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persephoneflowerpetals · 2 months ago

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‘Til Death

Chapter 12: Hostile Takeover

Chapter 11: Last Chance

Chapter 13: It’s Happy Ending Time!

Back in the Underworld, Hecate, Canis, and Lupus were scattered about the throne room in search of something of high importance.

“UGH! Where in this lifeless realm is that stupid key!?” Hecate exclaimed as she looked behind Hades’ throne.

“Jeez, don’t you just hate it when you lose your keys?” Lupus asked as he flew up next to Canis.

“I know, it’s the worst.” Canis replied.

“Without the key to the Underworld, I can’t claim this domain as my own! I need that key!” Hecate explained as she plopped herself onto Hades’ throne to think, her chin in the palm of her hand as she tapped her fingers on the arm of the throne.

“Well, we looked just about everywhere, so if they’re not here, then they must be with Hades.” Canis said as he flew over to Hecate’s side.

“And he’s still on his date with the powder puff.” Lupus added, following Canis.

Hecate gave a menacing grin as she steepled her fingers, sitting back in Hades’ throne. “Hmm, then I’m sure he’ll be crawling back here all alone any minute now.” She surmised.

Right at that moment, the doors to the throne room opened with a loud, echoing creak as Hades and Persephone entered, walking hand in hand with a smile on their faces that immediately faded when they spotted Hecate sitting on Hades’ throne.

“Wow…that’s pretty good timing.” Canis said.

Hades frowned as he let go of Persephone’s hand, eyeing the smug goddess on his throne. He opened his arms in a welcoming fashion as he approached her.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my biddable little underling. What a surprise.” He said with feigned cordiality.

Hecate gave him a wry smile as she rose entirely from the throne, her feet hovering about a foot off of the floor as she floated over to the couple.

“In the immortal flesh.”

“So, Hecate, babe, to what do I owe the displeasure of having you and your filthy winged mutts back in my domain?” He asked, crossing his arms.

Canis and Lupus took immediate offense to the comment and rose from the floor, each flying to Hecate’s side.

“Filthy!?”

“Mutts!?”

Hecate placed a hand on their heads and slowly pushed them back down to the floor.

“Down, boys.”

The pair of empusa walked off in opposite directions, both giving Hades a side-eyed glare.

“You didn’t get the memo, Hades? As of today, the Underworld is under new management.” She explained as she snapped her fingers, quickly manifesting heavy golden chains to wrap around both Hades and Persephone.

The couple fell to their knees as soon as the thick chains appeared on their bodies. They wriggled and squirmed, trying their hardest to break or slip out of the chains, but it was no use.

These unique and powerful chains were the same type of restraints Hades had used on the gods when he held them prisoner during his siege on Olympus. No god could ever break the chains once restrained, no matter how incredibly strong they were. The only way they could escape the chains was if someone freed them, and that didn’t seem to be happening any time soon.

Hecate grinned wickedly as she floated back over to Hades’ throne and sat down, chuckling as she watched the deities struggling to free themselves of their constraints.

“Oh, this is just rich! I’d tell you both to give up now, but it’s just so entertaining to watch you both suffer! I swear, this is better than any Greek tragedy I’ve ever seen!” Hecate laughed.

“I mean, really, Hades. Did you honestly think things would just undoubtedly work out for you? That you’d be able to beat the sundial and get everything you want in the end? Well, news flash, old-timer: your time is just about up.” She taunted as she manifested her hourglass into her hand.

“I guess you procrastinated a little too long with those wedding plans, huh, lover boy?”

Hades looked up at Hecate with a mix of anger and confusion. “Who told you?” He asked, the question sounding more like a demand rather than a query.

Persephone glanced between the two gods, wondering if she was missing something. “Told her what?”

“You mean you forgot? Wow, those nymphs were right. You really are as dumb as you look.” Hecate scoffed as she rolled her eyes. Hades and Persephone both frowned at the comment while Hecate continued to speak. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember the reason why you and Hades had even met in the first place.”

Persephone thought back for a moment, recalling her first encounter with Hades and why he had originally dragged her down to the Underworld.

Then, a sudden look of realization came upon her as she looked over to Hades, her tone sounding almost hurt, “Your powers…I didn’t…I thought you just made that up...that’s…that’s why you proposed.”

Hades looked at her apologetically. He knew how this all looked, and the last thing he wanted was for her to think that he was playing her for a sap. He opened his mouth to speak but was abruptly interrupted by Hecate.

