Lord Shadow

Chapter 1854: Road of Stories



The prophecy was shocking and something that Chronos did not want to hear

At first, their father did not believe it.

But the doubt fester like a wound that could not close.

The more he tried not to think about it, the more the thought spreads

And so, he became paranoid. Hades tries to understand his father, a deed that Zeus, Demeter and Poseidon is not fond of entertaining

Hades had many thought about why his father became paranoid and crazy in his later years.

Cronus knows the way he rose to the throne was not right. He betrayed his father and there will always be this fear that since he could betray his father, his sons could also emulate him and betray him just like he did.

He could have killed Hades the moment he was born.

But instead, he swallowed them

Zeus believe that their father swallowed them because he believe that his sons is immortal beings like him, so killing them in a mortal way would not be effective and might even be counterproductive

Poseidon who is always thirsty for more power, believed that their father swallowed him because he believe that their father wanted absolute control over them

By consuming them, he absorbs their potential power, reinforcing his dominance over the cosmos and preventing any possibility of rebellion.

It also deters any rebellious forces and during Chronos time, there were many rebellious factionsn/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Demeter believe that their father fear the consequences of trying to defy fate and destiny.

Chronos might not fear destiny and fate in the beginning but being ass whooped by the Three Fates does have a way of changing your minds

Maybe when the Fates defeat his father, the ending of that fight already started the beginning of the downfall of his father

Demeter however is adamant in thinking that their father had swallow them because she believe that their father fear incurring the wrath of other divine forces or disturb the natural order.

Swallowing them is a less risky way to prevent the prophecy while avoiding direct conflict with the fates

Hades thinks differently.

Maybe....just maybe, when he wanted to kill him, wanted to kill his children, he look at his children eyes and could not bear it.

So, instead of slitting their throats and making sure the deed is done, Cronus choose the worst possible way.

Swallowing them, maybe believing that he could contain his children inside himself, neutralizing them as a threat without needing to kill them

Maybe he believe someday he would find a way to not repeat the deeds of his father and him. Maybe, in the hopes of containing them, he would have time to solve the knot in his heart There is a kind of mercy in that, a kind of compassion that is hard for one to understand

He doesn't want to but he is conflicted with the whispers in his minds and the dark thoughts that would not leave him.

The moment he swallowed the first he probably went crazy. And the first one is always the hardest.

After that it was simple.

Chronos paranoia turns him like his father before him. A tyrant. Then he began swallowing each of his children whole

Their mother Rhea had to watch as her husband is driven by the madness.

In some myths and retelling of this story in the mortal world, or in the lore's of those who has been Stamped by Divine Consciousness, they all think that Rhea resent his father

Hated him. Or wanted to kill him

Hades met his mother after the war.

And he ask her to tell her story. Yes, when the mortals and the gods talk about that war, they member Cronus, they remember Zeus and they remember the war that happen

But not many people heard the hymns of his mother. Hades himself thought that his mother probably hated his father.

But Rhea told him her story. Her true story.

And because she told him her story, Hades also has a new appreciation for certain things and also a new understanding of the world

The reason why Hades is the most mature out of all the other Olympians is because he is the only Olympians that bothers to listen

In his Underworld he has seen and heard all kinds of stories. From the sad one to the happy one, from the bizarre to the strange.

All kinds of stories, all kinds of life. Rhea told him that she never resented Cronus. She never hated him either

She just......pities him. And it took a long time for hades to understood it.

But the rest of the story is known to everyone. In some mortal stories thee is of course inconsistencies.

Some of them are added. For example, Rhea is not the sister of Cronus. Mortal kings added that part to legitimize them to marry their sisters.

There is many things mortal would pervert to legitimize their desire. Though it is not like the Olympians did not marry their sisters.

There is. The side effect is none for Olympians unlike humans and mortals who would have some nasty side effects.

But, deities avoided marrying family because of intertwining fate. And that is not always a

good thing.

Diverse strength and abilities would be transferred if they marry someone out of their families and so inbreeding is never that popular amongst gods either

Hades remembers the story as he walk along the road of Tartarus. Hades needs to remember

the story each time he took this road.

The roads in Tartarus is not normal road.

It is a Road of Stories. A road he created with a Spider God from another realm. A Spider who

speaks stories

He weaves stories because he is a storyteller.

And when they discuss things about ways to make things impenetrable they share their knowledge and that is when Hades got the idea to create a Road made of stories.

What makes a life is stories. Stories that they told themselves. Stories that they told others. Stories that other people told each other

And then there is the real story. Or at least a story from your own perspective. Your story. And

other people stories

The prison of the Titans and the Giants is quite peculiar precisely because of this kind of magic. This kind of road that only Hades and Tartarus knows how it works.

And the only one who could navigate freely and navigate to the right prison is only two being.

Tartarus and Hades.

Hades added his own touch when he got some real estate in Tartarus.

He created prisons but these prisons could only be reached when one remember the stories.

Each prison has its own stories.

Like some kind of password.

Before you remember the story, the road would not open. There is many stories and each stories correspond to one particular giants or one particular Titans

Poseidon could not see this. He could not see the real image of this prison. Hades himself

rarely opens his True Eyes and look at Tartarus directly.

"What happens next?" he seems to be asking himself.

Tartarus can sometimes makes the memories distorts and your mind could be persuaded to

play tricks on you.

Sometimes it makes you forget some memories. It is another measure of Hades so that not anybody could just waltz into Tartarus and break out some beings out

Hades took a breath and tries to remember the story.

"Ah, Zeus survival" Hades thought to himself. And as he remembers that part of the story, a

new path appears in front of him

"Now, there's the road" Hades smiles

"The story is about to end"

Since the story is about to end, the road is also about to reach the end.

The road is clear to Hades. The road made of stories.

A story that only he knew making it the most well-guarded trail in all of Tartarus. Also, a way

to not get lost and a way for others to get trapped.

"A cave. Mother brought Zeus to a cave"

And the moment Hades was reminded of this part of the story a cave appears in front of

Hades.

Hades enters the cave.

But in Poseidon eyes they are just going to the center of the garden

Then Hades recalls back the story of how Zeus masqueraded as their father cupbearer and the

magical concoction that cause their father to vomit him and all of the swallowed children

All of them grown inside their father belly

Hades even learned something being in that belly of his father.

And after that the rebellion against the Titans begins

And that is the end of the story of the Titans.

And now that the story has ended, Hades is out of the cave and in front of him there is an old

man.

This old man is chained to two big rocks.

The big rocks is the size of a hill.

The old man is only five feet seven

There is wrinkle on his face, on his hands and feet and his entire physique is bony.

"Wake up" Hades said as he taps Poseidon shoulder and suddenly in Poseidon eyes, the gardens melted and then what he sees is an old man chained with a large chain to a rock the

size of a hill.

Poseidon finally realized he is now in Tartarus

"This place play tricks on my mind"

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