The Rise and Fall: Turmoil in the Heavens

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. There was a time, my dear child, when mankind had no knowledge of dragon kind whatsoever. Rumors of such magical beings had been heard of course, but their existence was not validated by mere human eyes. No, dragons were territory of the heavens: unbeknownst, like many things to the meager mortal mind. We were always kept in the dark. The heavenly beings intended for our existence to wait at doors and altars to provide worship and praise for their divine egos. Yet, the gods left us knocking, waiting, and longing for our purpose and answers to our questions about life’s truths. This is a tale about one of those times; a time they left us knocking, and a time when no gods answered the door, no god that is, except those who had been banished from the heavens already.

Tartarus was running out of room to house its newly acquired residents; the underworld realm was overflowing with new migrants at an unprecedented rate. Although Hades understood it was his lot to be its ruler, he despised the alarming increase in responsibility he was now gaining. He was unprepared for such an influx, especially considering many of the new residential souls were supposed to be accounted for by his siblings.

He shouted in a circle at the new residents, "You weren't supposed to be here yet! You still have twenty more years, now get out of this place!"

Exasperated he turned to Persephone, "What am I supposed to do with all these souls? Feed them to Cerberus?!"

Persephone pleaded with Hades, and attempted to calm his rage. Embers were already igniting in the underworld, and the displaced souls were far more dismal and sorrowful than its prior residents. Tartarus was already a somber place, and the new guests' attendance only made it more so. Hades wondered why he had even bothered speaking to his wife. He knew he was ranting, but he was also seeking her opinion as queen. The seasons were already changing, and the time she would be residing with her parents above ground would be arriving shortly. These factors left him with little time to receive her input, let alone enact it if agreeable.

"In two weeks when I am above ground, I will investigate and send a messenger to assist you on my behalf. Until then, you will have to rule solely and solve the problem in my stead." she declared.

Hades was a reasonable god, and knew she spoke an element of truth. This did not, however, stop his fury from kindling. He knew she was evading the problem. Her only assistance would be of the passive, information-feeding variety this time. Despite that element of usefulness and necessity, she had already declared that he would be handling the more pressing issues on his own. He hoped she would at least send a decent messenger. Hades had intended to spend their remaining two weeks burning with passion, not flaming with rage. Instead, for the first time since their agreement, he ushered her to earth early. She, of course, jumped at the opportunity.

Hades retreated to his thinking place next to the home of his prized pooch, and scratched behind the dog's ears.

"My dear Cerberus, why is it that I seem to always draw the short lot."

The dog barked as each head gave its master a seemingly empathetic lick.

“Yes, perhaps I will speak with the Titans.”

Hades wasn’t the only one handling overpopulation issues. Jizō had once calmed tumultuous seas with far greater ease than bearing the increasingly abundant number of children's souls he was now incurring. It was no longer a few mothers from a region coming to him daily with their deceased children, but a multitude. His heart, mind, and spirit were now weighted down with anguish and heartbreak. He had once looked at his caretaking position with great love and benevolence, but he was now forced to admit his empathy had become a cumbersome characteristic.

As he contemplated these matters, yet another mother stacked stones upon her child’s makeshift grave. He watched as the malnourished woman walked away. Her face was gaunt and ashen. Jizō knew with a single look at the woman that she too would be joining the afterlife that very same day. It was a miracle she had made it past childbirth.

She must have been diligent, persistent, and faithful to deliver a baby and still survive in such condition. He was awed by her expression of faith as she gathered herself to say a prayer for her child's afterlife care and protection. Her prayer was desperate as she pleaded fervently to Jizō. He could feel all of her emotions, hear all of her thoughts, and experience all of her pain and faith as one. Her perseverance reminded him why he had forgone Nirvana and chose this form of life instead. His life was what the world needed.

Jizō suspected that the troubles of the earth and underworld may have a higher source. No mortal battle on earth had ever claimed the number of lives he was seeing now, and faith had always been somewhat divided. He could tell by the significant increase in faith and prayers he alone was receiving that no other deities had been answering human calls. Humans could be atrocious, but he sensed that this was some sort of atrocity being committed on an extraterrestrial level. Something was happening in heaven that was impacting earth and below. Something had to be done and much like his past decision, he knew he had his own role he needed to play in it; for the sake of earth and mankind.

"Ryu, I have made preparations for the care of the children in our absence. Come; let us see what is going on above ground. It is better to care for the children and their mothers while they are alive rather than leave them coming to us as dead." Jizō commanded.

Up from the Sanzu River rose an ethereal being serpentine in nature.

"As you wish." the dragon gently roared.

Persephone had just completed her homeward journey, and eagerly anticipated the blossoms of spring she would bring with her. None sprouted. The world was colder and in more disrepair than she had ever seen. Was this how winter always looked? She knew she had broken the agreement of her stay's duration in the underworld; despite the expressed permission and insistence she received from her husband, Hades. Would she truly be unable to provide the season's bounty simply because of a single forced agreement? She pondered returning to the underworld to finish out her remaining two week imprisonment before recalling what she had told her husband.

She had agreed to send a messenger and report information on what was causing the increase in the underworld's population. She had made ruling decisions in the underworld many times before, and her husband trusted her even if she was looking forward to an early vacation away from the doom and gloom of that place.

"A queen's work is never truly done." she sighed and laughed for a moment at the trustworthiness of her husband.

He is always working in that dark place, so why should I find it strange that he trusts me with decision making? She waved her hand dismissively at the thought. Still, a promise was a promise and his kingdom had always been hers as well. As she took a breath of cold, stagnant air she looked at the wasteland in front of her. Something wasn’t right, and it likely had nothing to do with her early release from "prison." She decided instead to visit her mother on Mount Olympus. If anyone had any idea as to what was going on with the greenery in the world, it would be Demeter.

As Persephone began her travels, something flickered in the corner of her eye. She would have suspected it to be Hermes, but a feeling of dread encompassed her. No, this was not Hermes, but something far more malicious.