Dante the Bold

It all began on a day like this 16 years ago. As Hades, Lord of the underworld, ruler and creator of hell and all destruction, fled the surface world to return to his kingdom of the dead and evil. He was only permitted to see the first year of his offspring’s life, for a demigod such as his newborn son, could not know their own identity until it was necessary for their own safety. The night of the first birthday of the son of Hades drew near far too quickly. At the stroke of midnight, the sky rumbled with thunder threatening Hades to return to his awaiting kingdom that had lost order in his absence. So Hades left, he disappeared into the night without even a goodbye to his spouse. The storm raged on as he descended to the underworld. As Hades fled he whispered to his son’s mind, “Goodbye Dante, we will meet again.”

The child grew up troublesome and fatherless. Dante greatly resembled his father, with hair as dark as a crow’s wing, a complexion fair as the winter’s first snow, and a tall muscular build. But he had his mother’s bright eyes, green as the Earth at the spring equinox. The boy grew up fast, it was forced upon him to do so. His mother had grown heartbroken and ill. Dante sacrificed his childhood to support her. The boy knew his days with her were numbered.

But while Dante struggled through his teenage years his father only raised trouble on Olympus. The fair goddess Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, was enjoying a beautiful spring day when Hades abducted her from her mother’s garden. He imprisoned the beautiful young goddess in his castle in the heart of the underworld, unreachable to even the most powerful Gods. For the deadly labyrinth leading to the underworld can only be navigated by few. Many of Persephone’s kin died that day trying to follow Hades through the mind tricking labyrinth. The sky turned dark and Zeus powered a lightning storm that struck the Earth for a week steady. When it finally ceased, Dante’s mother passed and he was left with nothing.

Without a mother or father to guide him, Dante grew closer to his inherited dark side. He felt purposeless and abandoned. The only figure in the boy’s life was gone. His conscience disappeared with his mother. Dante quickly lost sight of who he was as a person. His life and reputation had taken a downward spiral. The boy began thieving just to get by. His home became any place he could rest a few hours. Eventually Dante’s actions earned him a stay in a jail cell for a few months. While he lay bored for countless hours, Zeus reminisced the times he had shared with his abducted daughter. The God of all Gods decided it was time to call on a demigod to take the ultimate quest. It was clear which undiscovered teen would stand a chance against the wrath of Hades. Dante was the only possible choice. Unknown to the boy, at birth his father had gifted him with a mental map to the labyrinth in hope that one day his son would come to find him and help him rule over the constantly growing underworld. The council granted Zeus’s request to call on the demigod.


Dante sat in his cell talking to his only friend and cellmate Caden. The tall, blonde headed, blue eyed boy was also a thief and got along well with Dante. They often talked about life and the events of their past until the early hours of the morning. One night, the boys fell asleep earlier than usual. Zeus seized the opportunity and appeared to Dante in a vivid dream. Dante entered the golden city floating on the clouds and met with Zeus in private. Zeus told the boy of Olympus, gods, demons, and the boy’s unclear past. Zeus explained to Dante that he was the offspring of a god and a human and that he possessed great powers that he must learn to use on his own. Of course Zeus also explained why he had suddenly appeared to Dante. He told the boy of his daughter who had been abducted and trapped in the underworld by Hades. Of course Zeus didn’t dare tell Dante who his father is, and that by agreeing to go on this quest he would have to face him in one way or another. Knowing the danger and risk before him, Dante agreed to rescue Persephone and return her to her family on Olympus.

When Dante awoke he was no longer in his cell, and neither was Caden. The two were standing in the middle of a dark street wearing leather armor on their chests and arms and equipped with swords and shields. Dante looked at Caden confused at how he was here too. Caden simply told Dante that he too was a demigod, and he was here to protect and accompany him through his quest. When Dante looked down, there was a small round object on a necklace wrapped around his belt. It was a silver medallion. The front side had his name engraved in it. He flipped it over and on the back was a message in ancient Greek.
“To find the passageway that you seek
Travel to the land where the hills can speak.
Between them you shall find your path
But enter there and beware the wrath.
If you desire a quick escape
You must find three shells that take this shape.
Visualize where you must be
Smash your shell and count to three.”

Dante and Caden quickly deciphered the message of hints from Zeus. The boys decided that they must hurry to the nearest beach and collect three identical shells as round as the medallion. Then they must go to the popular golf course where it is said that the hills whisper when the wind blows and find a passageway between two of the many hills. They located three shells in a hurry and Dante tucked them away in his pocket. Before them stood a sea of rolling hills. Dante and Caden split up and searched for some type of opening between the hills. They worked their way around the perimeter and met up in the middle of the course neither one finding any opening. Stumped, the boys sat down in disappointment. Dante jumped to his feet remembering Zeus telling him that has power that he must discover within him. Dante placed himself between two large hills and put his arms out to his sides with his fingers curled facing the ground. He focused on the anger within him and pulled his hands upward. The ground began to rumble beneath him and before him a trench formed. From his palms he shot fire and directed the earth to move to clear a path. He radiated dark power from his entire body.

