Blood Wine

by ChesMaster

Summary:

Torn to shreds by the Titans…Devoured in pieces…From his heart aflame…The seed of Dionysus grew…The god of wine and feast anew…To live…At home on Olympus…Never presuming…His origins true…

 

One day, while sending boons to Zagreus, Dionysus’ heart gives out and he perishes, dreaming of Zagreus finding a miraculous green garden by the sea. But it’s cool, he’s immortal and it’s not like his heart was fully functional before it randomly gave out. Nothing to worry about, no need to concern his family about it at all.

But then it happened again. And again. And again…

Maybe there was more to Orpheus' song than Dionysus had given it credit for.

Notes:

I have been working on this since they announced Hades II at the Game Awards, I was so damn excited, and am now finally posting it in honor of Hades II's release into early access, which I am avoiding so I can play the full game fresh (attempting to at least lol). Special thanks to my best friend who sort of beta read this fic and gave me the motivation to actually write it out instead of living rent free in my head (love you, girl! <3). Updates will be inconsistent, as I have yet to write out the actual ending lol, but I hope you enjoy! Feel free to let me know if you believe any tags should be added

Chapter 1: Sing of Zagreus

“Sing of Zagreus, O Muse…Slayer of hydras…First of his name…”

It was such a good prank. It had everything: absurdity, teamwork, lying, music, it was great. Dionysus couldn’t believe how Orpheus could be so gullible. He really believed that Dionysus and Zagreus was the same god and that Dionysus was created from Zagreus’ severed heart. Zagreus had to be a master liar for Orpheus to buy all that. Hermes would get along with him for sure if that was the case. Where was that speedy big brother of his, anyway? Eh, probably frolicking with his “professional associate” or whatever…

“The seed of Dionysus grew…The god of wine and feast anew,” the god in question sang to himself. “To live…At home on Olympus…Never presuming…His origins true…”

He found that line odd. Did Zagreus say Dionysus didn’t know that they were the same person? Or did Orpheus add his own little details to spice up the song? He’d have to remember to ask his little cousin when he got to Olympus eventually.

Dionysus smiled, feeling giddy with the large amount of wine he drank. He was really looking forward to meeting Zagreus and show off how excellent his feast-throwing skills were. He made a promise to throw a fantastic feast for the Underworld Prince, and he intended to keep it! Truthfully, Dionysus hadn’t been as invested as everyone else seemed to be when they decided to bust the son of Hades out of the Underworld, but now that he saw what a good, fun-loving, Nectar-giving mate Zagreus was, he was all in! The song Orpheus wrote was nonsense, but the one thing that was true was that they definitely had a bond!

“The Prince under the mortal ring…Prisoner to his king,” Dionysus sang. “Never to leave…Steadfast, endlessly toiling…Doomed to remain…Endlessly toiling…Doomed to remain…”

Ahh, leave it to Orpheus to be so gloomy! Zagreus definitely didn’t mention that bit in the fib he told. Right? He wasn’t getting discouraged, was he?

“Zag man!” Dionysus spoke too loudly when he sent his blessing down to the Underworld. “Lemme just say you got this man! This is it, you’re gonna make it, you’re gonna beat that Fury, slay that Hydra, absolutely wreck Theseus, get pass that scary doggy of your dad’s, and take down whatever is stopping you from reaching your goal! You know how I know, man, because we’re connected, we’re the same, a part of me’s in you, or a part of you’s in me, I don’t remember how it went, take this and go show ‘em what you’re made of!”

“If you could take this seriously for once, Lord Dionysus?” prim Athena said after the boon was accepted.

Dionysus sighed dramatically. “Athena girl, can’t I give a rousing motivational speech? I’m being super serious! He’s gonna make it this time!”

“Not if you keep drowning yourself in wine,” Athena said icily. She reached over and took his cup from his limp fingers. “He’s not even out of Tartarus yet, and you can barely hold your drink steadily.”

“Hey!” Dionysus tried to reach for his beverage, but Athena had long arms being over two feet taller than him, and he was too drunk to keep his balance. He fell off his seat and flat on his face, much to the amusement of his uncle, Poseidon.

“Careful, Dionysus! You’re more wobbly than a sailor who hasn’t gotten his sea legs yet!”

Dionysus pushed himself up, enough wits about him not to say what he thought about Poseidon’s little jab. Or Athena’s nagging. He didn’t need her mothering him, he was a grown man…

“Then perhaps you should act like it sometime!” Athena snapped. Oops, that inside thought became an outside one.

“Athena girl, relaaaaaaax!” Dionysus drawled, liking the sound of his own voice. “Zag’s got this! I know it! We’re the-”

“Yes, yes, we’ve heard your little song, Lord Dionysus!” Demeter said, lounging next to Poseidon. “Now if you are quite done blathering, I would like to enjoy my meal in peace. It is hard enough with Poseidon’s constant inane prattle…”

Dionysus pouted at the fun-hating goddesses while Poseidon laughed good-naturedly at the insult. He managed to get back on his seat and prop himself up by his left elbow to get into the optimal eating position, but now he didn’t have a drink. Should he get a servant to get him another one? No, Athena would yell at him again. Ughhh, why was life so hard?

The inebriated god of wine looked around at the other gods and goddesses reclining and eating. Most of the Help Zagreus Team was there: his wise sister, his war-loving brother, his sea-salty uncle, and even his chilly not-aunt. He was too drunk to remember why they were all gathered in the dining room at night in the first place…oh, dinner. They were having dinner. Right. He wasn’t used to dinner being so calm with this many of his divine family members in attendance. It really helped that the conversation was focused on Zagreus and what powers they could lend to the woebegone son of Hades. Dionysus tried to follow along, sending a boon down every now and then, but he got tired and bored quickly. He closed his eyes and went back to singing.

“Sing of Zagreus, O muse…Slayer of hydras…first of his name…”

“Lord Dionysus…”

Ugh, Athena could be so annoying. “Born of Zeus as a serpent…”

“Lord Dionysus.”

Gods, what was her problem? “In spite of Queen Hera…Zagreus came…Torn to shreds by the-”

“Lord Dionysus.”

With a frown, Dionysus opened his eyes to tell Athena to get off his back already, but all words died in his throat at the sight the dark-skinned, ten-foot tall goddess of striking splendor standing over him. Dark-eyed and exuding grace with every single movement she made, the deity was dressed in a simple grey dress with a shawl of gorgeous peacock feathers draped over her shoulders. Noble and ageless, bald and beautiful, Hera, the goddess of marriage and childbirth, Queen of Olympus and all the gods, gazed serenely down at the intoxicated god of wine. Dionysus sat up immediately and brought his lips back in what he hoped was a pleasant smile.

“Your Majesty…! Haha, didn’t see you there! Really glad to see you join us for dinner…”

“That’s very kind of you, Dionysus,” Hera said, her voice a smile. “Please, continue your song. I really quite liked it.”

The bastard son of Zeus swallowed thickly, mind trying to race even though it was flooded with alcohol. Hera’s voice was sweet and kind like she was talking to an endeared child, but the fury behind her pleasant mask was all too clear even in his impaired state. But why? What did he do? He was just singing about Zagreus being cool, slaying hydras, being the son of Zeus in spite of — ohhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooo…

“I’m afraid Dionysus may be too out of it to fulfill your request, my good Foster-Sister!” Poseidon said with a bit of an awkward chuckle as Dionysus screamed internally. “But pay him no mind, my lady, it is just another one of his silly little jests.”

“A jest?” the cow-eyed goddess blinked at Poseidon innocently. “What is the jest, Foster-Brother?”

“Ahh, haaa…” Poseidon’s confidence vanished suddenly. “W-Well…ahem, let’s see, how did it go again…?”

Hera quirked an unimpressed eyebrow at her foster-brother, but patiently waited for him to gather his thoughts. Ares, the firstborn and favorite son of the goddess, spoke up cautiously to attempt to smooth things over.

“Mother, if I may explain for my uncle?” Ares said. “Lord Dionysus merely wanted to spread a story amongst the mortals that he and Zagreus are one and the same, which led to the story being our kin is a son of Father Zeus.”

Hera frowned just a bit. “‘In spite of Queen Hera’?”

Ares quietly cleared his throat. “I do not believe that is the intended focus-”

“Thank you, my son,” Hera said, silencing Ares. She turned back to the god of wine. “That’s not very nice, Dionysus. Why would you spread a lie like that?”

“I dunno,” Dionysus mumbled stupidly, face hot. “Thought it’d be funny.”

“Insulting me is funny, Dionysus?”

He felt a terrible urge to laugh and say yes, it was very funny. Thankfully, Athena in her infinite wisdom caught his eye from behind Hera and shook her head at him. Right, answering truthfully would mean a very fast trip down this mountaintop with a sudden stop.

“I-I wasn’t trying to insult you, Your Majesty,” Dionysus said. “Gosh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything…”

Oh gods, that came out so much more mocking and condescending than he intended. He tried to clarify, struggling to coherently express himself in a formal and respectful manner while soused.

“W-What I mean is, if I knew you would be, uhh, sensitive to…to hearing the song, I would’ve, uh…ahh, you know, not sang it in front you. But now it’s a whole thing now, I didn’t want it to be a thing, but now it is. I mean, the song’s not really about you, you know? I should’ve been more mindful of your — what’s the word? — insecurities.”

Hera’s eyes narrowed at the audacity of the wine god’s words, her mouth a thin line. Athena and Ares were stunned with horror, knowing it wise not to speak in their half-brother’s defense. Poseidon slowly grabbed his trident in preparation of Hera’s destructive wrath. Demeter, never cowed by her younger sister, tried to stifle her laughter behind a sleeve. While Hera made no indication she heard Demeter, Dionysus saw the faintest hint of a golden blush on the Queen’s face.

“Now, Dionysus,” Hera said, no emotion in her dark eyes. “Is that any way to talk to your mother?”

Dionysus dug his fingers into the fabric of his seat, his heart furiously pounding blood throughout his veins as he felt the deadly aura of the heavenly queen wash over him. His breathing became shallow, and his chest tightened as if a boulder had been placed on top of it. He smiled up at Hera anyway, feeling oddly calm.

“Probably not,” he said. “Good thing you’re not my damn mother, eh?”

“Dionysus!”

The god of wine jumped and turned sharply to see his ten-foot tall father looming in the entrance of the dining hall. Lord Zeus glared sternly at his son for speaking so disrespectfully to his wife. Normally, Dionysus would grovel at both of his lord and lady’s feet for forgiveness, but in his intoxicated state, he thought if he explained himself that his dad would understand and take his side.

“Dad, I was just-”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, young man!” Zeus said, his booming voice nearly shaking the building’s foundation. “Apologize to the Queen this instant!”

“But I didn’t do anything wrong!” Dionysus shouted back. He thought volume would help get his point across.

“You dare argue with me?” Zeus was astounded.

Dionysus scoffed, finding the notion ridiculous. Unfortunately, Zeus mistook the meaning and thought Dionysus was disrespecting him.

“Young man, if this is how you are going to behave, then perhaps we are better off having dinner without you! Go to your bedchambers, and don’t come out until you are ready to properly apologize. Now.”

Everything in the room and on the walls rattled from the force of Zeus’ command. Fighting back tears of frustration and humiliation, Dionysus grabbed his thyrsus and left the dining hall with his head held low. He couldn’t believe this. All this fuss over something so stupid…

He unsteadily stumbled down the halls. Where was his room again? He hardly ever used it, finding others’ rooms more comfy. Maybe he could sneak away to Aphrodite’s place. Her sons might be around, though, and while he loved them, man, were they a lot.

A sharp pain suddenly went through his chest. Dionysus winced and stumbled into a pillar. He could feel his heart start to stutter and beat out of rhythm. Damn it, not again, not now! He tried to remember his breathing exercises, but no air would go into his lungs as his heart beat far too rapidly for someone only walking leisurely down the hall. His vision blurred and darkened, and he found himself lying on the floor. The cool marble felt nice on his hot skin, so he just laid there for a bit…

“Lord Dionysus!”

Athena was kneeling down next to him and putting her finger against his throat to feel his pulse. It must’ve been bad because she was picking him up into her strong arms and rushing him to the infirmary. Something about his “heart pulp evasions” or whatever.

“Noo, Dad told me to go to my room,” Dionysus whined, weakly and futilely struggling against the eight-and-a-half foot tall goddess. “Lemme die there, that’ll make him feel real bad for getting mad at me…”

“You’re not going to die,” Athena said tersely. “You’re fine. You just need your medicine and a quiet place to rest.”

Dionysus groaned into Athena’s breastplate. “No, it’s different than before, I’m seriously going to die this time. I feel awful. I think something’s really, really wrong here. It’s gotta be some sort of poison or curse…”

 

 

“It’s stress.”

Dionysus stared at the golden-haired, golden-skinned god of healing. “Stress?”

“Stress,” Apollo said as he pressed a bowl of nasty, bitter herbal goop to Dionysus’ lips. “Too much wine makes you easily agitated and emotional. Our family being in the same room together for more than two seconds leads to fighting and shouting, which you in particular are sensitive to. Add Stepmother Hera into it? Your poor little heart doesn’t stand a chance. Come on, drink up.”

Dionysus whined in protest from the back of his throat. Apollo gave his little half-brother a stern look.

“Don’t make me get the funnel.”

Dionysus scowled but drank. Bleh, it was so gross…

“Lie down on the bed here and rest,” Apollo said briskly. “Your heart should settle down soon.”

“Thanks, man,” Dionysus sighed and draped his arm over his eyes, dizzy and nauseated. “Ugh, why me…?”

“Doing my best to figure it out, Baby Dio,” Apollo said, scribbling something down on a piece of parchment. “What am I always saying? You can’t rush art.”

“Medicine is not an-!” Athena started indignantly, but gave up. “Do you require any assistance from me, Lord Apollo?”

“Only to keep our baby brother from putting his foot in his mouth, Lady Athena,” Apollo said, still writing. “But that might be too great a task even for you.”

“Hm. Indeed, Lord Apollo, I’ve yet to form a strategy concerning that problem.”

“Lay off!” Dionysus whined at his bantering siblings. “All I did was sing a song! You said you liked it, Apollo!”

“I did, but I thought you had enough sense to realize that a certain someone would not appreciate it,” Apollo said. “Why didn’t you change the lyrics a bit? Listen, I understand wanting to stay true to your artistic integrity and not wanting to censor your own songs-”

“I didn’t write it, man,” Dionysus said for the millionth time. “Orpheus did. It’s a new song of his that Zag and I tricked him into writing.”

“Orpheus is long dead, Baby Dio,” Apollo said like he was a child making up stories.

“I know that! His shade still exists in the Underworld, he’s still writing hit after hit!”

“Perhaps so, but how did you hear an entire song from the Underworld when you lot can’t even see or hear our own godly cousin?”

Dionysus huffed and said nothing because he didn’t remember how. He just woke up one day after a brilliant night with his maenads with no memory of it except the ballad. He knew it was definitely the work of Orpheus because, well, it sounded like it! No one believed him, though, and thought he was just making up tall tales. It didn’t bother him too much, but Apollo of all people should appreciate giving credit to the right songwriter.

“Regardless of where the song came from, by the gods, stop singing it,” Athena said. “This is the first in a very long time this family of ours has come together for a common goal. Even Lady Demeter has been more cooperative than I ever anticipated. Although the dignified Lady Hera has opted out of helping Cousin Zagreus, she has not interfered or protested openly. Do not give her a reason. For Zagreus’ sake, if not your own.”

“All right, all right,” Dionysus said glumly, rubbing his chest. “I’ll cool it with the song…”

“Can you at least pretend to care about the health of your own brother?” Apollo sighed at Athena. “Rather than your little scheme to cause discourse between Olympus and Hades?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean, Lord Apollo,” the goddess said smoothly. “I only wish to aid a family member in desperate need of it.”

“Ah, forgive me. I did not mean to suggest you had any ulterior motives whatsoever. Of course your intentions are pure, Lady Athena.”

“Of course, Lord Apollo. Just as pure as your intentions are for not lending your support.”

Dionysus fidgeted uncomfortably as he was caught in between the hard stares of Athena and Apollo. Pretty sure this wasn’t helping with his “stress”. Thankfully, Apollo decided to let it go and cracked a sardonic smile.

“I really would love to lend Prince Zagreus my power, O Sister, but I don’t want to step on my twin’s toes!” he said. “Artemis has really been taken with our Chthonic cousin. I’d hate to steal him away from her after demonstrating my superior archery blessings!”

“I am sure our noble cousin understands,” Athena said evenly. “However if you ever change your mind, or if you and Artemis come to an understanding of sorts-”

“I wouldn’t count on either, to be honest,” Apollo said, going back to his serious disposition. “But it sounds like you might not need my help. Hasn’t Prince Zagreus been reaching the surface consistently?”

“Yeah, he’s been getting real close!” Dionysus piped up cheerfully, but weakly. “Theseus isn’t even a bother for Zag anymore. So proud of him. Oh, I should send another boon down there. He’s in Asphodel by now, you think? Yeaaah, I’ll send a few to Asphodel…”

“Whoa, whoa!” Apollo protested as Dionysus created and sent off about three boons in a row while lying on his back. “I told you to rest, Baby Dio!”

 “Nah, it’s cool, I’m already feeling better.”

“Be that as it may, I must also insist you not push yourself, Lord Dionysus,” Athena said. “You might relapse from the strain.”

“Pfft, come on, girl, sending boons isn’t that…ughhh…”

He closed his eyes as a wave of nausea hit him like a chariot. His oh-so-clever siblings made a few droll comments about how dumb he was and how smart they were. Rude. But the medicine really had calmed his heart down to a steady, slow beat. He was actually starting to relax and doze off…

 

 

The flame-footed Prince of the Underworld ran through the snow-covered forest, intent on reaching his destination. The journey was long, but uneventful compared to the deadly escape of his lord and father’s realm.

Oh, no, not the old man again. Dionysus thought he had moved on to narrate someone else! Well, at least he was narrating Zagreus in this dream and not him.

This is what the ruddy-cheeked god of wine dreamt of after far-reaching Apollo’s medicinal herb lulled him to a deep slumber.

Aww, shame, that. But why was the old man narrating a dream of his? Must be awfully important. Best to pay attention…

Prince Zagreus in his drunkard cousin’s dream came upon a cliff overlooking the ocean just in time to see the chariot of Lord Helios rise over the horizon. “Wha-? That thing, that’s…the sun…” he said.

What? Did Zagreus…really not know what the sun looked like? Oh, man, that…that was really sad…

The dream continued as the weak-hearted Lord Dionysus became fully aware of what Prince Zagreus had been deprived of his entire life. The Prince boldly pressed onward, and eventually, the cold and snow of the landscape was interrupted by green grass and warm breezes, an oasis in a wintery wasteland. The scent of the sea filled the air, sunlight bright and warm. Sure-footed Zagreus stepped onto the grass, the blades singeing slightly under his fiery feet. He passed under a stone arch and entered a beautiful garden of a quaint little cottage…

Oh, wow, the old man wasn’t kidding, this was amazing! There were tons of tomatoes and/or apples in many baskets, some lemons by a little lemon tree. Some leafy greens, wheat, and vegetables to the left. No grapevines he could see…oh, nope there they were! They had already been harvested. This garden was officially perfect.

“Who’s there?” the firm voice of whom the garden belonged to called out. Empty-chested Zagreus felt a worm of worry wriggle restlessly inside him as he stepped forward to be seen.

Empty…chested? What did that mean? Was that the old man’s way of saying Zagreus was heartless? That was rude, Zagreus was a good chap!

Sadly, the dream of Dionysus could not be carried out to its completion, and he would not yet learn about the garden, the person that resided in its cottage, and how the runaway son of Hades was connected. Thunder roared outside where the wine-filled god slept, instantly breaking the embrace of herbal-induced sleep.

Dionysus sat up with a gasp as thunder boomed outside, awaking from the dream just as the old man said. He was covered in sweat, his heart pounding as if he had been running a marathon. He took a few minutes to calm down. It had to be morning; he wasn’t drunk and his head was killing him. He was alone; the healers of Apollo’s infirmary had vanished completely. Lightning struck again, making him jump.

All children of Zeus had a particular affinity to the ever-inconsistent state of clouds and winds to varying degrees. Even the weather-oblivious Dionysus could determine from the ferocity and frequency of his lord and father’s devastating lightning bolts that he was rather cross.

“Try ‘absolutely livid’, old man,” Dionysus said. “But what happened? What’s gotten my dad so out of sorts?”

The old man didn’t answer. The events of the previous night came back to Dionysus as he pondered upon it, lightning striking all the while. Oh, gods, he really made an ass out of himself this time. No wonder it was so hazardous outside.

For as long as the jubilant-behaving god of wine could remember, his heart had been weak,  erratically beating on occasion. Never in his extended life had it beat as furiously as it had then. It pounded and assaulted his very veins with unneeded blood until his body could take no more, and Lord Dionysus perished.

Dionysus gasped for breath desperately. He tried to yell for help but his heart stopped suddenly. Like it had its hopes dashed entirely and gave up in despair. He tried to hit his chest to start it up again, but it was no use. He had died and the vines were about to take his body away. But not before he said his final words:

“Augh, damn you, old man…!”

Chapter 2: Tangled in the Vines

Summary:

Dionysus attempts to hide his recent bouts of heart failure from everyone and to fulfill his godly duties without complaint despite his declining health. Unfortunately, the Fates and his family have other plans...

In the month following the events I have described previously, Lord Dionysus, god of wine and festivity, son of thunder-loving Zeus and of glorious Semele, perished from his overactive heart several more times, an occurrence that baffled the god, for he had experienced nothing like it before. Naturally, the son of Zeus informed not a soul of his worsening condition and opted to carry this burden on his own.

“I hear that judgmental tone, old man! It’s not a big deal, I pop back up right as grapes every time, but I know Apollo will make such a huge fuss-”

Ahem! Anyway. While the Prince of the Underworld would be taken by the Styx after one of his numerous demises, Lord Dionysus would be taken by Ampelos, his most sacred grapevine, to be brought to his greenhouse located on his vineyard. On the morning of his fourth heart failure, our boisterous lord found himself on the fertile soil underneath Ampelos, wrapped and tangled in its embrace. Dionysus struggled fruitlessly against his bindings, his cheek subject to a leopardess’ rough tongue all the while…

“Bastet, no, down!” Dionysus squirmed unsuccessfully to get away from the vermin-scented breath. “Anubis, help!”

Anubis, a black leopard, was lounging further down the vine. He looked right at his master and merely flicked his tail in vague interest. The watch-leopard saw nothing wrong with his mate, Bastet, greeting their master back from the dead.

“Well, if you’re going to be like that, you’re not getting any treats, mister!” Dionysus said. “At least help Daddy out of here?”

Anubis did no such thing as he could not be bothered. Bastet, eager to be petted, grabbed a bit of vine with her teeth and tried to pull it off of her master. The vine wrapped around Dionysus was thick and tough, determined to keep its god in its embrace until it deemed him ready to be in the world of the living. A single one of its tendrils rose into the air and swatted the protective Bastet’s nose to get her away. The sacred guardian of the god of wine’s vineyard snarled and jumped back, startled but unhurt.

“Hey! You touch my baby like that again, and I’m burning you to the ground, Ampelos!”

The impertinent vines curled and shifted as if to say, “Go ahead, I dare you, you know I grow the best grapes!” But it released its grip on its lord, sensing Dionysus fully restored, and settled back to the normal state a grapevine would have in the middle of winter.

“See, he’s all bark and no grapes…”

Bastet head-butted Dionysus’ chest and rubbed her face against him. He hugged her and gave her scratches behind the ears. He looked over at Anubis, who had rested his head on his front paws. He looked tired. Dionysus briefly hummed Zagreus’ ballad to help lull his boy to sleep before remembering his father’s orders to never sing it ever again. The fact that it was forbidden only made Dionysus want to sing it more.

“I dreamed of Zag again,” Dionysus said to his leopards. “Before I died. He was in that beautiful garden by the sea. Man, it really makes me miss spring and all the green and flowers and butterflies. You guys as sick of this cold as I am?”

Both leopards flicked their tails in agreement. While they had no love for the scorching desert Dionysus found them in, they weren’t particularly wild about the current stretch of winter. But what could they do? No escape from the bitter cold, Goddess Demeter had vowed, except in their lord’s dreams during a heart attack.

“I think there’s someone else in those dreams, too,” Dionysus said as he pondered on it. “But I always wake up before I can see them. Dying hurts too much to stay asleep, if you can believe it. Zag probably can, poor guy. He really is something else, I don’t know how he puts up with this whole dying thing over and over. I hope he makes it out soon, for his sanity if nothing else. You two will like him a lot, and I know he’ll just love you guys after having to tangle with that nasty dog of his dad’s!”

The proud guardians of the god of wine’s vineyard blinked imperiously at their master. They knew of the hellhound Cerberus and his terrifying reputation. While they respected his work, the sacred leopards of Dionysus were of the opinion they were superior in every way.

“Yeah, you guys are the best!” Dionysus reassured his indignant kitties. “You do such a good job clearing all the vermin. Here, share this Nectar, and I do mean share it, Anubis. I’d best get to work myself, grapes don’t grow themselves, after all.”

Although he said it with a bright smile, his heart twisted with dread. Demeter’s fields were right next to the vineyard, so it was hard to escape the chill. Not that any of the vines were completely frozen, grapevines could adapt just fine to low temperatures. They were just stuck in a state of dormancy until they could get some warm sun. That meant no grapes and no wine. At least, it would if it was a mortal’s vineyard…

“C’mon, little guys,” Dionysus murmured as he poured his power into the snow-covered soil to inspire green leaves and purple fruit from the vine. “Just a few more bunches…”

There. That should be enough from this vine. His workers jumped in as he caught his breath, quickly harvesting the grapes before the vine reverted back to its winter state. He knew the grapes would taste fine, but he hated doing it like this. It felt so rushed, no love and care at all, but this was the only way to get fresh grapes nowadays.

“No wine from these batches,” he told the satyr in charge of such things. “The kitchen’s been hounding me for some fruit. The Muses also put in an order for some to pose next to for their new portraits, so if you could assemble the prettiest looking ones into a basket-”

“Um, milord, I must inform you we’ve received some orders this morning from Lady Hera concerning several weddings. Again.”

“Oh, complete those first, then, absolutely. Her Majesty takes priority, always.”

“R-Right, milord…”

After making some tough calls only the god of feasts could make, a group of nymphs dragged him off by the ear to fill out some parchment work that he had been neglecting. Okay, they didn’t actually drag him by the ear, but it sure felt that way. He knew it was important to be on top of the administration part of things, but he was Dionysus, for crying out loud. Scribbling down some numbers at a desk for hours totally went against his carefree, feast-all-night-and-day image. Hell, the whole point of his cult was to be freed of this sort of nonsense. But that was down in the mortal realm, this was Olympus. Standards, like the location, were higher, apparently.

Finally, finally, finally, Dionysus finished the parchment work at sunset. He could have done some overtime; some would say he should have. But he died that morning, and he worked very hard that day, so he deserved some rest! And wine! And some yummy food! The kitchen was bound to be serving up something good for…dinner…

Dionysus decided to head to Athena’s library instead. It was part of the main manor, but it was definitely her space, much like the vineyard belonged to Dionysus. He stepped through the massive double doors meant for gods bigger than he and listened to the old man describe the library.

Millions of scrolls of any and every type of knowledge filled the great, never-ending library of Pallas Athena. Undying owl helpers of high intelligence flew back and forth between shelves, forever rearranging scrolls that were incorrectly placed back by a casual reader with no regard for bright-eyed Athena’s organization system.

“I’m a fan of the Dio Decimal System myself,” Dionysus said.

“Meaning no system whatsoever?” Athena quipped from the desk near the front, not even looking up from what she was writing down.

“Haha, yeeeah, you got it, girl,” Dionysus smirked. He stretched his stiff arms as he walked pass the desk taller than him. “Anyway, don’t mind me-”

“One moment, Lord Dionysus,” Athena said, prim and prompt as ever. “It’s your turn to provide boons for Theseus.”

“Nooooooooo!” Dionysus cried loudly, startling nearby owls and ruining the atmosphere of the sophisticated library. “Whhyyyyyy?”

The goddess of wisdom glared at him. “Lower your voice, and stop whining like a child.”

“You’d whine too if you were me!” he said, puffing out his chest. “Why do I have to send that prat Theseus boons? Can’t you do it instead?”

“I am already aiding Zagreus, and supplying two opposing sides with my strength is undesirable for all those involved,” Athena said. “You have not supplied him with your blessings and are clearly not preoccupied if you are here; don’t even pretend there is something you wish to read.”

“It could happen!” Dionysus shrugged defensively, but he had to smile wryly. “Not tonight, though, definitely not. Man, what an absolute downer you just dropped on me. Remind me again how we got conned into helping Theseus of all people?”

Athena sighed wearily. “As I’ve explained multiple times, when our father and uncles assumed their rule over their respective domains, there was an agreement should one of them require assistance in maintaining order, the other two would lend their strength. When our noble cousin first reached Elysium, Lord Uncle Hades finally swallowed his pride to invoke the agreement in retaliation. Due to the vague and frankly archaic vernacular of the agreement, we made it so we are only required to empower the Champion of Elysium rather than cease our efforts in helping Zagreus. We are actually quite fortunate.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s not the worst thing to happen because Dad made a promise he didn’t think through,” Dionysus said dryly. “One last question: does it have to be me this time?”

“Lord Dionysus, I am really not asking much of you,” Athena said, her patience worn. “It will take all of five minutes of effort. Surely even you are capable of that?”

“Whoa, whoa, Athena girl, what’s that supposed to mean?” Dionysus asked. “I’m not being lazy if that’s what you’re thinking!”

“Then what are you being?” Athena challenged. “Difficult? Selfish? Please enlighten me.”

I’m just tired, Athena, damn! I’m exhausted! Her Majesty’s been running me ragged over a dumb song, and Demeter’s freezing my vineyard! It’s literally killing me, I died just this morning and haven’t even had time to take a proper bath! I’m really stressed the hell out…

“I’m being a good husband to my late wife, how about that?” Dionysus said, too proud to admit his limits. “Heh, okay, okay, easy with the angry eyes, only ruffling up your feathers a bit. I’ll answer the Champion’s call if it’ll make you happy.”

“Thank you, Lord Dionysus,” Athena said, relaxing a bit. “I would send your blessings soon. Cousin Zagreus is halfway through Elysium already.”

The god of wine gave her a thumbs up and retreated into the library for some privacy. After walking through the winding and twisting shelves for a bit, he found a soft reading chair to lounge in and sent boons down, down, down to Elysium. No message attached, he had absolutely nothing to say to that flighty guy. His vision blurred and all his energy drained. Damn it, he knew it. He was too worn out and sober for this.

To fight off the exhaustion, he summoned his enchanted cup of never-ending wine from his invisible pockets, or “inventory” as Hermes would put it. He downed the sweet drink quickly before an owl could tattle to Athena. No food or drink allowed in the library. The god of wine smiled, instantly feeling his drink’s restorative effects.

“All right, gents, let’s see how well you can hold your wine…”

He closed his eyes to see the Stadium of Elysium where the favored shade was standing. He summoned a splatter of wine pools randomly on the ground and hoped someone would step in them since he couldn’t see anything in the Underworld very well. That was the reason. Totally wasn’t half-assing it for Zagreus’ sake. And the pool appearing right under Theseus was an accident. Dionysus would have removed it immediately, but he was too busy summoning more wine pools to get the tricky Zagreus, who was much too quick and nimble for him. Yes. Very unfortunate.

Wait, did someone else step in a pool? Not Theseus, and Dionysus could see the silhouette of Zagreus zigging and zagging around them. Was there a third person fighting? Had the fight against the Champion been two against one this whole time? How hadn’t Dionysus noticed before? Did Zagreus always take the other fighter out before Theseus summoned Dionysus? The son of Hades must be having some trouble this time…

Dionysus summoned another pool and, ahh, wouldn’t you know it? The third fighter stepped right in there, poor guy was going to suffer the nastiest hangover of his life. Or was it death? Afterlife? Whatever, he was gone now, and it was just Theseus and Zagreus. Dionysus’ chest was starting to feel tight.

Come on, one of you kill the other already!

Ah! Connection with Theseus was severed. Zagreus was victorious. Thank the gods, Dionysus could finally rest…

Unfortunately, this would not be the case.

“Old man, come on.”

For his heart began to beat rapidly, such as a maenad would beat feverishly on her drum before the sacrifice…

“No…” Dionysus whimpered pathetically like a child as he clutched his chest. He wanted to call Athena, but after what she said…yeah, no.

He snuck out of one of the windows to keep Athena from seeing him. Not unusual for him to leave places via window; he only hoped the owls wouldn’t mention how haggard he was to their mistress. He at least was able to sneak into his room without anyone seeing…

“Hello, dear!” Aphrodite smiled as she lounged on his bed. She had shrunk down to his size and was wearing absolutely nothing apart from her customary jewelry and accessories. Her hair tastefully covered her private parts, so naturally Dionysus forgot everything down to his own name.

“Heeeeeeyyyy,” Dionysus smiled as charmingly as possible as he gasped for air. “So lovely to see…you around this…this neck of the…woods…”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Aphrodite cooed. “Your little heart’s all aflutter and we haven’t even begun! Come, Dionysus dear, let me help you with that.”

“I-I know you’re an expert on broken hearts, Lady Aphrodite,” Dionysus chuckled and winced as he slowly walked to her, clutching his thyrsus close his chest. “But, uh, I think this is more of a physical issue?”

Aphrodite smiled, amused. “Oh, dearest. You should know by now that an enormous aspect of love is physical. Now come sit next to me, and let me take care of you.”

With a bashful smirk, he did as she said. The goddess of love gently placed a hand on his wrist holding his thyrsus over his heart. He set it aside, but within reach, and let Aphrodite ease him onto his back and massage his chest. She poured her power into him and his heart began to slow down and beat for an entirely different reason. He smiled up at her beautiful face.

“I should have had more faith in you,” Dionysus said, lowering his voice in what he hoped was a suave way. “I am very much obliged, Lady Aphrodite. How can I ever repay you?”

The goddess smiled mischievously. “It’s funny you mention it, Dionysus. You see, last night was just so wonderful; I do so love it when we make a night out of helping our little godling. But I’m a little low on wine and Nectar because of it, and I’m expecting guests tonight, including yourself. Not to imply that you had forgotten, of course.”

