If Heracles had not been with Hermes and Athena the Furies would have had their way with him already. Heracles was not the first hero to travel to the underworld, Theseus and Pirithous had traveled here nearly a year ago. Theseus and Pirithous had promised they would marry daughters of Zeus, as they were Demi-Gods and deserved such an honor. But, a woman is not an object to be taken and owned. The two kidnapped Helen of Troy to be Theseus' wife when she was old enough to be married. She had since been freed. For Pirithous he chose Persephone, the beloved of Hades. He had heard Persephone did not love Hades and was taken by force. But that is not true, Persephone did love Hades, but she could not bear to be away from her mother for long. Therefore she only spent part of the year in The Underworld. When Prithous and Theseus arrived to take Persephone, she met them in Tartrurus, along with the Furies. Before they could react, both Pirithous and Theseus had been frozen in place by snakes coiling around their bodies and turning to stone. Soon they were dragged to The Underworld. There Persephone left them to be tormented for all eternity inside the palace of Hades.
The smell of death was overwhelming in the realm of Hades. Screams of despair echoed in the distance. Never growing closer, yet never going further away. Cold winds licked at the flesh of our party that would burn any mortal, cold enough to still send a chill down the spine of a God. It seemed all color had been drained from the world, even the grass grew a mild gray color here. The stones all seemed to have faces etched into them, screaming for relief that would never come. Still, they pressed further knowing what they had come to do. The doors of Hades palace seemed to be filled with carvings of tortured souls, but they were not carvings. The souls screamed out in pain as the doors opened announcing their arrival.
In the grand hall surrounded by the greatest of dead musicians sat Theseus and Pirithous, dining. Laughing with no one else, nor each other. The food they ate seemed to replaced as if by magic, and their cups never emptied. The two had been placed in enchanted chairs that forced them to forget. They could not even remember their names. They would sit there for all eternity, coiled snakes around their ankles forcing them to remain seated. Heracles could not bear to see them like this. Hermes did not find the idea appealing as he did not wish to anger Hades, a power on par with that of Zeus and Poseidon. Athena saw it as a requirement for Heracles to heal. Heracles did not care for the debate of the Gods, as it was Gods who had set these men here.
Heracles ripped Theseus from his chair, snakes crumbling and Theseus screaming in pain as flesh was torn from his thighs and buttocks remaining stuck to the chair. In an instant he regained his memory. From his knees he instantly begged Persephone for forgiveness as he intended to months ago when he was captured. When he was done Theseus could only collapse in exhaustion from the ordeal. Heracles next tried to free Pirithous, but the man would not budge. He only mumbled for Persephone to love him. Hermes and Athena joined Heracles attempting to free him. The Underworld shook, refusing to free the prisoner it had claimed. It wasn't hard to understand the Earth above had shaken as well.
"He still desires to have Persephone as his own, you'll never be able to free him, until he forgets his lust," Theseus spoke as he struggled to stand.
"Is that how you found yourself here," Heracles asked.
"We thought we could claim Helen and Persephone as our own. But Persephone would not allow it," Theseus spoke with regret.
"And she was well within her right to defend herself. Helen has been freed as well," Athena spoke with disgust.
"You are right. I know that now and I am in your debt."
"I would never have someone such as you serve me," Athena began the march towards Hades' throne room.
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