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DISNEY VILLAINS: THE ETERNAL NIGHT   There were few things in existence that Hades, Lord of the Dead, genuinely feared. Pain was an inconvenience, failure was an embarrassment, and heroes were an infestation that needed to be exterminated. The worst of all were the annoying gods  of Mount Olympus. Despite all their thunderous declarations and golden thrones, they were nothing more than a collection of self-important immortals who had grown far too comfortable believing the universe belonged to them. Hades did not fear them. As a matter of fact, he loathed them with a burning passion. Even beyond self-righteous do good heroes and those worthless beings that sat upon Mount Olympus, there was one thing Hades hated more than anything else. In fact, it was the one thing that he feared. He hated and feared being completely powerless. That is what he felt after being bested by that pathetic hero known as Hercules.      The River Styx stretched into the darkness, its glowing green waters swallowed every glimmer of light that dared approach. The anguished whispers of the dead drifted across its surface while an endless chorus of souls surrendered to eternity. Beneath the water, countless skeletal hands reached toward the surface, their fingers scraping against the invisible boundaries of their prison. Among them struggled a blue-skinned god whose hair burned like a living inferno. Hades had once commanded this place. He had ruled its innumerable caverns, its rivers of despair, its legions of restless spirits. Every shadow had answered his summons. Every demon had bowed before his power. The very architecture of the Underworld had reflected his ambition. Now, he was drowning the river would not let go. The River Styx clung to him with supernatural determination, its waters wrapping around his limbs like chains.   Every time he forced himself toward the surface, the river dragged him back into its depths while those skeletal hands and tormented souls drug him deeper into the horror of the deathly waters. His flaming hair flickered between electric blue and a furious orange.     "Oh, come on!" He shouted, though his voice emerged as a distorted gurgle beneath the water. "This is getting ridiculous!"   A dozen translucent hands seized his ankles. Hades kicked violently, scattering them.   "I am a GOD! You hear me? A GOD!"   The Styx answered with another crushing wave.   His lungs burned, though he had no need for mortal breath. His magic sputtered like a dying torch. Whatever ancient power governed these waters had been strengthened by the decree of Zeus himself.bHis brother had not merely imprisoned him. Zeus had ensured that every moment of his confinement would remind him who held the greater power. The humiliation was exquisite, and Hades was going to make someone pay for it. With a sudden, furious surge, he thrust both hands toward the surface. Blue fire erupted from his fingertips, illuminating the riverbed in a violent flash. The souls that once reached out to drag him deeper into the torment had recoiled. The chains of water shattered. Hades burst through the surface and hurled himself onto a desolate bank of black stone. He landed on his knees, coughing up spectral water that evaporated before touching the ground.   For several moments, he remained still. Then he slowly raised his head. His flames had returned to their familiar blue. A smile spread across his face.   "Oh, brother..." He whispered as his fingers tightened into fists. "You have absolutely no idea what you've done."   He rose to his feet and examined his surroundings. The landscape was familiar, yet somehow it felt different. The towering gates of the Underworld stood in the distance, but the roads leading toward them were fractured. The distant palace that had once been his seat of power was shrouded in darkness. While he was trapped inside the river after being knocked down by that goody two shoes, Hercules, Zeus had begun stripping him of his authority. He had taken away his divine privileges, and nearly all the forces that had once answered his commands. Despite everything that his brother had done, Zeus had made one critical mistake. He had left Hades alive. He snapped his fingers. A burst of blue flame erupted before him, opening a portal through the darkness.   "All right, boys." He muttered. "Let's see what kind of mess you've managed to make while Daddy's been away."   Hades sauntered forward and stepped through the portal to another area of the desolate Kingdom of the Underworld.   Meanwhile,   Pain and Panic were arguing over a stolen pomegranate when the portal opened. Pain, the larger of the two, had somehow managed to wedge himself into a decorative urn. Panic, considerably smaller and considerably more nervous, was attempting to pull him free.   "You're pulling the wrong way!" Pain complained.   "There's a right way to pull someone out of an urn?" Panic asked.    "Obviously!" Pain shouted.    "Then why don't you tell me what it is?" Panic replied.   "Because I don't know!" Pain exclaimed.    The urn shattered before Pain landed on his back. Panic landed on top of him. Neither noticed the temperature dropping. A shadow stretched across the floor.   "Well..." A familiar voice called out, "isn't this touching?"   The two imps froze. Pain slowly turned his head. Panic's face turned the color of old parchment. Standing in the doorway was Hades. For one terrible moment, neither henchman moved. Then both scrambled upright.   "Boss!" Pain squeaked.   "You're back!" Panic added, forcing a smile so strained it looked painful.   Hades surveyed the room. The scattered furniture, the broken urn, the half-eaten pomegranate, and an enormous pile of unpaid tribute that had accumulated in one corner. His smile widened.   "Tell me something, boys. Did you miss me?"   "Every second!" Pain answered.   "Every single second!" Panic echoed.   "Really? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you two have spent your time enjoying a little vacation, and once did you ever try to get me out of that RIVER!"   Pain swallowed. "Well, technically, we were keeping an eye on things."   "An eye?" Hades repeated.   "Two eyes, actually," Panic offered helpfully.   Hades's flames rose. The room filled with an unbearable heat. "Let me guess. While I was being dragged through the Styx like an unwanted bath toy, you two were doing your absolute best to maintain my glorious empire?"   Pain nodded frantically. "Exactly!"   "Of course!" Panic added.   "And how did that work out?" Hades asked as his eyes glared down at his two bumbling henchmen.    The imps looked at each other.   "Not great?" Pain ventured.   Hades raised one hand. A column of blue fire erupted from the floor. Pain and Panic shrieked as they were lifted into the air, spinning helplessly inside a cage of magical flames.   "You incompetent little..." Hades paused.   The flames flickered. He stared at the two terrified imps, then slowly lowered his hand. Pain and Panic dropped to the floor in a tangled heap. Hades turned away.   "No." He said while shaking his head.    Pain cautiously opened one eye. "No?"     "No," Hades repeated, almost thoughtfully.   Panic scrambled behind Pain. Hades paced the chamber with his fingers tapping against his chin like a drum. He had spent centuries plotting the overthrow of Zeus. He had raised armies, manipulated mortals, and unleashed the Titans themselves. Every scheme had been designed around one fundamental principle; Hades would become ruler of Olympus, and Zeus would finally learn what it meant to be beneath someone else's heel. Yet, all those years of calculated plans and schemes ended because of Hercules. While it would have been easy to blame his two demonic imps for their failure when Hercules was a baby, Hades knew that would not get him any closer to overthrowing Zeus. Perhaps the problem was not that Hades lacked ambition. Maybe raising an army of Titans was not the answer to his problems. Maybe the answer lied somewhere else. Perhaps he lacked imagination. His eyes narrowed as he plotted his next moves.     "What if?" Hades murmured while pointing up as a thought crossed his wicked mind, "I stopped trying to beat my brother at his own game?"   Pain and Panic exchanged uncertain glances. The two imps stayed silent while waiting for Hades to continue with his thought.   "What if I found something even the gods were afraid of?" Hades asked out loud with a mischievous smile. It was not his usual theatrical grin. This one was quieter. It was colder. "Oh, now that's an idea."     Pain and Panic stayed silent as Hades turned toward his henchmen. "Boys, I think we might finally have ourselves a little adventure."   Pain brightened. "Adventure! I like adventures!"   "Do we get snacks?" Panic asked.   "Yeah, I could go for one of those Hercules Cake Pops!" Pain added.    Hades's expression darkened as his lips curled back revealing his sharp teeth. "Don't push it."   Before he could explain further, the entire chamber shook. A blinding flash of lightning illuminated the walls. Hades slowly turned toward the doorway.   "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Hades grumbled in annoyance.   The sky above the Underworld split open. Golden light poured through the darkness, accompanied by the unmistakable thunder of divine authority. The walls trembled. The River Styx recoiled from its banks. A procession of gods descended from the heavens. At their head stood Zeus, King of Olympus, his white beard gleaming beneath a crown of lightning. His expression was stern, his eyes burning with the authority of a ruler who had come to deliver a final judgment. Beside him stood Hera, her face unreadable. Athena watched with the cold attention of a strategist studying an enemy. Ares carried his weapons with undisguised impatience, while Hermes hovered near the rear of the procession, unusually quiet. Other Olympian deities filled the chamber with their presence. Hades looked from face to face.   "Well, well. The family reunion I've been waiting an eternity to skip." Hades said sarcastically.    Zeus stepped forward. "Hades."   "Zeusy." Hades replied with a forced smile.     "This ends now." Zeus declared.      Hades placed a hand against his chest. "Really? Because I was just getting started."   "You have brought nothing but suffering, treachery, and chaos to this family. You have repeatedly threatened the balance of the world, defied the laws of Olympus, and sought to overthrow your own brother." Zeus growled.while glaring at Hades with a stern gaze.   "Your brother?" Hades corrected. "Funny how you remember that part whenever you need someone to blame. You're the one who sent me down to the basement while you and the fam get the ivory towers and porcelain thrones."   A rumble of thunder shook the chamber. Zeus's expression hardened.   "You were given a domain. You were given authority. You were given the opportunity to serve alongside your family."   "Serve?" Hades laughed. "Oh, that's rich. You gave me the dead, Zeus! The dead! While you sat on your golden throne, surrounded by worshippers and clouds and little lightning bolts, I got to spend eternity cleaning up the mess everyone else made!"   "You were entrusted with a sacred responsibility."   "I was handed a prison and told to call it a kingdom!" Hades argued.    For a moment, the two brothers stared at one another. There had been a time when they had fought side by side. A time before the bitterness, before the jealousy, before Hades had begun to regard every smile from Olympus as another reminder of what he had been denied. Unfortunately, those memories had become buried beneath centuries of resentment. Zeus raised his hand. A bolt of lightning struck the ground between them.   "You mistake my patience for weakness. I will not permit you to threaten Olympus again."   Hades's flames surged. "And I will not spend eternity bowing to you!"   Athena stepped forward. "The council has reached its decision."   Hades glanced at her. "Oh, wonderful. A committee."   "You are no longer welcome among the gods of Olympus...." She continued while ignoring the pale figure with a head of blue flame. "Your privileges, honors, and standing among the divine order are revoked."   Hades blinked without a change in his expression. "So, in other words, you're kicking me out? I guess I won't get the family station wagon."   Zeus's voice echoed throughout the chamber. "You are banished from Mount Olympus. You will never again stand among its gods as an equal."   Hades's mouth opened and then closed. He turned toward Hera. "You're allowing this?"   Hera lowered her eyes. He looked toward Athena, then Ares, and then Hermes. No one spoke. Finally, Hades turned back to Zeus.   "And what exactly does that make us, brother?"   Zeus regarded him without mercy. "Nothing."   The word struck harder than any thunderbolt.   "You are no longer my brother, Hades."   Silence fell. Even Pain and Panic stopped breathing. Zeus extended both arms, and the entire chamber filled with golden light.   "By the authority vested in me as King of Olympus, I hereby condemn you to the Underworld for all eternity. You shall never again ascend to Olympus, nor shall you claim a place among the gods who dwell there. Your exile shall endure beyond the ages of mortal civilization, beyond the rise and fall of kingdoms, beyond the memory of those who once spoke your name."   The decree echoed through the Underworld. Ancient runes ignited along the walls. A barrier of divine power descended over the gates leading upward, sealing the roads that connected Hades's domain to the heavens.   Zeus turned away. "Come. There is nothing more to discuss."   The gods began their departure. Hades stood perfectly still. Then, just as Zeus reached the portal, he spoke.     "Enjoy your throne while you can, brother."   Zeus paused before stepping through the portal.   Hades's flames began to change. The color turned from its usual blue to a bright orange. Then that orange became crimson. His hair erupted into a towering inferno, casting monstrous shadows across the walls. The stones beneath his feet cracked. The River Styx surged violently against its banks, and the distant screams of the dead rose into a deafening chorus. Hades lifted his head.   "You've made a mistake, brother!"   Zeus looked back. For the briefest moment, something resembling regret crossed his face. Then it vanished.     "The mistake..." Zeus replied, "was believing you would ever change."   "Give my regards to that little snot nosed brat of yours!" Hades hissed as Zeus stepped through the portal.    The portal closed and the thunder faded. Hades was alone in the Underworld once again. For a long time, Hades did not move. The Underworld had always been dark, but now the darkness seemed to press against him. It filled every corner, every crevice, every breathless silence. His hands trembled with fury. He stared at the place where Zeus had stood. His larger than life brother, the one who had taken everything from his and the one who had humiliated him before the entire divine order. The one who had also looked him in the eyes and declared that he was nothing. Hades's flames roared. A shock wave erupted from his body, blasting furniture across the chamber and sending Pain and Panic tumbling behind a stone pillar.   "NOTHING?" Hades bellowed. The walls cracked. "NOTHING?!" His fury intensified until the very air seemed to burn. "I'll show you nothing, Zeus! I'll show you what happens when you take everything from a god who has absolutely nothing left to lose!"   Pain cautiously peeked around the pillar. "Boss?"   Hades turned. The imp immediately vanished behind the stone. For a moment, Hades considered vaporizing both of them. It would be satisfying, but satisfaction was a luxury for those who had already won. He had lost Olympus. He had lost his standing among the gods. His brother had sealed the gates of Olympus and condemned him to a domain he had never truly escaped, even during his brief periods of freedom. If he wanted revenge, he would need more than anger. He would need power. He need real power and not simply an army of Titans. Something that could shatter the divine order itself. Hades straightened his robes and brushed a fleck of ash from his shoulder.   "Well..." He said, his voice suddenly calm, "this has been a productive afternoon."   Pain and Panic emerged from behind the pillar.   "Productive?" Panic repeated with a bewildered look.   "Oh, absolutely. I've had a revelation." Hades replied with a smile.   He snapped his fingers. The broken furniture reassembled itself. The flames died down. The chamber returned to its usual state of gloom.   "I've spent centuries trying to overthrow Zeus by playing within the rules of a game he invented. Armies, prophecies, monsters, heroic children with unfortunate haircuts. Same old routine." He shook his head. "Predictable. Boring. And, frankly, terrible for my blood pressure."   Pain nodded as if he understood. Hades ignored him.   "No. If I want to destroy Zeus, I need something that predates his precious rules. Something that even the gods cannot control." His eyes gleamed. "And I happen to know exactly where to start looking."   Beyond the borders of Hades's dominion, in a place where time drifted like mist and the boundaries between past and future dissolved, a single cavern pulsed with ancient magic. Three figures sat around an enormous stone bowl. The first was tall and gaunt, her single eye fixed upon the swirling waters. The second was smaller, her hands moving with the restless precision of a spider spinning a web. The third sat in shadow, a pair of enormous shears resting across her lap. It was the Fates. Clotho, who spun the threads of life. Lachesis, who measured their lengths. Atropos, who severed them when their appointed moments arrived. They had witnessed the birth of kings and the deaths of empires. They had watched heroes rise, monsters awaken, and civilizations vanish beneath the sands of time. They had seen the Olympian gods claim dominion over the heavens. They had also seen what waited beyond the reach of Olympus. The cavern trembled as Hades entered.   "Hello girls!" He announced. "Tell me you've missed me."   The Fates did not peak up their wrinkled heads.   "We have seen you coming." Clotho replied.   "We have seen you falling." Lachesis added.   "And we have seen you crawling back." Atropos finished.   Hades frowned. "Always a pleasure."   He approached the bowl. Its surface reflected thousands of images, each appearing and disappearing before he could study it.   "Now, I know you three are very busy with the whole destiny business, but I need a favor."   The Fates finally turned toward him.   "Your fate has been altered." Clotho said.   "Your thread has been shortened." Lachesis added.   "And your path has grown dark." Atropos whispered.   Hades folded his arms. "Okay, let's skip the ominous fortune-cookie routine. I need a weapon. A relic. An artifact. Something with enough magical muscle to make Zeus reconsider his career choices."   The three sisters exchanged glances. Then they laughed. The laugh was not kindly, nor was it cruel. They laughed because they had seen this moment before. It was not Hades's arrival, precisely, but the pattern of it. The moment when a fallen ruler decided that ordinary power was no longer enough.   "Others have sought such things." Clotho said.   "Kings and queens." Lachesis continued.   "Sorcerers and tyrants." Atropos whispered.   The bowl brightened. Its waters became a window into countless distant lands. Hades saw a horned ruler in a ruined kingdom, his armies marching beneath a black banner. He saw a sea witch clutching stolen magic in the depths of a sunken grotto. He saw a beautiful woman standing before a mirror, her face twisted by envy. He saw mischeviois magician turning a prince into.a frog, a pirate captain with a hook for a hand running away from a hungry crocodile, and a queen whose heart had frozen beneath the weight of her own cruelty. They were all different worlds and in different ages. There were countless stories with different ambitions. Yet the images shared one common ending. They all ended in defeat. A castle crumbled. A ship sank. A throne shattered. A crown rolled through the dust. Heroes prevailed and villains fell. The threads of destiny continued to weave themselves into the great tapestry of existence. Hades watched with growing impatience.   "Uh-huh. Fascinating. A collection of losers. Is there a point coming, or are we doing a greatest-hits compilation of people who couldn't manage a simple hostile takeover?"   The bowl darkened as the Fates fell silent.   "Not all failures are equal." Clotho said.   "Some leave scars upon the world." Lachesis continued.   "And some leave doors unlocked." whispered Atropos.   Hades's expression sharpened. "Now we're talking. Tell me more about these unlocked doors."     The waters of the bowl began to churn. A vision emerged from the darkness. A vast, ancient chamber beneath the home of a powerful Sorcerer. Black stone pillars rose toward a ceiling lost in shadow. At the center of the chamber stood a pointed blue hat with stars etched into the fabric. Even from the vision, Hades could feel the power radiating from the Sorcerer's hat. Hades leaned forward.   "What is that?" Hades asked.   "The Sorcerer's hat." said Clotho.   Even Hades felt something shift within the air. The vision expanded. He saw a desolate kingdoms and worlds overrun by an assortment of objects brought to life by this mystical hat. He saw the Sorcerer's apprentice, a mouse with round ears fighting an army of broomsticks. The vision shifted to countless worlds all showing what this hat could achieve and the power that it could bestow. He saw the endless possibilities of worlds where the villains win. Kingdom burned and heroes fell. At the center of it all was the Sorcerer's Hat with a power being unleashed upon worlds that had believed themselves beyond destruction.   "The Hat was stitched together through ancient sorcery." Lachesis explained. "Its power reaches into the boundary between life and death. It can transform the most simple objects into servants of darkness and it can grant unimaginable power to its wearer."   Hades's eyes widened and he slowly smiled. "Oh."     The Fates watched him carefully.     "With it..." Hades murmured, "I could raise an army."     "An army that would not tire." Clotho said.   "I could achieve powers that surpass Zeus and all those bumbling fools on Olympus." Hades continued.    "A power that could change entire worlds. " Lachesis continued.     "A power that could fate and destiny itself." Atropos whispered.   Hades clasped his hands together. "Well, now, isn't that just beautiful?"   He began pacing. A power that surpasses destiny with armies drawn from anything tjat he could image. He imagined the gods watching their golden palaces crumble beneath an advancing tide of the dead. He imagined Zeus standing on the shattered steps of his throne, lightning flashing uselessly against the darkness. He imagined his brother looking up at him, not with contempt or even disappointment, but with fear.   "And after Olympus..." Hades whispered, "the world."   The vision suddenly changed as the Sorcerer's Hat disappeared. In its place emerged a jagged mountain beneath a moonless sky. Its summit rose like a broken crown against the heavens. The slopes were barren and black, scarred by ancient fires and shrouded in swirling clouds. A sinister red glow pulsed from its peak. Hades's smile faded slightly.   "Let me guess. There's a catch."   "The location of the Hat has been lost." Clotho replied.   "Not entirely lost." Lachesis corrected.   The waters shifted, revealing a weathered parchment covered in strange symbols. The parchment depicted a map, its edges burned and its markings obscured by centuries of age.   "This is the key to finding it." said Atropos.   Hades reached toward the bowl. His fingers passed through the image. "Where is it?"   The three sisters spoke together. "Bald Mountain."   