“That’s right. Your precious Hades may have fallen madly in love with you over time, but you were always his one-way ticket to getting what he truly wanted all along: his powers.”

She then rose from the throne once again to approach the gods. Hades sneered as he watched Hecate float over to Persephone.

“And if I had to guess,” she said as she snatched the daffodil Persephone had been holding out of her hands, inspecting it as she held the stem between her fingers, “I’d say you fell right into his trap, didn’t you?”

The couple glared at Hecate as she continued to mock them, “Well, I’d ask what to bring to your wedding, but…there won’t be one, because you’ll be dead, and he’ll be wasting away in Tartarus!” she cackled as she carelessly tossed the daffodil behind her shoulder, letting it fall to the floor like a worthless piece of garbage.

Meanwhile, Pain and Panic stood outside the entrance of the throne room, carefully peeking their heads out as they watched the scene unfold. They looked at each other nervously, realizing that this was practically all their fault.

“Oh, I knew this was gonna come back to bite us in the tail! Oh, this is so bad! We can’t just go in there and stop them! Hades and Persephone will be done for! What are we gonna do!? What are we gonna do!?” Panic fretted quietly as he trembled and paced around anxiously.

“Relax, would ya?! We’ll just go for help!” Pain suggested in a hushed tone, trying to not draw any attention to themselves.

“Go for help?! Even if Persephone’s down here, what kind of god is gonna want to help Hades?!” Panic asked frantically.

“I wasn’t talking about a god.” Pain replied with a devious smirk.

Panic froze for a moment as he stared at Pain, his expression now matching his friend’s as he nodded. “Ahh, now I gotcha!”

“C’mon! Let’s go!” Pain said as he and Panic ran down the stairs.

~X~X~X~X~

It was a surprisingly quiet night in Thebes. In an enormous palace not too far from the hustle and bustle of the big city-state, Megara stood outside, taking freshly dried clothes hanging from a clothesline and folding them neatly into a woven basket as she hummed a sweet little tune.

Not too long after Hercules chose to stay on Earth with Meg, he invited her to move in with him in his huge palace, knowing that her company would make the place feel a lot less empty. They’ve been together for about two years now and were still just as crazy about each other as they had been when they first met.

Just as Meg grabbed the last of the laundry, she turned to find the familiar sight of her beloved boyfriend and his trainer coming in for a landing on his trusty bird-brained steed, Pegasus. She smiled as she folded the last toga in her hands and placed it into the basket.

“Hey there, tall, Greek, and handsome. I see you saved the day again.” She greeted as she watched Hercules and Phil dismount from Pegasus’ back.

Hercules chuckled and approached Meg, brushing back his wavy ginger hair. “Yeah, it took all day to take down that Nemean lion, but I got the job done.”

“I’ll say!” Phil added proudly. “You should’ve seen ‘im in action, Red! That kitten had no chance against ‘ol Herc! We would’ve brought home a pelt if it weren’t for those stinkin’ ‘monster animal rights’ activists. Buncha hippies.”

Hercules chuckled again as he crossed his arms. “It’s alright, Phil. I don’t need to bring home a trophy every time I save the day. As long as everyone’s safe, I’m happy. That’s what being a hero is all about, right? Defending the defenseless. I learned that from the best.“

Meg giggled and shook her head. “Wonderboy, you truly have a heart of gold.” She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Unfortunately, the sweet moment between them didn’t last very long, as they were interrupted by the sound of distant panting and wheezing. Meg, Hercules, Phil, and Pegasus all turned their heads to find Pain and Panic flying towards them.

“Her—huff—Herc—huff—Hercules!” Pain wheezed as he stopped flapping his little wings and landed on the ground face-first, while Panic landed on top of him, causing Pain to groan in discomfort.

Meg scowled at the imps and planted her hands firmly on her hips. “Great. Look what the three-headed dog dragged in. What do you two want?”

Pain lifted his head with a bunch of grass stuck in his mouth. “We — phlbew,” he spit out the grass before speaking again. “Uh, we need your help! Like, yesterday!” Pain said, as he shoved Panic off of his back with his elbow.

“Yeah, right. Like, I’m gonna believe that.” Meg replied skeptically.

Panic, now regaining some of his energy and strength, hopped up from the ground and dusted himself off. “No! No! H-Honest! We—We really need your help! The Underworld is in danger!” Panic exclaimed with urgency.

