Hades is the ancient Greek god of the underworld. He is both the youngest and eldest brother of Zeus, as he was born first (but reborn last, after being eaten by his father, Cronus). He joined Zeus in the rebellion against their father and helped him ascend to the throne of Olympus. When the rebellion turned out to be successful, the brothers decided to split up the rule of the skies, the seas, and the underworld. Hades ended up ruling over the latter, which is why the Greek underworld also bears his name as a synonym: Hades.
Hades was not loved by the rest of the gods. Indeed, he would rarely show up for family festivities. Yet he did not have to spend his life in the underwolrd all by his lonesome. He tricked his niece, Persephone, into marrying him. This is why the seasons are the way that they are. They never had any children together, yet Persephone did conceive some childeren by other suitors. There is one rumor that Hades is the father of Plutus, but we like to attribute his birth to Iasus instead. After all, Hades is known for bringing death, not life.
His wife was not his only companion in the realm of the dead. A dog is man’s best friend, but this is also the case for Hades. His dog was a bit of a monster though, counting three heads and being enormous in size and strength. We all know this dog’s name: Kerberos. He was the guardian of Hell, keeping in the souls that were doomed to spend eternity in the realm of Hades.
Another companion is Charon, the skipper that ferried fresh souls across the river Styx. These were brought to the ferry station by Thanatos (the spirit of death) or Hermes (the messenger of the gods).