The King's Prophecy.

Prologue.

PROLOGUE

Introduction of the Moirai at Persephone's welcoming.

In Mount Olympus, there was a celebration.

A welcoming celebration for the new goddess who would permanently join the Pantheon. Eventually.

Her mother, the goddess Demeter, had shown no sign of wanting her daughter near Olympus, which was understandable, given the tendency of male gods to take anything they found attractive.

However, at that moment, the appearance of the new goddess was that of a small and innocent girl of no more than ten years old. But in her gray eyes, the wisdom of an eternal being shone.

Demeter smiled proudly as she adjusted the delicate tiara made of golden flowers crowning the girl's head, adorning those wild curls of a powerful red color. It was as if a fire burned at the top of that immaculate head.

In the banquet hall of Olympus, the gods conversed in relative harmony, enjoying the liquor and ambrosia that abounded in the place.

Zeus received a cup from Ganymedes, giving the beautiful boy a lustful look, promising something more when the party reached its peak. Hera didn't even bother to hide her obvious disgust at her husband's blatant display of affection toward his lover.

But overall, the banquet proceeded in total normality, with all the Olympian gods toasting to the arrival of the goddess of spring.

All, except one.

One who sat on his throne in the depths of the Underworld.

The elder brother, whom everyone seemed to forget, but whose work was precious in maintaining the order and balance of the cosmos.

Hades kept a certain distance from Olympus and especially from his younger brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, after the trick they had played on him to make him the ruler of the world of the dead.

One might think that the solitary god was upset with his brothers. Or at least resentful; but that assertion couldn't be further from the truth.

If there was a lingering feeling of betrayal in him, it was taking too long to dissipate in his thick blood enough to present himself in Olympus for any reason other than something of vital importance.

And the celebration taking place at that moment was not something that caught Hades' attention; so it didn't take much effort for him to decline Zeus's invitation, as soon as Hermes appeared in the Tartarus to deliver the message.

Because, despite the loneliness of his immortal reign being somewhat suffocating, Hades continued to refuse to give in.

Back in the splendid Olympus, the entrance of three feared personalities into the pristine hall drew the attention of all the present deities, with the well-known mixture of curiosity and fear that the three Fates inspired.

A perfectly understandable fear, since with a simple cut of the thread of life - whether mortal or godly - they could change the fate of the entire cosmos.

And it was a surprise to everyone that they were there to dictate the fate of the young debutante at her mother's request, since the gods tended to visit them several centuries after their birth or creation. But as it was Demeter's daughter - always vain - it was very evident that she wanted to make a spectacle of it.

"And here they are! Our honored guests!" It was Zeus who broke the tense silence caused by the arrival of the Fates in the banquet hall of Olympus, earning a couple of forced laughs from the other gods in an attempt to appease him.

It was widely known about the volatile nature of the king of the gods and how his subordinates strove to please him to avoid any outburst of his wrath.

"Don't make such a fuss, blond boy," Clotho dismissed Zeus' attentions with a disdainful gesture of her hands, causing the king of the gods to tense his sculptural jaw, but wisely remained silent.

Even he knew not to disturb the Fates.

"Where is the goddess child?" Atropos asked, bored to the point of exhaustion with all the fuss made by Demeter.

Zeus pointed to the girl with fiery hair, seated on a small throne of flowers next to her mother, who smiled very proudly to be the center of attention.

"When will you stop bringing children to this earth, god of lightning?" Lachesis questioned, leaning her rod on the linoleum floor of the hall.

"As long as there is a fertile womb, my seed will always be planted," the king of the gods responded jovially.

The deities around him laughed again at Zeus's joke, but Hera - his wife - was not very pleased with those jokes; and she made it very clear when she left the banquet hall with a resounding slam that echoed in those crystal walls.

This time, the Fates were the ones who laughed.

"We should heed Hera's request and make this man sterile. Enough seed has been sown throughout the earth," Clotho said in her usual monotonous tone, which did not reveal whether she was serious or just joking.

Zeus laughed nervously, not very sure how to take those words, and led the Fates to the throne prepared for the young goddess whose name Demeter guarded jealously.

Or she did, until that moment.

"Be welcome, beautiful Persephone. Goddess of Spring," Atropos gave a respectful nod to the girl as a greeting.

Demeter's face contracted into a grimace of disgust upon discovering that they had stolen her thunder, but that was overshadowed when the hall erupted into applause upon hearing the name of the new goddess, thus recognizing the entry of one of their own into the pantheon.

Recognizing her as their equal.

Lachesis took advantage of the jubilant commotion that had spread in the place to approach Persephone and whisper in her ear, what only she should hear.

Her prophecy.

"You will be the object of desire, goddess of spring.

Your incomparable beauty will attract hundreds of suitors.

Many will fight each other to have you.

All will fail in the attempt.

Because your beauty and indomitable heart already have an owner.

From the earth she will be born.

With a kidnapping it will be built.

And with a kiss, it will be sealed.

A love as long-lasting and passionate as the same.

Only you know the truth of your heart.

And even if they take you for a victim, your reality will be far from that.

Executioner and guardian of a heart made of ichor, molded in ice and surrounded by huge shields you will be.

At your feet a king will be.

And hand in hand they will reign.

Not without first overcoming the hundreds of obstacles that the cosmos has prepared for you.

Listen to the beat of your heart.

He is coming, he is coming...

He won't be long."

The Moira finished her strange message with a dry kiss on Persephone's pale cheek, and before she could ask about it, the powerful deities vanished from the banquet hall; taking with them the tension that had settled since their arrival.

"What did she tell you, sweet Persephone? What message did the Moira convey to your innocent ears?" Demeter asked with obvious curiosity, mixed with a jealous edge for the special attention given to her daughter.

Persephone, who despite appearing to be just a child possessed the wisdom of a being with eons of years, knew that Lachesis's message was meant for her and her alone.

"That I will be excessively adored, mother," the goddess with the appearance of a child replied sternly, deciding to lie to her mother for the first -but not the last - time, in order to fulfill her destiny.

After that, the celebration proceeded normally, extending into the early hours of the morning, all with the eccentricities typical of the Olympian deities.

But in another realm; one far removed from crystal walls and eternal brightness, in that place mortals feared to name, a god would receive news that would bring hope to his blackened heart for the first time in centuries.

"Good news, Lord of the Underworld," the Moirai manifested in front of the god, who walked absentmindedly through Tartarus, where the rumor of condemned souls begging for mercy brought a strange calm to the turmoil of thoughts that ran through Hades' mind.

"Not now, ladies," Hades denied, trying to dismiss them, not wanting to be disturbed in his small moment of peace.

"You'll want to hear these, Sir," Clotho intervened, stopping his steps in front of him.

Hades disguised his display of boredom in time to avoid provoking the wrath of the Moirai. The last thing he needed was a curse from the Fates.

"Very well. What are the good news?"

Atropos was the one who told Hades what he had been waiting to hear for millennia.

"She has been born, sir. Your queen has been born."

And Hades' heart filled with joy.

And irrepressible anticipation.

He couldn't wait for his days of solitary reign to come to an end.

However, Hades had no idea what the cosmos had planned for him before he could finally claim his queen.

He had no idea at all.