It was the 29th of January, the day of the court hearing. It was a cool, crisp Winter day, Dimitras was not looking forward to the four hour drive to Cape Taenarum, where the council resided.
The courthouse was made of stone, and dated back as far as the third century BC. The roof was held up by intricately placed, curved stone arches and support beams. The benches surrounding the courtroom were wooden and curved inwards towards the center. There were five chairs at the front of the room, in front of two large wooden doors that were nearly as tall as the ceiling.
Once Kai, Dimitras, Onyx and Ava arrived, the courtroom was already filled past capacity, forcing some hybrids and hybrid supporters to observe from outside. They pushed through the crowd and found their seats next to the other three supremes. Dimitras noticed twelve chairs lining the inner circle of the courtroom, and knew the gods would likely be arriving soon. She looked to the council and saw Persephone and the other three council members in their assigned chairs, talking amongst themselves.
Onyx and Ava were seated behind Dimitras and Kai. Dimitras nervously checked the golden watch Kai had gotten her as an anniversary gift a few years back, then gulped thickly when she saw there was only one minute until the hearing would begin. She looked up when she heard the wooden doors behind the council open, and the gods entered one by one, taking their seats around the inner circle. Hades entered last, and took her seat in the center of the room.
Before the doors closed from the room they had entered from, Kai noticed that the doorway had acted as a portal from Mt. Olympus, then noticed the faint blue line that traced from the doors and around the chairs of the twelve Olympians, acting as a protection barrier cast by spell allowing them to set foot in the courthouse.
Hades looked to Kai and Dimitras with a crooked smile, knowing they must have been looking forward to making her pay for her judgements and prejudices against the hybrids. As soon as Hades sat, the room went quiet. The lack of sound was not what Kai had expected. She was expecting shouting and rioting, things being thrown at Hades from all angles but instead she realized that the hybrids still likely feared the goddess. The more she watched Hades, the more she realized that the god was just as scared as she tapped her foot repeatedly and fumbled with her fingers.
"We haven't got all day. Please begin." Zeus stated with a deep voice which echoed throughout the courtroom, shaking the stands. Persephone cleared her throat as she straightened the papers on the table in front of her.
"Today we are addressing the the Hybrids Vs. Hades. Hades will state her case, followed by any hybrids who wish to speak against her. The council and the gods will vote. If the votes are in Hades favor, she will choose to do with her laws as she pleases. If the votes are in the hybrids favor, Hades will be forced to comply, surrendering the laws she placed forth years ago. If the voting results in a tie, the laws remain unchanged and a second hearing may be called for." Persephone explained.
Hades stood as soon as her wife finished speaking, then steadied herself by placing her hand on the arm of her chair as she had almost lost her balance. She was intimidated and Kai could tell. She walked around slowly within the circle as she looked at all of the hybrids who wanted her dead, clenching her fists as she realized how many had slipped from her grasp and hadn't been arrested or handled accordingly. She then looked at each one of the gods before speaking.
"Brothers, sisters, members of the council, let's go back, say... two thousand years for a moment. What was it like here on earth? I don't know if you remember as well as I since you were always up on your mountain eating grapes with golden forks but I very vividly remember the fact that hybrids were everywhere. Their power was too strong for them to handle, they were wreaking havoc across the place we called home. Fires were everywhere, earth's soil was charred and soiled from these inexperienced amateurs and the dead bodies they left in their wake. It would be irresponsible, no, unacceptable, if we allowed them to go back to their normal ways. The people would think poorly of us and would stop worshiping and praying to us, we would lose their trust. I only did what I thought was best by creating these laws. Zeus, your son was killed by a hybrid. Aphrodite, your best friend was killed during the war by a hybrid. How can you be so forgiving? These are creatures of Typhon for gods sakes. Evil is in their blood, it courses through their veins right now as we speak. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying they are all bad or that they are all inexperienced, but as soon as things go back to the way they were the sooner we open that window of possibilities. Earth has just caught up and has finished healing from the times hybrids ruled, if we reverse this law we would dramatically increase the chances of mass extinction of humans and would threaten the livelihood of the world itself." Hades made her claims.
"Imprisoning us for simply existing is bad enough but killing us? How can this be allowed?" Sage said from the stands.
"Oh come on, you know I haven't had a hybrid killed in decades. Ive tried, but my efforts were unsuccessful." Hades said, looking to Kai. "I've changed my ways, I don't want to be your enemy. I just care about the others whom we share this earth with as well. I can't give you the same freedoms because the scale would not be balanced. Imagine New York City or Los Angeles filled with your kind, and any time something bad happens, one of your kind looses their cool and someone dies. Humans would hate you." Hades explained.
Hybrid after hybrid said their piece, calling her names and cursing at her.
