Tessa was singing in her royal bedroom while watching her son kill the Minotaur and several greater demons through a screen.
"Hahaha, my son is the best, suck it all you idiot gods, who's ever killed the Minotaur with their bare hands?" she sang playfully, twirling strands of her hair and laughing. "Now he finally has a name for himself."
Then her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, and the name displayed made her heart tighten.
She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Hello, Persephone," the voice on the other end was soft. "I heard you finally killed Silas, about your son's feats, and that you became a goddess without any pantheon's help."
"Came to praise me? Is that your version of 'long time no see'?"
"No, of course not," he said in the same gentle tone. "It's my most sincere congratulations."
"What do you want, Hades? It's been almost 800 years since we last spoke. I wasn't even a goddess when we broke up."
"I had some… complications. Population growth affected my domain a lot," Hades said tiredly. "Yours may not have changed much since only supernatural beings go there… but mine… humans go there, and there are many of them."
"Came to rub it in that your domain is better than mine?" Tessa replied dryly.
"No, Qetsiyah… why are you like this," Hades muttered, irritated. "Damn it, I'm just congratulating you."
"Ohhh, now you call me by my real name?" Tessa purred with a hint of irritation, though she was clearly provoking him.
"It's not like that," Hades stumbled. "I'm just congratulating you."
"I know hahaha," Tessa said playfully. "So what do you want? Be serious."
"Well, your son and his group killed several greater demons," Hades sighed, irritated. "Since technically your divinity belongs to the Greek pantheon, even if you achieved it on your own… Olympus felt your son's presence and wants to officially declare him a Greek demigod."
---++---
"No," Tessa said sharply. "I don't want my son mixing with you. I despise your people."
"I know, I know," Hades sighed, slightly weary.
"Let me guess? You're warning me to avoid being called a cuck? I expected more from you, Hades. We haven't been together in a long time," Tessa said with a faint tone of disappointment. "Don't worry, everyone knows my son is Qetsiyah's son, not Persephone's. I haven't used that alias in a long time."
"That's not it," Hades sighed on the other end. "I'm not warning you because of my reputation. I'm warning you because of the friendship and love we once had."
"How sweet," Tessa couldn't help but say. "But don't worry, my son's physical power doesn't come from being my son. It comes from his father, an Original vampire. So my divine blood isn't what makes him physically stronger than your children and your siblings' children."
"Makes sense. The Originals… despite being isolated and ignorant of the world, they're at the level of intermediate gods and infernal kings," Hades sighed with slight relief. "And you're at the level of a god-king like me and my siblings. It makes sense he's so powerful."
Tessa fell silent for a moment… but this time it wasn't tension.
It was… surprise.
A small smile slipped out before she noticed.
"So now you're trying to rationalize my son?" she teased, but her tone was lighter.
Hades let out a small laugh on the other side.
"I'm trying not to freak out, actually."
She laughed for real this time, lightly throwing herself onto the bed.
"Look at that… the great lord of the underworld afraid of a boy."
"It's not fear…" he replied, but there was a smile in his voice. "It's caution."
"Hm… you were always more sensible than your brothers."
"And you always liked that," he replied almost automatically.
Silence.
But it wasn't uncomfortable.
Tessa played with a strand of her hair, staring at the ceiling.
"I liked many things about you…"
Hades didn't answer right away.
"The past is complicated…" he said finally.
"It didn't have to be," she replied, quieter.
Another pause.
"The world wasn't the same back then," Hades said. "Neither were you."
"Was I more annoying?" she teased with a smirk.
"Impossible," he replied without hesitation.
She laughed.
"Oh, so I improved?"
"No… you just became more dangerous."
"Hahaha… fair."
Silence returned… but now it carried something softer.
Closer.
"Hades…"
"Yes?"
"If it weren't for everything that happened…"
She stopped mid-sentence.
He finished it.
"We'd probably still be together."
Tessa closed her eyes for a second… the smile still there, but calmer.
"Probably."
"And you'd still be complaining about Olympus every day."
"And you'd still pretend you don't agree with me," she replied.
"I never pretended."
"I know."
Silence.
But this time… it was truly comfortable.
On the screen, her son was laughing with his friends, completely unaware.
Tessa tilted the phone slightly toward the window, as if sharing the view with him.
"He has your way…"
Hades went quiet for a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"He fights like you…"
She smirked.
"But he smiles like me."
Hades let out a small laugh.
"Poor kid."
"Hey."
"Just kidding," he said. "That explains a lot."
