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My Queen's second month in Hades was spent not only in my bedside or in the garden, but throughout our shared realm. Many of my subjects were ecstatic to meet and praise their King and Queen of the Dead, telling us their stories when we were interested.

Besides approving the final judgements of Minos, Rhadamanthus and Aeacus, Philos especially loved to venture inside of Elysium, the fields where heroes resided in death. He and I loved exchanging dialogue with Odysseus, Achilles, Perseus, Cadmus and countless others. The red deer always found himself lost listening to the brave adventures described by Jason and his Argonauts, while I amused myself in listening to Plato and Aristotle debate the meaning of life and death. I also enjoyed seeing Philos deep in conversation between himself and Atalanta on the complexities and nuances of feminine roles in Greek society.

Yet this year, I noticed Philos looking somber.

"Is something the matter?" I pressed him. "Are you saddened by something?"

"It is nothing," he sighed as we strolled down a path, "I heard rumor from souls escorted by Hermes that Dionysus is planning to attend Oschophoria in Athens."

"Oschophoria?" My ears perked up with intrigue. "Not surprising that Dionysus attend a festival dedicated to him and the arrival of the harvest." An awkward silence could be felt in the air even underground. "I take it you wish to attend this festival?"

"In the years we've been married, we hardly venture out to the mortal world," Philos told me, still smiling despite seeming bored and melancholy. "I know you detest the living mortals, but...would you be fine if we observe the festival? We can disguise ourselves amongst the mortals."

"You know I prefer mingling with the dead over the living..."

"You jest!" he rolled his eyes. "I do too, but the party that soul described sounds fun."

"You only want to go there in order to wear dresses again, do you not?" I chuckled blithely, which startled one of the stoic centaur guards following us.

"As well as to view the festivities," he whined, draping his paws around my left arm. "Hades, it would only be a day or so. And if Mother is there, I promise we can depart for home at once. Is it a fair offer, my King?"

Philos was indeed correct. I detested venturing to the mortal world, as well as involving myself in their pointless affairs. Part of it came from how they greatly feared me, and rightfully so, to the point that they believed even mentioning my very name would bring a bad omen to one's doorsteps. Nevertheless, the largest of reasons I detested them could be described in one word:

Immortality. Or the mortals' putrid attempts to escape the inevitability of death.

Yet how could one deny their husband's wishes?

"Very well then," I sighed heavily, which elicited a joyous squeal and a kiss on my dark-furred cheek.

I left the Three Judges to arbiter in my absence and Cerberus to maintain order from his post, while Philos and I charted off down the tunnel of the River Styx in my finest chariot. And before either of us realized, the brightness of the cavern's end was upon us. I barely allowed myself time to prepare for how...illuminating the mortal realm remained. Sometimes, I wondered how Apollo tolerated such intensity of sunlight. In all such fairness, however, it was not like I chose this place as my domain. It chose me.

Following the end of the Great Titan War many eons ago, my brothers and I were victorious. The Titans, powerful Gods who once rivalled us, no longer ruled. Our father Cronus had been imprisoned in the abysses of Tartarus for all eternity alongside the rest of the Titans. We would decide amongst ourselves who would gain possession of the Earth. In the end, after some time arguing about who deserved which, Zeus suggested we each pluck a reed from a river that Prometheus' creations would one day name the Haliacmon. Whoever possessed the longest reeds would choose first.

Zeus became God of the Heavens, and Poseidon became King of the Seas, while I was gifted to be the Ruler of the Underworld. Yet despite its endless wealth and the countless subjects I would be allowed to rule, this rift between me and my brothers remained. I rarely ventured from my domain, but I hoped tonight would be, at the very least...reasonable.

"Hades!" Philos pointed down from our chariot as it raced across the sky, hiding in plain view from the mortals below. "There is Athens! Such a magnificent city, is it not?"

By now, the leaves had turned a golden and yellow hue that rivaled Helios, while the sea remained calm and warm. It would not be long before the frost and icy rain would arrive thanks to the negligence of Demeter mourning the lost of her 'daughter'.

"In all honesty, my Queen," I admitted, gripping the chariot reins, "it does a suitable job in capturing the beauty of our niece...for a mortal city."

Of all the Gods of Olympus who distanced themselves from me, only Hermes, Dionysus and Athena seemed to act lively in my presence. Athena in particular loved spending time with Philos, discussing flowery clothes and craftsmanship whenever my niece was available, whether it be Spring or Winter.

"Do you think Athena will be present for Oschophoria?"

"Doubtful," I sighed wagging my tail as I landed us safely, "but at least our nephew will be there."

And he was.

