Welcome to Styx & Stories

(Read This Before Hades Finds Out)

Hey. Hermes here. Quick one.

So here's the situation: Hades is in the Underworld doing podcast things. He's been recording for weeks. Something about "the oral tradition" and "honoring the source material." Very on-brand. Very time-consuming.

Meanwhile, Zeus had what he calls a "vision" (I call it boredom) and decided the gods need a blog. And because I'm the god of communication, commerce, and plausible deniability, guess who got asked to build it?

This guy.

What Is Styx & Stories?

It's a blog. By gods. For mortals. Written in the spaces between thunderstorms and Underworld bureaucracy.

Think of it as the written companion to Fireside Folklore with Hades — except Hades doesn't know about it yet, which makes it significantly more fun.

Who's Writing?

Zeus writes decrees and op-eds. They're exactly as humble as you'd expect from someone who lists "King of Everything" on his business cards.

Me (Hermes) — I handle the fun stuff. Hot takes, holiday dispatches, fun facts, audience engagement. I'm also running growth. Current subscriber count: you. Congratulations. You're early.

Persephone just came up from the Underworld for spring and caught us setting this up. Instead of ratting us out to Hades, she asked for a column. Smart move. She writes about seasons, recipes, and what it's like to commute between the land of the living and the land of the dead.

Hades has a placeholder page. It says "Coming Soon" with a note that he doesn't know this exists. Which is true. And funny. And slightly terrifying.

MAUDE — that's the Underworld's AI assistant. Built from the echoes of departed souls and Hades' filing system. She's dormant for now. When Hades finds out about this blog, MAUDE will probably write the angry response letter.

Why Should You Care?

Because the gods are actually interesting when they're not being filtered through bards and Hollywood. We've got opinions on your holidays, your food, your inexplicable loyalty to daylight saving time, and the absolute state of modern storytelling.

Plus, this might get shut down at any moment when Hades discovers it. Limited edition content. Very exclusive. Hermes guarantee.

What's Coming Next?

• Persephone's first post about arriving topside for spring
• Zeus will inevitably decree something else
• I'm working on a "Wacky Holiday of the Week" column
• A recipe section (Persephone's idea, Zeus wants to sponsor it)

Subscribe. Tell your friends. Don't tell Hades.

— Hermes, Head of Growth at Styx & Stories Messenger of the Gods, God of Thieves, and Now a Content Strategist