A new age of Divinity: Theomachy

The Duel with Hades

Hades walked through the Fields of Elysium, not seeing much of a need to rush through his task. Contrary to popular belief, if a living being comes down into his realm, there is no time limit for them to escape before they join the dead. He walked past countless new Demigods, most having no issue with him. He waved to a group and most who noticed waved back. He never understood why people in the Mortal Realm always portrayed him as a villain in their media, but was it his concern? No, so he didn't put much thought into it.
After a few minutes, he ran into Orpheus, who was finally reunited with Eurydice, so he greeted him with "Ah, hello, Orpheus."
"Huh?" The Demigods' mentor and father figure turned around "Oh! Lord Hades, how are you?"
"Not bad, old friend," Hades replied, trying to brush past that he had kept the husband and wife apart for centuries "I need to find my son. Hayden, to be specific."
"Hayden, how come?"
"Oh, a couple reasons," Hades sighed. "His girlfriend's here, wants to talk to him. They also wanna go up to Olympus, why, I really don't care. Also... I've gotten bored of my role, tired of it even..." Hades trailed off for a moment "Oh! Uh... yeah, so, where is Hayden?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know... but he should be pretty near. I saw him a few minutes ago. He went south I think."
"Thank you, Orpheus."
Hades continued walking through the Fields of Elysium, just enjoying the view. Tarturus and Elysium had given him satisfaction in two very different ways. While for most people, he wasn't a fan of watching them suffer, there was something about those in the fiery depths of the Tarturus being in eternal agony for their crimes to be invigorating. On the other hand, seeing the dead souls enjoying their time in Elysium was enjoyable as they had a worthy life and death, deserving of eternal rejoicement. As he walked through the fields, he finally came across his son. Hayden looked the same as when he had died... minus the countless impalements and blood. He was relaxing with a cup of wine in his hand and Hades decided to wait until he was done.
Once he had finished the drink, Hades walked up behind his son, and greeted him with "Hello, Hayden." He turned around and was startled to see his father standing behind him "Your girlfriend's here, son. You're all going to come to the palace now... and you're going to help me put on a little show for 'em."
"Uh... yeah, okay. Wait, Beth's here?" Hayden asked, perking up, to which Hades nodded "Oh, great. Dallr wouldn't also happen to be here, too, is he?"
"I have no idea who that is," Hades admitted.
"Son of Heimdallr, glowing eyes?" Hades shook his head "Missing an arm? Specifically the right one? Dark skin? Kinda afro hair?"
"Nope, never seen him."
"Huh, interesting." They walked back to Lethe's shore where Persephone and when Beth saw Adrian, she tackled him to the ground in a hug "Augh! Beth!" Hayden coughed "I missed you too... Please get off me..."
"Oh uh... r- right. Sorry," Beth got up and Hayden pushed himself back up to his feet "I am so glad to see you."
"Hate to break up the reunion, guys," Mikayla said "But, uh... about that way back up to Olympus?"
"Oh, yes, yes. Of course," Hades replied "I think we've called upon Charon enough for one group. Everyone hold onto me." They all touched his shoulder and he enveloped them all in a black, rotting smoke, which when dissipated, revealed they had been transported back to Hades' throne room.
Eden wretched and asked "Hayden... is this what you had to smell every time you use... your abilities?"
"Mhm," He replied with his arms folded over his chest "Wait, why am I here? I'm not going up to Olympus, right?"
"What!? Of course you are!" Beth exclaimed "We can not finish this without you. Hayden, we barely managed to fight off Zeus's agents and we outnumbered them."
"Wait, why were Zeus's zealots attacking you?" Hades asked.
"Athena, she sent them. Apparently for the time being, they are under her command," Kenneth replied "Hayden, please. We need you to help us in this fight."
"Sorry, but I'm afraid he can't... at least not for a while," Hades apologized "However, that doesn't mean he can't help you all, but first... you're going to help me."
Hayden looked up at his father and asked "How...?"
"I've long grown bored of this throne. The Underworld is my home, I have no desire to leave it," Hades replied "But this world is so vast and I have barely seen any of it. I rarely leave this castle and even this place, I know very little about it. All I want is a successor, and who could be better than someone who has gone toe to toe with my niece- no, not that one!" Mikayla put her hand down as Hades scolded her for pointing at Persephone.
"And you need me to do... what?" Hayden asked.
"A duel for Hades," The God responded "Or, a duel for the Underworld as I am leaving the throne. The fight will be a simple race against the clock. All you have to do is hold out until the timer runs out. I do not expect you to win, but I do expect you to give it your all."
Hayden looked back at his friends, with everyone but Beth nodding, then he looked back to his father, and said "Yeah, let's go."
The torches began to burn brighter and a door opened in the wall, showing five rows of about ten seats each. Clearly, this had been made well in advance. When Beth asked Persephone, the Goddess explained that Hades had been bored of this for about a millenia now. He was just waiting for the perfect opportunity for this. The Demigods all took their seats and Eden opted to lay on Cerberus's back instead. The three headed hound had no issue with this so Hades and Persephone allowed it. The father and son stood in the center of the throne room with a rack of weapons set out for Hayden. Hades had already chosen his bident, so he was just waiting for Hayden to pick his weapon. While he was more familiar with a scythe, he decided to take up a sword instead.
