Chapter Text
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You got lost
Lost through the night
It's no loss
You'll be alright
Tell me you'll feel better
When you're sleeping through the day
And I'll tell you how you missed it
When you wake
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“Ugh, can you believe this? As if we’re his babysitters!” Megaera made an annoyed clicking sound with her tongue.
“Why does this happen again? Shouldn’t he know by now, that his father won’t accept such behaviors?” she ranted, while looking at her sisters for approval.
But Tisiphone just looked at her indifferently and got ready for the work ahead, as she always did, never complaining, never refusing the order.
Alecto, on the other hand, shot Meg a condemning look, “I guess he realized one of us falls hard for the brainless type of guy and now uses this to his advantage?”
Megaera felt heat crawling to her cheeks but at the same time anger rose inside her.
“This is none of your business!” she spat back at her sister. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tisi grinning, but as she turned her head, the stoic look on her face seemed unchanged.
But Alecto was not out for fighting, “Anyway, are you ready sisters?”
Tisiphone gave a short nod, now all business.
And Megaera checked her hidden weapons one last time, “Yes! Ready to knock some sense into his thick skull!”
----
Many streets away, in some questionable part of the city, sitting at the counter of an even more dubious bar a man nipped at his drink.
His bronze skin and black suit a stark contrast to his almost white hair.
He sat alone at the counter, some shades lingering in the bar, but no one dared to approach him, go near him, or even look in his direction.
If death visits, it was better to not draw his attention.
He huffed.
How he hated this nickname.
The case was, he was just very efficient in what he did, and when he was sent to finish a job, many before him had already tried unsuccessfully to settle things peacefully.
No reason to equate him with death.
But on the other hand, he did not really care what others thought of him.
And if those around him were a little too scared, it was better than not being scared at all.
As he was about to put the glass back to his lips, his phone buzzed in his jacket pocket.
He sighed.
So much for his free evening.
He fished his cell phone out of his pocket.
‘He is out… again. Get him back!’
He emptied his drink with one sip and headed out into the murky city.
---
It was not even hard to find him.
Not really, if you know Zagreus just a little.
He was standing outside a club, the club he told him about last week, the club that his cousins had made palatable to him and that he now of course had to try out for himself. He was standing near the entrance, smoking cigarettes with Dionysus and Hermes, Aphrodite not far away, flirting with some random guy.
Even from this distance he could see that Zag was a bit drunk. Maybe not as drunk as his cousins but definitely not master of his senses anymore, swaying lightly in his movements.
Thanatos rubbed his eyebrows.
Good, he was the first to find him, if the Fury Sisters were here first this would have gotten ugly.
He glanced around. He has to get Zag out of here before they arrived, or this could really escalate.
A sigh escaped him again and he moved his hand with a flowing motion through his hair, before he stepped out into the street, ready to finish this mission.
As he approached the club entrance, Zagreus saw him first and a smile spread on his face as he waved at him to come over to them.
“THAN!” He shouted, waving frantically.
“Than my man, so good to see you! Come join us!”
But the white-haired man kept his pace and his face unmoved, he was not here as a friend, but as an employee of his father.
But Zagreus did not seem to notice this and took a few steps towards him.
“Thanatos, I must say I’m surprised to see you here, but happy,” his eyes shone bright with his words.
And Thanatos felt this stinging in his heart, which has been the case again more often lately near Zagreus. Although he had been sure he would finally be over it…
Why did Zag have this gift to make things more complicated as they already were?
But the son of hades slowly sensed that something was off about his friend and stepped cautiously back.
“Wait… You, you are not here because… Why are you here Than?”
“Zag, you knew this would happen-”
“So father sent you?”
“Yes, Zag.”
He offered a hand to his friend, hoping and praying to whatever god was listening, that Zag would just take it and follow him home.
But well, as mentioned Zag had this gift of making things complicated, the joy gone from his features replaced by anger. He flicked his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out with more force than would have been necessary for it.
“Well, then goodbye Thanatos and send warm greetings to my father,” he turned around, already heading back to his cousins.
But Thanatos was not someone who played games and in the blink of an eye he was beside Zagreus his grip around his arm firm and unyielding.
“Zag, I was hoping you would come with me voluntarily, but if you leave me no choice, fine,” and with a lowered voice he whispers, “The Furies were sent too, to bring you back. So, you can come with me, or they will take you with them, your choice.”
But unfortunately, this had not the desired effect on his friend, but caused the opposite.
“OH! So, you’re giving me a choice?!” Zag spat out while gesturing wildly with his hands, thereby escaping Thans grasp.
“As if I ever have a choice!” his eyes gleamed with anger.
“It is either go home Zag or go home Zag! Well, thanks for that! And I thought at least you-,“ the volume of his voice dropped and the hurt of betrayal was evident in his face.
“I thought better of you, Than. I thought you were my friend.“
Thanatos was at a loss for words. His head ached, he was tired from his day, and again there was this little pain that pricked his heart.
“I am your friend, Zagreus,“ he began.
But he had the feeling that Zagreus was not even listening to him properly, his eyes stubbornly fixed on something unimportant in the distance, the anger and hurt of betrayal still clearly visible in his gaze.
Oh, how he will hate himself for this, later!
“Fine, Zagreus. I won’t force you. Go back to your cousins!”
Zag blinked a few times, not quite sure if he misheard.
He started to open his mouth, but Than beat him to it.
“I will give the sisters a false trail, texting them I saw you in a club across town. This will keep them busy for the night.”
And already his Phone in one hand, Thanatos waved his other, trying to shoo Zag off.
“Than, I don’t know what to say, I really appreciate… well, thank you!”
And the hurt was gone from his face, instead replaced by this special glow in his eyes, and Than liked them this way much better.
“You’re welcome!” And with a stern expression he added, “But this stays between us!”
“I promise!” the black-haired man chortled and as a last goodbye he grabbed Than’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze before heading back to his slightly confused looking cousins and entered the club, vanishing from Thanatos sight.
“Blood and darkness… What have I done,” Than murmured, but he still felt the warmth of the touch on his arm and the hint of fingers ghosting over his skin.
And at least his heart did not ache anymore.
----
Somewhere, in a faraway district of the city, Alecto kicked a trash can with such force that it flew in a small arc to the side, a clearly visible boot print in the dented metal.
“What the fuck is this?! I thought he was 100% sure, we would find him here! And now, “she gestured at the entrance of the fourth or fifth club they searched unsuccessfully, “He isn’t here either! “
And with that, she sent another trash can flying, even further than the first.
Tisiphone was quiet, as usual, but her jaw was clenched, and her brows furrowed.
Megaera was looking at her phone.
Not long after they headed out to get this dumbass back to the house, she received a messaged from Thanatos, stating he knew where Zagreus was, but too busy to collect him himself.
He told them the city district where they should find the stubborn heir, and this was the last text she got from him.
But even after a thorough search in this district and the neighboring districts, they had not found even a trace of the escapee. Meg tried calling Thanatos, but his phone was off. They went on to places located in the vicinity, but nobody even knew Zagreus here. She started biting her thumbnail. Something was off. And unlike her enraged sisters, she was well aware that Than had lied to her and deliberately sent them on a false trail. But it was the why that preoccupied her mind.
“Meg! We’re going home! “ Alecto seemed to be done beating up innocent trash cans, “Shall the boss search for him, himself! I have had enough of it.”
“Yeah, me too,” she answered absent minded, following her sisters back to the house of hades.