Don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT x enjoy

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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬

TARTARUS

THE UNDERWORLD

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TARTARUS WAS NOT A PLACE FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. It was a place that was home to only the true monsters of people, those who held tormented souls, insatiable parasites that had previously infested the world above. A place that the damned and sinners could call home, a mass incarceration center with no escape. A dungeon of eternal torment and suffering for only the truly wicked.

It was a place that lacked the typical form of beauty; holding nothing of pristine, ethereal allure, no piece of Elysium that had fallen from the heavens like a shooting star. No, the only beauty in Tartarus was pure catastrophe, the carnage that the blazing purgatory oozed, weeping like a plagued infection.

An all-consuming blaze of hellfire incinerated the endless abyss. Simmering with pestilent heat, blistering only those who were not used to the burning furnace of this real-life nightmare. Reducing all forms of pure virtue to ash, devouring all unwelcome beings, dying in a burning flame of agony.

But despite the ferocious eruptions of fire, searing crimson across the vast hellscape, Tartarus truly existed off the presence of darkness. A sea of tar-black shadows, all dagger teethed and devil eyed. Creeping around the corners like silhouettes, a noxious gas that chocked the realm of all light. Formless gargantuan giants that ravaged the nightmarish inferno that was Tartarus.

And this hellscape housed souls that belonged to the worst of mortal beings, sinners and criminals. Murderers and abusers, rapists and power-hungry villains, you name it. They all belonged in the Tartarus, their souls punished with an eternity of torment, aimlessly walking across the fiery planes of the hellscape experiencing their own personal torture for the crimes they committed. Wisps of luminous smoke just merely existing, unable to hurt anyone ever again.

It was by far no Elysium, very much short of the privilege of living on Olympus, but to Melaina, it was home.

After so many years living down in the deepest depths of Olympus, a thousand miles away from those who actually held pure goodness in their hearts, she was used to the plumes black smoke, the incandescent infernos, the barrage of shimmering souls that called Tartarus their prison.

And after a millennium of servitude down amongst the tangerine flames, she had come to accept her fate, no more than just a simple steward of the Underworld, leading souls to their infinite imprisonment and capturing the lone ghosts that got lost in transmission. Using the tendrils of the blackened sky that curled around her fingertips, shifting at her every beck and call to round up the lifeless spirits like some kind of peasant sheepdog.

All because of a seemingly innocent mistake, a disastrous love affair that led to her ultimate ruination.

She used to spend her days amongst the stars, a dazzling supernova that danced with the glittering moon. A shining obsidian shadow that made all the constellations in the infinite galactic sky look meager in comparison. A fragment of pure celestial transcendence, free from all woes and hardships. A Goddess, one of the first deities to even exist, nearly as old Chronos, who was the very God who controlled time itself.

But then she fell in love, and what a tragedy it proved to be.

She had spent so long amongst the stars that she had forgotten what it was like to walk on the earth, feeling the ephemeral wind whip against her olive skin, the starlight glimmer across her body. She had forgotten what it was like to crave the touch of another, to have their bodies tangle in a way that seemed like a figment of fantasy.

Atlas, the leader of Chronus' army had come to her, seeking to enlist her help in the Titan War. But darkness was neither good nor bad, for people were only afraid of what lurked behind the veil of shadows, never the darkness itself. So Melaina had refused, not particularly interested in fighting a battle that had no business with herself.

But Atlas had persisted, visiting her palace on Mount Smolikas night after night. Pleading with her, fancying all the power that hummed in her bones, that surged through her veins alongside the golden ichor of the Gods.

But with each visit, his desires became distorted and her resolve waned.

It started with the slightest skip of a heartbeat, a single flutter of the usually cadenced organ, virtually insignificant. A slender smile donning her features as he waltzed through the door to her palace, just the mere presence of his being sending a swell of happiness through her.

But it had soon evolved into something more, a revolution of primal lust.

