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onceklaudiaspiechowicz · 4 years

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Greek Gods Associated with The Underworld

Hades

“Hades (Aides, Aidoneus, or Haidês), the eldest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea; brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia, is the Greek god of the underworld. When the three brothers divided the world between themselves, Zeus received the heavens, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld; the earth itself was divided between the three. Therefore, while Hades' responsibility was in the underworld, he was allowed to have power on earth as well. However, Hades himself is rarely seen outside his domain, and to those on earth his intentions and personality are a mystery. In art and literature Hades is depicted as stern and dignified, but not as a fierce torturer or devil-like. However, Hades was considered the enemy to all life and was hated by both the gods and men; sacrifices and prayers did not appease him so mortals rarely tried. He was also not a tormenter of the dead, and sometimes considered the "Zeus of the dead" because he was hospitable to them. Due to his role as lord of the underworld and ruler of the dead, he was also known as Zeus Khthonios ("the infernal Zeus" or "Zeus of the lower world"). Those who received punishment in Tartarus were assigned by the other gods seeking vengeance. In Greek society, many viewed Hades as the least liked god and many gods even had an aversion towards him, and when people would sacrifice to Hades, it would be if they wanted revenge on an enemy or something terrible to happen to them.”

Persephone

“Persephone (also known as Kore) was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and Zeus. Persephone was abducted by Hades, who desired a wife. When Persephone was gathering flowers, she was entranced by a narcissus flower planted by Gaia (to lure her to the underworld as a favor to Hades), and when she picked it the earth suddenly opened up. Hades, appearing in a golden chariot, seduced and carried Persephone into the underworld. When Demeter found out that Zeus had given Hades permission to abduct Persephone and take her as a wife, Demeter became enraged at Zeus and stopped growing harvests for the earth. To soothe her, Zeus sent Hermes to the underworld to return Persephone to her mother. However, she had eaten six pomegranate seeds in the underworld and was thus eternally tied to the underworld, since the pomegranate seed was sacred there.”

Hecate

“Hecate is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches or a key and in later periods depicted in triple form. She is variously associated with crossroads, entrance-ways, night, light, magic, witchcraft, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants, ghosts, necromancy, and sorcery. Her earliest appearance in literature was in Hesiod's Theogony in the last third part of the 8th century BCE as a Titan goddess of great honor with domains in sky, earth, and sea. Her place of origin is debated by scholars, but she had popular followings amongst the witches of Thessaly and an important sanctuary among the Carians of Asia Minor in Lagina.

Hecate was one of several deities worshiped in ancient Athens as a protector of the oikos (household), alongside Zeus, Hestia, Hermes, and Apollo. In the post-Christian writings of the Chaldean Oracles she was also regarded with (some) rulership over earth, sea, and sky, as well as a more universal role as Savior (Soteira), Mother of Angels and the Cosmic World Soul. Regarding the nature of her cult, it has been remarked, "she is more at home on the fringes than in the center of Greek polytheism. Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition."

Charon

“Charon, in Greek mythology, the son of Erebus and Nyx (Night), whose duty it was to ferry over the Rivers Styx and Acheron those souls of the deceased who had received the rites of burial. In payment he received the coin that was placed in the mouth of the corpse. In art, where he was first depicted in an Attic vase dating from about 500 BCE, Charon was represented as a morose and grisly old man. Charon appears in Aristophanes’ comedy Frogs (406 BCE); Virgilportrayed him in Aeneid, Book VI (1st century BCE); and he is a common character in the dialogues of Lucian (2nd century CE). In Etruscan mythology he was known as Charun and appeared as a death demon, armed with a hammer. Eventually he came to be regarded as the image of death and of the world below. As such he survives in Charos, or Charontas, the angel of death in modern Greek folklore.”

