"Sigma! Get over here!" Hades called. The eleven-ish year old boy walked into the room, trying not to shrink away from his father. Hades moved away so his wife couldn't hear. "Did I not tell you that I was going to have a date with Persephone?" he hissed to Sigma, gripping his arms. "And since we're going on a date don't you think we need dessert?!"

"Um-" Sigma whimpered and looked away. Hades backhanded him to regain his attention. The boy yelped in pain, tears starting to roll down his face.

"And you better make it good! The smoked salmon you cooked was inedible it was so burnt!" The god of the Underworld released Sigma, who ran into the kitchen, sobbing.

Upon hearing his brother's cries, Omicron frowned and hugged Sigma. Epsilon, who wasn't one for physical contact, remained near the oven, silently lamenting. "Sig, what happened?" Omicron asked after a while. Sigma looked at his brother as Epsilon came over to hear the tale. Through his tears, Sigma slowly recounted the events. After he had finished, Epsilon spoke, his light gray eyes narrowed. "That's it."

"What do you mean?" Omicron asked, tossing his blonde hair over his shoulder, which it was barely long enough to do.

"This is the last time that son of-"

"Epsilon," Omicron chided. "Sigma is in the room."

He sighed. "Our dearest father Hades," The 17-year-old continued, clenching his jaw. "has abused us and neglected us for the last time. We're leaving. Tonight."

Omicron and Sigma were speechless for a few seconds. Finally, Sigma spoke. "But what about the Code? Hades is our Master."

"Sigma, I know-" Epsilon started, but Sigma ignored his older brother. The boy closed his eyes and transformed into a wolf that same color as his hair, golden brown.

"Hades is our Master. Which means we must obey and love him. No matter what. It's the Code of Dog."

Sigma watched his brothers, hoping for some affirmation. They did nothing. Finally, Omicron shifted. But the blonde, green-eyed wolf was not siding with Sigma as he had hoped. Omicron gently licked behind his brother's ears. Sigma growled, refusing to accept the gesture of affection. "Where will we even go? It's not like we can just walk out of the Underworld."

Epsilon answered, a smile creeping under his shaggy, black hair. "We don't walk. We swim."

"What?" his brothers replied in unison, confused.

"We swim. As you know, the river Phlegathon leads into the Underworld. So logically, if we go backwards, meaning upstream, the river leads out of the Underworld."

"How long does it take to make a flipping dessert?!" A voice called from across the palace. "Are you making freaking baked Alaska or what?!"

The boys stared at each other, one thought on their mind: What are we going to do about Hades?

Epsilon glanced at his brothers, determined not to show his fear. He stared at his youngest brother. "Look, Sig. We don't have as much time as I hoped we would. Actually," Epsilon paused to turn into a jet black wolf. The heavy footsteps of steel-toed boots echoed down the hall. "our time has run out. Let's go."

Omicron quickly followed his older brother away from the echoes, but stopped when he realized Sigma wasn't coming. "Sigma!" he barked. "Come on, Hades is going to be here any second."

The hazel wolf shifted into a Jack Russell and sat down defiantly. He shook his head. "I can't run away. I can't break the Code."

A shadow appeared on the wall as Hades drew closer. Sigma stared, resigning himself to his fate. Omicron looked from Epsilon at the end of the hall to Sigma, back and forth. He finally made a desperate decision. "You won't break the Code, so I'll break it for you." Omicron rushed at Sigma, grabbing the terrier by the scruff and leapt after Epsilon just as Hades entered.

Once they were outside, Omicron set his brother down. Sigma looked up at him, but said nothing. "We're still not safe." Epsilon panted. "We have to get to the Phlegathon, and now. Hades is going to be after us any second." He glanced over to see Hades already coming toward them, and he was not exactly happy. "Get to the river and start swimming upstream. Don't wait for me."

Sigma turned human and hugged Epsilon, who winced but didn't pull away. "If we don't wait, you better promise on the river Styx that you're coming. Promise you won't get hurt."

"I promise on the river Styx I'll come after you, but I can't say I won't get hurt."

The 11-year-old frowned, his blue eyes round and pleading.

"Please don't give me puppy eyes, Sig." He paused. Hades was even closer. "Okay, fine! I promise on the river Styx I won't get hurt. Now get out of here!"

Omicron and Sigma, both in wolf form, sprinted away to the fiery river Phlegathon, leaving Epsilon alone to at least slow their father down.