Hades paused at the foot of Mount Otris, the towering sacred mountain ruled by Cronus. His gaze shifted from the peak, obscured by clouds, to the staircase leading upward—one of three paths to the summit.
With resolve, Hades ascended the steps without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Zeus, stepping onto his own path, felt an overwhelming change in his surroundings. It was as if his divine power meant nothing in the eyes of Cronus, the supreme Father God. The air grew heavy and dark, and every step felt like it sapped his very essence.
"Father God!" he proclaimed, determination burning in his eyes. "Zeus will be the last winner!"
With each step, the sensation of death surrounded him, yet Zeus pressed on, fueled by his defiance. He wanted to test the limits of his strength against his father.
Poseidon, on the other hand, faced a vision of Cronus, who loomed above him with crushing majesty. Unfazed, Poseidon replied, "Your power is undeniable, but you're a mere shadow of your former self." He continued his ascent, unbothered by the growing pressure from the Titan.
As he climbed, shadows of defeated gods appeared, their desperate faces twisted in rage. "You deserve to die!" they screamed, but Poseidon remained calm. He brandished his Sea Emperor's Trident and swept the phantoms aside effortlessly. "You're already dead," he said coolly, continuing upward as the spirits fell away, defeated.
Hades, meanwhile, found himself enveloped in the vast realm of the Underworld. Countless souls, desperate for life, rushed toward him, pleading for resurrection. Hades moved forward with a calm resolve, stating, "The dead and the guilty shall be punished, and the innocent will be reborn. This is the cycle of life."
The souls howled in anguish, yet Hades remained unfazed. From birth, he had embraced his role as Pluto, the guardian of the Underworld, tasked with maintaining the balance between life and death. As he continued up the path, he knew his ascent was a duty, one he would fulfill without letting the cries of the damned sway him.
The roads each god walked were distinct: Zeus traversed the Road of the Dead, Poseidon the Road of the Gods, and Hades, resolutely, the Road of the Living.