After walking quite a ways through the trench, Dante and Caden had come to a dark concrete tunnel. Curiously they entered. It only took a few steps for Dante to register in his mind that he recognized this place, though he had never been there. Dante led Caleb easily through the mess of passageways, avoiding many beasts and deadly traps. All the while they heard torturous screams and the growls of various demons. They managed to continue forward weaving through tunnels and staircases. They paused for a moment when the tunnels grew silent.
Out of nowhere an enormous dragon like demon with multiple heads jumped down into the tunnel blocking Dante’s and Caden’s path. It thrashed its claws and each head bared its thousands of teeth before it charged at the boys. They hugged the wall of the tunnel as it ran past and quickly turned back around. With a simple look Caden dove under the beast and stabbed its stomach with his sword while Dante blasted fire to each head. While it was stunned, Caden ran out from under it and Dante collapsed the tunnel beneath it. They watched the beast fall until it was engulfed by darkness and a loud thump shook the labyrinth.

Dante and Caden continued on. They walked with confidence through the rest of the tricky puzzle of passages. Then they heard it, the painful cries of the souls condemned to the underworld for eternity. Dante and Caden hurried to end of the passage where they could see a blazing wall of fire before them. When they reached the ledge, they stopped and stared down at the pits of Tartarus. They saw thousands of demons and a sea of fire torturing the condemned souls. They saw the lost and forgotten dreams, memories, and wishes floating through the humid air. Worst of all they saw Persephone, young, beautiful and innocent, chained to the porch outside of a towering room of the never ending dark castle being forced to watch the evil of the underworld in action.

Before them was a flimsy bridge overhanging a sea of fire. They carefully crossed and found themselves at the door of the castle. Weapons ready, they crept inside and snuck up the winding staircase stopping at the floor they assumed Persephone was trapped on. Dante took a moment to give Caden his shell in case they got separated and needed to escape. The boys went into the empty room and quietly opened the door to the porch. For a moment they just stared at Persephone with her auburn hair cascading to her hips and her big blue eyes franticly looking at them.
While Caden stood guard at the door, Dante quickly disintegrated Persephone’s chains and lead her back to the long staircase. They silently worked their way down until nothing but the wooden doors to the castle’s entrance was before them. As Dante reached for the door, a pale hand grabbed his arm. He turned to see the man the hand belonged to. He found himself looking into the face of a tall, pale, dark haired man wearing a black robe and holding a glowing staff. Immediately Dante knew he was looking at Hades. For a moment Dante just looked at him wondering what was about to happen when Hades began to speak. He told Dante he had been waiting for this visit for 16 years. He said there was a reason Dante could navigate the labyrinth and possess such dark power. Hades outstretched his arms to Dante and handed him the staff. Dante held the staff and stared at Hades until he looked at him and asked Dante to help him rule the underworld that was growing difficult for one person to manage.
Dante studied Hades for a moment. Realizing his own features looked much like that of Hades. Then Hades stepped forward and hugged Dante and said, “My son, wont you help your poor father?” Hades took a step back as the realization struck Dante that his father was the evil ruler of the underworld, responsible for torturing lost souls and creating demons that terrorize the world. Without thinking twice Dante signaled Caden to grab Persephone and run just as he turned to face his father and throw the staff with such force sending him through the wall, just long enough for them all to escape the castle and cross the bridge to the entrance of the labyrinth. Dante gave Persephone her shell and told her to visualize Olympus and smash her shell. Just as Caden was about to smash his shell, Hades tore him from where he stood and threw him into the sea of fire.
Furious that his best and only friend was dead, Dante engaged in a fight with his father. Fire and stones were flying relentlessly through the air, most of it being dodged. Then, Dante remembered the medallion still in his pocket. He assumed it must have some use. He grabbed it and hurled it at the ground in front of Hades’s feet. There was a large boom and Dante was sent flying backwards into the stone. Hades charged towards him but was stopped by an invisible force. No matter what he did, Hades could not reach through the force field that had been activated by the medallion. He would now know what it felt like to be condemned in his own kingdom.
Dante imagined Olympus and smashed his shell with his foot. He opened his eyes and saw Olympus, the beautiful golden city floating in the clouds. Zeus and the entire council of gods stood before him. That night a feast and party was thrown for Dante’s success in bringing Persephone back from the underworld alive. At the feast, Zeus stood up and announced that he had a special offer for Dante. Zeus asked Dante to please join them in Olympus forever. He offered him a chance to become a God. Dante accepted and became known as Dante the Bold. Now that Dante was a god, he had the opportunity to ask a certain goddess for her hand in marriage. Later that night, Dante kneeled before Persephone and asked her to marry him. When she said yes an immediate wedding was put on and all of Olympus was invited to attend the grand event. Dante and Persephone were happily married and all was well in Olympus for the next few millennia.