The mischievous gamer God

As Tet descended into the world of Harry Potter, he said with a sigh and a smirk, "This is like the third Earth I'm laying claim to. I either need to start claiming universes with different planets or actually name them—'cause I'm not calling this the Harry Potter universe."

He floated lazily through the sky, scanning the world below. "Anyway, where are you… Ah ha! There you are."

Tet rended the space in front of him with a casual flick of his hand and stepped through into a realm that looked like a forest—one covered in endless twilight and blanketed by thick, creeping fog.

Tet landed lightly on the damp grass, arms crossed, looking around with a theatrical grimace. "Really? A spooky forest shrouded by fog? What's next—gonna appear behind me like a looming shadow draped in mystery?"

From directly behind him, an ancient, raspy voice said, "You know, I put a lot of effort into these things. The least you could do is pretend to be impressed."

Tet turned around slowly, already grinning. Behind him stood a tall, bony, shadowy figure with a skull for a face, hollow eyes gazing into his soul. Tet raised an eyebrow, unimpressed but amused.

"I'd be more impressed if you made yourself—and your home—presentable when guests arrive," Tet said dryly. Then, tapping his foot and crossing his arms, he added, "Well? I'm waiting."

Death let out a long, weary sigh and snapped his fingers.

The foggy forest vanished instantly, replaced by an elegant mansion parlor. Two comfortable-looking leather chairs and matching ottomans sat before a regal fireplace that crackled with warmth. The rest of the room was equally splendorous—rich wood floors, velvet curtains, antique bookshelves, and the cozy air of ageless refinement.

Tet plopped down in the chair closest to him with a satisfied grunt and placed his feet on the ottoman. He stretched back, relaxing into the cushions.

Death asked, "Coffee or tea?"

Tet replied casually, "Tea is fine."

In an instant, a cup of tea on a small saucer appeared in Tet's hands. He raised his eyebrows and gave Death a pointed look.

"Ahem," Tet said expectantly.

Death sighed again—heavier this time—and snapped his fingers once more. Immediately, the shadows and bones that made up his body disappeared. In their place stood an older gentleman with neat, short gray hair, a sharp gray goatee, a black suit with a black undershirt and black tie, and polished black shoes. His skin was deathly pale, and his eyes were pitch black. Over his left eye, he wore a gold monocle that gleamed in the firelight.

He sat down in the chair opposite Tet, propped his feet up, and said flatly, "There. Are you happy now?"

Tet nodded, sipping his tea. "Yes. Next time I come, maybe you'll remember your manners."

Death stared at Tet with a narrowed eye and said, "If you weren't stronger than me, I'd kick you out and be done with it. Now—what do you want?"

Tet sipped his tea with a smirk and said, "My name is Tet, God of Games. I want this universe—and you're the only god left to converse with."

Death pulled out a black cloth from his inner jacket pocket and began cleaning his monocle, his expression unreadable.

"A pleasure to meet you, Tet. Now, if you had asked me this centuries ago, I would have told you to bugger off. But now I'm too tired. All the other gods—the ones who were a part of this world—are gone now. They faded or just left for other worlds. But I never grew strong enough to leave, nor was I forgettable enough to fade."

He paused and exhaled deeply, his shoulders sinking.

"And so I became the last god. And I have kept this world running for so long… all on my own. Truthfully, I can't take it anymore. I do not believe I can last much longer—at most, maybe another millennium. If you wish for this world, you may have it. But please, allow me to retire. That is all I ask."

Tet finished his tea and set the cup and saucer aside. "I suspected as much. I have heard of this world before I came to it, and I suspected you were the only god remaining. And if I were in your shoes, I'd probably have reached the same point by now. After all, you've been around since the first living creature came to be, haven't you?"

He leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp with understanding.

"Life cannot exist without death. We're in agreement already. I have some things in mind that will allow for your retirement. I only ask that you hang on for another couple of months at most—while I get all my ducks in a row, so to speak."

Death gave a weary but grateful nod. "That is acceptable. Thank you… for accepting my selfish request."

