16 Birth of Ares

"Will you join us at the party?", Hades asks me as I help him remodel the underworld.

"I don't know, do you think I should?", I ask him.

"Well I'm going, but your choice is your decision", Hades responds.

Hades and I have gotten closer since he sided with me on the argument about Prometheus ten years ago.

I found out that Zeus had r*ped one of Hades only friends.

Her name is Lythe, and she is a nymph of one of the underworld rivers.

After Hades saw how prosperous my kingdom is he asked me to help him out.

He didn't like how everyone seemed depressed about and disliked his kingdom.

His palace is all black, made up of the darkest obsidian and other dark gems.

The palace seems reminiscent of Kronos's palace though a lot more inviting.

"You control everything in the underworld right?", I ask Hades.

"Well, at least the upper part of it, I don't have any control over Tartarus", Hades responds.

"Can you try changing the landscape?", I ask him.

"The current landscape, or format of your kingdom is like this", I continue, "You currently have the Fields of Punishment on the outer ring, the same area that everyone comes in."

"That leads to the first thing anyone sees when they enter you kingdom being torture", I sigh.

Hades frowns, "Whoops?", he questions.

"Though your idea for having the Fields of Asphodel in the middle, and the Isles of the Blest in the center wasn't bad", I tell him.

"What do you think I should do?", Hades asks.

"Maybe you can make a sperate space for the Fields of Punishment, after that, all you really have to do is brighten up you kingdom", I respond.

"I think that's plausible, I can add a separate space in the Underworld for the d*mned, but how do I brighten up the place, I mean I can add glowing gems and stuff, but that will make it feel like a cavern", Hades says.

"Can you make a sky?", I ask Hades.

"You could also ask Demeter to make you some special plants, but she is not here right now", I add.

The current top of the underworld is just black fog and earth, but I remember reading somewhere in a fanfic that a person reincarnated as Hades made a sky.

"Maybe, I don't know if I can", Hades says before gaining a look of concentration.

The whole Underworld begins to tremble and shake.

Cries of surprise ring out and I go to the window to take a look.

The once barren top of the Underworld is now a beautiful night sky.

A bright full moon sits in the center adorned by thousands of bright stars surrounding it.

A dark blue background brings it all together, a beautiful scene.

Giant crystals of multiple colors—blues, greens, purples, of every shade—jut out of the earth and brighten the once dark and gloomy areas.

"It's beautiful," I whisper at the scene.

The modern like mansions on the Isles of the Blest have a never before seen radiance.

Even the Fields of Asphodel look pleasant.

"Hades! This looks amazing!", I exclaim to my brother.

Hades looks extremely exhilarated while looking at his handiwork.

A ringing alarm suddenly blares in my head.

"Hades, I'll help you to set up a good infrastructure for your kingdom and a better system for judging the dead later! I have to go", I say to Hades.

"That's fine. Are you going to go to the party later though?", Hades asks again.

"Alright, why not?", I say before mist traveling out.

...

Flashing only works if you are going to, or somewhere from Olympus, so although mist travel is a bit slower, it's my only option for instantly traveling great distances that are not to, or from Olympus.

"Are the enchantments done?", I ask Hecate who is looking seriously at my now completely black and dark sea blue trident.

"Yes, but you have to give it a name if you want to use it's true power, names are powerful things", Hecate tells me while not taking her eyes of my trident.

"How about Okeanos", I say.

"Really, your going to name you trident Ocean?", Hecate say with an incredulous look.

"Umm..how about Stellamaris?", I respond.

"That's a fine name, "star of the sea", isn't it?", Hecate says.

"Yeah, but did you put the blood seal?", I ask.

"Of course", she responds.

Stellamaris is forged with enchantments that allow me to summon it from any location and to change its form.

The blood seal makes it so that only I or someone of my blood can use it, unless I allow so.

Stellamaris is almost completely black, but accented with blue on the blades and gold on the pole part.

Images of churning seas and deadly sea monsters dance endlessly on the trident.

It automatically releases and aura of power and destruction even while just sitting there.

"Why did you want to create this?", Hecate asks.

"I don't plan on using it, it's just for assurance", I respond to Hecate.

It's been ten years since the creation of abyssal steel.

It took ten years for the Cyclopes to forge it into my trident and for Hecate to enchant it.