He had totally forgotten.

“I hate to ask this of you with such short notice, but I don’t suppose you have one or two bottles you could bring around?”

“Oh, Lady Aphrodite, not even a question!” Dionysus said with a huge smile. “Making sure there’s enough drinks to go around is what I do! I’ll bring as much as you need!”

Aphrodite laughed, pleased. “I knew I could count on you, dearest! Here, let me pay you for them now-”

“No, no, no, it’s on me!” Dionysus said. “I was serious about repaying you, I thought I was going to die just now, hahaha!”

Aphrodite cupped his cheek with her soft hand, sympathy and love in her beautiful pink eyes. “Dionysus dear, be honest. Is everything all right? I could tell you were having some discomfort last night, and you were gone this morning without even a goodbye! That’s not like you, at least after a night with me. I’d hate it if you ran off to be in pain alone again.”

“Ah, it’s not like that,” Dionysus said. “My heart’s fine, really, stress has got it acting up a bit is all. Sorry for sneaking off, I got a lot on my plate, lots of wedding feasts to plan lately, can’t really afford to slack off…”

“It’s Hera, isn’t it?” Aphrodite guessed instantly. “I knew it, that awful, loveless woman’s been working you to the bone all because she didn’t like your lovely little song! Well, you just leave her to me, I’ll teach her a thing or two!”

“I appreciate the offer, Lady Aphrodite,” Dionysus smiled. “But it’ll just be easier on everyone if we don’t make a big thing of it. Don’t worry, she’ll get bored of picking on me and get mad at someone else sooner or later.”

“I swear, you’re as bad as my husband,” Aphrodite pouted, chomping at the bit to enact love-related justice upon the goddess of marriage. “You two act so tough when your hearts are so soft. No offense, of course. But if you really want to slave away at her whim, I won’t stop you. Just know if your heart does give you trouble again, dear, I’m happy to lend my power again to soothe you.”

Dionysus sat up and gave his best friend a hug. “You’re too good to me, Lady Aphrodite. I’d be nothing without you.”

The goddess of love hushed him and kissed his cheek, making him feel rather loved. He gathered up some bottles of divine drinks and escorted Aphrodite to her abode where they had a very lovely night filled with revelry. It wasn’t what he originally wanted, but eh, what could you do? He was the god of wine. Attending feasts and making the wine flow was his purpose in life. So what if he died for it the next morning while sporting a hangover?

And that is exactly what transpired. The healing power of the comely Lady Aphrodite was not enough to circumvent the Fates’ design, and the next morning Lord Dionysus perished for the fifth time that month, not even having a dream of Prince Zagreus and the hidden garden to comfort him.

“Wait, hidden garden? Does that mean I have to find it? Gaah, no!”

The vines of Ampelos took him away before the old man could answer. Dionysus woke up in the same place and position he did the day before. Except both his guardian leopards paid him absolutely no mind this time.

“Bast!” Dionysus whined in Ampelos’ grasp. “Anubis! Haaalp!”

The two leopards ignored him. Bastet was busy grooming Anubis, who was busy enjoying it. Dionysus squirmed against the ivy and vines mostly out of principle until Ampelos let him go. He stretched his sore muscles as he left the greenhouse, already feeling dirty and tired. At least his hangover was gone…

“Rough night, Baby Dio?”

Shit! “Apollo! Heh heh, heeey, man! Good to see you, standing right outside my greenhouse all silent and stern! Say, is that new armor you got there, don’t think I’ve seen it before.”

The ten-foot tall god crossed his bare, well-toned arms over his golden breast plate with a design of the sun. “I’ve been wearing this armor for centuries.”

“No kidding? I got to say it is looking extra shiny today. Hephaestus must be grateful you’ve taken such good care of it after all this time, I’m sure. Have you seen him lately? Been thinking about going down to his forge for a surprise visit, maybe get him some sun, maybe you could tag along-”

“You need a check-up,” Apollo said icily. “Now.”

Dionysus started to back up, smiling nervously. “What are you saying, man? I’m fine as wine.”

“The hell you are. You just died, didn’t you?”

“Whaaat? Naaah, man, it’s not like that, I was just paying my best vine a visit. He gets lonely. You know what they say: a happy vine is a happy wine.”

The ten-foot tall Apollo glared down at him, the miniature suns that were his gold eyes shimmering and burning. Dionysus ducked his head down to escape the god of truth’s searing gaze that could see past any lie.

“There’s no need for the glowy eyes, man, I’m not lying.”

“Shut the hell up,” Apollo said severely. “You’re a worse liar than Hermes, and I can see right through that burglar any day. Lord Helios himself told me you came out of this greenhouse without ever entering four times this month. Five, now, I suppose. You’re coming with me to the infirmary.”

Dionysus’ back hit the door of his greenhouse as he took another step back. He debated darting to the side and making a run for Demeter’s fields. He wouldn’t dare cast his warmth over the icy goddess’ home directly. Sensing his younger half-brother’s intentions, Apollo summoned his lyre bow thingy and an arrow longer than Dionysus was. He had a feeling the Far-Shooter wasn’t about to play him a song.

“I suppose I have some time to swing by…”

Notes:

I am way too proud of the Dio Decimal System joke lol

Chapter 3: Limits

Summary:

Dionysus finally goes to the infirmary and receives some potential insight on his poor health from Apollo. Whether or not the god of wine heeds the warnings of the god of healing, however...

Notes:

In which the “bloodletting” and "unhealthy coping mechanisms" tags rears their heads and a lot of punny in-game references are made

It was always very cold in the infirmary. That was why Dionysus was shivering. He wasn’t scared, not at all. Why would a god, one of the Twelve Olympians, be scared of being cut by a fleam? What kind of god would be squeamish at the sight of blood? Specifically his. Drip, drip, dripping into a bowl …

“You’re doing great,” Apollo said, firmly gripping his arm. “Breathe, I’m almost done.”

“You know,” Dionysus breathed out, staring at the wall and not his arm as he sat on a bed meant for a god Apollo’s size. “I heard some mortals don’t think bloodletting really helps with preventing illnesses.”

“Oh, what do they know? Besides, I’m only getting a sample to study later,” Apollo said, using his power to close the puncture wound. Dionysus jerked his arm back quickly before Apollo could change his mind.

“What’s there to study? It’s red, warm, and not in my body where it belongs. It looks exactly the same as all the thousands of other times you stuck me with something pointy, anyway.”

“What am I always saying, Baby Dio? Not everything is as it seems.”

Apollo took the bowl of red, half-mortal blood and spirited it away somewhere. Hopefully not in his personal inventory, that was just nasty.

“So, you got my blood, all my other fluids and measurements, and insulted my weight even though you know my personal trainer is off mountain!” Dionysus said with a pout. “We good here?”

Apollo flicked Dionysus on the forehead, making the god of wine make an undignified yelp. “Don’t be such a Hermes. I’ve still got questions for you, Baby Dio. First being, you said you’ve been sending boons down to Prince Zagreus fairly often this month, correct?”

Dionysus glumly rubbed his forehead. “Uh, yeah? Gave him some premium stuff the night before last, in fact. He got very close, I’m told! But last night, Athena made me help out Theseus again, ugh, can you believe it?”

Apollo turned toward his desk and started to write something down. “Your heart acted up and gave out the morning after both these instances, correct? What about the other times you perished, did you send boons to the Underworld beforehand?”

Dionysus thought it over. “Definitely the first time, yeah. Second and third time, think so? Hard to recall, the times where I help Zag kind of bleed together, especially since I need to drink wine to give him the good stuff, haha! And Theseus, I guess, but that’s less fun.”

“About how much do you drink when you need to send boons to the Underworld?” Apollo asked.

“How much?” Dionysus scratched his head. “I mean, that changes, man.”

“What about last night?”

“All right, let me think…”

“…If you have to think that hard about it, then it was too much, Dionysus.”

“Gods, not this again!” Dionysus groaned. “I’m the god of wine, for crying out loud, I have to drink it! It’s like saying you need to stop playing the lyre so much, what sense does that make?”

The divine musician puffed his chest out. “I play the lyre a perfectly healthy amount, whereas you chug down a sinful glut of fermented grape juice until you vomit nearly every day!”

“Oi! That ‘fermented grape juice’ is very important for many of my sacred and divine rituals!”

“Drunken orgies are not rituals,” Apollo said, insulting Dionysus further. “Look, I’m not saying completely stop drinking. I’m just saying you need moderation.”

Dionysus smirked. “Pfft, we’re gods, man, since when did we care about moderation?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe since you died of heart failure this morning for the fifth time in a month! Twice in as many days!”

“Come on, Apollo man, don’t be like that!” Dionysus gave a winning smile. “I thought we were mates!”

His so-called mate flicked him on the forehead again. “I’m also the god of healing, Baby Dio, and you’re spitting in my face each time you treat your condition lightly. Face it, there is something seriously wrong here, and it’s not going to get any better unless something changes. Stop drinking so damn much, and stop sending boons down to Hades.”

“You want me to stop helping Zag, too?!” Dionysus cried. “Why? I know you don’t like him, but that’s no reason to sabotage his quest!”

Apollo rolled his eyes. “This isn’t about him. Ever since you started supporting Prince Zagreus’ cause, your health has declined dramatically. I’m not even talking about your deaths, you’ve had to come in here quite a few times for your medicine.”

“That’s just a coincidence!” Dionysus said with a laugh of denial. “My heart’s always been bad, you know that! And granting boons have never been a problem for me before, the blessings of drink and feasts are meant to be shared.”

“That may be, but sending boons to the Underworld takes a tremendous amount of power, and if you’re guzzling down wine, Nectar, or whatever to summon the amount necessary, that could put severe strain on your body, so much that your heart couldn’t handle it.”

“B-But everyone else involved with the Underworld business handle it just fine, yeah?” Dionysus said, less confident now. “Why would I be the only one having trouble?”

“Why do you think, Mister My Heart’s Always Been Bad?” Apollo said. “You can’t compare yourself to the rest of us, Dionysus. You have different circumstances, limitations-”

“Hey, I’m just as powerful as anyone on this mountain!”

Apollo threw back his head and laughed. The weak-hearted god of wine scowled and grabbed his thyrsus he had set down next to him. He clutched it to his chest as he glared at his mean brother.

“Don’t mess with me, man, I’ll ruin you…”

“I know, I know,” Apollo smiled charmingly, making it impossible to be too angry with him. “I merely tease you. I didn’t mean to imply you were weak or lesser than us. But you are different, son of Semele. No mortal has ever ascended to godhood before you, and no god has ever had a chronic heart disease. There are going to be things that are harder for you. I know it’s frustrating, but it’s just how it is.”

Dionysus let out an irritated sigh. “Ugggh, fiiiiiiine! I’ll cut back a bit, just a bit, to humor you until we find the real reason. In return, be a mate and don’t tell anyone about this, okay? Especially Dad, you know how he gets.”

“And just how do I get, Dionysus?”

The two sons of Zeus jumped and turned to see their imposing lord and father standing in the doorway. Apollo stood up respectfully, hiding his fury magnificently well. Apollo hated, hated, hated when people interrupted him while he was with a patient. Every single soul on Olympus knew that when a door in the infirmary wing was closed, no one was to enter. Zeus either believed that rule did not apply to him or did not care whether it did or not.

“Lord Father,” Apollo said. “Do you need my assistance, sir?”

“I do, Sun Apollo,” Zeus said. “However, it can wait as apparently there is something you boys need to tell me, despite how I ‘get’!”

“I didn’t mean anything by it!” Dionysus said quickly. “I just didn’t want you to worry, is all!”

“Worry about what? What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?”

“No trouble, zero trouble!” the troubled son of Zeus said. “I’ve only been having some heart flutters lately, nothing serious-”

“What?” Zeus stepped inside and shut the door behind him, incensed. “And you were going to keep this from me, despite my specifically telling of you to keep me informed of such incidents! I would expect this from Dionysus, but you as well, Apollo?”

“No, wait, it’s not his fault,” Dionysus quickly came to his brother’s defense. “He didn’t know before today. Come on, Dad, this is Apollo we’re talking about, he’d never keep something from you just because I asked him.”

The King of Olympus crossed his arms sternly and turned to his favored son. Apollo gave a little sheepish smile and nod, confirming, yes, he would rat Dionysus out to Zeus in a heartbeat, their bonds of brotherhood be damned. The god of thunder sighed heavily and shook his head.

“If that is so, Sun Apollo, then by all means tell me now before Dionysus manages to corrupt even your sense of duty and honesty with bribery. How bad has it gotten this time?”

“…He has died five times this month,” quietly said Apollo, god of truth.

Zeus started to laugh, certain his sons were playing a sick, twisted trick. It took his sons quite a bit to explain the situation and convince him, including swearing in his own name that they were being truthful. He grabbed Apollo’s medical notes without asking, making his son’s eye twitch with fury, and poured through them, his countenance turning uncharacteristically grim. He had the same look on his face that Athena got whenever she was thinking deeply about something.

“You’ve been struggling to send boons this entire time and you said nothing?”

Dionysus rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s just Apollo’s theory, but I don’t think boons are the problem, really. I’ve…been under some stress lately-”

“Stress?” Zeus scoffed. “Feasting and loafing around all day or night is what constitutes as ‘stress’ for you? No, clearly you have been overzealous when aiding your cousin. While I am loathed to discourage the rare show of enthusiasm and dedication toward your responsibilities, you have been dangerously careless and negligent. You need to learn some moderation, Dionysus, you cannot expect us to constantly hover over you and monitor your every step!”

Dionysus felt his face become hot. He wanted to point out he did not ask either Zeus or Apollo to hover over him, but he said nothing. The last time he talked back to his father, it did not end well at all, not a bit. So he kept quiet and meek as Zeus and Apollo discussed his condition.

“…I recommend he have less wine,” Apollo said. “And keep all physical and divine activity light for awhile as we monitor his condition.”

Zeus nodded austerely. “Did you hear that, Dionysus?”

“Yeah,” Dionysus sighed. He flinched at the severe glare Zeus shot him. “I mean, yes! Yes, I heard, Dad.”

“And you’ll do as your brother says, is that right?”

“Right, Dad.”

“And you are going to keep me informed from here on, correct?” Zeus said, casting his stern gaze toward Apollo. His golden son bowed to him.

“Of course, Lord Father Zeus.”

“Good.” Zeus pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Ohhh, the Queen is not going to be happy about this. Not that she’s ever happy, especially with me! I jest, I jest, of course, but still…”

“What?! Aw, come on, Dad, don’t tell her!” Dionysus begged. Zeus sighed as if he were the one being unreasonable.

“Dionysus, she is the Queen, my wife, and your mother. She has just as much a right to be informed about your health as I.”

Dionysus winced at the mother comment. “Dad, you really don’t need to-”

“I am perfectly capable of determining what I need to do, young man,” Zeus said coolly. “Would that you had the mindfulness to do the same.”

Meaning Dionysus needed to stop arguing and do as he was told. He shut his mouth and bowed his head to his lord and father. Of course Zeus took this to mean that his impertinent son was sulking.

“We will discuss your recent lack of respect toward me later, young man,” Zeus said. He turned to Apollo. “I wanted to tell you before that we’ll be holding council at the end of the week, but I anticipate I will be off Olympus then. Ensure we have a quorum regardless, we’ve had to postpone court for far too long due to low attendance.”

“Understood, Lord Father Zeus.”

Zeus, satisfied he established the pecking order, then bid his sons by different mothers farewell and excused himself. The second he was gone, Apollo grabbed about seven of those wooden sticks he depressed tongues with and snapped them all in twain out of rage.

“How dare he invade the sanctity of my domain for something so trivial!” he snarled under his breath. “If he were anyone else, anyone else, I swear! Get out, Dionysus. Close the door on your way out. Not that it matters, apparently!”

Not wanting to tempt the Fates or Apollo, Dionysus scurried out of the room. He rushed back to his winery and hid in his little office area. Bastet was napping there on a chaise and was immediately jostled awake as her distraught master buried his face into her fur. He felt sick. He was sick. He thought he was just having a rough patch because of the winter and Hera and he would get better, but he trusted Apollo about his heart more than anyone, even Athena. Maybe…maybe Dionysus had been overzealous when it came to Zagreus. He just felt such a kinship with his Chthonic cousin, it was hard not to go as hard as the son of Hades did whenever he escaped.

“But it can’t be why my heart’s all messed up!” Dionysus said to his noble, sleepy leopardess. “It just can’t be. But…if I don’t cut down, then I’ll never be able to prove it to Apollo and Dad, huh?”

Bastet yawned. Dionysus straightened up and stroked her fur.

“Okay, here’s what we’ll do,” he said. “I’ll let the others take care of Zag for a week or two, let him miss the sweetness of my blessings and be all the more ecstatic when I make a return. To top it all off, I’m only going to have two cups of wine a day, max! Absolutely no more than that, understand, Bast?”

Evidently she did because after Dionysus had two cups of wine, Bastet batted his arm with her mighty paw to prevent him from having just one more sip directly from the jar. He managed to keep a hold on the jar so he didn’t ruin his rugs, but it was a close call. He frowned at her, but she gave him such a disappointed look, he felt like he was a little boy being scolded.

“Come on, it’s the first day, surely I’m allowed to be lenient here? Oh, fine. Not like it’ll be forever, I just gotta last until I die again. Yeah. Easy. Nooo problem…”

 

 

“It is a problem, Lord Dionysus!” Athena hissed at him, holding him up by his shoulders. “We are about to start court in five minutes, and you show up completely inebriated and dressed in what I am assuming is your bed sheet?”

The red-faced Dionysus smirked and giggled stupidly at his grey-eyed sister. No point in even attempting to pretend he was sober or presentable in any regard.

“Hehe, yeeeeah, couldn’t find my chiton, so I used whatever. But let’s be honest, chitons, dresses, bed sheets, they’re all the same, just bits of string and yard wound up tight. At least I’m not late, though!”

Athena rolled her eyes up toward Helios’ chariot high in the sky. “Yes, you’ve truly performed a miracle on this day, Lord Dionysus. Let no one doubt your divinity for all eternity!”

“Hahahaha! And people say you don’t have a sense of humor! Oh, don’t give me that frowny face, Athena girl! I’m always drunk, no one’ll even caaaare.”

“I certainly care.” Athena wrapped the sheet around Dionysus more securely. “If you disrupt these proceedings with your drunken ramblings again, so help me Gaia-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be cool, I’ll be cool. You’ll barely know I’m here!”

“You are incorrigible,” Athena said as Dionysus stumbled passed her to enter the throne room proper.

“Huh? Porridge? No time for breakfast, Athena, we got to get to court.”

Athena remained stoned-face at his brilliant joke. He called her a sourpuss right as he tripped on his own feet. He didn’t fall, but he earned another tired sigh from the goddess of wisdom. He slowly and carefully made his way to his seat.

Assembled in a half-circle, twelve thrones stood tall in the center of the illustrious amphitheater that was the throne room of Olympus where the Twelve Olympians would sit upon their own custom-designed thrones to conduct the most important of divine decisions and policy-making. That is, they would, if their busy schedules allowed it.

“Sometimes we’re forced to come even if our schedules don’t allow it.”

Like the old man said, the thrones were in a half-circle, reflecting their owners’ domains and personalities, except perhaps the throne of the god of wine at the end. It was a simple wooden throne with a wool cushion on its seat, crafted to replicate the previous throne of Hestia, the goddess of the hearth. She had graciously resigned from her position as part of the Olympian Council of Twelve to make room for Dionysus. He thought to honor her time on the council by making his throne a smaller version of hers. Too bad he didn’t think to add a cup holder at the time.

“I’m putting my cup here on the ground by my feet,” Dionysus said to a very sour-faced Artemis sitting next to him. “Be very careful if you walk by, okay?”

The green-haired goddess of the hunt rolled her eyes. Unlike her twin, Artemis always made herself mortal-sized to make it harder for prey and for people to spot her whilst moving stealthily about. Her throne was designed with this in mind, making it the same size as Dionysus’. It made from wood, too, but it was covered in hunting trophies. Grey dire wolf pelts upholstered the back, massive deer antlers making up the frame, pretty sure there were some rabbit furs mixed in to fuzz up the arm rests as well. Maybe Dionysus could drape leopard’s skin over his throne, just to give it a little something something…

“Not even noon and Lord Dionysus is drinking! Why am I not surprised?” Artemis asked rhetorically. Athena, sitting on the other side of Artemis on her imposing throne of bronze, turned her head and gave him a stern look.

“No food or drink in the throne room, Lord Dionysus.”

“What about my laurels?”

“Do you intend to eat your laurels?”

Dionysus stretched his arms and yawned. “Not going to lie to you, girl, if this takes longer than an hour, I might start snacking.”

“Speaking of, how long is this supposed to take?” Artemis asked Athena, already itching to get back to her woods. The goddess of wisdom looked hesitant to say.

“We have not held court in a long time, even for our standards. I suspect we won’t be done until well into the evening-”

“What?!”

Any murmur of conversation in the audience ceased at the indignant shouts of the two council members of Olympus. Athena’s grey eyes pierced menacingly through her two younger half-siblings, and they both quieted down.

“You can’t seriously expect us to stay here all day and night!” Artemis said in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, we don’t even do anything at these things!” Dionysus said in a louder hushed tone. “You lot are the talky people! We’re just seat-fillers!”

“I am deeply sorry you feel that way, but you two are more than welcome to actually participate and have your opinions heard,” Athena said stately. Artemis scoffed.

“Yeah, right, like we aren’t just going to vote for whatever you think should be done…”

Athena wisely chose to ignore that. “Lady Hera is the one leading these proceedings. If you have a problem with how long we’re going, take your complaints to her.”

Dionysus crossed his arms and looked away haughtily. “Maybe I will!”

“You’ll do what now, Dionysus?”

The impulsive god of wine whipped his head back and saw Hera standing several thrones down. Athena and Artemis immediately went on their guard at the sudden arrival of their Queen. Dionysus fought the urge to turn into a leopard and run. He had to play it cool.

“Oh, hello, Your Majesty, didn’t see you there,” Dionysus said casually. “How are you doing?”

Hera smiled. “I am doing very well, thank you. I only caught the last bit of what dear Athena said, did someone have a complaint?”

Dionysus shook his head. “Nope. You hear anything about a complaint, Artemis?”

“Tsch. No,” Artemis said, looking bitterly away from her stepmother.

“Very well,” Hera said with a maternal smile. “It is very nice to see the two of you could make it today. Especially you, Dionysus. I was told that you haven’t been feeling well as of late…”

Wow. She did not waste a single moment to use his heart issues to shame and embarrass him. It was almost impressive how petty and vindictive she was. Dionysus glanced behind Hera and saw Apollo had taken his seat on the other side of the row of thrones. One look told him that he was going to stay the hell out of this. That was fine; Dionysus knew what to say.

“Oh, no need to worry about me, Your Majesty!” Dionysus said. “I just had a nasty headache, you know how it is, feeling much better now, though.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Hera said, her dark eyes glittering in amusement. “I worried it had been a more serious affliction.”

“Nope,” Dionysus said quickly, lounging far too casually on his throne. “I’m fine as wine!”

“That he certainly is!”

Aphrodite, the beautiful, wonderful goddess of love, strode passed Hera like she was the Queen of Olympus, not her. She sat down on her throne which resembled an open pink scallop shell, her pink strands of hair curling modestly over her body. She smiled stunningly at the goddess of marriage, amused by the glint of irritation in Hera’s eyes as the crowd fell into a hushed awe at the sight of the goddess in all her nine-foot glory.

“I do hope I didn’t keep you all waiting too long?” she asked, innocently batting her eyes at Hera. The Queen smiled thinly.

“Not at all, Lady Aphrodite,” she said. “You are right on time, we were just about to get started.”

Aphrodite clasped her hands together in sarcastic cheer. “Marvelous, let’s get to it then! I would hate to stall everyone with meaningless chatter.”

“Indeed, Lady Aphrodite,” Athena spoke up quickly, noticing the tension between the two goddesses was only getting worse. “Lord Apollo, would you like to take Lady Demeter’s seat and sit closer to us seeing as you are the only one on that side? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

Apollo smiled to hide his grimace, displeased as this would put him right in between Hera and Aphrodite. It didn’t help that Demeter’s throne had withered and rotted vegetation and flowers covering it. It was like an old, rotted wicker chair that had been left out in the rain, sleet, and snow for decades. However, as the god of order and harmony, it was his duty to put himself in between the two contentious goddesses to prevent any catfights. Good old Apollo, really taking one for the team…

With six council members present and seated, they finally got started. Lots of reciting ancient policies, lots of dry discussion of said policies, lots of pomp and circumstance, lots of wasted time. Ugh, why was this always so boring? Might as well take a nap…

At the same moment Lord Dionysus struggled to resist entering the domain of Hypnos, the fire-stepping Prince of the Underworld leapt out of the courtyard window of the House of Hades with an Overflowing Cup tied to his waist, saving his inebriated cousin from the tedium of Olympic court.

“Perfect timing, Zag, I was just thinking about how nice it would be if you got out, let’s get to it!” Dionysus whispered a message for his cousin and sent off a choice of boons all the way down to the lord of the Underworld’s front door. No one paid the small god of wine any mind.

Well, except for one. Artemis was giving him the side-eye, trying not to bring attention to either of them. Easy feat, considering they were at the end and the smallest of the council.

“Zagreus?” Artemis mouthed silently to him. There was a gleam of interest in the huntress’ eye that the god of revelry picked up on instantly.

“Yeah,” Dionysus mouthed back to his half-sister with a sly grin. “Your turn.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, c’mon!”

She squinted at him, trying to pretend she didn’t want to join in on the fun. Dionysus smiled and nodded insistently for her to send a boon down.

“He’s got the bow~!”

That got her. The divine archer started covertly casting a magical veil of shadow and silence on them both. Dionysus knew from experience the spell was to keep them from being detected. Artemis then started forming the orb containing her blessings. Dionysus snickered silently, giddy with excitement to work with his favorite huntress when they were supposed to be doing something else.

“Niiiice!” Dionysus grinned. He raised his voice a bit, feeling safe by Artemis’ stealth spell. “Let’s show Zag what us seat fillers can do, eh?”

“Shh!” Artemis glanced around to check if no one heard and whispered haughtily, “Just don’t slow me and Zagreus down, all right?”

Zagreus couldn’t be slowed down by Dionysus even if he tried. He was absolutely zooming through Tartarus! Thanks to Artemis, the Prince now had quite the deadly strike to his bow. It worked very well with the drunken flourish Dionysus had gifted, the god of wine had to admit. Made it a little hard to figure out where to put the next boon, though. Thankfully, the scary ferryman, Charon, had been convinced in the past to pick up any Olympian boons the Prince had missed and, well, pawn it off to Zagreus next he visited his shop. Unfortunate to waste coin on something Dionysus was giving away for free, but, eh, what could you do?

“He’s in Asphodel now,” Artemis whispered to Dionysus after a little bit. “He switched your keepsake for mine just now.”

He gave a quick thumbs up, ignoring the smugness in her tone. Keepsakes weren’t that useful after a bit, at least his wasn’t, so no big deal. Besides, Zagreus chose him first, Dionysus wasn’t upset, and to prove it, he was going to send some epic-level blessings down. Yeah, that’ll show Artemis…

Whoa, Zagreus was really moving along, he was already almost up to Elysium! Since when was he so fast? Did he find a special well or something that gave him a speed boost? He’d have to be sure to ask Zagreus all about it when he got out.

“Hey!” Artemis hissed to Dionysus suddenly. He then realized he accidentally put a boon down in the same magma-filled chamber the goddess just did. He smiled apologetically and shrugged. Sheesh, why was she glaring at him like he did it on purpose? It hardly even mattered, anyway, Zagreus would pick her boon up right after he picked up-

“Thank you for this,” Artemis whispered as Zagreus picked her blessing first.

Dionysus became displeased. He jumped up from his throne and rushed out to give Zagreus a piece of his mind. No one noticed or cared that he left, but Dionysus was so upset he didn’t care if anyone did.

“Really, man?” Dionysus said through his boon way down in Asphodel. “After everything we've been through together, this is the gratitude I get?”

He took back the boon, pulled his cup of wine from his inventory and drank it all in one gulp. Much like when aiding Theseus, Dionysus made toxic pools of wine appear at the ungrateful Prince’s feet as skeletal enemies swarmed him. He hoped that prat drowned in them! Or in the magma! Dionysus was the one that convinced Artemis to help out to begin with, where does Zagreus get off betraying him like this?

As the jealous god of wine grew as green as the leaves of his vines, it occurred to the wine-logged Lord Dionysus that the ever-toiling Prince might perhaps be cross with him for neglecting to send the usual amount of blessings that week without an explanation.

“What? Come off it, old man, no way that’s it!” Dionysus said. “Zag’s my mate, he knows I wouldn’t just leave him hanging. I was just trying to look after my health, I wasn’t abandoning him, honest!”

The old man stayed quiet. Dionysus sent down another set of boons when Zagreus finished off the last guy. He forced a smile and light tone to hide the dread he felt as he sent a message to his favorite cousin.

“Okay, let's say we're settled up now, Zag, and go on being best mates just like before, yeah?”

He offered his call to show that Zagreus could call on him anytime, that things were square between them. Zagreus accepted it, and Dionysus let out a sigh of relief. He hated being mad at his mates, it made his chest tight and heart pound. He already felt like that enough as it was…

“Done with your tantrum?”

Dionysus jumped and whirled around to find Artemis standing there. Now his heart had a real reason to pound. He huffed at her.

“Seriously, Artemis? You can’t sneak up on me like that, you’ll stress me out…”

“Ugh, you’re such a baby,” Artemis said, sounding exactly like her twin. She held out her hand, disgruntled. “Quick, while there’s a recess, let’s make a Duo Boon for Zagreus. I rather think he’s earned it after that trial you put him through.”

“A what boon?”

Artemis rolled her eyes. “Haha, very funny. Come on, hurry up. I’ll lead.”

Dionysus had no clue what she was talking about, but not wanting to seem dumb, he took her hand. Before he could wonder what to do next, he felt as if the wine in his blood was being rapidly drained out of him as Artemis’ hand glowed forest-green. He let her go, alarmed, and a small green and purple orb floated in the air between them. He blinked at it, realizing he was stone-cold sober. His heart was pounding uncomfortably against the walls of his chest as Artemis suddenly became defensive.

“I’m sure you think whatever Duo Boon you’ve made with Athena or Aphrodite is far more impressive, but I think this is just as useful if not more-”

“No, no, it’s grand!” Dionysus beamed at their little miracle. “Yeah, this is some good stuff right here, just smashing, Artemis, all those hungover enemies are really going to get some nasty critical hits now! Yeah, I dig it, girl, this is brilliant, I never would have thought to do something like this!”

She looked surprised, then a little happy, then uncomfortable about being happy. Dionysus, overcome with storge, tried to give her a hug. She jumped back instantly, furious.

“Oi, back off! None of that, all right? And I told you not to call me, ‘girl’!”

“Right, right, sorry about that.” Dionysus summoned a jar of wine and took a swig. “Ahh, that’s the stuff! I tell you, Artemis, I never realized sending boons to the Underworld took so much out of a guy. I actually had a talk with Apollo about it the other day, and I thought he was just blowing hot air like usual, but I took a few days off helping our Zag and the difference in energy I had, let me tell you-”

“Oh, great, it's you, Zagreus!” Artemis said as the Prince accepted her boon. “Here, let me offer you some fine new boons, as well as Lord Dionysus here, who I am sure would love to talk your ear off just as much as mine!”

Dionysus rolled his eyes and leaned in to respond, “Eh, tells me I'm being awful loud and to ‘back off’, all sorts of nasty stuff like that, what can you do, though, right?”

Artemis glared at him, and Dionysus smirked smugly at her to really get her goat. But before they could start bickering, another goddess strode up to them, none too pleased.

“I knew it!” Aphrodite said angrily. “I knew the two of you were tittering along together in your little corner! Thought you two could have all the fun of helping our little godling without me, hm?”

Dionysus raised his hands up to her. “You’ve got it all wrong, Lady Aphrodite! I would have been happy to get you in on this as well, but you’re just so far away and I couldn’t get your attention without Athena or Her Majesty noticing! Look, why not pop a boon or two down Zag’s way, I’m sure he’ll – You got it, man! …Sorry, he called on me just now, he’s fighting the Hydra. Wow, that boon of ours is really great, Artemis, I think I saw him destroy a head in like two hits-”

“You know, perhaps I will send down a boon down,” Aphrodite said evenly. “A certain king of Athens will need some assistance defeating our little godling after you and sweet Artemis here spoiled him rotten!”

Dionysus gasped at the betrayal. “You wouldn’t!”

Aphrodite flipped her hair smugly as she turned to walk back to the throne room. “We best get back, my dears! Try not to let the others see you before Theseus has a chance to crush Zagreus’ heart!”

“Are you serious?!” Artemis cried out indignantly. She looked about ready to start growling. “That-! Ugh! I cannot wait to rub it in her face when Zagreus annihilates Theseus! You’d better give him your best boons, you hear me, Lord Dionysus?”

“Oh, I am way ahead of you!” Dionysus said, feeling his mouth fill with fangs as he became filled with malice. “Those champions won’t know what hit them!”

Wine and arrows, it turned out. Lots and lots of it. Aphrodite put up a hell of a fight for Zagreus, but the Prince of the Underworld was in it to win it. It usually took some time for the user of a blessing like that to build up the necessary will and prayer to call upon the gods, but it seemed like it was building automatically. So whenever Theseus or whoever got too close…

“Dionysus!”

“Cheers to you, man!”

…they’d get hit with the wine god’s might. The Champion of Elysium never stood a chance.

“Good job, I guess,” Artemis whispered when Zagreus was victorious. “Are you…all right?”

“Yeah, yeah, just got a bit winded,” Dionysus chuckled breathlessly. Even though the sun had set and the winter night had made his breath visible, he was sweating. But he was cold at the same time. He hoped court would be over soon so he could get next to a fire.

To keep warm, he discretely and continuously drank from his never-ending wine cup. The passage of time became iffy as he became more inebriated and exhausted. Pretty soon, the only thing he became aware of was Zagreus calling out to him from the entrance of the Underworld and the sound of his irregular heartbeat. A part of him wanted to tell Apollo, but Dionysus had offered his aid, and he was obligated to give it even if he was getting weaker and weaker with each call. His chest hurt and his vision was blurry, not just from the wine he drank. Why was the Temple Styx taking so damn long?