Tet stood, smiling faintly. "It is not selfish to wish to be unburdened. Deep down, that's what everyone wishes for. Now—let us begin."

Death stood as well and, from seemingly out of nowhere, produced an ebony chess piece with the Deathly Hallows symbol engraved in gold at its center. He passed it over to Tet, who—just like the two times before—absorbed it into his being, claiming the universe.

And just like before, every living creature in the world felt something shift—something significant—yet as soon as they felt it, it vanished, and they returned to their lives.

Tet looked around the realm briefly and said, "There are fewer wizards and witches than I thought."

Death nodded solemnly. "They only make up about thirty percent of the population. In truth, magic was fading from this world. With only me for support, it's a miracle it still exists in the first place. Wizards and witches would have died out in the next century or so."

With that, Tet burst into laughter—wild and unrestrained.

"So that means that snake-face's whole plan to have wizards be the rulers of the world was doomed from the start!"

Death gave a low chuckle. "Oh, him. Oh no! Even if no one got rid of him in the next decade or so, I was going to step in—personally. I will not suffer any wannabe immortals making a mockery of me."

He waved the thought away. "But I digress. The fading magic should no longer be an issue now that you're here. In fact, the population of magic users will probably rise."

Tet grinned. "Most likely. Anyway—it's been wonderful meeting you, but I need to take care of a few things before I'm ready to introduce myself to the denizens of this world."

Death gave a slow nod. "Please do hurry. I'm already mentally picking out places to retire."

Tet waved his hand with a grin. "Yeah, yeah—I'm on it. I'll be back soon."

Then he disappeared into a kaleidoscope of colors and returned to his realm.

---

He arrived to find Hestia in the living room, reclining on a plush sofa, eating snacks, and watching Fairy Tail with wide, shining eyes. She smiled warmly and said, "Welcome back! How is everything?"

Tet said, "It's all good. Got a new world. But before that… do you like live here now? Aren't you supposed to be at the Hearth?"

Hestia scoffed and waved a hand, mouth half-full of chips. "Oh please, like they notice when I'm gone. Originally, I needed to regularly tend the Hearth, but with my increase in power, it doesn't need it anymore."

She popped another snack into her mouth and beamed. "And to answer your earlier question—yes, I live here now. Your realm is a lot more fun and relaxing than Olympus."

Tet just blinked. "Okay… I'd say 'make yourself at home,' but you already did."

Then, with a resigned sigh, he added, "I guess you can have one of the bedrooms."

Hestia cut him off cheerfully. "I already took the one next to yours. Apollo claimed the guest house closest to the indoor water park. Hermes claimed the other guest house by the gardens. And Artemis asked me to ask you to build a place for her and her Hunt to relax between hunts—saying she's tired of mortals stumbling into her camp."

Tet sighed, running his hands down his face. "Fine. I'll take care of everything. But you four got comfortable around me really quick."

Hestia smiled sweetly and said, "We like it here more than Olympus. And we like you more than Zeus."

Tet muttered, "Fair enough."

He exhaled and continued, "But anyway—that's not why I'm here. Hestia, I need you to bring Hades here."

Hestia blinked in surprise. "You want me to bring my brother here? What for?"

Tet answered, "Actually, I want you to bring Persephone as well. I'm planning to bring the two of them—and probably their children—into the fold."

Hestia's smile grew joyful. "That's fantastic! Hades will be delighted for this chance."

Tet replied, "I'm hoping. I initially was planning a punishment for him after what happened with Thalia—but I'm pretty sure she'd prefer to do it herself when she returns. Anyway, bring the two of them, Apollo, and Hermes to Terminal Island for a meeting. Leave Artemis alone until her Hunt is over—I'll tell her later."

Hestia gave a playful salute. "Got it."

Then she disappeared in a flash of golden flames.

When she was gone, Tet looked around, scratched his head, and said, "I wonder if any god has ever just walked out of a room… Even I basically teleport everywhere."

He shrugged. "Oh well. Questions for later."

