Akashic_Tales Originals
Hades, Inc.: The Billionaire God of Death's Chaotic System
Chapter 15: Brunch with Chaos (2)
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The interior was as beautiful and disorienting as the garden had been. The architecture followed a classical Mediterranean style, but with impossible elements, staircases that led to the same place despite going in different directions, windows that showed different views depending on the viewer's height, and doorways that seemed to connect to entirely different buildings or times.
They passed through a series of rooms, each more surreal than the last, before emerging onto the terrace Kyra had glimpsed from outside. It overlooked not just the Aegean Sea but also, somehow, a volcanic landscape, a futuristic cityscape, and what appeared to be the primordial void itself, all existing simultaneously beyond the balustrade.
A large table had been set for brunch, laden with foods both recognizable and utterly alien. And seated around it were some of the strangest dinner guests Kyra had ever encountered.
Jinx was there, looking uncomfortable in a dress that appeared to be made of living butterflies that occasionally took flight before returning to form the garment. Beside her sat Gabriel, the angelic intern, whose white suit seemed painfully formal compared to the casual attire of the others.
But it was the remaining guests that caught Kyra's attention. A woman with skin like polished obsidian and hair that contained actual stars. A pair of identical twins whose features constantly blurred and shifted between each other. A being that appeared to be made entirely of golden light contained within a roughly humanoid outline. And at the far end, a figure shrouded in shadows so deep they seemed to absorb the bright Mediterranean sunlight.
"Ah, the guest of honor arrives!" Chaos announced cheerfully. "Everyone, you know Haiden, of course. And this is Detective Kyra Moon, who has been helping him investigate our little cosmic conspiracy."
All eyes turned to Kyra, their gazes carrying weight beyond mere attention. She felt Haiden stiffen beside her, his hand moving subtly to rest at the small of her back, a protective gesture that she found both reassuring and concerning.
"Detective," the star-haired woman greeted, her voice like distant music. "I am Nyx, mother of Haiden and many others. Welcome to our family gathering."
"Mother," Haiden acknowledged with a formal nod that didn't quite hide his surprise. "I didn't expect you to leave the Night Realm."
"Your father can be very persuasive when he wishes," Nyx replied with a small smile that contained eons of private history. "And I was curious about this mortal who has captured your attention so completely."
Before Kyra could process the implications of that statement, Chaos clapped his hands, causing small fireworks to explode harmlessly above the table.
"Introductions all around!" he declared. "You know Jinx, of course, and the angel Gabriel. The twins are Hypnos and Thanatos, Sleep and Death, Haiden's brothers. The luminous fellow is Aether, primordial of the upper air and light. And our shadowy friend at the end is Erebus, primordial of darkness and Haiden's uncle."
Each being acknowledged their introduction with varying degrees of formality. The twins, who Kyra now realized must be Haiden's actual brothers, regarded her with identical expressions of amused curiosity. Aether inclined his glowing head politely. Erebus merely shifted slightly, the shadows around him deepening momentarily.
"Please, sit!" Chaos continued, gesturing to the two empty chairs, one beside Nyx and one beside Jinx. "The food won't eat itself. Well, except for the sentient soufflé, but that's more of a conversation piece than an actual dish."
Haiden guided Kyra to the seat beside Jinx, taking the one next to his mother himself. As they settled, Jinx leaned over to whisper, "This is insane. Even for this family. Uncle H, what's going on?"
"I don't know yet," Haiden replied quietly. "But Father never does anything without purpose, no matter how chaotic it appears."
Chaos, standing at the head of the table, raised a glass that seemed to contain liquid starlight. "A toast! To family, to new friends, and to the fascinating cosmic disruption currently threatening the balance of all afterlives!"
He drank deeply while everyone else exchanged uncertain glances before sipping their own drinks. Kyra found her glass contained perfectly normal mimosa, though the orange juice shimmered slightly in the light.
"So," Chaos continued cheerfully, "I understand you've all been quite busy lately. Investigating financial discrepancies, confronting fallen angels, stopping forced realm convergences. How exciting! And all because someone is creating an unauthorized buffer realm between Heaven and Hell. Most innovative."
