Prologue

He ran, and he ran, and he ran. He didn't know where, but he knew he had to escape from the city. They were still after him, growling and snarling, their heavy footsteps echoing on the empty streets. He had his bow and arrows on his back, but he couldn't reach them like this. All hope seemed to seep out of his body until he spotted the beginning of a forest a couple of meters ahead. With a half plan in his mind, he changed directions. A rush of adrenaline filled him and made a terrifying grin stretch across his face.
'Let them come' he thought, green fire dancing in his eyes.

'I fail to understand why you brought this up to me, Hestia,' Hades replied, a touch of bitterness in his voice. 'It was their own foolish mistake to throw me out of Olympus and now they have to suffer the consequences.'

The girl across from him didn't say anything. The 9 year-old-looking-goddess just continued to nurture the fire while the flames crackled merrily. There was a small frown on her face and a deep, but usually concealed, sadness in her eyes.

'I'm not asking anything of you, Hades,' Hestia said, with a desperate undertone, 'but, please, don't let it consume you, too,' she finally pleaded. The state of Olympus was deplorable at best and Hestia didn't know what to do to change it, but at least she could prevent the worst from happening. 'I know you don't have any obligations to it, but it was home and now, it's all- It's all out of control!' the goddess of the hearth nearly shouted, suddenly feeling hysterical, because it all started from something so silly, but serious and-

… and a moment later both Hades and Hestia tensed, because the forest was too silent, almost eerily so. Hades stood up, slowly looking and turning, trying to find the source of their discomfort.

He was in front of Hestia in a protective manner, when he heard it, almost too quietly at first. But after a while the sound of beasts could be clearly distinguished along with a swift wind and then a boy, a merely 7-year-old-boy, burst into the small clearing, making both the god and goddess startle. He was running towards them and just when Hades was ready to attack, he jumped on the stone the god was previously sitting on, turning in mid-air and letting four arrows loose at the same, hitting the hellhounds that were just making themselves known. The arrows were clearly imbued with something, because just when they hit the demons, they burst into green flames, while slowly disintegrating into dust.

And then the youngling proceeded to land on his behind, rubbing his back whilst muttering to himself. Hades didn't… quite know how to react after that spectacle and Hestia wasn't much better herself. It was clear that the boy was a demigod, with him being haunted by hellhounds of all things, but at the same time there was something different about the boy, something they couldn't place.

'So you're the king of the Underworld, huh?' a young voice interrupted their musings, though there was a quality to it that was usually absent in children his age. Hades and Hestia didn't know what to say, so they kept on staring. 'This is what shock must feel like', thought the goddess, oddly detached.

Moving his eyes from one divine being to the other, the demigod added, addressing Hades: 'Would you mind calling Thanatos?' he asked with a wry grin. 'I believe he would be better at explaining this than me.'

'This?' asked Hades, with his usual dry tone.

'All of this,' responded the boy, green eyes flashing.

And thus, the world met its protector. And the gods? Their salvation.