“Aw, that’s a load of minotaur manure if I ever heard it! Everybody knows Hades got outta the River Styx about a year ago. The Underworld should be just fine with that schlub runnin’ the place again.” Phil said, as he crossed his arms and frowned.

“No, you don’t understand! Y’see, it’s a long story that we really don’t have time to explain, but the important thing right now is that Hades and Persephone are being held captive by Hecate, and if we don’t save them this very second, then Hades is gonna lose his powers, Hecate’s gonna take over the Underworld, and then she’s gonna get rid of Persephone! The entire cosmos is hanging in the balance!” Panic frantically explained.

“Persephone?” The trio asked in unison.

“As in, the Goddess of Spring?” questioned Hercules.

“Yeah, and she ‘n Hades are gonna be up the River Styx without a paddle if you don’t do something! You gotta come with us to the Underworld before it’s too late!” Pain urged.

“Hecate can’t rule the Underworld! She’s just as evil and ruthless as Hades! She doesn’t even offer paid vacations in her minion benefits package! That’s just cruel and unusual! Please! You gotta believe us!” Panic pleaded.

Meg eyed the imps suspiciously before glancing over at Hercules. “I don’t buy it. If I know Hades, and unfortunately, I do, he probably just fed them that story to lure you down there.” She surmised.

“I’m with Red on this one, Herc. These bozos are up to somethin’.” Phil added, as he looked up at Hercules.

Pegasus whinnied and squawked as he nodded his head, agreeing with the pair.

Hercules looked at the three indecisively before looking back over at the imps who were now begging to the demigod on their knees.

“Please, Hercules! Ya gotta help them!” Pain pleaded.

“If you won’t do it for Hades, then at least do it for Persephone! She’s the sweetest goddess in the whole pantheon! She doesn’t deserve any of this! If Hecate gets rid of Persephone, then there won’t be any spring, then Demeter will get mad and start a famine, and then the entire cosmos will be doomed!” Panic desperately implored as Pain nodded in agreement.

Hercules looked at them apprehensively and closed his eyes before letting out a big sigh. “Alright…I’ll go.”

“What?!” Meg and Phil exclaimed in disbelief as Pegasus squawked in surprise.

“Herc, kid, ya can’t be serious!”

“You actually believe them?! It’s obviously a trap!”

“Yes, I do believe them.” Hercules answered confidently. “Hero rule number 79: A hero is willing to put their personal opinions aside to help those in need. Besides, even if it is a trap— “

“Which it’s not!” Panic declared.

“I’ve defeated Hades before, and I can certainly do it again.” Hercules continued as he walked back over to Pegasus.

“At least take me with you so I can help! I know Hades better than you do.” Meg suggested while she chased after Hercules, stopping him from mounting the flying horse.

“Meg… I want to, but…I can’t. I really don’t wanna risk losing you again, especially if this is a trap. If you go with me, Hades could use that against me to get what he wants. I promised myself I’d never let anyone hurt you ever again, and I’m gonna keep that promise.” Hercules explained as he gently brushed Meg’s long, auburn bangs out of her eyes.

“Well, then…ya better come back in one piece. ‘Cause I’m not losin’ you either, ya big lug.” Meg said with a warm smile as she cupped Hercules’ cheek, looking him in the eyes.

Hercules smiled back as he gazed into Megara’s beautiful violet eyes. “I always do.” He softly replied as he tenderly held her hand that cupped his cheek.

“Hey! Can ya save the kissy-kissy stuff for later? The cosmos is still in danger, y’know!” Pain shouted.

Meg rolled her eyes as Hercules climbed onto Pegasus’ back. Pain and Panic then riotously ran towards the winged horse, Pain tripping over Panic’s feet in the process as they called out to Hercules.

“Hold on! Wait!” Panic yelled.

“We flew all the way out here! At least give us a ride!” Pain said as he and Panic were suddenly swooped up by Hercules and placed onto Pegasus’ backside.

“Aw, why do I have to ride in the back?” Panic pouted as he covered his nose while looking at Pegasus’ tail.

“Alright, Pegasus! Let’s fly!” Hercules gallantly commanded. Pegasus squawked as he spread his large white wings and flew off into the night sky. Pain and Panic screamed in fear as they clung onto Pegasus for dear life while Meg and Phil watched the lot fly out into the distance, hoping that the imps were genuinely telling the truth for once…and that Hercules would actually return.

