In all our excitement we kinda forgot the only entrance we had was already closed. So we sat trying to think of something, then it clicked as I couldn't believe that I was so stupid.
"I'm going to open a pathway," I said, though I knew it was not as simple as it sounded. To even open a path to the Underworld I will need to have some authority over it, yeah I said I was claiming the Underworld. But Mother had said that to gain an authority over a Realm, we need to literally combine our divinity with it's. She didn't really say how we were supposed to do it so I was going to wing it.
"I am going to try something, so please keep watch." I added as I knelt to the ground and closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. This was the second time that I was going to be entering my little inner world. It was how I even managed to secure a connection to my domain over shadow so maybe it will have a way to connect to the Underworld.
When I opened my eyes, or I guess my mind's eye I was kneeling once more surrounded by the familiar bowls, everything looked the same. Standing I walked around and yet I didn't see anything that even hinted that it was the underworld, just a lot of minor domains.
"Alright, let us try another way." I muttered as I focused, imagining what I wanted to find, I felt a spark and a tug as I followed weaving through the bowls as I walked farther away from them as I came to an opening where these soccer ball sized glass balls sat in a row, each had these different energies trapped inside.
"Let us see, Aether, Sky, Earth, Sea… ah there it is, Underworld" I took the glass ball and started to head back before stopping. "Wait, I could try and connect to other realms as well."
I turned back and the other glass balls were gone. I guess it was one of those single choice things. I looked at the glass ball in my hands, it was filled with this deep, blackish-blue energy. Seeing that it had no candle I assumed I just had to throw it into my pool or something, maybe it was like a bath bomb.
I started to head back, though as I got nearer to the pool of divinity, the ground beneath me started to shake. I tried to hold my ground as the entire room shook as if it was hit by an earthquake, my divinity pool began to heat up and start bubbling as something marble rose from it.
Two statues emerged from the pool. One of them... it looked like my divine beast form, it was mounted on these rocks.
But it was the second statue that caught my attention. It was unmistakably me, but it was... different. Twisted. Eldritch. It had no head, instead the skull of a goat floated above the neck. Its six wings were outstretched and each one touched the beast's six wings. It had four clawed hands, the upper arms were positioned in a way I knew all too well. Two fingers on the right hand pointed upward while two on the left pointed downward, mirroring the iconic pose of Levi's Baphomet.
The lower left arm extended outward, holding a golden and silver bowl, while the right arm gripped a replica of my divine sword. The figure stood with hooved feet, one planted in the pool and the other pressed firmly against the rocks.
As the statues finally came to a halt the mouth of the dragon cracked open as I saw divinity pool out of it as it filled up the bowl as it overflowed quickly in the form of four waterfalls that cascaded down into the pool below.
My heart beat faster. This was the moment. I had to act quickly.
I looked at the bowl in my hand, the liquid inside swirling with the dominion over the Underworld. The weight of it seemed to press against me as I stepped forward, my divinity already beginning to connect with it.
I had the inkling that I was to put the Glass ball into the bowl above so I floated up as I looked at the bluish liquid of my divinity and at the glass ball in my hand.
"Wait, am I supposed to throw the whole thing in or crack the glass open like an egg and pour everything inside?" I thought about it before I cracked the glass on the side of the bowl and raised it over the bowl and ripped it apart as if it was an egg.
Watching as the liquid inside dropped into the bowl, watched as it sunk to the bottom of the bowl. At first, nothing happened. I stood still, waiting, and then...
Pain.
It exploded through me, a sharp, agonizing flare that tore through my body. I cried out as I watched as the black and blue liquid seemed to take over my divinity like it was food coloring, the bluish hue of my essence slowly darkening, turning black. The entire bowl changed, the waterfalls darkened, the large pool beneath me, and the divinity dropping from the dragon's mouth. Even the threads connecting to my domain over shadows I could feel my divinity changing, it was like my very inchor was boiling as if it was becoming lava.
The pain slowly began to subside, but I could feel this new connection. I don't know how to explain the connection but think about how you see and know everything that happens in your home, now increase that to your entire world. I knew everything that was happening in the Underworld, I knew for a fact that I had control over it.
Just as I began to relax, I felt another shift. Threads of my divinity rose, connecting to four other bowls. The candles of each bowl flickered to life as power surged through me. Riches. The Dead. Death. Souls.
Just like what happened when I connected with the domain over shadows, the information of the domain was engraved into my mind. Though I would have to actually train and get used to them, just like before.
What confused me was that I got a domain that Hades did not own originally, or he did and just didn't make it a big deal. Either way, if there is a chance that I can actually receive more domains besides the main four than I needed to actually test it out.
With everything settled, I took a final breath and ejected myself from the inner world, feeling my body return to the physical realm. I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by Brontes shaking me, his voice filled with concern.
"Young Lord... are you okay? You were screaming in pain, did something go wrong? We could see your divinity change, what happened?"