She huffed, but she was smiling.
"Hm… he's also stubborn."
"Then he definitely got that from you."
"Annoying."
"Confirmed."
She laughed again… and this time didn't try to hide it.
A few seconds passed without either speaking.
"Hades…"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
He went silent.
"For the warning… and for not being on their side."
The answer took a moment… but it came sincere.
"I would never be against you."
Her heart tightened slightly… and she hated noticing it.
"Idiot…"
"I missed you too."
She turned her face away quickly, as if that would change anything.
"Don't start."
"I started about 800 years ago."
She let out a quiet laugh.
"Idiot…"
"I know."
Silence.
But now… there was something unspoken there.
Something neither of them wanted to fully face.
"Hades…"
"Yes."
"If this escalates…"
"It will."
She sighed.
"Try not to get in my way."
He took a while to answer.
"Only if you try not to destroy everything."
She smiled.
"No promises."
"I know."
A few more seconds.
Then—
"Tessa?"
"Hm?"
"Be careful…"
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"You too."
The call didn't end immediately.
Neither of them hung up.
As if neither wanted to be the first.
Until… finally—
click
The room fell silent again.
Tessa stared at her phone for a few seconds… before whispering, almost unconsciously:
"…idiot…"
But her smile—
didn't fade.
--+++---
Hades put on his best cloak and left his castle.
His servants looked at him strangely, with a hint of unease.
"My lord, where are you going?" asked a woman with bat wings on her back.
She was beautiful, despite looking like a monster.
"Megera, I'm going to prevent a disaster," he said with a sigh, and vanished.
--++---
"I don't know whose son that demigod is, but he is dangerous. Killing the Minotaur with his bare hands is not something just any demigod can do," Zeus said furiously. "And he has that otherworldly presence… a dimension of death and the feeling of death."
All the main gods of Olympus were seated on their thrones.
"Perhaps a son of Thanatos?" Athena asked curiously.
"No," a voice drew everyone's attention.
"Hades… I knew the brat was yours… you broke the oath," Zeus snarled in fury. "We must exterminate the boy."
"You're wrong, brother. He is not my son," Hades said calmly, though his eyes glowed red. "And watch your words, brother. I am still the oldest and the most powerful among the three of us."
Zeus panted, his pride raging at Hades admitting he was more powerful than him and Poseidon.
Zeus knew it was true. Deep down, he knew.
"Then whose son is he?" Athena stepped forward. "And why are you trying to protect him?"
"Qetsiyah," Hades said, and only one person on the throne widened her eyes—Demeter.
"Persephone? How is she? Hades, is she okay?" Demeter shouted, nearly throwing herself at him.
"Wait… Persephone? Wasn't she your wife?" Ares burst into laughter. "Did you get cheated on, old man?"
"No. Qetsiyah and I haven't been together for a long time," Hades said coldly.
"Why didn't we know about this separation?" Aphrodite asked, shocked.
"Because I am not part of Olympus?" Hades replied coldly. "You literally cast me out to the underworld along with all the lesser gods you didn't like and forced me to create my own pantheon—even though I'm still part of the Greek one."
"But Persephone was a demigoddess, a human-born adopted by Demeter. How did she have a demigod child?" Athena asked, even more curious. "Unless… you gave her divinity? Only the king of the gods can do that. You broke the rules, uncle."
"First, you forced me to create my own pantheon, so I am a king of the gods," Hades sighed.
"Hahahaha, you gave her divinity and she dumped you," Ares laughed even louder.
"But no, I didn't give her divinity… she achieved it on her own. And before you ask—I don't know how."
The hall fell silent for a few seconds after Hades' words.
But it wasn't a normal silence.
It was… uncomfortable.
Athena was the first to break it, her mind racing too fast to ignore it.
"Achieved it… alone…" she murmured. "Without blessing… without transfer… without divine bond…"
Apollo tilted his head, curious.
"That's… new."
"No," Hades replied, far too calm. "That is ancient."
Everyone looked at him.
Zeus narrowed his eyes.
"Explain."
Hades stayed silent for a moment… as if deciding how much to reveal.
Then—
he spoke.
"Qetsiyah didn't become a goddess…"
A pause.
"She broke the limit between mortal and divine."
The air in the hall changed.
Athena slowly stood.
"That's not possible."
"I saw it," Hades replied simply.
Demeter placed a hand over her chest again.
"My girl…"
Ares, on the other hand, smiled wider.
"So she's an even bigger aberration than I thought… even better."
