The God of Underworld

The gardens of the Underworld were calm, lit by the gentle glow of spirit-lanterns swaying from silver branches.

Hades lay stretched out on a thick blanket, hands folded behind his head, eyes half-closed.

Beside him, a much smaller figure was perfectly mirroring his pose — little Nekyria, her tiny hands on the back of her head, eyes squeezed shut in exaggerated imitation.

Every so often, she'd peek to see if her father was still doing it right, then quickly shut her eyes again.

Nearby, Aphrodite sat cross-legged with a wooden board in her lap, slicing fruits and vegetables with practiced grace.

The sweet scent of pomegranate mingled with the earthy aroma of freshly cut olives.

Hera was crouched over a simmering pot, occasionally stirring with a long-handled ladle, the rich, savory steam curling into the air.

Hecate stood beside them, arms crossed, wearing a look halfway between a pout and indifference.

"I can help, you know," she said.

Aphrodite didn't even look up from her cutting. "No."

Hera glanced over her shoulder, voice firm. "Absolutely not."

Hecate threw up her hands. "That was one time—"

"That turned into an elixir that made everyone's hair glow for three days," Aphrodite interrupted, sliding a neat pile of figs onto a plate.

Nekyria giggled from the blanket, opening one eye. "Auntie Hecate made everyone shiny!"

"It was radiant," Hecate muttered under her breath, but her lips twitched into the faintest smile.

Hades cracked one eye open, glancing at them. "You can help by making sure Nekyria doesn't eat the grapes before they're washed."

Hearing this, the rebellious mind of the little girl immediately went to work as she snatched one from the basket, stuffed it in her mouth, and grinned at him with juice on her chin.

Hades sighed in defeat, closing his eyes again.

"Hah!" Hecate smiled, "She got that from you. If we tell you not to do something, you'd do it even more."

"I'm like papa." Nekyria smugly puffed her chest, hands on her hips.

"You shouldn't little one." Hecate shook her head, "Your father's one stubborn old man."

"Bleh!" Nekyria simply stuck out her tongue and wriggled closer to Hades on the blanket, and tapped his chest with her tiny finger.

"Papa."

"Hm?"

"Can we go fishing in the River Lethe later?"

Hades cracked one eye open again. "Fishing? In Lethe?"

"She means throwing pebbles in until they sink," Hera said from the side, her arms still folded. "She's been calling it 'fishing' for a week now."

Nekyria nodded earnestly. "I always win."

Hades smirked faintly. "Win against who?"

"Against the river," she replied, as though that was obvious.

Aphrodite set down the fruit plate and wandered over, kneeling beside Nekyria.

"Do you want some pomegranate?"

"Yes, please!" Nekyria chirped, holding out both hands.

Aphrodite gave her a few ruby-red seeds, and she immediately popped them in her mouth, making a delighted humming sound as she chewed.

From the pot, Hera called, "Don't eat too much, young lady, or you won't be hungry for dinner."

"I'm always hungry," Nekyria replied with the seriousness of a philosopher revealing universal truth.

That made even Hades chuckle under his breath.

He reached over, gently pulling her onto his chest so she was lying across him, her small hands gripping his tunic.

She rested her chin on his sternum, looking up at him.

"Papa," she said softly, "what's above the ceiling?"

"In the palace?"

"No. Above everything."

Hades hesitated for a moment, then answered simply, "The sky. Then more sky. Then places even I haven't seen."

Nekyria's eyes went wide, her imagination already racing. "Can we go there?"

Hecate muttered, "Give her a few years and she'll try."

Hades only smoothed her hair back gently. "One day."

A soft breeze from the gardens rustled the spirit-lanterns overhead, and for a brief, perfect moment, the Underworld didn't feel like a realm of the dead, but home.

Just then, as if she just thought of something interesting, Nekyria sat up suddenly on Hades's chest, her face lighting up as if struck by divine inspiration.

"Papa! Let's play 'Shadow Catch'!"

Hades raised an eyebrow. "Shadow… Catch?"

"You have to command your shadow to step on someone's shadow before they step on yours," she explained very seriously, like a seasoned instructor passing on an ancient martial art.

