The Shadow Son

Hades Titan was always considered the weakest of the three brothers, and not just because he was the youngest. He was born sickly, and had to be constantly watched over as a child. Even now, he still had to take medication daily, and wasn't allowed to exert himself. Because of his weak immune system, he was never allowed out of the house. He often dreamed of being able to go outside to meet new people. But he was constantly kept under watch.

His older brothers were active, especially as children, and often went out of the house to hang out with friends or to go to parties. Because of this, their mother Rhea tended to favor the sickly Hades, who was confined in the house. This brought the other two brothers to resent him, though Poseidon still occasionally showed that he cared for Hades.

When they had grown older, Hades' oldest brother Zeus had taken over their father's business empire, Othrys Corps. It was a global company that seemed to have its hands in every industry there was, from trade and food products, to entertainment and recreation. Othrys Corps was known worldwide.

His second older brother Poseidon had created his own company, called Aegean Surf and Sun, which sold products related to swimming, surfing, and the ocean. He also owned a successful seafood restaurant chain that was popular all around the globe.

Compared to the two brothers who shone like the sun, Hades was a shadow. The public barely knew of his existence, and most of what was known was made up of rumors and gossip. Some people said that he was an assassin who did his brothers' dirty work, and others said he didn't even exist. Some said he was working undercover as a secret agent of sorts, and a few thought he was exiled from the family because he had disgraced the Titan Family name.

Zeus was extremely handsome, and many would describe him as a playboy. With his chiseled abs, charming smile, sky blue eyes, and tousled dark brown hair, he was a great example of a perfect man. He was the dream man for many women around the world.

Poseidon had the appearance of a typical surfer, with muscular tanned skin, sea green eyes, and wild blond hair. His tan came from him spending a large amount of his free time at the beaches. He loved all things aquatic, and enjoyed surfing and scuba diving.

Compared to the two older brothers with their appearances of Greek statues, Hades was thin and frail looking. His skin was pale from staying in his room all day, and his eyes were a dull grey color. His jet black hair was kept long enough to cover his eyes, like the main protagonists of the mangas he sometimes read when he got bored of videogames or tv shows. Sometimes, there would be days when his body was too weak to even stand up, and he would be confined to his bed for the entire day.

"Young Master Hades! It is time to wake up!"

Hades opened one eye blearily as a familiar voice sounded in his ears. "Oh, Briares, it's you. Good morning." He slowly sat up from his bed, pushing off the blankets that had been tangled around his legs during his sleep. Briares was his personal butler, and had been taking care of him ever since he was born.

Hades yawned as he got up, still feeling rather tired. Briares quickly moved to hand him a set of clothes to change into. It had taken awhile, but Hades had gotten Briares to allow him to dress himself, as he felt it was embarrassing to have to rely on his butler for everything.

Hades slowly made his way over to the dining hall, where breakfast was just about to be served. Seated at the table, he could see his mother Rhea, his father Kronos, and two of his uncles, Koios and Hyperion.

His mother Rhea was usually a kind soul. She cared deeply for her family, and always tried to smother her children with her love and affection. When Hades had been born though, she had started to focus most of her attention on him. On occasion, she could be rather fierce, especially when it came to defending her children, like a mother lioness protecting her cubs.

His father seemed rather cold at first impression, and tended to be rather blunt. When Hades was born though, he had started to mellow out, showing more of his softer sides. When he had stepped down to allow Zeus to take over the company, he had decided to work on his hobby, which was restoring old cuckoo clocks.

Uncle Koios was a bit of an oddball to Hades. He was obsessed with fortune-telling and often wanted to practice his skills with Hades. Koios always had a deck of tarot cards on him, and constantly felt the need to check the cards for any decisions he might make. He also tended to enjoy magic tricks, and often taught Hades about them whenever he visited. He owned a videogame company that he started with his wife Phoebe, who at the time was only his girlfriend. Phoebe, was from another country, but the two still talked to each other through the phone daily, and met up at least once every month.

Uncle Hyperion was extremely flashy. He loved anything shiny, and owned a successful jewelry shop that he ran with his wife, Theia. Together they designed the accessories, especially necklaces bracelets. The two were constantly covered in bling, showing off their wealth and status for all to see.

Hades sat silently at the empty chair beside his mother, greeting the adults with a polite nod. Uncle Koios and his father were chatting quietly together about something, while his mother was being shown a new necklace design by his Uncle Hyperion.

As plates full of food were set out, Hades began to eat quickly, wanting to retreat back to his room as soon as possible. It wasn't that he disliked his family. He just preferred to be alone in his own room, where it was quiet and peaceful.

Just as he ate the last bite of his meal, his Uncle Koios spoke up. "Hey, kid. Have you heard? There's a beta version of a new game coming out fairly soon. It's a virtual reality mmorpg game and it's called Olympus Reborn. Do you want to join it? It's from one of my companies, so I can get you an invite to the beta testing phase." Koios knew how to gain his nephew's attention.

Videogames were something Hades enjoyed immensely, especially since they showed him other worlds that he could explore without needing to leave the house. In videogames, he could be anyone. No one knew his true identity. He even managed to make a couple of friends that he played a few different games with.

His favorite kind of videogames were mmorpg games with open worlds. Most of the time, he just explored the world. He would visit new areas and collect various items, but rarely got into any fights. He sometimes played first person shooters, but not as often, even though he was pretty good at them.

"A virtual video game? That sounds rather interesting," he mused aloud. Virtual reality was a new thing, and no virtual reality mmorpg games existed just yet. "I would appreciate it Uncle, thank you!" He smiled and bowed towards his uncle politely, accepting the offer.

Koios laughed, smiling brightly. "I'll have the company send you the necessary equipment tomorrow then."