Fates, please let Zag walk out of there no issue and give me time for a breather…

The Fates did the exact opposite. Zagreus ran into something big outside the Temple. Maybe Cerberus? Dionysus could hardly make it out as technically Zagreus was still in Hades’ domain. But whatever it was, Zagreus would take it down with the powers of the goddess of the hunt and the god of wine. Dionysus would see to that, even if it killed him!

Even…if it…killed…

“Dionysus!”

Come on, just one more, he couldn’t be at his limit already!

“Dionysus!”

They’re so close! Just one more…!

“Dionysus!”

One more!

“Dionysus!”

That was Apollo’s voice. He sounded so alarmed, was he in trouble? Dionysus tried to pick himself off the ground (when did he fall?) and managed to sit up as strong slender hands gripped his shoulders. Something warm was dripping into his eye and he couldn’t see. He tried to rub it out, and his hand came back red. He then proceeded to expel the contents of his stomach all over the ground in front of him.

“Shit!” Apollo swore as he held Dionysus up to keep him from falling into his own sick. “That had better be wine!”

“I-I’m sorry,” Dionysus said, sounding miserable. His eye stung and his forehead hurt, but so did his chest and left arm. “Wh-Where’s my…?”

He didn’t finish the thought. He passed out, voices of alarm distant to him as he ebbed in and out of consciousness. He had a vague feeling of being carried, hearing a woman crying, and his heart feeling like it was about to burst. Then, he saw Zagreus run through a wintery forest at night. Dionysus smiled.

“You did it, man…”

The dream continued like the others just like it did until Zagreus ran into the hidden garden. This time, however, Dionysus saw him run up to a woman. She had braided hair the color of wheat tied with a green ribbon, wild bangs that resembled the Prince’s, and green eyes that matched the Prince’s left eye. Dionysus hoped he remembered her when he woke up.

The woman greeted Zagreus with a huge and warm smile. They hugged briefly before Zagreus quickly launched into conversation as if they only had a few minutes to say what they needed to.

“He wouldn’t tell me,” he said bitterly. “He wouldn’t even tell me when I fought with him on the surface. Even Nyx wouldn’t give me an answer. Or couldn’t. He has to be hiding it somewhere. Do you have any ideas? A secret vault of some kind?”

The woman shook her head. “I’m sure Hades has plenty of those tucked away. But if even Nyx could not help you, it must be somewhere not even she can get to.”

Okay, what the hell were they talking about? Hades took something from Zagreus? Who even was this lady? She seemed to be friendly and on Zagreus’ side at least, so she wasn’t the reason he wasn’t reaching Olympus. What the hell was going on here?

“It must be here on the surface, then,” Zagreus was saying. “Or…Olympus. It’s hard to imagine Father entrusting them with anything, though. Maybe one of the Olympians just took it for nefarious purposes.”

Hold on a moment, they weren’t thieves! Except for maybe Hermes, but he didn’t steal from family! Well, except Apollo…

“They are known for their nefarious scheming, yes,” the woman said, still sounding kind as her eyes became sorrowful. She sighed. “I could not stand it on Olympus, Zagreus. The posturing, the forced smiles, my overbearing mother, none of it. Most of all, I simply could not forget what had happened and move on like everyone else. I would have left the mountain myself, except…”

The dream sent by the Fates themselves ended just as the Prince was about to finish the owner of the garden’s sentence. The heart of Dionysus had stirred him awake, beating as though he were running a marathon. The sickly god of wine weakly called out for aid, but not even Lord Apollo had a cure for death…

“Damn it, we’re losing him!”

“Nngh, again?!”

Notes:

Artemis is best girl, hands down

Chapter 4: The Vote

Summary:

Zeus gathers the Olympians to discuss what is to be done after Dionysus collapsed during court.

Notes:

Hey, guys, I just wanted to say thank you so much for leaving kudos and all the kind comments, it really means a lot! Was having a bit of a struggle writing some of the later chapters in this fic, but I think I got my grove back, maybe I'll start uploading chapters quicker, but I'm undecided. Regardless, thanks for bearing with me and hope you enjoy!

“…It truly pains me that I even have to remind everyone that partaking of any food or beverage, especially alcoholic, is prohibited in the throne room,” Zeus was saying. “Other than the library, this is the only area with such a restriction on this entire blasted mountaintop, and thus not too much to ask that said restriction be respected, I should think!”

Dionysus lifted his red face a bit to glance at everyone else. His father sat tall in the center on his throne of gold etched with motifs of his past achievements and victories. On the lord of the mountain's right, Poseidon was nodding along to his brother as if he wasn’t talking about him while also wondering if Zeus actually was talking about him. Hephaestus was absent, but Ares and Apollo sat quietly together, both on edge as dark rain clouds hung heavily over the open-roofed area. The throne at very end was empty as well; the god of swiftness, Hermes, had other matters to attend to and was sorely missed by the sickly god of wine.

On the girls’ side to Zeus’ left, Hera sat silent and stately as her husband angrily and loudly said his piece. Demeter was a no-show, thank goodness, she would only sour everyone’s mood further. Aphrodite had a bored look on her face, very close to rolling her eyes as she examined her perfect nails. Athena was stoic, yet tense, her thoughts her own. Artemis was full-on scowling, hating that she had to come back here instead of hunting with her friends. Dionysus could hardly keep his head up. It was bad enough he passed out and threw up in front of practically half the mountaintop, did Zeus really have to berate him like this? Well, at least no one outside of the family was here.

“I am fully aware that some of you believe these court proceedings are mundane and tiresome. However, they are important and necessary to maintain order upon Olympus and the world. I expect everyone to maintain a sense of professionalism and duty during any divine council regardless whether or not I am present. The slovenly behavior that was displayed in this room was not only unbecoming of this court, but of gods of Olympus. Those that are in attendance will be sober, alert, respectful, and attentive.”

The god of wine jumped and saw his lord and father glowering at him. He was attentive, why was Zeus thinking he wasn’t? Because he was looking slightly down? That was out of shame! Dionysus was ready to start crying, he was so embarrassed. Oh, gods, now everyone was looking at him…

“Dionysus, I believe you had something to say to everyone?”

Where were the random heart attacks when he needed them? Unbelievable, Zeus was really going to humiliate his son, his own blood, by forcing him to make a public apology to the most powerful gods and goddesses on Olympus. Ugh, best get it over with.

“I wanted to say that I agree with you completely, um, Lord Father,” Dionysus said, trying so hard to sound proper and dignified. He even straightened up in his seat and held his thyrsus upright like an old wise man would a staff. “These council meetings, while not everyone’s cup of wine, are very important, absolutely, and ought to be held with the same reverence as the rulers of Olympus themselves. And the king of the sea as well, of course.”

Poseidon relaxed. Dionysus resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“I would also like to say that I deeply regret any disrespectful behavior I may have exhibited in the past, and I will do my best to live up to the high standards that you, my Lord Father, expect from here on. Phew! You know, it really feels good to get it all out in the open and clear the air, doesn’t it? I am very glad we had this talk and that everything’s sorted, I really feel we all grew as a family and have come out stronger and more united than ever before. I say this new understanding between us deserves a celebratory drink, not in here, of course, hahahaha! Why not you all finish up here while I go on ahead to get some wine breathing so it’ll be ready by the time you come—oof!”

While he had been rambling, Dionysus had slid out of his seat and backed up toward the nearest exit. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the goddess entering at the same time, and he bumped right into her. He stumbled back and looked up to see Demeter’s sneering countenance. The god of wine gave an apologetic smile to the goddess of the seasons, certain the Fates had it in for him.

“Sorry, milady!” Dionysus said. “Didn’t see you there, we were just wrapping up actually-”

“Good of you to finally join us, Lady Demeter,” Zeus said, his greeting as frosty as the very goddess he was addressing. “I was just about to mention the importance of punctuality as well.”

Demeter curled her lip at him. “You should be thankful I deigned to attend this so-called ‘emergency council meeting’ at all, Foster-Brother Zeus. A decision I am already regretting.”

Despite her cold words, she approached her throne. She stopped in front of it once she saw the sad state her neglected throne was in. It was worse off than the last time after the slender yet tall Apollo sat upon it and would probably break if Demeter tried to. The goddess, however, came up with a solution instantly: she blasted her throne with a beam of frost and ice. Dionysus wrapped his leopard’s skin cape tightly around himself as the temperature dropped massively. After a few seconds, Demeter had managed to encase her throne in thick coat of solid ice with jagged icicles jutting out from the back and everything. She then took her seat, clutching her signature green ribbon in her hands. Everyone stared at her, stunned.

“So? What did our Lord Dionysus do to justify this vital assembly?” Demeter asked, casting a withering look to the slack-jawed god of wine. “I assume he is the cause considering he tried to flee just now.”

“Y-Yeah…” Dionysus tried to smile, but it was a grimace at best. “I…I hit the wine too hard during our last meet up and made a scene. Again.”

“Ah, it was Dionysus, then!” Poseidon muttered to himself. Quite a few pairs of eyes were rolled.

“And I’m genuinely sorry about it!” Dionysus said, trying to look as regretful without laying it on thick. “I shouldn’t have drunk so much, I mean, at all, it was stupid, but I was so cold and we had been here for ages at that point-”

“I am sure this council is not interested in your excuses, young man,” Zeus said. “Apologize properly.”

“Yes, Lord Father,” Dionysus said. He walked to the center of the floor and knelt on one knee. “Ladies and gentlemen of this court, by my own name as the god of wine and feast, I give my most sincere apologies for my actions in this very room. I have shamed not only myself with my disgraceful behavior, but you all as well, and that is the last thing I want for I am very proud to be a member of this court and of this family. I swear I will keep my drinking out of this court in the future. I hope you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me.”

Dionysus raised his head and glanced at everyone’s reactions. Poseidon seemed indifferent toward the situation and satisfied with the apology. Hera and Demeter remained stoic and aloof while Aphrodite and Artemis seemed as antsy to get the hell out of there as Dionysus did. But Apollo, Ares, and Athena were all grim-faced and tense, like their father had more in store for them all, and those three were usually pretty good about anticipating stuff like that. This time was no exception because Zeus raised an eyebrow at his smallest son.

“Is that all, Dionysus?”

“…If there is something else unworthy I did that I neglected to mention, I have forgotten,” Dionysus said, hiding how nervous he felt. “Wine and memory don’t mix well.”

“Well, allow me to refresh it for you, then,” Zeus said with false sincerity. “Whilst everyone else was running court and fulfilling their duties, you were sending boons down to the Underworld, were you not?”

Dionysus froze as his father glowered at him. How did Zeus know about the boons? The only people that knew were Aphrodite and Artemis, maybe Athena with her divine power to know everything always, but they would never snitch on him, especially if it meant ratting themselves out. Did Apollo figure it out, and the tattle-telling god of truth was unable to hide it from their overbearing father?

Whatever, didn’t matter. Zeus knew, or assumed, and Dionysus had to deal with it. He had to keep calm, play it cool like always, and go along with what his father wanted, which was usually deference and groveling.

“I’m-”

“Why, exactly, is that an issue?”

Dionysus whipped his head up. Demeter was resting comfortably in her rigid throne of ice, fog of cold drifting gently off it as she dared to question the King of Olympus. Zeus visibly bristled at his foster-sister, and the clouds above started to darken. Dionysus held his thyrsus close to his chest.

“Since when has it not been allowed to send blessings during the lull of court proceedings?” Demeter asked.

“Since it caused a major distraction,” Zeus said, barely reining in his anger.

 “I wasn’t distracted,” Artemis spoke up. “Until he fell over, but that was because of the wine, I guess.”

Zeus turned his glare to his mortal-sized daughter who glared right back. He didn’t notice Aphrodite smiling mischievously to herself for a brief moment before speaking up herself.

“Nor was I distracted,” Aphrodite said demurely. “I hardly noticed our dear Dionysus that whole time, he was as quiet as a mouse, even when he hit his poor head. What about you, Lady Athena?”

“I was not bothered, no,” Athena said, staring her father boldly in the eye. “As Lady Demeter stated, it has been acceptable to send boons or do other tasks so long as it does not disrupt the proceedings.”

Dionysus blinked, shocked. Was that true? He had no idea. He always got yelled at for doing something else during court. Maybe this was just the first time he had been quiet about it…

“Lord Apollo, my golden god,” Aphrodite batted her eyelashes to an indifferent god of light. “Were you distracted by Dionysus?”

“I…was not,” Apollo said with an apologetic glance at his father. “Truthfully, I wouldn’t have known he was sending boons if he hadn’t collapsed.”

Zeus flushed gold angrily and gritted his teeth. “And why do you think he did collapse, Sun Apollo?”

Everyone except Hera looked confused by Zeus’ words and how Apollo seemed uncomfortable by them. Dionysus stood up and raised his voice. He had to stop this before things got out of hand.

“Um, hey, let’s not get upset here!” Dionysus said. “I appreciate you all defending me, but let’s not kid ourselves, I was definitely prioritizing Zag and my cup, and that’s just not on. I promise it won’t happen again. Next time Zag picks up my keepsake during court, I’ll only give him one boon, haha, just kidding!”

“Oh, there won’t be a next time, Dionysus,” Zeus said seriously. “For I am relieving you of the task of sending your blessings to the Underworld effective immediately. It has proven to be far too much responsibility for you to handle.”

Dionysus’ eyes widened with horror. “What?!”

“You can’t be serious!” Artemis cried out.

“This is a complete overreaction, Lord Zeus!” Aphrodite said.

“Y-Yes, let’s not be rash here, Brother!” Poseidon said, blustering.

“Indeed, I would sooner restrict his wine consumption,” Demeter said dryly, but not too concerned with Zeus’ declaration.

“Lord Father,” Athena said calmly, gaze sharp and calculating. “While I agree Lord Dionysus’ behavior deserves to be reprimanded, surely such a punishment is too harsh?”

“Yeah, it’s totally not fair!” Dionysus said.

“Not fair?” Zeus repeated, incredulous by the audacity. “I believe it is more than fair, considering the mockery you made of our entire operation with your antics!”

“Antics? Come on, I wasn’t messing around, I was just, you know, multitasking! I was trying to be efficient whilst you all discussed matters! Look, I won’t do it again, I promise, please! Athena, say something, this is your project!”

“While the goddess Nyx contacted me first,” Athena said carefully. “Those that have been generous enough to lend their assistance are all vital in giving Zagreus a chance at success. I must voice my dissent of your ruling, Lord Father. To lose anyone at this point might undo some of the progress Zagreus has made thus far, especially since Lord Hades seems to be making it more and more difficult for him with each attempt.”

“There, see?” Dionysus gestured toward the grey-eyed goddess with his thyrsus. “Listen to her, she’s a very smart lady!”

Zeus chuckled condescendingly. “Oh, fair Athena, I think you are severely overestimating Dionysus’ contribution to this endeavor. While his power of wine has no doubt kept our young man’s spirits high in more ways than one, it could not compare to the power you or certainly I have provided, or to the might of, say, the seas and war? We can manage just fine and make up for any inconsequential gap Dionysus leaves, is that not so?”

Everyone that had defended Dionysus pursed their lips and did not protest further. These gods were far too proud to admit they couldn’t get Zagreus out without Dionysus. But it was true! At least one person thought so, the one person whose opinion really mattered.

“If I’m so ‘inconsequential’, why did Zag pick my keepsake straight away over everyone else’s this last time?” Dionysus challenged. “I mean, he had the bow and everything, and he only picked up Artemis’ keepsake when he got to Asphodel-”

“Artemis’ keepsake?” Hera asked, arching a perfect brow. “Are you saying Artemis was also sending her blessings in tandem with yours?”

Oh, bollocks. “Uhhh, well, the details don’t matter, point is, Zag values my boons just as much as anyone else’s. It can’t be easy, toiling away endlessly day and night through an army of the dead, he needs me to brighten up his days and nights, just to take the edge off, you know what I’m saying? Are we really going to punish him because I was a little overzealous?”

“I do not see how my judgment is a punishment for my nephew,” Zeus said coolly. “After all, he has no need for feeble blessings from a god with a weak heart that has failed him, exactly how many times? This most recent incident makes the sixth time you have died so ignobly, correct?”

Dionysus gaped up at him in shock. It was one thing to tell Hera, but to announce his deaths to all of the Twelve Olympians?!

“What?” Artemis quietly breathed out, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Oh? Has Dionysus not told you, Daughter?” Zeus asked mockingly, no humor in his eyes. “The effort of blessing my elder brother’s son has literally been killing him. After he had collapsed due to his heart attack in this very room, he expired the next morning!”

Everyone turned their gaze toward Dionysus at their ruler’s words. Ares had a deep frown on his face, his red eyes glowing just a hint. Poseidon was tense in his seat, surprised and uncomfortable. Hera kept her face completely neutral. Demeter seemed unmoved as well. Perhaps she already knew that Dionysus had been dying over and over; she had power over life and thus, death. And Athena…damn, why she did have to look at him like that?

“Lord Dionysus,” she said. “Is this true?”

“…Yeah. I’ve been having some health issues lately, but it’s really not a big deal!” Dionysus said, smiling carefree to prove it. “Ampelos restores me back to one hundred percent every time! Sure, it’s a bit of a hassle for me, but this is family we’re talking about! This is Zag! He’s been dying to get to us this whole time, only fitting I die for him once in awhile, right? It’s nothing to be worried ab-”

 “I knew something was wrong!” Aphrodite said, her eyes glittering with rage and heartbreak. “But you said you were fine. I specifically asked you about your heart, and you said you were fine! You lied to me!”

Dionysus winced. “Lady Aphrodite-”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Artemis raised her voice, angry and disturbed. “Why did you goad me into sending boons if you knew it was going to kill you? Did you think it would be funny to freak me out like that, is that it?!”

“No! Of course not, I didn’t die on purpose!”

“Did you know about this, Lord Apollo?” Athena asked quietly, cool in her anger. “Why did you not inform me?”

The god of healing sighed and almost rolled his eyes. “I don’t recall it being my job to notify every single member of the family everyone’s health details-”

“In case you have forgotten, I am a goddess of healing as well as wisdom,” Athena said. “Not to mention, Lord Dionysus’ medical advisor by his own request, unless that has changed without my knowledge?”

Dionysus flinched at her accusatory tone. “It’s not like that, Athena, I was going to tell you, honest, but this just started happening and it was only a theory-”

“A theory that has been proven, as far as I am concerned!” Zeus said firmly. “Why would I allow you to continue to recklessly jeopardize your health and the reputation of this council? My decision is final: you will have nothing to do with the Underworld from here on. I will not have any more arguments out of you, are we clear?”

“No, we aren’t, actually!” Dionysus said defiantly. “This decision affects everyone here, including Zag and our relations to Hades, shouldn’t we all have a say, like a vote? We do that sometimes, don’t we?”

“You wish to invoke your authority as a member of this council to enact a vote on this matter, Lord Dionysus?” Demeter asked, earning a chilly side-eye from her younger sister, Hera.

“That’s a thing? I mean, yes!” Dionysus quickly said. “Yes, I do, I invoke my authority and such, yes.”

“I second the vote,” Apollo said because he was a good big brother.

“Apollo, what are you doing?!” Artemis cried. “He clearly should stop if-”

“Hang on, do we seriously need to vote to have a vote?” Dionysus was astounded. “What’s the point of that, we should just vote!”

“No, we shouldn’t! Dionysus, what if you-?”

“Order!”

The thunder of Zeus’ voice shook the very stone beneath their feet. The silence that followed was long and uncomfortable. The lord of Olympus settled in his throne and glared down at the youngest and simplest of his council. He was not happy, not a bit, and Dionysus was tempted to take it all back. Did he really want to keep antagonizing his already peeved-off father?

“If you wish to waste more of our time, Lord Dionysus, we shall put it to a vote,” Zeus said, putting a lot of sarcasm in the official title. “Perhaps it shall serve to ease your worry that no one here believes that your cousin’s escape from my brother’s realm would be rendered impossible without you.”

Dionysus gave a thin smile and a shrug to his lord and father, any doubts dashed. Anger flashed across the face of Zeus for a mere instant at his son’s impudence before he turned to his left and started from the end of the line.

“Daughter Artemis? What is your opinion?”

“He should stop. Obviously he should if it’s killing him,” Artemis muttered bitterly. If she had more to say, Zeus did not care and moved on to Athena.

“Come back to me, if you please,” Athena said quietly. She was thinking intently. A bit of annoyance flashed in Zeus’ eyes, but he knew trying to rush her decision would be a waste of time.

“Lady Aphrodite, then?”

The goddess of love clenched her jaw and crossed her arms as she regarded Dionysus. She then glanced toward Hera briefly, who remained maddeningly expressionless. Aphrodite let out a sigh as if this was all a big bother and delicately rested her chin in her hand.

“Honestly, Lord Zeus, you have an incredibly annoying habit of beating around the bush. Why did you not mention Dionysus’ unfortunate demises from the very start? I’m sorry, Dionysus, dear, but I care for you too much to sit by and watch you hurt yourself. I’ll have to vote with Lord Zeus.”

Dionysus gripped his thyrsus tightly. “Lady Aphrodite, please-”

“Lady Demeter?” Zeus interrupted. Dionysus nearly shouted at him for not allowing him to talk, but even he knew enough court etiquette to know it was not his turn to speak.

The elder goddess scoffed. “I care not one way or the other. If Lord Dionysus wishes to perish repeatedly, he is welcomed, so long as he does not get in our way. Considering young Zagreus still made it to the surface with only Lord Dionysus and dear Artemis helping him along, he seems to be able to perform adequately despite his affliction. I only warn that moving forward he watches his wine intake. And himself.”

The god of wine nodded quickly and mumbled, “No, yeah, understood, milady.”

“It seems Lady Demeter cares not for your health or well-being, Dionysus,” Zeus said icily. “And you, my Lady Wife?”

The Queen of the gods took a deep breath and let it out. Her mask of formality and professionalism she had on the entire time cracked a smidge and displeasure spread across her countenance. She wasn’t happy with Dionysus, he knew this already, but it was another thing to see it plain on her face.

“I was entirely ready to support my Lord Husband’s decision,” Hera said, eyes firmly on Dionysus. “This project, as you put it, seems to be very dear to you for whatever reason, Dionysus, but it is not to be priority above your other duties or your health. Due to your negligence and arrogance, something dear to us was disrupted because of you.”

Gee, so sorry me dying was such an inconvenience…

“However, my sister brings up a good point,” Hera continued, her tone growing so sour at that admission. “Your performance as not declined. Satisfaction of your wine is at an all time high, and your feasts are as bountiful and jovial as ever, a full two percent increase in joviality since your last evaluation, in fact.”

How the hell do you measure joviality?

“To say this whole business with the son of Hades has had a negative effect on your work in addition to your wellbeing would be premature,” Hera said. “In addition, I have chosen not to include myself in this arrangement with the goddess Nyx and her son in the first place, so I will abstain from this vote and let you all sort it out. For now. This was the first offense, but it shall be the only offense. The next time you, Dionysus, or anyone else infringe upon the obligations of this court again because of the son of Hades, I will have an entirely different opinion.”

Well. That was better than a vote against him. But why abstain? Zeus definitely didn’t seem happy about it, weren’t they working together on this? What was Hera thinking?

“Ahh, well,” Poseidon hemmed and hawed for a bit when his brother looked to him. “We all value your contribution in aiding Little Hades, Dionysus, but is your health not more important?”

“I told Zag I would help him,” Dionysus said. “I gave my word. You have told me yourself that a god mustn’t go back on his word, Uncle Poseidon.”

Honestly, a lot of gods had told him that, but he was aiming to stroke Poseidon’s ego. The god of the sea nodded with self-importance.

“You do have a point there, Dionysus! We cannot give my Little Nephew the impression we gods up here aren’t as good as their word!”

“But what good is that word, Brother, if Dionysus dies and takes away the blessings he had bestowed when our nephew is in desperate need of it?” Zeus said. Poseidon stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Yes, yes, that is also an issue to consider. I imagine poor Little Hades being very confused and saddened when half of his power suddenly disappeared. It’s probably why he was sent back to the depths of our crusty brother’s domain.”

“Whoa, wait, let’s not jump to conclusions here, we don’t know that for sure!” Dionysus said hastily.

“Daughter Artemis, when did you lose contact with your cousin?” Zeus asked. The goddess of the hunt shifted uncomfortably in her seat at having the attention on her again.

“Um, I don’t remember exactly, I’d say the morning after the-”

“Sun Apollo, when did your brother perish?”

“The morning after he was admitted into the infirmary,” Apollo said as Artemis silently seethed at being talked over.

“Well, can’t argue with that, really,” Poseidon shrugged at Dionysus. “Not a very good look, Dionysus.”

“No, it’s not,” Dionysus said, hoping taking some accountability would win some of them over. “But that was a one-time thing, I was giving him everything I had, I know my limits now, and I swear to you all, I will pace myself next time, if you only you’d give me another chance to prove it!”

“May I give my opinion on the matter?” Ares spoke up for the first time. “I believe Lord Dionysus ought to continue to send his blessings.”

“Wait, really?” Dionysus blurted out.

“Indeed,” Ares gave him a nod and his signature pleasant smile. “You are a grown man of sound mind, capable of making your own decisions concerning your own health. You are aware of the risks to your life should you send boons to our death-dealing kin and choose to proceed regardless. I believe that choice ought to be respected, even admired.”

“Excellently stated, Ares!” Poseidon said with a smile and a firm nod. “You make a compelling argument! This affects Dionysus most of all, and if he’s eager and willing, then I say we give him another chance!”

Dionysus made a mental note to gift Ares several bottles of Nectar. With his vote along with those of Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, and himself, they had a majority! Yeah, Zeus was looking furious, take that!

“I disagree,” Apollo said, taking the wind from the sails of his much smaller half-brother. “You may think it’s noble Dionysus wishes to aid our cousin so passionately, Lord Ares, but Dionysus’ actions have dangerous, foolhardy, and selfish.”

“Whoa, whoa, Apollo, what are you saying?” Dionysus asked, hurt. “Why did you second the vote if you weren’t going to vote with me?”

“Because you are correct in that this should be a vote,” the lawful god of justice said. “It matters not if I ultimately do agree with our Lord Father, you have your rights, and you ought to be able to exercise them.”

Dionysus ran a hand through his hair. “All right? You do you, man, but are you really going to use this vote to force your medical opinion on me?”

Apollo’s eyes flashed. “Don’t you dare try to spin this on me. You claim you need another chance? This was your chance! We had a long conversation where you had promised you would cut down, yet you ignored me and made a fool of yourself-”

“I did cut down! For a whole week I didn’t help Zag!” Dionysus said. “I cut down on my wine drinking, too, just ask Bastet!”

Demeter frowned. “Is that not one of your pet leopards?”

“She’s a very good sponsor,” Dionysus said. No one laughed.

“So after a week of rest, you died instantly after taking it up again, is that your defense?” Apollo asked incredulously.

“No, weren’t you listening, I stuck with him until the end!” Dionysus said impatiently, hating that he sounded like a whiny child compared to the smooth-talking Apollo. “I only died because I gave him a lot of my very best stuff, fixed up his cast, gave him my aid, did that, uh, Dual Boon thing, whatever Artemis called it-”

“Do you mean a ‘Duo Boon’?” Apollo asked sharply. He glared at his twin sister. “You did a Duo Boon with him? Artemis, are you mad?!”

“I didn’t know he would die!” Artemis said defensively. “Everyone else did a Duo Boon with him, and he was fine!”

“Everyone? Lady Aphrodite, I could understand and accept, but all of you?”

There were some murmurings of excuses, but none could lie when Apollo had his gaze on them, so they confessed, even Zeus, if somewhat begrudgingly. Apollo looked over at the goddess of wisdom, her eyes intently focused on nothing as she thought deeply.

“Sister Athena…”

“I thought he could handle it,” was all she quietly said. With a disgusted sneer, Apollo stood up and addressed the entire council:

“I don’t know what this game you’re all playing with the son of Hades is or to what end, but I want you all to consider very carefully if it is worth having one of our own suffer and die continually. You have all turned a blind eye whenever Dionysus needs to excuse himself to the infirmary, but I cannot look away. I have seen him writhe and gasp in pain and heard him pray to either me or the Fates be taken by his vines. Perhaps I am letting the fact that my patient in this case is my brother cloud my judgment, but I would rather that than to detach myself so much that I have no qualms into putting him in harm’s way for some personal agenda. So I ask again, is what you’re all really after worth it?”

He sat back down. Had anyone else said it, they might’ve been insulted, but it was Apollo. He was the most loved among the gods for a reason. No one said anything for awhile. They considered his words as Dionysus rubbed his neck awkwardly. He really, really wanted to ask what the hell a Duo Boon was and why he shouldn’t do them, but the atmosphere right now, yikes!

“I vote to have Lord Dionysus cease his offerings to Cousin Zagreus,” Athena said quietly.

“Athena girl, you can’t be serious!” Dionysus cried. “You’re the one that got me to help Zag in the first place!”

“And I am thankful for your service.” Athena said, steeling her resolve. “But the circumstances have changed. I am sure Cousin Zagreus will understand.”

“The votes are five to four, then,” Zeus said. “Lord Dionysus, you will cease your contribution in aiding Zagreus effective immediately, by order of this council.”

“No, wait! I didn’t get a chance to-”

The air shifted and the ground shook slightly as the divine ruling was made. Dionysus stared up at his father in disbelief. He looked around at the slightly startled faces of the others; they were just as surprised as he was over such an abrupt end to their debate. He pleaded with his eyes for anyone to speak up, but there was nothing they could do now. It was official. To go against it would be treason. Dionysus felt rage build up in his chest and settle into his weakly beating heart. His glare felt odd on his face as he looked up at the oh-so powerful king of the Olympians.

“I see how it is, we spent two hours the other day talking about the stupid budget, but I can’t have even ten minutes-”

“Watch your tongue, boy!”

Zeus roared and slammed a mighty fist onto the arm of his throne in outrage. Lightning struck above, the thunder deafening every pair of ears on Olympus. Dionysus stumbled back and tripped over his own two feet to avoid being an ash stain on the Olympian stone. No lightning came down from the sky, however. Zeus only glowered down at his fallen son, the light of his white irises the only thing cutting through the darkness of the looming storm above.

Then, the area grew brighter. The stormy expression on Zeus’ face had cleared somewhat. He was still looking at Dionysus, but the delicate, yet firm hand of his wife and Queen was over his clenched one. Hera still kept her hand on her husband’s as she gestured for Dionysus to take his seat. The god of wine picked up his thyrsus and did as she indicated. Dionysus kept his head down, ears still ringing, as his lord and father closed the meeting of the Twelve Olympians.

“Court is adjourned.”

Notes:

This chapter is basically the assembly to scold everyone for misbehaving at the last assembly.

I had a lot of fun with this chapter, juggling a scene with 10 opinionated gods in the same room was a bit difficult, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Demeter being a queen and not taking Zeus' shit is probably my favorite part lol

Chapter 5: The Fated List

Summary:

Despite the restrictions placed upon him, Dionysus is determined to find a way around his father's ruling to continue aiding Zagreus. Surely the Fates have something more planned for him...

Notes:

Also in which Dionysus cranks up the Annoying Little Brother energy to an 11

“Ares, man, you sending a boon to Zag?! Tell him I said hey!”

“Greetings, my kin,” Ares said into the boon as Dionysus scampered over. “I hear the armies of your father have been giving you trouble as of late. Let us return the suffering they have inflicted upon you tenfold.”

“Tell him I said hey!” Dionysus climbed onto the god of war’s couch. “Ares, come oooon!”

“Lord Dionysus, if you would be so kind as to stop tugging on my arm?”

“Lord Ares, might I suggest punting him across the room?” a weary Apollo sighed out, lounging like a cat as he leisurely enjoyed his meal. “Don’t worry about killing him; he’ll come back ‘good as new.’”

“Artemis! Hey!” Dionysus waved the socially-repulsed huntress over as she entered the dining hall. “You’re here to make a Two-oh Boon with Ares, yeah? Be sure to tell Zag I said hey!”

Artemis walked up to Ares and held out her hand. “Let’s make this quick, all right?”

“Yes, of course.” The god of war took Artemis’ small, calloused hand in his massive one. They made a red and green boon that Artemis sent off instantly. Dionysus’ face fell.

“You didn’t tell him hey…”

“Tell him yourself,” Artemis said ruthlessly.

The undignified Lord Dionysus stomped back to his designated spot and threw himself face-first into the supple cushioning, content to sulk over his failure to pass on a simple greeting to the fire-stepping Prince Zagreus.

“Not sulking…”

“Could have fooled me!” Apollo said. “You’ve been moping over Prince Zagreus for weeks like a heartbroken maiden! You should be grateful Zeus didn’t strike you down for disobeying him and running your mouth. Really pays to be the favorite, huh? Oh, wait, I’m the favorite! You’re just the sick baby so he went easy on you.”

“Quit calling me a baby,” Dionysus said, hating that he was tearing up a bit. He sat up to glare at his mean brother. “Damn it, man, can’t you at least pretend to be sorry for doing your mate dirty? If you hadn’t turned Athena against me-”

“What am I always saying, Baby Dio?” Apollo said, savoring a fig. “Honesty is the best policy. I’d be a hypocrite to not stand by it, and I’m not sorry at all.”

“I thought your whole deal was to be a hypocrite?”

“…Do you mean Hippocratic, you simpleton?!”

“Would you care to stay for our morning meal, Artemis?” Ares asked as the huntress tried to exit. She stopped and rolled her eyes.

“And watch Lord Dionysus and Apollo bicker like idiots? Gee, what a tempting offer, Lord Ares! Too bad I’m just sooo busy with my hunting to have time to do anything else. As I have previously stated. Multiple times. To everyone. Now, if you’ll excuse me-”

“Uh, hey, Artemis?” Dionysus called to her, much to her annoyance. “Before you go, we hadn’t had a chance to talk much after the whole incident, but I wanted to let you know I have no hard feelings against you, none at all, rest assured.”

“Oh, no,” Apollo uttered as Artemis slowly turned around. Dionysus flinched at her murderous expression.

