Kronos (Book Two)

Tartarus

Hypnos turns to the owner of the 50 voices. Technically, one of the bipedal behemoths as the other two are walking around the fiery ground. Their heights rival the sky itself. 1 large face with 49 heads scattered around each body with 100 long arms like snakes.

One of them grabs a screaming soul that tried a futile escape from this version of hell. His arm stretches to lock the man in his proper place before resuming his walk.

Their one job: to prevent any damned souls from leaving their place of punishment. A role established by Zeus after they helped him overthrow the Titans. The same ones that are locked up for all of eternity.

The three are known as the "Hundred-Handers" or the Hecatoncheires.

"Hello, Briareus!", the god of sleep calls out to him without any fear.

Half of his many-colored eyes lock onto the deity. Lips of the main face open. "My lord, shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I can't. Something is wrong. Is mother available to speak with?"

The hands of the creature scratch their respective heads. As if the reference is missing from its collective minds.

"Nyx is her name", Hypnos clarifies from the assumed confusion.

"I...can't recall her."

His stomach flips. "But-But she is in charge of you as Tartarus' warden!"

Their eyebrows shoot up as one. "We have a warden?"

"You couldn't have forgotten her. Wait here."

He flies back home and enters the room of his son who's overlooking a map on the table. Wisps of black and white populate different areas of Gaia. With a grasp of his finger and thumb, he pulls one representing a king who yearns for a vacation from his busy life.

The blindfolded deity waves his other hand in a circle to make his desire into a vivid dream. The king sees himself resting on his stomach on a beach. Soft fingers of beautiful women massage his aching back. He exhales from the pain exiting his body. Once she's done, she gives him a kiss on the lips....

"Morpheus?"

The deity lets the king have fun in dream. "Yes, father?"

"I need your help. Someone is unable to remember something."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Is something wrong?'

"No. I know you're busy-"

Black wisps transfer from the deity of dreams to his father. "I wish you well, father."

Hypnos wraps his arms around him. "Thank you, my son. Get some rest when you're done."

He travels back to Tartarus with the borrowed power and touches the main face of Briareus. 

The creature lets the deity go through its collective mind of dreams. He bypasses to find any image of his mother.....only to find no depiction of her.

He lets go in a fright. How can this be?

"Lord Hypnos, what's wrong?"

"Something happened to her....."

His mind recalls something about his brother, Thanatos. The silver scarf around his neck. Black aura fumes knowing who casted that on him.

The creatures and the residents tremble from the potent power within him.

"Forgive me. Until I know what's going on, those who enter...."

He snaps his fingers. Everyone and everything in Tartarus screeches to a halting slumber. The guards rest their backs on the warm ground while the inmates doze off.

New arrivals in the realm collapse right after they passed the entrance.

Lord Hypnos flies straight to the door of the King and Queen of the Underworld. He barges in, waking the couple up before their due time.

"Hypnos? What-

Hades' silver eyes widen in horror as the deity has his middle finger and thumb near his face.

Persephone's face turns pale as she can't say anything without being a victim.

"Lord Hades, what did you do to my brother? What is with the silver scarf? And what happened to my mother and sister? Answer me or fall asleep for an eternity."

Hades' hands tremble before the hovering deity. "Wait! There is a rea-"

Snap!

The god of the dead collapses to his side--

Snap!

Before his head hit the pillow, his body jumps as if he crashed to the ground in his dream. 

Hypnos yawns. "Get to it."

Hades and Persephone tell him everything they know. His mother's and sister's disappearance, Takashi, the lies Zeus told, everything.

The god of sleep absorbs the information akin to a sponge. Black aura foams around his body at the King of the Olympians. His intent clear to the couple.

"Hypnos, don't! He's stronger than the last time you tricked him!", Hades recalls.

The god of sleep had lulled the King to a deep slumber, allowing Hera, Poseidon, and Athena to takeover Mt Olympus. However, their quarrels eventually lead them to release Zeus. He came to punish Hypnos, who retreated into the darkness of his mother.

Zeus didn't take a single step into the realm void of light. Not even his lightning sparks could illuminate the veil of shadows. He gave up in punishing Hypnos since that time.

"I will do-"

Tremors interrupt his sentence and almost split the bedroom apart! Cerberus' barking displays his terror. The three deities instantly combine their respective strengths to stop the tremors from possibly affecting Elysium.

The tremors finally stop. The couple questions if Hera isn't satisfied until she collects more power. Hades looks through Cerberus' eyes and finds no one there. Not even in the depths of the rivers surrounding the realm.

The King sinks back against the wall to his wife's and Hypnos' concern. Tears streaming down his face that Persephone rushes to wipe away. She gazes into her husband's eyes and gasps.

A piece of his heart broke off.

Another loved one was snuffed out by Zeus.