“Charon is the ferryman who, after receiving a soul from Hermes, would guide them across the rivers Styx and/or Acheron to the underworld. At funerals, the deceased traditionally had an obol placed over their eye or under their tongue, so they could pay Charon to take them across. If not, they were said to fly at the shores for one hundred years, until they were allowed to cross the river. To the Etruscans, Charon was considered a fearsome being – he wielded a hammer and was hook-nosed, bearded, and had animalistic ears with teeth. In other early Greek depictions, Charon was considered merely an ugly bearded man with a conical hat and tunic. Later on, in more modern Greek folklore, he was considered more angelic, like the Archangel Michael. Nevertheless, Charon was considered a terrifying being since his duty was to bring these souls to the underworld and no one would persuade him to do otherwise.”

Thanatos

“Thanatos was the god or personified spirit (daimon) of non-violent death. His touch was gentle, likened to that of his twin brother Hypnos (Sleep). Violent death was the domain of Thanatos' blood-craving sisters, the Keres, spirits of slaughter and disease.

Thanatos plays a prominent role in two myths. Once when he was sent to fetch Alkestis (Alcestis) to the underworld, he was driven off by Herakles in a fight. Another time he was captured by the criminal Sisyphos (Sisyphus) who trapped him in a sack so as to avoid death.

In Greek vase painting Thanatos was depicted as a winged, bearded older man, or more rarely as a beardless youth. He often appears in a scene from the Iliad, opposite his brother Hypnos (Sleep) carrying off the body of Sarpedon. In Roman sculptural reliefs he was portrayed as a youth holding a down-turned torch and wreath or butterfly which symbolised the soul of the dead.”

“Thanatos was the Greek god of nonviolent deaths. His name literally translates to “death” in Greek. In some myths, he’s considered to be a personified spirit of death rather than a god. The touch of Thanatos was gentle, often compared to the touch of Hypnos, who was the god of sleep. Thanatos and Hypnos are twins; this is where the saying, “Death, and his brother, sleep,” comes from.

Thanatos has a dominant role in two Greek myths. There’s a myth wherein he was sent to bring Alkestis back to the underworld. However, HERACLES drove him off through combat. In another myth, Sisyphus was a criminal who trapped Thanatos in a sack so that he wouldn’t die.

When Thanatos was depicted on vases, he was shown to be a bearded and winged old man. In some rare cases, he was depicted as a young person without any beard. In the Iliad, there’s a scene where he often appears with Hypnos to carry away Sarpedon’s body.”

Nyx

“NYX was the goddess of the night, one of the primordial gods (protogenoi) who emerged as the dawn of creation.

She was a child of Khaos (Chaos, Air), and coupling with Erebos (Darkness) she produced Aither (Aether, Light) and Hemera (Day). Alone she spawned a brood of dark spirits including the three Fates, Sleep, Death, Strife and Pain.

Nyx was an ancient deity usually envisaged as the very substance of the night--a veil of dark mists drawn across the sky to obscure the light of Aither, the shining blue of the heavens. Her opposite number was Hemera (Day) who scattered the mists of night at dawn.

In ancient art Nyx was depicted as a either a winged goddess or charioteer, sometimes crowned with an aureole of dark mists.”

“Nyx represents the night, beauty, and power. She represents the night because when the sunsets, she sets out on her chariot, with the darkness trailing behind. She represents beauty because she was beautiful and portrayed as one of the most beautiful goddesses on the face of the earth. And power is one of her values because both gods and men feared her greatly. She is said to be one of the first creatures to come into existence. According to some myths, she was daughter of Chaos, which means that she is a sister to some of the oldest deities in Greek myths, including Erubus (darkness), Gaia (the Earth), and Tartarus (the Underworld). “

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Charon-Greek-mythology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_underworld

https://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Thanatos.html

https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/gods/thanatos/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persephone

https://www.theoi.com/Protogenos/Nyx.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate

https://rfgoddesses.weebly.com/nyx.html

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lesbiancross-stitch · 5 years

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Wax melted I meet the sea under Sunlight. Her light.

This is an Icarus and the sun god au, basically boleyn is icarus and cleves is helios.

