When the sun finally set, Hades left that village, much to Arktos' disappointment. He said it was because he didn't want to impose when in actuality it was because he didn't want to sleep on a primitive makeshift mattress. His admiration aside, Hades preferred his luxury.
Arriving in his palace, he felt it was past time he got the Underworld.
Appearing in his throne room, he came to discover that Hypnos had come to visit him ('WHy now of all times') saying he had something urgent to speak with him about.
He signalled to one of his skeletal servants, who then scuttled out the front door. As he waited, Hades decided to seat himself upon his throne and plan out what to do about the humans.
After a few minutes, the same skeletal servant scuttled in with a man in tow. He had dark skin not dissimilar to most Africans, with black hair, golden eyes and dark purple wings. Despite the alertness in his eyes, you could visibly see the desire to sleep from his body. It was like an aura affecting all in the vicinity, including Hades.
"Hypnos," Hades said.
"My lord Hades," Hypnos replied, bowing his head. "I come to discuss some very sensitive and important details."
"Go on," Hades said, motioning with his hand that Hypnos continue.
"In private, my lord," Hypnos said, looking to the skeletal servant.
"Off with you then," Hades said, the servant scuttling out of the room as fast as its bony legs would allow it too.
"Now that we are alone, why don't you begin telling me of this important matter you wish to speak of?" Hades summoned a goblet of nectar to drink. He felt that this conversation may take a while. This was the God of Sleep after all.
"Are you my father, lord Hades? I mean-"
"Pffft," Hades sputtered out all the nectar in his mouth. "Your father!? Where did you get that idea from!?"
'Why the fuck is someone like Hypnos asking if I'm his father? Last time I checked, I never boned Nyx. That was...Erebus. Oh. Oh fuck.'
That really put a wrench in things for Hades and his mind began working at lightspeed trying to figure things out.
'Would Hypnos be the only one to notice something? Will the Olympians find out? If Hypnos is like this, what about Nyx? Oh fuck me sideways, I'm gonna have to deal with Nyx. Just how much shit do I have to deal with!? What about Thanatus? Will they come asking about him too?'
"I don't know why, but you feel familiar to me, like my mother. It started around ten moons ago, and it's just been getting stronger. I also can't remember my father for some reason? It's all very strange and confusing," he explained, the confusion written clear across his face.
"Haha, how could I be your father? After all, you're older than I am!"
'Fuckfuckfuckfuck. Don't ask any more questions. Don't say anything else. And please don't-'
"I know, Lord Hades. That's why I called mother over too, so that we all may sort this out."
'It's over. It's fucking over.'
Nyx was one of the most powerful Primordials, on par with the likes of Gaea, Tartarus and Ouranos. Born from Chaos himself, she is one of the most powerful existences in Greek Mythology. Even in the Greek Mythological stories that liked to boast about the absolute unit that was Zeus, King of Gods, even he was at best a match for Nyx.
'Nyx would wipe the floor with this Zeus, not to mention little old me. And she's gonna come here wondering where her brother-husband has disappeared to and why I seem to have taken his place. How exactly did I end up in this predicament? Oh yeah, because I got greedy and wanted Erebus' domains. Fucking stupid me.'
"Well then, how about you rest in one of the apartments while your mother arrives? I'll have a servant send refreshments to you as we wait for-"
"That won't be necessary." A feminine voice boomed throughout the throne room as the doors were flung open.
In the doorway stood what Hades could only call a bombshell. A heart-shaped face with hair as dark as the night sky and her dark purple eyes gleaming with the light of the stars. Her skin was as pale as milk, seeming all the fairer against the darkness of her eyes and hair. The darkness of the world seemed to roll off her curvaceous body as she sauntered into the room
"This is a very nice place, I'll give you that." She made her feelings on the design of the throne room known to the two of them, which only seemed to annoy Hades even further.
'You barge into my realm, break into my own home and feel the need to give your commentary!? For fuck's sake woman!'
"Thank you for that, but I have to ask why you must act like this."
"Like what?" She gave the most innocent face she could.