Hades slowly turned his face toward him.
"That 'aberration'…"
His eyes glowed red.
"…is the only reason you're still breathing after opening your mouth."
Ares' smile shrank.
It didn't disappear—
but it shrank.
Zeus stood from his throne, thunder echoing through the hall.
"It doesn't matter what she is," he said firmly. "What matters is what she created."
"He is not 'what she created'," Hades corrected. "He is her son."
"He is a threat," Zeus shot back.
"He is a boy."
"He killed the Minotaur with his bare hands."
"And you killed Titans," Hades replied at the same intensity. "What's your point?"
Silence fell heavy again.
But this time—
more unstable.
Athena spoke again, colder:
"If she broke that limit… then her son is not just a demigod."
"No," Hades confirmed.
"Then what is he?"
Hades didn't hesitate.
"A hybrid, son of a goddess and an Original."
Silence.
Ares laughed softly.
"Great… I always wanted to fight the Originals. Monsters capable of matching gods, and one of them is a demigod—how dangerous. We should kill him."
Hades stepped forward.
"No."
Zeus clenched his teeth.
"You don't decide that."
Hades raised his gaze.
"Be careful what you decide, then."
The air in the hall grew heavy.
Very heavy.
"If any of you…" Hades began, his voice low but carrying something ancient, "touch her…"
His eyes glowed brighter.
"Or her son…"
A pause.
"I will not treat it as politics."
Absolute silence.
"I will treat it as personal."
Even Poseidon looked at him seriously this time.
"Seriously, brother?" he asked.
Hades didn't look away from Zeus.
"Absolutely."
Zeus took a deep breath… but his pride spoke louder.
"So you choose her side?"
Hades answered without hesitation:
"I choose not to be your enemy."
A pause.
"But if you insist…"
The entire hall felt it.
"I will be."
Thunder roared.
"Enough!" Zeus shouted. "I am the king of the gods and I will not allow such a mistake to grow!"
He raised his hand—
"I declare—"
Space tore.
Not with sound.
Not with light.
But with presence.
The words died in Zeus' mouth.
A crack opened behind his throne… expanding as if reality itself were giving way.
Hades closed his eyes for a second.
"Too late…"
The crack fully opened.
And she stepped out.
Tessa.
Calm.
Unhurried.
As if entering an ordinary hall.
But behind her—
silence turned into fear.
Because it wasn't emptiness.
It was… another side.
An endless horizon of living darkness.
And within it—
millions.
Mostly vampires, werewolves, and witches… but there was more.
Creatures from mythologies that no longer existed.
Creatures that never had their own afterlife.
Creatures of every kind.
Monsters so ancient their names had been forgotten.
And among them… there were beings the Olympians recognized—gods, Celts, Persians, Babylonians… beings whose pantheons were extinct, yet whose names still inspired fear.
They were watching.
All of them.
Looking at the Olympians as if they only needed an order… to erase everything.
That was when the Olympians saw it…
death.
For the first time in their existence.
The entire Olympus stood frozen.
Even Ares.
Even Zeus.
Tessa stepped forward, completely ignoring the weight of it all.
And then—
she smiled.
"Hi…"
Her voice was soft.
Almost gentle.
"I felt like you were talking about my son."
No one answered.
Because no one could.
Demeter was the only one who managed to step forward.
"P-Persephone…?"
Tessa looked at her.
And for a second—
her smile changed.
Softer.
"Mother."
But it didn't last.
She turned back to Zeus.
"I heard an interesting word…"
She tilted her head.
"'Exterminate.'"
Silence became absolute.
She took another step.
And behind her—
the "other side" pulsed.
As if responding to her presence.
"I'll simplify this for you."
Her voice didn't rise.
But it echoed through the entire hall.
"If anyone touches my son…"
A pause.
Her eyes glowed.
"This won't be war."
Hades stood completely still.
He knew.
He knew exactly what she was about to say.
"I won't fight Olympus…"
She smiled.
"I'll unleash my loyal servants on you and let them go wild."
The army beyond the crack… seemed to move.
As if they heard her—and rejoiced.
Zeus… didn't speak.
For the first time—
he had no immediate answer.
Tessa slowly looked around.
Each god.
Each throne.
Memorizing.
"So choose carefully…"
She slightly turned her head, casting one last glance at Hades.
Something unspoken.
Something ancient.
"I still know how to be gentle."
A pause.
Her smile returned—
but now it was cold.
"But never twice."
Silence fell again.
And this time—
not even Olympus felt safe.