Icarus could remember the joy she felt as a child running under the sun, the warmth that sunk deep into her bones and promised to last even in the harshest winters. All she could do was remember, now locked a top the highest tower with her father for his crime. Icarus recalls the times as she matured that very heat from the sun that burned like hot fire through her veins and between her thighs, the heat shaped her, and her love for the goddess Helios. The sun was all she had, her father near mad at the thought of escape. Icarus prayed to the goddess throughout, tender prayers full of love and devotion fell from her lips under her light. Some nights Icarus dreamt of her love, a tall woman shrouded in gold and dripping light, come to rescue her from her prison, other nights she dreamt of that same heat burning through her veins. While Icarus slept, her father toiled away, crafting their escape. Her father kept his creations hidden under a sheet to protect them from the elements, Icarus had no clue as to what her father had crafted.

“today we make our escape my child” Her father grinned interrupting Icarus’ worship, “on wings of wax and feather we will fly out over the sea” he said pulling the sheet off the pairs of wings. Icarus was stunned, the wings were huge, as tall and wide as Icarus herself. Daedalus began strapping the wings to his daughter “you must listen to me child” Icarus nodded “these wings are fragile, fly too close to the sea they will become sodden, too heavy to fly you will fall to your death” Icarus gulped at her father’s words “likewise, flying too close to the sun will melt the wax and again you will fall to your death, we must fly between the two or face death” Daedalus said as he fixed the straps on his own wings.

The pair leapt from the tower arms outstretched, Icarus laughed, she felt like a goddess flying above the island. Icarus grinned, if she felt like a goddess, then maybe she could fly up to be with her love, Icarus readied herself and began her ascent into the heavens, ignoring her father’s cries, Icarus pushed herself further towards the sun, towards her love. She could feel the wax beginning to melt, Icarus gritted her teeth, just a bit higher and she would be with her love, that’s all she needed. The wax was melting faster, her wings losing feathers at an alarming rate, tears began flowing from Icarus’ eyes, she wouldn’t make it, couldn’t make it, her wings had lost all but a few feathers. She was plummeting down towards the sea, past her father, who could only watch in horror as his child came crashing down to meet the sea.

“help me please, I love you” Icarus screamed before falling into the ocean.

The sun was missing from the sky and rumours spread throughout the small island of Crete, many said that Helios was mourning the loss of her love others said Helios was angry at the foolish girl that flew into her domain.

Icarus awoke freezing and alone, she knew where she was, she kept coins on her person for this reason, she was to cross the river styx and the ferryman demanded payment. Once across the river Icarus felt colder, like the cold was seeping into her bones replacing the warmth that settled there from the sun, Icarus pulled her garment closer in a feeble attempt to warm herself.

“I don’t care about your pathetic laws Hades, you and I both know that if your precious wife of spring were to disappear you would bring Olympus to its knees to find her” Helios roared.

Icarus could hear voices ahead, she followed the sound and came across a large hall. She could see two gods one clearly Hades sat in his thrown at the far end of the hall. “I want her returned to me Hades or the whole world shall face my wrath” the other god screamed, Icarus gasped. The mortal’s gasp caught the attention of the two gods and the creature that lay at their feet, Cerberus growled, three sets of teeth bared. Icarus backed away, colliding with a wall preventing her escape.

Icarus screamed in agony as the beast’s middle head bit into her arm. “if that beast kills her Hades, not even Zeus will be able to save you” Helios growled. Hades nodded and called off the dog.

Icarus woke up and looked down at her arm, her wound was completely healed, no scars, like nothing had ever happened. “you’re safe now my love” Helios said smiling at the Icarus.

“Wh-Where am I?” Icarus asked, refraining herself from leaping into Helios’ arms.

“Olympus, my sweet” Helios replied as she brushed Icarus’ hair out of her face “we shall remain here until the ceremony, if that pleases you my dear”

“what ceremony?”

“why we are to be wed, my sweet love!” Icarus grinned, launching herself into her betrothed arms and greeting her with a fierce kiss.

“I’ve been waiting to do that” Icarus sighed as she pulled away from the goddess.

“and I’ve been waiting to do this, my betrothed” Helios smirked pushing Icarus back against her cot.