"You just don't like the idea of anyone being stronger than you. You're sad that you're the odd one out, they're not called the thirteen Olympians for a reason. You're an embarrassment and you will never amount to the power and goodness that comes from the other gods." Gianni shouted. His remark had visibly affected Hades. Her fists clenched and tears had formed in her eyes.
"You've been indirectly controlling us through your wife for years, for reasons that only benefit you. You're power driven and you always will be." Kira shouted at Hades.
Hades knew if she wanted the votes of her brothers and sisters, she had to stay calm and not express the anger and frustration she had harbored for them for years, ever since they decided to isolate her years ago.
Onyx stood, wanting so badly to defend Hades and tell the hybrids and other gods what her true intentions were. Hades saw Onyx and took a deep breath, forcing a small smile so that Onyx would know she was okay.
"I know I will never be as great as them, my brothers and sisters, and I know I have been known to manipulate and use my authority for purposes that are selfish and inhumane. But please believe me when I say I have learned that no matter how much power I have, my name will always be used and seen as a curse, as something bad that shouldn't be talked about. At first I liked being feared and liked being cast off to a world of my own. But the underworld has taken a toll on me and every time I visit my brothers and sisters I see what I am missing, and my jealousy and frustration grows a little more each time. I've turned into someone I don't recognize, someone who only cares about how others perceive me but after having all of the power I could have ever imagined, and seeing the way I am still treated, I no longer care about the power. From now on I'm going to do what I know is right for the people. You don't know me, none of you do. I'm not a scary person. I like strawberry crepes and almond pastries. I make jewelry during my spare time. I care about my wife more than I've cared about anything. All I've ever wanted was to be accepted and I know that your acceptance is not going to be gained in the foreseeable future but at least I will be able to learn to accept myself in knowing that I am doing this for the greater good." Hades said.
Persephone looked around from one god to the other and knew that they were considering Hades words. Not wanting another hybrid to speak up, she held up her hand, ending any remarks to come. "I think we have heard enough. It is time to vote." Persephone said. "All in favor of the freedom of the hybrids, raise your right hand." She added, scanning the gods facial expressions. She was shocked to see six hands slowly rise, not including one of the council members' who sat behind her. Still, she smirked when she realized the hybrids were still two votes short from winning.
"All in favor of Hades laws, raise your right hand." She said, immediately raising her hand and nine others followed.
"Hades, please. You can't continue on like this, it isn't fair. Things have changed since the times that you remember long ago. We now have schools for students with powers like theirs, schools that allow them to learn in a safe environment and learn of their powers away from humans, where they pose no threat. Please, change your laws. Enforce order but in a way where hybrids can continue to learn rather than locking them away for the rest of their lives. Create laws forcing the younger hybrids to attend these schools so that they will know how to handle and control their powers by the time they are older. Not only will you receive the acceptance you have always wanted from the hybrids, I think you will find it easier to accept yourself as well by doing the one thing you know is truly right." Dimitras pleaded. She knew Hades always had a soft spot for her, since her mother and grandmother always accepted the dreaded goddess and always treated her as their equal.
"Yeah!" One hybrid yelled, starting an uproar of cheers and suddenly the crowd was chanting Hades name.
Hades couldn't help but smile, realizing how much she would be respected if she heeded Dimitras' guidance. Hades rubbed her jaw as she considered Dimitras' words. "I think I could write that up, we'll have to start building grade schools immediately. I'll work on getting things in order for the release of the hybrids that have been imprisoned. I know it won't make up for the ones who were killed but I hope this can be a start." Hades said with a smile. The Hybrids cheered, and Dimitras could tell that the gods were surprised by Hades decision. She hoped the goddess would now receive the recognition she deserved from them after all those years.
After the hearing, Hades was swarmed by hybrids who wanted to speak with her and ask her questions, they no longer feared her and saw her as she truly was. She had laid everything out and Dimitras admired her for that. Once the crowd had subsided, Dimitras and Onyx stepped into the center of the room, stepping over the enchanted barrier and hugged Hades. Kai was still a little skeptical after everything Hades had put her through when she was younger so she stayed on the sideline and watched their interaction with a small smile.
"I owe you one." Hades said quietly to Dimitras as they hugged. Hades then placed her hands on Dimitras' shoulders and looked her over, seeing how far along she was. "Now give me your child," Hades teased with a smirk before laughing. Dimitras gasped then pushed her away playfully, not wanting to open that can of trauma during a moment such as that. "What, too soon?" Hades teased before hugging Onyx and giving him a noogie.
As hades stepped back towards the large, wooden double doors, she felt an arm being placed around her and she gasped. She looked up to see Zeus and smiled. They returned to the house of the gods together as they talked and caught up. Once the wooden door closed, the blue enchantment that once lined the inner courtroom disappeared, and the portal to the house of the gods had been closed.