Chapter Text
NOTES:
▪ Certain references to things like the Hall of Infamy and Advent golf course are to be found in HSE's Epilogue, so I won't explain those. Except to say that the timing on Persephone's leaving and returning is very short here, because in HSE the first time was very near the autumn equinox anyway. Imagine Hades' frustrations when the FULL arrangement kicked in the following year.
▪ EIRENE. Goddess of Peace, one of the original three Horae. Not the ten who represented hours of the day but the three who represented "the correct moment" and presided over matters of justice and law. Sister to Dike ("justice") and Eunomia ("good order"). I give her the task of creating the ancient Greek world's version of Celestial Seasonings tea because of the calming aspects of chamomile, and because the later Roman version also made her into the goddess of Spring based on the mistranslated word "eiarinos" (springtime).
▪ HERMOGENES. One of the exceptionally few known-by-name ancient Greek architects. Giving him a home-repair business is just tacky, but what the hell.
▪ TARTARUS VISION. In the TV series, Hades claims to have come up with the idea but honestly it's so much like the Fates' eye that I really felt it ought to be theirs (like a strange wedding present to him, knowing how he'd need it when he was alone). The chair is pretty much the one he used in the series when watching TV.
▪ THE SHOWS THEMSELVES. Every hackneyed stereotype I could toss at you, along with cameos by practically everyone, including TV series-only characters. (If this turns out to be the ONLY story I write them into, sorry about that.)
▪ GRECIAN IDOL. Calliope ("the beautiful voiced") is of course the Muse of epic songs/poems. Orpheus we know. Symeno is of course Simon, but the name doesn't mean anything much ("to hold a treaty") that would apply to the actual man.
▪ MEGARA & ADONIS. I was glad when the TV series showed they'd had a past, because honestly it fit what was indicated by the movie. Also, she really was the princess of Thebes in mythology even if Disney ignored this, so she's been unfairly gypped of "princess" status by their marketing, largely in favor of girls who only became princesses after marriage (Snow White, Belle, Cinderella) or aren't princesses at all (Mulan? Tinkerbell? Really?). Personal opinion: They left her out because she's a smart-mouth and therefore sets a "bad example to good little girls". I would've loved that as a kid.
▪ ADONIS HIMSELF. There's a myth about him and Persephone, which I consider bogus with very good reason. His name is almost certainly being confused with Hades' true name "Aidoneus" ("the invisible"). The pronunciations are virtually identical: Aidoneus is "ay-DON-oos" (the "eu" is not "ee-oo", it's only one sound like in Zeus). Considering that Adonis, in the few stories he appears, is also called by many other titles - such as "demon" and "Euboleus" (another Hades name) - I give zero credit to the myth. Don't expect anything more than a token mention of him in any future story.
▪ CSI: ATHENS. Theophrastus was a student of Plato and studied, among other things, the sciences of biology, botany, psychics and medicine. Strato, a student of Theophratus, specialized in natural science, even theorizing about atomic structure. Philo was not a contemporary of the others but his work involved math, mechanics, and artillery. All these things seemed to fit a crime procedural show.
▪ HIPPOCRATES. In the Hercules TV series, his story is really being substituted for Apollo's son Asclepius, the demi-god of medicine, who was killed by Zeus for raising the dead. In the show he was a righteous do-gooder who ruined Hades' business and was therefore kicked out of the Underworld. Oh, and erythematosus is part of the Latin name for lupus. If you know the show "House", you get it.
▪ MILI CYPRUS. Just had to get a dig in at a modern Disney show. The name doesn't mean much ("mile" and "Cyprus tree") but what the heck. Also, "zoe" (life) is a Greek word as well. Gotta love it.
▪ ICARUS. I love Icarus to bits. And with that hair, who else could he mimic but The Donald. The references to his Dadalus and Momalus are from the TV series and you can find those out yourself. (UPDATE 2017: Oh my gods, whyyy didn't I find a better show for this character???)
▪ CASSANDRA. She didn't really talk to dead people in the show or in mythology, but come on – between "Ghost Whisperer" and "Medium" we have too many nicey-nicey women dealing with sometimes nasty dead folk. Might as well let her have some fun.
▪ WIFE SWAP. I hate the show. They pick the most ridiculously opposite families and the ensuing brain pain is too much.
▪ PHIL. Honestly, Hades has a REALLY good point here about these freaking sitcoms. The title is borrowed from "According to Jim", "Still Standing" and "King of Queens" which are three of the worst examples. Syrinx is the nymph Phil dated on the show. Oh, and I really laughed at the thought of a baby tree in diapers. I'm pathetic.
▪ PR0N! In "Hope Springs Eternal", the Fates did consider watching Hades and Persephone's relationship unfold like an early version of the Playboy Channel. And of course they let Persephone know about their gift to Hades. The rest you can figure out.
▪ CRETE/ATHENS WAR. This refers to the Epilogue of HSE, where the war has already been raging and the dead are piling up in the Underworld.