——————————

Helios presented Icarus with a bowl full of liquid “you must drink this before we are to be wed” Icarus accepted the bowl and gulped the mysterious liquid down.

Helios and Icarus bowed before Zeus a length of golden ribbon wrapped around their intertwined hands “Icarus after consuming ambrosia, do you now wish to dedicate the rest of your immortal life, body and soul fully to Helios”

“yes”

“Helios, do you wish to dedicate the rest of your immortal life, body and soul fully to Icarus”

“yes”

“now rise as one body and one soul joined together in wedlock”

Icarus and Helios stood, grinning wildly, they ran to Helios’ chariot, leaving the gods of Olympus standing mouths agape in shock. The people of Crete say the sun shone twice as bright on that day.

#anne boelyn #anne of cleves #six the musical #jane seymor #katherine howard #catherine parr #catherine of aragon #icarus #icarus and the sun

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oracledapollon · 5 years

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An amazing post I found about the Hellenic afterlife. Very well written and very informative. I’m including the original link if you’d rather read it there.

The Hellenic Underworld and afterlife

"Death came suddenly and it was mercilessly painful. You are aware you have passed: you can hear the keening of the women in your family, taste the metal of the oboloi in your mouth. You are no longer cold, or hot, and there is no pain. Sensation is for the living, and your memories start to fade already. You are no longer part of the living. You are dead, and your guide is waiting for you.

Hermes Psychopompos, the winged guide of the newly dead, descends and takes your hand. Below you is the ocean: Oceanos' divine body. You used to watch it glisten in Helios' bright rays, but today, everything is dull and lifeless. You are speeding west, guided by the blessed Immortal. Below you, you can see land again and a mighty river. The land draws you down, and you stand on the ground without feeling it. It is here that Hermes Psychopompos leaves you, in the capable hands of Kharon, on the bank of the river Acheron.

The ferryman looks old and ageless at the same time. He holds out his hand, but you can't understand what he wants from you. Then, his hand closes around a coin, and he steps aside to let you into his boat. Without moving, you are suddenly on the boat, looking to the shore where shadowy figures of the dead gather, longing to make the journey with you. But they have no coin to hand over, and are forced to wander the bank of the Kokytos river year after year, until the ferryman takes pity on them. Today is not their day.

The river fades into the darkness of a cave. The river of woe joins with the river of hate; the river Styx that seems to have no end. Kharon moves the boat forward in a steady rhythm. You reach the dock sooner than you expected to. Kharon waits silently for you to get off of his boat. You dare not move. Beyond is a field of grey, a sunless cavern filled with the shadows of the dead. The fields of Asphodel; the dreary resting place of the common Hellen. Before the fields stand a huge gate, and an equally huge dog, with three growling heads, foaming at each mouth. Kharon waits, and then you are in the field. The gate stands behind you, Kerberos a constant reminder you can never go back.

You wander, still remembering much of your life. The fall you took as a child that gave you a weak knee, the smile of your spouse on your wedding day. You remember your child being born. It makes being here impossible to bear. The memories will not fade, because before your judgement, you are not allowed to forget. You hold on to them as long as you can, but then you walk through the field, to the compound in the distance. Hades' compound, where the Dread Lord and His beautiful wife live. You walk to forget. Thus, you come upon the judges.

Rhadamanthys, Minos and Aiakos wait for you at the trivium in the courtyard of the compound; the trivium, Hekate's sacred crossroads. If you still had a heart, you would feel it beating in your throat now. But you do not. Any decision the judges make is alright. The memories hurt. You are cut off from your loved ones, from Helios' powerful rays. Tartaros is not your place, you know that much. You have honored the Theoi, you have done right by your family. You do not fear judgement. You wish to go back to the Asphodel meadows and drink from the river Lethe; you wish to forget. More, you wish to reach Elysium, the island of the blessed. In the distance, the Lord of the Dead and his Queen Persephone must be.