~X~X~X~X~

“Just how do you plan on killing an immortal goddess?” Persephone asked with a disbelieving tone.

Hecate grinned devilishly, “Easy. You turn them mortal.”

With the flick of her wrist, Hecate manifested a small glass vial with a skull shaped topper into her hand, a bright pink liquid bubbling inside of it.

Hades recognized the glass vial in an instant, his eyes widening in surprise. “Wha— How did you —?”

Hecate rolled her eyes exaggeratedly as she shook her head, “Oh, come on, Hades. You’re not the only god in the cosmos with the power of alchemy. I am the Goddess of Witchcraft, after all. I can create any potion imaginable. Even the highly exclusive ones…like yours.”

Hades scowled at her as she continued, “However, my concoction is much more efficient compared to that dud you used on that nephew of yours. I guess you could say it’s more…potent. Just drinking more than half of this potion will cause any deity to be completely mortalized, and once your darling Persephone does just that, I’ll have my minions take care of the rest.”

Lupus and Canis then approached Persephone on each side of her, licking their lips as they bared their razor-sharp teeth.

“I call dibs on the torso. Lots of extra meat.” Canis said as he and Lupus eyed Persephone like a juicy steak.

Hades grimaced as he watched Hecate’s minions try to intimidate Persephone, wishing he had the strength to break the chains that confined him so he could burn them to a crisp. Hecate then raised her brow and smirked at Hades insidiously.

“However, I could spare her life…if you hand over the key to the Underworld.” She suggested as she casually eyed the potion in her hand.

Hades simply rolled his eyes at the idea, “Yeah, not gonna happen, babe. Nice try, though. A for effort.”

Hecate shrugged as she turned away from the gods. “Well, then, I suggest you say your final goodbyes while you still can.”

Hades wasn’t buying it. Everyone loved Persephone. If anything happened to her, Hecate would feel the wrath of all Olympus. She wouldn’t dare.

“Please, you’re bluffing.” He scoffed.

“Oh, am I?” Hecate asked with an amused and cocky smirk. She then snapped her fingers as Persephone disappeared from Hades’ side and reappeared by Hecate in a puff of dark blue smoke.

Hades watched as Hecate opened the vial and grabbed Persephone’s face, squishing her cheeks so she’d be forced to open her mouth. She then brought the vial close to Persephone’s lips, tipping it ever-so slightly.

“What was it you always said? ‘Everybody’s got a weakness?’ Well, I believe I’ve found yours, haven’t I? How much do you love her, Hades?”

Persephone stared at the vial in terror as she watched the pink liquid slowly flow towards the lip of the vial. She then looked at Hades, hoping he’d do something, anything to help her.

Hades internally panicked, as he looked at Persephone’s terrified expression. Obviously, she wasn’t bluffing. How ironic that the very same potion Hades had created to take down Zeus was now being used to take him down.

Persephone tried jerking her head back, but Hecate kept her grip on her cheeks. The potion was mere inches away from spilling over the lip of the vial. Just a single drop could transform her into a demigoddess.

“Alright!” Hades shouted.

Hecate lowered the vial a bit, still keeping it near Persephone’s mouth as she waited for Hades to admit his defeat.

“I’ll give you the key. The Underworld’s yours, but only if you leave Persephone alone…and make me mortal instead. You can do whatever you want with me after that.”

“Hades!” Persephone exclaimed in shock.

Hecate let go of Persephone’s face and moved the potion away from her mouth as she floated closer to Hades. “Well, that’s certainly an interesting offer, but I have to decline. She’s my insurance, after all and I simply can’t run the risk of her ruining my plans, now, can I?”

“What risk? It’s Persephone! She’s a seasonal goddess! C’mon, what’s she gonna do? Flower ya to death? She’s harmless!” Hades casually stated, sounding as if he were trying to settle a deal.

Persephone frowned and raised her brow, feeling rather insulted by the statement. “Excuse me?”

Hades ignored her and continued, “Think about it, babe. Even if she goes and blabs about this to the entire pantheon, they won’t do anything. They hate me up there. They’d be more than happy to get rid of my handsome mug, so why waste your potion on her when you can put it to good use with me, huh? What have you got to lose?”

“That’s…a surprisingly good point...that requires some thought.” Hecate said as she tapped her chin. She then turned to her minions and snapped her fingers.

“Boys! Staff meeting!”

