RISE OF BEELZEBUB
1065 Words
ARC ONE: BIRTH OF THE KING
Chapter 2: The Rise of Beelzebub
Five years passed peacefully within the Titan Kingdom.
The prince who had terrified Cronus with nothing more than his birth had now become the liveliest child in the royal family.
Unlike his stern father, Hades was cheerful, mischievous, and impossible to keep still.
---
The gardens of Mount Othrys bloomed beneath the warm afternoon sun.
Rows of colorful flowers stretched across the fields while fruit trees swayed gently in the breeze.
A small figure lazily rested on someone's back.
"Hades..."
"You've been riding on my back for nearly an hour."
Princess Hestia laughed softly as she carried her little brother with ease.
The five-year-old merely wrapped his tiny arms around her shoulders.
"I'm comfortable."
Beside them walked Demeter, carrying a basket filled with freshly harvested fruits.
She rolled her emerald eyes.
"Big sister, you're spoiling this brat."
Hestia smiled.
"He's our little brother."
"So?"
"So it's my job to spoil him once in a while."
Demeter sighed dramatically.
"One day he'll become a lazy old man."
Hades raised his head.
"I heard that."
"You were supposed to."
The three burst into laughter as they continued toward the royal palace.
---
Inside the throne hall...
King Cronus waited alongside the royal court wizard.
Azeris.
The oldest mage in the Titan Realm.
His silver beard nearly reached the floor while countless magical circles floated around him.
He bowed respectfully.
"My King."
Cronus nodded.
"Begin."
Hestia gently placed Hades before the elderly wizard.
Azeris smiled kindly.
"May I?"
Hades nodded.
The wizard rested a wrinkled hand upon the child's forehead.
The instant contact was made...
His smile disappeared.
His eyes widened.
An immeasurable ocean of divine energy surged beneath the child's skin.
It was raw.
Unrefined.
Sleeping.
Yet impossibly deep.
Azeris instinctively withdrew his hand.
"...Extraordinary."
Cronus narrowed his eyes.
"What did you see?"
The wizard hesitated.
"My King..."
"I have served the Titan throne for thousands of years."
"I have examined every prince and princess born into the royal bloodline."
"...Never..."
"...have I witnessed power like this."
The room fell silent.
Azeris lowered his head.
"Forgive my boldness..."
"...but Prince Hades possesses greater potential than even Your Majesty."
Silence.
Nobody dared speak.
Cronus simply stared at his youngest son.
The prophecy echoed once more inside his mind.
"One of your own children shall overthrow you..."
His fingers tightened around the armrest of his throne.
Could it truly be...
Him?
---
Thirteen Years Later...
Mount Othrys had changed little.
But Hades had.
Now eighteen years old, the prince stood well over six feet tall.
His once childish features had matured into those of a handsome young king.
Shoulder-length black hair framed his face.
His dark eyes carried both intelligence and mischief.
Though born a prince...
He wore simple black clothes instead of royal robes.
He hated dressing like royalty.
"I'm telling you..."
"They're uncomfortable."
Demeter pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You are literally a prince."
"I know."
"And?"
"You should look like one!"
Hades leaned lazily against a tree inside Demeter's enormous garden.
"I prefer being comfortable."
She pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Lazy."
"Efficient."
"Lazy."
"Comfortable."
"Hopeless."
"I've heard worse."
Hestia arrived carrying a basket of warm bread.
"There you two go again."
She giggled.
"I leave for five minutes and you're already arguing."
Hades smiled brightly.
"Big Sister!"
Hestia handed him a loaf.
"Here."
Demeter folded her arms.
"You spoil him too much."
"He deserves it."
"He absolutely doesn't."
Hades happily ate while watching them argue.
"This is entertaining."
Demeter glared.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"A little."
She threw a tomato at him.
He caught it without looking.
"Thanks."
"I wasn't giving it to you!"
---
As they rested beneath the shade of a giant tree, Hades spoke casually.
"I've been watching humans again."
Demeter nearly dropped her basket.
"What?"
"The human world."
"They're fascinating."
"They're always inventing strange things."
Hestia tilted her head.
"You've been using Father's Time Archive again, haven't you?"
Hades scratched the back of his head.
"...Maybe."
Demeter's eye twitched.
"Hades..."
"Who owns the Time Archive?"
"Father."
"And who gave you permission?"
"...No one."
"So you sneaked in again?"
"...Yes."
"HADES!"
She chased him around the garden while Hestia laughed so hard she nearly fell over.
"You little thief!"
"You'll never catch me!"
---
Later that afternoon...
Hades wandered through the bustling marketplace of Mount Othrys alone.
Merchants called out to passing customers.
Children played in the streets.
Blacksmiths hammered glowing weapons.
Everything felt...
Peaceful.
Then—
A strange sensation washed over him.
His smile faded.
"...What is this?"
The air suddenly became heavy.
Dark.
Cold.
His instincts screamed.
BOOOOOOM!!
The ground exploded.
The entire marketplace shook violently.
Stone buildings collapsed.
Flames burst into the sky.
Citizens screamed as debris rained from above.
At the center of the crater...
A figure slowly emerged.
Each step echoed like a funeral bell.
He wore dark armor resembling the shell of an insect.
Large black wings folded behind his back.
His crimson eyes glowed beneath a hood.
An eerie swarm of flies circled around him.
The smell of decay spread through the square.
Everyone fled.
Everyone...
Except Hades.
The prince casually slipped one hand into his pocket.
"So..."
"You caused all this?"
The stranger stopped walking.
"I did."
Hades tilted his head.
"And you are?"
"...Beelzebub."
Hades blinked.
"...Beel... what?"
"Beelzebub."
"Hmm."
He pretended to think deeply.
"Is that..."
"...the name of a vegetable?"
Silence.
Several flies dropped dead from pure awkwardness.
A vein appeared on Beelzebub's forehead.
Hades grinned.
"I'll give you three choices."
He raised one finger.
"Option One."
"You beat yourself up and crawl back into whatever hole you came from."
A second finger.
"Option Two."
"I beat you up..."
"...then throw you back into that hole."
Finally...
A third finger.
"Option Three."
"You beat yourself up..."
"Then I beat you up..."
"And then I throw you back."
He smiled brightly.
"Personally..."
"I recommend option three."
For several seconds...
Neither moved.
Then...
Beelzebub slowly smiled.
"You talk far too much."
Dark energy erupted around him.
"So..."
"...show me whether your fists are louder."
Hades cracked his knuckles.
His grin widened.
"Oh..."
"So you picked option three."
He took a single step forward.
"That's the spirit."
The earth beneath his feet shattered.
The battle that would shake the Titan Kingdom...
Was about to begin.
End of Chapter 2
- Writer