“You got yourself killed because you were careless and stupid, screwed Zagreus over, ratted me out and got me in trouble with Stepmother Hera, have whined incessantly for weeks, even trespassed into my woods to do so, and you tell me that you don’t have any ‘hard feelings’?!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy with that bow!” Dionysus guarded his chest with his thyrsus, as if that would help. “Okay, you’re mad, I get it, I would be too if roles were reversed, I really messed up, and I am sorry, Artemis. I let you and Zag down, I know, but I got an idea how to make it up to you both.”

“A feast?” The twins guessed simultaneously, both equally unimpressed. Dionysus laughed.

“No! Unless…? Right, didn’t think so. What I was actually thinking was next time Zag reaches the surface, I’ll be right there to help him get the rest of the way! I’ll be his personal escort to Olympus!”

Apollo laughed, and then stopped abruptly when he saw Dionysus’ expression. “Oh, sweet Muses, he’s serious.”

“In lieu of blessing our kin, you would battle the forces of hell directly?” Ares asked with a very pleased smile. “Why, Lord Dionysus, I did not know you had it in you.”

Dionysus grinned. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot, I mean, we can’t see what’s bugging him from here after he gets to the surface, so why don’t we go down in person and see what’s up?”

 “Absolutely not.”

The four children of Zeus turned and saw the oldest of them in the large entryway holding a basket of what looked to be olives. Dionysus crossed his arms and turned his head away from Athena. He had made a point to do this every time he encountered her. The bronze goddess approached him.

“Lord Dionysus, I understand you are still angry, but I wish for us to remain cordial at least,” Athena said. She held up the basket, normal-sized for her, massive for him. “Please accept this with the knowledge that I did what I thought was best for your wellbeing.”

“Athena girl, is all that really for me? That’s so nice of you, you shouldn’t have! Hey now, I get it, wasn’t personal, bad situation all around, we all did our best, all we can do is move forward and learn from our mistakes and on and on…”

Dionysus reached toward the basket and made “gimme” flexes with his fingers. He was unbothered by his half-siblings’ judgmental eye rolls as Athena handed the goods over. He was just no good at staying angry and holding grudges. Bad for his heart.

“So are you going to explain why we can’t go down and pick up Zagreus?” Artemis arched a haughty eyebrow at her supposedly wise half-sister. “Or are the reasons of the great Pallas Athena too complicated for us halfwits to understand?”

Athena pursed her lips and counted on her fingers. “One: we have limited power and influence in the Underworld so we would be rendered helpless. Two: we have no idea what we’d be up against or what traps to prepare for. Three: stepping onto our Lord Uncle’s realm to basically kidnap his son would be a declaration of war, which we absolutely do not want, I would think. I have more reasons if any of you wish me to go through them all, but those are my top three concerns.”

Artemis huffed and looked away. Ares smiled at Athena like Hera would smile at Dionysus.

“You will find no complaint from me, Sister, dear,” he said. “I am perfectly content with our current plan of action.”

“So what do we do?” Dionysus said through a mouthful of olives. “We can’t just leave Zag hanging! He’s got one less god helping him now thanks to you guys!”

“You were the one who-! Augh, forget it!” Artemis turned on her heel and stomped out of the room. She threw back over her shoulder, “Next time you try to enter my woods, I’m shooting you, Lord Dionysus!”

Dionysus rolled his eyes. “Yeesh, what’s her problem?”

“Same as mine currently,” Apollo muttered and stood up. “Sorry to run out, gentlemen, but duty calls. Let’s go, Lady Athena.”

Dionysus stood up in protest. “Wait, Athena, maybe I could-”

“Lord Dionysus, leave our cousin’s predicament to us,” Athena said. “You need to focus on your own for now. Do not undo the progress you have made by doing something rash.”

Dionysus sighed, but he sat back down and let them leave. He must have looked down because Ares chuckled.

“Frustrating, is it not, Lord Dionysus? To desire to take action but unable to do so is a feeling I know all too well.”

Dionysus managed a small smile. “Yeah, I bet everyone’s always telling you to cool it with the wars and stuff, yeah? Helping Zag kill loads of ghosts over and over scratches that itch for you?”

Ares gave a nod. “You know me well, Lord Dionysus. However, I am curious as to why you have taken such a strong stance in this. It is not like you to involve yourself in any sort of conflict.”

“Yeah, I’m a lover not a fighter,” Dionysus said, snacking on olives once again. “But Zag’s special, you know? He’s brightened up our lives and has us all getting along. Artemis even came to breakfast! She didn’t stay, but eh.”

“So you are invested in us continuing to bond over our kin slaughtering his father’s forces?” Ares said thoughtfully. “Even if by insisting to be involved, it damages your own relationships with everyone else?”

The god of wine shrugged. “Hey, I’d rather half of you peeved with me than all of you furious at each other. We don’t need a repeat of last time, if you get me.”

“Indeed, I do,” Ares said, sounding amused. “If it gives you peace of mind, I do not think it shall come to that. We were uncertain as to how your absence would affect our Underworld kin long-term, but from what I can tell, his fighting spirit has not wavered.”

“Guess that’s good,” Dionysus mumbled. “But Zag hasn’t beaten Theseus since the vote…”

“And you believe your absence is the sole reason?” Ares asked, red eyes gleaming. “My, you are surprisingly arrogant. I am afraid I now must demonstrate the difference in strength between us to humble you.”

Dionysus tensed. “Whoa, you’re not going to hit me or anything, are you?”

“While I am not above killing someone as sickly as you are, I meant I will ensure our hell-born kin slaughters Theseus,” Ares said. “Then your delusion that you are the only one capable of leading our kin to victory will be corrected.”

“Oh. Oh! Oh, you’re trying to be nice!” Dionysus smiled. “Even though you’re being mean about it, but I’ll take that, and you take this!”

“This is greatly appreciated, Lord Dionysus!” Ares said with a bigger smile than normal as he took the bottle of Nectar he was handed. “You really shouldn’t have. Between this and the gift I received earlier from our kin, I feel quite spoiled.”

“Hey, even you ought to feel spoiled every once in awhile,” Dionysus said, not believing he just said that to the god of war. Ares couldn’t really believe he said it either and quickly changed the subject to something he was more comfortable with: war.

Dionysus felt his breakfast start to churn in his stomach as Ares got more graphic. Man, he missed Aphrodite. After she had voted against him, he had tried to give her the cold shoulder like he did with Athena, but that backfired because she did it right back to him. The goddess of love was a master at the silent treatment, just ask her husband, pretty sure they hadn’t had spoken in centuries…

“Hey, lads, lasses, and you lovely in betweens!” Dionysus greeted his crew with an enthusiastic smile when he returned to his winery. “So what’s on the docket for today? I know we got some orders from Her Majest-”

He was immediately swarmed by a group of satyrs and nymphs urgently asking him what had taken him so long and if he was all right. Before he could get a word out, he was placed in a chair and a satyr covered his forehead with a wet bit of cloth. This caused everyone to freak out.

“What are you doing, it’s freezing out, he doesn’t need a wet cloth!”

“But he’s sweaty, he might have a fever!”

“Feel his skin, its ice cold, he walked all the way from Lord Zeus’ manor in the snow in buskins! You three, go fetch our lord the fluffiest, warmest blankets we have! Get him by the fireplace and have him drink some water!”

“We don’t have any firewood left-”

“Then, go get some, man! Or are you saying you aren’t willing to brave the cold for our lord and savior, Lord Dionysus, the god of wine?!”

“N-No, of course not, I would die for you, my lord, please forgive me!”

“Oh gods, Theope, did you really just spill the water? You had one job! Do you want our lord’s heart to give out?!”

“Waaaah, I’m sorry!!!”

“…So that’s why I’m here and not there,” Dionysus said to the little owl sorting the scrolls on the shelves above where he sat in the quiet library. “Again. I know they’re worried and just trying to help, but ugh, it’s just too much, man. Hope you guys don’t mind me hanging around?”

“Mew!” The owl hooted a warm welcome. The god of wine smiled at the cute bird.

“N’aww, you sound like a kitten. I’m going call you ‘Horus’, how’s that sound? Want a snack, Horus? I got loads of olives.”

“Mew!”

“N’aww.”

The little owl fluttered down onto the floor and ate the olives happily from Dionysus’ hand. The god of wine sighed, lots of troubles on his mind, which was no good, no good at all. As if his family and followers treating him like a sick child weren’t enough, this stupid winter was still raging on, draining his power and slowly killing his crops. And Hera, stressing him out with her impossible standards! That was why his heart was so lousy, not the damn boons or wine!

“I tell you, Horus,” Dionysus said. “If I could just spend even a minute in that eternal spring cottage by the sea, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Ah, but that was just a dream, I think? Wait, didn’t the old man say the dreams were sent by the Three Fates? They only do that if they’re trying to tell someone something, and I suspect I’m that someone, although the something is a bit vague. Wish I knew exactly what they wanted, it’d make doing their will a lot easier, you know?”

The owl of Athena given the moniker of “Horus” by the god of wine took to the air suddenly, compelled to aid any reader in their quest for knowledge. Helpful Horus returned shortly with Lady Athena's copy of the Fated List of Minor Prophecies in his talons, seemingly by chance, but it was preordained.

“All right, old man, let’s not go down that road, you’ll give me a headache.” Dionysus picked Horus up and put him on his ivy-covered shoulder. “Thanks a lot, little guy, this is perfect, exactly what I needed! Let’s see what these ladies have planned!”

He unfurled the scroll and didn’t find anything useful. The list was just assertions that Zagreus would acquire some boons someday, do something with his weapons, etc. The hell, there was even one about him learning to play the lyre!

“They weren’t kidding when they meant minor prophecies,” Dionysus grumbled. “Come on, there’s got to be something-”

Just then, a new item appeared in the middle of the list. A new prophecy was foretold! Did the Fates know Dionysus was reading their list?

Freedom of Speech: The son of the god of the dead shall make certain attempts to free a master musician imprisoned for singing a forbidden song.

What? Imprisonment? Forbidden song? That…that wasn’t talking about Orpheus singing that ballad about Zagreus, was it? Did Hades really lock Orpheus up over it? Not even Hera locked Dionysus up over it! How could Hades do that to poor, sad Orpheus? He hoped Zagreus could free the chap soon.

“This showing up right now can’t be a coincidence, Horus,” Dionysus said, feeling the little owl peck at the grapes on his shoulders. “This has to be connected. But how? Gaaah, why can’t they be direct for once?!”

“Keep your voice down in the library, Lord Dionysus.”

Dionysus looked up and saw the sharp glare of his grey-eyed sister. “Oh, hey, didn’t see you there, how’s it going?”

“We have talked about taking things from my desk without permission, Lord Dionysus,” Athena said, crossing her arms. “My copy of an ancient list of prophecies from the Three Fates themselves is no exception.”

Horus shrank, crestfallen he had made such a grievous mistake. Dionysus stroked the little owl’s feathers with a finger to reassure him. Hermes didn’t raise no snitch.

“Sorry, girl, only wanted a quick glance at this list you got here, it’s something else. I was thinking since I can’t help Zag the normal way anymore, the Fates might have something else in mind for me to-”

“Lord Dionysus,” Athena knelt down and gripped his owl-less shoulder. “You need to stop. By order of the council and Zeus, you are not to be involved in these matters. You are going to get yourself into even more trouble than you already are if you keep pressing the issue.”

“Come on, it’s the Fates, who’s going to say no to the Fates?” Dionysus asked with a good-natured smile. “Not even Dad’s going to argue if they say I’m destined to do something special to help Zag.”

“That may be, but I have already looked through this list and have found nothing that suggests that to be the case,” Athena said, pointing out an item that was faded out but still legible. “Look at this one bearing your title, ‘God of Wine’. Zagreus was fated to acquire all of your boons and he has. He has also acquired your Legendary Boon and all of the Duo Boons you are able to create with the rest of us. Do you see now? According to the Fates themselves, there is nothing you can do for Zagreus. Your part in his journey is over. Accept it and move on, not only for your sake, but for Zagreus’ as well before you make matters worse.”

Dionysus frowned. “Hey now, let’s not forget you were the one who voted to get rid of Zag’s best chance on getting out of there!”

She frowned right back. “His ‘best chance’, you say?”

He shrugged. “I’m just saying I only needed Artemis to take Zag to the top, while you all together, ehhh, well, hahaha, when was the last time Zag beat Theseus again?”

Athena’s grey eyes flashed dangerously, and a hint of gold colored her cheeks. She bent down to be eye-level with the impetuous god of wine.

“Do you know what the alternative punishment for your recklessness would have been had I voted in your favor?” she asked. “You would have been suspended from the council entirely, which our fair Lady Hera would have voted in favor of, and you would have been unable to counteract that with your own vote. So our father proposed another solution, and I voted the way I did so you would continue to be protected by your position in the council. I know Lady Hera has been making your life rather difficult as of late and her treatment of you would have only worsened if she had her way.”

“I didn’t know all that,” Dionysus said quietly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried, but you had rejected all of my attempts to reach out,” Athena said, a bit of hurt in her eyes. “It angered me to be ignored when I had chosen you over Zagreus. I was also resentful since the choice could have been avoided in the first place had you only informed me of your heart problems. I could have helped you form a strategy, accommodated you in a number of ways so you still participate without causing strain to your heart.”

Like when I didn’t want to help Theseus because I was tired and you called me lazy and selfish?

“I cannot imagine how frustrating it is for you, Lord Dionysus,” Athena said. “You have a heavy burden to bear that you are used to carrying by yourself. But Zagreus isn’t the only one whose family stands with him. You are not alone anymore. If only you would realize that.”

Dionysus looked away. This whole time he felt justified being mad and irritating his siblings, but now he felt like such an idiot. They had only been looking out for him, and he threw a tantrum like a child. No wonder everyone thought he was a spoiled, ungrateful brat.

“All right, all right, you win!” Dionysus sighed. “I’ll leave Zag to you. I’ll also be more honest about my heart with you and Apollo. I should have done that in the first place. I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Athena said, relieved. “I am glad you understand my perspective, Lord Dionysus. This truly will be the best thing you can do for Zagreus.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s just…I really messed up, I know I did, and I really wanted to fix it, you know?”

“I do,” Athena said. “If it helps, your absence is not the only reason why Zagreus has been struggling. His father has installed new security measures that have proven to be difficult to overcome. But our cousin’s resolve has not weakened and neither will mine.”

“Thanks, Athena.” Dionysus managed a little smile that did not stay long. Athena noticed and took a moment to think.

“Lord Dionysus,” she said. “I just remembered when Cousin Zagreus last defeated Theseus.”

“When?”

A large glowing orb with a shield insignia appeared in the palm of her hand. “Later this evening.”

Dionysus smiled. “Is that right? Well, I hope whoever is helping Theseus today is ready to be thwarted by the goddess of wisdom! Tell Zag I said hey for me, won’t you?”

“Oh, my apologies, I’ve already sent it.”

“Are you kidding me?”

With no more reason to stay, Dionysus bid Athena and Horus farewell. He really didn’t want to go back to the vineyard yet, so he decided to wander aimlessly about for a bit. Apollo had been on his case about being more active, so a nice walk through the gardens seemed appealing.

Cold, bitter chill had swept throughout the entirety of Olympus, the splendid orchards and unrivaled gardens of cow-eyed Hera being no exception, leaving every tree bare and fruitless.

“You’d think she’d be more sympathetic to me,” Dionysus said, looking around the desolate garden. “Man, even the Fountain’s frozen over, how am I ever supposed to get a refreshing drink now?”

The old man stayed quiet, so Dionysus sat down at the edge of the fountain and broke off an icicle for a frozen treat. In the ice cold. He wanted an actual sweet, but Apollo had been adamant he follow a strict diet with little snacking. Chewing on ice seemed to work to fight the cravings whenever he felt peckish or the urge to drink heavily.

What the hell was he doing? Serious, what the hell was he doing? How did he let things get so bad? Hera tried to kick him out of the council to…he didn’t even know what! If only he hadn’t sung that stupid song in front of her. He was starting to hate that song, actually, with how much trouble it caused! Hades freaked out about it, too, guess he was as insecure as Hera. Kind of strange he would care if people thought Zagreus was Zeus’ son, considering he had been keeping him a secret from everyone all this time as if he was ashamed to even have a son. Perhaps Hades didn’t actually care and just wanted to make an example out of Orpheus or manipulate Zagreus into obeying him by going after his mates. Awful, no wonder Zagreus wanted to escape.

As he was deep in thought, Dionysus heard from down the path voices, voices he really didn’t want to hear. Dionysus turned into a leopard and immediately scampered up a nearby pomegranate tree without a sound as the two voices came closer. He prayed to the Fates his natural camouflage would be enough to hide in the barren tree.

“…I’ll deal with him myself if I have to!” promptly stated the Queen of all the gods as if it were a chore that long since needed to be done. “Since you are clearly incapable of teaching him basic respect!”

“My Lady Wife, I must ask you let me take care of this!” Zeus came into view, walking quickly to keep up with his fast-walking wife. “His disobedience is my failing, and therefore, it is my responsibility to correct it. I promise you, everything will be as it always was soon.”

Hera stopped in front of the fountain near where Dionysus was hiding in and swiveled around to face her husband. Zeus stopped and managed to not flinch at the expression on her face, which was thankfully obscured from Dionysus.

“You promise me? What good are your promises to me, Zeus? Need I remind you whose idea it was to suspend Dionysus from aiding that damned son of Nyx?”

Zeus clenched his jaw. “While I appreciate your aid, your assertion that no one would take issue with it wasn’t quite accurate, now was it?”

Hera bristled. “I did not anticipate my sister would attend and give the others courage to question you. I certainly didn’t think she would go so far as to goad Dionysus into calling for a vote.”

“A vote we nearly lost with your bright idea to abstain!” Zeus said nastily. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I did not want to risk influencing Aphrodite to change her vote to spite me,” Hera said tersely. “I knew she was concerned an even harsher punishment would be put on Dionysus had she not voted with you. Fair Athena was also waiting to express her opinion until she determined what I was thinking, so I abstained to put pressure on her and it worked.”

Dionysus was ready to pass out from what he was hearing. Athena had been wrong. Hera wanted Dionysus to stop helping Zagreus, not remove him from the council! Zeus was in on it, too. But why? Was Hera trying to get revenge on Dionysus for disrespecting her by going after Zagreus? But that wouldn’t explain why Zeus was going along with this, he loved Zagreus, he was always saying how he wanted him up on Olympus! None of this made any sense!

“Be that as it may,” Zeus breathed out, struggling to keep his temper. “If you involve yourself in the way you desire, the consequences would be catastrophic! Do you truly wish a repeat of last time?”

Last time? Was he talking about…?

“Of course not,” Hera said evenly. “But I am Queen of Olympus and the gods. I will ensure all recognize and respect my position, no matter what it takes.”

“I shall do the same,” Zeus said tightly. “Yours and mine. As I have always done, have I not?”

Hera looked at Zeus for a long time. The god of thunder was silent and stoic as he looked calmly back. Dionysus heard the goddess of marriage sigh and saw her head shake slightly.

“Very well. I will let you handle this. Should this escalate further, however, I will discipline him myself.”

“Understood,” Zeus said. “I will ensure it does not come to that.”

“Well.” Hera turned her back to him, her expression blank. “You best go do that, then.”

Zeus’ countenance darkened and only Dionysus saw the contempt in his father’s eyes. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but he vanished in a blinding spark of lightning and shot off into the sky. Hera remained under the tree for what felt like an eternity. Dionysus could hardly breathe. He wanted to scream after what he just heard, but Hera was just standing there. What was she waiting for, just leave!

“Dionysus, come down from my tree, please.”

Shit!

He obeyed. He turned back into himself once he stood in front of the Queen. He stayed low, kneeling and bowing his head to her.

“Did you hear us, Dionysus?” Hera asked so softly Dionysus almost didn’t hear.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What exactly did you hear?”

“You told Dad you’re displeased with me for constantly disrespecting you,” Dionysus said, his fear creeping into his voice. “He promised you he would discipline me.”

Hera said nothing for another eternity. Dionysus was sweating profusely as if it were the hottest day in summer in Egypt. The goddess finally let out a little hum of a laugh.

“Well, aren’t you fortunate that you hid when you heard us coming!” she said. “Perhaps I am as well. I might have done something I would have regretted had I spotted you before I promised my husband to let him take care of you himself.”

“Ha ha. Yeah, good thing I hid, that would have been bad…”

“Dionysus, stand up, the ground is too icy to be kneeling like that.”

He did so, sneaking glances down the path to check if anyone was coming. Nope. It was just him and Hera. He hadn’t been alone with Hera since he was a child…

A small squeak of fear left his throat when Hera bent down and gently stroked his hair. He couldn’t move an inch, convinced if he so much as twitched the goddess touching him would break him. Hera cupped his cheek with her large fingers and looked at her husband’s son with something akin to pity.

“I could be a very good mother to you, Dionysus,” Hera said as if she were speaking to herself. “If only you would let me…”

Dionysus mumbled something that almost sounded like the name of his quickest brother. He wanted to run, to scream, to do anything to get Hera away from him, but he couldn’t move or think. All he could perceive were Hera’s dark eyes and his hammering heart.

A loud crack snapped Dionysus out of it. He turned and saw the ice on the frozen fountain begin to break apart and glow. He felt Hera pull him aside as many bits of ice shattered outward as someone emerged from the Fountain of Restoration. Liquid water now trickled from the fountain, filling the dead silence as the man that broke apart the ice stepped out of the fountain. He was of moderate mortal height with bulging muscles that effortlessly heaved a huge club over his shoulder. He was wrapped in lion’s skin, much like Dionysus was in leopard’s, but his skin had the lion’s head for a hood, which was pulled down to reveal his handsome face and messy red hair and beard. While already a striking figure, what was even more striking was the man was slightly translucent. He usually appeared more solid at night and in the shadows, but outside in the mid-afternoon light of Lord Helios’ chariot, it was clear the man was a shade, long since dead. Not that it slowed him down any. The shade raised a hand to Hera and Dionysus with a smile.

“Hail, Your Highness!” he said with a strong, deep voice. “Hail, Lord Dionysus!”

“AL!” Dionysus ran up and hugged his ghostly friend. “How the hell are you, man? It’s been forever!”

Hera straightened up and kindly said, “Welcome back, Alcides. It is good to see you, despite the unfortunate circumstances that must have sent you back to the Fountain. The monster you faced must have been fearsome indeed to have bested you.”

Alcides laughed, hugging Dionysus back. “Ah, ‘tis regretful, but no matter! I was on my way back to glorious Olympus regardless; death has saved me quite a lot of time!”

Hera smiled, her dark eyes showing no signs of humor. Alcides maintained eye contact with the goddess and smiled brightly back. Dionysus launched into the classic escape plan before things got any worse.

“So glad to have you back, man, we just got to celebrate, let’s round up everyone and have ourselves a smashing feast in your honor, what do you say?”

Shrewd Alcides said, “That’s very kind of you, Lord Dionysus! How could I possibly refuse such a kindness from the god of feasts?”

Dionysus laughed delightedly. “Good man! Your Majesty, you’ll join us in our merrymaking, yeah? Promise I’ll behave myself this time!”

Hera hummed at his attempt at humor, seeing right through him. “I would love to, but I’m afraid I have some other matters to attend to. I will have to welcome you back properly another time. You two enjoy yourselves in my stead. Dionysus, don’t push yourself, all right?”

Dionysus smiled wide. “You got it, Your Majesty! It’ll be a small, cozy, laid-back feast, no worries!”

“Very good. Good afternoon to you both.”

The two men bowed to their Queen as she left. Alcides put an arm around Dionysus’ shoulders and led him in the opposite direction. Their pace was quick and their once jovial expressions were now tense and grave. Dionysus soon became out of breath, but he pushed forward. He wanted to be as far away from the goddess as possible.

“I-I think we’re…we’re good, Al,” Dionysus said, stopping in the middle of the path. “Let’s…chill out for a sec…”

The shade regarded him gravely, his green ghostly eyes blazing with anger and righteousness as he gripped Dionysus’ shoulders. “What did she do?”

“N-Nothing,” Dionysus said, unable to met his friend’s eyes.

“Brother, look at me-”

“She didn’t do anything-”

“Brother, she had her hands on you-”

“I’m fine.”

Alcides released him. Dionysus turned a bit away and took some deep breaths until his heart eventually started to slow. Good, he would have been quite cross if his heart gave out on top of everything.

“Sorry for snapping, man,” Dionysus said. Alcides scoffed.

“I am not so thin-skinned that a little hiss like that will offend me.”

“You don’t have skin.”

“Do not distract me with jests. What happened? Had I not arrived when I had-”

“I’m fine!” Dionysus said with a big smile. “Nothing to worry about, I was just being a little rambunctious with Her Majesty’s trees and she scolded me. She’s really been trying to push the mother thing on me again, and you know how well I respond to that.”

“I understand, but at least have the sense to not be alone with her,” Alcides lightly scolded, worry very plain on his face. “Are you certain you are well?”

“Positive, you know why?” Dionysus smiled for real. “Because my best friend is back home, and I’m about to throw the most smashing feast for him!”

Alcides smiled wryly. “That is not necessary-”

“Nonsense, already looking forward to it!” Dionysus turned on his heel and started to march to his vineyard. “If you say no, I’ll be really sad!”

“We cannot have that, can we?” Alcides sighed, amused. “Very well! I could use a drink, to be honest. Despite being dead, I felt like my heart was going to give out!”

“I know the feeling.”

Notes:

If you know the name Alcides without looking it up, congrats, you know more about Greek mythology than I do because i had to look it up lol

Also the Hippocratic joke is the best one of the fic, it's all downhill from here (jk but not really)

More Egyptian god references with Horus

Chapter 6: A Surprise Guest

Summary:

To celebrate the return of his dear friend, Alcides, Dionysus throws a feast. While Dionysus attempts to entertain Alcides and hide all his troubles from everyone, someone unexpected arrives at an inopportune time.

Notes:

Legit forgot I haven't updated this in a month, whoops

“I am always amazed by your ability to have folks flock to an impromptu feast in under an hour, Lord Dionysus,” Alcides said, observing the dancing satyrs, nymphs, maenads, and whoever else had rushed over when they heard a feast was being held in the god of wine’s winery hall.

“It’s what I do!” Dionysus said, finally feeling competent and useful. “Although, I got to give some of the credit to you, Al, no one could ever pass up a feast where you’re the guest of honor, even if they do have to trek through all the cold snow and chilly weather to get-”

For the second time that day, he was swarmed, swaddled in blankets, and seated a random chair supplied by a satyr. Only this time, outsiders were watching on. Embarrassed, Dionysus unwrapped himself from the cocoon his crew had trapped him in and shooed them away, struggling to keep his scolding tone somewhat light and jovial.

“If I’m cold I’ll get a cloak myself!” Dionysus said. “Stop fussing over me and have fun! Go on, eat, drink, play a game, make out in the corner with your partner, this is a feast, for crying out loud! Make some noise, I want Zag to hear us celebrating, maybe he’ll follow the sounds out of that nasty Underworld and get to us finally!”

The muscular shade to his side smirked. “Are you referring to the hapless son of Hades that made himself known to us shortly before I was sent off Olympus? If you reference him even now, I assume our Lady Athena managed to convince you to join his cause?”

“Oh, Al. Mate,” Dionysus put a hand on his transparent shoulder. “Do you have some catching up to do…oop.”

Before he could get into it, someone small had snuck up and hugged Dionysus from behind. The god of wine looked down and smiled at the lavender-headed girl snuggling sleepily against him.

“Hey! Is that my baby girl?”

“‘Ello,” the girl mumbled into his back. “Welcome back, my lord…”

“Oh, no, honey, I’m not back, Al is, look, see?”

“Greetings, Miss Pasithea, Bringer of Relaxation!” Alcides said with a big smile. “How fare you and your sisters?”

“Meeeh…!” Pasithea groaned and stumbled to the shade to give him a hug. “Brr, you’re cold!”

“I am dead, miss,” Alcides shrugged. “Not much to be done about that.”

Pasithea glumly wrapped her arms around herself. Dionysus, much to his chagrin, motioned for the Blanket Brigade to jump in and do their thing. Pasithea was soon warm and cozy in fawn’s skin as the satyrs high-fived each other for being useful.

“Were we meant to dress as maenads for this feast?”

They turned and saw a beautiful young woman with in a yellow sleeveless dress. She had a playful smile and her dark eyes shone with youthful humor. Alcides cried out with delight, effortlessly picked her up by the waist, and spun her around as she laughed. She was unbothered by the cold of death the shade gave off as she embraced her dearest friend after what felt like years apart. Wait, had it been years?

“My dear Hebe!” Alcides said. “By Demeter, have I missed you!”

“Welcome home, my dear Alcides!” Hebe, the goddess of youth, said. “Brothers Ares and Apollo are unfortunately preoccupied tonight, but they send their regards and look forward to your return to the arena!”

Alcides laughed and set her down. “Is that so? Hopefully I shall see them there soon! I shall certainly see Lord Dionysus there tomorrow for his session, yes?”

Dionysus groaned. “Come on, man, you just got back and it’s a feast night-”

“We meet at the usual time, don’t be late,” his personal trainer said.

Dionysus groaned again, knowing Alcides was going to put him through hell. Hebe giggled while Pasithea only had energy to hum softly in vague amusement. She then let out the cutest little yawn and bowed her head, moments away from falling asleep. Dionysus patted her poor head.

“Lady Aphrodite’s been working you to the bone ever since your sisters left to help the mortals stay happy during winter, huh?”

“I’m all right,” Pasithea said, leaning against Dionysus. “I’ve just been sleeping poorly. I think I made Lord Hypnos mad somehow, so I’ve been praying to him for forgiveness before I go to sleep, but it hasn’t worked. But the Madame said Lord Dionysus could ask Prince Zagreus to talk to Lord Hypnos for me since he’s the Prince’s favorite.”

Nice. Real mature of Aphrodite to use sweet, innocent Pasithea to make jabs at him. Although, perhaps it was deserved, she had only tried to protect him from Hera, and he had acted like an ass.

“To be honest, communication is a little tough with Zag, can’t really see or hear him, but I can definitely pass on a message,” Dionysus lied. “By the way, is ‘the Madame’ coming tonight?”

“No, she’s still mad at you.”

Alcides laughed. “Oh, for the love of Zeus, what have you done now?”

“Uh, so, Al, you wanted to know about Zag?” Dionysus seamlessly changed the subject. “Yeah, most of the Twelve have been helping him for awhile now, except those off mountain and Her Majesty. Even Lady Demeter’s been pitching in! He’s incredible, man, nicest chap I’ve met in awhile, offered me some Nectar, wasn’t that sweet? He’s an amazing fighter too, he defeated the Furies in Tartarus, destroyed a certain dead hydra from Lerna that old Hades has guarding Asphodel…”

“That miser put that damnable serpent in Asphodel?” Alcides shook his head, disgusted. “There is no justice, truly.”

“If you think that’s bad, just wait until I tell you who the Champion of Elysium is: Theseus.”

Alcides grimaced.

“Right? But it gets worse! Because of some old agreement between Dad and Hades to help maintain order, we got to help him stop Zag while we’re helping him escape! Isn’t that so unfair? I tell you, we got a raw deal with that agreement, I don’t know why they haven’t tried to break it off or change it, I mean, what are we even getting out of it?”

“I believe we get our dear Alcides,” Hebe said. “That agreement is how Father convinced Lord Hades to part with a soul already deceased, is that not so?”

“Indeed, my dear Hebe,” Alcides said. “I am considered aid from Hades and thus bound to maintain order and establish peace upon Olympus as I am commanded, a duty I am more than honored to serve, Pact or no.”

“Oh. Then Zag’s outta luck,” Dionysus said with a shrug. “Not that he needs it, he has beaten Theseus loads of times now and even got to the surface! The real trouble is before he can make it here, something kills him about a day…later…”

It’s Dad. It’s Dad, he’s been striking down Zag before he could reach Olympus because Hera’s punishing me for that damn song, that’s what the Fates were trying to tell me with that prophecy about Orpheus! What else are they hiding, how deep does this go?!

“Brother?”

“Sorry, lost my train of thought, what was I on about?” Dionysus asked, hiding his panic by pretending to be drunker than he was.

Alcides and Hebe weren’t fooled and were about to press him further. Luckily, some of the Muses had arrived just then and quickly distracted everyone in the room. It gave Dionysus time to calm down.

Zeus wasn’t killing Zagreus. He wanted peace between Olympus and the Underworld just as much as Athena did. Zeus was only going along with Hera to make sure she didn’t go too far and really hurt Dionysus or Zagreus. He had been looking out for them this whole time, just like Athena said, even if it wasn’t in the way she had thought. Dionysus just needed to accept whatever awful punishment Zeus came up with for him, and everything would go back to normal. Granted Dionysus didn’t get himself into any more trouble.

“Callie!” Dionysus beamed at the Chief of the Muses when she approached him. “Haven’t seen you since the last time we got together! Any new epics you’re working on?”

“I’m afraid not, Lord Dionysus,” Calliope said, her gentle, lyrical voice always music to anyone’s ears. “Despite how moving I found the hymn you shared with me, I’m afraid that inspiration hasn’t translated into anything tangible as of yet.”

“Isn’t that just the way of it?” Dionysus said sympathetically. “Keep at it, Callie, I’m sure you’ll come up with something soon.”

Calliope, while not the size of Athena, was rather tall and had to bend down a bit to whisper in his ear. “Have you perchance heard anything more about the writer of said hymn?”

Freedom of Speech…

“I’m afraid not,” Dionysus whispered back with a rueful smile. “Haven’t been in touch with my contacts in the Underworld for a bit now, but I could check if you’d like.”

“Thank you, Lord Dionysus,” Calliope said, her green eyes shining with gratitude and sadness. “But you needn’t go through the trouble. I’ve no doubt my son is well if he is still able to produce a hymn as lovely as the one you shared with me. Forgive me for troubling you.”

“No, it’s quite all right!” Dionysus smiled. “It’s a mom’s job to worry about her kid, yeah?”

Calliope smiled wistfully. “Indeed, it is.”

A stab of guilt went through his fragile heart as he saw the grief in the Chief of the Muses’ eyes. Orpheus would be fine, Zagreus would free him. Or attempt to at least, the prophecy didn’t explicitly say he would succeed…

“I couldn’t help but overhear,” Alcides said. “What is this about a song?”

