[4] Phoenix | Descendants 3

TWENTY-THREE: An Overdue Revelation

Hades appeared in the Underworld, walking into the audience room of his palace. He found his wife sitting in front of the fireplace, a hellhound resting comfortably on her lap.

"You're back," greeted Persephone.

Hades kissed her cheek before taking a seat beside her. "Are the children well? Did they eat?"

"They did, but they didn't have much of an appetite. I showed them to their rooms, but it's going to be difficult for them to sleep. They've had a long day."

The elder god nodded understandingly, though his wife could see he had something weighing on his mind. "I'll send Morpheus when they're settled in. They deserve to have at least one good night's sleep."

"How was it?" Persephone asked, her hand running along the dog's back.

"A mess."

"So, the same as usual?"

Hades shook his head as he thought back to the earlier meeting and the sheer ridiculousness of it all. "They don't understand why I would bring them here. They don't see how I could do something for Helena or people she loves. They couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that I actually love my daughter and would do anything for her, including defying the King of Olympus and Fate itself."

"Just because they have children doesn't make them parents."

Hades sighed as he thought about his darling daughter. The relationship had with Helena hasn't been easy, he knew that. But dammit, he loved his little girl and would do anything for her. It hurt him to see that vile woman disguise herself as Helena's love to trick her into eating the poisoned fruit. And it absolutely broke him to see her fall and get taken when the spell finally took effect.

Hades was brought out of his dark thoughts when his wife grabbed onto his hand, yet his eyes remained focused on the fire in front of him. "Do not fill your mind with thoughts of what could have been. No use will come of it," she told him.

"I should have done something for her," the god muttered softly, feeling the tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

"If you did, then what? You and I both know of the prophecy."

The Lord of the Dead scoffed at the mention of that wretched prophecy, the thing that started this all. "It says a god shall face the Doors of Death. It never said anything about that god being Helena."

"The prophecy was also proclaimed by Apollo mere days after her birth. And though she lost her godhood, Helena is still the child of two gods, something that can never be taken away from her and makes her a god in her own right."

"It should've been me. I would've happily taken her place."

"Zeus never would've let that happen. You know that he doesn't want the responsibility of running this place."

That brought a smile to the elder god's face, though it didn't stay for long. "Still, I should have done something to help. I had the chance, multiple chances in fact, to do something but I didn't."

"You cannot change Fate, Hades. None of us can."

Even as powerful as the gods were, no god or goddess could alter Fate. It was the one power that none of them had, including the Big Three. They could delay Fate, but they couldn't change it. The most powerful beings in existence were resigned to Fate, left at its mercy just as everyone else.

"How can this be Helena's fate?" asked Hades softly, tears finally falling from his eyes. "How is this to be how she meets her end when she has done nothing wrong? Is this price she has to pay for having me as a father? Does she continually have to be punished because of me?"