Hades remained seated on his throne, still chuckling in disbelief at Hera's words. His dark eyes glinted with amusement, but beneath that calm exterior, an ancient, primal force stirred. The shadows around the room seemed to deepen and stretch as the god of the underworld leaned forward, his long, bony fingers drumming rhythmically on the armrest of his throne.
"Hera," Hades spoke again, his voice laden with millennia of control and authority. "You've always had a flair for drama, but to think you'd come here, demanding something from me? You're more desperate than I imagined."
Hera remained unmoved, her expression resolute. "Desperation has nothing to do with it. Your reign, like Zeus's, has grown stagnant. You see death as the final stop. I see it as a renewal. A transformation."
Hades' amusement faded, his gaze narrowing as he studied her. "Careful, Hera. You walk among the living, but here—in the underworld—I am king. Even Zeus doesn't challenge me here. What makes you think you will?"
With a flick of his hand, Hades summoned his bident, a sharp, two-pronged weapon that pulsed with dark energy. Shadows coiled around it, a visual testament to his dominion over the dead. Rising from his throne, Hades loomed over Hera, his aura oppressive, filled with death's cold inevitability.
"I have faced greater threats than you," Hades growled, his voice reverberating with menace. "Titans, Giants, even Primordials. And you? A goddess driven by emotion—rage, jealousy, the insatiable need for control. It will be your undoing."
A smirk tugged at the corner of Hera's lips, her eyes flashing. "You underestimate me, Hades. I am the goddess of marriage, yes—but I am also the queen of Olympus. And soon, I will be queen of more than that."
The dark flames of Marmyadose ignited in her hand, the power of the underworld swirling around its blade. Infused with Cerberus's essence and the poison of the Hydra, the sword radiated a malevolent energy. The atmosphere in the room thickened, becoming suffocating. For the first time, Hades' composure wavered.
"You think you can rule here?" Hades sneered, but his voice lacked the confidence it once held. "You? In my domain?"
"I will," Hera replied, her voice calm and filled with unwavering certainty. "You've clung to the dead for far too long. Your obsession with dominion over them has blinded you. Death isn't the end—it's the beginning of something greater."
Hades' face twisted with fury, his grip tightening around his bident. "Enough! If you want the sundial fragment, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands."
"Don't tempt me," Hera replied smoothly, raising Marmyadose, its dark flames flickering ominously.
Hades made the first move. With a powerful swing of his bident, the shadows in the throne room came to life, writhing and twisting like serpents, lunging toward Hera. The very air thickened with the essence of death, and monstrous, ghostly figures screamed and wailed as they surged toward her, their skeletal hands reaching out with malevolent intent.
But Hera was prepared.
With a single, fluid slash of Marmyadose, the blade erupted in a sickly purple glow, unleashing a devastating wave of energy that cleaved through the spectral figures. The remnants of Cerberus's power crackled through the air, forming a barrier that repelled the spirits. Hades' eyes widened as his minions disintegrated before reaching her.
"You've grown strong," Hades muttered, his voice laced with dark amusement. He took a step forward, his robes billowing like a storm cloud gathering over a battlefield. "But strength alone won't be enough."
He thrust his bident forward, summoning a torrent of dark energy that surged across the throne room, tearing through the stone floor as it barreled toward Hera. The force of the attack shattered the very ground beneath her feet, threatening to swallow her whole.
But Hera stood her ground, unyielding. She raised Marmyadose, the blade absorbing the brunt of Hades' dark energy. The pressure was immense, and the cracks in the ground widened, but she remained steadfast. With a cry of defiance, Hera swung her sword forward, unleashing a wave of her own energy. It collided with Hades' attack, and the resulting explosion of light and shadow rocked the underworld itself.
The throne room trembled as the gods clashed, their powers evenly matched. Hades gritted his teeth, fury blazing in his eyes, while Hera's face remained focused, her will unshakable.
"I'll give you one last chance, Hades," Hera said, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Hand over the sundial fragment, or you will fall."
"You've overstepped your bounds, Hera," Hades growled, his bident crackling with dark power. "You will never rule here."
"So be it."
With a burst of speed, Hera closed the distance between them, Marmyadose glowing with the combined power of the underworld as she swung it at Hades. He barely had time to block her attack, the two weapons colliding with a deafening clash that sent shockwaves through the room. The walls trembled, cracks splintering across the stone as their energies collided.
Hades pushed back, unleashing a burst of energy that forced Hera off her feet. With precision, he thrust his bident forward, aiming for her heart. But a golden barrier formed, the power of the Nemean Lion shielding Hera from the deadly blow.
Though the barrier saved her from death, the force behind Hades' thrust sent her flying through the air. Twisting mid-flight, Hera righted herself, landing gracefully. But Hades was relentless. He appeared above her, bident raised for a devastating strike infused with the authority of death itself—capable of reaping both life and soul.
Hera slashed upward with her weapon.
.....