The cavern fell silent. Hades slowly withdrew his hand. "Bald Mountain..." He repeated cautiously.     For the first time since his escape from the Styx, his expression suggested something other than anger or amusement. He had heard of Bald Mountain. Everyone had on Olympus. It was not merely a mountain. It was a place where the ancient darkness of the world had gathered and taken shape. A place where the barrier between the living and the dead grew thin, where nightmares wandered beneath the moon, and where lesser spirits gathered beneath the authority of a being whose power had existed long before the Olympians began quarreling over their thrones. Hades turned toward the Fates.   "You're telling me the map to this pointy blue hat is sitting in the backyard of the most terrifying creature in existence?"    "Not the most terrifying. There are other terrifying creatures that surpass the one that rules over the Bald Mountain, but very few." Lachesis replied.   Hades raised an eyebrow. "Oh, good. That makes me feel much better."   The bowl darkened.nThe mountain emerged in greater detail. Its summit pierced a storm-filled sky, and its slopes were populated by countless shadowy creatures. Winged demons circled the peak. Twisted spirits crawled among the rocks. Hooded figures danced around fires that burned with colors no mortal eye should have witnessed. Then the mountain itself seemed to move. A colossal figure rose from the darkness. Two enormous wings unfolded against the moon. A pair of blazing eyes opened, and the world seemed to shrink beneath his gaze.   Chernabog stood atop the mountain like a living monument to primordial evil, his immense form towering above the surrounding landscape. His horns curved toward the heavens. His claws could have crushed a castle. His wings stretched across the summit, blotting out the stars. Unlike the champions of Olympus, Chernabog possessed no need for temples, worshippers, or mortal admiration. He ruled because he could, and those who entered his dominion learned the difference between a ruler who demanded obedience and one whose very existence made resistance seem meaningless. Hades stared at the vision.     "That's him?" He asked with a sigh.      "That is Chernabog." Clotho answered.   "The master of Bald Mountain." Lachesis added.   "The hand that reaches from the night."  Atropos whispered.   The waters of the bowl rippled. A new vision began. They saw an age before the rise of many mortal kingdoms, when the world was young and the darkness beyond the horizon had not yet been given names. Across a desolate plain, armies of monstrous spirits gathered beneath a blood-red moon. Their ranks stretched beyond the horizon, their banners made from darkness itself. At their center stood Chernabog. He raised his arms. The earth split and the dead rose. Forests withered in moments, their branches twisting into skeletal fingers. Rivers turned black. Cities disappeared beneath unnatural storms. Mountains trembled as though the world itself had recognized something it could not hope to defeat.   Chernabog did not fight like a mortal general. He did not need strategies or weapons. He simply summoned the darkness, and the darkness answered. The vision shifted again showing great spirits of the world gathering to oppose him. Ancient beings of light descended from the heavens. Their radiance illuminated the plains, and for a moment the darkness retreated. Then Chernabog spread his wings. The light vanished. One by one, the ancient beings were overwhelmed, their forms dissolving into the storm that surrounded the mountain. The survivors fled. Chernabog returned to Bald Mountain and claimed the summit as his throne. There he remained, surrounded by the creatures of the night, his dominion expanding into the shadows of the mortal world.   "He has never sought the thrones of the gods." Lachesis explained.   "He has never desired the worship of mortals." Clotho added.   "He seeks only to reign over the darkness that belongs to him." Atropos finished.   Hades stared at the mountain. For once, he had no immediate joke. Chernabog's power was not merely formidable. It was ancient, and unlike Zeus, who ruled through divine authority and the loyalty of other Olympians, Chernabog appeared to answer to nothing. Not even destiny.     Hades finally cleared his throat. "All right. Impressive résumé. Terrible interior decorating. But if this guy is so powerful, why doesn't he find the Sorcerer's himself?"   The Fates turned to one another whipe passing around their shared eyeball.   "Because he does not wish to leave his mountain." Clotho answered.   Hades blinked with a blank expression. "Come again?"   "Chernabog delights in his dominion." Lachesis explained. "Every night, he awakens to command his spirits and revel in the terror he inspires. Every dawn, he returns to his summit and waits for the next night to come."   "He has no need for the Hat" Atropos whispered. "His kingdom is already his."   Hades considered this.   "So he's a powerful, ancient monster who spends his time sitting on a mountain, frightening the locals, and refusing to take a vacation."   "Your words." Clotho said, "not ours."     "Well, that's convenient." Hades hissed.   He began to pace again. Chernabog would be dangerous. Perhaps more dangerous than anything Hades had ever faced, but the map was there and the Hat was the key to everything. The Fates had given him a path. Now all he needed was the courage to walk it, or, more accurately, the arrogance to believe he could survive it. Hades stopped pacing. His flames flickered softly as he considered the mountain, the map, and the power waiting somewhere beyond it. For centuries, he had believed his destiny was to rule Olympus, but destiny had a rather irritating habit of getting in his way. Perhaps it was time to stop pursuing the future that had been denied to him and it was time to seize something greater.     He turned toward Pain and Panic, who had spent the entire encounter attempting to remain invisible. "Boys."   Both imps jumped. "Yes, boss?"   "How would you two like to take a little trip?" Hades asked.    Pain brightened. "Where are we going?"   "Bald Mountain." Hades declared.    Pain's smile vanished.   Panic's knees began to tremble.   "B-Bald Mountain?" Panic stammered.   Hades nodded cheerfully. "That's right! Beautiful scenery, fresh air, plenty of demonic wildlife. I'm told the local population is absolutely delightful."   Pain swallowed. "Isn't that where Chernabog lives?"   "Give the little guy a prize!" Hades exclaimed.   Panic grabbed Pain's arm. "We can't go there! Nobody goes there! It's Chernabog!"   Hades raised an eyebrow. "Really? I hadn't noticed."   "He's enormous!" Pain added.   "So am I, emotionally." Hades replied while crossimg his arms.    "He eats spirits!" Panic said while trembling.    "Well, then, he and I have something in common." Hades added.   "He'll kill us!" Both imps shouted.   Hades leaned forward. "Now, boys, let's not be dramatic. I'll kill you."   Pain and Panic stared at him. Hades straightened.   "Besides, you two have been a little underwhelming lately. This could be your chance to prove yourselves."   The imps looked at each other. Pain hesitated before saying, "So... you want us to get the map?"   "Precisely." Hades replied.    "And if Chernabog catches us?"   Hades smiled. "Then you'll have the unique opportunity to discover just how much pain a pair of imps can experience before their bodies become completely unrecognizable."   Pain and Panic went pale.   Hades chuckled. "Relax! I'm kidding." The imps exhaled. "Mostly." They immediately began backing away. Hades watched them for several seconds. Then he sighed. "No. Forget it."   Pain and Panic froze. "Forget what, boss?"   "I'm not sending you two. If I want something done properly, I have to do it myself." He turned back toward the Fates. "Tell me everything you know about getting to Bald Mountain."     The sisters exchanged a glance. "The path does not lie upon any ordinary road." Clotho explained.   "It passes through places where time and space lose their meaning." Lachesis added.   "And it opens only when the boundaries between worlds grow thin," whispered Atropos.   Hades smiled. "Of course it does."   The Fates extended their hands over the bowl. The waters brightened, revealing a constellation of strange symbols. Threads of light connected distant realms, forming a route that twisted through stars, shadows, and forgotten dimensions. Hades studied it carefully. The route would take him beyond the borders of the Underworld, through places that mortal maps could never describe. It would lead him to the edge of a realm where ancient darkness reigned, and beyond that darkness lay the Sorcerer's Hat. He felt a thrill of anticipation, not hope. Hope was for heroes. This was certainty. For the first time in centuries, Hades could see a future in which Zeus was no longer standing above him. He could see Olympus in flames. He could see the divine order collapsing beneath the weight of an army that could not be killed, and he could see himself standing at the center of it all. Not as the Lord of the Dead and not as the unwanted brother, but as the ruler of everything.   He turned toward Pain and Panic. "Keep the place tidy while I'm gone."   Pain blinked. "You're leaving us here?"   "Would you prefer to accompany me?" Hades asked. Both imps shook their heads so violently that their bodies blurred.n"Excellent. Glad we understand each other."   