The night air was warm, the scent of spring thick on the breeze, sweet and heavy with blossoms newly awakened. And then the world shifted.

The grass, once so lively, darkened, wilting beneath an unnatural cold that slithered through the earth like veins of frost. The crickets fell silent. The trees stiffened, as if holding their breath. A tendril of black smoke coiled from thin air, twisting into the outline of a man — tall, broad-shouldered, and lean, like a blade dressed in mortal flesh. His long, flaming blue hair flickered lazily as if stirred by a breeze no one else could feel, and his yellow eyes gleamed, sharp and calculating, in the moonlight.

Hades had arrived.

"Nice night," he mused aloud, voice slick as oil and twice as smooth, strolling through the silent grove like he owned the place. His boots barely made a sound on the now-sullen earth. "Too nice, if you ask me. Flowers blooming, birds singing.."

His mouth split into a grin, a crescent of sharp, white teeth against his blue-grey skin.

The child of Demeter was here somewhere. He could smell it — fresh, alive, vibrant. Spring incarnate. A walking, talking loophole in the natural order. Oh, how Zeus would gnash his teeth if Hades pulled this off.

"You know," he continued, speaking as though his target were already listening, "I’m not one for the whole kidnapping gig. Very... crude. But you, sweetheart — you’re a special case. Can’t let Olympus have all the fun, can we?"

The ground cracked beneath his feet, faint but deliberate, as if the Underworld was already welcoming its new resident. With a lazy snap of his fingers, smoke spiraled outward, curling through the branches and under the ferns, searching. Hunting.

"Come on out, little sprout," Hades drawled, eyes glowing a shade brighter. "No need to make this a thing. I’ve got a lovely room with your name on it — eternal darkness, no nosy gods, unbeatable heating system."

His grin sharpened as the air grew colder still. "You'll learn to love it."