“Oh! Oh, Al!” Dionysus cried, overjoyed he would get to share this with someone new. “Where’s my head at, there’s a major discovery I have to tell you about!”

Alcides eyed him warily. “Why do I get the feeling I’m about to be a victim of some new jest of yours?”

“No jest, completely serious!” Dionysus said. Everyone was paying attention now. “It’s the origin story to beat all origin stories! Wise Athena had sprung from Zeus’ head, hardy Hephaestus was thrown off Olympus to rise again from the ashes of his forge, twins Apollo and Artemis were hunted down by monsters sent by Her Majesty only to become the hunters themselves, swift Hermes robbed Apollo’s cattle and invented the lyre when he was one day old, our own lovely Hebe here was conceived after Her Majesty ate a magical bit of lettuce!”

“Doesn’t take much to beat that one,” Hebe said dryly.

“But now it is time to tell the tale of Zagreus and Dionysus!” Dionysus said in a grandiose voice. “For I am him, and he is me! We are the same god!”

“Mercy, what are you on about?” Alcides said, already done with this nonsense.

“Perhaps the best way to share the tale is through song?” the Muse of Epics said, brandishing her lyre.

“You are not serious!” Alcides cried in disbelief as everyone cheered. “My brother in Zeus, what have you done?!”

“Yay, sing of Zagreus!” Pasithea clapped softly.

 Dionysus swallowed thickly as everyone attending the feast cried for him to sing. He locked eyes with Hebe who was baffled that no one seemed to know that the song they wanted to hear was banned. Dionysus didn’t have the heart to tell anyone. Literally. He looked to his half-sister for help, but she only gave him a stern look that warned him not to sing the song.

“Uh, gee, I don’t know, wasn’t planning on actually singing it, it’s been so long, I’m not prepared, I don’t remember all the words…”

Unfortunately, Dionysus had a history of pretending to be demure about being the center of attention only to revel in the attention after some more insistence. There wasn’t an easy way out of this. He shot an apologetic look to Hebe before giving the people what they wanted.

“Sing of Zagreus, O Muse!” Dionysus sang dramatically. “Slayer of hydras…First of his name… Uhhhh…Born of Nyx in the darkness…The start of an era…Zagreus came…”

Yeah, that wasn’t so bad! Still made sense and didn’t insult anybody! Now to focus up and remember the rest of the damn song…

When Dionysus had finished the song, applause and cheers erupted from the crowd. Dionysus gave a humble bow and gestured toward Calliope who also got a round of applause. Even Alcides set his club down to give her a hand, smirking and shaking his head. The only one not happy was Hebe. She kept glancing around as if her mother or father would materialize and destroy them all for enjoying the forbidden song, despite the lyrics not even mentioning either of them anymore.

“Well?” Dionysus smiled at Alcides. “What do you think?”

“So the son of Hades and Nyx, he was killed by the Titans,” Alcides said slowly. “And from his heart came you?”

“Yep. Cool, eh?”

“…Does this not make you the son of Nyx in a sense?”

“Uh, I guess so, why do you—oh, gods. No, no, no, Zag and I have different moms, let me make that clear!” Dionysus quickly said, horrified by what his friend was getting at. “The song just doesn’t go into it! You see, after Zag died, his heart was the only thing of him left, so Dad, Lord Zeus that is, he took the heart and, uh, put it in a potion! Then he gave it to the mortal Semele to drink and she became pregnant after he-”

“My apologizes, ‘twas only a jest,” Alcides said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Although, you perhaps might want to tweak that lyric.”

“I’ll get right on that…”

“That’s good to hear,” a woman’s smooth voice said from right behind Dionysus. “I’d rather gouge my eyes out than have people think I’m even remotely related to you.”

Dionysus didn’t have to turn around to confirm who the voice belonged to, but he did so anyway. The tall and slender goddess floated half a foot in the air, her hair as dark as the deepest part of the night sky. She had gotten an undercut since Dionysus saw her last, and she was working it. Her normal battle armor had been traded for a lovely, glittery black dress that fit her very well and made her dark purple irises pop. She wore a simple silver circlet on her head in contrast to her several arm bangles that had shards of precious gemstones jutting out, giving an alluring edge to her look.

Dread filled the room, for the appearance of this goddess always meant trouble. Even spacey Pasithea had the sense cling to Dionysus and cower behind him. He reached back and put a protective arm around her, she and this goddess did not mix well, not a bit. He smiled cheerfully at the feast crasher.

“Oh, hey, Eris! Good to see you, how’ve you been, did you do something with your hair, it looks great, you look great, absolutely stunning as always, glad you could make it!”

“Despite not being invited?”

Pasithea’s grip on him almost became painful. Alcides immediately took a step forward, his brutish club hoisted over his shoulder. The goddess evenly met his steely gaze. Dionysus laughed easily to break the tension.

“No invites were sent out for this feast, it’s a, ‘If you heard about it, then you’re invited’ kind of thing,” he said. “I’m assuming you heard about it and that’s why you’re here, and if not, well, you have now and are officially invited! Can I get you a drink?”

“That would be lovely,” she said smoothly, her eyes never leaving Alcides. “Welcome back, son of Alcmene.”

“That is most kind of you, daughter of Nyx,” the shade said, knowing she hated to be referred to as such. “I trust you know that I will not hesitate to cast you out of here should you cause mischief as you are wont to do.”

Amusement glinted in her eyes. “I would never cause mischief in your presence, O mighty Heracles.”

“Hmph.”

“Okay!” Dionysus clapped his hands to snap everyone out of it. “Let’s get some drinks in everyone, that sound good?”

He didn’t wait for an answer and started moving everyone along to grab a drink. Calliope, a literal godsend, started strumming a happy tune to get the actual band going again. After Strife Incarnate and the shade of the lion-hearted hero of legend had a brief staring contest, Eris thankfully took the drink Dionysus handed her and moved to stand alone in a corner. Everyone tried to forget she was there and carry on, but the mood was totally ruined.

“Why is she here?” Pasithea mumbled to her feet, withdrawn and shaken. “I thought she hated Lord Dionysus and Lord Heracles.”

“That might be precisely why, miss,” Alcides grumbled, keeping his promise to watch Eris from afar. “Although, I am willing to bet Her Royal Highness sent her to spy on us.”

“Mother is the only one with any semblance of a leash on her, she’d probably do so if ordered,” Hebe said, anxiously chewing her thumbnail. Her eyes flickered to Dionysus. “She heard you singing that song…”

“I know, but it’ll be all right,” Dionysus said with an easy smile. “If I know Eris, and unfortunately I do very well, she’ll get bored and leave once she sees how much fun we’re having! Haha, not even Her Majesty can make Eris witness harmony and joviality!”

“You think that will really be sufficient?” Alcides said doubtfully.

“Yeah, yeah, it’ll be fine! I’m not going to let mean Eris ruin your welcome back feast, Al, I’ll bust out the Nectar and Ambrosia and get this feast really going! I’ll be right back!”

“Wait-”

Dionysus ignored Alcides and rushed off to his office. He couldn’t dip into his regular storage, there just wasn’t enough to spare, so he had to look through his personal stash.

“Hey, Anubis,” Dionysus greeted his leopard as he entered and made for his Ambrosia cupboard. “Doing some paperwork?”

The black leopard merely flicked his tail at him and continued to lounge on top of the desk, unapologetic about anything he had knocked over. Dionysus looked through his shelves and cupboards and found only a few bottles of Nectar and a single bottle of Ambrosia. He searched again as if that would lead to a different outcome. And again. And again.

“I…I should have more than this,” Dionysus said, staring blankly at his meager stash. “There’s no way I drank all of it, where’s the rest of it? Okay, don’t panic, maybe there’s some in the secret closet…no, that’s definitely out, that’s why I came here. My room at the manor? No, Aphrodite cleaned me out last time. This can’t be it, there has to be more somewhere, I’ve must’ve moved it and forgotten, that’s it, there’s no way I’m out, I can’t be, not today, not when Eris is here, Fates, why?!”

Dionysus threw his thyrsus across the room in a rage. He didn’t hear it clatter across the floor so he looked toward the door and saw it in the hands of Eris herself.

“Drop something?”

“Eris!” Dionysus stood up too quickly and his vision swam. “Uh, hey, Rissy, what’s up-”

“Don’t call me that,” Eris said, her Chthonic accent stronger than it had been previously. “Look, I didn’t come here to quarrel with you. I wanted to talk.”

Dionysus eyed her suspiciously. “Okay? Can I have my thyrsus back first? I know you can’t properly use it, but it’s still a blunt instrument.”

Eris rolled her eyes and floated closer. Anubis leapt off the desk to get in between them. Eris stopped and glowered at the black leopard, but not even she was evil or impulsive enough to attack an animal companion of another god. Didn’t mean she didn’t want to.

“Tsch. Fine, I’ll keep my distance,” she said, tossing the thyrsus to its owner.

“What do you want, Eris?” Dionysus asked. “What’s this all about?”

“The recent tensions between you and Her Ladyship,” she said.

“It’s taken care of,” Dionysus said curtly. “And honestly none of your business?”

“It is very much my business, and you know it,” Strife Incarnate said. “I know you’re perfectly content being a scapegoat so long as your precious family gets along, even if it isolates and hurts you, but you playing the martyr won’t protect Zagreus forever.”

“What are you saying?” Dionysus asked, his heart at an unhealthy speed. “Her Majesty said she’d leave Zag alone and let Dad-”

“Do you honestly think a goddess like Her Ladyship would be satisfied having her husband deal with you after being insulted, Dionysus?” Eris said coldly. “She is merely biding her time until you give her an excuse to destroy Zagreus.”

“She’d really risk a war with the Underworld just to get back at me?” Dionysus asked, horrified. “Forget the Underworld, what about Olympus, everyone would go nuts if she hurt Zag!”

“Would they?” Eris asked. “Would they really go against their Queen for a Chthonic god none of them have properly met? Just because he gifted them some bottles of Nectar? And even if they would, do you think that would stop her?”

“…No,” Dionysus said. “But what am I supposed to do not to anger her again, leave Olympus?”

“Precisely,” Eris said. “When next you see Lord Zeus, apologize profusely, admit you were wrong, swear your fidelity to him however you see fit. Then, put the idea into his head that you should be sent off Olympus for a time, you’re clever enough. If you are not here, then Her Ladyship shall not find any excuse to take issue with you.”

“I can’t just abandon my workers, Eris,” Dionysus said, rubbing his neck. “I’m the only one up here that can grow grapes in this weather, not even the maenads can help out, I mean, this cold, it’s not just cold, it’s, like, advanced cold-”

“Then perhaps stop singing songs you know angers Her Ladyship?” Eris said with impatience. Dionysus tried to mask his fear with anger.

“Oi, listen, you’d better not tell her-”

“Or what?” Eris said, her own anger flaring. “What exactly will you do if I go to Her Ladyship right now?”

Anubis let out a low warning growl. Eris and Dionysus relaxed, acknowledging the leopard as the mediator. Dionysus took a deep breath and tried again.

“You’re not going to tell her,” he said. “You came here to warn me, right? You wouldn’t just turn ‘round and tattle. But I’ve got to ask: why help me? Thought you’d be thrilled to see Her Majesty finally take me down. Or are you just making sure I don’t get your little brother hurt?”

“I am doing this for my chosen mother,” Eris said. “I owe Her Ladyship everything I have and am now, and I find that I must be at odds with her and go against her wishes to be loyal to her. The current path she is taking is foolish and detrimental, yet her mind is set. She fails to understand that my birth mother loves Zagreus dearly enough to defy Hades himself. If Her Ladyship should harm a child my birth mother actually loved…”

“Phew, Nyx must be pretty powerful if you’re worried about Her Majesty,” Dionysus marveled.

“Indeed,” Eris said, her purple eyes shifting to the side. Dionysus found himself staring at her for a bit. She glared at him when she caught him, and he looked away quickly.

“Um, hey, I know you’re here on a secret mission and everything,” he rambled, face hot, heart unhappy. “But do you want to…talk? About us?”

“Us?”

“Not like that! I meant what happened between us. We said and did a lot of things, things that weren’t great, and, I don’t know, considering things are bad enough that you came here when you never wanted to see me again, maybe we could hash it out? Before it’s too late?”

Eris regarded him a moment before saying, “That is a rather pessimistic thought for you, Dionysus.”

Dionysus shrugged. “When’s the next time I’m going to have you in front of me so civil like this? What do you say?”

“When this business with Olympus and Hades is done,” Strife Incarnate said solemnly. “I might have something to say to you then.”

“It’s a date,” he said without thinking.

Eris looked at him sadly. Then, with a flash of golden wings, she was gone. Shifted away, just like that, leaving behind nothing except a hint of the scent of fresh, perfectly ripe apples. It brought back a lot of memories, most of which made Dionysus’ heart ache. Or maybe he was just dying again, it was hard to tell.

“Brother?” Alcides’ voice took him out of his reverie. Dionysus looked up and saw him in the doorway. “Is Eris gone, then?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, she left,” Dionysus said, sounding far too casual. “Told me to watch myself around Her Majesty and show her respect, blah, blah, blah. You know how uppity she gets whenever me and Her Majesty bicker.”

Alcides sighed, troubled. “Aye, I do. However, you must have been needling Her Royal Highness something awful for strife itself to appear at your door. What has happened? Tell me, please.”

“Al, there’s nothing for you to worry about!” Dionysus said. “I’ve got it all under control.”

“Brother, forgive me for saying this,” Alcides said hesitantly. “I think you are full of shite.”

“Whaaaat? How could you say that about your favorite big brother?”

“Because Hebe told me everything,” Alcides said. “You called Her Highness insecure and not your ‘damn mother’ when she took issue with you singing that the son of Hades was the son of Zeus ‘in spite of’ her.”

Damn it, Hebe, you gossiping trollop!

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Alcides asked when Dionysus couldn’t deny it. “You are correct, but good grief, man! No wonder she cornered you in the garden!”

“I know, I know, I was stupid!” Dionysus said, allowing himself to look tired. “She’s been running me ragged ever since with all her wine orders, she’s been embarrassing and sabotaging me every chance she gets. Before you ask, yes, everyone knows, but no one’s saying anything outright, you know how it is. Wouldn’t want her to escalate.”

“Indeed not,” Alcides said, troubled. “Will you truly be all right continuing on like this? For you to grow grapes in conditions like this, with the weather as it is…”

“Haha…I’ve been dying…”

“Do not despair, my brother!” Alcides said, having no reason to take his words literally. “You’ve found your way out of tougher situations than this before and you shall this time easily, for I am by your side.”

The god of wine perked up. “Can you grow grapes instantly?”

“I meant spiritually, Brother, spiritually,” the shade said. “The only one that could help you with that particular dilemma is Lady Demeter. If she changed the season to something more temperate, you wouldn’t have so much trouble meeting demands, yes?”

“Yeah, that’d solve a hell of a lot of my problems, but she ain’t budging. She might be more outgoing nowadays, but the only one she shows any warmth to is…Zag.”

“Ah, there’s that mischievous sparkle,” Alcides smirked proudly. “I assume you came up with a strategy to convince the icy Demeter to thaw? I must warn you to be cautious; she’s not one to show clemency to insults.”

“Don’t worry, I know how to handle her. I think deep down behind that frosty exterior, she’s actually as warm and sweet as Lady Hestia…”

 

 

“What complete nonsense is this?” Demeter said with a sneer. “What need have I for your leftovers?”

Dionysus put away the basket of goodies from the previous night’s feast into his inventory. “I was just trying to be neighborly…”

“Lord Dionysus, if this attempt of being ‘neighborly’ with me is motivated by the hope I shall relieve you of the withering of your crops, you waste your time; I shall not be swayed.”

“Whaaat? Nooo, no, that’s not it at all, I would never do that, but now that you mention it-”

She closed the door on him. Dionysus desperately shouted through the door, seeing his chance slip away.

“Milady, wait, I don’t think I’m asking for much! Certainly not asking for the end of winter, but if you could just give a couple weeks of something kind of like a cold spring day? Just until Zag gets up here, everything can be super cold again after that!”

Amazingly, she opened the door, curiosity on her face. Dionysus straightened up and spoke as sincerely as he could.

“I’ve climbed up this mountain when I was a mortal man,” he said. “I was leading a donkey that carried my blackout drunk brother, Hephaestus. I was even weaker than I am now, not in shape at all, yet I still managed to claw my way up here without dying from my wonky heart. Zag doesn’t have any of the problems I had and is a million times stronger than I was. Yet, he hasn’t made it up here. Hasn’t even made it to the base. I know it’s not because of a monster or anything, because after I collapsed in the throne room, he didn’t call me again throughout the night or the next day. So…what else am I supposed to think?”

“Oh, please, don’t insult me, Lord Dionysus,” Demeter said, sounding bored. “We both know you are here for selfish reasons. Besides, if young Zagreus truly could not withstand the cold down there, then he has no chance up here.”

“Uh, maybe, but we have shelter up here? Blankets, fireplaces? Pretty sure he’s trekking through the woods for a long while. Then he has to climb up the mountain, which, again, really, really hard-”

“Then he’ll just have to figure out how to be stronger than a weak-hearted, mortal drunkard,” Demeter said. “Now, if that is all?”

“…Can I come in for a drink of water or something?” Dionysus asked in a last-ditch effort. “Al, er, Heracles, you know him, he really put me through the wringer with a bunch of squats this morning, and the way back is uphill. I don’t think I can make it without hydrating.”

Demeter sighed heavily at such a lame excuse to enter her home. But she gestured for him to enter her cottage and to do so quickly. He darted in and saw a lot of the inside got the same treatment her throne had. Demeter wordlessly walked down the frozen hall of her home, not caring if Dionysus struggled to keep up with her long strides while avoiding ice spots. Gods, it was freezing in here!

“Hey, why-why do you like the c-cold so much anyway?” Dionysus shivered. “Don’t get me wrong, I like sitting by the fire while it snows buckets out, but remember how green spring was? Th-That was pretty, yeah, or the feeling of the warm summer breeze on your f-face? N-No? All r-right, that’s cool, we can do baby steps and t-t-try out autumn for a spell, eh? Things are not quite d-d-dead, but g-getting there! Let’s give it a go, what do you say?”

She said nothing as he rambled. She had led him to a kitcheny area and started boiling water with a fire whose heat did nothing to the frozen air around the goddess of seasons. She gestured to the massive table and the two chairs built for gods Demeter’s size for him to sit. Dionysus brushed the layer of ice off the seat, just enough so he could sit down without literally freezing his ass off. He climbed up and started laughing.

“What are you snickering about?”

“S-Sorry!” Dionysus smiled, pulling his leopard skin tight around him. “I’m laughing at myself. I’m always so tiny compared to a lot of the furniture on Olympus. Not that I’m complaining! It just reminds me of when my boys used to sit where I sat or wear my laurels to be like Daddy and everything was just massive on them.”

Her cold exterior cracked and softened in surprise. “You have children?”

“Yeah!” He felt his smile weaken. “Well…I did. They’re not…their mom was mortal and…so were they.”

“…My condolences,” Demeter said. She actually meant it.

“Haha, thank you, but it’s all right. We had our time together, a damn good one I think. And they’ve been gone a long time now.”

Her expression became cold once more. “That makes no difference.”

Dionysus chuckled. “Yeah, guess it doesn’t.”

Demeter turned her back to him, palms down on the counter. Dionysus could hear the snapping and crackle of ice spreading along the surface. Her shoulders were shaking. Dionysus started to slide out his chair to go to her.

“How?” Demeter breathed out in a voice that chilled Dionysus to the bone. “How do you stand it?”

“Stand what?”

“Smiling.”

“I don’t…what’s wrong with smiling, milady?”

“There is absolutely no reason for you to smile yet there you are! Smirking in that insufferable way you have since you stumbled your way up here. Your heart fails you like a common mortal at the end of his life, your fields are in ruins, I cruelly deny you an ounce of warmth, condemning you to more of my sister’s wrath for not supplying your crop, yet you smile as if there’s nothing wrong-”

“Um,” Dionysus awkwardly interrupted. “I can’t hear you over the kettle…”

Demeter turned her head to the kettle whistling like crazy. She stared at it for a few moments before taking it off the heat. Dionysus drummed his fingers on the table because the silence was killing him.

“Stop that racket, Kor-”

She stopped herself. She poured out the tea in cups and placed on in front of her guest. There would have been tears running down her face had they not froze at the corners of her eyes. Dionysus drank the hot tea in silence. It warmed his entire body, removing the shiver from his bones.

“Wow, that’s good tea,” Dionysus said, forgetting Demeter didn’t like it when he smiled. “I mean, wine warms you up too, but this is some premium stuff! If only I could water my vines with this!”

Demeter curled her lip. “You’re a babbling fool, Lord Dionysus.”

Dionysus laughed. “Maybe that’s why I can keep smiling?”

The venerable goddess hummed in agreement. They sat silently for a little bit. It wasn’t often at all when it was just the two of them. The only conversations they’ve had were literally about the weather, and after Demeter’s outburst, he was a little hesitant to make chit-chat lest he invoked her full wrath with another smile. He ought to finish his tea and leave as soon as possible…

…if he was someone who wasn’t the god of revelry!

“Say, Lady Demeter?” Dionysus looked thoughtfully down at the tea. “Do you really want to know why I smile so much?”

“Hmph. Pray tell.”

With a devilish grin and a snap of his fingers, a large amphora filled with wine appeared on the table in between them. The goddess of seasons tried desperately to keep her expression neutral, but his incorrigibility was too much for her. She shook her head and let out a low chuckle.

“Should you not be saving the last of your wine reserves for a more important occasion, Lord Dionysus?”

“What are you saying? This is an important occasion!” Dionysus smiled. “We both need wine!”

“Oh, for the love of…”

Notes:

I'm sure Dionysus and Demeter having a drinking session while bonding over them both losing their children will go juuuust fine...

Fun Greek mythology fact, Heracles' real name is Alcides, they just called him Heracles, or "Glory of Hera", to butter Hera up in hopes she would leave him alone. It obviously didn't work lol, but the name stuck. I've decided his family call him Alcides instead of his stage name because that made sense in my brain.

Also we have the introduction of Eris in this chapter! She went through a few different personalities and designs in the first few drafts, but I like what I ended up with. I think Eris is actually in Hades 2? I'm not sure, I'm still avoiding early access for now, but I'm excited to see what the official Eris is like one day.

BTW Eris definitely went to Dionysus' place, saw he was having a feast, and immediately went back home to put on a nice dress, that is canon.

Chapter 7: Mother

Summary:

Dionysus' plan to cozy up to Demeter for better weather seems to have gone fairly well. If only he could remember exactly what they talked about and didn't feel so awful. Perhaps breakfast with the family will make him feel better...

Notes:

So it's been awhile since I checked on this fic and holy moly, over 1.1k hits?! Not to mention everyone that commented and left kudos, wow, thank you all so much! I really appreciate your support and I'm so glad you're enjoying this weird AU and hope you continue to enjoy it as we go down the rabbit hole lol

Dionysus cracked his eyes open. Even the smallest amount of light made his head feel on the verge of imploding. What happened last night? How long had he been out? Where even was he? Not at Demeter’s or his bedroom at the manor. Must be lying on the chaise in his office.

“Ow!” Dionysus winced as Bastet climbed on top of him. “Ow, ow, no biscuits, honey, no…”

She ignored him and got comfortable on his chest. He sighed, but he didn’t move her. Gods, he felt awful. Maybe he’d just sleep in today, he deserved it…

“Time for training!” Alcides burst into the office without knocking and spoke louder than he had to.

“Nooo,” Dionysus moaned. He moaned louder when he felt his arm being pulled by his spectral brother. “Nooooooo! Bastet, eat him!”

Bastet purred as Alcides petted her head. She happily got off her master so the shade could pull him onto his feet. The hungover god of wine groaned and whined, but he got dressed and let Alcides lead a light jog around the vineyard. Bastet followed close at their heels, no doubt wanting more pets.

“I was worried when you did not return from Lady Demeter’s yesterday,” Alcides said, jogging easily while Dionysus struggled to keep pace. “How did it go?”

“Everything’s…kind of a blur. …hah, but considering it’s even colder than it was yesterday, I’m willing to bet, hah, hah…it didn’t go great!” Dionysus gasped for breath. “Al, I can we stop for a second?”

“Did you partake in a drinking contest with the venerable Lady Demeter, why are you so haggard?” Alcides asked as they came to a stop. Dionysus hunched over and braced his hands on his knees.

“Well, we were just going to have a drink or two, bond over our grief or something. Then, I think…guh, Lady Demeter started giving some boons to Zag. He did very well…or he died, can’t recall, either way, I poured a couple out for him. Oh, gods, my head…”

“Easy, Brother,” Alcides rubbed his brother’s back. “At least it’s your head and not your heart.”

“Yeeeah. Be a dear and pass us the water, yeah?”

Alcides passed Dionysus a wineskin. Water and food had always a wonderful regenerative effect on him, being a god, and the pounding pressure in his head vanished. He still felt exhausted and his limbs felt heavy like he had run for years rather than minutes. He put two fingers on his neck to check his pulse. It was fast, but he had just run, so it was hard to tell if he ought to be concerned.

“Are you well?” Alcides said. Dionysus forced himself to perk up.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yeah, come on, sooner we get back to it, sooner we can finish!” Dionysus took off before Alcides could protest. “Race you!”

“No sprinting!” Alcides said sharply. He chased after him. “You’ve got to pace yourself! Damn it, get back here!”

Alcides caught up with Dionysus easily and ended up wrestling him to the ground. Bastet thought they were playing a game and pounced on the shade. Since Bastet was a divine animal companion and not an ordinary leopardess, she knocked him over rather than phase through him. Dionysus took this chance to get away. He didn’t get far before he was tackled by his own leopardess and had his thyrsus snatched up. She seemed to enjoy running among the grapevines as her master frantically chased after her. Alcides doubled over with laughter at the undignified scene until Bastet ran into the middle of the path right in front of Demeter. Dionysus quickly grabbed Bastet by the nap of her neck and pulled her out of the way of the goddess.

“Lady…Demeter…!” He was horribly out of breath. “I am…so sorry about…that! She, Bastet, hah, hah, was just-”

“Making a fool out of you?” Demeter knelt down and presented some tiny green leaves to Bastet. The guardian of the vineyard dropped the thyrsus onto the ground and licked the leaves up from her hand. Dionysus stared in disbelief.

“Is that catnip? Where did you get that? Don’t tell me you grew it!”

Demeter scoffed. “This batch was leftover from when I had my own felines protecting my fields. They have long since gone. Bastet here will have more use of this than I.”

“Oh, uh, thanks! That’s, hah, very kind,” Dionysus said, hand over his thrumming chest. “Uh, listen, about yesterday, I hope I didn’t…didn’t put you out or was an…an inconvenience?”

“Not any more of an inconvenience than I thought you would be,” Demeter said, eyeing him with judgment. “Come now, Lord Dionysus, panting like a beast is unbecoming of a god.”

Dionysus laughed breathily. “Can’t really help it, can I? Between Bastet and Al over there, I’m about to keel over…”

“H-Hail, Lady Demeter!” Alcides said. He sounded a touch nervous. “It has been a long time!”

“Indeed it has, Heracles,” Demeter stood up at her full height. “I almost did not see you there in the light of my brother’s chariot.”

“Ha, yes, I suppose I am rather hard to spot now. My kind prefers the darkness,” Alcides said. “I hope we did not disturb you?”

“You have, but you’ve found me in a charitable mood today,” Demeter said. “A rare occurrence these days, as I am sure you both know.”

“Charitable enough to end winter?” Dionysus asked, half-joking. Demeter actually let out a hum of a laugh.

“I’m afraid I’m only charitable enough to give Foster-Brother Poseidon my respects personally.” The goddess rolled her eyes. “If not to prevent him paying me a visit later.”

“Poseidon’s back?” Dionysus groaned. “Ugh, I got to say hi, too, don’t I? Sorry, Al, might need to cancel this session-”

“No need, we can just continue where we left off after we welcome our uncle,” Alcides said, unyielding determination in his eyes.

The exercise-hating god of wine rolled his eyes. “Brilliant. Uh, Lady Demeter, we would be honored to escort you, not that you need it, of course, just thought since we’d all be going the same way-”

“Come along, gentlemen!” Demeter said, already walking down the road. “I’ll not slow my pace, even if you struggle to keep up, Lord Dionysus.”

“Haha, all right!” Dionysus said. He gave a happy, amazed look at Alcides, who was smirking. That was a warm invitation by Demeter’s standards. They started after the goddess, Bastet at their heels. Alcides gave Dionysus a playful shove.

“You sly scoundrel!” Alcides whispered. “Making me think all was lost! I should have known, you could make a leopard change their spots! Ah, no offense, Bastet.”

“No, man, I really thought I bungled it!” Dionysus said. “Guess we really connected yesterday, or she likes wine, either way, I think we’ve made some progress…huh.”

“What is it?” Alcides asked when Dionysus stared at him.

“Lady Demeter said she couldn’t really see you,” he said. “But I can see you just fine. You’re almost solid, like you’ve got a glow about you. Did Athena or Apollo bless you or something?”

“Not to my knowledge,” Alcides looked down at himself. “Perhaps some of the power from the son of Hades rubbed off on you whilst you were blessing him last night, and now you have the ability to better see shades?”

“Uh, yeah, maybe!” Problem with that theory was that he didn’t send boons to Zagreus. He wouldn’t disobey an order from the council, even if he was drunk.

Right?

 

 

Alcides made a valiant attempt to keep their visit with their uncle short, but Poseidon was very keen on having Dionysus stay. The earth-shaking god of the sea smiled wide as he picked Dionysus up like a child and sat him down next to him. He put his arm around Dionysus and gripped his shoulder so that he couldn’t escape. Dionysus tried not to blush too much as Poseidon tried to guess what “irresistible damsel” he spent the night with to make him miss his welcome feast the night before.

“Was it Thalia?” Poseidon asked. “Not Thalia of the Charites, I refer to the Muse.”

“Haha, nope! No, no, no, never, we’re just mates! Friends! She’s taken, besides.”

“Ahh, right, right, silly me, Apollo’s sweet on her,” Poseidon chuckled, something menacing in his sea-green eyes. “And you’d never try anything on another man’s woman, is that not so?”

Poseidon pointedly looked across the room at Demeter chatting with Ares and Aphrodite. Dionysus’ stomach churned at what his uncle was implying.

“Uncle Poseidon, no one has anything to worry about on that front, I can promise you that.”

Poseidon leaned in closer, his countenance grave. “I don’t want another Beroe situation, Dionysus-”

“You’re not getting one!” Dionysus said, horrified. “Lady Demeter is just a…! Well, she’s not exactly a friend, but I was trying to become one for her, she seems like she needs a couple, I mean, she’s a lot happier whenever you’re here ‘cause you’re her best-”

“Excuse me, Lord Dionysus, this oaf is nothing of the sort, and I’ll thank you not to spout such nonsense!” Demeter cried, suddenly standing right in front of them. “And you, Poseidon, just what is this ‘Beroe situation’ you’re speaking of?”

“I, uh, buh, uh, well…!” Poseidon sputtered nervously. Dionysus slipped out of his grasp and left Poseidon to his fate. He scampered over to Alcides, who stood near where Ares was lounging. The shade looked at him pleadingly, but it would be rude to leave now without saying hi to the god of war when he was right there.

“Morning, Ares, you good?”

“I am, Lord Dionysus, I am, indeed,” Ares said. “You’ll be happy to hear our persistent kin has slaughtered Theseus not once, but twice since we last spoke. He still carries my blessings of death as we speak, in fact.”

Dionysus grinned. “Good show, Ares! You think he’ll make it this time?”

“Probably not, if I were to be honest with you.”

Dionysus’ mouth dropped. “Whaaat? You’ve got to be kidding me! Lady Aphrodite, you hearing this?”

The goddess of love, who lounged right next to Ares, gave the god of wine a disdainful side-glance. Oh, right, they still weren’t talking to each other. Dionysus walked up to Aphrodite, ready to put on the charm.

“Hey, listen-”

“Madame, I found your bracelet!” Pasithea ran right in front of Dionysus, the large golden bracelet of the goddess of love in her hand. “It was right where you said it was, in the hall where you and Lord Ares-”

“Thank you, dear!” Aphrodite cut her off and slipped her bracelet back on. “Can you show Lord Dionysus his seat? I believe he’s gotten lost.”

Pasithea curtseyed. “Yes, Madame! Follow me, Lord Dionysus, your seat is right over–waaah, Bastet!”

Overjoyed, the Charis ran to the leopardess lying on her master’s couch, who purred when the silly girl hugged and snuggled against her. After two seconds, Bastet slipped away from Pasithea’s hold and regally padded over to Dionysus. She grabbed and pulled at his thyrsus with her teeth again.

“Whoa, whoa, easy, we’re not playing tug-of-war! Bad kitty, stop!”

“Go Bastet, you can do it!” Pasithea cheered.

Dionysus yanked his thyrsus free and let out an angry, leopard-like hiss at her. Bastet full-on growled at him, like he was the one being difficult and embarrassing, the nerve! The goddess of love put her hand over her mouth to muffle her unladylike snickering. She bent forward, letting her long hair spill down, and subjected the agitated leopardess to some divine petting. Bastet begrudgingly allowed it.

“Hello, sweetie, how is that old sourpuss of a mate of yours treating you, hm?” Aphrodite cooed. “You ever tire of him, you just let me know and we can find you some friendlier leopards-”

“Hey!” Dionysus cried. “Stop tempting Bastet! She and Anubis are in an exclusive relationship!”

“Indeed, Aphrodite, very bad form!” Poseidon said, still being interrogated by Demeter. “She’s a leopard, not a cheat-ah!”

Demeter swiftly returned to her seat without a word. Ares pinched the bridge of his nose while everyone else let out long-suffering sighs. Pasithea simply didn’t get it. Poseidon crossed his arms over his bare chest.

“No accounting for taste on Olympus, I see, that jest would have killed among the sea folk!”

“I thought it was amusing, Lord Uncle!” Alcides said loudly, having snuck up on Poseidon. The sea god jumped and cried out.

“Haaaah! Haah…Heracles!” Poseidon grimaced. He tried to laugh it off. “Hahaha, you little rascal! Didn’t see you there, what with you technically not being there! Don’t sneak up on me like that, why, I nearly squashed you like a bug!”

