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A long time ago, a band of angels led by Lucifer led a revolt against God and they were cast away from Paradise. Bitter in their defeat, they sought to destroy mankind, the Maker’s most precious creation, together with the world it dwelled in.
To protect His children, God sent his own angels down to earth, three brothers whose wings were torn away to make them appear human. But in return, God granted them unparalleled powers, knowing that a long and arduous battle awaited the three.
Upon finding Lucifer and his fallen angels, the three brothers realized that their numbers were not enough. They sent their prayers to the heaven, and these were heeded the next day, with nine younger angels coming to their aid.
Stories of these battles were passed from generation to generation, taking on different names and events. For the Greeks, Lucifer and his demons came to be known as the titans, while the angels whose wings had been torn away became known as the Olympians.
Upon imprisoning the fallen in Tartarus, the three brothers knew that eternal vigilance was required as evil never truly slept. Looking after the affairs of men required great compassion and wisdom, and for this Zeus took on the throne in Mt. Olympus, and the younger gods came with him.
Flora and fauna needed protection as well, and for this Poseidon took to the greatest depths of the ocean, reigning in the company of the beasts he held dear.
Finally, the youngest brother – the quiet and ever-resilient Hades – descended to the Underworld. Of the three, he was the least vulnerable to the sway of emotions and logic and honor were his greatest strengths. And so it shall be, for only the most impartial could rightfully judge the merits of departed souls.
His was a thankless job, but it was not in Hades’ nature to complain and he did his work as diligently as he could. He cultivated for himself a fearful and monstrous image, thus ensuring that few would dare threaten his domain. As the years passed, the world came to forget that Hades had once been an angel, and that he had saved the world in the dawn of civilization.
Soon, no one remembered the truth, and people came to know him only as the god of the Underworld and, later on, he became the Prince of Darkness as well, for wherever he walked, death would always follow.
Merciless and ruthless, cruel and savage – words that had once described his fallen foes were now attributed to Hades, and yet nothing could be further from the truth. In the years that he had reigned in the shadows, Hades had welcomed to his abode creatures shunned and maltreated. Demons who had rebelled against Lucifer, species that had been hunted almost to extinction like the centaurs and harpies, and lesser gods who had been cursed with powers that no one wanted—-
In the Underworld, these creatures found both shelter and solace, and in return for his selflessness and benevolence no ruler had been more beloved than Hades.
For their lord and master, they would do anything, and it was their greatest wish that the day would come they would be able to prove their loyalty and show their gratitude.
And so it did, but the one who had called in their debts was not Hades.
It was the queen.