The sky trembled.
The golden storm of Zeus' new dominion raged above Olympus, his power reshaping the heavens. A new order had been established.
But far below, in the depths of existence, another power stirred.
One that had no storm.
No light.
Only the End.
And as Demeter stood at the threshold of the Underworld, she felt it.
Hades was coming.
The Descent of the End
She had felt his presence before.
Across the divine plane, in battles that shook the cosmos, she had felt his power.
But this?
This was different.
It was not the cold void of death.
It was something absolute.
The air around her grew heavier.
The world itself seemed to slow.
And then—
Reality cracked.
Hades' Incarnation Arrives
He did not descend from the sky.
The sky bent away from him.
Shadows stretched, bending at impossible angles. The very concept of space warped to accommodate his presence.
And then, he stepped forward.
Hades.
Not his true body—he still waged war beyond existence.
But this incarnation?
It was more than enough.
His black robes moved as if untouched by time itself. His eyes—deep, endless, consuming—fixed upon Demeter.
And the world around them kneeled.
The Underworld itself shifted in recognition.
For the first time, Demeter saw it for what it truly was.
Not a land of punishment.
Not merely death.
But the End.
And now, she was part of it.
A Queen's Welcome
Hades spoke.
Not in words.
But in truth.
"You have chosen."
Demeter met his gaze.
And she did not flinch.
"I have."
The Underworld shuddered.
A throne rose beside his own.
A place had been made for her—not as a prisoner.
Not as a lesser.
But as his equal.
The Queen of the End.
And when she stepped forward, existence itself made way.