Hades' Fortune

"Ah. I see that you've paid ahead." -Charon

Said to be plucked from the treasures of Aidoneus himself, Hades' Fortune is a single drachma bent to curl the top edge so that it can be attached to a thinly crafted chain. The necklace is said to have been originally crafted by Hephaestus with strands of bronze pulled from the depths of Tartarus. The woven necklace is finely crafted and a sharp contrast to the weathered, tarnished surface of the coin it carries.

Summary

It is believed that there exists somewhere in the world a coin suspended on a chain crafted so finely that it could only have been made from Hephaestus himself. This coin and chain are said to be a prepaid ticket across the river Styx to allow its wearer the ability to travel to and from Hades at their leisure. The coin was said to have been gifted from the treasures of Hades himself as a means of allowing a mistress to come and go at her leisure. Persephone is said to have discovered the dalliances of her husband and what happened from there has been lost in time.

Spread

This legend is mostly kept in the tight circles of the pantheon's demigods. The fact that it is believed to extend to a physical divine object is known only among the oldest and wisest of the Greek Demis. Many other magical divine gifts are widely known about, but information on a coin with the power to allow its wearer to travel in and out of Hades at their leisure is closely guarded information.

Variations & Mutation

Rumors and legends abound concerning this bit of chain and coin, however, as time stretches ever onward, the existence of it has begun to fade much less what the original purpose might have been. Whispered records are bare memories and have become fantastical in nature; frequently losing the original meaning. The only surviving poem thought to reference the coin and its chain is often thought to be referring instead to a specific entity or a person that is loved intensely. Many believe that it is a reference to Persephone and Hades.

In Literature

A Love deep and pure,

from sky, earth, and sea

with blessing from Styx

My side, you will be.

Bronze chains and a Key

each from the divine

to bind and to free

upon the dark shore.

Your secret, it hides

A warning abreast.

The tether will be

A lit for the test.

-unknown