Hades crouched in front of his crying daughter.

"Why Mama weave?" Two hundred fifty-year-old Solace cried.

"Mama has to go to visit her Mama every year," Hades said softly.

Stellaluna pulled Solace into her chest.

"Solly, let's go play in Mom's garden. Wouldn't you love that?"

"I want Mama!" Solace cried. An explosion made the five-year-old's room blow up.

"I'll take her up to Mom," Hades whispered.

"Okay," Stellaluna sighed. She drew the pieces back together, reforming the little girl's room.

═ ═ ═ ╰☆╮ ═ ═ ═

Hades carried Solace to her room as her clothes shimmered and turned into pajamas.

Hades sat on the bed and rubbed his face, wearing a tired expression. Kronos was turning everyone. Next thing he knew, he'd lose his daughter—only daughter, now. He couldn't lose anyone else. Nor could Persephone.

Especially not Persephone. She'd taken the loss of Stellaluna especially hard, even compared to Solace.

It had only been one year for an immortal. Solace had spent her days on Earth, putting her anger onto the monsters trying to kill demigods. She sent evil to the Underworld, leaving him with more dark souls to send to Tartarus.

Fifty human years. That's how long she was gone. 18,250 human days and 365 immortal days.

That long.

She'd been away for so long, Hades couldn't really comprehend that she was actually curled up in her bed next to him.

She had been away from her home. And now she was back and he didn't know what to do.

She was being targeted by Kronos and she was scared and he couldn't do anything.

He couldn't do anything because his only loyal servants were Hecate, Thanatos, Hypnos, Charon, Styx, Lethe, Melinoe, and the judges. The Erinyes had abandoned him for his child-swallowing father.

He felt a pang of betrayal just as Hecate rapped on the door softly. Solace stirred briefly before falling back into her heavy sleep.

Hypnos and Hecate stood with twins Thanatos and Eros. Eros looked sadly at the young immortal. Hypnos walked into the room silently. He pulled a blanket from the end of the bed and put it over Solace. He tapped her forehead and Hades knew his daughter would be out of it for a few mortal hours which was more than sufficient for an immortal.

The five alert gods went to the dining room.

Thanatos began the meeting quietly.

"Kronos and Gaia are trying to chain the Doors open," Death stated.

Love rubbed his twin's shoulder. "We're working on moving them more frequently so it's more difficult to track, but only Hecate has that amount of strength. But she's been weakened from guarding the Underworld."

Hades frowned. He looked concerned, not only for Hecate, but also the fact that the Doors were being chained.

"Hypnos?" Eros asked. "You must have something to add."

"Morpheus has been turned as I'm sure dear Solace has told you. Which means that unless I can keep the demigods in and out of sleep, Kronos will have more allies then we do."

"Solace can take care of that," Thanatos argued. "She's nearly as intelligent as Athena."

"Indeed," Hecate murmured. "But it's demigods all over the world. She doesn't have the strength for that. She's too young."

"Hecate is correct," Hades agreed. "Solace will only exhaust herself. We need older, more seasoned gods and demigods to help. Preferably minor, not major. If it's major gods, then they won't be trusted. Satyrs will need to be sent out to collect demigods over ten and take them to CHFH."

"I must agree, Thanatos," Eros said apologetically. "Solace is too young to handle that amount of strength. She is too weak with her youth."

"The war won't be for another few human years. We have very little time to prepare. We must do what we can to slow the process. You are contributing to the plan, are you not, Lord Hades?" Thanatos slipped in.

"More Solace than me, but yes," he sighed.

"Then we must collect allies and show them the good and bad sides of us. Only then will they trust us if they believe we're showing ourselves completely," Love said.

"Back to the subject of the Doors," Hecate interjected. "If they chain the Doors open, then monsters and traitors alike will come back within seconds."

"And our allies won't?" Hypnos asked dubiously.

"They know the rules and they won't know the passages that Kronos does," Hades sighed.

Love and Death shared a look.

"What?" Hecate asked. "What's wrong?"

"There's more," Eros murmured. "Calypso is being turned."

═ ═ ═ ╰☆╮ ═ ═ ═

Solace shot up in bed. She shook off the sleep that Hypnos had put her in and ran out of the room. She stumbled around the castle, trying to make it to the dining room.

The older gods turned to the tired nineteen-year-old goddess.

"Cal," she murmured. "She's in danger."

"She's being turned," Eros said.

"No, she's being captured."

Solace started running, terrified for the friend that had been in hiding. As she exited the Underworld, she jumped to Calypso, and seeing her friend in chains sent her to burn the apartment. The monsters burned and crumbled around the Titan and god. Solace started tearing the chain and ropes off Calypso

"Underworld?" Calypso coughed out. Solace nodded, wiping away the terrified tears.

Calypso jumped to the entrance and the two stumbled into the Underworld, barely making it to the dining room before the titaness collapsed.

Solace stumbled into Thanatos who barely caught her before she passed out.

Hypnos kissed her forehead, sending her into another deep sleep. Thanatos carried her to her room but stood there, watching her sleep. He wasn't the only god who'd fallen for the young one. But he was the only one who'd admit it to himself.

He knew Solace was already ready for her soulmate, but no matter how long he'd waited, he couldn't find his one and only love.

Eros had tried so hard to release him from her hold on his heart, but both gods knew that it would take eternity to get away.

And no one has that long.

Sorry for the long wait.
~ Ella