Meanwhile, with Hades, he got up and said, "I will get him one day for that", but looked at the Hecatoncheires and Cyclopes who were looking confused as he decided to tell them about what is happening in the world right now.
The three Hecatoncheires, towering figures of muscle and stone, each with a hundred arms and fifty heads, stood still. The Cyclopes, burly and one-eyed, leaned on their hammers and stone clubs, unsure whether this new god differed from the tyrants of old. Hades stood before them, regal and calm, his cloak of shadows fluttering in an unseen wind as he sat on a throne made from bones and obsidian. It was the Throne of the Underworld. "You are free." His voice cut through the silence. "No chains. No cells. You owe me nothing."
The giants exchanged glances. Confusion, Suspicion, and hope filling their eyes. Hades witnesses all of this with pity although he does nothing to show it. Briareus, the most expressive of the Hecatoncheires, tilted one of his fifty heads.
"You speak of freedom. But what does a god of death know of such things?"
Hades didn't flinch. He stepped forward, eyes meeting the many faces of the ancient beings. "I am the only one who knows of freedom. Life is a cage, an elaborate lie about the world and yourself, and death is the one who sets you free. I am the god of death, but I do not revel in endings against the balance of nature. I understand them, and I offer you a new beginning."
He raised a hand, and a vision shimmered in the air: the Underworld as it could be beautiful in its solemnity, with obsidian citadels, silver bridges over the Styx, gardens where souls could find peace, and temples where even giants could walk freely. "I will not chain you again. I offer you purpose. The Underworld has long been broken, abandoned. With your strength, we can make it more than a prison. We can make it… a sanctuary. A kingdom worthy of its name." Hades said with purpose and confidence in his words, as if he was introducing a cult to these people.
The Cyclopes muttered among themselves. One stepped forward—Arges, whose eye glowed faintly. "And what of us? Will you use our hands to forge your war? Or let us build what we choose?"
Hades smiled slightly. "I ask you to build things that will help the underworld. As for what will happen to you, I guarantee that you will be given the position of power if you prove yourself worthy."
There was silence again. Then, slowly, Briareus knelt. The ground shook as one by one, the other two Hecatoncheires followed. "Then you have our hands… all three hundred of them."
The Cyclopes bowed their heads, then grinned. "A forge, then. And a place to rest our hammers."
Hades gave a nod of satisfaction. He turned, shadows curling behind his steps. "Then let's begin with repaying old debts." He said.
{A week later}
Hades was meditating as usual on top of his throne, he slowly opened his eyes due to Hecatoncheires and Cyclops coming to meet him. They have likely finished what Hades has asked of them. They came into his inner chamber and knelt before his throne. At first, they were quiet the bunch, but slowly they started to warm up to the underworld as free residents and not prisoners. It also helped that no one in the underworld treated them differently because of their appearance or power; they were random beings here.
They pushed 5 briefcases forward and said, "We have completed what you have ordered for us." Hades raised a single eyebrow and said
"There are only 5 cases. What about the last one? If you meet any unexpected delays, please take your time."
"It is not that, we wanted to personally give you the last one." Hecatoncheires quickly explained, and the cyclops stepped forward and showed a Greek longsword hybrid. He took the blade with his hand and swung it around. It was surprisingly light, and it took the range and power of a longsword while keeping the damage and design of a Greek sword. The Greek longsword looks like it's carved from liquid darkness, reflecting no light, only swallowing it.
"It is called Erebos. Unlike the rest of them that were crafted just like you said, you provided no specification for this blade. Thus, we took it upon ourselves to craft a never-before-seen weapon for you. It is made from chains of Tartarus, shadows from the abyss, and finally a soulstone that we came into possession of. Erebos absorbs the soul of everything it kills and traps them in the blade where they are forever put to sleep. They are then used as an endless source of power unless you specifically absorb their domain or take them out." They introduced this weapon. Hades smiled at this and said
"Thank you, once I get rid of my debt. I will reward you all, so for now, please forgive my absence." They just kneeled and said
"Your praise alone is enough reward, my lord." Hades extended the shadows to swallow the briefcase and teleported it to the overworld. 'That was a fruitful trip, I got the underworld and a sick as weapon.' He thought as he looked at the blade resting on his waist, "We are going to have a lot of adventures, Erebos." The blade glinted as if approving of Hades.
Hades arrived in the overworld shortly after he appeared near the willow tree. He glanced around in the now empty cave and retraced all the shadows and power he held in this place. He then used nether to create 6 birds that all delivered their message to their respective person as he waited for them at the beach with a table and 6 other chairs. The first to arrive was Reha, who looked worried but relaxed when she saw Hades.
Then it quickly turned into anger, which Hades wanted no part in. 'In my previous life, there was no one to love me except my teacher, who taught me warfare and justice. He was the reason for my bottom line being so high up, unlike others in my field of work.' He thought as he got an earful from his 'mother', 'This feels strangely nice' that was his final thought as his mother hugged him and he hugged her back.