Your life is judged, you are judged. You wait, and look to each side. Left for Tartaros, where the river Phlegethon burns, but leaves everything it touches intact. Right for Elysium, where the ghosts of the blessed reside amongst the blameless heroes. Or back the way you came for the meadows where Lethe flows free, where the dead flutter around like bats, and those initiated into the Mysteries drink from Mnemosyne, so they will not forget their previous life when they reincarnate. You wait, and are judged."

For the ancient Hellens, this is what dying would look like. This is how I see my 'life' after death. When I pass, I will walk to my judgement. Sadly, life after death may be the closes I will ever get to the ancient Hellens, and the Theoi, so because of that, I have a great bit of interest in the Hellenic Underworld. So lets look at the short story I wrote--I won't call it a meditation, because traveling to the Underworld is something one should not attempt in any way, shape or form--to learn a bit more about the last resting place of the ancient Hellens and modern Hellenists.

The Underworld is described as lying in the west in the Odysseia, and there is an entrance that can be reached overseas. Yet, the dead enter the Underworld through one of five rivers surrounding the Underworld.

Acheron (Αχέρων) - The river of woe. This is the river that Kharon ferries the dead across, from the land of the living, to the realm of Hades.

Kocytus (Κωκυτός) - The river of lamentation. Those who could not pay Kharon, were destined to walk the banks of this river--a side river to the river Acheron--for one hundred years.

Phlegethon (Φλεγέθων) - The river of fire in the Underworld. It's a side river of the river Styx and is said to be permanently on fire, yet never burn anything it touches. It's located in Tartaros.

Lethe (Λήθη) - The river of forgetfulness. It runs through the Asphodel meadows, and the dead have to drink from it to completely forget about their lives on Earth. Those who were initiated in the Eleusinian Mysteries--linked to Demeter and Persephone--were allowed to drink from Mnemosyne and are allowed to remember.

Styx (Στύξ) - The river of hate. The Acheron joins with the Styx at the moment the land of the living makes way for the Underword, and as such, She is a portal, and the most famous of the five rivers. It is said to wrap around the Underworld nine times. Styx was also the river upon which the Theoi, and mankind, swore oaths which could not be broken, an arrangement agreed upon by Zeus and the Goddes Styx in return for her aid in the Titan Wars. If a Theos or Theia did break an oath made upon the river Styx, they were forced by Zeus to drink from the river, upon which They fell into a deep coma for a year, and were then cut off from Their worshippers for nine more. For mortals, breaking an oath on the river Styx was something you simply did not do, and it's the gravest vow to make, one that is not made lightly.

The Underworld has various areas where the dead are housed, but also where the various Gods and Goddesses of the Underworld--called 'Theoi Khthonioi'--reside. Several of the Gods and Goddesses have already been discussed; all the rivers are Gods or Goddesses who have their home in the Underworld, and there are Kharon, Kerberos, and the judges: Rhadamanthys, Minos and Aiakos. Yet, there are a lot more. The most well known are Hades and His consort, Persephone.

Hades, brother of Zeus, son of Kronos, is the Lord of the Dead. The Underworld is His domain. He rules it with his beautiful wife--and niece--Persephone, whom He stole away. She resides with Him in their home, a large mansion at the crossroads between the Asphodel meadows, Tartaros and Elysium. This crossroads is sacred to Hekate, and located in the courtyard of the mansion. The maiden Goddess Hekate is a companion of Persephone, whom she led out of the Underworld after Zeus decreed it to be so. She vowed to Demeter to stay with Persephone in the months She spent under the earth, and takes this vow very seriously.

Kronos is an Underworld deity as well: Zeus eventually released His father and made Him king of the Elysian Islands. Other Gods, like Hypnos, Erebos, Nyx, Makaria (daughter of Hades and Persephone, who watched over the blessed dead, who had been initiated into the Mysteries), and the Erinyes (three Goddesses of vengeance and retribution) also make their home in (a part of) the Underworld. The Moirai, the three Goddesses of fate, have their own space in the Underworld as well. Other Immortals who share the Underworld are deamons and nymphs.