"Breaking into my realm, barging into my palace, so on and so forth. Why?" An aura of fear, death and darkness pooled around Hades' body as his divine aura and authority came to life around him.
"Well, of course, I would once I found out you're related to the disappearance of Erebus. Now that I think about it, you feel an awful lot like he did, did you know that?"
The darkness came alive around her as stars manifested into existence. Her divinity clashed with that of Hades, causing sparks of divine essence to fly about. The entire throne room trembled with the weight of their authority.
"Um, who is Erebus?"
"Huh?" "What?"
Both Hades and Nyx turned towards Hypnos, baffled by the question asked.
"What do you mean 'Who is Erebus'? Do you mean to tell me you forgot your own father!?" If Nyx was angry before, now she was furious. She walked up to Hypnos, her divinity still around her for all to see and feel. Her distress at the fact her own son had forgotten his father could be sensed from her.
'It is a pitiful scenario.'
Hades did feel guilty about it. He didn't know why, but it appeared that by asking for Erebus' divine authority, Hypnos had forgotten his own father existed. And apparently Primordials like Hypnos had completely forgotten he even existed.
'Given that Nyx remembers him, is it possible that other Primordials equal in age or power to Nyx remember him too? Or was it because of the bond between them that she remembers his existence? If it's the latter, why does his own son not remember him? And will anyone even remember Thanatus? What are the mechanics behind this situation?'
The questions just bred more questions in Hades' mind as he tried to get a grasp of what he seemed to have found himself wound up in.
"I'm telling you, mother. I don't know who he is. At least, I have no recollection of his existence. Are you sure my father is called Erebus?" Hypnos seemed truly lost, a sad vulnerability growing in his expression.
Nyx turned to Hades with fury blazing in her eyes.
"You. Me. Talk. Now."
'Ah, fuck me. She definitely isn't going to take no for an answer. What the heck is her problem?.'
"Aren't we talking right now? Just tell me what you want here"
"You know that's not what I-"
'Screw this. I'm done.'
"Enough!" Hades bellowed, his face twisting and contorting in anger. "You do not get to dictate that which happens within my own home! I am Lord of the Underworld! Not you! ME!"
He stood up from his throne, his helmet materializing on his head. The souls of the damned and the wicked congregated around him as he slowly descended the steps leading up to his throne. A powerful wave of fear and panic burst out from around him continuously, wave after wave. Black hellfire burned all around the three of them, continuously rising with Hades' growing anger. Magma began to slowly rise up from the white floor as a shadowy spear appeared in his palm.
"You dare act like this towards me!? Towards ME!?" Nyx screamed. "I was old before your parents were even born, boy! I am the night! YOU DARE FIGHT THE NIGHT! INSOLENCE!"
Nyx exploded in darkness and starlight, the winds coming off of her howling in rage and fury. Gravity seemed to have increased tenfold within that short outburst. A stygian iron staff appeared in her left hand as darkness and chaos swirled madly around her.
"STOP! STOP STOP STOP!" Hypnos cried out as he ran between the two of them. Golden ichor dripped out of his mouth and onto the floor as he struggled beneath the weight and force of their strength.
"STOP THIS MADNESS! PLEASE!"
"Who are you to get in my way!?" Hades was growing tired of Hypnos' presence.
"Get out of the way, boy. I need to teach this upstart a lesson." Apparently, Nyx felt the same.
"Just stop! Can't you see what you're doing? For what reason do the two of you want to fight? Can't we solve this peacefully?" Hypnos looked to be on the verge of tears as he looked between us both. "I just want to know who my father is."
Nyx seemed to calm down at that, retracting her shadows and starlight, as well as returning gravity to normal. Hades responded in kind by taking both the helm and the spear back into himself while removing all the lava and hellfire that had all but consumed the throne room. Within moments the hall was back to how it was before but that didn't mean the conflict had disappeared, for Hades and Nyx were both glaring daggers at each other as they scowled in each other's direction. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife; it was simply that thick.
"So, Hades," Nyx said. "How about you start talking. Where is my husband and why do you feel like him?"
'Great. Full fucking circle. Because why bloody not. Why can't this woman just bugger off?'