Canis and Lupus immediately flew over to Hecate who began whispering to them, trying to properly weigh the pros and cons of Hades’ proposal.

“Hades! What are you doing?!” Persephone asked quietly, wondering why he would go to such extreme measures.

Hades looked at her sympathetically as shrugged, “Saving your immortality, babe. Hey, I mean, I’m losing my powers anyways. I might as well be mortal. It’s not a big deal.” he admitted.

Persephone began to tear up. Hades was genuinely serious about this. He was actually willing to turn mortal and lose not only his life, but everything he had just for her safety. She couldn’t let him do this.

“Yes, it is! It’s a huge deal! She will kill you, Hades!” She quietly exclaimed as her tears started to fall down her rosy, pink cheeks.

As much as Hades hated to see her so upset, he gave her a soft smile, trying to reassure her that he was perfectly content with his decision. “I know, and I’m fine with that if it means you’ll be okay. Believe me, I’d much rather go back into that river for eternity than see you floating in there.” He confessed as he looked into her tearful eyes.

“Hades…” Persephone choked back a sob. She couldn’t believe that Hades was willing to go through with this…all for her.

Hades then forced his attention back to Hecate, “Hey! Do we have a deal or what?”

“No! Hades! Don’t!” Persephone cried.

It took all of his willpower, but Hades refused to acknowledge her. There was no going back on this, and he couldn’t let her change his mind, no matter how hard it was to listen to her desperate cries.

“Hmm…” Hecate hummed as she placed the top back onto the vial and turned back around to face Hades.

“Don’t do this. Please.“ Persephone softly wept, hoping that her pleas would convince Hades to come to his senses and back out of the offer.

“Deal!”

Hecate grinned fiendishly as she snapped her fingers, the chains confining Hades disappearing from his form so he could take the large black key out of his himation. Hades then begrudgingly handed over the key to Hecate who immediately snatched the key out of his hand to ogle it like a precious jewel.

The Underwolrd enchantress raised the key up in the air victoriously as she cackled.

“At last! The Underworld is finally MINE!”

“That’s what you think!” A distant, echoing voice called from outside of the throne room.

“What?!” Hecate exclaimed in confusion as she, Hades, and Persephone looked around the throne room in search of the mysterious person.

SWOOSH

In came Hercules, flying into the throne room with Pegasus through one of the windows that overlooked the River Styx.

“Wonderboy?!” Hades asked in pure bewilderment. Hercules was the last person he expected to come to their aid.

Hercules then drew his sword and led Pegasus towards the three gods below, the flying steed swooping down past them in a flurry of blue and white as Hercules cut the chains that were wrapped around Persephone with his sword while one of Pegasus’ wings collided with Hecate’s hand that held the key.

Hecate gasped as she watched the key go flying across the room. She whipped her head around and sneered at Hercules as she pointed to him.

“Get them!” She commanded her minions.

Lupus and Canis did as directed and flew over to Hercules and Pegasus hovering above the 3 deities; the pair of empusa bared their teeth and growled ferociously.

While Hecate was momentarily distracted, Persephone quickly took the opportunity to take the potion away from her, darting towards her and reaching out for the potion as she bumped into the enchantress from behind. Hecate, not expecting the sudden collision, dropped the vial, the glass shattering on the floor as the pink potion spilled out and immediately evaporated into thin air.

“No! My potion! Ugh, you stupid little —“ Hecate yelled as she summoned a large ball of dark blue static-like power into her hands to attack Persephone.

Just as she raised her hands, ready to attack, she was hit with a small ball of fire, the flames barely hitting her shoulder. She looked over at Hades, who was glaring at her, and scoffed.

“Ha! Was that supposed to stop me?” She asked with an arrogant smile.

“No, actually, it was supposed to distract you.” Hades answered with a smirk.

“What?!” Hecate turned her head and gasped in surprise to find Persephone going for the key across the room and grabbing it from the floor.

“Hades!” She called out as she threw the key over to him.

Both Hades and Hecate attempted to catch it, reaching up for it in the air, but unfortunately, Persephone had thrown it too high for them to catch, causing the key to fly right over their heads and out of the other window in the throne room. Hecate went towards the window and watched as the key fell straight down to the ground floor and landed with a faint, echoing clink.

“My bad.” Persephone apologized with an embarrassed and slightly anxious smile.