In the daímōn-section, we have the the Arai (daímōnes of curses), Askalaphos (who tended to the orchards of Hades and was transformed into a screech owl by Demeter for bringing Her bad news about Her daughter), Kakodaimones (Deamones which cause all kinds of harm), Empousa (a daímōn with flaming hair, the leg of a goat and a leg of bronze, who parents vowed would come after their children if they didn't behave), the Oneiri (dream spirits) and Epiales (the daímōn of nightmares). Other daímōnes include: Eurynomos (who stripped the flesh off of the corpses of the dead), the Lamiai and Mormolykeia (vampiric, succubus-like, daímōnes in the following of Hekate), Melinoe (who led the souls of the dead back to earth to haunt the living). Menoites, furthermore, herds the black-skinned cattle of Hades, and Thanatos, the winged daímōn of death, is Hades' minister.

There are also a few Underworld nymphs: Daeira (a companion of Persephone), the Lampades (torch bearing nymphs in Hekate's following who may have looked over the blessed dead on their way to Elysium), Leuke (a nymph abducted by Hades and transformed into a white poplar which stands in the Elysian fields), Mynthe (a beowed nymph of Hades, who Persephone turned to dust and Hades turned into the mint plant), and Orphne (wife of Acheron).

As for the dead, they had three places to go in the Underworld: Tartaros, where those who were punished for all eternity remained, the Asphodel meadows, where everyone who had lived a good life wandered about endlessly, and the Elysian fields, where the children of Gods, the blessed dead and those who had lead extraordinarily honorable, brave or otherwise well-respected lives resided.

The ancient Hellens believed the Underworld was a neutral place. One did not desire to go there in the least, but it was part of life, and as far as the afterlife went, it was dull and sunless but nothing like the hell of Christianity. The worst part about it is being without the touch of loved ones, and forgetting who you were. In the Odysseia, Odysseus meets his mother's spirit at one of the entrance points to the Underworld. She tells him:

"Oh, my child, most unfortunate of men, Persephone, Zeus’ daughter, does not deceive you: this is the way it is with mortals after death. The sinews no longer bind flesh and bone, the fierce heat of the blazing pyre consumes them, and the spirit flees from our white bones, a ghost that flutters and goes like a dream."

Nobody wants to think about dying and the dead for too long, so I will end this post here. May it have given you some insight into the workings of the Underworld.

#pagan #witch #witchcraft #wicca #research #hellenism #hellenic #hellenist #hellenistic #hellenic pagan #hellenistic pagan #underworld #death #afterlife #persephone #Hades #hekate #hecate

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rla1994 · 5 years

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Chapter 3

Yay!! chapter 3 is here!!

Again Don’t own anything

The Underworld was not like what Kanon had imagined. Then again Poseidon had teleported them near the river Styx, meaning they were in fact not yet in the Underworld. They were standing among the souls either trapped or waiting for the ferryman, like them. Kanon soon heard someone sing off key. He turned to the god at his side. “Please tell me that is not Charon.” His hopes were crushed when Poseidon simply smiled at him. The angel sighed and readied himself for the worst trip in his life. A boat appeared on the horizon slowly getting closer. It a few more minutes before the boat was ashore. They approached Charon. The ferryman extended his hand without looking at them.

“Payment.” The god of the seas raised one eyebrow. “Payment? Since when was it required for me to pay?”

“Just who do you-” Charon glanced their way. “L-l-l-lord Poseidon!” The ferryman was clearly shocked to see his masters’s brother. “Excuse my behavior, I did not know you would be visiting.” He helped them board onto his rowboat. “Would you like me to warn His Majesty about your visit, My Lord?”

After collecting his payment from the souls he’d be carrying across the river, Charon ordered them to take the oars and row. “Yes, please.” Kanon was about to enjoy the ride when Charon began singing in that horrible voice of his. “Really?” The angel looked towards his god. The older one chuckled. “The only way to make him stop is to silence him. Don’t worry, you become used to it after some time.” Kanon groaned that was not what he wanted to hear. Half way across the river and he was already fed up with Charon’s singing. The sea dragon send a small burst of energy at the demon who fell silent all of a sudden.