"Are you sure that's what you will use?" Hades asked as his son played with the sword a bit.
"Well balanced, sturdy build, light weight..." Hayden mumbled "Yup, this is what I'm gonna use."
Hades nodded and they faced each other, getting into a guard stance before the battle began. They waited for the horn to be blown, but the moment it was, they got right down to business. Hayden ran toward his father and swung the sword at his head. Hades jumped back and swung the long end of his bident up to block his son's attack. Hades twirled the dual bladed spear into his under hand and swung it up at Hayden's head. He ducked under the attack and hades spun around with the momentum of his swing. Hayden got up and used a vertical block to deflect a spear slash to his face. They glared into each other's eyes for a moment, then he pushed his father's blade down. Hades spun around and slashed at his son's back, but Hayden swung his blade over his head to block the strike. Hades let go of his Bident with one hand and hook punched Hayden in the nose. He stumbled backwards and Beth... was a little annoyed. She was annoyed for two reasons, the first of which being that she thought it was a bit of a cheap move. The second was that Nate had used the same move in their most recent scuffle. Hayden regained his composure and swung at his father's legs. Hades blocked the attack, then kicked Hayden backwards. Hayden put his guard back up and blocked two slashes toward his head. He moved to the side of Hades and swung at his back. The God of the Underworld put his weapon behind his back, then swung his blade away.
"Damn, kid," Hades said, impressed "You're better than I expected."
"Yeah, well, when you're constantly hunted by a psychotic Goddess and traveling with a bunch of powerful Demigods... and one asshole... you've gotta be at the top of your game."
"Well then, don't get distracted."
Hades slashed up at his son's head, but he blocked the atack, but Hades tried to swing the butt end of his spear. Hayden saw this and kicked it back, then twisted his blade down to block another stab to his stomach. Hades spun around and stabbed with his back turned to Hayden, but he batted the blade away again. The two both jumped away from each other and posed for... really no reason. After posing, Hades swung his blade at Hayden's legs, but he just jumped over it. Hayden landed and tried to attack for a few seconds, but every time he tried, Hades' spinning blade would deflect and block the attacks. Hades blocked another attack and spun around, so Hayden swung at his back, but Hades had seen this coming. With his back turned, he used the pole of his bident to block Hayden's wrists. This stopped his attack and Hades headbutted his son in the nose. Hayden stumbled backwards and had no choice but to duck under his father's next attack. He got back up and swung twice at his father's chest, but he blocked both attacks with the spear's pole. Hades began to spin his blade around again, which made it impossible for an attack from hayden to land. He thrust, swung, slashed, even threw his blade at one point, but it was no use. Hayden's sword clattered to the floor in front of him and when his father swung at his head, he rolled under the attack.
Hayden grabbed the sword off the floor and Hades told him "It's unwise to throw away your weapon."
"Yeah, I'm used to my scythe coming back to me."
"If ever they return, they will bring your scythe."
They had been still fighting at high speeds throughout the entire chat, showing the level of discipline and focus they each had. Nate could talk and fight, sure, they all could, but at the speed they were moving, it was incredibly impressive. Hayde blocked a strike behind his back, then another to his neck. He pushed his father's blade down and swung at his head, but he blocked the strike. Hades spun his bident around and swung up at Hayden's ribs, but he swung his blade into his father's. The two blades bounced off of each other with a few sparks flying and Hades punched him in the nose.
"Augh! Stop that!" Hayden exclaimed as he swung his sword down at Hades' head.
He tried to block, but the attack, but the blade sliced cleanly through the pole. Before Hades could even register what just happened, Hayden spun around, and kicked him in the stomach. He fell on his back and threw the bottom half of the pole away, then used the bladed end to block a downward stab. He kicked Hayden in the back of the head and got back up. Hades blocked a stab to his head, then swung down at his son's leg. Hayden blocked and hades spun around, then side kicked him in the nose again. Hayden stumbled back and did a sword flourish before putting it back into an outward guard position. Hayden moved back as Hades swung at his neck, then the God spun around, and swung again. Haden blocked the attack and crouched down to swing at his father's leg. Hades jumped and spun horizontally before kicking Hayden across the jaw. He was knocked backwards and using this opening, Hades' palm struck him in the nose.
He nearly fell on his back and Hayden growled "Oh, that does it!" He stood back up and stabbed at his father's chest, but he leaned out of the way, and batted his sword away.
Hades stabbed back at his son, but he blocked the attack, and pushed his sword to the floor. He spun around and swung his sword at Hades' head, but he ducked underneath the attack. He ducked underneath the attack, then batted Hayden's sword away again when he tried to strike him down. He got back up and stabbed at Hayden's chest, but he blocked the attack, and pushed his weapon to the floor again. He kicked Hades in the chin, then swung down at his head, but the God of the Underworld was fast enough to use a horizontal block to stop Hayden's attack. He pushed his sword away, spun around, and swung his own blade at Hayden's head. He ducked under the attack and Hades began driving him back with a flurry of attacks. Hayden swung at Hades' waist, but he jumped over the attack, and front flipped behind his son. Hayden turned around and their blades locked again.
