A Hellish Day

By Eimhin Mc Gann

I am Hades. I am the ruler of the Underworld. All precious metals , jewels and valuable items found under the Earth are mine. My most prized possession is my helmet of invisibility, given to me by the Cyclopes in gratitude for me freeing them. No one likes me , God or Man, because I jealously guard my power and some say I am cruel and morbid but I am not entirely evil. I kidnapped Demeters daughter Persephone so that she could be my wife. I live with Persephone in a palace in Erebus. There are a few different types of after life here in the Underworld. Firstly, when you die, youd have better brought one coin, because if you cant pay Charon the Ferryman, you will wait for eternity on the opposite bank. For boring ordinary people there is the Asphodel Fields. Here, they tweet around like bats, there only delight is drinking blood given to them by

the living. It almost makes them feel human again. Then, for the evil ones, Tartarus. It is a place of constant, unrelenting torment. For the heroic and good there is the Elysian Fields. This is the version of heaven us Greeks have. It is ruled over by Cronos. Here, music plays, games are played and the fun never has to end. It is a happy, peaceful place of constant day, no snow and no cold. The Fortunate Island is for those who have gone back to the Overworld three times and have come back to Elysium three times. There is also Erebus. Here I have my palace with The Furies. This is a place no mortal would ever wish to come to. For those who have just died, there are the three Judges of the Dead: Minos, Rhadmanthys and Aeagus.

Everyday I wake up in my golden bed, I get up and dress in robes only fit for a god to wear. I look out of my window and gaze at all my land, all my power. After tormenting some boring souls, I go down to see who has newly arrived at my domain. I like to torment the new souls especially, because they have no idea how things are run down here, so I make them believe theyre going to be tortured for all eternity. Sometimes, when I get bored, I go up to the surface to see whats going on, kill a few people, ruin their lives, kidnap some mortal foolish enough to believe my lies. I hate going to the Overworld. I dont own anything up there, except for some nice dark temples. All in all, I rather enjoy being God of the Underworld. Me and my trusty pet Cerberus have made quite a reputation for ourselves among those idiotic mortals. Oh! I hear a new shipment of souls, time to give them a fright.