There was a little growl in that last word, but the shade smiled, unbothered. Such threats didn’t perturb him even when he was alive, let alone dead.

It was at this point Bastet had pounced on Dionysus and knocked him to the floor. He made a loud, embarrassing noise that made the whole room burst into laughter. Even Poseidon forgot his feud with this dead nephew to laugh at his living one wrestling the restless leopardess as she tried to wrest his thyrsus from him yet again.

“Guh! Ow! Bast, settle down!”

Ares smirked. “At least her claws are not out…ah, spoke too soon.”

“Ow, ow, Bastet!” Dionysus whined as everyone laughed. “That’s enough! Ow!”

She finally settled down and curled up on his chest, teeth firmly clamped down on the hilt of the fancy stick with a pinecone on top. She was heavy and it was a little hard to breathe, but he couldn’t move her. Pasithea came up and he thought she was going to help him, but she just wanted to continue petting Bastet, who purred like a Macedonian chariot.

“I wanted to thank you, my lord,” Pasithea said quietly to him with a bright smile. “I had a wonderful night’s sleep last night! Thank you so much for asking Prince Zagreus to talk to Lord Hypnos for me!”

“Yeah, no problem, anything for you,” Dionysus groaned. He’d take the credit for that one, sure, definitely didn’t get drunk and sent Zagreus messages or boons when he wasn’t supposed to, no way. “All right, Bastet, get off me…”

He opened his eyes and saw Bastet was no longer on top of him, but sitting next to him. This was very bad, because it still felt like there was a big cat on top of his chest. Gripping the thyrsus in her teeth, Bastet let out an agitated growl, low and rumbling. Pasithea looked very worried as Dionysus clutched his chest and grimaced in pain.

“Oh, dear, Dionysus,” Hera’s voice literally nearly made his heart stop. “Have you collapsed again?”

Dionysus tensed and saw Hera had indeed entered the room. Hebe stood by her side at her natural height, just a hair shorter than her mother. The god of wine made himself sit up and smile, desperate to leave the room as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to die in front of everyone again, especially not when he was sober.

“No, Your Majesty, haha, I’m fine! Just paling around with my leopard, she’s been a little rambunctious today.”

“Dionysus, you should not be rough-housing so,” Hera chided. “I know your health has been improving under Apollo’s care, but you are not out of the woods yet. I will not have you dying on us again, all right?”

“Dying?” Alcides blurted out. The alarm on his face was gut-wrenching. “Brother, what is she talking about?”

Hera was thrilled to explain, though she did not show it on her countenance. “Has no one told you? Dionysus has been having some awful heart troubles as of late. He has expired, what was it, five times now? Six? Well, the cause seems to be from overexertion—Dionysus, where are you going?”

“Just taking Bastet out!” Dionysus grinned, hoping it wasn’t a grimace. “I’ll be right back, everyone!”

Hera seemed skeptical, but she let him go. Dionysus avoided eye contact with Alcides as he led Bastet toward the exit. He had to take his naughty kitty passed Demeter’s couch, so of course Bastet had to jump up onto it and show her the thyrsus. Thankfully, the elder goddess took no offense and lightly stroked Bastet’s short fur with the hand not clutching the green ribbon. Were her hands less frosty than usual?

“Haha, sorry about that, milady, I think the catnip’s made her hyper. Or she’s just bored, I mean, she is a leopard and they don’t do so well in the cold, if only it were a just a bit warmer, she could run around the fields all day and burn off that energy, but what can you do?”

Demeter sighed, but there was a fondness Dionysus hadn’t seen before. “You think your feline’s boredom is enough for me to give you a better crop? Honestly, Lord Dionysus, your arguments are getting weaker and weaker by the day!”

“Much like his heart,” Hera remarked off-handedly.

Dionysus ducked his head down to hide the shame and hurt that was no doubt on his face. Hebe, the Queen’s attendant and the royal cupbearer, pressed her lips tightly together as she dutifully poured water for her mother. She was displeased by her mother’s insensitive jab, but of course she didn’t say anything, no one said anything, you’d have to be mad to-

“Dear Sister Hera, did you just make a jest?” Demeter asked lightly, her eyes and smile cold. “Here I was under the impression you did not appreciate jests. Or is it only ones about your insecurities that cause you to throw the tantrums you are infamous for?”

Dionysus looked up at Demeter in horror. Why the hell was she goading Hera? No one would dream of speaking to the Queen of the Olympians that way! But if there was one goddess who did not give a damn about incurring Hera’s wrath, it was Demeter. Unfortunately for all, the opposite was true as well.

“Oh, no,” Hera smoothly answered her sister’s taunt. “I am perfectly fine with jests. It is lies that boil my blood. I would think you of all people would know that, dear Sister, considering that whole incident with your daugh—ah. Well.”

The icy air around Demeter spread throughout the room and cut into Dionysus like many tiny spears. Poor Aphrodite had no protection at all, yet she still pulled Pasithea close to shield her from the full brunt of the cold. When Demeter stood up, Alcides sprang forward to Hebe’s side and tugged at her arm to get her out of the potential crossfire. Poseidon and Ares put their hands on their weapons, ready to pull the sisters apart if need be. Any other servants nearby fled, either to get help or for self-preservation.

“Finish what you were about to say,” Demeter said darkly. “See what happens.”

Hera smiled just a bit. “Now who’s throwing a tantrum?”

“You impudent brat…!”

“Ladies, ladies, please!” Dionysus moved in between them and held his arms up. “Let’s all just take a…urngh…moment to…hah…c-calm…ack!”

“Brother!” Alcides ran to Dionysus as he fell to his hands and knees. He grabbed him to keep him from falling over. “What’s wrong?”

“Now look what you’ve done, Demeter,” Hera sighed. “Hebe, fetch Apollo, if you would.”

“Pasithea, go with her,” Aphrodite said. “Hurry!”

Dionysus was relieved. Not that Pasithea and Hebe were going to get Apollo, but that they wouldn’t see him die. He’d hate to upset them…

“M-My thyrsus, where’s…?”

A large, withered, frosted hand came into view, holding his thyrsus out to him. He reached out and weakly curled his fingers around it and something thin and silky. The ribbon…

He blinked, and everything changed.

He now knelt not on marble floors with a thin layer of snow, but warm grass. His skin had taken on a pale complexion, and there were wrappings around his hand in a peculiar pattern. He looked up and saw a woman with a familiar silhouette casting a shadow over him. He still felt as if he was on the brink of extinction, and he could barely lift his head, yet he reached for her. She did not reach back. She wanted to, she did, he knew it, she must! She couldn’t turn him away, not after everything!

“Goodbye…!” she said, barely holding in her sorrow.

“Mother…!”

On Olympus, very far from the garden in question, the vision-having Dionysus cried this out loud, not to the woman in green that lived in the cottage by the sea, but seemingly to Lady Demeter. The season-changing goddess, shaken, reached for Dionysus too late as the vines of Ampelos pulled the fallen god into the earth which she had ravaged with her grief. All that remained was the verdant ribbon Dionysus had pulled out of the goddess’ hand, curled on the ground like a fallen branch of grapevine.

“Demeter,” cow-eyed Hera broke the looming silence. “May I speak with you in private?”

 

 

“Treason!” Zeus thundered. It was a miracle the walls of the infirmary did not shake under the force of the king of all the gods’ roar.

“No! Dad-”

“You sent boons to the Underworld! Bragged to Alcides and sweet Pasithea about it! Treason, in my own house and home! Why would you do this? Why would you do something so ruinous and foolish, after everything I have done for you, given you! You enjoyed privileges only a select few enjoy even among the gods only to have thrown it all away, and for what? To get back at me for establishing reasonable rules and boundaries? Look at me when I am talking to you!”

Dionysus lifted his head, his blankets and sheets bunched up tightly in his hands. His eyes flickered pleadingly to Apollo, who was grinding up medicine, and Athena, merely observing. They were staying out of this. Alcides watched on as well with Anubis, sitting at his feet, his sharp, yellow eyes glued on Zeus.

“Dad, ask Ares or Lady Aphrodite, they would have sensed me on Zag!” Dionysus said. “Ask Lady Demeter, too, she was with me the whole day, she’ll vouch for me!”

“Ah, yes! Your ‘mother’!” Zeus said snidely. “You two are so very close, surely she will sort this out!”

He blushed. “Aw, Dad, you can’t be mad at that, Her Majesty can’t be either, it was an accident, I was delirious and hallucinating-”

“That’s enough, I do not want to hear it!”

“I was dying! Not in my right mind, I thought there was a lady with wheat-colored hair and green-”

“Silence!” Zeus thundered. “Not another word, or I’ll throw you off this mountaintop myself!”

Anubis jumped on the bed and let out a low growl at Zeus, deep and rumbling like an ancient being from a dark abyss. Dionysus shushed him before the god of lightning decided to take it personally. The black leopard continued to glare intently at the king of the mountain; he did not care who Zeus was, if he wished any harm on his master, he would not hesitate to harm back.

“Please hear me out, Dad,” Dionysus said. “I can explain everything. I was only trying to help Zag-”

“Spare me your excuses,” Zeus said, sounding tired. “This is the last straw, Dionysus. I may be your father, but I am ruler here above all. I have no choice but to punish you.”

Dionysus swallowed thickly. This was it. Would Zeus go easy on him? He had been trying to keep Dionysus and Zagreus safe from Hera’s wrath this whole time, but that was before Dionysus accidentally started a fast-spreading rumor that he was the son of Zeus and Demeter.

“On my authority, I hereby suspend you from the council indefinitely, and you shall be ‘grounded’ for a full year.”

“No!” Dionysus cried. “Dad, you can’t send me away, the vineyard’ll be destroyed if I’m not here, and have you seen the weather in the mortal realm lately, I’ll die out there with my heart the way it is right now! Don’t tell me you’re just going to throw me back out there every time I die until a year’s up?”

“Did you not say you did not mind dying?” Zeus mocked. “If you are so insistent on throwing your life away to no end, go right ahead, then! Perhaps several dozen more deaths will get it through your head how pointless your sad attempts to ‘help’ are.”

“Dad, come on, you don’t even have proof I did anything illegal! Apollo, man, you’re all about justice and due diligence and whatever, tell him I’m not lying!”

“Can you say that for certain?” Apollo asked. “Can you swear in your own name that you did not send boons to Prince Zagreus at all?”

“Come on, Apollo, man-”

“Answer me, yes or no.”

Dionysus looked away. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t, can’t really recall, I had a lot to drink, you see-”

“The usual excuse then,” Zeus said, disgusted. “After everything, you are still treating this as a game. Was calling Lady Demeter your mother part of your scheme as well, a ploy to distract us from your crime?”

“No!” Dionysus said. “It just slipped out, and Lady Demeter happened to be standing in front of me! You can’t blame me Her Majesty flew off the handle and made a big deal about it!”

“We can and do blame you,” Athena finally spoke up. “You were in that state by your own actions. I told you to stop interfering, I told you to leave Zagreus to the rest of us, yet you decided you knew better.”

“I didn’t send boons!” Dionysus said. “Apollo, help me out here!”

“I have been helping!” Apollo said, slamming the bowl of medicine down. “This whole time, I have tried to help you, but you have made it clear you do not want my help! I fully support Lord Father Zeus’ decision. You will no longer have any benefits Olympus has provided you, medical or legal.”

Dionysus looked at him in shock. “Apollo, wait, don’t do this-”

“Excuse me,” Apollo said, walking toward the door. “I have other patients. I’ll see you in a year, Dionysus.”

He closed the door a little harder than necessary. Zeus did not comment on his favored son’s clear distress and motioned for Dionysus to come to him, which he did. The King of the Olympians took Dionysus’ laurels off his head as well as his leopard’s skin and the ivy off his shoulders. All gifts from the gods.

“Where is your staff?”

He summoned his thyrsus from his inventory and handed it over. “Rather hoped you would forget about it…”

Zeus did not look amused. “Alcides, escort Dionysus to the gates, if you please.”

The shade gave a bow, looking grim. “Yes, Father.”

Zeus looked like he wanted to say something more to Dionysus, but shook his head as if changing his mind. He left as well, and the grounded god of wine glared at the door for a few moments, then at his grey-eyed half-sister.

“He can’t do this to me,” Dionysus said. “You know I didn’t send anything, I’d never, Dad can’t just send me away like this!”

“He absolutely can,” Athena said with no empathy whatsoever. “And he can do a lot worse, so stop throwing a tantrum before you somehow manage to make things even worse for yourself.”

Dionysus balled his fists, his blood pounding furiously in his ears. “Hey, why is it that when I’m angry, I’m throwing a tantrum, but when you’re angry and drag everyone into your stupid beauty contests and kill thousands of people, you’re a wise, level-headed adult?”

Anger flashed in her eyes and a gold flush lit her face. “That has nothing to do with this!”

“The hell it doesn’t!” Dionysus said. “I didn’t even want to help Zag in the first place, but you ‘reminded’ me how I didn’t take your side back then and guilt-tripped me into it!”

“I did no such thing,” Athena said tersely. “I merely told you aiding Zagreus would not be like that war because we would all be united in a common goal. I was only trying to assuage your concerns. Do not blame me for any guilt you have over your past actions. Or inaction, rather.”

“Y-You just did it again!” Dionysus was in disbelief. “If you’re gonna deny it, don’t do it in the same damn breath, girl, come on!”

“If helping your own cousin escape the depths of hell was such an inconvenience to you, then why were you so upset you cannot continue?” Athena asked. “One would think you’d be glad, yet you’re screaming and stomping your feet like a child who had his toy taken-”

“Quit calling me a child!” Dionysus shouted angrily. “You think you’re so smart, that you know everything, but you don’t, you don’t know a damn thing! You don’t know what it’s like not to have a home, to feel like you don’t belong anywhere, to be forced to do the bidding of someone that tormented, belittled, manipulated you, to die over and over and have everyone you love tell you it’s your fault because you’re weak, and you definitely don’t know how hard it is to keep smiling despite it all! Zag does, and he needs me just as much as he needs wisdom or strength or lightning blasts, and if you don’t agree, well then, perhaps I shouldn’t come back to Olympus at all if you think I’m so bothersome and inconsequential!”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t!”

There was a long silence. Dionysus then stormed out the room, his countenance dark with rage and hurt. Alcides and Anubis followed after him, leaving the goddess of wisdom alone. The banished god of wine was waiting for them both with a big smile on his face.

“See? Told you it would work.”

Alcides somehow clicked his tongue without possessing one. He hadn’t been completely on board with Dionysus’ plan to get Zeus to banish him so that he could go to the mortal realm without arising suspicion. Thankfully, Alcides’ noble heart, or what was left of it, couldn’t allow an innocent like Zagreus to be at the mercy of Hera’s ire, so he agreed to “accidentally” hint to Zeus that Dionysus had sent boons to Zagreus the night he spent with Demeter.

“Was all that arguing with Brother Apollo and Sister Athena really necessary?” Alcides asked.

“I can’t have them spying on me and finding out what I’m up to,” Dionysus said. “But now that they’re steamed, she couldn’t care less about what I’m doing.”

Alcides hummed unconvinced. Dionysus waved a hand.

“Don’t worry about it, Al, we’re all good! We’ll hug it out after I warn Zag that Her Majesty’s after him, then everything will go back to normal.”

“You are risking an awful lot based on what Strife Incarnate had told you about Her Highness’ intentions,” Alcides said. “What if it was a trick to sow discourse in our family? How can you possibly trust her?”

“I have to risk it, Al,” Dionysus said. “Zag’s just a kid, Her Majesty will tear him apart. Or worse, do to him what she did to us. Nyx’s wrath aside…I can’t let that happen to him, man, I just can’t.”

Alcides sighed. “I know. I know. But how will you find him? Will you go to the Underworld and wait until he reaches the surface? If Hades finds you loitering outside his realm, I doubt he’ll invite you in for Ambrosia. From my understanding, your very presence might instigate a war.”

“Ah, but remember what I told you about the cottage, man, the woman I keep seeing in my dreams!” Dionysus said excitedly. “The Fates have been telling me to go there, sending me dreams and prophecies to let me know there’s someone in between heaven and hell that Zag has been visiting, a secret hidden place where we can meet without anyone knowing! I’ve got to at least try.”

Alcides still seemed troubled. “You will not have your thyrsus.”

Dionysus winked. “Don’t you worry about that, I’ve got a few other tricks up my sleeve. And to really put you at ease, Anubis and Bastet are coming with me!”

“That does put me more at ease,” Alcides said. He looked down at Anubis. “Where is noble Bastet, anyhow?”

“Uhh, good question, Anubis, mind sniffing her out?”

Anubis shot off down the hall to lead the way. He did not need to find her scent for he already knew his mate’s location: Demeter’s house. Like her throne, it was now completely covered in frost and ice. Her fight with Hera had been really awful, Dionysus was told. It was actually a miracle she hadn’t covered Olympus in a terrible blizzard. Knocking on the door was definitely a bad idea, but how was he going to get Bastet back?

“Anubis!” Dionysus gasped when the black leopard trotted toward the front door and started scratching on it. He moved forward to grab the little bugger, but Alcides grabbed him and pulled him behind a nearby tree. The goddess of seasons had opened the door, a fog of cold slowly rolling out from the interior. Bastet emerged and rubbed up affectionately against Anubis, probably mostly to warm up. Demeter gazed down at them, her blue lips a thin line.

“I suppose it’s time for you to leave, then,” Demeter said softly to Bastet. “Well. Don’t let me stop you.”

Bastet left Anubis to rub against the legs of Demeter. The elder goddess’ expression softened and let out a sigh.

“Utterly pathetic, am I not?” she said. “I never imagined being called ‘Mother’ again, even accidentally by him, would be so painful…”

Oh. Oh, gods. Dionysus had been so focused on how Hera felt about that whole incident, he didn’t even think about what Demeter must be going through.

“Go back to your master,” Demeter said to Bastet, not unkindly. “He definitely makes a better parent than I.”

With that, she closed the door and retreated back into the cold darkness of her home. The leopards ran to where Dionysus and Alcides were. The god of wine swallowed the lump in his throat and hugged his fur babies.

“All right, gang’s all together!” Dionysus smiled. “We’ve got a secret mission to do, I’ll explain everything on the way, Bast. Let’s head back to the stables and get the chariot!”

“I see there is no stopping you,” Alcides said with resignation. “I actually admire your bravery to undergo this quest. However, I do hope you are not so stubborn to accept the little help I can give you.”

“Oh, Al, I couldn’t ask you to come with-”

“I am not offering to,” Alcides said quickly. “I do not think I could leave unnoticed now, besides. No, I wish to gift you a blessing of my own. A blessing of knowledge.”

He pulled out a scroll and handed it to Dionysus, who was very happy to see it was a map of Greece. Very detailed, very up-to-date, Dionysus guessed. He smiled when he realized what Alcides had marked.

“The entrance to the Underworld,” Dionysus said. “Thanks, man, this’ll be a great frame of reference, I owe you big time, just name it.”

“I only ask you promise me this,” Alcides said seriously. “Do not be a hero and be on your guard, always. If anything should happen, and I played a part in it…”

Dionysus smiled. “I’ll be fine, Al. Hardest part will be over in a few days, a week tops. Yeah, I’ll be grounded for a bit, but a year’s nothing at all, and as for being kicked off the council, well, I’ll win everyone back, and we can put this whole mess behind us and get back to how everything was before, just you see!”

The shade of the greatest hero who ever lived gave a curt nod. Dionysus opened his arms up and Alcides rushed to hug him. One of the few times Dionysus ever felt like a big brother, honestly, with how strong and mature Alcides was. It made him second-guess himself for a moment, if he was doing the right thing. If someone like Alcides was this worried…no, Dionysus had to do this. For Zagreus, his mate!

Hang in there, Zag! Dionysus thought as he snapped the reigns of his chariot to urge his leopards forward. I’m on my way!

Notes:

So to explain "The Beroe Situation", according to myth, Dionysus and Poseidon fought over a woman named Beroe, like literally went to war, and Zeus had to come in and order Dionysus to let Poseidon have her as his wife, which is just. Wild. And Poseidon getting jealous over Dionysus hanging with Demeter was just too funny not to write given this myth exists. To quote Zagreus, "This family, I swear..."

Awhile back, I wrote the Hera and Demeter scene in chapter 3 when they were all at court, but I changed it and ended up finding a place for it in this chapter, which I think fits much better.

Next chapter gets weird y'all.

Chapter 8: Oasis

Summary:

Sentenced to a year in the mortal realm, Dionysus searches ceaselessly for the cottage by the sea in hopes he can meet with Zagreus face-to-face and warn him of Queen Hera's wrath.

Notes:

Hey, here's a longer chapter to tide you all over during the holiday season! This is also the turning point of the entire fic, so I was a little nervous posting this, ngl lol. Hope you enjoy!

Bit of a warning, there's a scene of violence near the end of the chapter, it's not described too graphically, but the action itself and the circumstances around it might be a bit intense.

Guided by Alcides’ map, Dionysus searched the coastline of Greece on his chariot pulled by his trusty leopards for weeks. The cottage was far from the Underworld, Dionysus knew that much, but Zagreus never had to cross any seas or anything in his dreams. Besides, everything else was ice and snow. Dionysus thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to find the one place untouched by Demeter’s winter.

“Okay, so it wasn’t just around the corner!” Dionysus huffed as his leopards glared at him one night after a full day of searching. “But we’re close, I can feel it! We’ll camp soon, promise, just give it another hour-”

Anubis growled. He was cold, tired, starving, even though it was an hour before he usually ate, the sun was gone, he was done. Bastet seemed to be in agreement. No other god in the world had to deal with such rebellious chariot-drawers…

“Man, even with a fire, it’s so damn cold,” Dionysus muttered as he threw the first bite of his paltry dinner to the fire in honor of Hestia. “I’m going to freeze to death before I even find Zag. Tsch, maybe it’s already too late. Gods, I didn’t even think of that, how am I supposed to know if I failed? And even if I do warn him, then what? Is he just supposed to stay in the Underworld with his awful dad until Hera stops being angry? Do I be his Hermes and be on the run for decades, changing his name every town we go? I can’t make him do that, can I?”

Bastet didn’t respond since she was already fast asleep, curled up inside the chariot. Anubis sat next to Dionysus and looked up at the night sky. Dionysus thought of Nyx and sighed.

“If I could just make a new thyrsus, I’d be able to send Nyx a message, and she could figure something out,” he said. “I guess I could pray, but we all know how often those are answered. Anubis, want to help Daddy make a new staff that contains the almighty cosmic power of the god of wine and such?”

Anubis looked at him for a moment. He then continued stargazing, the air about him forlorn. He got that way sometimes at night, being the melancholy sort. Dionysus blew hot breath onto his frozen fingers as he walked around the area searching for a long stick and a pinecone. Not for the first time, he remembered dreaming himself as Zagreus, calling out to the lady in green.

“Hey, Anubis, ever notice how Zag and Eris don’t really look alike? At least compared to her other siblings? Come to think of it, isn’t it weird that Nyx had a kid with someone else at all, she usually prefers to do that by herself, right? Not that it’s any of my business or changes the fact that Nyx is Zag’s mom in some capacity, just makes me wonder what’s going on there, you know? I wonder what she’s really like, Eris isn’t too fond of her, but I kind of get the vibe she wanted to keep Her Majesty from hurting Nyx just as much as the other way around.”

Anubis stood up and got into the chariot with Bastet. The chariot made some worrying creaking noises as he put his full weight in and settled in. It had really been through the wringer these last few weeks, Dionysus was getting worried it wouldn’t last much longer. Another problem that would be solved if he had his thyrsus, he could mend it in a flash!

“Hey, Anubis, remember the dream I had about Zag telling the lady that something was taken from him?” Dionysus asked. “And his dad wouldn’t tell him where it was and that maybe the Olympians had it? I wonder if it’s like my thyrsus, a divine item that symbolizes Zag’s godhood or something. What’s he god of again? I bet Athena knows, she knows everything, maybe even knows where Zag’s thing is. Hold on, do you think it’s possible that to get Dad and Hades to settle their differences, she took Zag’s thing so he would have a reason to come to Olympus, forcing contact between the two domains, by the gods, this was part of her plan all along!!”

Silence. Very incredulous silence. Dionysus rubbed at his chest. It had been hurting nearly every night since he left Olympus and braved the wilderness of this frozen woodland. He didn’t have any of his medicine to help him sleep through it, so he was absolutely exhausted and a little loopy from lack of sleep.

“It’s not like I don’t trust Athena or anything,” he said. He picked up a stick and threw it over his shoulder, doing the same to the each stick he found as he talked. “But she gets these ideas and makes all these plans and forgets we’re not just pieces on a game board, we got feelings and boundaries! And if you don’t follow her oh-so clever plan the way she wants you to, she makes you feel so stupid and small, so you end up doing what she wants even if you don’t want to, know what I mean?”

A low, annoyed growl came from the chariot. Pouting, Dionysus let the leopards sleep while he looked for materials to make a thyrsus. After seeing there was no good sticks or pinecones around, he left his leopards and the meager warmth the fire provided and braved the winter night to search for the right stick and pinecone. Problem was all the wood was wet and rotted from the snow, so he had to go a little far. Farther than he should have.

“I should have used a yarn ball,” Dionysus muttered as he tried to follow his own footsteps back to his camp. “No one tell Ariadne…whoa!”

He skidded to a halt as he realized he was about to walk right off a cliff. How embarrassing that would have been! He backed up and decided to wait until the sun was up a little more, shouldn’t be too long now, the sky was already getting pink.

Between the line where the sea meets the sky, the chariot of Lord Helios rose, casting a blinding orange glow upon the vast sea below the frozen overlook which ex-lord Dionysus stood, more breathtaking than when he saw it as a dream.

“Hey, come on, old man, no need for the ‘ex-lord’ comment. Wait, this is…!” Dionysus broke out into a huge smile. “This is the cliff where Zag was, where he saw the sun and the ocean! Look there’s the edge of the lake right there and the same patches of grass! And I can see more if I just go this way!”

Having somehow stumbled upon the path to the garden of the mysterious woman of his dreams, the bumbling, thyrsus-lacking Dionysus braved forth into the cold in the opposite direction of the entrance to the Underworld.

Hang on. Was the old man hinting that Dionysus could go to the Underworld, talk things out with Hades over some drinks, figure out what his deal was with hating everybody? Not a bad thought, it worked with Hephaestus way back when, why not Hades?

But the promise of warmth and spring was too alluring. He felt almost possessed by the visions of that beautiful greenery. He wanted to see it in real life, feel the warmth of the sun that was denied to him in this frozen waste he had been traveling.

He walked and walked and walked. Time felt weird after a bit, the sun got to a certain point, but it didn’t move, at least that’s what it felt like, and he stopped feeling his feet and legs. His breathing was shallow and labored as his heart thrummed too quickly. He started to wonder if he was dreaming and about to die.

“Fates,” he said to himself as his legs threatened to give out. “Ladies, if it’s really not meant to be, tell me now…”

He tripped on an overgrown root and fell face-first into the grass. He was both discouraged and impressed.

Wait. Grass?

He laid there for a bit to catch his breath, curling his fingers into the wet, unfrozen grass. He pushed himself up a bit and smiled at the stretch of green spread out before him. The grass led to a mossy archway leading into a garden with a cozy, old cottage. Dionysus honestly could have cried. He found it…

The travel-wearied god of wine got to his feet once his heart somewhat settled and spent a moment to fix his hair. He then entered the garden slowly, seeing no one. It was exactly how it had been in his dreams, green, sunny, warm. His stomach rumbled at the sight of all the ripe fruit and vegetables.

“Who goes there?”

Dionysus straightened up at the call, dropping an apple back into the basket he plucked it from. A wheat-haired, middle-aged appearing woman was standing several yards away, a basket of leafy greens and fruit hanging from her arm. Her bangs stuck up while the rest of her hair was braided and wrapped by a green ribbon. It was the woman from his dreams, just as beautiful and stately as he remembered, and she not in the mood to deal with the haggard stranger staring at her.

“Who are you?” she asked, her face stern. “You are trespassing on private property.”

“Uh, yeah, hi!” Dionysus smiled and waved like he was supposed to be there and that he wasn’t horribly filthy and a mess. “Sorry to come barging in like this unannounced, I don’t mean to be an inconvenience, but I’m looking for someone, and I was wondering if you could help me out?”

Her green eyes narrowed. “There is no one here beside myself, and I have no visitors. So I suggest you go back the way you came before I make you.”

“Whoa, whoa, there’s no need for that!” Dionysus put his hands into the air, sensing her distrust and hostility. “I’m cool, I’m cool, I don’t want any trouble. Let me start over, my name is Dionysus, son of Zeus, god of wine and-”

The woman dropped her basket to the ground, her eyes widening with fear. With a gesture of her hands, enlarged roots sprang up from the ground and wrapped around his legs and wrists. His arms were then pinned to his sides almost painfully by the roots, and he was pulled down to his knees. He blinked up at the woman who incapacitated him with a single move. She seemed just as shocked as he was.

“…feasting,” he finished meekly. “Uh, sorry, did I offend you somehow?”

The woman ran back inside the cottage. Dionysus tried break free of the roots but they would not bend to his authority. Who the hell was this woman to be able to restrain him so easily?

Calm down, calm down, he thought to himself. I don’t have my thyrsus so of course I can’t break free of this witch’s spell. Not that she knows that, she bolted like a frightened rabbit when I told her who I was, so she knows what I’m capable of. Maybe I can use that to my advantage. I just got to play it cool and convince her I’m on her side when she comes back.

“Ma’am?” Dionysus called when the woman didn’t come back. “Um, hey, I’m not too crazy about being restrained like this, but if this makes you feel safer, then I totally get it, but it is going to be kind of hard to convince you to let me go if you won’t talk to me…ma’am?”

Nothing. Well, she can’t stay inside forever. He could wait. He had unlimited patience…

“So what’s your plan here?” Dionysus yelled in frustration a minute later. “Keep a son of Zeus prisoner forever? My family will find me! Sure, it took them a year to rescue Ares when some Giants kidnapped him, and yes, they will have no idea where I could have gone, but they will definitely not take kindly to you kidnapping me, I can tell you that! Actually, forget them, I don’t take kindly to it! You know the last group of people that tied me up without consent? All dolphins now. Well, actually, they’re probably dead, that happened awhile ago, I don’t think dolphins live too long. No, wait, maybe they do? Don’t they live hundreds of years? Or is that turtles?”

His questions went unanswered. Dionysus felt tears prickle his eyes as he failed to break free of the roots. This was so annoying. What was he supposed to do? Maybe if he kept making lots of noise, she’d come out?

“Sing of Zagreus, O muse!” Dionysus sang loudly. “Slayer of hydras…First of his name…Born of Zeus as a serpent…In spite of Queen Hera…Zagreus came…”

He closed his eyes as he forgot why he was singing and got lost in the song. He hadn’t sung it in so long, it was hard not to. Because of this, he didn’t notice the door of the cottage crack open just a bit.

“Torn to shreds by the Titans…Devoured in pieces…From his heart aflame…”

The door opened quickly. The woman had a horrified look on her face that the singing god did not see as he continued. She was fighting tears.

“The seed of Dionysus grew…The god of wine and feast anew…To live…At home on Olympus…Never presuming…His origins true…”

“That song,” the woman said. “Where did you hear that song?”

Dionysus opened his eyes. “Oh, brilliant, you’re back! Uh, I actually don’t remember where I heard it, but Zagreus, the guy in the song, we’re best mates, cousins even, and we got Orpheus, or his ghost, rather, to write it as a little jest, you heard of him before?”

“I have, indeed,” she said, her expression grim. “Would you like to come in?”

The simple god perked up instantly. “Yeah! Does this mean we’re all cool, you’ll let me go?”

The woman put a hand on her hip. “Are you going to turn me into a dolphin if I do?”

Dionysus blushed. “Haha, yeah, sorry about all that before, I wasn’t being serious. I’ll be cool, promise, swear on my laurels! Oh, wait, I’m not wearing them right now, hang on, let me think of something else to swear on-”

The roots released Dionysus and retreated back into the soil. He winced as he fell to the side to remove the pressure on his knees. He needed to get his sandals off, his feet were so messed up from his trek through the snow.

“You have red blood,” the woman said mostly to herself as she gazed at his wounded feet.

“My mom was mortal,” Dionysus said, hating that he sounded apologetic. “But I’m no mere demigod, make no mistake! Not all gods have gold ichor, you know.”

The woman smiled a little. “Oh, I am well aware of that. Now, what do you say we get those wounds cleaned? Perhaps the rest of you as well.”

“Yeah, that’d be great, just…let me get feeling back in my legs first…”

 

 

Her name was Persephone. Yeah, “bringer of destruction” suited her. The interior of her cottage was sparse, yet cozy. With Dionysus’ feet bandaged and his hair still wet from his bath, she served him some cooked bass along with an assortment of fruits and veggies. He felt the exhaustion leave his body and his wounds close almost instantly as he partook in the feast. He was tempted to ask for wine, but he held off as to not seem rude. Instead, he told her all about the ballad Orpheus wrote. She was very interested in its conception, and Dionysus was more than happy to share. Nice little icebreaker.

“…While I did think it would be a laugh, my main motivation was to spread Zag’s name around, see, he’s a god like me, but no one’s heard of him because my uncle, not Poseidon, the other one, he kept my man Zag a secret from everybody and trapped him in his house in the Underworld, so my family and I have been giving him a hand escaping that nasty place, but why am I telling you this, you know Zag’s whole deal already, yeah?”

Dionysus did not notice Persephone become tense. He was too busy eating. He hadn’t had a good meal since Olympus and even then no meal had been quite so rich and flavorful. Stupid winter.

“Speaking of, could you maybe tell me what your deal is?” Dionysus asked, mouth full. He swallowed. “I’m honestly very curious, I mean, this whole forever-spring cottage by the sea thing you got going on here, it’s incredible, gorgeous, and this produce? Delicious, couldn’t have grown it better myself! I didn’t think anyone could beat Lady Demeter’s winter, you must be a powerful druid or nymph or…”

Dionysus trailed off as he took this moment to really look at Persephone, her green eyes, her wheat-colored hair braided with a green silk ribbon…

“…goddess,” he finished.

“You flatter me,” Persephone said, very much guarded. “But I am only a simple gardener with a few charms up her sleeve, let us leave it at that, if that is all right?”