The second their skin had touched, it felt as if she had reached Elysium, far surpassing the glorious heights of the stars that she usually danced upon. Their bodies had molded together in a way that seemed blessed by Eros, their carnal pleasures a gift bestowed upon them by the very God of Love. It was as if every single nerve in her body had been electrified, reduced to molten gold under his touch, his eyes gazing over her, feral with desire.

His name upon her lips sounded like a song crafted by none other than the Muses, hanging in the air like a melody that would never grow old, a sound that would make even Calliope jealous. He coveted for her to call his name like a drug addict craved for his next fix, yearning after that euphoric chemical high. Worshiping her like the Goddess that she truly was.

It was almost unholy how much they ached for each other, the pure fervor that enveloped her at the mere mention of his name. How his heart trembled when he held her in his arms, pleading that time could stay frozen and everlasting.

They gave in to each other, in more ways than one.

She conceded to his plans, fighting alongside the Titan army in the war. Constructing battle plans with Atlas that rivaled even Ares and Athena combined. Her prowess in war undervalued until it became apparent that her partnership with Atlas was the main reason the Titans were prevailing.

Nyx and Erebus, her very old, very scary, parents warned her of the repercussions of her actions. Foreseeing the devastation that her lust induced choice would create, the contrition and anguish that was to come.

But she blindly ignored them, walking into the lion's den unarmed.

She fought in a war that wasn't her own, a battle that had nothing to do with herself, all because she loved him. With fervent passion she fought against the lowly Gods, blackening the ground of Gaia, ignoring her roars of protest, the howls of agony as her body was butchered. Leaving Cronus' children bruised and battered, her power left unrivaled, unequal in strength to anything the Gods could muster.

Her darkness matched a nightmare, slaughtering any ounce of hope the Gods managed to conjure. She was a dragon covered by human skin, power burning in her veins like the beast spewed fire.

But then one day, the tides turned.

She could remember it like it was yesterday, the hundred handed children of Uranus had descended on the Titans. With the devastating force of a natural disaster, they attacked her forces, rendering their bodies helpless like frail mortals across the battlefield with little resistance. The one-eyed cyclops overwhelming her comrades with relative ease, hammering their bodies into the Greek landscape with pure fury.

That memory burned with unmatched acrimony in her mind because it was the day the Titans lost the war. The day that she last saw Atlas, his bruised and bleeding body slumped before Zeus, gazing at her in utter despair, already knowing what their punishment would be. The day that her mother had descended on the battlefield, in all her ethereal glory and bargained with the Gods, negotiating for any mitigation for Melaina, wringing any ounce of sympathy that she could bleed from their stone hearts.

And that was how she landed herself in Tartarus.

Whilst Atlas bore both the boundless weights of heaven and earth on his shoulders, Melaina was exempt from a similar fate. The Gods, too fearful of Nyx and her power, granted Melaina a lessened punishment, successfully abating her fearsome mother. Instead, having to serve as the personal stewardess of the Underworld for a millennia, a thousand years of slavery, with only a short reprieve at the end of her sentence before the dastardly cycle began again.

And today was the beginning of the end of her slavery, having served 999 years amongst the hell that was the Underworld. Her last few days in the hellish inferno before she would be granted her short, 5 years of freedom. 5 years where she could return to the palace of Olympus and roam amongst the Gods, retiring back to her home amongst the stars.

And that brought her to this exact moment, watching as a giant ebony Hellhound snarled and bared its dagger-like teeth towards a rogue soul that had the rough fortune of crossing the beast's path.

"Dee!" Melaina growled, her voice low as she glared at the creature before her. "Come back here you hound."

Dee, was a beast like no other. Her thick, charcoal fur shone under the luminescent glow of Tartarus, rippling as her muscular body contracted. Her ruby eyes glinted with torment, burning as bright as the fire that blazed around her. She bared her long, ivory teeth at the shimmering soul that mistakenly crossed her path, cowering in terror from the monster as it snapped its teeth ferociously.

But the second that Melaina's voice called for her, Dee turned back to her owner, that hostile flame in her eyes immediately replaced with jubilant glee. She swiftly turned away from the glittering ghost, almost as if she had never seen it in the first place and bounded over to Melaina. Her paws kissing the blackened earth as an innocent half-smile pulled at her lips.