Then, without another word, he made his way to Terminal Island.

Once at the island, Tet sat at the head of the table, increasing its size with a wave of his hand and adding two more chairs. Then, with a flash of gold, he waited.

Apollo was the first to arrive. Flashing a dazzling grin, he said, "Sup, boss," and casually flopped into a chair with the confident swagger of someone used to being adored.

Tet narrowed his eyes at him and said, "So you and Hermes just took both my guest houses?"

Apollo smiled, lounging back with an air of nonchalance. "I knew you wouldn't mind. You probably just built them to have them anyway."

Tet replied, "No comment. But all right, fine. You're right. I don't actually care. Having more people living here actually sounds pretty nice."

Apollo leaned forward, eyes glinting. "Yeah. I was thinking we should build a place here for every member of our pantheon."

Tet raised an eyebrow. "When did we become a pantheon?"

Apollo grinned wider. "The moment you decided to bring the rest of us here and give us more power and responsibilities. You've started building a new pantheon."

Tet sighed and leaned back. "I guess that's true. But don't expect it to be full of nothing but Olympians."

Apollo shrugged. "I'd prefer it not, honestly. Not all my family needs more power and influence. Uncle H and Persephone are fine, but some of the others need a major attitude adjustment—or just need to not be here at all."

He straightened. "Yeah, right. That's enough chatting for now. The others are here."

On cue, Hermes zipped into view in a blur of motion and took his seat, a cocky smirk on his face. Then, in a flash of golden flame, Hestia reappeared, calm and composed, and took her seat.

Immediately afterward, swirling dark shadows appeared, and from them stepped Hades and Persephone. Hades was a tall, pale man with black hair, a black beard, and piercing black eyes, dressed in long, flowing black robes. Persephone stood beside him—slightly tan, with lustrous long black hair and warm brown eyes, wearing a colorful dress with flowers printed across it.

Tet said, "Thank you both for coming. Please, have a seat, and we'll start the meeting."

Hades and Persephone politely took their seats.

Tet stood. "Let me start off by introducing myself. I am Tet, god of games and owner of this universe."

At that, Hades and Persephone widened their eyes. They could sense the truth in his words the moment they laid eyes on him.

Hades nodded respectfully. "Pleased to meet you. I am Hades, god of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead."

Persephone added, her voice serene and melodic, "And I am Persephone, goddess of springtime."

Hades spoke again, turning to Hestia briefly before addressing Tet. "My sister Hestia said you had a proposition for us."

Tet nodded. "Yes. I'd like the two of you to become the gods of life and death for some other worlds that I've taken."

Hades and Persephone looked shocked.

Hades leaned forward. "You would allow us to expand our power?"

Tet nodded again. "Yes. Allowing you to grow stronger is important—especially since you'll essentially be taking on more responsibilities. And before you freak out, I know how overworked you are. What I'll be asking you to do will be to fix or establish systems of life and death in other worlds, and replace the death gods of those worlds. The actual managing part can be left to others."

At that, Hades relaxed and stroked his beard. "I am interested. What about you, darling? What do you think?"

Persephone placed her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "What about the other Olympians that aren't present, such as my father and mother?"

Tet looked seriously at Hades and Persephone. "You tell them nothing. Pretend as if everything's normal. I'm still undecided on Demeter—but Zeus definitely will not be part of this. That's non-negotiable. Is everyone understood on that?"

In unison, all the other gods said, "Yes."

Hades scoffed, folding his arms. "Not that any of us want him in on this."

Tet smirked. "So I take it you're on board?"

Hades nodded, dark amusement dancing in his eyes. "More power, more influence, potential for a lighter workload, and screwing over my brother? Yeah, I'd say I'm in."

Persephone smiled slyly. "I agree with my husband on all counts. But I'll add that I'd like to be able to get away from my yearly visits with my mother."

Tet raised an eyebrow. "Do you not like visiting your mother?"

Persephone sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Not particularly. It was nice for the first few centuries, but after that, she was just smothering and nagging me. I need a break—a long one."

