A Name For The Living

ACT 1: SUFFOCATION — Episode 1 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The house of Hades never truly slept. Somewhere below, shades screamed. Somewhere above, the living prayed. Somewhere nearby, Hypnos laughed too loudly at one of his own jokes. Zagreus had heard it all so many times that none of it felt real anymore. Immortality, he thought, was perhaps just another word for repetition. . A piercing scream shattered the silence outside his chamber. Zagreus opened his eyes with a sharp inhale and slowly sat up, glaring toward the massive obsidian doors of his room. “What is it this time?” he muttered irritably. Without another thought, he rose from bed and pulled a white sheet around his torso before making his way toward the doors. The moment he stepped outside, two towering guards turned and bowed deeply. Zagreus dismissed them with a flick of his hand and looked toward the source of the screams. The servant souls lining the halls immediately lowered their heads, too afraid to meet his gaze. Halfway down the corridor, Zagreus stopped. A new group of servant souls stood huddled behind him. Another batch that had failed to cross Phlegethon. Instead, they remained here — trapped within the House of Hades — repenting for the sins they committed in life while serving the Lord of the Underworld for eternity. Another scream echoed through the halls. Zagreus grimaced. “Why is that thing screaming like its insides are being ripped out?” “Because that is exactly what’s happening, my prince.” The voice came from behind him. Zagreus turned to find Megaera approaching, followed closely by more servant souls carrying scrolls and chains. “Why?” he asked flatly. “Well,” Megaera replied calmly, “your father is allowing them to choose the punishment they deserve. As you should already know… considering one day you are meant to rule the Underworld yourself.” As she spoke, she adjusted the sheet draped carelessly over Zagreus’ shoulder. Zagreus caught her wrist before she could pull away. “For millennia, Meg, I’ve watched Father do this,” he said. “I know the process. I’m simply tired of waking up to screaming souls every day. Can’t he just throw them into Phlegethon instead of torturing them here?” Megaera tilted her head slightly. “What is being done to them here is mercy compared to what awaits beyond the river. Phlegethon is far worse. Should you not be grateful Lord Hades gives them a chance to repent?” Zagreus glanced toward the crowded halls behind her. “And add more souls into this place?” he muttered. “The walls are already suffocating.” He turned and continued walking. Megaera followed closely beside him. “Humans are foolish creatures, my prince,” she said with a quiet laugh. “They commit sins knowing full well what awaits them after death. Then they arrive here and act surprised when punishment follows.” Zagreus sighed. “Then Father needs another place for his punishments. Where is he?” “He is with the Mistress.” Another scream rang through the halls. This time Zagreus stopped completely, irritation flashing across his face. “This has to stop.” Megaera reached for him, intending to stop him, but Zagreus vanished before she could touch him. She exhaled heavily, shaking her head. “Oh, my prince… when will you understand? This is the nature of death.” . Zagreus appeared behind the heavy black curtains of the throne room. Rows upon rows of souls knelt before the throne, awaiting judgment. The air itself felt thick with fear. But what caught his attention immediately was the throne. His father was not seated upon it. Someone else stood before it instead. As Zagreus stepped forward, every soul in the chamber immediately lowered themselves to the ground. Even the condemned spirits waiting for punishment cowered before him. The Fates bowed deeply. “Our Prince Zagreus,” one of them said reverently, “heir to the throne of the Underworld, has finally graced us with his presence.” Zagreus barely acknowledged them as he approached the throne. “I am not sitting on that throne,” he said coldly. “For the last time.” The Fates looked up in alarm. “But, our prince—” “Where is my father?” Megaera appeared beside him and bowed her head. “Lord Hades is with the Mistress, my prince.” “Where?” “They have gone above.” Zagreus frowned. “The mortal world?” “Yes, my prince.” His gaze narrowed. “Why?” “We do not know. Lord Hades only instructed that you oversee the souls until his return.” Zagreus slowly looked around the throne room before sighing in disbelief. “Fates,” he said tiredly, “continue the judgments. Read them their lives and assign whatever punishment their sins deserve.” The sisters bowed obediently. “Charon,” Zagreus called. From the shadows emerged the ferryman himself — cloaked in darkness, silent as death. He bowed deeply. “Command me as you will, my prince.” “Take the souls where they belong once judgment is complete. When you are finished… find me.” “As you command.” Zagreus turned to leave, but the Fates suddenly stepped in front of him. One grasped his hand gently. Another pressed a palm against his chest. The third leaned close and whispered into his ear in a voice no one else could hear. Megaera watched carefully as Zagreus’ expression shifted. Something changed in his eyes. Something unfamiliar. He looked almost… unsettled. “My prince?” Megaera asked cautiously. “Is something wrong?” Zagreus pulled away from the Fates. “Nothing,” he replied after a pause. “I’m returning to my chambers. Handle the rest yourselves.” Megaera blinked in shock as Zagreus disappeared down the dark corridor, leaving behind an endless line of condemned souls waiting at the gates of the Underworld. She turned helplessly toward Charon, but the ferryman merely bowed before returning silently to his boat. “This is not what I signed up for, Lord Hades,” she muttered. Megaera approached the Fates with narrowed eyes. “What did you old hags say to him?” One of the sisters stepped closer, smiling faintly. “You, dear Megaera,” she whispered, “are about to witness Prince Zagreus change the fate of both the living and the dead.” Megaera glanced toward the corridor Zagreus had vanished into. “What could he possibly have to do with the living?” . . .