Hades snapped his fingers.His robes transformed into a darker, more imposing garment, its edges shimmering with blue fire. A long, black cloak settled over his shoulders. He raised one hand. A portal opened. Beyond it lay a vast expanse of stars, swirling galaxies, and strange worlds suspended in the infinite darkness between realities.   "Wait, boss! I thought Zeus had exiled you in here for eternity?" Pain asked in a shaking tone.    "You think that egotistical dimwit can take away all my power, then you are severely mistaken.   Hades stepped inched closed toward the portal. Hades took one last look at the Fates.   "One more thing." Hades said with a sinister smile that spread from ear to ear.   The Fates waited while handing off their single eyeball.   "Does Zeus know about the Sorcerer's Hat?"   The sisters did not answer immediately.   Then Clotho spoke."Zeus knows many things."   Lachesis continued. "But he does not know everything."   Atropos smiled faintly. "And what he does not know may yet destroy him."   Hades's grin returned. "Now that's what I like to hear."   He stepped into the portal. The Underworld vanished behind him, and the fallen god began his journey toward Bald Mountain. The passage through time and space was unlike anything Hades had experienced. He moved through a corridor of shifting realities, where stars became rivers and planets dissolved into clouds of colored mist. He passed the distant silhouettes of castles, forests, and cities that existed in worlds beyond the reach of Olympus. For a brief moment, he glimpsed a palace beneath the sea. Then a forest where shadows moved independently of their owners. Then a kingdom buried beneath an eternal winter. He saw an animal kingdom that abided by a circle of life and ruled by lions. Each vision disappeared before he could study it. There were countless worlds. Countless lives and countless ambitions. Somewhere among them, countless villains who had believed themselves destined to rule, but each villain ultimately failed.    Hades barely spared them a thought. Their failures were irrelevant. Their stories were irrelevant. Only his mattered. The portal finally narrowed as a cold wind swept through the passage. Then Hades emerged onto a rocky outcrop overlooking a vast, desolate landscape. He stood still as he saw the Bald Mountain before him. Its jagged summit pierced the sky, its slopes shrouded in darkness. Black clouds coiled around its peak, and a faint crimson glow illuminated the rocks. The mountain was even more imposing than the Fates' vision had suggested. It looked less like a natural formation and more like something the world had tried, unsuccessfully, to bury. While others would have felt deepyl uncomfortable, Hades smiled.   "Well, well." He adjusted his cloak. "Home sweet home."   Then he noticed the moon. It hung enormous and pale above the mountain, its light illuminating the landscape in a ghostly silver glow. Hades looked toward the distant horizon. The moon was full. A sudden tremor passed through the earth. From somewhere atop the mountain came a deep, resonant sound, like the beating of enormous wings. The shadows began to move. Figures emerged from the rocks. Winged creatures descended from the clouds. Skeletal spirits crawled from fissures in the earth. Twisted silhouettes gathered along the mountain's ridges, their eyes glowing like embers in the darkness, and at the summit, a pair of enormous eyes opened.   Hades stopped smiling. He remembered the Fates' warning. Chernabog delighted in his dominion, but his influence over the mortal world was not constant. There was one night each year when the boundaries between his realm and the living world weakened enough for him and his minions to roam freely beyond the mountain. One night when the darkness could stretch its claws across the earth. One night when Bald Mountain became more than a prison of ancient evil. It became a hunting ground, and tonight was that night. Hades slowly lowered himself behind a jagged outcropping of rock. Above him, the first of Chernabog's minions swept into the sky. Their cries echoed across the valley. The ground trembled as more creatures emerged from the mountain, spreading into the surrounding wilderness. Then the enormous figure at the summit began to rise. Chernabog unfolded his wings. The moon disappeared behind them. Hades stared upward, his flames shrinking to the faintest blue glow.   For the first time in a very long time, the Lord of the Dead felt the u

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Wow! A tournament of cat girls! I'm going to vote for Miss Fury. While I never seen her comic, she is waifu material.

Good match. I think the Ghostbusters would win since they're experts on ghosts. I know about Luigi’s Mansion, but I never play the game.

Good match. I think with the Force, Luke should win.

Good match. I'm voting for Carmilla. 🥰

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Onward to Chapter 12: Fallen Angels