I let him speak.
‘If you try anything,’ his voice was low,
‘that challenges my rule. You will wish
that I am as kind to you
as Zeus has been to Prometheus.’
A Calculated Callousness
So it was true. He was not the kind boy-God
he used to be, the one that took me
to my father and called Cerberus off me.
It was said that Hades was greedy
and counted souls like a heartless miser
with gold coins. It was said that he
would have ended the whole world
to increase his bounty of souls.
I had never believed any of this
until now, until he stood there,
his eyes cold with threats and
an unnamed violence.
I did not speak and soon, he left.
But as I watched his retreating form,
a premonition unearthed in my mind:
Something ruthless is on its way
and he is afraid I can stop it.
Why else would he threaten me?
Other Things Take Root
Despite Hades’ unsettling visit
I became lost in my work of witchcraft.
I realized I preferred my apothecary
more than necromancy,
my poisons and their antidotes,
