Subj: Family Life, Chapter One
Date: 5/13/00 2:42:22 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beverly LaCroix

Chapter One
Prince Nicholas

"Hades is not to be soothed, neither overcome, wherefore he is most hated by mortals of all gods." [Agamemnon. Homer, Iliad 9.158]

Nicholas didn't have to be dragged out of bed this morning by his father, for today he was going to see his mother, and his sister. His father could feel the excitement coursing through his son's very being, it was pouring off him in waves. He would need to talk to his instructors about controlling his emotions. His sister Celesta would need to be consulted about his son's lack of control. He had had many complaints lately about young Nicholas' behaviour in the Elysian Fields, especially on the playground of the Academy where his son attended every day to learn mortal history, and other rudimentary scholastics. Hades had found it difficult to punish his only son. Nicholas had been a gift to he and Persephone from Hera, Queen of the Gods, then Angelique was gifted to them, and he had never taken the gift lightly. There should have been no children for them, but Hera had been in a good mood, and allowed the couple their wish.

To say Hades doted on Young Nicholas would have been an understatement. Anything the boy wanted or needed Hades would provide, except the one thing he had no control over, and that was the presence of his sister, and most of all his mother for six months of the year. Hades allowed him one month a year to be with his mother and sister out of his domain. It would begin on Persephone's birthday, which she deemed mother's day, because she would have her children with her. Persephone hated the thought of her son being so close to Tartarus, but as Queen of the Underworld, she kept her feelings to herself. She loved and worshipped her husband too much to ever give voice to such worries.

Finally, Hades had settled Nicholas down enough to get him ready to go with his mother and sister. His daughter would not be allowed to remain here with him without her mother. He and Persephone had agreed to that when she was born.

Walking out of his palace, the three Harpies who stood at the large palace doors guarding Hades, bowed in deference to the young prince as he exited the Palace. His father was right behind him, barely able to keep pace with the anxious boy. Ceberus, Hades three-headed guard dog, came bounding by Hades, and almost knocked him down, in an effort to get to Nicholas. Hades was piqued. "Charon, get this dog and chain him to your boat, now!" Hades
commanded.

"Yes, Master." Charon, the hideous looking boatman of the River Styx bowed low, taking the dog.

"Father, let me tell her goodbye," Nicholas pleaded.

Hades couldn't refuse his seven year-old son anything, it seemed, the irritable Charon thought relinquishing the dog to the boy. Charon had to admit the boy was what would be termed beautiful, like his parents. Onyx-colored hair flowing to his shoulders, in loose curls, eyes black like his father's, skin white as alabaster, with roses in his cheeks, which was a phenomenon for a resident of the Underworld, but this was an unusual being. His mother, Queen of the Underworld, was from Mt. Olympus, and he spent time with her, and the result left him looking more like a citizen of Olympus than the Underworld. He was average height, not chubby, but not skinny, perfect like a god.

"Nicholas, come along. We do not want to keep your mother and sister waiting, do we," Hades urged.

"Yes, Father, I'm coming," Nicholas replied softly,, reluctantly handing the dog over to Charon, and bowing in deference to his father.

Hades knew Persephone worried about Nicholas accidentally stumbling into Tartarus, or his curiosity getting the better of him, and sneaking in unprepared, and alone. Hades knew she was aware, eventually, their son would have to become as familiar with it as the Elysian Fields, but now he was to young and impressionable, and one very important reason was because Tartarus is a place of punishment. Thinking about Tartarus' physical appearance made Persephone shudder. A fence of bronze runs round it, and night spreads in triple line all about it. The gates are of iron and the threshold of bronze, and there is a threefold wall around it. Around this triple wall flows Pyriphlegethon with its flames and its clashing rocks. The entrance, in which there is an enormous portal has pillars of solid adamant that not even the gods could break. At the top of its tower of Iron sits the Erinye Tisiphone 1, with her bloody robe, and sleepless day and night, guards the entrance.

Hades acknowledged Hermes as he was on his way to the Underworld. Not wanting to engage in conversation with him, because Hermes liked to gossip, and they were running late. Nicholas stood and watched Hermes, but before he could see what he was doing, Hades picked his young son up, and in a shimmer of black light blinked them out this region of his domain.

Thinking of Hermes and his function in the Underworld, this was something he did not agree with his wife, that their son should not know. He should know, and Hades would talk with Persephone about it when they returned to him. In the inner recesses of his mind, he looked into a hidden mirror and watched Hermes, leading the souls of men and women as they die to the Underworld, past the streams of Oceanus, past the White Rock, past the Gates of the Sun and the Land of Dreams, until they reach the Asphodel Fields, where the spirits dwell living the flavourless existence of a shadow or phantom. This is not a place of punishment, but there is no pleasure and the mind is confused and oblivious. Of course, there was always the exception, and the exception was Tiresias. He would have to check in on him when he returned from delivering his son. As prince of the Underworld, Nicholas needed to know and understand about this region, and the sooner the better. Persephone needed to understand that hers was the world of growth, beauty, flowers, butterflies, all the beautiful parts of life, his was of death, and it had to be addressed.

He materialized them at the spot where the way forks in two directions, the right-hand leading, under the Palace of Hades, to Elysium, and the left-hand taking down to Tartarus. Elysium is a happy place which has a sun and stars of its own. Those who dwell in Elysium exercise upon grassy playing-fields or wrestle friendly on yellow sands; some dance and others sing or chant poems. Orpheus is here and Musaeus, who wrote songs and poems and uttered oracles. All these live in groves and make their beds on river-banks and may wander in luminous plains and green valleys, and this was where Nicholas attended the Academy, and spent most of his time when he was not in the palace of his father, his home.

"Father, put me down," Nicholas squirmed as they walked toward the entrance to the upper world. Hades complied, and put the boy down gently, reluctant to let him go, knowing his wife was nearby, it would not be long before he would be alone.

"Mother!" Nicholas shouted, shaking off his father's embrace, as he began to run towards his mother.

Hades assured himself that his son was firmly planted on the upper-world, and his daughter caught sight of him, and ran to him and he held her in a warm hug. His four-year-old daughter was a delight to him, as much as his son, only in a different manner. She was as blonde as he was brunette, her eyes were blue, witch-eyes, eyes of a sorceress, Thanatos had said when she was born. Hades had almost blasted Death out of existence at that remark. Shaken out of his reverie by his son's voice, concern marked his face.

"Mother, where is Andreus?" Nicholas asked.

Andreus Petofi Lycaon was Nicholas' best mortal friend. They had been friends since they were two-years old, and had remained so. Andreus had a pet unicorn that he would allow Nicholas to ride as often as he liked. Hades didn't care for the boy, he was older than Nicholas, and his brother Zeus had been watching his father's activities with disdain, and a brewing deadly anger for sometime. He would tell Persephone to take Nicholas to Olympus, and to keep him away from King Lycaon's son.

"Nicholas." Hades heard a voice coming from the olive tree grove. Hades felt a ball of lightening forming in his hand, wanting to strike the intruder, better to put him out of his existence than try and ruin his young son with his talk of sorcery, cultic practices, and necromancy.

It was too late now, Persephone had taken Angelique from him, and watched the two boys at play, and was bidding him a very passionate good-bye. Hades, with his wife in his embrace, watched the two boys, and that was when he saw the look of pure hatred directed at his son by Andreus Lycaon.