Dionysus smirked. “All right, all right, wouldn’t want to insult my host by prying. But at some point you got to tell me how you keep the snow away, my grapevines could use some springtime, they haven’t been doing too hot, pun slightly intended, haha. Ah, but I didn’t come all this way for gardening tips, as I said before, I’m looking for someone, Zag, actually. He comes here whenever he’s escaped to the surface, right?”

“Did your father send you?” Persephone asked suddenly.

“Huh? Nah, no one sent me, I’m on my own,” Dionysus said, ruefully realizing he had cleaned his plate already. “I’d be shocked if anyone knew this place existed to be honest, this was a nightmare to find.”

“The intent was for no one to find me,” Persephone said tersely. “How did you manage it?”

Dionysus shrugged. “Just wandered around, really.”

Persephone crossed her arms sternly. Dionysus made himself small and contrite to assuage her.

“I’m not lying.”

“But you are not telling the truth, are you?”

“N-No, ma’am,” Dionysus said, feeling like a scolded little boy. “I definitely left out a lot of details. Sorry. I don’t mean to be deceitful, it’s just I don’t think you’re going to believe it, it’s pretty wild. But judging by your expression, you want me to explain anyway, all right, I’ll talk, just don’t tie me up again if you don’t believe me.”

“We shall see. Go on.”

“Heh, all right…for months, I’ve been having these visions of Zagreus, of this place, of you in a springtime paradise just like this one! At first I thought they were only dreams, but I started seeing signs that the Three Fates had a hand in it.”

“Hmm, I suppose what you say is possible,” Persephone said with a thoughtful frown. “The Fates do send their prophecies through the dreams of others occasionally. Did you tell Lord Apollo of these visions?”

Dionysus was surprised she mentioned Apollo so casually. “No, I didn’t tell anyone. I thought they were just some weird dreams I was having, and when I started to catch on that they were more than that, I had a feeling that if I told the wrong people, I might get Zag in a lot of trouble. He’s supposed to be dashing along to our mountain, not conspiring with a ‘gardener’ in a place hidden from the gods. My family doesn’t take too kindly to deceit and lies, you know?”

“I do,” Persephone said grimly. “Am I to believe you are different from the others?”

“In this case, absolutely!” Dionysus smiled. “Zag’s a good mate, I’m sure he has a good reason! And even if he doesn’t, we’re family, we should all be getting along, so if I can help settle whatever is going on, then I’d be more than happy to lend a hand however I can!”

“Do you truly wish to help us?” Persephone asked after a pause.

Dionysus nodded earnestly. “Yeah, I do!”

“Then go home,” she said. “Forget you saw this place, forget you saw me, forget you saw your visions. Keep your silence, and do not give your family reason to suspect you or Zagreus. That is the best thing you can do.”

Dionysus gaped in disbelief. “Are you kidding me right now? After all the trouble I went through, you just want me to go on like nothing is wrong, like this doesn’t have anything to do with me? Despite the clairvoyance the Fates themselves gifted me in order to even have this conversation with you?! You clearly don’t know how the Fates work, they sent me here to help you and Zag, can’t you see that?”

“How can you possibly know that?” she asked. “How can you know the Fates don’t have some horrible tragedy planned with you as the catalyst?”

“Maybe they do, but it’ll work out, I know it,” Dionysus said with confidence. “The Fates love me!”

She looked very skeptical. Gah, why did she have to be so difficult?! Couldn’t she understand he was on Zagreus’ side, her side?

“Look, I didn’t want to mention this because I didn’t want you to freak out again, but I’ve got to be real with you,” Dionysus said. “I know from my visions that Zag is looking for something, and I’m thinking that’s the real reason he’s been escaping the Underworld and not because he wants to live with us on Olympus, which is a crying shame, but if I help him get it back, then he won’t have to keep escaping, right? It’s really important he stops because someone very scary and powerful is going to mess with him to get back at me, but Zag’s the stubborn, fearless type, and he’s not going to stop until he accomplishes his goal, so are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?” 

Her eyes flickered downward just a bit from his face, but he wasn’t sure what she snuck a glance at. Her mind seemed to be racing, and she looked ill by whatever her thoughts were racing towards. Dionysus gazed back at her, unable to contain the burning question that had been plaguing him the entire time.

“Hey, are you Zag’s mom?! Nyx said she was his mom, but you look exactly like him, you even got the hair and his eyes, one of them anyway-”

“No,” Persephone said evenly, her jaw clenched. “I am not his mother.”

“Really?” Dionysus frowned. “Because in my last vision, you were saying goodbye to him, and he was just gutted and really didn’t want to leave, reaching out for you and everything, but you wouldn’t reach back, and when he tried to call out to you, he called you…are you crying?”

Persephone shook her head, one word away from breaking down. Dionysus stood up and rushed to her side. He handed her his unused napkin to dry her eyes. She let out a very sad laugh and quickly wiped away the single tear that had managed to slide down her cheek.

“Of course you saw that conversation. You’ve been toying with me this whole time, haven’t you?”

“What, no, never!” Dionysus said, feeling awful and guilty. “I genuinely didn’t know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m not angry or anything, I’m just so confused, like, what is going on here? How did you end up with Hades of all people? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No!” Persephone shook her head immediately. “No, of course not, not in the way you’re thinking, certainly. We…we cared for each other very much. A long time ago.”

“Oh,” Dionysus said. “Man, now I have even more questions!!”

“The only thing you need to know is that Zagreus will not be escaping the Underworld any longer,” Persephone said, forcing herself out of her reverie. “When last he was here, I told him not to return. Each visit to me risked discovery of his deception and my location. Your very presence proves it. He’s endangering not only himself, but everything he holds dear. You might have genuinely come here with good intentions, but I sincerely doubt the other Olympians will be as open-minded and willing to listen.”

“Yeah, honestly don’t blame you for thinking that,” Dionysus said slowly. “All right, that checks out, and it accomplishes my goal until I can figure out something better. But here’s a thought I just had: your cottage is perfectly hidden, unless you’re shown the way. Why can’t Zag just stay with—ack!”

Dionysus clutched as his heart as sharp, horrible pain shot through it. He nearly passed out from the force his heart rapidly pumped blood through his body. Persephone, alarmed, grabbed him to keep him from falling over.

“Dionysus? What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m fine,” Dionysus winced. He was already struggling to breathe. “This happens sometimes. I just…I just need to sit down…”

Persephone’s expression was unreadable as she helped him to her bed. He laid there panting for a bit, putting his fingers to his neck to track his heart rate. It wasn’t good. He looked out of the little window of the cottage and saw night had descended without him realizing. He was confused because he didn’t think he had been there very long, but remembered that just because it was spring weather for them, didn’t mean it was for Helios, who despised the cold and made his trips across the sky as quickly as possible during winter.

“I…I think the worst is over,” Dionysus said, panting. He had trouble looking at her, he was too embarrassed. “Sorry if I scared you…my heart’s pretty weak…”

“Your heart is weak?” she asked. Was that pity or dread in her eyes?

“Yeah. You see, my dad’s wife infamously doesn’t take too kindly to his affair partners, and my mom was no exception. Her Majesty is the goddess of childbirth, so when my mom was six months pregnant with me, said goddess made the birth happen before either of us were ready. My mom gave birth, she didn’t make it, and I was about to go too when Dad came and sewed me into his thigh as a makeshift womb. I know, gross, but effective! I lived, but my heart never really recovered from the trauma. At least, that’s what Apollo thinks whenever he’s drunk enough to discuss that theory out loud.”

“I’m so sorry, Dionysus,” Persephone said.

“No, it’s all right,” he said with a weak smile. “Only thing that bothers me about it is that I don’t know anything about Mom other than her name, Dad doesn’t like talking about her. He once said I was just like her, but he was pretty mad at me at the time, so I don’t think that was a compliment, haha.”

“How do you stand it?”

Dionysus whipped his head to her, shocked. “What?”

“How do you stand living on Olympus?” Persephone asked, looking lost. “Hera hurt you when you weren’t even born, killed your mother! How are you able to move passed that?”

“I…sorry, you just reminded me of someone for a second.” Dionysus shook his head. “Uh, wine? And Ambrosia and Nectar. Lots of it. Makes me strong and happy because I forget all of that stuff. I’ve also got a ton of friends and family up there. Yeah, they’re difficult at times, but I love ‘em, and they love me! Loved me so much they gave me, a half-mortal bastard of Zeus, a home with them. Plus, Olympus is a paradise, literally heaven, gardens, beautiful architecture, lovely people, art…”

“Right,” Persephone said, sounding hollow. “Sounds wonderful.”

Dionysus pouted. “You’re so gloomy for someone that seems like they’re all sunshine and flowers. Is that why Hades fancied you? Come on, there must be something you miss about Olympus!”

“I am perfectly happy here with my garden,” she said firmly.

“What about the Underworld, then, any redeeming qualities?” he asked. “Other than Zag, of course.”

She regarded him curiously. “Trying to uncover my weaknesses?”

“Trying to make conversation,” Dionysus rubbed at his chest. “And trying to know my long-lost aunt.”

“…I suppose I miss Cerberus.”

Dionysus stared. “Really? Cerberus? The murderous hell beast?”

She smiled, the biggest he had seen from her. “He’s such a good boy!”

“You are a scary lady, Persephone.”

“That is certainly saying something coming from you,” she said. “Oh, but you’re in pain again! Let me see if I cannot give you something to help, I’m sure I have an herb or two around here…”

Dionysus stared at Persephone as she looked through her cupboards. He had thought he had put on a brave face, but she saw right through him. And she was trying to help him, even though she had reason to believe he was her enemy. She was so kind. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder if Zagreus had been coming to visit Persephone, his mom, what was the reason he kept returning to the Underworld? Or who.

“Hey, Persephone? Zag’s real lucky to have a mom like you, and you’re real lucky to have a son like him, so even though you don’t like Olympus or the Underworld, if you’re ever given a chance to be with him, you take it, okay?”

“…You should rest, Dionysus. We’ll talk more in the morning, all right?”

Dionysus stared at the ceiling, disappointed. He had an awful feeling that wasn’t going to happen.

 

 

Zagreus sprinted through the forest to where Persephone’s cottage was. Dionysus watched as he dreamed, worried as it became clear that the Prince of the Underworld was struggling to keep his usual running pace. Was he injured?

Dionysus woke up just Zagreus approached the cottage, sunlight streaming through the window, his heart pounding furiously, his whole body numb except for the awful pain in his chest. Same old, same old.

“Persephone…?” Dionysus weakly croaked. “You there?”

No answer. He sat up with effort and looked around the empty cottage. It was then he heard the muffled voices of Persephone and what sounded like a young man. The young man was speaking quickly, urgently as if he didn’t have a lot of time. Dionysus thought it was Hermes at first, but as he got to his feet and staggered closer to the closed door of the cottage, the voice became clearer.

“Zag…!” The god of wine was barely audible as he fell to his knees. He was dying like the last times his heart gave out, but the decline in his health seemed a lot faster than normal. Very, very unfortunate as Zagreus was right outside the damn door and Dionysus couldn’t even lift his arms up. No, no, he was so close!

Zagreus and Persephone were arguing, raising their voices slightly, but Dionysus couldn’t hear through the door exactly what they were saying. Did Persephone tell her son Dionysus was there? That “someone” was after Zagreus? Damn it, he needed to talk to Zagreus himself, he needed to fully understand what Hera was capable of!

“…this blasted family…it cannot keep hiding from its problems!” Dionysus somehow clearly heard Zagreus say this, sounding as if in pain. “Running from them! We’re stuck with one another, we…we have to do everything we can…for one another!”

Yeah, exactly! Zagreus got it! So Dionysus wasn’t going to give up! He found Persephone once, he’ll do it again! He’d protect her and Zagreus, no matter what! He’d make sure they were both accepted and cared for by the others, despite whatever it was they were hiding. They weren’t malicious, they were scared, Dionysus would make sure everyone saw that!

Lord Dionysus was greatly heartened by his renewed resolution; nevertheless, it was not enough to prevent his heart from failing, yet again.

“I’ll…be…back…”

“Dionysus?” Persephone entered her cottage long after he and her son had gone. “I have to tell you something…”

 

 

Zeus had ordered Eris to wait by Dionysus’ greenhouse for the time when the cold or his heart would bring him back and escort him swiftly off Olympus. Hera apparently had reiterated that order to Strife Incarnate, so she was actually doing it. It was unfortunate and uncomfortable for them both, but orders were orders.

“What happened to your leopards?” she asked as Ampelos released Dionysus.

“We got separated before I died, but don’t worry about them, they can handle themselves. They’ll find me again sooner or later.”

“Hm.”

Dionysus stood up and brushed the cold dirt off him. “So…how is everything?”

Eris flew in front of him and put her face close to his. He thought for a moment they would kiss, but instead she shoved a long staff with a pinecone adorned at the top into his hands. It was his thyrsus.

“Put it away, quickly!” Eris hissed.

“How did you get this?!” Dionysus hissed back, but stowed his thyrsus in his inventory. “Did you bust into Dad’s vault?!”

“As if you have never seen me pick a lock before!” Eris huffed. “Only bring it out if you think Ampelos cannot bring you back to Olympus.”

“What?! Eris, you’re really scaring me now-”

“Just do it!”

“…I’m very attracted to you right now,” Dionysus said. “Just so you know.”

Eris didn’t dignify that with a response. She merely grabbed his arm and shifted him to the clearing where he had left his chariot and leopards. It was very disorienting and Dionysus’ head spun.

“Wait, how did you know where I-?”

She shifted away before he could finish his sentence. Typical. One of the many reasons they broke up.

“Bastet, Anubis, I’m back!” Dionysus called out. “You there?”

There was no sound or leopards in sight, but their prints were freshly made in the snow. They must’ve have just missed each other. He was tempted to use his thyrsus to summon them, but he didn’t want to immediately betray Eris after the kind thing she did for him. They were just going to have to hunt him down while he hunted that frozen overlook down to get back to Persephone. Gods, she must be freaking out at his sudden disappearance. But he should reach her again by nightfall, if he found the overlook as quickly as he did before.

 

 

He did not find the overlook as quickly as he did before. He wandered around all day and night, never finding it. What a cruel twist of fate to stumble upon it once only to never find it again. Sounded about right for those three old ladies. What made it worse was that his heart was just as bad as it had been the previous night. He was sure to die mid-morning like all the other times. Yet he kept looking.

“Come on,” Dionysus groaned to himself as he forced himself forward through the snow. “Come on!”

He had no strength left, his heart on fire. His legs gave out and he fell onto a small patch of frozen grass, breathing hard and shallow. He lifted his head and saw a cliff a few yards ahead that overlooked the sea. He barely paid attention to that because there was someone standing at the edge.

“Zag…?”

The god of wine fell back down, face first. He must have dozed for a few seconds because he came to a bit on his back with someone kneeling beside him. Dionysus felt a hand on top of his chest where his heart was. He weakly tried to push it away.

“N-No, st-stop—ahhh!”

Nails dug into his flesh. Dionysus grabbed the wrist of the hand, but whoever was mutilating him was stronger than him at that moment and quite determined to bury their fingers into his chest. The fingers were spread out in a circle, the perfect size and shape to wrap around his heart, and he was convinced that was precisely his attacker’s intention. Dionysus screamed and swung his fist, colliding with a soft cheek. His attacker was unfazed, however, and used their other hand to apply pressure to Dionysus’ neck. They continued pressing their fingers into his chest.

Dionysus summoned his thyrsus, and everything went dark.

 

 

Much later…

The Prince emerged from the Pool of Styx as he always had many times before. He moved instinctually, the waters of the blood-colored Styx feeling as natural as water rolling off a duck’s back.

Wait…what’s a duck?

The Prince stood at the edge of the Pool, transfixed by memories of little winged creatures with webbed feet meant for paddling on the top of water surfaces and waddling cutely about on dry land. His breath hitched and he found it incredibly hard to breathe as panic settled in. He shouldn’t know all that, he shouldn’t know what a duck was or that they loved bread and some people got very angry whenever he would feed it to them. It wasn’t good for them, apparently.

Stop thinking about the fat, swimming bats!

The Prince shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. He froze and broke out into a cold sweat. Someone had cut his hair. His luscious locks! His holy curls! He’d kill whoever did this, like his maenads killed Pentheus!!!

Who the hell is Pentheus? Why am I so angry? I’ve always had short hair…

The Prince was shaking now as contradicting information made his mind into a battlefield. He hated his hair short. He liked his hair short. Hated. Liked. Hated. Liked-

Fire!

The Prince jumped when he glanced down. But he realized it was his own two feet he had been startled by. He took some deep breaths and tried to calm down. How silly to be startled by a little fire, fire never bothered him much. Except the magma in Asphodel.

Asphodel? But…I’ve never…

“Sing of Zagreus, O Muse…Slayer of hydras…First of his name…”

“Orpheus…?”

The dulcet tones of the melancholic musician Orpheus filled the Prince’s ears and only his as he slowly walked down the Great Hall of the House of Hades.

“Torn to shreds by the Titans…Devoured in pieces…From his heart aflame…”

You see, when weak-hearted Lord Dionysus requested to pull a prank on soft-hearted Orpheus, the no-hearted Zagreus spun a tale that connected him to the god of wine, explaining his missing organ with a somewhat more satisfactory reason than merely being born without it, a lie he had been told his whole life.

The Prince put a hand over where his heart should be. Would be. Was. He felt it thrum steadily, strongly, quickly, painlessly, as a healthy heart should, not like Dionysus’ heart, so this couldn’t be…it just wasn’t possible that…

“The seed of Dionysus grew…the god of wine and feast anew…To live…At home of Olympus…never presuming…his origins true…”

“I’m up, I’m up!” A skinny, floating lad in red with fluffy white hair gasped as the Prince passed. He ignored him and entered the Great Hall proper, the hymn ringing almost painfully in his head.

“Wrath of thunder and lightning…Struck down the Titans…Burned into sand…”

The Prince stood in front of a large desk covered with candles and large stacks of parchment. Scribbling furiously behind the desk was a stern-faced, dark-haired deity with magnificent facial hair shaped like a head of a twisted bident. The small Prince had to crane his neck up quite a bit; the god of the dead was the same monumental size as Zeus or Poseidon. The god-sized lord of the Underworld didn’t notice the small loiterer and continued working.

“Up from out of the ashes…Born of the Titans…the mortals did stand…To live the model of the gods…At once divine and further flawed…”

The Prince turned his head to the left toward the West Hall, expecting to see a golden-haired shade that had been divine and further flawed in life. Instead he saw a mirror, and in that mirror was a pale, flame-footed young man with black spiky hair, wearing fiery red laurels, a red and grey chiton, red wrist straps, a three-skulled pauldron and leg bracers. Same thing as ever.

So why did it feel so wrong?

“In twain…The blood of immortals…Of Zagreus ending…It flows in their veins…”

The Prince quickly looked away from his far-off reflection, heart pounding. He then found himself staring into eyes the color of blood and darkness. Hades had finally noticed him and was giving his customary glare of welcome. Why did the Prince feel like he was about to be struck by lightning?

“The Prince…Under the mortal ring…Prisoner to his king…Never to leave…”

The frown of the god of the dead deepened as his progeny remained silent. Did he know? the Prince wondered. Could he hear the heart of Dionysus beating in the chest of Zagreus? No, Lord Hades had no idea, not yet, at least. It was only a matter of time.

“Steadfast…Endlessly toiling…”

I have to get out of here.

“Doomed to remain…”

I have to escape!

“Endlessly toiling…Doomed to remain…”

Notes:

This chapter is hilarious to me when I think about it from Persephone's POV, where she sees Dionysus as a serious threat, like a mob boss going "nice cottage and garden you have here, be a shame if something happened to it" only to realizes that he's just an idiot that doesn't fully grasp that introducing yourself as a god and a son of Zeus might make people scared of you.

Also we're in the Underworld finally! Yay! I'm sure everything will be fine for both Zagreus and Dionysus and nothing bad will happen to either of them!

Next chapter summary: The Prince has a bad time

Chapter 9: Way Down

Summary:

“The Prince” finds himself in the depths of hell with a working heart and a broken mind. The faces around him are familiar, yet everyone is a stranger, including himself. He barely has anytime to get his bearings before a new threat presents itself…

Notes:

Hey, happy new year! Hope everyone is safe and sound wherever you are, especially those in Southern California with all the horrible wildfires going on. Stay safe and take care of each other.

But in honor of the new year and to celebrate 100 kudos on this fic (thank you all so much), here's one of my favorite chapters, which is named after a song from Hadestown, one of my favorite musicals. Enjoy!

“Huh? This can’t be right!” the fluffy-haired kid frowned at his list. “Hey, sorry to interrupt you glaring at your dad, but can you come over here?”

The Prince took a little too long to realize the kid was talking to him. He quickly turned away from Hades, feeling the piercing glare on him as he spoke with a person he was definitely supposed to know, but couldn’t quite recall.

“Sorry to bug you, but I was looking at my list here, and I think there must be a mistake?” the floating youth said in an upbeat tone despite his apparent worry and confusion. “I don’t think that’s ever happened before, usually these things are super accurate and specific, like that time you were skewered in the eye by an Exalted Long Spear.”

The Prince grimaced as he recalled dying in such a way. The Chthonic god that seemed very familiar didn’t notice his discomfort and continued.

“Anyway, I was just wondering if you knew how you died and could tell me so I can make sure it’s correct? I know I’m usually the one to tell you that sort of thing, but I want to be sure everything is correct, especially after the whole REDACTED thing, which I am still looking into, don’t you worry!”

From his desk, Hades clicked his tongue in annoyance and started scribbling furiously again. The Prince relaxed a bit. Without the old codger watching his every move, maybe he could get out of here without drawing unwanted attention to himself.

“So you don’t remember what happened?” the kid said when the Prince stayed silent. “Hey, don’t feel bad, it happens! It must’ve been a strange death. I mean, it says here you died of a heart attack! You don’t even have a heart! Isn’t that weird?”

The scratching of quill upon parchment ceased. The Prince did not dare glance over at Hades. He had to do something, he had to explain this impossible cause of death, quick.

“Deer,” the Prince found himself saying.

“Huh?”

“A ‘hart’ without the ‘e’ is a deer,” the Prince said with a kind smile, hand out as he did a gesture that felt so natural to him. “I was walking through a forest, so a deer must have skewered me from behind with its antlers or something. I think whoever writes those lists of yours mistakenly put ‘heart attack’ rather than a ‘hart attack’.”

“Ohhhhhhh! Yeah, that has to be it!” The kid started giggling. “Haha, that’s so funny! To think, a little spelling mistake would change the cause of your death so much! Oh, man, I can’t wait to tell Thanatos! He’ll get a kick out of this!”

“He sure will, with that sense of humor of his. So if that’s all…?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s it! Hey, thanks for clearing this up,” the kid smiled gratefully. The Prince smiled back.

“Anytime, Hypnos.”

The Prince turned away, feeling sick. What the hell was that just now? Did he really say all of that? It didn’t sound like him, the words, the inflection, even the smile on his face, it wasn’t him. These clothes, the face he saw in the mirror, the heart in his chest, what had happened to him? He remembered lying on the ground…no, seeing someone lying on the ground…blood on his chest…blood on his hands…

Don’t think about that now, a voice said in his head that could have been his own. Breathe, keep moving, don’t even look at Hades, just go to the East Hall, stay cool, stay cool…

Before he could take a single step, a huge splash from behind made the Prince turn. He expected to see a person appear from the Pool of Styx. Imagine his surprise when dozens of long, thick tendrils of vine and ivy shot out from the Pool. They extended down the hall at an alarming, deadly speed right toward the Prince. He reflexively tried to summon his sword, but he remembered too late that weapons weren’t allowed in the House of Hades. The vines coiled around his legs and arms like many hungry serpents and pulled him to the ground. The Prince tried to fight them, tried to break free of their hold, but the possessed vines had a powerful, godly strength that he was no match for.

As the bound Prince was pulled rapidly toward the Pool of Styx where the vines had come from, the damned old man incessantly narrated, panic spread throughout his heart-filled chest and rose up his throat, and he let out a visceral scream right before the vines pulled him under the crimson water:

“GET NYX!”

“Okay!” The sleepy white-haired kid piped up and vanished in a bright flash of white wings. The last thing the Prince saw before being pulled under was Hades’ shocked face.

Blood-colored water rushed into his mouth and throat as he forgot to take a breath. He thrashed and pulled against the vines as he was pulled deeper into the Pool, which seemed a lot deeper than he remembered. He couldn’t breathe or move. He was going to die. He was going to die and then the vines would…!

Fear is for the weak.

Think. He couldn’t summon his weapon. He couldn’t use his Chthonic Companion while he couldn’t breathe either. What else did he have?

A keepsake. He always carried one with him, he had to still have it even after dying. Which one did he have again?

The Prince, fighting against instinct, stopped holding his breath. His lungs burned and he choked on the water. The Skull Earring that dangled from his right ear lobe activated now that he was closer to death, and the Prince was filled with newfound strength. He tore and broke the vines off him with his hands and swam to the surface of the Pool to get some much needed air. In the half second he had to think, he saw at the top of the stairs of the Pool was a dense wall of impenetrable, thorny branches and foliage that sounded like it was being struck at heavily. There were shouts and cries from beyond, one voice standing out to the Prince. A stuffed snake doll jumped into his hand, and he called the name of which that voice belonged to, summoning her passed the wall that separated them.

“Dusa!”

“I’m here, Prince! Aahh!”

The flying gorgon head cried out in fear as the vines swiped at her and tried to knock her down. She dodged out of the way just in time and with an angry hiss turned part of the vines into stone. The Prince rushed up the stairs and punched them quickly with his bare hands until the stone snapped right off. Ouch, really wished he had Malphon on!

“There’s too many!” Dusa cried as more vines wrapped themselves around the Prince’s legs and arms. “They just keep growing back! What do we do?”

He didn’t get a chance to answer as he lost his balance and fell onto the steps. Vines wrapped his legs together and tendrils started to bury themselves into his chest, over where his heart was.

“No, no, no, stop, stop, stop!” The Prince’s went up in pitch as fear and desperation consumed his mind. He grabbed the tendrils and tried to pull them out, but they were too strong. He managed to keep them from burrowing deeper, but he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for much longer.

“Prince!” Dusa tried to turn the vine into stone to at least stop it from piercing through his chest, but more vines shot from the pool to take the hit. “Oh, no!”

The Prince cried out in pain as he lost his grip and the vines went a few millimeters deeper. This was bad. This was so bad! How was he going to get out of this?

“Get away from him!”

A fierce, winged lady in blue had emerged from the Pool of Styx. Her voice cut through the air, much like her whip did as she drove back the vines assaulting the Prince. The vines attempted to whip the woman back or restrain her, but they were no match for her, a literal certified master of whip-based punishment. The sweet gorgon head got over her initial shock and flew in to help her friend. The Prince felt implicit trust toward these women and knew they could handle themselves for a moment, so he turned to the wall of vines. He didn’t have anything to cut through, but had at least two somethings to burn through!

“What the hell are you doing?!” the blue lady shouted when she looked over her shoulder at the Prince.

“Plants hate fire!” the Prince shouted defensively back as he braced his burning foot on the vines. “Or they should! Why isn’t it catching?”

“It’s soaked in water, you idiot! Just dash through it!”

Dash…? Oh! Right! He could dash!

The Prince shifted forward a blade’s length in front of him and through the obstruction blocking his way. The Great Hall was a scene Chaos themselves would be delighted to witness. Shades were running around, trying to flee from the vines. One blonde shade wielding a spear was leading a small group of fired up shades with hard hats and hammers in a charge to keep the vines at bay. Hades was nowhere to be seen. Where the hell did he go? Whatever, all these poor shades needed help! The Prince took a step forward to join the fray.

“Lad, behind you!” the blonde shade called out urgently.

Something wrapped around the Prince’s neck and squeezed. The warrior shade rushed toward him, struggling to move quickly through the rough terrain. The blue woman and Dusa were shouting urgently behind the Prince. They must’ve gotten tangled up as well. Instead of calling out to them, the Prince had another name on his mind:

“Ampelos! St-”

A loud, sickening snap cut through all the noise. Everyone in the Great Hall gaped in shock as their Prince’s neck was casually broken by the vicious vines. Yet miraculously, the Prince’s neck snapped back after not even a second, a testament to his stubborn defiance. He was still wrapped and trapped in the vine’s embrace and it seemed as if his neck would be broken once more. He didn’t think he could survive another neck break, though.

“A-Ampelos…!” the Prince choked out. “It’s me! It’s me! I used to—ack—rest my head on your lap as you played songs on your pipe, remember? Th-Then, haha, you’d play on my pipe. It’s me, Amp…!”

The vines shook, but the Prince could tell by the creak of the branches and rustles of the leaves it was of not of rage, but of horror. The vines around his neck started to loosen, and the Prince felt a wave of relief wash over him. He got through to him, thank the gods…

A large bident appeared from above and sliced cleanly through the vines, freeing the Prince completely. The Prince fell to the floor as Hades revealed himself, now wielding his signature weapon, Gigaros, and wearing a helm made of bone. With unparalleled skill and strength, the god of the dead swiped ferociously at the vines, clearing a path for his Overseer and his maid to escape the thick of it.

The vines that had been terrorizing the shades retreated to focus on the largest threat in the room, Hades. They lashed at him with more ferocity than before, trying to sneak a few vines toward the Prince at the same time, only to be cut down as well by Hades. It didn’t seem to matter, however; when one vine was cut, two more arose from the Pool of Styx to take its place. Like a certain hydra from Lerna, back when it was alive.

The Prince blinked, and he was suddenly in a swamp with a massive multi-headed serpent squeezing the life out of a burly, red-headed man valiantly attempting to keep the many jaws of the monster at bay with his oversized club, unfortunately causing more heads to spawn as he did so. They needed to cauterize the necks with fire to keep more heads from growing, he realized. He looked down at the long stick with a pinecone on top in his hand and uttered a simple cantrip to light the pinecone aflame, knowing the magic of his thyrsus would keep the fire burning and burning hot despite the wind and water. Then, he charged…

A very large hand grabbed the Prince’s upper arm and yanked him backwards and out of the memory that didn’t feel like his own. Scattered on the marble floor of the House of Hades were pieces of the vines that had been sliced off. Ampelos had fully retreated into the Pool of Styx, his sliced tips horribly singed and smoking. The Prince, out of breath, looked down and saw he was holding a long, thin staff of fennel topped with a pine cone, which was also smoking, but not scorched.

It was the god of wine’s thyrsus.

“What?! H-How did…?” The Prince’s vision swam and his legs started to give, but the large, grey hand gripping his arm was holding on tight and prevented him from collapsing.

“Return from whence you came,” said grim Hades, lord of the Underworld, to Ampelos. “If you dare darken my halls again, I will burn you until your roots on Olympus turn to ash!”

The mutilated vines tensed, but did not retreat. More tendrils and branches started to emerge from the Pool of Styx, and the Prince felt immense heat radiate off of Hades. He knew instantly Hades was about to unleash a concentrated ray of fire and brimstone onto Ampelos.

“Father, no!” the Prince cried. “Ampelos, go! By my authority, do as he says!”

The House of Hades shook under the divine order. The vines slowly retreated underneath the water as if reluctant. But as quickly as he came, Ampelos was gone, and the Pool became still, the devastation they wrought upon the floor and furniture of the Great Hall the only evidence he had appeared in the first place. The Prince let out a breath of relief, forgetting his own arm was still trapped in the grip of Hades. He remembered quickly as his arm was squeezed by the god of the dead, his fiery eyes beholding the staff of a god that did not belong anywhere near his domain.

“You…! Where did you get that?!” Hades demanded. “How did you tame that vine, and why did it follow you down the River Styx? Answer me, boy!”

“I-I don’t know!” the Prince cried. “I don’t know, all right? Father, let me go!”

“Master, please, he’s hurt!” the blonde shade cried out. He appeared to stiffen when Hades turned his head to him.

“And whose fault is that, pray tell?” he demanded. “Whose fault is it that my house and home has been subjected to the wrath of Olympus due to his recklessness and selfishness? Did I not warn you, boy? Did I not tell you repeatedly of the consequences should you continue your foolishness? Look around you! This House is in utter ruin, its residents and staff beaten and terrorized by blasted grapevines-”

“Where’s Cerberus?” the Prince asked. “He wasn’t still at the entrance, was he?”

The Prince was released, and he didn’t even try to keep standing. Hades barked some orders at people before rushing off to presumably check the status of the only entrance to the Underworld and the only one capable of guarding it. The Prince picked himself up, still holding the thyrsus. He stared at it, wondering if he truly was worried about Cerberus or if he had manipulated Hades into letting him go and leaving the House to check on the dog. The fact that he didn’t know for sure made him feel vile.

“Zagreus!”

He lifted his head at the shout, not really registering he was the one being called until he met the eyes of the blue woman with the whip. She did not look pleased with him, not one bit.

“What the hell?” she asked. “What the hell were those vines, and what the hell is that rod you’re holding? So help me Zagreus, if you led the Olympians here…!”

Who is this lady? Why is she yelling at me? She needs to relax…

Megaera! Meg! Is she all right? Must be if she’s scolding me.

What? No, I don’t know her. I’ve never seen her before in my life!

What am I thinking? Of course I know Meg!

“Highness?” a man’s voice called out to him. The golden-haired spearman that was just a hint see-through approached him. “Are you all right?”

The Prince let out a surprised cry and scrambled away from the shade’s touch. He swiped at the spearman and Megaera with his thyrsus and pointed the tip of it at them in a warning to stay the hell back. The spearman looked shocked and a little hurt.

“Wh-Who are you?” the Prince choked out, wanting to scream when even his voice was different. “All of you, stay away from me!”

“Prince Zagreus,” the shade said, looking very, very worried. “Lad, it’s me. Do you not recognize me?”

What am I doing? It’s Achilles!

I don’t know him!

Yes, I do! He’s my mentor, he taught me everything I know about combat, he’s supported me this whole time. How could I not know him?

I’ve never seen this guy before!

How could that be? He’s my friend!

My…friend? No…no!

“Prince?” The snake-haired girl that was just a head floated slowly into view, but stayed back. “I-It’s okay. We can help, just…put the stick down, okay?”

