~Hades~

The air in the throne room of Mount Olympus was heavy with silence, thick with tension and unspoken words. The great hall, adorned with pillars of white marble and golden accents, now bore the weight of the gods' greatest triumph and their bitterest scars. The Titans knelt in the center of the room, shackled with chains forged from the essence of Uranus himself, unbreakable bonds that even their ancient power could not defy.

I stood at the head of the room, my black armor polished but battered from the war. My sword—still nameless—rested at my side, its edges duller now from the blood it had spilled. My siblings stood nearby, solemn and weary. Zeus leaned heavily on his lightning bolt, his armor scorched and his face gaunt. Hera, Demeter, and Hestia stood beside him, their expressions grim but resolute.

The doors to the throne room creaked open, and the sound echoed like thunder across the chamber. All heads turned as Poseidon entered. The sight of him caused murmurs to ripple through the gathered gods and allies. He walked with a limp, his trident acting as a makeshift crutch. His left arm was missing, the wound crudely bandaged with seaweed that still dripped saltwater onto the floor. Despite his injury, his eyes burned with fierce pride.

In his one remaining hand, he carried a large object wrapped in tattered cloth. With a grunt, he hurled it to the ground, and the cloth fell away to reveal the severed head of Oceanus. The Titan's lifeless eyes stared upward, his face frozen in a mask of rage and disbelief.

"Done," Poseidon said, his voice gravelly and tired. He walked to the side of the room and leaned against a pillar, blood and seawater pooling at his feet.

"Your arm," Zeus said, his tone tinged with concern.

Poseidon shrugged, a grim smile on his face. "A small price to pay for victory. Oceanus fought hard, but in the end, he cried like a little bitch." He looked at me and nodded. 

I stepped forward, my presence casting a shadow over the Titans as I moved to the center of the room. My siblings and allies took their places behind me, forming a circle that surrounded the kneeling Titans. I could see the defiance in some of their eyes, the broken pride in others. Kronos, their leader, knelt at the front, his golden eyes narrowed but silent. He knew better than to speak now.

"Titans," I began, my voice carrying across the hall like the toll of a funeral bell. "The war is over. We have won and shall take over as rulers." I let the weight of my words settle over them. "Many of you had died by our hands, but thanks to me reforming you faster, you are back and chained here to face your punishment. As the god of Judgemnt you shall answer to me."

Kronos's lips curled into a sneer. "Answer to you?" he spat. "The upstarts who dared to challenge us, the rightful rulers of the cosmos? You call this justice?"

I turned my gaze to him, letting my shadows swirl at my feet. The temperature in the room dropped as my power filled the space. "This is not a debate, Kronos. This is a trial, and I am your judge."

My voice hardened, and I raised my hand. The chains binding the Titans glowed with a dark, eerie light, tightning and burning hotter causing some to scream in pain. "Do not mistake this mercy for weakness. If I wished, I could throw you back into Tartarus and leave you there to rot for eternity. Instead, I am offering you punishment. Justice."

The first to receive judgment were the four directional Titans—Hyperion, Koios, Krios, and Iapetus. I stepped before them, my shadows curling around my legs as I spoke.

"For your part in siding with Kronos, you shall be return to being the pillars of the world, the very foundation upon which it rests. But instead of allowing you four to walk free, your forms shall be turned to marble, unfeeling and unmoving, and you will be forced to hold up the sky for eternity." I extended my hand, and runes of binding flared across their chains. The room filled with the sound of stone grinding against stone as their flesh began to harden, their screams of protest cut short as their bodies were petrified. In moments, they were towering pillars of white marble that stretched into the heavens. I had Brontes and his brothers and Briarieus take a Pillar each and take it to the four corners of the world.

When they were gone I turned to Atlas next. His defiance had not faded, and he glared at me with hatred that burned brighter than the sun.

"Atlas," I said, my voice cold and steady. "You who led the charge against us, shall bear the weight of the entire world on your shoulders. You shall be chained in the center of Tartarus bound and forced to carry the burden for all of eternity."

With a wave of my hand, the chains around him tightened, pulling him to his knees. The ground beneath him cracked open. Shadows rose from the pit, wrapping around his body like serpents dragging him to his eternal punishment.

One by one, I went through the remaining Titans, their fates varying but always fitting their crimes. Those who had stayed neutral or sided with us were spared but made to swear loyalty to Olympus.

Finally, I turned to Kronos.

The hall fell silent as I approached him, my steps slow and deliberate. He met my gaze, his defiance unbroken, though I could see the faintest flicker of fear in his eyes.

"Kronos," I said. "Your crimes are beyond measure. Devouring your own children just to avoid your destiny, and now you shall pay the crimes. Cutting you to pieces would be wasted mercy. Instead I got something way better."

I extended my hand, and shadows rose around him, twisting and writhing like living things. "You shall be stripped of your immortality. You shall be made mortal, forced to live and die, again and again, for all eternity. You shall become the Keeper of Time, a figure bound to the cycles of the mortal world."

His eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw true fear in him. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "You can't—"

"I can," I said, cutting him off. "And I will. You shall live a full mortal life within a single year, aging and withering until you die at its end, only to be reborn at the start of the next year. You will carry the burden of time, forever reminded of your failure, forever trapped in its endless cycle."

I raised my hand higher, and golden light began to pour from his body, the essence of his divinity being stripped away. He screamed, a sound that echoed across the heavens, as his immortal form crumbled. When it was done, he was no longer a Titan but a fragile, mortal man.

"To mark your punishment, the calendar shall change," I continued. "There will be thirteen months, each with twenty-eight days, save for the first, which shall have twenty-nine. This month shall mark your rebirth as the New Year, your eternal reminder of what you have lost."

