Chapter 109 - 9: Memories
The scratching of the quill against parchment had long become a rhythm in the underworld—a quiet, relentless sound in the dim golden chamber beneath the Hanging Fortress of Pluto.
Hades, King of the Dead, Lord of the Spirits, sat in silence, his dark robes flowing around him like living shadows.
In his hand, a bronze-feathered quill moved across a scroll documenting soul intake statistics, border disputes in the Inner Sections, and temple offerings from the surface world.
He paused, eyes drifting upward—not toward anything specific, but into a corner of the ceiling where no one ever stood. His thoughts wandered.
"I wonder if she's still playing. Those two better return her before dinner."
That 'she' that he's talking about is his daughter.
The little one who had sprung into his world like a star in the night, radiant and curious.
She was supposed to be with Hera and Aphrodite today, playing in the blooming gardens of the Underworld's Core Section, where divine spirits had shaped a miniature paradise.
He smiled faintly. Hera would teach her posture. Aphrodite would likely spoil her with honeyed fruit and flowing silks.
Hades can already imagine Hera being the strict but kind aunt, and Aphrodite being the indulgent and playful aunt.
His smile, however, was brief.
A sound interrupted the stillness—a ripple in the veil. Before he could glance up, a voice pierced the silence.