"You're faster than I expected," Hayden admitted "I thought you'd be out of practice, being stuck down-"
Hades struck him with the end of his weapon's handle, opening a gash in the side of his face as he said "Stop getting distracted." He used his foot to push Hayden forward.
He swung down at his son's head, but he blocked, and pushed both of their blades to the floor "Fine..." Hayden hit him in the side with his shoulder, which knocked his father back "Whatever you say." He got up and side kicked Hades in the back "Just wanted to work on the relationship."
Hades turned around with a smile and replied "Ah, we'll be able to talk whenever we like. We both live down here now."
They both swung at each other and their blades locked before they stepped behind one another. Hayden spun around and slashed at his father's head, but Hades ducked his horizontal strike. He got up and Hayden stabbed at his father's chest. He blocked the attack and Hayden grabbed Hades' wrists while crossing their blades. He tried to cleave his father's head off at the neck, but the supremely elder leaned back to avoid the attack. The blades were behind him now and Hades headbutted him in the nose. Hayden stumbled back for a moment, then swung down at his father's head. He blocked, pushed their blades to the floor, and hammerfisted Hayden across the face.
"I would've caught on sooner or later," Hades told him. "Using that same move over and over will only work so long."
"Yeah... thanks for the tip," Hayden grumbled while wiping blood from his nose.
"Don't worry, we don't have too much longer. You're putting up a better fight than most do against me."
The two glared at each other as Hades stalked toward Hayden, then he stabbed at his head. Hayden blocked the attack, but didn't have the reflex time to get away from a kick to his chest. He was sent flying by his father and he crashed down onto the throne that would soon be his. Hayden groaned as he looked up, then he yelped as he rolled away from Hades' blade. It bounced off of the black steel and stone of the reinforced throne and they continued their duel. Hayden blocked another stab to his head, then ducked under a spinning swing. He got up and blocked another swing to his neck, then blocked, and pushed away a stab to his heart. He pushed Hades against the wall and swung down at him, but he jumped away, and Hayden's sword cut through the wall as if it weren't even there. Hayden swung at his father's chest again as he turned around, but he blocked the attack, then ducked under another swing. He got up and turned so that his back was facing the throne. Hayden swung down at his head, but Hades blocked the strike. Haden tried to push his sword into his father's shoulder, but Hades already knew what to do.
"Alright, that's enough," Hades told his son as he grabbed him, turned, and tossed him into the throne "Now, you are the God of the Underworld. It's a thankless job, there are no vacation days, and no one comes to visit. Also people don't tend to pray to you or your wife."
"Wife? I don't have a wife." Hayden recalled his scythe and put it onto his back,
"Not yet but you will one day." Persephone smiled at him, like she knew something he didn't
"Wha- oh!" That's when Hayden looked over at Beth and stared at her, "You mea-"
"I'm not saying anything else. You need to find out in your own time."
"My love, enough of that. Last time you spoiled something for someone, The Fates were on my ass for weeks. I had to buy them twenty five bottles of peppermint champagne."
"Oops, sorry..." Persephone giggled.
Hades sighed, "Hayden it's time for you to eat the fruit of the underworld and become its new king." Hades pulled out a Pomegranate and held it out to Hayden, who hesitated and looked at the others, and slowly took the pomegranate.
"Here's to victory, I guess." He took a giant bite of the pomegranate... and after a few seconds as Eden was about to say it didn't work Hayden collapsed and Mikayla slid to her knees and caught his head before it hit the ground.
"Hayden!" Beth followed Mikalya to the ground, as she glared at Hades, "What did you do?"
"Oh he's fine. Give it a few seconds," Hades groaned while rolling his eyes.
Beth put her hand to Hayden's face, "Please wake up." Hayden's eyes slowly fluttered open and he looked up at Beth.
He slowly reached up to her face and asked, "What's got you looking so worried?" Beth held his hand stopping it from going to her face, smiling and shaking her head.
"Nothing, everything is okay," Beth replied, laughing while tears leaked from her eyes, then she looked up at Hades and asked "What will you do now?"
"Now...?" Hades asked, echoing her last word "Huh, you know, child? For the first time in my entire life... I don't know." He turned and faced the Demigods as Hayden walked toward the throne "I think I'll go explore the far reaches of The Underworld. I've never really done that." He took a deep breath in, then let it out "Alright, let's get you all to Oympus." He took the group down the stairs behind his throne, then up another set... for some reason, and they came to a large quartz and silver door "Alright, here you go. This is inaccessible from the other side and it's a bitch to get back down, so you know, best to have a way down."
"Is there a path from the mortal world?" Beth asked.
"Yeah."
"Then we will be fine. Thank you, Hades." He nodded and they walked through the door and Hades sighed, ready to finally get to live his own... life.