Kronos collapsed to the ground, his body trembling. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with despair. "Hades," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "You are crueler than I ever was."

I leaned closer, my voice a whisper in his ear. "I am just, Kronos. And justice is not kind."

<--------------->

I sat on my throne, the high-backed chair carved of black obsidian veined with streaks of gold and silver. My siblings began to arrive, their presence filling the room with an energy that still felt raw, untempered from the war.

Zeus appeared first, his armor polished to a shine, though the weariness in his eyes betrayed him. He carried his lightning bolt loosely, as though its weight were finally starting to settle on him. Hera arrived next, her face composed as ever, though her regal poise could not entirely mask the glint of exhaustion in her gaze. Demeter followed, her steps steady but her scythe nowhere to be seen—likely left in some quiet grove to be reclaimed later.

Hestia entered quietly, her torch in hand, the flickering flame casting gentle light as if to ward off the lingering darkness of battle. Finally, Poseidon came in, his trident leaning against his shoulder. The stump where his arm had once been was now bandaged correctly, but the sight of it was a sharp reminder of what the war had cost us all.

Once seated, silence fell as we waited. My siblings exchanged wary glances, but I merely closed my eyes and leaned back in my throne. I knew what was coming—or so I thought.

When the Fates appeared, their presence made even the mightiest of us pause. Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos glided into the room, their forms hazy, almost indistinct, as if they were more concept than being. They moved in unison, their voices overlapping in a harmony that was both beautiful and chilling.

"Gods of Olympus," they began, their voices echoing through the room. "You have triumphed in the war against the Titans. For that, you have secured the balance of the cosmos and ensured the survival of this world."

Their words carried a weight that silenced any murmurs of pride or satisfaction. This was not a moment for celebration but one for reckoning.

"We are here to formalize your domains," they continued. "To define the aspects of existence over which you shall hold dominion for eternity."

The Fates turned their gaze to Zeus, who straightened in his throne, his lightning bolt now held firmly in his hand.

"Zeus," they intoned, "you are the god of the Sky, of Lightning and Storms. You shall rule the heavens."

Zeus nodded, his jaw tightening. There was pride in his eyes, but also something else—something uncertain.

They moved to Poseidon, who tilted his head in acknowledgment.

"Poseidon, you are the god of the Sea and Natural Disasters."

Poseidon gave a curt nod, his expression unreadable.

The Fates turned to Demeter. "Demeter, you are the goddess of the Earth and Nature. The harvest and the growth of all living things are your charge."

Demeter smiled faintly, though the lines of fatigue on her face remained.

"Hestia," they said, their voices softer now, "you are the goddess of the Hearth and Family."

Hestia bowed her head, her torch flickering gently.

"Hera," they said, their tone sharpening slightly, "you are the goddess of Royalty, Marriage, Blessings, and Curses."

Finally, the Fates turned to me. I could feel their gaze, their presence pressing down like an enormous weight.

"Hades," they said, their voices low and resonant. "You are the god of the Underworld, Riches, the Dead, and Souls. You are the god of Destruction and Creation, the Abyss, Monsters, and Demons. You are the god of Darkness, Wisdom, Divination, Primordial Flames, and Judgment."

The room fell silent.

I saw their faces. Shock. Confusion. Even fear. Zeus leaned forward in his throne, his brow furrowing. "Why does he have so much?" he asked, his voice sharp. "How can one god hold so many domains?"

The Fates smiled, a knowing and slightly amused expression. "The domains of a god are not chosen by whim, Zeus. They are decided by Chaos herself, the creator of all things. She saw fit to grant Hades these domains, for he has proven himself worthy of them."

Zeus frowned but said nothing further, leaning back in his seat with a dissatisfied huff.

The Fates continued. "There is one final matter to address: the crowning of the new King of Olympus."

Zeus's frown immediately vanished, replaced by a smug grin. He rose from his throne, already moving to step forward. "As the god of the sky, it is only natural that—"

"Hades."

The name rang out like a thunderclap, cutting through Zeus's words. He froze, his foot hovering above the ground as he turned to look at the Fates, disbelief etched on his face.

"What?" he said, his voice low and dangerous.

The Fates snorted, an uncharacteristically mortal sound. "And where, Zeus, is it written in the ancient laws that the King of the Gods must be a sky god? Kronos was not the god of the sky, yet he ruled."

Zeus clenched his jaw, his face reddening. "But—"

"The selection of the King," they interrupted, "is decided by Chaos, by us, and by Ananke, the personification of necessity and inevitability. We have observed your actions, your deeds, your wisdom in war and judgment, and we have chosen."

They turned to me.

"Hades, step forward."

I hesitated. Of all the outcomes I had envisioned, this was not one of them. My siblings stared at me, their expressions a mix of shock and, in some cases, anger. Hera's lips thinned, her knuckles white as they gripped the arms of her throne. Demeter simply blinked, stunned. Poseidon's face was unreadable.

"Hades," the Fates repeated.

I rose from my throne, my movements slow but deliberate. My armor clinked softly as I descended the steps to stand before the Fates. My shadow stretched long across the floor, as if it too were uncertain of what was happening.

I knelt.

The Fates approached, their hands weaving together threads of light and darkness. From these threads, they crafted a crown—a laurel wreath of blackened vines and shimmering obsidian leaves. They placed it gently on my head, their touch cool and otherworldly.

"Rise, Hades, King of the Gods."

I stood, the weight of the crown unfamiliar yet not unwelcome. I turned to face my siblings, their expressions a mixture of emotions I could not fully name. Zeus's face was a storm cloud, but he said nothing.

"I did not see this coming," I admitted, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

The Fates smiled. "Chaos rarely does the expected."

And with that, my reign began.