Bane La Mortis lives on the streets, every day being a battle for survival. But meets a man in a black cloak, he finds out that he is the son of Hades, King of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead and God of Wealth. But will he be able to prove himself...
Bane followed the shade through the castle until it disappeared when he reached a hallway with three wooden doors on each side.
But which one is mine? Bane thought as he walked down the stone corridor. He walked to the first one on the right-hand side. On it, was a plaque that read Bane La Mortis.
Bane opened it and walked in to find a bed with a frame of obsidian and a soft-looking mattress with blankets. There was a bookshelf in one corner, filled with old-looking tomes that looked well cared for.
Between his bed and bookshelf, was a glass display cabinet embedded in the wall so as not to get in the way. Inside was a fearsome silver suit of armour with a purple cape draped over the shoulders.
At the end of his bed, was another door that, when Bane opened it, led into a lavish bathroom. A marble tub sat in one corner, surrounded by a wall for privacy. The wall looked as if it was diamond, but it was as thin as glass and just as pure and clear. A sink stood to one side and a wardrobe in the wall on the other side. Inside the wardrobe were twenty different outfits. Half of them looked like they came straight from Ancient Greece while the others looked a bit more modern.
"Is it to your liking?" a voice said behind him. Bane spun around to see a woman in a long robe that shimmered with sparks like the ground on a hot summer's day. Her hair was a black as night but her eyes shined with intelligence.
"Yes, it is," Bane replied, "But its just so much to take in".
"Well, I would be a bit worried if you just took it in your stride. Knowledge is meant to be digested...like food," the woman chuckled. "But where are my manners? I am Hecate, Goddess of Magic, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy," she said, curtsying to him.
"Bane La Mortis," he replied, bowing in return.
"Yes, you are," she said, "Now the Prince of the Underworld".
"Prince?" Bane asked.
"Yes. Your father, Hades, has sent me to tell you that you can choose whether to stay here and live with him...or return to the world above," Hecate explained, "He understands that you may hold some resentment to him and may not wish to stay. In fact, it is something he understands better than anyone or anything in this world".
"I'm not sure..." Bane admitted.
"You do not need to choose right now," the Goddess of Magic told him, "You have until morning".
"How can anyone tell when it's morning?" Bane asked, "We're underground, aren't we".
"You will be woken up when it is time," was all the Goddess said before walking out, leaving Bane a lot to think about.
"It is time to awake, my prince," a voice crooned, gently shaking Bane's shoulder. He opened his eyes to see who was waking him up, but no one was there.
"Hello?" he asked to the silence.
"Oh," a voice squeaked, "I didn't mean to wake you up, my lord".
Bane looked over to find a small, pale girl dust the bookshelf. "That's okay," Bame said, "It must have been a dream that woke me".
But it wasn't, he thought, I knew that voice...just can't remember where.
"Would you like me to run a bath for you?" the girl asked.
Bane looked down at himself. He was still wearing the old clothes that he used to wear when he performed on the street. But I have new clothes now, he thought with a smile. "Yes please," he told the girl, who did a small curtsy before passing straight through the door to the bathroom.
While he waited for her to finish, he looked over the spines of the books on the shelf. They were mainly about Greek Mythology and information about the Underworld. But others were about fancy cuisine and funeral rites.
"It's ready, my lord," the girl said behind him before he could pick up a book, "Lord Hades would like you to make a formal appearance to the Underworld and has asked that you wear your armour today".
"Thank you," he told her before she left.
He undressed and stepped into the cubicle to find that as soon as he stepped in, the diamond-like glass clouded over, hiding him from anyone he might accidentally come in while he was washing. Afterwards, he wrapped a soft towel around him and opened the wardrobe. He put on a black Greek-style chiton before going out to put on his armour.
"Would you like some help?" Thanatos said, bowing as Bane walked out of the bathroom.
"Uh...yeas please," he replied, realising that he didn't know how to put on a suit of armour. When Thanatos waved his hand over the glass door, Bane heard the sound of lock mechanisms moving. Thanatos carefully pulled out gauntlets and helped Bane put them on, instructing him on how to do the straps as he went to get the boots. They repeated this cycle until Bane was completely covered in his silver armour.
Then Thanatos left Bane to prepare himself for his debut.
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When he was ready, Bane walked out and followed Thanatos through the castle. He took Bane to a room that led out onto a balcony that overlooked the entire Underworld. From here, Bane could see to the far edges of his father's kingdom. "Lord Hades will be with you in a moment," Thanatos bowed.
"I'm already here," Hades said, walking up towards them in his black armour while holding a two-pronged staff in one hand. Behind him, padded a three-headed wolf with a glossy black fur coat. Thanatos bowed again before leaving
"This is Cerberus," Hades said, gesturing to the hound. Bane realised it was the same dog that was marked on his violin. "And this," Hades said, returning Bane's attention to the Underworld, "Is our Kingdom".
"Ours?" Bane asked.
His father nodded, "Yes, you are now the Prince of the Underworld and its forces. Every mortal who dies will come here. Thanatos goes out a collects their souls to bring to Charon, who ferries them across the Acheron River". Hades pointed towards a body of water filled with a grey liquid. "Then they will be brought before the Judges, who will look at their lives and decide where they go in the Underworld".
"I thought it was just one big place?" Bane asked.
"No. There is the Asphodel Meadows, where people neither good nor evil go. The Fields of Punishment, where murders, rapists and other evil mortals go. And then there is Elysium, where heroes go".
"What about there?" Bane asked, pointing towards a beautiful marble city atop grassy cliffs.
"That is the Isles of the Blessed," his father told him, "To go there, you must choose to be reborn again and achieve Elysium three times".
Bane nodded to show that he understood before spotting a chasm the size of a mountain in the distance. "That is Tartarus," Hades said with a grim look when Bane asked about it, "You must never go there. It's where monsters and Titans have been imprisoned. And it is my duty to make sure that they are never set loose upon the world. But everything that is under the ground and within my borders is our home, and I promise to keep you safe and try to make up for what you had to put up with during your life above".
