"Hades, God of the Underworld."
"Hades…?"
"I apologize for not kneeling in your presence!"
The reveal warranted a reaction of silence for at least more than a minute, but not even seconds passed by as Malenia quickly bowed her entire body — groveling on the floor with her palms facing upward toward President Hayden. It wasn't only her, Edissa also followed her lead as she bent all of her knees and bowed her head to him.
The only one amongst the three who did not react at all was Rhys.
Rhys just stood there, staring at the large President Joseph with a tired expression on his face — and after a couple more seconds, he even sighed and shook his head.
"Oho…?" Joseph did not seem to take offense to this at all. In fact, he let out an amused breath as he stepped away from his desk, "You're not shocked at all? I was expecting you to react wildly, my boy. We might be lying to you too."
"It doesn't really matter whether it's a lie or not, and I always knew you were soone important and special, Mayor—no, I suppose it's President now," Rhys just once again shook his head before approaching Joseph and reaching out his hand, "I just didn't expect for you to be an actual god. Would you prefer to call you Lord Hades now?"
"Heh… this is why I like you, Rhys," Joseph just smirked as he shook Rhys's hand, "Just call what you're most comfortable with, and it feels weird for you to call Hades now — I watched you grow up, boy. Sit, sit. And tell your harem to relax."
Rhys then just calmly sat down on the sofa opposite to Hannah, who was still just chewing her gum as she stared at him. She really only stopped chewing when Margryth sat beside her; Hannah's eyes, seemingly irritated — Margryth, however, just smirked at her in response before gesturing to her to scooch to the side as she needed space… even though she was only knee-tall.
"Ugh…" Hannah just rolled her eyes before looking away.
"Edissa, Malenia," Rhys then called the two demi-humans, who just very carefully raised their heads before slowly heading behind Rhys.
"So? Do you have anything to say about my big reveal?" Joseph then stretched his arms to the side as he smiled.
"Nothing so far," Rhys shook his head, "But Hades… you are one of the three strongest gods, right?"
"...You truly should brush up on your history," Joseph let out a small but very deep sigh, "But I suppose it doesn't matter for now."
"If…" Edissa subtly leaned closer to Rhys and whispered in his ear, "...If he is Hades, then does that an the Surface truly is the Underworld?"
"Pft."
"Forgive for saying sothing!" Edissa quickly bowed her head again as she heard Joseph's breaths beco louder. Joseph, however, did not seem to mind at all as his breaths just turned into a fit of laughter.
Margryth also just giggled as she covered her mouth. As for Hannah, she just continued shaking her head and rolling her eyes as if she truly didn't want to be there, and she probably didn't.
"It is fine to have questions, Edissa," Joseph then let out a long and deep breath as he stopped laughing, "I welco the questions — after all, without them, then what is the purpose of everything?"
"I… apologize for talking out of line," Edissa just continued to bow her head.
"To answer your question then — you are right, the Surface is the Underworld," Joseph then turned around and opened the shades of the window of his office, letting in the comforting warmth of the rising sun,
"And where you live is also the Underworld."
"Hm…?" Edissa, and even Malenia wanted to speak — but they just chose to keep their mouths shut and look at Rhys, hoping that he would follow up the question. But alas, Rhys just remained quiet as he looked at Joseph.
"This place where the humans live, and the place where the monsters and the demi-humans live — they are both the Underworld," Joseph then let out a very long and deep breath as he stared at the light being reflected on all the buildings outside, "Rhys, my boy…
…this entire planet of yours is the Underworld."
"..." Rhys did not really say anything at all and just let Joseph continue his story.
An entire eon ago, my brothers and I were born into chaos and war — that is the only thing we know. And when we won against our fathers who tried to enslave us, we all chose what domain to rule and promised each other that we would neither hinder nor involve ourselves in the roles we put upon ourselves.
Zeus chose the skies, Poseidon the sea, and I chose the Underworld — Earth is for all of us. And the stories may make it seem like I was thrown here, not at all; we all chose where we are, and I chose first. I could have had sky, but I chose the Underworld because where they saw dread and isolation…
…I saw potential. The souls are sent to the Underworld to be reborn only to be punished — and for thousands and thousands of years when I ruled it, it remained the sa and it remained its purpose. But then thousands of years ago, I began to question everything.
Is punishnt all there is? Is it all that there should be?
And so, I began answering my own question — to these pitiful and lost souls, I re-introduced civilization and order. And very soon, history was being made. The gorgons, the cenleons, the hissyrs, the satyrs, and everything and everyone else — like how they have lived in their past lives, they begin again…
…The Underworld, turning into a world of its own. But then I encountered a problem, you."
Joseph then pointed at Rhys.
"Humans. You breed and you breed, and then all of a sudden, there was no space for you. And so, I decided to explore the Underworld more, what else it has to offer…
…and I started to dig a Hole, and it led here, to the place you now call the Surface — another world with a sky and an even more infinite cosmos. The Underworld is not an isolated prison, but an entirely new world filled with new possibilities."
"Our ancestors… ca from down there?" Rhys finally whispered sothing, but soon once again remained quiet as he stared at Joseph.
"Yes," Joseph closed his eyes as he finally sat back down at his desk, "As gods, we thought we knew everything there is to know — but we know nothing at all. I learned that I know nothing at all. But what I did learn, however, was the ingenuity of the humans if they are left be in their own devices…
…I watched you grow from holding sticks and stones, to weapons of steel in just 2 thousand years. I decided then that your kind was going to get the answers for . But of course, my little secret could not remain to be so forever, and my brothers discovered what I was doing — they discovered this, the infinite cosmos.
All of a sudden, the two of them wanted the Underworld — and when I refused to trade, they wreaked havoc; causing Holes to appear all around the Surface more than a thousand years ago now. But of course, this is my domain — they could not run rampant for long before I cast them out…
…but not before they laid their seeds in all of you."
"I know that part of our history," Rhys breathed out, "So, it truly was them who let loose the monsters that plagued our world."
"They used Hers to carry their seeds and impregnate all the won — and all he needed was a blink of an eye where I was distracted," Joseph let out another deep breath, causing fus to escape his nose,
"Their blood is not a gift, Rhys Wilder. It is a prison that has kept your kind shackled in the hands of the gods. With the abilities you received, the ingenuity which led you from sticks and stones to steel was hindered — your kind should have been freely exploring the infinite cosmos by now."
"Hm," Rhys squinted his eyes as he let out a loud breath and looked at Joseph, "That's a very nice story, President. But…
…where exactly am I supposed to fit in in all of it?"
"That is the best part, Rhys Wilder…" Joseph smirked as he looked Rhys in the eyes,
"...I don't know."
"What…?" Rhys blinked a couple of tis as he looked at Hannah and Margryth, who only shrugged their shoulders in response, "For the past few months, all I've been hearing about is I'm involved in a prophecy — and now you're telling … that you don't know?"
"Yes," Joseph once again stood up, "And that is exactly why you are here now, Descendant of Eros."
"And who is Eros in the first place? You haven't even ntioned him even once in your story," Rhys sighed in frustration while shaking his head.
"Eros…" Hades closed his eyes,
"...Eros is the only god who did not lay his seed a thousand years ago."
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