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It wasn't supposed to be an easy job. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was his last task to pay Zeus back after the scandal that followed the death of his family, and he made it very clear that if Heracles failed he would get more jobs before he could dream of freedom and that if he managed to get caught, he would go straight to the Acheron, no attempts to help him. Heracles was so tired at that point that the Acheron didn't seem that bad of an option, as long as he was somewhat unconscious. He just nodded and asked what the task was. Zeus smiled.
Take the damned Cerberus from under the nose of Hades themself, that was the bloody task.
As much as his father would love to think, Heracles wasn't stupid. You don't live that long doing the Olympians' dirty work without some good wits. So, before walking directly into the Acheron, he made his inquiries. What did he know of Cerberus? First, it was a real animal, not a robotic thing trying to pass as one. That was a symbol of wealth and power, for only the most prominent Olympians could afford something like that. Second, it was possibly the most dangerous creature in The City, and Heracles had had his share of those. No one had seen Cerberus and lived to tell it.
On the other hand, What did he know of Hades? Nothing. They were a shadow, the most reclusive of the Olympians. Zeus wouldn't admit it, but Heracles knew he was afraid of them. Hades just appeared one day, long before Heracles was born, maybe even before the Olympians themselves became who they became. What they became. Not that Heracles was in a position to judge them anymore.
So he went into the Acheron with little more than a favor that Hermes owed him and the impenetrable fabric he had taken from a robot guard that had gone rogue in the district of Nemea.
Hermes drove him in a ferryman van and they stopped at the very entrance of the Acheron's Headquarters.
"Well, this is our last stop. Good luck, Heracles!"
"What? You told me you were going to take me to Hades!"
"No, no, no, no. I said I would take you to the Acheron. We are here now. Goodbye."
And with that, Hermes closed the door of the van. Heracles ran to the driver's window.
"What, are you afraid?"
The Olympian's smile faltered ever so slightly as he said:
"Yes. And you should be afraid too."
It was only after Hermes drove away that Heracles muttered: "I am."
There were no signs of Cerberus. The little information that Heracles could gather claimed that Cerberus guarded the Acheron's entrance but it seemed empty. Suspiciously so.
In the following days Heracles would remember what he did afterwards, and his blood would boil with embarrassment and anger at himself. He stepped inside without any precaution. Alarms blared (of course they did) and, so quickly that he could barely see it, a machine arose and tied him up, taking him through corridors, rooms and computers to a poorly lit room dominated by a throne.
It wasn’t what Heracles had expected. Zeus’ throne room at the top of Olympus Tower was all stainless steel and crystal walls that oversaw the whole City. This room was simple, a throne made of a dark metal and fires to the sides lighting up the place. Hades was seated lazily on the throne, dressed in a suit and playing with a lighter. If it weren’t for the strange expression in their eyes, it would seem as if they were utterly disinterested in him.
The two of them stood there in silence until Heracles spoke. And if his voice trembled a little, well, that was between him and Hades.
“So, Hades. I guess you managed to catch me.“
They said nothing, turning their lighter on and off instead. Fire. Shadow. Fire. Shadow.
“My name is Heracles. I was sent here by Zeus to steal your dog.”
Fire.
“You probably have heard of it already. Zeus got me acquitted after the trial for my family’s death and I’ve been doing some jobs to pay him back.”
Speaking of it as it wasn’t all Zeus’ fault made bile rise up his throat but he figured that Hades already knew the details. No need to complicate things, and he didn’t know how much time Hades would give him.
“Zeus said this was my last task, but I know he’ll ask for more. He always does. Or maybe he said it was my last task because he hoped you’d kill me, he likes that kind of irony. I know what this looks like, I know you must be furious and that I will die, so if you’re gonna kill me, better do it fast.”
Hades smiled and it seemed way too sharp in the dancing shadows of the room. Finally, they spoke:
“Heracles, it’s plain to see you are tired. I might just set you free, but then you gotta do one thing for me.”
Heracles was so relieved that he didn’t even have it in himself to dread yet another task.
“I have a friend,” Hades continued. “He’s got a job that I think will be more than enough to pay the debt to which you’re resigned."
“And who is this ‘friend’?”
They didn’t answer, instead lifting a panel on their throne and pressing a button in it. The trappings let go of Heracles and he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to relieve the soreness that had settled on them. Finally free, he remembered the job that had brought him here. Oh, he was about to push his luck.
“Hades, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I can’t go back without Cerberus. If I do, Zeus will straight up kill me or something worse. So let’s make a deal: If I fight against Cerberus and win, I can take it with me, and I promise to bring it back. I’m sure it’ll make a great spectacle for you, at least. Everyone knows that Cerberus this terrifying animal and-”
For once, Hades seemed surprised.
“What?”
“I mean, I mean, you must know what they say about how Cerberus is this huge monster, worse than the minotaur”
Hades interrupted his stuttering rant with a laughing fit, leaning back on their throne and barely able to hold their breath.
“Alright, Heracles” they said between laughs “I’ll let you fight the terrible Cerberus. If you win, you can take him to Zeus on the condition that you bring him back.”
Not entirely sure how to answer, Heracles only said:
“Sure.”
Hades guided him to a room surrounded by many strange-looking machines inside crystal cells. Some of them wailed.
“Those belong to a friend. Don’t touch them if you want to stay in one piece.”
Then, they spoke onto a small communicator:
“Marius, can you release Cerberus on Raphaella’s testing room?”
“Oh, you got him a new toy?” A voice on the com asked.
Hades turned to look at Heracles and smiled.
“Something like that.”
Heracles was left alone in the room with Hades sitting behind one of the empty crystal cells, possibly to protect themself.
A wall opened to reveal a dark hallway, startling Heracles, much to his regret. He heard steps on the echoing corridor and growls that seemed to come from an enormous animal. The noise got closer and closer still. Into the light stepped…
Well, it was a dog. Heracles knew about those from hanging out with Artemis every now and then. An incredibly tiny dog that didn’t even reach his mid-calf. Growling and baring its teeth, it lunged towards Heracles, who caught it with both hands. It took him a few minutes to subdue the animal, but he managed to do it without much trouble.
“Hmm, I thought he would give you a bigger fight,” said Hades. Their eyes were bright with laughter and their voice dripped irony.
Heracles was red, because of embarrassment or rage, he couldn’t tell.
“This is Cerberus?”
“Of course. What did you expect? A huge three-headed dog?”
“Yes?”
“No. All the rumours about him are an exaggeration. Take the dog to Zeus and bring him back. If you don’t, you’ll find that the rumours about me are an understatement.”
Involuntarily, Heracles took a step back and crashed with a ferryman that had just entered the room.
“Take our guest out of here” Hades said to the ferryman, who grabbed Heracles by the shoulder.
“Wait, wait. What about the job that you told me about?”
“I’ll put you in contact with my friend and then we’ll see. Meanwhile, be glad that you got out of here, I don’t give that mercy to everyone.”
And with those words they walked away, fidgeting again with their lighter. The ferryman asked Heracles to follow him. It wasn’t until he saw the comforting fluorescent lights of the outer levels that Heracles started to process what had just happened.
Cerberus in hand, he walked towards Olympus Tower. He couldn’t wait to see Zeus’ expression when he showed him the small dog and he really couldn’t wait to see his expression when he told him that he was quitting. Zeus was going to be so, so pissed.