Although I could've enchanted it myself due to all I've learned from her lessons on magic, she's still so much better than me so I requested for her to help.

During these ten year my relationship with the other gods except from Hades has deteriorated.

Zeus and I disagree on almost everything and Hera sides with him although he has cheated on her fifty million times by now, Hestia always wants me to apologize to them, and Aphrodite is always trying to get in my pants.

Demeter...she has looked timid and afraid at all of our meetings I have attended.

"Thank you", I say to Hecate.

"It's no problem", she continues,"are you going to the party to celebrate Ares's birth, it start like right now."

I turn Stellamaris into a black ring engraved with a trident on the front, then put it on my left pointer finger.

"Yeah, don't forget to tell Delphin to come too", I say then flash out.

.....

"We have gathered here today to celebrate the birth of my first son, Ares, I hope you all will enjoy the party to your hearts content!", Zeus says, announcing the start of the party.

Though I wasn't too keen on sharing my ideas with them, even Olympus has become more modern due to their informants in my kingdom.

Although I tried to get rid of them at first, it was hard because they would all say that they were fleeing from the tyranny of Olympus.

Though I could use a mind reading spell on the refugees, it would make me feel bad if they weren't spies and it could cause internal problems about trust.

Plus, they are only getting surface level information.

Inside the beautiful banquet hall, dozens of modern looking circular tables decorate the banquet hall.

There is low light inside though, the only source of it is a huge chandelier with glowing crystals of every color.

The hall is painted a myriad of colors, and it's quite beautiful.

Two large buffet tables sit on the middle left and middle right of the hall.

Saytrs and nymphs begin playing music joyously with their unique instruments.

Nymph waiters dressed in black and white tuxedos and dresses hand out wine and alcohol made of nectar, and give out players of rare meats and ambrosia squares.

I take a platter of meat and start eating with Delphin at my side.

"What do you think?", I ask him.

"It's nice, but not as good as our parties", he responds lightly while stuffing his face.

"Poseidon, when are you going to get married?", Delphin asks me inquisitively.

"I don't know, I haven't fallen in love yet", I respond.

"Well then you should go and explore the party! It's a great oppor-tuna-ty!", he says cheekily.

I give him a wry smile.

"I'll stop with the puns, but you really should go out there and try at least", Delphin says normally.

I sigh a bit.

"Fine then, I'll give it go", I say to Delphin.

I get up from our table and then straighten out my dark blue tuxedo, while Delphin continues to stuff his face while checking out a few of the nymphs.

"You're just as single as me", I say to him.

"Yeah, but I get laid", he says without even looking at me.

I flinch a bit, but then start walking around the party.

.....

I walk around for awhile disinterestedly until I bump into Demeter.

"Poseidon! I was looking for you!", Demeter says nervously, the two drinks in her hand shaking a bit.

"What is it?", I ask her while wondering why she is nervous.

"Well, I was wondering if I could join your kingdom, I really hate it here", Demeter respond meekly.

Although I don't want to be too involved with any of the other gods, she has been looking tired and afraid for a long time, maybe she is so nervous because she thinks I will say no?

"Maybe, I tell you later", I say, while deciding to ask for the opinions of my friends and advisors later.

Her face drops for a second, but then it suddenly turns melancholy.

"I'm sorry for not be the best sister, but I will try too now", Demeter says while offering me a glass.

"I'm sorry too, I'll try to be a better brother", I say a bit awkwardly as I take the glass from her.

I can feel that something in the glass feels slightly weird, but it might just be a plant that Demeter made to make it taste better, Demeter wasn't known for trying to hurt or harm the other gods.

Although things are different this time around, I still don't believe that it would be in her personality to do so.

"Cheers?", Demeter says while holding out her glass.

"Cheers", I respond and tap my glass on hers.

We both chug our drinks.

"This tastes really good Demeter, what did you add?", I ask after finishing my drink.

Then it hits me.

Everything starts getting blurry and woozy, my head starts spinning and I stumble a bit.

"I'm sorry", Demeter whispers.

I can barely make out what she is saying, but I manage to spit out a question, "Why?"

Then the music dulls and everything fades into black.

....

"Ugh, what happened", I mumble out.

I blink a few times and sit up, the blurring in my eyes clears up.

I can see that I am on at large light-green and white bed.

And there is a naked woman next to me?