Hecate grimaced furiously as she floated towards Persephone, powering up her hands once again. “Oh, it will be.” She threatened before throwing a large ball of magical power at Persephone, the harsh blow causing her to fly backwards across the room and straight into the wall.

Persephone groaned and winced as she held her abdomen where she had been hit, doubling over in pain in a fetal position.

“Persephone!” Hades cried out as he watched Persephone take the hit. The god, completely infuriated by the fact that Persephone had been injured, then mustered all of the little bit of power he had left in him to fight Hecate, glowing as red as he could as he growled and gave her a death glare.

He formed a medium sized ball of fire into his hand before throwing it directly at Hecate who countered it with her powers. The goddess then blasted Hades with a burst of her own power, causing him to stumble back a bit, but Hades wasn’t giving up. Back and forth, Hades and Hecate barraged each other with magical power and blasts fire until Hades finally became too weak and exhausted to keep going.

Hecate immediately took notice as she continuously assaulted him with surges of her powerful static-y magic until he fell to the floor. Hades, completely worn out from the intense fight, tried his best to find the strength to keep fighting back as he attempted to get up from the floor.

The enchantress approached him, looking down at him as she chuckled villainously. “Not so hot now are you, Hades? Look at you. You’re pathetic. You don’t stand a chance against me.” Hecate spat before raising her hand, summoning a very large ball of power to finish him off.

“But I do!” Persephone said confidently from across the room as she stood from the floor.

Hecate, not perceiving Persephone as a threat, smirked and laughed. “Okay, powder puff. You wanna play the heroine? Show me what you got.” Hecate taunted as her hands glowed dark blue with power.

Persephone glowered at the opposing goddess as small vines covered in thorns started to curl around her wrists and up to her shoulders.

Meanwhile, Hercules and Pegasus remained above the three gods, as he fought back against the two flying wolves who snapped, snarled, bit, and scratched at the horse and hero, all while nimbly weaving between giant stalactites that jutted from the ceiling of the throne room.

“Hyah! Get back!” Hercules shouted as he swung his sword at one of the wolves who swiftly dodged his swing, the edge of the sword just barely clipping their fur.

“Y’know, for the son of Zeus,” Canis began nonchalantly as he dodged another swing from Hercules’ sword, “— I thought he’d be way better at this.”

“I know, right? This guy is supposed to be ‘The Hero of All Heroes’? Give me a break!” Lupus agreed as he dodged a hind kick from Pegasus.

Suddenly, the booming sound of large feet reverberated from outside of the throne room, the power of each step causing the ceiling to quake as bits of stone fell to the floor. Canis and Lupus, who were flying across the room and away from Hercules and Pegasus, paused for a moment.

“What in the Underworld is that?” Lupus asked.

BOOM!

“YEE-HA!”

Pain and Panic burst through the doors (and walls) of the room atop Cerberus whose three heads aggressively snarled and barked at the empusa.

“Oh, this is so not worth the pay raise! I’m outta here!” Canis exclaimed as he cowered back in fear.

“Right behind you!” Lupus added as the pair of winged canines made a hasty retreat out of the throne room window, all while yelping and whining like a couple of puppy dogs.

Pain and Panic laughed triumphantly and they high-fived each other as Hercules and Pegasus flew over to them.

“Hey, nice job, fellas. Not bad for a couple of henchmen.” Hercules said with a smile.

“Aw, well, y’know!”

“Heh, heh! You’re too kind!” The pair bashfully gushed before Cerberus ran out of the room, barking and snarling, most likely trying to chase after the empusa.

“Woah! Hey! Good doggy! Slow down!” Pain exclaimed as he and Panic tried their best to stay aboard the giant hound.

Back on the ground, Hecate and Persephone were still entangled in a raging battle against one another. Thorn-covered vines now covered most of the throne room, causing it to look almost like a jungle and Cerberus’ abrupt entrance didn’t seem to deter either goddess from fighting.

Persephone commanded another vine to burst out from the small cracks in the floor of the throne room to wrap around Hecate’s ankle in attempts to ground her and keep her from floating above the floor.

Hecate easily escaped the vine’s grasp and vaporized it with her powers as she floated towards Persephone who was now backing away from her. The enchantress then casted another powerful blast of power towards Persephone, who nimbly dodged the attack.