“What-?” The ferryman was confused, he could speak but he could not sing, how? “I took away your singing voice.” Both the demon and the god turned towards the angel. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back. At the end of the ride.” Charon pouted before going back to his steering. Kanon could feel Poseidon’s gratefulness through their shared bond. He smiled smugly. When, finally, the trip ended and only after they had set foot on the ground, did he gave Charon his voice back. The demon was obviously about to sing again when Kanon stopped him. “If I hear you sing one more time, I’ll take your voice away forever.” The threat made him shut up immediately, he went back on his boat and steered back to the other shore.

“Thank you,” The god said. “now come on, we have a long way till my brother’s palace.” Poseidon began walking through the dry land that was the Underworld. They soon reached the main gate guarded by the three-headed dog, Cerberus. One of the heads reached down and sniffed them before Cerberus moved aside. As they walked past him, Kanon saw the serpent that served as Cerberus’s tail. “He didn’t try to stop us.” It was said as a statement but the god could hear the question underneath it. “Of course not, he knows me and you probably smell like one of the demons to him.” The fallen nodded in understanding. They walked a bit more before they came across the Judgment Hall. It looked like a massive temple. It was tall with six Doric columns, three on either side of the door. The pediment was adorned with a representation of the royal couple’s wedding. They entered through the front doors. The inside was even more grandiose than one would expect from the outside. Rows of columns flanked the central room. Stairs at the end of the room led to three desks, each made of black volcanic rock. Behind each of them sat a demon, the three demonic generals. Or as they were more commonly know : the three Judges of the Underworld. The one on the left had shoulder length wavy purple hair, his equally purple eyes that held a teasing glint. The angel smirked, he had a feeling he would like that one. The one in the middle had long straight white hair with bangs covering a pair of golden eyes. The feeling the fallen got from him was not a pleasant one. The last one had short spiky blond hair with golden eyes. Kanon could not read him. The demon was so stern that the only thing Kanon could make out about him was his no-nonsense attitude. Although, he looked fun to tease.

“Welcome, Lord Poseidon.” The one who had spoken was the middle one. Kanon had to suppress a shudder at the sound of his voice. It promised hours of torture, pleasant or not, the angel believed that depended on the partner. “I hope Charon has not troubled you to much with his singing.” The smile the judge gave clearly meant that wished for the opposite. “Thank you, Minos. And no, Charon was not to troubling. I should thank my general for that. He seems to have the ability to take someone’s voice away.” Poseidon returned Minos’s smirk with a smug smile of his own. “Oh, really?” The look the judge sent to the fallen was not a pleasant one.

“Could you perhaps allow us to pass? We are quite in a hurry, actually.” The judges all stood up. Minos mentioned for the visitors two follow them as they made their way through the Hall. Behind the Hall, the Underworld divided itself into three: Tartarus, where the wicked were sent, the fields of Asphodel, where the regular souls were sent, and Elysium, where the bravest and most righteous were sent. Behind the fields of Asphodel, was Hades’s palace where they were heading. Kanon could not help himself, as they walked through the fields, and reached out his hand to caress the flowers. Multiple gasps made him turn around to face the other four. They were all gaping at him. “What?” He asked clearly confused. “How? How are you still here?!” The purple haired demon exclaimed. “What kind of questions is that?” The angel replied offended. “No, don’t take it personally, but you just touched the flowers, right?” The angel nodded still confused. “Those flower take away one’s essence upon contact.” Kanon blinked slowly. Ah, they didn’t know. “ Ah, yeah, uh, how to explain?” The fallen scratched his chin before finally answering. “After an accident, my essence was liked with that of someone else.” His explanation caused his four companions to gape once more but the general simply shrugged it off and continued to walk. The others hurried to catch up with him. They soon reached the palace.

It was a magnificent Gothic style castle. It stood upon a small hill. Stairs led to the main entrance that was overhung by a richly decorated ark. There were statues on either side of the doors representing majestic beats. The whole front of the palace was made of arks containing either windows or statues. All of which were encrusted with gems. It looked like a palace fit, not just for a god, but for the richest of them all. Hades did indeed his moniker of ‘Plouton’ and title as the god of riches. The doors open as they approached. They made their way down a long corridor decorated with frescoes telling the history of the Underworld. The interior was of the same style as the exterior with arks and high corridors composing most of what they walked through. When they finally stopped, it was in front of another set of doors.