Disguising ourselves amongst the mortal furs walking into Athens, I could smell the red wine dripping from his chin. And dancing around in the middle of a crowd of the mortals skipped a youthful, multicolored panther (to the drabble, he seemed like another fur). Draped in green leaves and without a single stitch of clothing other than a chlamys, in one paw, he held Thyrsus, a fennel staff with a golden pinecone at the top end, and a half-emptied, leaf-decorated kantharos in his other paw.

His eyes fell on us across the circle of frolicking mortal furs, and he did not hesitate to hug us. "Uncle, Aunt, it has been too long!"

"Dionysus," Philos beamed after hugging the panther back. "Your dancing was marvelous out there!"

"You," he hiccupped, giggling before taking another sip of his kantharos, "should see me when I'm sober, hehe."

"But you are never sober, nephew," I commented dryly.

"Exactly," he hiccupped, trying to shake my paw. Even as he did so, he dared not to set aside his staff of his wine cup. "So what brings you all the way to Athens, Uncle? You never like to venture and congregate with the mortals..."

"Philos insisted we witness Oschophoria," I replied, holding my Queen's paw with mine, "since it is a festival honoring her favorite nephew, after all."

"I am your favorite?" Dionysus gasped and happily wagged his multi-colored, spotted tail with glee. "It is such an honor you would consider me so, Aunt Philos."

"Do not be silly now," my deer giggled in entertainment. "You are not an exception. All of my brother-in-laws' children are wonderful nieces and nephews. Even the troublemakers like Ares are such talented gods."

A 'troublemaker' was the kindest epithet for the God of War, yet it did not prevent Philos from loving our nephew Ares any less. I simply tolerated his occupation and title, since warfare and political strife often led to more subjects of Hades being offered to me. However many would be under my rule though, even I held a limit towards Ares' bloodlust.

"What of Heracles?" Dionysus pointed out, then chuckled when Philos stared deadpan at the festive panther. "I hear he is already at completing his next labor as we speak."

"Oh?" the deer twitched an ear with interest. "And what is this new task of his to complete this time for King Eurystheus?"

"He is to capture the Bull of Crete," he laughed, then hiccupped. "From what I hear, it is to be much easier than how he and Iolaus slayed the Lernaean Hydra. Much easier...I hope."

"Heracles is our nephew," Philos wrapped my paw in his. "Hades and I know he will succeed in his Labors and join his family back on Olympus."

"What of Hera though?" I pondered aloud. "She will not be happy for such an occass--"

"Oi!" Our muzzles turned to a drunken rabbit, who tried to approach me even when I began to growl. "Whyya acting' like yer all the Gods of Olympuss er somethin'? Ain't it a tab-taboo ta--"

I roughly pushed the mortal from me and sent the hare back to throw up into a flowerpot.

"Mortal fool," a growl escaped my throat. "How dare he."

"Calm yourself, my King," Philos rubbed his thumb into my palm. "They are only naïve fur, and have no intention to insult us if we are in these forms. Otherwise, they would worship the very ground we walk on and the air we breathe."

"No truer words have yet to be spoken, Aunt Philos!" Dionysus drank to his words. "

Part of me regretted coming all the way out here to be alongside the fleshy, furred rabble around us. All they did was scream and make noise when they did not make atrocious smells, rudely push their way through a crowd or try to steal from us. Luckily, we did not carry anything material on our disguised beings, but the youthful pickpockets who bumped into me, who tried taking drachma from my robes were only met with empty paws and my sharp gaze that would immediately horrify them.

The mortals' celebrations, while not as obscene or sacrilegious as what the Thracians performed in the hills for Cotyttia--especially regarding how they viewed my marriage to Philos--still held some amusements. Dionysus returned to his suggestive swaying and drinking alongside the mortals as Oschophoria commenced into the evening. Men dressed as women while holding grape vines above their headfur, twirling and swaying to the music played by a band of musicians in Athens' city square. At some point, a few furs began singing songs about the coming of winter and how glorious the Olympians all were.

Their singing and excellent voices, the tunes and upbeat choruses all soon had me invested to dance with Philos. We were not the only two males to waltz together with the melody of mortal vocals and tuned lyres and panpipes, for one other brave couple--a strapping fox lad and his equally aged lover, a lynx--joined us without a care for the stares that would accompany an unusual sight; the two boys kissing, laughing and smiling, despite neither being older than the other.

Dionysus, meanwhile, had encouraged the rest of the Athenians to forget such an atypical display of affection, and continue the festivities before frost arrived. The two lads eventually scurried off to presumably allow Eros to guide them, based on how they passionately held each other during the dance, leaving me and my Queen to enjoy ourselves with the music.

"I hope you are having fun?" Philos whispered to me.

"It is..." I glanced down to him and smiled softly, holding the deer closer to my taller body as I wagged my tail, "...tolerable. Evermore with you beside me, to enjoy this."

"Indeed, my King~"