Blake Hoena - Hades and the Underworld: An Interactive Mythological Adventure

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YOU are living in the mythical world of ancient Greece. The bad news is that you must venture into the land of the dead a place from which the living rarely escape. The good news is that you get to choose what form you will take on your journey. Will you be a Greek hero, or will you take the form of a god? What choice will give you the best odds of survival?

Chapter One sets the scene. Then you choose which path to read. Follow the links at the bottom of each page as you read the stories. The decisions you make will change your outcome. After you finish one path, go back and read the others for new perspectives and more adventures. Use your device's back buttons or page navigation to jump back to your last choice.

YOU CHOOSE the path you take through this mythical adventure.

According to Greek myth, mighty giants called Titans once ruled the world. Their leader was Cronus. He and his wife, Rhea, had six children called Olympians. Zeus was their leader. His brothers were Hades and Poseidon. Hera, Demeter, and Hestia were their sisters.

After a long, fierce war, the Olympians took control from the Titans. Zeus and his brothers drew lots to divide up their rule. Zeus picked first. He chose the sky as his domain. Poseidon then picked the oceans and the seas. Hades was left with the Underworld, the land of the dead.

The other Olympians lived on Mount Olympus. But Hades retreated to his underground domain. Hades ruled over the spirits of the dead, but he did not cause death. The god Thanatos did that. Thanatos ended peoples suffering and helped them move peacefully from one life to the next.

The Underworld was said to be a place hidden deep beneath the ground. Five magical rivers ran through it. The River Styx separated the Underworld from the land of the living.

After people died, the god Hermes led their spirits to the banks of the River Styx near the entrance to the Underworld. Once the spirits entered Hadess kingdom, they went before three judges. The judges were past kings and sons of Zeus. They passed judgments on the dead.

If someone had been a brave hero or a just ruler, the judges sent him or her to the Elysian Fields. This was a paradise of endless celebrations and feasts. For those deemed wicked, there were the Fields of Punishment. Their spirits faced endless torture. Most spirits were sent to the Asphodel Meadows. This peaceful place was for those who had not achieved any great good nor committed any great evil.

Then there was Tartarus, deep within the Earth. The most evil and dangerous creatures were imprisoned in this dungeon. Zeus sent many of the Titans to Tartarus as punishment.

Gods such as Thanatos and Hecate, the goddess of magic, also lived in the Underworld. Creatures called Furies made the Underworld their home as well. They took revenge on anyone who broke a promise or killed a family member.

There were also many , or spirits, roaming about. The Arai were the spirits of curses that murder victims placed on their killers. The Empousai were beautiful vampire-like spirits.

From time to time, gods and to the Underworld.

Hades did not want anyone trespassing in his domain. He played cruel tricks on those from the living world who dared enter his realm uninvited.

Now its your turn to go on a daring adventure into the Underworld. Will you be a powerful god or a brave mortal as you journey to Hadess realm?

Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. She made crops grow. Demeter and Zeus had a daughter named Persephone. Demeter adored her more than anything in the world.

As a young woman, Persephone loved to roam the meadows picking flowers with her friends. One day, an unusual white bloom caught her eye. She wandered away from her group to pick the lovely flower and suddenly disappeared.

That is how the myth of Demeter and Persephone begins. Which goddess will you be?

In the brief moment that you are away from your friends, the ground opens up at your feet. A large, dark figure appears before you. You are shocked to see Hades standing in front of you.

Zeus has given me permission to marry you, he says. So I have come to ask for your hand.

You are afraid of Hades, but his offer does have some appeal. Demeter is very protective of you. If you are not in the company of your friends, you must always be by her side. But you are now grown and a powerful goddess yourself. As queen of the Underworld, you would miss the sunny world around you, but marrying Hades would give you freedom from your mother.

Hades hands you a white asphodel flower and asks, Will you be my queen?

Persephones friends quickly alert you that she is missing. You race down the hill where they last saw your daughter. The only sign that she was ever there are the flowers she had been collecting.

Your daughter is a goddess. No ordinary mortal or monster could take her in broad daylight. You look at the sky, which gives you an idea.

You rise up toward the sun. As you get closer, you can see that the ball of light is really Helioss golden chariot. It is pulled across the sky by four fiery horses. Helios is god of the sun and the watcher over the land.

Helios! you cry, What happened to my daughter Persephone?

He is hesitant to answer, but you press him. She has gone missing. I must know if she is safe.

She is as safe as anyone can be in the Underworld, Helios answers.

Hades took her? you ask.

I heard Zeus give Hades permission to marry her, Helios says. That is why he has taken your daughter away.

With that news, you head for Mount Olympus. You see Zeus sitting on his throne, and you storm over to him.

You take the flower and say yes. You are not completely sure why. You love nature, and little grows in Hadess dingy realm. But being queen of the Underworld would give you freedom from your mother, which you hadnt realized you craved so badly until now.

Hades offers you his hand, and you take it. Then the opening above you closes. You are plunged into darkness.

In the Underworld, you go from being a goddess of nature to a goddess of vengeance. You command spirits called Arai, who rule over curses and broken promises. But after some time has passed, you begin to miss your mother, which you confess to Hades.

You are my wife, not my prisoner, he says.

Then I will go visit my mother, you reply.

Above ground, you are shocked at how the world has changed. The land is covered in ice and snow. No plants grow anywhere. You visit Zeus and ask him where your mother is.