m͟a͟e͟ ₊⊹

𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒔.

Originally born a nymph of the surface, she was found alone and unaccompanied by the Goddess, Hecate, and her Lampade companions. The very night she was stumbled upon a decision was made, a curious and strange decision that was likely guided by the hands of the fates themselves, and the infant was whisked off below the surface.

That nymph became a goddess, and the Lady of the Crossroads gained a daughter of her own to raise.

Her upbringing was kind, her mother an ever wise and fair hand to teach her. The lampades became great carers, quick to take their goddess’s new young under their wing. An honorary lampade, they would muse. She was quick to take a torch in hand herself, and faster to keep pace with the rest on her mother’s strolls and revelling.

Never straying far at all should they briefly walk toward the path of the surface. After all, why would she wander and roam what lies above when her family and home resides below?

‘ɪs ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ sᴏ ᴜɴᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴀs ᴀ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ?’

                              𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆.

The Crossroads, a secluded and hidden location between the Surface and the rest of the Underworld, became their dwelling. Intended to be a safe sanctum for the goddess to learn of herself better, to understand what she may be without the chaos most of the depths inhabitants might bring. Any visits her mother made to the House of Hades, meant that the young girl would be left at home under the care of the Lampades.

Perhaps to be kept a secret, not that her mother would give that honest truth outright. After all, there was still yet a heavy tension between herself and the underworld’s Lord after her assistance to the Queen Persephone’s escape to the surface.

The fates, ultimately, find their way regardless and the well kept secret wasn’t to be kept that way indefinitely. A spawn of Lady Nyx (a primordial being of the night) Hypnos, (the very personification of slumber) was the first to learn of her. A dream, of course, is where they had met and upon waking the young god took off to his mother like the fires of the river Phlegethon were licking at his own heels. The girl, however, brushed off the encounter foolishly.

‘ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏᴜsᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀᴅᴇs. ʙᴜᴛ, ɪɴsᴛᴇᴀᴅ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ. ᴜɴsᴇᴇɴ, ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴄᴀɴᴛ ꜰᴇᴡ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs, ᴀᴍɪᴅ ᴘᴀᴛʜs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴʏ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀʏ. ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇꜰᴜʟʟʏ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʜᴇʀᴇ.’ (ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏꜰ sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡs, ʜᴀᴅᴇs ɪɪ.)

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚.

Hecate, a few of her lampades, and the girl, were later summoned to the House soon after. The child was a secret no longer.

Despite some concerns at the unplanned reveal, the fallout settled more evenly than expected. Whilst irritated at first, to have such a secret kept from him in his very own domain, Hades had a fairly even temperament, as much as it could be, to the arrival of the young being (who kept hidden behind the drapes of her mothers fabric, nestled amongst the safety of the few Lampades, to nervously avoid such a scrutinising eyes of the intimidating god.)

Eventually matters that she should not overhear would have to be discussed, and with a begrudging hand, her mother would send her on her way. Entrusting the young Hypnos with her daughter, though truly the trust was placed into Lady Nyx, whom he was instructed to lead the girl to after she graciously offered to watch over her in Hecate’s place.

‘sʜᴇ sᴇᴇᴍs sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ, ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ, ᴘᴀʟᴇ, ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍʏsᴛɪᴄᴀʟ.’

𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔.

Her children were kind upon introduction, yet many carried a heavy air around them she wasn’t quite sure of. Two, in particular, felt different. Another young god, most definitely her age, and the one she already knew of, Hypnos.

He fast made a friend of the young lady, who was pleased to finally have a met another her own age (or, somewhat in comparison to those she was used to being around at the least). He was interesting to her, his cheerful demeanour and quippy words an entertainment. Not that her family were boring, but nothing seemed to quite match the experience of interacting with someone closer to her own age. In turn, the young god himself was thrilled to have been the one to learn of her hidden existence and was delighted with her continued, albeit it uncertain, interaction with him following it.

