CHAPTER 160: CHAPTER 5

The descent from Olympus was steeped in silence.

The halls behind them still rang with Zeus’s fury, but none dared follow.

Purple mist curled around Hades’s form as he led the group away, each footstep heavy with absolute pride and confidence.

When at last they returned to the dark expanse of the Underworld, the gates sealed behind them, cutting off the overworld’s light.

The air was cooler here, filled with the faint hum of spirits drifting through the ether.

Hades lead them to his castle, before halting at the entrance gate, his cold gaze lingering briefly on Thetis.

"You are under my protection now," he said, voice like carved obsidian. "None shall touch you here. You can live as you please."

Thetis bowed deeply, gratitude in her eyes.

"I still have matters to attend to." Hades turned towards the goddess of magic, "Hecate, accommodate them. Tell them all the laws and structure of my realm."

"Yes, my king." Hecate bowed.

Hades nodded and didn’t say anything more, he opened the gate leading to his castle, gave a final wave of dismissal, and vanished into the shadows of a grand hallway, leaving Hecate and Themis with the rescued goddess.

A hush lingered once he was gone.

A beat later, Thetis turned, about to thank them, when Themis suddenly lowered her head.

"Thetis..." her voice wavered, quiet as falling ash. "It was my prophecy that set this into motion. My words brought Zeus and Poseidon’s judgment upon you. For that... I am sorry."

When Poseidon and Zeus are pursuing Thetis, Themis suddenly had a revelation and found out that once Thetis gave birth to a son, he will surpass his father.

At that time, Thetis asked her for protection. And Themis naively thought that once Zeus and Poseidon learned that they might bear a son that can surpass them, they will give up on Thetis.

Who would’ve thought that they’d be so insane that they would actually try to imprison her for eternity?

Thetis blinked, her expression softening. Rising from where she stood, she walked toward Themis until they stood close.

Her presence, though gentle, carried a weight born of the seas’ endless depth.

"Do not apologise, lady Themis," she said, her tone steady, soothing. "You did what you thought was for the best. And I did ask you for help."

Themis flinched, guilt tightening her chest. "But I made your situation worse, I—"

"You helped me." Thetis interrupted firmly, yet kindly. "That’s all that matters."

Themis’s breath caught. She had expected anger, reproach, anything but this calm forgiveness.

Her shoulders trembled as she lowered her head further.

"You forgive me so easily..." she whispered.

Thetis gave a small, bittersweet smile. "Lady Themis, the situation wasn’t your fault to begin with. We can only blame those guys narrow-mindedness. Thankfully Olympus still has Athena and Artemis, quite the rationale goddesses."

For the first time since they left Olympus, Themis’s heart eased, the weight of guilt lessened by Thetis’s grace.

Hecate, watching nearby with her arms crossed, allowed herself a faint smirk.

"Well, now that the both of you have gotten along, why don’t we explore the underworld and I can tell you all you need to know."

*

*

*

The great obsidian doors of the hall closed behind him, muting the lingering echoes of the three Goddesses.

Hades walked through the silent corridors until at last he returned to his private office, his sanctuary of stone walls, shelves lined with papyri, and the faint scent of pomegranate wood smoke curling in the air.

This time, however, he wasn’t alone in this office.

A figure was already there, seated casually upon the couch as though she belonged.

A young goddess, radiant as the spring dawn, with hair dark as fertile soil and eyes the shade of fresh leaves. Persephone, daughter of Demeter, not by birth, but by bond.

Once a nymph, now elevated by her mother’s power, she had blossomed into divinity.

When Hades entered, she rose lightly, her smile bright as a hidden garden revealed.

"Uncle Hades," she greeted warmly, her voice melodic. "I came to play."

The stern god of the dead paused, his purple eyes softening.

A rare smile ghosted his lips as he raised a hand and gently ruffled her hair, a gesture reserved only for her.

"You should’ve told me you’re visiting, little one," he murmured. "But I am busy today. I cannot accompany you."

Persephone puffed her cheeks, pouting like a child denied her favorite treat.

But she did not argue. Instead, when Hades seated himself at his heavy obsidian desk, she moved with surprising grace and practiced ease.

Like a well-trained attendant, she took a small tray from the corner, prepared a porcelain cup, and poured steaming mint tea, the very kind Hades favored above all.

She carried it with both hands, placed it neatly before him, and bowed slightly before saying, almost ceremonially:

"Your tea, Uncle."

The fragrance of mint filled the air. Hades, usually unmoved by comforts, allowed himself a soft chuckle as he accepted the cup.

"You know me too well," he said, sipping slowly.

Persephone’s pout melted into a radiant grin as she perched on the edge of the desk, legs swinging, watching him with an eager brightness that seemed to bring a spark of spring even into the heart of the Underworld.

Hades leaned back in his seat, the steam of the tea curling between them.

His voice, calm yet unyielding, carried the weight of quiet command.

"Well, I’ll be here for awhile, why don’t you go and play with Nekyria until your mom came to pick you up." he said, eyes already drifting back toward the papyrus on his desk.

Persephone blinked, then gave a wry little smile.

Nekyria. Hades’ daughter. That mischievous little thing with sharp eyes and a laugh like chimes in a crypt.

Persephone couldn’t help but think of how the child always, always called her big sister. No matter how many times Persephone had tried—softly, firmly, even sternly—to tell her that "aunt" was the proper title, the girl would only laugh and call her sister again.

It was frustrating.

And more than that... awkward.

Because Persephone’s heart was not so innocent.

Behind her sunny smile and gentle manner, she had long since begun weaving her own private little scheme—to win the heart of the Lord of the Underworld himself.

To belong at his side not merely as a niece, but as something more. And every time Nekyria called her big sister, it only made that secret desire feel more tangled, more absurd.

Persephone sighed inwardly, masking it with a grin.

She slipped gracefully off the desk and gave Hades a playful bow, her voice tinged with just enough mock complaint to hide the heat of her thoughts.

"Very well, Uncle. I’ll entertain your little one for you."

Her eyes glimmered, though, as she turned for the door, she was already plotting how she might one day make the Underworld’s stern ruler see her not as a child at play, but as a woman worthy of his side.