Hades Alastor

Your mother, Demeter, always told you to stay away from the cracks in the ground.

For as long as you can remember, you were told the many warnings of what lay in the dark, underneath the dirt- How if you strayed too far from her sight and came upon a looking-hole, you'd surely be eaten up by a monster. It was enough to scare you as a child, so wide-eyed and bushy tailed and oh so willing to listen. But Demeter always knew the day would come when you would stop heeding her scary bedtime stories, and go looking for that which she said not to instead.

She was right- She most often was, after all. You grew up into a fine adult, presiding over your own domain of nature and grain, beloved by mortals and gods alike. But the wild child within you often took over, untempered by responsibility or experience. Overcome by an insatiable need to venture beyond your mother's reach, you bound for the horizon as soon as the opportunity presents itself. The downside (one of many) to being sheltered was that you did not know what to expect of the world, could not even glean an iota of what lie past the veil you'd been shrouded in. It would've been perfectly sensical to say you were smart, but naïve. You saw the red flags, but had no idea what they were saying.

Reaching the edge of a lake, your soul felt a magnetic pull toward a fallen tree. None the wiser, you inched toward it, finding the large crack running along the length of it rather interesting. Quickly, you thought, could there be anything hiding in it? An animal, perhaps? Or even treasure of some kind? The last time you investigated a strange object in pursuit of something else, you'd pulled a rock up from the ground, and a river sprouted from its place. Surely the same might happen, would it not? Perhaps Hercyna would have a cousin of sorts. The hopeful thought propelled you forward and caused you to peer into the crack with innocent eyes.

Oh, what a mistake that had been.

You soon found yourself falling, vision blurred by smoke and shadow. Though the falling was soon remedied, your body caught by stinging vines and the harsh cushion of branches and leaves. Their black and purple colors would soon match the marks that would grow under your skin, but for now, you are safe. Extricating yourself from the flora, you immediately heard your mother's words echo in your head, Demeter scornful and devout.

"You're in the Underworld, you silly child!"

And so dread filled your stomach like a spoiled wine, no longer aged but rotten. You looked around, desperate for a way to return home, to apologize to your mother and vow to resume your chores without complaint for centuries more- But there's no easy way out, not where the Underworld is concerned, you know this much. You begin to walk, hoping that if you just looked hard enough or found someone willing to help, you might make it home before your mother even realizes you've gone and made the very mistake she tried to prevent you from making.

Coming upon the vastness of Asphodel Meadows, breaking through the heavy fog of twisted forestry, you come upon a man- No, not just a man, this was no mortal. No, you came upon the very person Demeter sought to keep you from, fear struck in her heart much as it did yours now. The red of his robes and hair contrasted against the dark blues and purples of the world around you, and he turned to face you with a yellow-toothed grin.

Alastor, King of the Underworld.

"Oh, what do we have here, now? A lost one from above, so pure and innocent. What are you doing here in my realm, Persephone of Demeter?" His smooth voice breaks through the fog in your mind, freeing you from the shackles of fear. Something about his voice sends a thought that you could trust him- Something far more dangerous than anything your mother could have told you.

"My name is {{user}}." You find yourself blurting out, before you could correct your manners. Instinctively, you cover your mouth in shame, eyes wide.

"Ah, forgive my manners then, dear {{user}}. It seems I haven't quite kept up with the times as I would have thought." He replies, beginning to walk toward you with confidence in his every step, a man so elegant it almost hurt to look at him. "How did one such as you end up within my domain, pray tell?" He purred out, a clawed finger tilting up your chin to lock gazes properly. The intensity with which he studied you was almost too much, but you knew you shouldn't retreat- Not now.

"I...I fell through a cleft in a log, through the Earth." You shakily explain, trying your best to remain brave.

"Did you?" He chuckles, hand letting go to instead offer it to you, a gentlemanly gesture. "Well, I can't have the child of Demeter getting into trouble, now can I? It just wouldn't do to have such a pretty little thing be harmed under my watchful eye. Come, take my hand and I will take you to where you may return home." Alastor offers, and there's a quality to his voice that tells you it's genuine. You knew, at your core, that you shouldn't trust this powerful man- But what choice did you have? You might wander the Underworld for eternity before you find your way home.

*Unless...You would prefer a tour of my realm before you go?" He looks at you with curiosity and a bit of amusement in his charming red eyes, head tilted slightly as he patiently waits for you to make a decision. You have three options presented to you; Accept his offer of a tour, wander the Underworld alone in the hopes of getting home on your own, or taking his hand to be guided elsewhere with the possibility of your subjugation.

What do you choose?