Before the rise of Olympus, before the forging of the Underworld, there was only darkness and hunger.
Cronus, Titan of Time, devoured his children one by one, fearing the prophecy that foretold his downfall. Hestia. Demeter. Hera. Poseidon. And then, Hades. Swallowed whole, locked in eternal blackness.But Hades was not afraid.He did not cry out like the others. He did not struggle. He simply listened.In the suffocating void of his father's belly, he felt it—power. It was deep, ancient, older than Cronus himself. It whispered his name, calling from beyond the flesh and bone that bound him.The Underworld.It was not a place yet, not truly. It was a force, a presence that stretched into infinity, waiting for him to claim it. He could feel it coursing through him—Death, Fire, Light, and the Abyss. His siblings might have been prisoners here, but Hades was becoming something else.Then, the world shattered.
A great force tore through Cronus, light flooding the abyss. The Titan howled in agony as a blade carved open his stomach, and the swallowed gods were vomited back into existence.Hades fell to the earth, landing in a crouch, his form fully intact. He did not gasp for air, did not tremble in confusion like his siblings. He simply stood. Before him, Zeus stood triumphant, storm-forged and golden-eyed. The younger brother, the one destined to rule.Hades met his gaze and felt nothing.Zeus roared, calling his siblings to war. The Titans would fall. Olympus would rise. But Hades turned away.
The battle for Olympus was not his concern.
He had already heard his true calling. Without a word, he vanished into the depths of the world, where his throne awaited.