Page 5 of Tempted By Hades

Fool, he told himself. He should have known Zeus was behind this. His youngest brother had always been pompous and conceited, but Hades had thought the war with the Titans made him put aside his selfishness. I gave him far too much credit.

His thoughts were consumed by the enigma of the seer’s task, and he wondered what it might entail. The lord of the Underworld knew that the fate of the divine realms hung in the balance, and the evidence the seer possessed could potentially reshape the course of their existence.

As the festivities continued around him, Hades considered the intricate web of divine politics, the alliances and rivalries that defined the realm of the gods. He couldn’t help but wonder how the revelation of Zeus’s deceit would ripple through Olympus and what consequences it might bring.

It matters not.

Zeus had used deceit to seize Olympus. He would pay for his duplicity, and Hades would make sure he paid for it.

While he wasn’t usually an optimist, Hades decided for once, he would look on the positive side—he now had ten thousand years to prepare for his revenge. He would use this time wisely to build his forces—send out his spies, gather his allies, and build his armies. Zeus would not give up without a fight, and so Hades had to be prepared for anything. Once the seer was free and Hades had the evidence of Zeus’s fraud, the god of lightning would be caught off-guard. But by this time, Hades would be prepared.

He would have his vengeance, one way or another.

Chapter 1

HADES

Present Day

Hades found himself standing on a bustling street in the heart of New York City, the cacophony of mortal life assaulting his divine senses.

By the rivers of the Styx, how can mortals stand this wretched place? The Upperworld is nothing but noise, filth, and chaos.

The throngs of mortals rushed past on the litter-strewn sidewalks, and the relentless din of horns and voices was worlds away from the orderly, somber halls of the Underworld. The pristine beauty of the Elysian Fields and the calm serenity starkly contrasted with the relentless frenzy of the mortal realm.

Mortals, always rushing about, oblivious to the beauty of the world around them. They prefer the chaos and noise up here. I will never understand it.

Across the bustling street stood a charming plant shop, its vibrant foliage spilling onto the sidewalk. The sight of the lush greenery amid the concrete jungle of New York City offered a brief respite. A sense of serenity emanated from the plants, a beauty that could be found even in the mortal realm.

With a sigh, he reached into his suit pocket and retrieved a whiskey-stained, well-creased piece of parchment. Its message was clear and cryptic as he read it:

Bring the goddess of spring to the sealing ceremony.

Hades’s eyes slid heavenwards.

“I can’t believe this is what I have to do,” he muttered to himself.

The parchment, which had suddenly appeared at the gates of the Underworld in an envelope with his name on it and nothing else, had been a source of intrigue and confusion over the past summer. Not to mention, he had been waiting 9,999 years for the seer to reveal to him what needed to be done. He’d ruminated over it, wondering what task would be asked of him. Did he want the blood of a thousand men? Conquer a new world? Sacrifice himself?

No, it was just this one simple task.

Except it wasn’t quite simple, for many reasons. The first of which was that he had no idea who this goddess of spring was in the first place.

He searched high and low for the goddess of spring. He discreetly sought out the answers, trying not to reveal what or who it was exactly he was searching for or why. But still, he could not find the answers, not without exposing his plan.

It wasn’t until after a night of drinking with Apollo, who was also the god of prophecy, that he had received a cryptic hint. While Hades did not reveal what he was looking for, he revealed enough to Apollo that he took the hint.

With his dumb, drunken face, Apollo had said to visit the Oracle of Delphi, the revered oracle who could unveil the secrets of the divine. “She’ll have the answer to whatever it is you’re seeking,” he had announced before downing a shot of whiskey.

In Mount Parnassus, the mystical oracle, her eyes unfocused as she communed with higher forces, had whispered a response. “Demeter’s daughter…”

The revelation from the oracle had provided a glimmer of clarity, hinting that the key to unraveling the mystery of the goddess of spring lay with Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and the seasons.

Demeter spent most of her time in the Upperworld, opting to ignore the politics of Olympus and live among mortals. Still, the revelation that she had born the goddess of spring was surprising. But then again, Demeter was notoriously private.

The enigma of Demeter and her connection to the mysterious message pulled him toward the plant shop. He was determined to uncover the truth, no matter where it led him in the realm of gods or mortals.

Hades stepped into the plant shop, leaving behind the racket of the New York City street. The transition from the noisy urban environment to the tranquil oasis of greenery was immediate and soothing to his senses.

---