The hellhound curled around Melaina's long chiton, the silken robe that flowed down past her ankles and brushed the ashen ground. Her pink tongue fell past her lips, licking the garment as Melaina bent down and ruffled her ebony fur.

"Who's a good girl." She cooed as she stroked its head lovingly.

Dee had been a gift from Melaina's parents, Nyx and Erebus, that she received a few centuries ago. She could vividly recall the day she was gifted the baby hellhound, the way she pranced between Melaina's feet in all her cherub beauty. Her bark, then soft and innocent, now frightened even the most fearsome of beasts. Melaina, knowing that the hellhound would grow to be larger than even the apex mortal predator, the lion, had decided to name the creature after Deimos, the god of terror.

A quite ironic name given her puppy-like tendencies that still lingered when around her owner.

Standing back up with a sigh, Melaina turned towards the field of tortured souls that she had managed to herd up like a shepherd. The glimmering, translucent bodies of tortured sinners whose wails were thankfully drowned out by the molten inferno that burned around them.

"I think we got them all, Dee." Melaina mused to her pet that yipped back happily in response.

Melaina had been sent to go collect all the rogue souls that had accidentally drifted from their eternal prison in the center of Tartarus. Hades himself had decreed the order, knowing that if the souls drifted too far away from their penitentiary that they would no longer suffer their due retribution, which was the sole purpose of the Underworld after all.

"I think it's time we go see Mr. H, don't you Dee?" She smirked, turning back to her oversized dog with a teasing grin. Dee instantly barked at her words, her long tail, wagging as she jumped up and down excitedly.

With a melodious chuckle and a flick of her wrist, a raging black flame began to ignite before the pair, pure murdered light. The shadow stretched until it was larger than the two of them, flickering with catastrophic allure. In the center of the obsidian blaze, stood Hades' palace in all its opulent beauty. It was a portal, or shadow traveling as many called it, allowing her to travel between any place in the galaxy with only a single thought.

As soon as the portal was big enough, Dee launched towards it. She leaped through the blaze with a gleeful bark, soon followed by Melaina who lacked her zealous attitude.

Upon leaving the portal, Melaina was graced with the sight of Hades' looming chateau, emerging between the dark clouds and rolling mountainous hills of the Underworld. The palace sat atop one of the many slopes that overlooked the River Styx, the border between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. The castle shone in the sky like a black diamond, the jewel of the Underworld. 

Walking up towards the gargantuan estate, Melaina and Dee entered the luminescent hallway, and unsurprisingly meeting two of the castle's usual inhabitants.

On the left stood her best friend, Hades. His sickly, albino skin glimmered under the tangerine rays that filtered in through the large, hallway windows. His intensely gloomy eyes swirled with obscurity, flickering as vehemently as one of Melaina's shadows. His dark tendrils of hair fell onto his shoulders, partially obscured by the Helm of Darkness that resided on his head, emitting pure darkness that would strike fear in even the bravest of soldiers. Oddly enough, he was also donning his Stygian Iron armor, embellished with his crimson velvet cloak and obsidian scepter.

And on the right stood her mother, Nyx. Her mother radiated terror and fear, exuding power as if she held it in excess. She stood tall, towering over both the Gods like an iron pillar. Her tan skin was covered by her dark gown, resembling a shimmering nebula in the night sky as her eyes glittered like the starry galaxy that she commanded at her very fingertips.

"So, Lord Hades." Her mother drawled, an impassioned glow flickering in her dark orbs. "We have come to an understanding, then?"

Hades gulped slightly, an odd sight since he very rarely showed fear towards any of the major Gods. But as usual, Nyx would always be the exception.

"Yes we have, Lady Nyx." He bowed respectfully, reverence dripping from his voice like sickly tar. "And as much as I have appreciated your visit, I will admit that my decision had already been made prior."

"Good. I am glad to see our interests are in alignment then." She spoke, her words harsh and resolute, looking down at the King of the Underworld as if he was an ant beneath her foot. Inferior to the Queen of the Night.

