Page 6 of Hades The Unseen One

“This is close enough,” Zeus said.

I swung around to look at him.

“I can communicate with the brothers from here,” he said, patting me on my shoulder. “They will sense our natural powers and forge our weapons accordingly.”

I was so close, and there was so much to explore. The Underworld was as vast as the land and skies to me. I suppressed a sigh, but my shoulders drooped down. Poseidon began to talk excitedly about what kind of weapon he wanted. I saw a large boulder and sat down, leaning against the rock.

There was a nagging sensation before I stretched my fingers and lifted my palm. The marble shifted within the cavern wall. I paused and tugged on the iron deposits, smiling when I felt them shift. This was a new power.

Zeus began to radiate light, and I saw him cross-legged while floating in the air. My lips tightened at the white light, which irritated my eyes. I glanced at Poseidon to get a read on him. His sole focus was on Zeus. There was a mixture of admiration and envy, but I could not judge when I encountered similar emotions not so long ago.

This was the beauty of the blanket of darkness—one remained unseen.

After a while, Poseidon’s incessant pacing began to grate on my nerves. In the end, I dug deep to recall how I’d blocked them all out inside Cronus before I mentally scoped out the layout of the underworld. Everything I sensed was set out in a large circular shape. Rivers of water and fire flowed, but there were large pockets of unused space. The sinister void of Tartarus was as close as it was far.

“Hades, Arges needs you to push forth some metals,” Zeus said as his light dimmed, and I heard him stand on his feet.

I nodded but kept my face devoid of any expression. How he knew what I could do with the earth and its elements when I only discovered these powers was beyond my comprehension. Zeus was, without a doubt, our commander.

It took me a few moments, but I pushed various metals through the ground once I located the three brothers. Some extremely resilient metals took me longer to move through the rock formations. The more I used my power, the easier the task became.

“That will do. The Cyclopses have all they require,” Zeus said.

When the time came to leave, I strolled along to enjoy the last of the peaceful environment. Luckily, Poseidon wasn't as inquisitive on the way back, and I hoped he would not lock horns with Zeus. When we left the Underworld, there was an inexplicable feeling of loss.

Why was the Underworld calling to me?

Chapter 6

Campe

We camped beside the Phlegethon River while the Cyclopses worked on our weapons. The time gave me some time to scrutinise Poseidon. We all have complex characteristics, with some stemming from our incarceration from birth. I watched from the sidelines but remained focused on our goal. His attitude wasn't belligerent in a wicked way. It was simply his way of dealing with his demons.

Although the physicalities of fighting helped vent the frustration out, I still felt lost in my new world. I left my brothers to do as they willed while seeking peace in the dusky evening. I knew there would be no peace when we returned to Mount Olympus.

???

“The weapons are ready to be collected, and it is time to free the Cyclopses,” Zeus said as he stood up. He paused before he continued. “Hecatoncheires also reside in Tartarus, but we must get past a guard first.”

The brothers must be master blacksmiths if they completed our weapons within two days. I wasn't too concerned about the guard because, after years of war, one more monster didn't phase me.

“I knew there was a catch,” Poseidon said with a groan.

“All you need to do is distract her, and Hades will be able to break through the barrier. I will take care of Campe,” Zeus said confidently.

Arges, Steropes and Brontes were the offspring of Uranus and Gaia, as were the Hecatoncheires. It was our father and their brother who kept them imprisoned. The irony was that his actions were replicas of Uranus’s—a God he hated wholeheartedly.

???

When we reached the centre of the Underworld, we travelled down the endless pit on Zeus’s winged back. The lower we sank into the depths of the pit, the warmer the Underworld got. There was an incredible amount of power down here. My brothers didn't seem affected.

Did it come from the abyss of Tartarus?

“Can you feel it?” I asked as our free fall continued.

“Yes, it feels sinister and perilous,” Poseidon said with a frown. “Open the pit as soon as Campe has been removed from her post.”

I nodded absently because I’d begun to analyse the various rare deposits hidden deep beneath the earth's crust. Layer upon layer of earth. I glanced upward and wondered how much further there was left.

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