The smirk on Hades' face disappeared as he strode through the halls of Olympus, eager to wreak havoc on his fellow gods at the chess table, but found no one willing to face him over his newest pawns - the citizens of Lawndale.

They especially despised how his Queen - the tiny, bespectacled female with auburn hair, attractive legs and a perpetually dour expression, seemed to know her purpose, and would more than occasionally look up and glare with an expression usually seen only by those who had encountered Medusa.

Even the eternally-aroused King of the Gods refused to partake of the game over Hades' board, even with the promise of the lushly-formed blonde nymphet with very little common sense, a talent for being easily manipulated, and combat skills that rivaled Pallas Athena. Hades had once let an errant gust of wind blow, revealing the bespectacled female's trim, shapely hips, but even then, Zeus would have nothing to do with the games.

It was the wisest decision he'd made, the King of the Gods mused later, over a goblet of warmed nectar, since he'd refused to get involved with that decades-long debacle started by Eris and her golden apple.

After three years, and only one scintillating match against Aphrodite (she loved playing unusual love matches, and that wealthy young man made for an excellent game), Hades decided that he'd have no more fun with those mortals, and abandoned them as pawns for his chess games.

Besides, he had an annoying, almost uncomfortable sensation from time to time that the bespectacled female – 'Daria' - was looking right at him. Her expression was one of resignation, laced with disgust and a touch of pity, as if she'd just seen an animal urinate on a piece of furniture.

He had grown to almost fear that look.

3-D CHESS

An 'Iron Chef' Daria fic by Brother Grimace

17 September 2005