"As am I." He nodded, relief encapturing his features as their conversation came to its conclusion.

Nyx turned away from the young God, facing her daughter with a warm smile and watching her fondly, a stark difference to the way she had only seconds ago regarded Hades.

"My darling." She greeted, smiling affectionately as Melaina approached the pair. Dee swiftly ran up to Nyx and leaned against her long legs, panting slightly as her mother stroked her head lovingly. "And my beautiful creation." She hymned, tousling the hellhound's long dark fur beneath her slim fingers.

"Mother," Melaina returned her smile graciously before she turned to Hades with a teasing smirk. "And Mr. H."

"For Tartarus' sake Mel, it's King Hades. King!" He seethed instantly, eyes mirroring the burning atmosphere that raged on outside at the mere mention of his infamous nickname.

"You would find yourself better off if you watched your tone, King." Nyx spoke lowly, her voice slick with venom. Hades winced at her temper, realizing his mistake much too late.

"Yes, Mr. H." Melaina smirked impishly. "Do watch your tone."

Melaina had to forcibly withhold her laughter as Hades glared daggers at her, further angering her mother that stood by her side, very much so unimpressed with the young God's attitude.

"Well, I best be off then. The night does not emerge by itself." Nyx announced, turning away from Hades and to her daughter with a fond smile. "I shall see you in the morning, φεγγαρι μου / my moon."

Nyx swiftly pressed an affectionate kiss on her daughter's forehead, not bothering to utter a farewell to Hades who ruffled his hair awkwardly. Melaina felt her lips curl upwards fondly as she gazed at her mother in all her celestial beauty.

"Goodbye, Mother." She replied, watching as Nyx gave her a final smile before she disappeared into the darkness, taking her place amongst the stars above to bring nightfall to the many planets in the galaxy.

"You know how much I despise it when you do that in front of your mother." Hades glared as soon as Melaina's mother disappeared, irritation coating his words and turning them into pointed icicles made to hurt.

"Well, it's not my fault you are as scared as Phobos when you are near her." Melaina teased, grinning mischievously at her friend who rolled his eyes at her childish demeanor.

"You embarrassed me." He growled. "Again."

"Well, you should make it harder for me then." Melaina chuckled, flicking her dark hair over her shoulder. "It truly is just too easy."

"I will get you back for this." He snapped, pointing his scepter at her threateningly.

"You have had years to do it, H. And yet, I have still not felt that retribution you speak of?" She smirked, watching on in satisfaction as a string of grumbled curses fell from his thin lips angrily.

"I hate you." Was all he managed to respond with.

Melaina's laugh echoed in the air, a melodious sound that seemed to be crafted from the Muses. Ironically bright and full of life despite everything that Melaina was supposed to embody.

"So, why are you wearing your armor?" Melaina questioned, quirking her brow expectantly. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I've been called up to Olympus for some vote." Hades answered, his voice as harsh as steel and dripping with animosity. "Do you know the insult that comes from being one of the big three gods and yet not being an Olympian! And they just expect me to go up there and kiss their feet. The disrespect."

"Yes, yes, H. We have had this talk many times over the many millennia that we have known each other." She chuckled, rolling her eyes at his violent temper, a sight that she had become very much accustomed to.

"That just means I have many millennia worth of scorn that I need released." He scowled.

"Tell me about it." She mumbled. Ignoring his potent hostility, Melaina quickly changed the subject. "And what did my mother want?"

Hades' eyes flickered with an indecipherable emotion, brief enough for Melaina to fail to notice it. "To steer my head in the right direction I'm guessing." He responded vaguely.

"And?"

"You can't steer someone in the right direction if they already know where they are going." He continued, causing her brows to slope downwards in confusion.

"You're being rather evasive today." She rebuked playfully.

"What can I say? Your mother scares the life out of me." He responded teasingly.

"More than Zeus?" She inquired.

"Of course." He answered immediately. "She scares me more than any of the Gods."