She then learnt that the other went by the name of Zagreus who was another son of Nyx, yet differently to the other individual she had met, was also the son of Hades. The prince of the underworld, and just as interesting to her as the former. He was quick to strike a conversation, curious of her origins and her nature, similarly as entertaining as his supposed brother, and she was keen to hold the attention of the bright eyed prince.

ꜰᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ, ʜᴏᴍᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀᴍᴏɴɢsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀs.

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔.

Tensions began easing, anger simmering into a quiet understanding between the two — a mutual understanding of care towards the absconded queen. The peace having been once more found between the titaness and the god resulted in the appearance of the Lady within house growing ever more frequent.

Most of her time at the House was spent scurrying past the imposing Lord, waiting patiently at her friend’s sleeping side should he awake to continue a prior conversation, or exchanging banter with the Prince. Whom she’d regularly seek the company of, and vice versa, when given even a small chance.

Her visits and stays within the House brought an element of brightness to the halls and many deities and creatures alike became fond of her. Perhaps traces of the surface that never quite left her soul. As uncertain as she could be at times, she was quick to entertain a conversation and politely greet any familiar faces.

The shades, especially, became quite joyful, less prone to moping and complaining, when she was around. After all, it wasn’t often a goddess would listen to their woes and stories with attentive and compassionate ears . She enjoyed their company too, and most of all their plentiful stories and tales. Whether they were true or not mattered little, she just enjoyed the talking.

‘sʜᴀᴅᴇs ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴍɪʟʟ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏᴜsᴇ, ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴏᴇs, ᴀɴᴅ sᴇᴇᴋɪɴɢ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴀɴʏ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ.’ (ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴏʀ)

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕.

Overtime the girl grew, matured, and changed. The goddess little more certain of herself and much less likely to dart past Hades watchful glare. She remained ever fond of most of the shades and found herself helping to guide the souls to their appointed areas of the afterlife, often accompanied by some hounds of her mother. Rather strictly only between Asphodel and Elysium, as the guilt of leading souls towards their punishment in Tartarus would weigh much too heavily on her conscience.

Otherwise, when without a torch in hand to guide, she now takes on the role akin to a librarian within the house. (When she isn’t avoiding her work, of course).

Once the Prince learnt of his origins, the lies and the hidden truth, and set about his plans of escape, she quickly decided to lend her assistance also. Whether that’s by offering a blessing or two, or by leading him down the most desirable pathway in the ever changing chambers. Sometimes, it’s just by lending a hand to help him out of the red waters of the Styx and encouraging his next attempt.

‘ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴀʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ, ᴍʏ ᴡɪʟᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅs ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀs.’

EXTRA INFO

i was born a nymph originally and adopted cause Hecate is a maiden goddess (in most accounts) & because i didn’t want to deal with scripting around the.. extreme relatedness (?) of that whole family. my role within the house is kind of librarian-ish? i help with a lot of the records but it’s kind of a mix of a few things (basically where i’m most beneficial for the time and that’s usually with the records and books! especially when zagreus starts his escapes attempts lol) i also guide the shades sometimes, because i find it fun to eavesdrop in the game and i thought it was fun to incorporate the idea of being raised around the Lampades !!

me and hypnos are like day ones cause wdym others don’t really talk to him!! helloooo?? (+ he was the first person i gave nectar to and i wanted to add that in🙂‍↕️)

i did make friends with Thanatos (& the others) eventually chat but not for a minute cause Hypnos and Zagreus were less serious and doom and gloomy (also cause i was spooked by Than the first time i saw him in the game LMAO i thought he was going to try and kill me). ………. guys i am not immune to the Zagreus hype he’s charmed me (i love him). i’m rambling AGAIN down here so it’s not really a summary but like?? OH! and hecate isn’t the same as the one from the second hades game btw! (but i am keeping the crossroads :p)

a/n: i’m not sure how i feel about this 😭 i tried to go for a more of a storytelling (???) style but like… hm. it feels weirdly written. anyway! thank you so much for reading if you got this far !! any questions welcome ofc :3