Hecate snorted. "Little one, shadows don't move on their own."

Nekyria gasped. "Nooo, Aunt Hecate, you make them move with magic!"

Hecate's smirk turned sly. "Oh, I can do that."

With a flick of her fingers, the lantern-light warped, and everyone's shadows began to sway and flicker across the picnic blanket as if dancing.

Nekyria immediately leapt onto the blanket, stomping with all her might.

"Gotcha, Papa!" she shouted, stepping on his elongated shadow-hand.

Hades just lay there, watching her with a faint smile. "I thought the rules is that you have to command your shadow to catch another shadow, not step on them yourself."

"Rules are for the weak!" she replied, completely ignoring the rules she just made.

From the cooking area, Hera sighed, still stirring the pot. "We are not playing, we're busy."

"Busy," Aphrodite agreed…

Until Nekyria ran over and tagged her shadow with a triumphant, "Got you!"

Aphrodite froze mid-slice, narrowed her eyes playfully, and then, with regal slowness, stepped forward controlling her own shadow until it crept toward Nekyria's feet. "Oh? Is that so?"

Hera grumbled, "Don't encourage her—" but a moment later her own shadow drifted over, subtly aiming for Nekyria's.

"Ahh! Nooo!" Nekyria squealed, darting across the blanket.

Hecate sent her shadow swooping in like a predator, and soon even Hera and Aphrodite were moving around the blanket, balancing cooking utensils while trying to trap the little girl's shadow.

Nekyria laughed so hard she almost fell over, her tiny feet stomping wildly.

Finally, she tripped onto the blanket, giggling and breathless. "I win!"

Hecate, who has been waiting for perfect moment, simply reached over and put a hand over her small shadow. "No… I win."

Nekyria gasped, then pouted, before bursting into more laughter.

The air was warm with the scent of Hera's stew, the sweetness of Aphrodite's fruit, and the faint tingle of Hecate's magic.

It was a rare, quiet day, and Hades let himself simply enjoy it.

Soon, Nekyria grew tired of playing and simply lied down.

Hera and Aphrodite once again returned to their duties of preparing the meal.

Finally, after a few more minutes....

The stew was finally done, filling the air with a rich, savory aroma that even the Underworld's cool air couldn't dampen.

Hera ladled it into deep golden bowls, while Aphrodite arranged the sliced fruits into a colorful spiral on a platter.

Nekyria was already seated cross-legged on the blanket, eyes wide, hands resting on her knees like she was attending some grand royal banquet.

"Remember," Hera said as she set a bowl in front of her, "it's hot, so blow first."

"I know," Nekyria replied, but immediately leaned forward to take a big sip—

"Hot! Hot hot hot!" she squeaked, fanning her mouth.

Aphrodite laughed softly and handed her a cool slice of melon. "Here, little one. It's sweet enough to chase the heat away."

Hades, seated beside her now, stirred his own bowl slowly.

He didn't need to eat, not in the way mortals or even most gods did, but he found comfort in the act of sharing a meal.

It was something life before his transcendence had left too little time for.

Hecate sat across from them, her expression oddly smug as she watched Hera and Aphrodite bustle with the serving.

"See? This is why they won't let me cook. If I had made dinner, it'd be glowing and bubbling, and probably give you night visions."

"That sound so cool!" Nekyria said between bites of melon. "Can we have glowing food tomorrow?"

"No," Hera and Aphrodite said in perfect unison, without looking up.

The laughter that followed was easy, unforced. The kind of sound that filled the spaces between heartbeats.

When the bowls were emptied and the fruit platter nearly gone, Nekyria scooted over and leaned against Hades's side, her head resting on his arm.

"Papa… can we go see Lethe tonight? The water's prettier when the stars are out."

Hades glanced down at her. "You want to go 'fishing'? That can wait tomorrow."

She shrugged. "No. Lethe is very beautiful when night came. I went there with aunt Campe once."

Aphrodite smiled faintly. Hera paused in collecting the dishes, and even Hecate's gaze softened.

"…Alright," Hades said at last, rising to his feet. "After we clean up."

Nekyria grinned, already bouncing in place.