Inside a shadowy pocket dimension, the air shimmered faintly with Underworld magic.
A large obsidian table stood in the center, surrounded by chairs carved from bone and stone.
Around it sat several members of Hades’ closest circle, along with a few others who had been drawn into the gathering.
Eris leaned casually against the table, golden eyes gleaming with amusement as she tossed a coin in the air.
Lethe lounged lazily in her seat, her long silver hair spilling over the chair, half-asleep as always.
Styx sat upright, composed, with a faint air of severity.
Minthe had her arms crossed, looking bored just by being there.
Keres sharpened one of her cruel-looking blades, her smile feral.
Campe sat near the back, arms crossed, the annoyed look suggests how she would rather be anywhere than here.
Several Cerberus pups played near her, gnawing on a stray skull.
And then there was Medea, Hecate’s disciple, sitting stiffly, clutching her staff like a lifeline.
"So," Eris began, her voice carrying the tone of someone ready to stir trouble. "Who do you think has the best chance of taking the crown?"
"I do not care," Campe said immediately, her voice deep and rumbling. "My master’s choice is his own. I am his mount, not his advisor."
"You are no fun," Eris said, rolling her eyes. "You just sit there, all coiled up, guarding Tartarus all day. You should get out more."
"I am not here for entertainment," Campe replied flatly.
Lethe yawned and cracked open one eye. "I’m with Campe. Whoever wins, wins. I will just go with the flow."
Minthe nodded, looking at Eris. "Same. Whoever becomes queen, I’ll just serve her and stay close. Maybe she’ll make me a concubine and I can stop working."
"You have no ambition," Eris teased.
"No delusion either," Minthe shot back. "I know my place."
Styx nodded calmly. "I agree with Minthe. The queen will be powerful, no doubt. If I show loyalty early, I can secure my place near her. That is enough."
Keres leaned back, tossing her blade into the air and catching it. "I couldn’t care less about any of this. I just want something to kill. This peace is boring me to death."
Eris gave a wicked smile. "Come on, think about it! We could arrange a fight. Put the top three contenders in a deathmatch. Winner takes the crown."
Minthe groaned. "You’re insane."
"Not insane. Opportunistic," Eris said, grinning wider. "And maybe if they all lose, we can take their place and the queen!"
At that moment, Medea timidly raised her hand. "Excuse me... why am I even here? I’m not involved in this. I am not interested in Lord Hades."
Everyone turned to her.
Eris’ smirk widened. "Oh, sweet little witch. You don’t get it, do you? If Hecate becomes queen, you, as her disciple, will surely be part of her dowry. You’ll be offered to Lord Hades to seal the bond."
Medea’s eyes widened, her cheeks burning red. "That... that would never happen!"
"Oh?" Eris leaned forward, her voice dropping to a purr. "So, for example, if Lord Hades calls for you to warm his bed, would you refuse?"
Medea gripped her staff, looking away. "...I didn’t say that."
"Oho?" Eris teased, grin wicked. "You wouldn’t refuse?"
Medea’s blush deepened. "I didn’t say that either!"
Styx, who rarely smiled, let out a quiet chuckle. "You are flustered. It seems the topic is not as irrelevant to you as you claim."
Minthe smirked. "Didn’t think you were the type to blush over a man."
"I am not blushing over anyone!" Medea shouted, her voice cracking.
The Cerberus pups barked excitedly, sensing her flustered energy, tails wagging.
Eris crouched until she was eye level with Medea. "You know, you can’t find a man better than him. He’s powerful, dignified... and handsome. Anyone else is just worse."
"Stop teasing me!" Medea covered her face with both hands, wishing she could sink into the floor.
"Why should I?" Eris said sweetly. "This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks."
Campe’s tail lashed against the floor, making the whole room tremble. "Enough. If you want to gossip, do it quietly. Some of us have responsibilities."
"Responsibilities are boring," Eris replied, flicking her hair back.
Keres laughed darkly. "Let them gossip. At least it keeps Eris from starting an actual war."
Medea peeked through her fingers, glaring at Keres. "You’re all horrible."
"Perhaps," Styx said calmly, "but we are honest."
Eris sat back down, grinning like a cat that caught a mouse. "So, who’s placing bets? I vote Aphrodite. Pure chaos and drama."
"Hecate," Lethe murmured sleepily.
"Hecate," Minthe agreed. "She’s the only one with the patience to deal with Lord Hades."
"I vote for bloodshed," Keres said simply.
"That’s not an option," Styx said, sighing.
"It is now," Keres said, grinning.
Medea groaned again. "No, seriously. Why am I here..."
"Because," Eris said with a sly grin, "you’re the most entertaining part of this meeting."
Keres snorted from her corner, her sharp nails tapping against the table. "If you want entertainment, I can go to the surface and bring back a few souls to torture. That will be fun."
"No," Styx said flatly, not even looking at her. "Lord Hades will scold you again. You don’t want to lose your privileges."
Keres groaned in frustration, sitting back. "He never lets me have any fun."
Minthe glanced at her with a tired look. "You call mass murder fun. That’s why he doesn’t trust you to go topside unsupervised."
Keres just grinned wickedly. "Exactly."
Medea tried to speak again, but Eris was quicker.
"You know what? I say we should make this even more interesting." She sat up straight, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Let’s make our own betting pool, right here. Not just about who will win, but what will happen after. For example... if Hecate wins, will Medea get to keep her maidenhood by the end of the year?"
Medea nearly dropped her staff, her whole face crimson now. "Eris!"
Styx actually chuckled, which was rare for her. "That is cruel... but amusing. I bet she won’t even keep it for half a year.
Lethe, half-asleep as always, opened one eye and muttered,
"Hah! Be confident! I bet she won’t even keep it for a month!" Then she closed it again.
"I said I’m not interested!" Medea shouted, standing up this time. "Please stop teasing me!"
Eris leaned on her hand, completely unbothered by Medea’s outburst. "You might not be now. But Hades has a way of changing people’s minds."
Minthe raised her brow. "Is that experience talking?"
Eris gave her a sly smile. "Maybe."
Campe’s tail slammed against the ground, making everyone jolt. "Enough. You are wasting time. Either place your bets or leave."
She seems pretty invested in this for someone who says she couldn’t care less.
The Cerberus pups whined at the sudden sound, but quickly settled back down, tilting their heads in curiosity as if they wanted to hear more.
"I’m voting that if Aphrodite became the queen, she will bring her handmaiden and offer them to Lord Hades." Eris said with a grin. "I heard they’re all young, beautiful virgins she personally handpicked."
"Hecate," Lethe murmured lazily again. "If she wins, she would bring Medea on their first night just so she won’t be as nervous she normally would."
"Lady Lethe!" Medea covered her face, sinking on her seat as if she wanted to disappear into it.
Minthe sighed. "Hecate as well. And if she wins, I bet she’d absolutely monopolize Lord Hades and not allow the existence of other wives or concubines."
"I vote Hera, and from what I know about her, she’d absolutely crush the others who had competed with her, to make sure they won’t even think of vying for Lord Hades Attention as well." Said Styx.
She then turned towards Keres, "How about you, Keres? What do you think?"
"I think... It’s a perfectly good day to go out and kill more people!" Keres said simply, grinning.
"Why do I even bother?" Styx replied dryly.
"So are we done here? I have far more important things to do than think of when Medea would finally get laid." Keres said, baring her teeth.
Medea groaned and sat back down, covering her face with her hands. "Why am I even here..."
The others laughed at her, completely enjoying her misery.