strangled cry, then coughed and spat violently, wiping his mouth as if poisoned. The pain in his chest was nothing compared to the utter humiliation.
After a moment, he began to weep. "Aww! Now I can never show my face again!"
Epimetheus approached, his face etched with concern. "Are you okay, Lord Charon?"
Charon snatched his paddle and began whaling on him wildly. "You've made my existence a living hell! I'll kill you!"
Epimetheus blocked the blows with his forearms. "Forgive me! It was all an accident!"
A soldier approached Julie and whispered, "Ma'am, a message from Sir Druvak. He requests our immediate return."
"Tch." Julie clicked her tongue. "Fun's over, everyone!" She stepped between the two and she grab the paddle and restrained Charon. "Calm down! Lord Charon! Calm down. Killing him won't solve anything." But still enraged Charon pushing forward while flaing his hand.
'He won't stop by simple means.'
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "We swear on the Styx, what happened here, will stays here. No one will speak a word of it."
Charon stilled. "Really?"
"Really,"Julie affirmed, pressing a black marble into his palm. "As you requested."
He looked at the marble, his eyes brightening. He glared at Epimetheus. "I... forgive you." The air around them grew deathly cold. "But if you ever come near me again, I WILL KILL YOU."
Epimetheus opened his mouth to protest, but Julie cut him off with a sharp gesture. "Everyone, board the ship! And remove their chains!" she commanded.
The well-trained soldiers quickly complied, freeing the astonished Titans and deities. Confusion rippled through the former prisoners. Julie stepped forward to address them. "The Underworld has decided to grant you all asylum. Everything will be explained in full once we arrive. For now, please cooperate with us."
They boarded in a daze, the reality of their unexpected salvation slowly sinking in.
As the ship departed, Charon stood alone on the shore. He tossed the black marble into the Styx, watching as it sank into the inky depths. Moments later, strange ripples disturbed the water's surface, and something massive began to rise.
A wide smile spread across Charon's face as an obsidian ship of terrifying beauty emerged from the river. He boarded, his fingers trailing over the smooth, dark hull as he ascended to the captain's wheel.
"From this day forth," he declared, "your name is Black Pearl."
The ship seemed to vibrate in response, its sails unfurling of their own accord. Charon raised a hand, a green haze drifting from his palm. "Rise, my crew!"
The ground trembled as skeletal hands clawed their way up from the earth. Dozens of skeletons emerged, clad in tattered black handkerchiefs, with rusted cutlasses hanging from their hips. They moved with a jerky, eerie purpose.
"Keee-heee-heee!" they cackled, their empty eye sockets fixed on Charon as they swarmed aboard the Black Pearl, taking their positions with a discipline that belied their undead nature.
Charon gripped the wheel, his gaze fixed on the endless dark of the Styx.