Matters of Love and Death [A Few Decades After the Persephone Incident] (Tag: Hera)
Hades parked his chariot by the temple. It was one of the very few dedicated to him. The building was small and not well maintained. Slowly, he climbed the steps up to the altar. He didn't remember the last time he'd been there. People didn't usually summon Hades, and even when they did, Hades didn't usually come. Hades was not a malicious god, but the living that summoned him almost always had malicious intentions. Hades usually found most of their requests unfair, unrealistic, or even borderline psychotic.
He did not generally mind. It would be nice to be more appreciated by the regular population that lived on earth, sure, but Hades also felt that the living weren't really his subjects. They were his future subjects. The time for them to pay tribute to him would come later, and last longer than their time on the earthly plain. He took great comfort and pleasure in this fact. Today, however, Hades had received tribute. Today someone alive had prayed to him, and Hades had answered the summons immediately. He could still see the smoke from the sacrifice on his altar. A substantial black cow. The living were rarely that generous. The princess Despina lay prostrate at the foot of the altar sobbing. She played her prayer over and over on a loop in his head.
“Please come and take me, Lord Hades. They're going to make me marry him. I would rather die now than marry him. Please come and take me. Please save me. Please.”
It had immediately caught his attention. Hades had never been called upon by a princess before, and he certainly had never been asked to end a princess's own earthly existence early. Not when they weren't suffering from a terrible illness or something. It was unconventional, and very very foolish of her. She would regret it the moment Hades granted her request. If she didn't, she would be even more foolish.
Still, she had killed a perfectly good cow for him. And if Hades didn't do something, she would probably keep praying. And praying. And praying. Did the other gods like this? This sort of thing probably happened to them all of the time. How in the Underworld could they stand it? It was enough to make Hades wish he was more hated. Her death would probably help.
Hades stood over her and removed his helmet. “Your prayer has been heard. I will grant your request, if it is still what you wish.” He held out his scepter towards her. The moment her hand touched it, she would be dead. Then Hades could get back to work.