“Why don’t you just give up, Persephone? Hades isn’t worth fighting for! Look at him! He’s a loser! He used you! He’s only marrying you because he wants to keep his status as a god! He doesn’t actually love you! Just do yourself a favor and let him go already! You don’t need him!” Hecate persuaded as she gestured towards Hades who was glaring at her from floor, still struggling to regain his strength so he could help Persephone.

Persephone glared at Hecate as well before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Y’know, Hecate… I’ve been doing what everyone tells me to do for my entire life, which is really long time, and honestly…” she explained in an unusually calm tone, “…I’m sick of it!”

The spring goddess then summoned yet another vine from the floor, this one much thicker than the others she had created before, as it wrapped around Hecate’s legs, keeping her grounded to the floor.

Hecate attempted to escape from the vine’s grasp, but its grip was far too tight for her to get away. She then proceeded to blast away the vine with her powers, but the vine remained around her legs. She looked up at Persephone in bafflement.

“Wha—?! How?!”

Persephone manifested another pair of thick vines from the ceiling of the throne room that briskly wrapped around Hecate’s arms and torso, making her look just like Hades and Persephone did when they were bound by her chains.

Hercules saw the vines emerge from the ceiling and got a clever idea. He looked at Pegasus with a knowing smirk before leading the flying horse over to the vines to detach them from the ceiling.

Persephone glanced up and watched as Hercules took the vines in each hand. He smiled and winked at her as if to silently tell her he had a plan. She smiled back as she covertly used her powers to let the vines grow longer as Hercules and Pegasus flew across the room.

Persephone looked back over at Hecate who was still struggling to escape the grasp of the bulky vines.

“I am the Goddess of Spring, and nobody can tell me what to do, what to think, how to feel, or who I can and can’t love…” Persephone confidently proclaimed as she slowly approached Hecate who stared at her anxiously. She stopped once they were face-to-face and looked her at with a steely and dauntless expression.

“Especially. Not. You.”

Persephone waved her hand in the air and in an instant, the vines that held onto Hecate’s legs loosened up. Hercules, who had secretly coiled the vines from the ceiling tightly around the large stalactites on the ceiling, immediately let go of the vines in his hands, causing Hecate to go flying around the room in a burst of speed that could possibly match Hermes.

Hecate screeched and hollered as she was suddenly flung out of the window of the throne room, landing straight into the River Styx with a big splash.

The angry, miserable souls immediately started grabbing onto her to drag her under as she struggled to remove the tangled-up vines from her body while shoving the dead souls off of herself. Persephone rushed over to the window and smirked as she watched Hecate in the river.

“Ugh! Ulch! Get off of me, you disgusting mortals! Don’t touch me! Ugh!”

Hades pushed himself off the floor with a strained grunt as he made his way over to the window to join Persephone in watching Hecate get her just desserts.

“Don’t fight back, Hecate! It only makes ‘em angrier!” He sarcastically shouted to her with a smug grin.

Persephone laughed as she looked over at Hades who looked weary and tired, despite his arrogant smirk.

“Are you okay?” She asked with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Hades casually replied with a shrug. He then looked away from Persephone, with a guilty expression as he rubbed one of his shoulders.

“Look, Seph…about that whole proposal thing, I didn’t —“ Hades began before Persephone cut him off with a quick kiss.

She looked up at him and smiled, trying her best not to laugh at his dumbfounded expression, “I know. My answer still stands.” she said with a smirk.

Hades smiled at her affectionately, very relieved that she didn’t take his proposal the wrong way.

“I just can’t believe you were willing to give up everything…for me.” Persephone confessed as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

Hades’ affectionate smile remained on his lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him. “Seph, baby, best believe I’d do anything for you. You know what they say: People do…stuff when they’re crazy in love or…I dunno, somethin’ cheesy like that. Whatever.”

Persephone laughed as he leaned in to kiss her once again, their lips meeting as they held each other close.

Just then, Hercules and Pegasus, who had flown out of the other window after the couple reunited, re-entered the throne room. Hercules noticed the pair in a loving embrace and slowly approached them with an awkward and slightly uncomfortable smile, however, neither deity seemed to notice his presence. He glanced over at Pegasus, who had a disgusted expression before covering his face with his wings. The demigod rolled his eyes and shook his head, trying not to laugh, before looking back over at the couple. He cleared his throat, feeling a tad guilty that he had disrupted their romantic moment.

“Ahem…um, sorry to interrupt.”

The couple broke their kiss and turned to look at Hercules. Hades immediately gave him an annoyed frown.