I blinked, trying to shake off the disorientation that still lingered from the connection. "I did it, I did manage to connect to the Underworld" I rasped, my voice felt strangely dry.
Brontes helped me to my feet, steadying me as I struggled to find my balance.
"Alright, let's test it out." I raised a hand, focusing on my divinity. A crack appeared in the cave floor, before widening as the stones shifted, creating stairs that descended deep into the earth.
Briareus and Cottereus moved to my side, assisting me as I made my way toward the newly revealed passage. "Lead the way, Brontes," I said, my voice regaining its strength. "Arges, Steropes. Can one of you get like a torch or something? Would be nice to see where we are going."
The three brothers led us down the fissure, they held torches to light the way as the cracks closed behind us leaving us in darkness. The air grew hotter the further that we went, then it suddenly shifted as it got suddenly colder.
When we emerged from the exit of a long cavern we found ourselves in what was the Underworld, or what would be the Underworld. The vast land before looked like a vast wasteland, a dark land that expanded as far as I could see.
"This place is... a mess," Brontes finally said, his deep voice carrying a touch of humor as he kicked at the ashen ground. "You've got your work cut out for you, Lord Hades."
I walked to the edge of the cliff as I looked at the land below me. The land stretches endlessly, its horizon was dark and quite foggy, I could see many several jagged peaks rising into the sky, everything looked so ash, a desolation of petrified spires rose from a sea of dunes in the distance. Dark mountains rose like jagged teeth, their peaks lost in a veil of ashen fog that clung to the land. Five rivers carved through the land, each with a will of its own. Of course these were the five rivers of the underworld. Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, Lethe and Styx.
Acheron was the river of sorrow or woe. The Roman poet Virgil called it the main river of Tartarus. Charon ferried the newly dead across the Acheron to enter the underworld.
Cocytus was the river of lamentation from the Greek word kōkuein, which means "to weep, lament". It's mentioned in Homer's Odyssey where it's described as a branch of the Styx that flows into the Acheron.
Phlegethon was the river of fire, also known as Pyriphlegethon, which means "fire-flaming". It's mentioned in Homer's Odyssey where it flows into the Acheron. It also had healing properties that upon breaking the flaming liquid could heal any wound and allow even a mortal to survive in Tartarus.
Then there was the Lethe. The river of forgetfulness. The river was also known as the Amelēs potamos, which means "river of unmindfulness"
And of course lastly the Styx was the main river that separates the living from the dead, if I remember right and of course I did as I was a nerd in my old life. In Homer's Iliad, it's called "the dread river of oath".
The five rivers all connected into a lake in the middle of the underworld, it was called the Stygian Marsh. Though I am going to have to rename it as I always thought it sounded weird.
Souls were everywhere, wandering the underworld. There were souls of humans and beasts… actually there were so many animals that I could literally create an entire ranch, wait, that would actually be a good idea.
"Alright,," I said simply, turning to the five waiting. "I got an idea what I am going to need done."
"About time," Steropes grinned, cracking his knuckles. "What's the plan, then?"
I pointed toward the barren expanse where there was this large crater . "We're going to transform this large wasteland into something for the souls of the dead. Start by carving out the City of Asphodel. Two cities, actually. The Lower City will be in that lower section while the Upper City shall be built on the land above it. I want a set of stairs built on the cliff face going up to the upper city."
Briareus nodded, his many hands folding across his chest. "Alright… am I to assume that you want the Upper city to be fancier than the Lower City?"
"Yes, and then a place called Elysium will be built on that mountain there." I gestured to a distant peak. "Flatten the summit, make it a paradise that will be far grander than the City of Asphodel."
The others murmured their approval, already envisioning the grandeur of the task. I turned toward the south, where a vast open plain stretched.
"That field I plan to keep as a land for the animals that die," I said. "We'll call it Arkadia,a haven for the dead animals and creatures. I will have to convince my sister to fill the realm with nature. I need a section that is closer to those mountains made into a place to keep cattle and horses."
"Cattle and horses?" Arges asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," I said, my tone softening. "I would like to have several cattle placed there. Also, keep an eye out for four large, muscular, black stallions. I want them."
"Consider it all done, Young Lord." Brontes huffed as he grinned excitedly.
<--------------------->
For the next two years, the six of us worked to rebuild the Underworld. With my dominion over the land, I cleared several boulders, flattened some mountains and cleared some land. Forcefully convinced the nymphs of the five rivers to move where I needed and after a very long few weeks getting the land how I wanted, I took a week long nap to regain my strength.
In the time of my rest, Brontes had his brothers help him gather all the materials they needed as they mined and traveled between the realms of earth and the underworld bringing lumber or other materials the Underworld didn't naturally have.
They went ahead and started construction on the Lower and Upper City of Asphodel and Elysium. When I awoke I got to helping them and we finished construction of the major three cities in a couple months. I went ahead and moved the souls of the dead to the Lower City of Asphodel.