A laborious conversation quickly ensued where Hades gave Melaina his orders for ruling the Underworld in his absence. Due to her being the oldest God residing in the Underworld, aside from her parents who already had their own business to attend to, it meant that she would be left in charge. It was an odd thought to think about, Melaina being centuries older than Hades, who was technically her cousin three times removed or something. But when talking about Greek ancestry, Melaina found it best to just ignore it.

Melaina battled to stay awake as Hades bored her with chores and jobs that she already did, constantly reminding her that she was in charge so any mistake she made, was a mistake he made and blah, blah, blah... She began to zone out after that so she never caught the rest.

As they made their way out to the courtyard, with Dee even beginning to feel Melaina's boredom, she fought the desire to call her brother Thanatos and have him impale her with his sword of death.

"Well? Did you get everything?" He questioned, his obsessive nature shining as he gazed at her imploringly.

"Absolutely." She nodded, eyes gleaming impishly. "And whilst that talk was quite riveting, I have a big throne to sit on whilst you go argue with your brethren."

"Don't forget to feed Cerberus." Hades reminded her, a distinct undertone of threat lingering in his words.

"Oh right! I'll get to that straight away." She grinned as they exited the palace doors and gazed out on the River Styx.

"You will be the death of me, Mel." He grumbled, rolling his eyes in disapproval.

"That is factually incorrect. I can't be the death of you since we are immortal and hence, we can never die." She grinned wryly, flashing her pearly white teeth. "Rather, I am the bane of your existence."

"Sorry, it just so happens the more I am around you the more my intelligence lessens." He leered, clasping his hands around the scepter as his dark irises swirled with facetiousness.

"Now that one hurt." She chided, holding her hand over her heart in mock outrage.

"Well, it's about time your ego took a bruising." Hades grinned satirically.

"Ouch."

"Now, I'll be leaving you to rule my kingdom." He rolled his eyes before he began to slowly craft a portal to Olympus. "Please, don't leave it in shambles like you did last time."

"It was one rogue Chimera, don't overexaggerate things." She scowled, watching as the glimmering ethereal beauty of Olympus shone through the portal that flickered behind Hades.

"It killed Charon and King Minos!" Hades exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Well they are already dead, so no harm done." She shrugged innocently, an impish smiling curling on her ruby lips.

Raising his brows at her in skepticism, he shook his head before offering her a parting smile. That smile was immediately wiped from his face as he turned and faced the certain bore that was godly politics that he was about to endure.

"Wait!" Melaina called, a flash of realization overcoming her features. Hades twisted back around and frowned at her, instantly recognizing that look of hopelessness that swirled in her emerald eyes.

"My mother talked to you about my freedom, didn't she." She asked, gazing at him with a seriousness that felt unusual for the pair.

"She did." He nodded, sighing softly.

"And? Will I be let free?" She questioned, her features greying with trepidation.

"Why do you think I am going up to vote?" He grinned warmly, attempting to ease her blatant distress. "I am going to make sure you get your 5 years of uninterrupted liberation. What type of friend would I be if I didn't."

And with that, he offered her a warm smile before turning back around and walking through the portal, entering the beautiful landscape of Olympus and leaving Melaina to endure her blazing hell alone.

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Hey everyone!

WELCOME TO OLYMPUS!!!

I know this chapter was quite boring and lackluster but I assure you there will be plenty of exciting things to come!! I am so psyched for you guys to finally read Olympus because I have been sitting on this for a while and trying to make it absolutely perfect and enjoyable for you all!

And for those of you who haven't read my Tricks series, Melaina has already had her debut in that series and features quite heavily in Tricked. So I, of course, will recommend you guys to go and give those books a read (however, the first book is old and the writing standard isn't particularly great).

Sorry for the shameless self-promo!

And now, now onto the questions!

1. What did you think of the chapter?

2. What do you guys think of Melaina?

3. What would you like to see in the next couple of chapters?

4. Do you guys like the cast for the Gods and Goddesses? If not, who do you see as those respective characters?

Until next time!

— Grace xx