“Are you still here? Get lost already, would ya, huh? I’m kinda busy here.” He snipped as he gestured to Persephone who gave him a stern look.

“Hades!” She scolded.

Hercules chose to ignore the rude comment as he handed the key to the Underworld over to Hades, “I believe this belongs to you.”

Hades scowled as he quickly snatched the key out of Hercules’ hand and shoved it back into his himation. “Alright, now beat it. Amscray, before I sic the dog on ya.” Hades bluntly demanded as he nodded towards the now destroyed entryway of the throne room.

Persephone rolled her eyes before giving him a small shove with her arm, trying to get his attention.

“What?” Hades asked her, still annoyed by Hercules’ presence.

“Be nice! Thank him!” Persephone whispered as turned towards Hades and nodded towards Hercules.

“Nice?! Babe, the only person I’m willing to be nice to is you, okay? I’m not gonna thank that chump! I didn’t want him coming down here in the first place! I hate him!” Hades hissed as he turned to Persephone.

“He was kind enough to help us! Just say thank you!”

“I’m not —“

“Can you do it for me, at least? Please?”

“Oy…fine. Okay.”

The gods turned back towards Hercules as Persephone smiled at him politely. Hades rolled his eyes and frowned as he crossed his arms, pouting like a moody teenager.

“I suppose I should thank you for coming down here to help us out…” Hades began, refusing to look at Hercules.

“But, I won’t! So, goodbye! Exit’s that a-way! Don’t let the gates hit ya on the way out, Wonderboy!” Hades said sarcastically with a fake smile as he pointed towards the demolished exit.

Persephone sighed and facepalmed while shaking her head, realizing that it would probably be futile to try and get Hades to actually be civil towards his nephew. She gently grabbed Hades’ arm as she gave Hercules a kind smile.

“What he means to say is…thank you, Hercules. I know you’re not especially fond of Hades after all the terrible things he’s done to you and the rest of the pantheon, so it means a lot that you were willing to come down here to help us.”

Hercules smiled and bashfully chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck, still not really used to conversing with the gods so casually. “Heh, well, there’s no need to thank me.”

“Yeah, I coulda told ya that.” Hades mumbled under his breath.

Hercules ignored him as he continued, “I’m just glad I was able to make it here in time to help.”

Hades rolled his eyes once more, clearly annoyed by his “kind and humble hero schtick”.

“Yeah, whatever. Just don’t think this whole escapade changes anything, alright? You and your old man are still at the very top of my list.”

Hercules looked at Hades, his smile fading a bit as he replied, “And you’re still on mine…uncle Hades.”

Hades glared at the demigod’s sarcastic little remark, secretly wishing he had enough strength and power to take him out. Persephone looked at Hades, noticing that his flame was very small and weak now that he used most of what was left of his powers to fight Hecate. She then remembered that Hades was on a time limit and could probably lose his powers completely at any time now.

“Wait, Hades, how long do you have before you lose your powers?” Persephone asked with urgency.

The question immediately brought Hades back to the reality of the moment. He was still on the verge of losing his powers. He glanced up at his head, not able to see his flame, but knowing that it was probably puny by now. The god sighed and looked back at Persephone.

“By sundown tomorrow.”

Persephone instantly perked up with a smile. “That’s great! We have plenty of time! We’ll just go to Olympus and get married before —“ She said happily before Hades spoke up.

“Uh, one small wrinkle, babe. I’m still banned.”

Persephone’s joy quickly faded, “Oh, right…. I forgot.”

“Why don’t you two just get married here in the Underworld?” Hercules suggested.

“We can’t. In order for a marriage of the gods to be binding, we have to get married on Olympus by your mother, and if Hades is banned then…we can’t get married…and Hades will lose his powers.” Persephone explained before looking over to Hades who was looking back at her with disappointment. He noticed the solemn look on her face, as if she were about to cry, and wrapped his arms around her to hold her close.

Hercules looked at the gods with concern. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that he thought Hades losing his powers would be a very fitting punishment after all he’s done. However, he knew that wanting petty revenge like that would be stooping down to Hades’ level and that’s something he’d never do as a hero.

After all, he was willing to put his grudge against Hades aside to help take down Hecate and save the Underworld. It would be cruel of him to just walk away and leave them miserable like this.

There had to be something he could do to help them. Hercules stood there and pondered for a moment until a viable idea came to mind.

“Hold on, I think I can pull some strings.”

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