These were some of the first humans that Prometheus had made. From what I learned from one of the souls, they lived in four different tribes located around the land of Greece, a place they took to call, Theídos. The Land of Gods. From the way that they spoke it seemed that they spoke some very primitive version of Ancient Greek.
We moved on from the city to work on the surrounding land as we planted hundreds of seeds. I granted permission for them to grow in my land. Turns out that was something that I was supposed to do. Over time, the plants grew and flourished.
The Underworld had never looked so alive. Flowers, trees, and plants of every kind bloomed and grew, I don't mean to brag but it seemed that I had quite the gift with plants, maybe I should have become the God of the earth and nature instead.
My greatest achievement, however, was the Garden—a perfect replica of the Hirosaki Park I had once seen in my past life. A beautiful mahogany bridge was painstakingly constructed by Brontes and his brothers, that stretched gracefully across the River Styx, it arched high over the river as I planned to have Charon ferry souls through the garden when taking them to be judged. Lady Styx herself had approved of the garden, her pride clear as she dubbed the bridge "The Styxian Bridge." I let her claim it. After all, her river did flow through it.
Cottereus had the idea of creating terraces that overlooked the entire Underworld, offering breathtaking views. It was built on the side of some mountains and led down to Arkadia.
Arkadia was a literal wild land that we put enough effort into to make it something nice before chucking all the animals in there. My ranch however stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted with stables and barns crafted from polished wood and adorned with golden accents.
It took some hunting before we gathered everything that would be considered a farm animal. I gathered 400 Aurochs, 100 chickens, about 17 goats and 30 sheep, 40 boars, and a herd of 200 horses. Of course they were all wild and had never been tamed even when they were alive… so I would leave it to whoever I hired as my beast caretaker.
Ah, before I forget, Briareus and Cottereus actually managed to get those four black stallions. When I first met them face to face I was shocked by how large and muscular they were up close, standing taller than even I.
Oh and it turned out that I was wrong, one of the horses was actually a female. I named her Nycteus, and as for the males I dubbed them Orphnaeus, Aethon, and Alastor. Unlike the others, Alastor had a white mane and tail, he also had long hairy white stockings, making him look like a Shire horse. From what I could tell, it seemed that the others treated him more like the leader of their little group.
Our next project was the Hall of Judgment where the souls would be judged. I had no plans to have some dead mortal kings judge the dead. I actually had eyes on two options, one was a Goddess and the other was a Titan.
A beautiful marble temple was built where the judge would judge the life of the dead. I took inspiration from the Egyptians and had a golden scale crafted that would sit in the middle of the room. My plan was that the life string that the Moirai cut would be used to weigh against a white lily that would represent purity and innocence.
For those who are judged to have committed too far of a grave crime will be consumed by my very own Ammit, now I had done some thinking and I had selected the perfect creature. The Pythagora!
Now what is the Pythagora? Well I am glad you asked, the Pythagora is a 70 foot long umbral python. I had taken an unhatched black whipsnake and I had infused the unborn snake with my divinity and using my dominion over souls, I rewrote the snake's entire physiology.
Now what do I mean by that? Well just as a program contains complex instructions and logic that define its functionality, a soul can be seen as the underlying essence or code that gives life, shaping thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
The problem was that I had to be careful or I could destroy the soul completely and create something I don't want, like a zombie or an eldritch horror that is hellbent on destroying the world.
It took me several tries and a waste of over a hundred snake eggs before I managed to get it right. Pythagora or Ophis as I took to call her, was placed in the temple where she coiled up to sleep.
Brontes and his brothers in the meantime had gotten to work on my castle. Selecting the largest mountain and the best materials they built this gothic black castle. They said that they wanted to build something that would suit the Lord of the Underworld. A stone pathway leads from the entrance of the castle and down the side of the mountain and connects to the stone streets that lead through Asphodel.
Inside, they spared no effort, their greatest creation was my throne room, they made a throne of black marble sitting it in front of an obsidian slab. Two large banners hung on each side of the throne with my symbol, the astronomy symbol of Pluto that I had shown to them.
The path from the throne to the great doors was covered with a long black carpet. Twenty large gothic pillars were placed on either side, banners hanging from them also bearing my symbol. lighting up the throne room were four large chandeliers.
Oh, I can already hear the complaints. "But Hades," you say, "you're in ancient Greece—way before electricity, chandeliers, or even basic plumbing!" Yeah, I know, I can practically hear your voices in my head. But here's the thing: they didn't have indoor plumbing, or parchment paper, or fountain pens either, did they? And yet, somehow, I managed to plant the idea in Brontes and his brothers' minds. The next thing you know, I've got electricity running through my castle, and I'm sitting pretty with all the modern comforts. Don't tell me it's impossible darling—I am a god after all.