The room behind them was a grand throne room, it, just like Poseidon’s, was spacious enough to fit the whole Underworld army inside. It had a high ceiling with multiple glass chandeliers descending upon the room to illuminate it. The walls were littered with painting. The stairs leading to the royal couple’s thrones were framed by maroon curtains that fit with the black walls and the deep red decoration. The thrones could not be more different, while the left one, bigger and more imposing with its black coloring and depiction of thorns and flames clearly indicated it as Hades’s, the one on the right looked like someone a transformed a garden into this throne: it was made from a earthy green material with flowers sculpted around the edges with all kinds of gems encrusted in it. It was the only thing that should have clashed with the rest of the room but it only gave the room a more welcoming feel. Just like the goddess seated upon it. She looked exactly like how the books Kanon had read described her. She looked like life itself had become alive. Her long wavy golden hair was pulled into a complicated bun with two strands of hair framed her face. Her eyes were of the same green as her throne. Her luscious lips were adorned with the barest hit of red lipstick. Her olive skin went perfectly with the midnight blue of her floor length dress. She was wearing a pair of golden sandals at her feet. Her only jewelry was a small band of gold with an equally small ruby on her left ring finger.

Persephone was not considered Aphrodite’s rival for nothing. She possessed an other worldly beauty to her that screamed ‘goddess’. The man to her left was just as handsome. His shoulder length black hair framed a pale face with the purest pair of blue eyes Kanon had seen. He was wearing a black robe with a golden belt, golden epaulets held a black robe in place. The collar of his robe was made of gold and a necklace with a star at the end adorned his chest. Just like his, the only other piece of jewelry he had was a silver band with an emerald on his left ring finger.

The Judges stopped at the foot of the stairs and went on one knee. “Brother, what a pleasant surprise.” The god of the Underworld had a calm but commanding voice. “What brings you to my domain? You rarely leave Atlantis these days.” Poseidon smiled warmly at his older brother. “I thought I’d introduce you to my new general.” Kanon stepped forward at his deity’s words. “Oh, don’t worry. I already know who he is. The Anomaly, at least part of it.” Hades stated.

“Excuse me? Anomaly?” To say Kanon was offended was an understatement. He would not be treated like an object. “I have a name, you know.” The fact that he was talking to the ruler of the Dead was not fazing him. Hades’s reaction was impossible to tell, his face not having changed at all. Persephone on the other hand looked like she was having the time of her life, just like Poseidon. The Judges were currently fearing for the angel’s life.

“And what might be?” Her voice was like honey and the sweetest of wine as the Queen spoke. Her amusement was as clear as day. “Kanon, Your Majesty” Poseidon gaped at his general. “You never showed me that kind of respect!” Kanon gave him a blank look. “We met today. And I only give my respect to the people who deserve it.” Poseidon pouted. “Kanon?” The mention of his name made the fallen look at Hades. “As in the one from the prophecy?” Hades’s voice screamed caution. The sea dragon swallowed before nodding. The god of the Underworld hummed before addressing his brother. “Presenting your general is not the only reason you came here, am i wrong?” Poseidon chuckled. “Indeed, my general told that after our niece’s death during the Celestial wars, our younger brother has, it seems, forgotten to replace her with another god or goddess to rule over the Heavens, thus leading to a problematic situation.” Poseidon paused. He continued after Hades urged him on. “The previous Grand Pope was presumably assassinated and his assassin has usurped his identity and is currently preparing for war.”

And ... Done!

omg 2k words!!!!

again below is the ao3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17670578/chapters/41711108

#saint seiya #gemini kanon #sea dragon kanon #julian solo #poseidon #specters #saints #marinas #alternate universe #angels #demons #hades #persephone #wyvern rhadamanthys #griffin minos #garuda aiacos #acheron charon #cerberus

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