The once-still throne room now echoed with the remnants of their clash. Hera's breath was steady, though the weight of her defiance hung in the air. Across from her, Hades, the god of the underworld, seethed with barely contained fury. The usually impassive god now stood wounded, both physically and in pride.
As the shadows twisted and reformed around him, Hades raised his head, locking eyes with Hera once more. Despite the clear damage she had inflicted, his authority over death gave him resilience that few could match.
"Hera," he rasped, gripping his bident tighter, the essence of the underworld crackling along its prongs. "You've gone further than I expected. But even you know… no one can take the underworld from its rightful ruler."
Hera tilted her head slightly, her expression calm but filled with purpose. "The world is changing, Hades. Even you cannot ignore the imbalance that has come under your watch. Souls no longer renew, they stagnate. Your reign is flawed, just like the rest of Olympus."
Hades took a step forward, his towering form casting an ominous shadow across the cracked stone floor. "You speak as though you understand the nature of death. You are no queen here, Hera. I will not let you take what is mine."
With a low growl, he surged forward, bident raised to strike. Hera, unwavering, braced herself, and Marmyadose flared with the combined energies of the Hydra's venom and Cerberus's wrath. The two powers collided once more, shaking the very foundation of the castle.
Hera parried Hades' attack, but she could sense his relentless strength pushing her back. Still, she stood firm, her voice cutting through the din of their battle. "You rule over the dead, but you have forgotten what comes after. Death is not the end—it's a transformation. A cycle that must continue. You've halted that balance for far too long."
The words struck a nerve. Hades' eyes flared with dark fury, but beneath that anger was a flicker of recognition—a truth he had long ignored. Hera pressed her advantage, her voice resonating with new authority. "You've become complacent, just like the others. Zeus, Poseidon—they believe power is their birthright, but it is responsibility that holds true power. And you, Hades, have neglected yours."
Hades and Hera started to battle once more. Their clashes shattering the castle waves around them the very stones of the underworld not being able to contain their power.
Hera was growing weary, she knew that Hades still had much power to tap into through the use of the souls in his possession. With that, she knew she had to end this battle.
Hera's eyes flashed with frustration as she reappeared, having narrowly missed her target with another slash that left a massive tranch on the floor of the castle. The shadows shifted, and Hades emerged once more, launching himself toward her. Hera shimmered with gold, dodging his attack in a blur of speed, her body infused with the power of the Ceryneian Hind—the swiftest of all creatures, captured by Hercules himself.
Anticipating her movement, Hades unfurled his shadowy cloak, turning it into spikes that lunged toward her, ready to skewer the goddess. But Hera acted swiftly. With a wave of her hand, the power granted by Nyx surged forth, shattering the shadowy spikes. In an instant, she seized control of the darkness, turning it against Hades. The solidified shadows shot toward him, piercing through his defenses.
Golden ichor sprayed through the air as Hades roared in anger and pain.
"You wretch!" Hades snarled, wrenching control of the shadows from Hera's grasp. But Hera was already moving. She yanked Hades toward her with the force of gravity, and Marmyadose glowed with the venom of the Hydra, the power of Cerberus, and the essence of dreams.
Hades, realizing the danger, summoned the tortured souls that resided within him, sending them in a wave toward Hera. But she cut through them without hesitation, her blade cleaving through the souls and slicing deep into Hades' body.
The god of the underworld gasped in disbelief as the blade struck him. Though the wound wasn't fatal, it was enough for Marmyadose's magic to take hold. Hades' arrogance had cost him dearly. His mind and soul began to succumb to the dreamwoven enchantment that flowed through the weapon.
Hera stood over him, victorious. She leaned down, collecting his golden ichor and retrieving the sundial fragment from his robes.
"Your greed and arrogance were your downfall, Hades," she said coldly. "Now, you lie at my mercy. But killing you now would upset the balance. Your time will come soon enough."
Holding the fragment in her hand, she cast one final glance at Hades, who lay powerless before her. "Your reign over the underworld, like that of Zeus and Poseidon, is nearing its end."
With that, Hera turned and strode out of the shattered castle, her next conquest already in mind.
Hera exited the castle, her footsteps echoing in the eerie silence that followed the intense battle. The sundial fragment, still glowing faintly with the power of time, rested securely in her grasp. The weight of her actions settled over her as she glanced back at the ruined castle, knowing that her confrontation with Hades had only been a prelude to the greater war that awaited.
As she stepped away, the underworld itself seemed to respond, the air growing colder, the cries of the tormented souls intensifying. Yet Hera remained unshaken, her focus now solely on the path ahead.
The clash with Hades had cost her a great deal of energy, but it had also given her what she needed—a critical victory that would shift the tides in her favor. With Hades incapacitated, Zeus's strongest ally was out of the game, at least for now. It was only a matter of time before the Olympians realized that their foundation was crumbling beneath them.
.oOo. END OF CHAPTER .oOo.