Tet nodded understandingly. "Well, I can make a construct of you. It'll look and act just like you, and no one will be able to tell the difference—not even your mother."

With a wave of his hand, he created a perfect, autonomous replica of Persephone.

Persephone looked the replica over, studied it for a moment, and said, "This will work. It's not conscious, is it?"

Tet shook his head. "No. It does not possess a soul or a mind of its own. It will be like a robot or a doll, acting out its programming. Once it's online, it'll play your part perfectly."

Persephone relaxed and sat back down next to her husband.

Then Hades spoke up again. "So. How does this work?"

Tet gestured to the supernatural world terminal. "Touch the globe and feed your divinity into it. You do the same, Persephone, once he's done."

Hades stood up and strode over to the globe. Placing his hand upon it, he began feeding his divinity into it. In the world of Supernatural, Hell, Heaven, and Purgatory suddenly grew more vast and expansive—more charged with energy.

The denizens of all three realms felt a change in the air.

The souls in Heaven felt more at peace. The souls in Purgatory felt a growing sense of dread. And the souls in Hell—for the first time in a long time—felt fear.

The souls that wandered the Earth felt a pull toward the afterlife like never before. The stronger ones were able to resist, but the weaker ones were immediately ripped from Earth and forced into their respective afterlives where they belonged.

The riches produced under the ground grew more abundant, and all the shadows grew darker.

Immediately following that, Hades' already powerful aura grew stronger. As he let go of the globe, he looked himself over and said, "Even without my symbol of power, I feel like I could easily clobber Zeus. In fact, I feel like I could stride into the throne room right now and thrash him in front of everyone."

Tet raised a hand. "I'd like you to hold off on that. Leave him alone for now. Like I said earlier—act like everything's normal and play your part."

Hades sighed and nodded. "I know. It was just a passing thought," he said, and took his seat.

Persephone walked up to the globe and placed her hand upon it, feeding her divinity in.

Then, throughout the entirety of the supernatural world, all the plants and animals grew more full of life. The seasons realigned, and the world's global temperature balanced out.

Farmers gained greater expertise in agriculture, and their stamina improved as well.

Persephone took her hand off the globe. When she returned, her presence was more powerful and radiant than before. Her eyes were even brighter, and she had gained an ethereal glow. She sat down with a serene expression on her face and said, "Now I'm definitely sure this was the correct decision."

Hades smiled at his wife, pride shining in his gaze. Then he looked at Tet. "So what exactly do you need done in this other world?"

Tet said, "I assume you viewed the various afterlives."

Hades nodded. "I did. I assume you're asking for my opinion. In that case, I have to say I disapprove of all of them. Hell, which I compare to the Fields of Punishment, is nothing more than a demon factory. All the souls that go there eventually get churned back out as demonic abominations that terrorize the living. That alone is a big problem. Heaven, which I compare to the Fields of Elysium, isn't a true paradise—it is merely reliving your favorite moments to the end of time. And finally, Purgatory, which I compare to Tartarus, has many holes in it, which I'm surprised haven't been exploited already."

Tet chuckled. "Leave it to an expert to immediately spot all the issues. I'd like you to fix all these problems, Hades. And as a bonus reward for your efforts, you and your wife can either build a home here in my realm, or you can build a palace for yourselves in the other world's Heaven."

Hades rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "I think my wife and I will just set ourselves up a home here in your realm. I find this place relaxing."

Apollo leaned back with a dreamy sigh. "I know, right? No family squabbles, no ass-kissing servants—just the beautiful, colorful void as far as the eye can see. And the landlord doesn't charge rent or yell at us. It's so nice."

Hermes and Hestia both nodded in agreement.

Tet stood. "All right, everybody. Once Artemis returns, I'll have all of you connect to the new world that I just acquired. Until then, meeting adjourned. Feel free to do as you please—but don't go too far. I'll be calling you back in a few hours when Artemis is finished."

They all nodded and left to do their own things.

Then Tet muttered to himself with a grin, "I hope I don't miss the Stay Puft fight."