"You knew," Haiden said, his voice carefully controlled. "You knew about the Mediator and their operation."
"Of course I knew," Chaos replied, helping himself to what appeared to be normal eggs Benedict, though the hollandaise sauce changed color with each bite. "I know everything interesting that happens in creation. It's both my blessing and my curse."
"And you didn't think to mention it?" Haiden pressed. "Souls are being harvested, Father. The cosmic balance is at risk."
"Balance, balance, balance," Chaos sighed dramatically. "You sound just like your mother. Always concerned with maintaining equilibrium."
"Because without it, reality itself becomes unstable," Nyx interjected calmly. "As you well know, husband."
Husband. The word struck Kyra as oddly domestic for beings of such cosmic significance. It humanized them in a way that made this surreal brunch slightly more comprehensible, this was, at its core, a family gathering with all the complex dynamics that entailed. Just on a divine scale.
"Reality adapts," Chaos countered, waving dismissively. "It always has. Besides, I wanted to see what our son would do when confronted with this situation. A test, if you will."
"A test?" Haiden repeated, his expression darkening. "People have died, Father. Souls have been damaged. And you allowed it to happen as a test?"
"Not just any test," Chaos corrected, his expression turning suddenly serious, all trace of whimsy vanishing. "A necessary one. The Mediator's actions are merely a symptom of a larger problem, one that concerns all of us at this table."
The atmosphere shifted, the casual brunch transforming into something more formal, more significant. Even the environment seemed to respond, the multiple views beyond the terrace settling into a single image—a vast cosmic landscape where galaxies swirled like eddies in a stream.
"The divine order is stagnating," Chaos continued, his voice now carrying the weight of eons. "Heaven and Hell, the traditional afterlives, all operating on principles established at the dawn of consciousness. Unchanging. Rigid. Failing to adapt to the evolution of mortal consciousness."
"That's by design," Haiden argued. "Stability in the afterlife system provides certainty for mortal souls. They know what to expect based on the lives they lead."
"Do they?" Chaos challenged. "Or do they find themselves judged by standards that have become increasingly disconnected from modern mortal existence? The Mediator, for all their flaws, identified a genuine need, for an afterlife system that reflects the complexity of contemporary consciousness."
Kyra found herself drawn into the conversation despite her mortal status among these cosmic beings. "But they're going about it all wrong," she said, surprising herself with her boldness. "Harvesting soul fragments without consent, murdering people who discover the truth, that's not evolution, it's exploitation."
All eyes turned to her, and for a moment Kyra feared she had overstepped. But then Nyx nodded, her star-filled hair shimmering with the movement.
"The mortal speaks truth," she acknowledged. "Method matters as much as motive."
"Precisely," Chaos agreed, surprising everyone. "The Mediator's approach is flawed, destructive, and ultimately self-defeating. But their core insight, that the afterlife system requires evolution, is correct."
He turned to Haiden. "Which is why I arranged for you to investigate them. To see if you would recognize the legitimate need beneath their illegitimate methods."
Haiden's expression was unreadable, but Kyra could sense the tension in him. "You could have simply told me your concerns about the afterlife system, Father. Instead of orchestrating this elaborate test."
"Would you have listened?" Chaos countered. "You, who abandoned your post to escape the tedium of unchanging routine? You needed to see the consequences of stagnation firsthand, and to recognize that change, while necessary, must be guided rather than forced."
The twins, Hypnos and Thanatos, who had been silent until now, spoke in perfect unison: "The buffer realm concept has merit. The implementation does not."
"A third option beyond reward and punishment," Aether added, his voice like sunlight given sound. "A place of self-determination and growth."
"But built through proper channels," rumbled Erebus from the shadows, speaking for the first time. "With divine sanction and cosmic balance maintained."
Kyra glanced at Haiden, trying to gauge his reaction to this family intervention. His expression remained carefully neutral, but she could see the conflict in his eyes, recognition of the truth in their words warring with resentment at being manipulated.