His limbs felt heavy as stone as Dusa’s eyes shone at him with such concern and kindness. He lowered his thyrsus, feeling a sense of friendship for these perfect strangers. He was shaking very badly as they stared at him.

“Wh-Why do I know you…?”

“Easy, lad, it’s all right,” Achilles said, putting out a hand, but not touching. “A lot just happened; only natural you’d be a little confused. Take a moment to calm yourself. Fear is for the weak, do you remember?”

“F-Fear is for the weak,” the Prince said. It felt natural and good to say it back. He clutched his thyrsus close to his bloody chest and breathed slowly and deeply. That felt good, too. In…out…in…

“Okay!” Hypnos popped into his view suddenly, making everyone jump and the Prince nearly scream. “I checked for Mom in the East Wing, and she wasn’t there, so I checked her favorite cave to see if she took a break or something, but she wasn’t there, either, so I checked her second favorite cave-”

“Get to the point!” Megaera snapped.

“Uh, I couldn’t find her, so I got the next best thing!” Hypnos said quickly with a big smile.

Gu-dong!

“Thanatos?” The name jumped out of the Prince’s mouth before he could even think about it, and he was absurdly happy for some reason.

“Hypnos!” The stunningly attractive, white-haired, cloaked Death Incarnate appeared in a green flash. “Don’t say, ‘Follow me, it’s an emergency’ without telling me where you’re-”

The indignant scolding of Thanatos died in his throat as he gazed at the carnage that had befallen the Great Hall. Debris cluttered the ground and stacks of parchment soaked up the water from the Pool of Styx flooding from the broken spout. Shades were sniveling and huddling together in the corners, the ones whose forms didn’t dissipate during the attack. Dread and anguish lit the normally stoic face of Thanatos as he beheld the red blood dripping from the Prince’s chest and the thyrsus in his bloody grasp.

“Zagreus…what happened?”

“Than, I-”

The Prince was interrupted by a gargantuan, three-headed, red dog lumbering in from the West Hall. The Prince rushed to Cerberus, determined to pet one of his many heads. There was no doubt in his mind, he loved the guard dog, his dog, the bestest boy in the world!

“Cerberus! You’re okay-”

Vicious growls erupted from all three heads of the hellhound as his master’s son approached. The Prince stopped and was frozen by the feral bloodlust in Cerberus’ big green eyes. The only reason Cerberus didn’t bite him in half was because Hades was able to grab his collar to keep him back.

“Heel, Cerberus!”

The dog obeyed, but he still bared his many sharp teeth at the Prince. Hades kept a firm grip on him just in case. The heart-having Prince did not realize he had his hand over his chest until the god of the dead did. They locked eyes and simultaneously came to the conclusion they had no idea who the other was. The Prince moved first, running and dashing as quickly as he could down the East Hall. He did not turn or slow down when he heard everyone shout after him.

“Zagreus!”

“Zag!”

“Prince!”

 “Lad!”

 “Boy!!!”

Oh, blood and darkness, that last one sounded mad! Thank the gods this body was nimble and quick! The Prince ducked into a cluttered room he identified as his own and went out the other side into the courtyard. He skid to a halt and blinked dumbly at the skeleton standing in the dead center.

“Heya, boyo. Nice stick.”

“Erm, hello, Skelly.” The Prince ran to the window on the right. “Bye, Skelly.”

“See ya, boyo—ack!”

The skeleton disintegrated when Gigaros struck him. The Prince did not turn and was baffled by the huge parchment blocking him from just jumping out the window. There were so many options, and there was a “Heat Gauge”? Ahh, whatever, it was fine, he needed to go!

…Did he just jump two stories? Did he just land two stories without a scratch? How powerful were these fire-feet?! And…that brilliant glowing orb just off the front steps…

“Lady Athena,” the Prince said to himself. He put his thyrsus into his inventory to touch the goddess of wisdom’s boon. His body was moving practically on its own, like he had done this hundreds of times already. Actually, perhaps he had.

The visage of Pallas Athena appeared before him and she spoke, sounding alarmed. While her voice sounded clear, her image was still as if she were nothing more than a portrait. Maybe her eyes were blinking? Was this what godly messages looked like when they were so far?

“Cousin! You are grievously wounded, yet you had only just stepped from your father’s house, correct? Has something happened to the goddess Nyx to prevent her from protecting you from him whilst under his roof? I sincerely hope not. In any case, you are under my protection now, at the very least.”

She disappeared, and he selected the first boon she offered without looking because he needed to go. He ran down the stone road toward the entrance of Tartarus. In front of the door was a massive shade with a large club, slowly lumbering over to kill him. The Prince skidded to a halt, wondering how he was going to take this bloke down, when a bright red sword appeared in his hand. Right, he wasn’t in the house anymore, he could use his weapon! He charged, hoping his memory issues did not include his martial training.

The Wretched Thug brought his club down upon the Prince at the same time as he swung his sword toward him. The club made contact with the sword and bounced right off and smacked right into his own face, thanks to the divine strike granted by Athena. With a single brutal swing, the Prince sliced through the wretched thug and took him out as if he were made from parchment. It scared him how he did not feel sorry for the person he killed.

He was already dead. And he’ll be back soon, angry, we have to keep moving.

The Prince followed his inner voice and entered the next chamber. It was small and cramped, the torches on the walls casting a green hue. The green turned to red as the floor shook underneath his feet and the voice of Hades boomed, a hint of desperation in the command he gave.

“Stop him, wretches!”

More than a dozen arcane summoning circles appeared on the ground. To the Prince’s horror, not only did more hulking thugs appear from the circles, but witches and floating pink crystals as well, all eager to unleash their ire on their dreaded lord and master’s son. The Prince dashed out of the way of the dark orbs of the witches and the beams of the crystals, placing himself in prime pummeling position. He took two hits, which was devastating in his current weakened state. One more hit…damn it!

“Augh…! Not yet!”

Once again, a blow that would have killed him proved insufficient. The Prince kept moving, kept fighting, kept dashing. He was in a grove now; no one could touch him, and no one could stop him from striking them down. He sliced through the witches and crystals with his sword with ease, jumping nimbly or dashing out of the way of their attacks. The frustration and hatred on the shades’ expressions toward their turned to desperation and fear as the seconds ticked down. Three…two…

“Bah, useless!”

“How’s that?” the Prince said as all the shades dissipated. He was smiling wide. He was hurt and exerted himself greatly, but his heart wasn’t seizing, his limbs weren’t heavy, hell, he could run around the whole damn world and be up for five more laps!

He breezed through the gloomy streets of Tartarus, dealing swift death to any who would dare try to stop him. He felt like he was one of the heroes he admired and aspired to be when he was a child, effortlessly defeating every villain and monster in his way with his blessed sword! He did keep stepping on spike traps and dying, which was very embarrassing, but he shrugged it off every time and kept going, so what did it matter? He was immortal, truly immortal!

Just don’t die more than once per chamber, mate.

Right, right, there was some sort of cool down to it, couldn’t die too quickly in a row. Still, way better than how he was before!

The Prince picked up the gemstones after he had cleared the chamber and took a second to process his cluttered thoughts. Before…before what? He had this power for awhile now, why did it seem so new? Why did it fill him with such reckless joy? Achilles would be so disappointed in him for being so sloppy and hasty. He needed to be more careful, he was dying in every single chamber. In Tartarus! He wouldn’t even make it to the Hydra at this rate—hello, what was that round hole on the floor oozing dark miasma?

“Enter.”

Well. Who was he to say no to the spooky voices coming from the spooky floor gate? He approached and offered his blood before he could think better of it. It hurt like hell, but he didn’t die. He found himself on a flat stone structure floating atop a sea made of stars, darkness and nothing. He was completely alone, save for the inky purple boon floating in the center of whatever this ancient, yet new looking bit of street was.

“Chaos…”

Perhaps because his own consciousness was in such a chaotic state that he felt right at home in this realm. He remembered what this place was and who resided there at least. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious what they had to say about this mess…

“In the name of Hades,” the Prince muttered as he accepted the boon. Primordial Chaos’ many voices rattled and echoed through his head in unison. Their image was still, like Athena’s, but the Prince had a feeling it was because he would not be able to behold their true form in the flesh without going mad. Which was strange, since they sort of looked like Thanatos. Their main face, anyway.

“Hail, Son of Hades,” Chaos said. “It appears you are now whole once more. I am pleased this outcome is the one that has come to pass, and I am able to witness the result of your metamorphosis. I sense my words bring you confusion, however. Respond.”

“Why does everyone think I’m Zag?” the Prince asked. “Erm, maybe the better question is, why do I think I’m Lord Dionysus? Ugh, what happened to me?”

“Indeed,” the Primordial Originator said, their tone impossible to read when possessing so many voices. “There is multitude of possible occurrences that could have led to your current state, all of which occurred beyond my senses, so I cannot tell you which had come to pass. I can only tell you the result as I perceive you now: you, who were once heartless, are no longer thus. Respond.”

“Yes, I have my heart back!” the Prince said excitedly. “It’s brilliant, Master Chaos! It’s steady, constant, strong! I have so much energy and strength now; it’s everything I’ve dreamed it would be. But how did I get it? What happened to me after I reached the overlook? And those vines—Ampelos—what was his deal? Why’d he attack me and everybody? Well, me, mostly. He’s never attacked anyone before, he’s sweet and gentle, all he does is take in sun, grow grapes, and bring me back to Olympus after I…I-I mean, after Dionysus…you know…”

Chaos made a noise that could have been a thoughtful hum. “I cannot answer, O Son of Hades, as I am unsure of the events leading up to the acquisition of your heart. I can only remind you that, in addition to seeking out your mother on the surface, you wished to reclaim what had been taken from you. Perhaps the vines of Dionysus had a similar goal when they followed you into the depths of the earth.”

The Prince’s stomach churned at the implications of Chaos’ words. Unwilling to indulge in further conversation, the gentlebeing vanished and presented their messed up boons. The Prince numbly chose the one with the least devastating negative effect and entered one of two exit gates at random, since the curse of Chaos enshrouded them. He was dropped off into an empty chamber with a Centaur Heart in the center and cages of shades by the door. He wanted to scream at the Fates’ twisted sense of humor, but he picked it up and felt its power surge right through his heart, boosting his vitality. Who was the Centaur that had so much strength and endurance to be able to bestow it to others in death? Was it okay to use this artifact in this way without any regard for who this creature was?

Did the Prince even care?

The green lightning of the next room cast a ghastly light on the whip-wielding Fury standing in the middle of the chamber. The Prince could have easily mistook her for the corpse of Megaera with how withered her face was. Her long green hair was more like an ethereal fog and two cat-like green irises glowed into two pools of darkness that were where eyes were meant to be. The Prince gripped the hilt of Stygius tightly.

“Mmmurderrerrrr…” Tisiphone, the Tormentor of Murder, moaned out to him. His new heart sank.

“No. It’s not true.”

“Mmmrrr, murder…murdererrrr…!”

“Stop…”

“Zzzzzaggreeussss…mmmurderer!”

“Stop it!”

“Murderer!”

“Shut up!”

The Prince ran toward her. She jumped up into the air and wound up her whip. He swiped his sword at her, relying far too much on Athena’s deflection to protection him. His timing was wrong and his vision swam from the hard blow the Fury dealt him. By the time he got his bearings, Tisiphone was lunging right at him. He dashed out of the way in the nick of time, but got hit by a little green projectile. It did nothing to stop him from running after her and wailing on her with his sword as hard as he could. He at least figured out he had to back off a fair bit whenever she lunged because she immediately would go wild with her whip. He would then rush in, get his hits in, then dash away. They fought all around the room like this for the next several minutes. Tisiphone then rose up into the air and the room went dark for a second or two. When the Prince could see again, he saw walls had been put up to enclose their arena in a smaller space. Unnerving, but no big deal.

But then she did it again. And again. The space was now smaller than his room! There was hardly any room to dash. So the Prince stood his ground and swiped back the projectiles back at Tisiphone. This worked until Tisiphone stopped shooting at him and summoned several green pillars of pain to shoot up from the floor. He tried to scramble out of the way, but he just wasn’t fast enough.

And thus, the whole-hearted Prince was reminded…

“Ahh, damn it…!”

…there is no escape.

Notes:

The Prince being attacked by Ampelos: Call Mom, it’s bad!

So we’re finally getting into the action of the story, very excited to finally have the Underworld characters introduced. Hypnos is my favorite, I love him so much. Cerberus is best boy, tho, and he’s so upset Zagreus is being possessed by an evil being that smells like gross old grapes. Poor doggy.

Chapter 10: Just A Cup of Wine

Summary:

Having been slain by Tisiphone, the salubrious, mad Prince returns to the House of Hades where he fulfills a minor prophecy...and attempts to get some wine.

The Prince strode out of the Pool as easily as the first time. Bits of burnt and chopped vines floated on the surface of the water and littered the floor of the hallway leading into Great Hall. No shades loitered in front of the Pool, either in fear of the violent vines returning or of the massive hellhound sitting vigilant there.

“Hey, boy…” The Prince approached cautiously. “Still don’t like me anymore?”

The massive dog did not fly into a feral rage, thank the gods, but he let out a low warning growl. The Prince stopped and gazed sadly at Cerberus with mismatched eyes.

“Cerberus, it’s me. I used to try to singe your tail with my feet, remember? Or that time when I was really little, you picked me up by your teeth like I was your puppy? Haha, Father and Nyx really freaked out, thinking you were about to eat me. It’s me…”

A head let out a mournful whine, convinced the Prince was speaking truth. Another growled, still skeptical. Ultimately, the dog did not attempt to chomp on the Prince when he got closer, but he did not let him pass, which was a problem. Without a Satyr Sack for bribery, how would the Prince convince the great beast of legend to stand aside?

“What about a game of fetch, boy?” The Prince summoned the thyrsus of Dionysus and waved it in the air to entice the beast. “See, I got a nice stick here-”

The multi-headed dog growled viciously and ripped the thyrsus from his hands with his teeth before the Prince could even throw it. The infernal hound attempted to destroy the thyrsus with the force of his mighty jaws, but the divine staff remained stubbornly intact. The Prince sidled by Cerberus and was unaccosted as he entered the Great Hall proper. The sleepy kid from before—Hypnos—was nowhere to be seen, and the throne of the god of the dead was mercifully empty. The Prince’s feet hissed as he stepped in puddles and damp vines that had yet to be cleaned, darting passed the shades in hard hats that definitely wanted money from him. No one was in the East Hall, at least not anyone that made the Prince panic, so he ran into his room. He would have continued into the courtyard if not for the huge wall scroll of the god of wine.

“Is that…me? No, no, I’m me. Right?”

The Prince stared at the wine-washed visage of Lord Dionysus for the longest time, too many thoughts to count running wild in a mind that had ceased to be entirely his own.

“You’re not exactly helping with that, old man,” the Prince grumbled. He managed to tear himself away from the smiling face only to be drawn in by a huge mirror up against the wall to his left. It was bigger than the one in the West Hall, much darker, too. So dark he could barely make out his reflection, even when he approached closer. He reached out to his shady reflection and touched the Mirror of Night. Whatever it was normally used for was lost to him for all he could see was a pair of purple eyes staring back at him, lifeless, and his pale hand over a tanned chest, blood flowing out of it and staining his fingers a sickeningly dark red.

“Murderer!”

The Prince gasped and turned around, certain the green Fury was right behind him. But there was no one. He put a pale hand over his chest and tried to regain control of his quickened, shallow breathing. It couldn’t be true. Zagreus wouldn’t…he had no reason to…

“In addition to seeking out your mother on the surface,” Chaos had said. “You wished to reclaim what had been taken from you.”

“That’s what you were looking for,” the Prince said out loud. “Your heart. You killed me to get your heart back! No…no, that’s not what happened, it couldn’t have! I would never do that! Wouldn’t you? You killed your girlfriend, thousands of your own subjects, your father for even the chance to get your heart back, why not a cousin you haven’t even met face to face? N-No, it’s not like that, I never wanted to hurt anybody, I just wanted to be with my mother! You can understand that, can’t you, mate? No, stop, stop it, man, get out of my head, this is just a bad dream, this isn’t happening, this isn’t real!!”

The Prince punched the Mirror of Night. It did not shatter or even crack, unlike the bones in his hand. He punched the Mirror again. Then again. Then again. He could have continued doing so forever had the reflection he had been punching not looked so afraid. The Prince lowered his wounded fist and sank to his knees, burying his face into his hands.

“Hermes,” the Prince moaned. “Hermes, help me…”

Come on, he wasn’t a kid anymore, get a grip. The jerk never came when he called anyway, not when it really mattered. He was on his own. What else was new?

“It’s okay,” the Prince said. “It’s okay, we can fix this, we can…we can just put your heart back in me! Er, put my heart back in you. No, put my heart back in me. Put…ugh, let’s find Nyx. She’ll help. She put me back together once, she can do it again.”

That’s right, Zagreus really was torn to shreds by the Titans. What else of that stupid song was true? No point in pondering that now. The Prince had no other choice than to trust the overwhelming faith he felt for Night Incarnate. He picked himself up and straightened himself out. He padded out into the East Wing and waited near Nyx’s favorite corner for her return.

…Until he got bored and started comforting the poor shades that were still scared from Ampelos’ rampage. He felt responsible. He was responsible. He was the prince of this place, wasn’t he? These were his people and it was his duty to take care of them, supposedly. Nyx wouldn’t want to come back to a house in disarray, besides.

“I swear this never happens, and it won’t happen again! You have our sincerest apologies, we’re working as hard as we can to—yes, yes, you’ll be sorted soon, Lord Hades will return shortly. Please, take a gemstone as compensation!”

This generosity turned out to be a mistake. Like sharks to blood, the House Contractor and their mates immediately swarmed the Prince, holding out their orders to have the Great Hall cleaned and the floor and furniture fixed. He almost managed to resist the puppy-dog eyes when he saw the order to free Orpheus. He immediately paid the fee. In diamonds.

“And I thought the economy on Olympus was rough. Ahem, in the name of Hades, I pardon Orpheus of all musical transgressions! Welcome back, mate!”

With that, a summoning circle appeared in the middle of the Great Hall. From it, the big-haired court musician materialized, wide-eyed and a tad disoriented, but otherwise unbothered.

“Oh! Um. Hello—oh. Oh, my. Whatever happened here?” Orpheus looked around in calm surprise as he beheld the disorderly state of the once pristine and well-kept hall of his lord and master. He turned to the Prince, and his mournful eyes widened with concern. “Zagreus? What is wrong, my friend?”

“I…” The Prince wiped the tear away that had sneakily fallen from his eye. “Haah. Nothing, it’s just…it’s so good to see you again.”

“It is good to see you as well,” Orpheus said. “But it hasn’t been very long since we last saw each other, has it?”

“It felt like an eternity, man,” the Prince murmured, drinking in the presence of the court musician. He was afraid if he looked away, Orpheus would disappear forever. Gods he looked exactly the same…

His reverie was interrupted by a small clearing of the throat from the House Contractor, which was impressive, considering shades had no tangible throats. Right, the orders to clean the Hall. Well, what else was he using his gemstones for?

“Gods, these prices,” the Prince murmured as he approved the work orders and doled out the gemstones. “I’ll pay you back Zag, promise. But here you are, Contractor, sorry for the mess. Your work is always appreciated. And here’s a little extra for dealing with those vines, you guys were brilliant.”

The Contractor and their mates’ eyes widened at the tip given, and they launched themselves into making the Great Hall good as new. Man, were they fast! The Prince watched them for a bit before looking back at Orpheus, who thankfully had not dissipated into thin air. This was the first person since acquiring his heart that both Zagreus and Dionysus knew personally. The Prince’s mind and heart were calm, memories and feelings that did not conflict settling quite nicely together. He felt like himself again, so much so he began to panic. He did have a heart, right? Why couldn’t he feel it in his chest?

“Are you certain you are all right, my friend?” Orpheus asked.

“Huh? Uh, yes, I’m perfectly fine,” the Prince said, quickly putting his hand down from his artery. “The question is are you all right? Father didn’t hurt you or anything, did he?”

“No, I am quite well. I was merely sentenced to solitary confinement as before; I am accustomed to being alone for…long periods of time. I got some much needed practice in at least!”

He held up his lyre a bit, looking positively miserable as he said this, but the Prince was fairly certain that was just his normal expression. In all his memories of Orpheus, he always had been the melancholy sort. But his hymn, the lyrics that held a terrible truth…did Orpheus know more than he was letting on? No, it couldn’t be, Orpheus wasn’t one to keep secrets! He was just going along with the nonsense story Zagreus fed him at the behest of Dionysus. The Hymn to Zagreus was a half-baked prank that happened to have enough truth to make Hades freak out and imprison Orpheus. The god of the dead must have known that Zagreus’ heart was in Dionysus all along, then.

Now the question was, who else knew? Nyx must know, but did any of the Olympians? Zeus, Athena, had they been keeping this secret from Dionysus? Had Apollo, his own physician? No way, he physically couldn’t lie. Hermes, on the other hand…and Orpheus was mates with him in life, blood and darkness, how many people were in on this?! An interrogation was in order.

But I’m terrible at interrogation. Not even Skelly will tell me who he really works for after I grilled him.

Don’t worry, man, I got this.

“In any case, I am truly sorry for what happened,” the Prince said to the court musician with a friendly smile. “Let me get you a drink to make it up to you.”

“Oh, that isn’t necessary-”

The Prince put an arm around Orpheus’ sort-of existing shoulder in an attempt to steer him toward the lounge. “Come on, man, don’t be such a stick in the mud, let’s go!”

“What? Oh. Um. All right. It’s not like I’m doing anything that isn’t that.”

“Love the enthusiasm, mate.”

 

 

“What is he doing?” Achilles asked, staring at the scene before him in bewilderment.

“He is trying to convince the Head Chef to serve him wine from Lord Hades’ reserves, Lord Achilles,” Orpheus said, holding his own cup of liquor. “They are standing firm, however.”

“I don’t even need a lot, really, just a splash to wet my tongue,” the Prince said to the unwavering Chef. “A drop even. I don’t even need a cup, I can just open the tap and put my mouth under it, pretty sure I remember how to do it, and you won’t have to worry about clean up!”

“Achilles, on me,” Megaera said. She strode forward to the Prince, hand on her whip. “Zagreus, come with me.”

“I’ll be with you in a second, girl, I’m about to seal the deal,” the Prince said over his shoulder. He leaned over the bar a bit toward the Chef. “I have a lot of gemstones in my inventory-”

Megaera grabbed the Prince by the arm and yanked him back. She then grabbed him by the chiton and lifted him up into the tips of his toes so their faces were inches away from each other. She spoke softly so that only he could hear.

“Call me ‘girl’ again, little man, and I’ll snap your neck like those vines did. Got it?”

The Prince did, in fact, get it. The First of the Furies dragged him out of the lounge, Achilles following close behind. Megaera was not gentle as she pushed the Prince into his room, and he found he was a-okay with that. He inhaled sharply when he saw Thanatos near the bed, waiting for them.

“Oh, gods, it’s finally happening.”

Thanatos frowned. “What?”

“Is this not…? Oh. Erm, never mind.”

Megaera spun him around and held up her whip up, taut. “Talk, Zagreus. Now.”

“Sure.” The Prince took a deep breath. “It is an absolute crime that there are two god-sized barrels of wine in the lounge and no one has access to it. Why even have them in the first place if not to partake in? To torture the oenophiles?”

“Zagreus,” Thanatos said.

“I’m not saying we drink like the world’s ending, Than, I’m just saying this place would be a lot less dreary if people were just allowed to have a little treat once in a-”

“Zagreus!” Megaera snapped.

The Prince blinked and embarrassment hit him like a bad hangover. Gods, he had been raving like a lunatic and acting like a complete prat, what was wrong with him?

I wasn’t being a prat! I was being so nice back there! I could have thrown a fit like the other gods do, but no, I kept my cool and stayed polite and calm despite the stupid no wine rules in this stupid house-

“Highness?” Achilles drew near, but didn’t touch him. It was probably wise, but the Prince wanted physical contact to prove to himself he wasn’t in the middle of a fever dream.

He wasn’t in a fever dream, was he?

“I…sorry, I…what was I doing?” the Prince asked, thoughts struggling to flow and connect. “It’s hard to think…”

“I know, lad, but we need you to try to focus for just a little bit,” good old Achilles said. His eyes and voice were kind, but the Prince could tell he was very much on his guard. “Can you tell us what happened after you escaped to the surface the last time? Do you remember?”

The Prince crossed his arms and furrowed his dark brows, deep in thought. Then, his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers, a triumphant smile on his lips. Death Incarnate, the First of the Furies, and the shade of a forgotten hero perked up in anticipation for their prince’s revelation.

“Ah! Yes, I remember!” The Prince dashed passed them and ran into the courtyard. “I’ve got loads of wine!”

“Zagreus, wait!” Thanatos called after him, but the Prince was on a mission. He headed straight toward his trinket collection, but not before saying hello to the courtyard’s stationary resident.

“Hey, Skelly!”

The Bloodless rattled his bones at him in greeting. “Hey, how’s it hangin’, boyo? Say, your pops seemed real mad before, you doin’ all right?”

“I am now!” The Prince smiled as he spotted the Overflowing Cup among his keepsakes. “Want some wine, Skelly? It’s real good stuff, the best, even!”

“No, thanks. I’m on the clock right now, boyo, gotta stay sharp in case you need to give me a poundin’!”

“Right on, man.”

The Prince picked up the keepsake. He was surprised how it didn’t spill at all and how light it felt. He checked the inside and saw why.

“Zagreus.” Thanatos shifted next to him. “Zagreus, this isn’t funny-”

“It’s empty.”

“What?”

“It’s empty.” The Prince held up the cup to him, frantic. “My keepsake, it’s empty, it’s not supposed to be empty, it’s supposed full of wine forever, why is it empty?!”

Thanatos didn’t answer. That was unacceptable. The Prince dropped the cup to the ground and grabbed Death Incarnate by his shoulders, much to his shock. Megaera rushed forward to try to separate the two of them.

“He’s okay, isn’t he, Thanatos?” the Prince asked. “Dionysus, he’s got to be okay, he’s a god, even if I tore his heart out of his chest, he’d still be okay, at least long enough for me to put it back, right? Right? You’d know if something really bad had happened, you’re Death Incarnate, it’s your thing! Say something, damn it, tell me he’s okay!!!”

“Zagreus, get off him!”

Megaera finally managed to yank the Prince back and pin his arms behind his back. The Prince’s heart shattered yet thumped stubbornly at the horrified expressions Thanatos and Achilles had. He became breathless, and he feared his indomitable heart was finally breaking down.

“Don’t…don’t look at me like that,” the Prince pleaded, eyes stinging. “I wouldn’t…I’d never…Lord Dionysus is my friend, I wouldn’t…”

Murderer.

“I’m not a murderer!” the Prince shouted.

“We didn’t say you were!” Achilles said quickly. “No one was thinking it.”

“I’m thinkin’ it,” Skelly muttered loudly out the corner of his mouth. Achilles glared at the Bloodless as the Prince became more agitated.

“I’m not! I didn’t kill him, of course I didn’t, why would I ever do that?”

“I don’t know, pal, but you’re lookin’ real sweaty and nervous, and it seems like you don’t have an alibi,” Skelly said, crossing his bony arms. “If you want my advice, I’d keep my mouth shut around these guys until you have proper representation-”

“Skelly, do you mind?” Achilles said tersely.

“What, ain’t he got the right to a lawyer?” Skelly asked indignantly. “Did you even read him his rights before you arrested him?”

“He’s not under arrest-”

“Oh, yeah, then what’s Miss Blue Hair doin’ to him, eh? Eh? You people even got a warrant?”

“Skelly, can you be my lawyer?” the Prince asked. “Wait, no, forget that, we’re wasting time! I need to get to the surface, I’ve got to put it back!”

“Put what back?” Megaera gritted her teeth as the Prince tried to squirm out of her grip. Despite the situation, the Prince couldn’t help but be impressed with her strength.

“Ow, easy!” he said. “His heart, I have his heart, and I have to give it back to him right away!”

“WHAT?!” the men in the area cried. It took Megaera a second to recover from her shock.

“What do you mean you have his heart?!”

“I…have…his…heart?” the Prince frowned. “I don’t know how else to put it, it’s pretty straightforward-”

“No, it is not!” Thanatos raised his voice for the first time in his life, probably. “You’re not making any sense, how on earth did you manage take Dionysus’ heart and bring it here with you?”

“Unfortunately, my memory is a bit fuzzy on the details,” the Prince said, grimacing as he tried to wriggle free from Megaera. “But it’s true, I have it, that’s why Ampelos came down here, he just wanted to put Dionysus back together, but I didn’t know at the time, I would have let him take the heart if I knew Dionysus was—ack! Girl—I mean, M-Meg! Y-You’re choking me! And not in the fun way!”

“Good. You godsdamned idiot, do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”

“Mistress, Master Hades ordered he not be harmed!” Achilles said.

“Hmph. He said not to kill him,” Megaera said with a growl. But she suddenly tensed and fully released the Prince, allowing him to breathe and ponder on Achilles’ words.

“F-Father ordered I not be killed?” the focus-lacking Prince asked, coughing. “Why? He loves it when I die—ahh!”

The Prince let out an undignified yelp as Megaera grabbed him by the neck again. He expected her to squeeze or snap his neck like she promised, but she didn’t. She just pressed her hand against his artery, once shriveled and still, now engorged and pulsing with smoothly flowing blood. The fearless Fury slowly withdrew her shaking hand, her eyes wide.

“Blood and darkness,” Megaera breathed out. “Zagreus…”

The Prince stepped toward her as she stepped back. “Meg, please-”

“Brother, I found Mom!” Hypnos suddenly arrived in the middle of the courtyard with a poof. He smiled when he saw the Prince. “Oh, good you’re here, too! I found her, she’s in the East Hall, talking to Dusa about what happened earlier. Guess I missed her the first time, or maybe she was hiding from me since I’m not allowed to talk to-”

The Prince ran immediately to his room. He heard Megaera shout after him and even crack her whip at him, but he was too quick and dashed until he was in the East Hall. Just as Hypnos said, Nyx was floating in her usual corner, listening intently to the cute gorgon head. Night Incarnate caught sight of him instantly and the Prince took one step toward her before Megaera grabbed him. The Prince did not like that and tried to get out of her grip. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dusa, Achilles, and Thanatos off to the side, watching in shock as the Fury and the Prince wrestled each other.

“Miss Meg!” Dusa gasped. “What are you doing?!”

“Dusa, stay back!” Megaera said. “Damn it, Zagreus, hold still!”

“Uh, no??”

“Megaera, stop,” Nyx said, much to the Prince’s relief. “Release him.”

The Overseer looked up at Nyx in desperation. “But Nyx, he’s not-”

“I know. It is all right. Let him go.”

The Fury kept her grip on him for two more seconds before obeying. The Prince, crushed by Megaera’s distrust of him, calmly walked up to the night itself. He wasn’t sure whether to kneel before her almighty authority or throw his arms around her and cry into her shoulder like a small child.

“Erm, hi!” was the compromise he settled on. “I mean, it’s nice to meet you, an honor, really! Oh, wait, we already know each other, don’t we? Yeah, that’s right, you’re Nyx, you’re wonderful, and I love you very much. Right?”

Nyx’s eyes widened a bit as if surprised. Then, they became quite sad, which was confusing since he thought he said something quite lovely. But now wasn’t the time to focus on that.

“Right, okay, so, I’m sort of in a lot of trouble, and I was wondering if you could help me? You see, I was looking for Zag—I mean, Dionysus was looking for me. Because I’m Zagreus? Yeah, I’m Zagreus. Okay. So, Dionysus was looking for me, up on the surface, and he starts dying because his heart’s no good. Er, at least, it was, but now it’s working pretty great. Ugh, I’m getting ahead of myself. After I collapsed, someone started digging into my chest here—oh, no, wait, not this chest, wrong color. Why is it so white…? Oh, my gods, you can’t just ask someone that! Sorry, anyway, I was the one getting my heart ripped out—ugh, forget this, this is taking forever to explain! Here!”

The Prince grabbed Nyx’s hand and brought it up to his neck. He waited until he felt his heart beat a few times before breaking the silence.

“You feel it, right? It’s my heart. The one I was born with, it was in Lord Dionysus all this time, Orpheus’ song is true-”

The Prince’s words were stolen from his throat as a silver droplet slid down Nyx’s cheek, like a star shooting across the night sky. His mismatched eyes widened at the sight; he had an awful feeling Zagreus had never seen Nyx shed a single tear before. Her hand slipped out of his as she removed it from his pulse. He wanted to keep holding it, but he was afraid he had lost that right.

“You have reclaimed your heart from Dionysus,” Nyx stated. Her expression was completely devoid of emotion.

“I…Yes,” the Prince said. There was no point in denying it any longer. “I…I murdered him.  I murdered him and took his heart.”

“You what?” a booming voice shook the foundation of the House.

“Father?” The Prince blinked at the hulking god standing in the threshold between the East Hall and the Great Hall. Nyx started to move toward the god of the dead as he raised his hand toward the Prince.

“Hades, don’t!”

And that was the last thing the Prince heard before he found himself in a completely different place.

Notes:

Man, the Prince should have gotten Skelly to be his lawyer, he totally would have represented him Pro Bone-o...I am not sorry.

Also, for those who caught it, yes, the Prince made a Mean Girls reference when talking to Nyx. I am still not sorry.

Chapter 11: Little Cousin

Summary:

The Prince spends some time in solitary confinement.

Notes:

Hey hey, it's been awhile! Sorry to keep you waiting, life kind of happened and I sort of forgot about updating this fic. On the plus side, this chapter is definitely the longest one so far, like 20 pages, so enjoy and excuse any typos!

In the past…

“Hey, mate!” a soft, kind voice drifted over him like a warm blanket. “How are we feeling today?”

Young Prince Zagreus opened his eyes and saw standing at his bedside a portly shade with thick brown hair tied tightly back in a bun. He wore a simple white chiton with the emblem of his master pinned to it, smiling at him with perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth. Zagreus smiled back, despite how horrible he felt.

“Hello, Asclepius, sir,” the child croaked. He coughed weakly. “I feel very bad. I mean, ‘badly’. My head hurts, I keep coughing, my legs are swollen, and I’m so tired I can’t move…”

The shade put a cold hand on his forehead. “Hm, you’re feeling a little warm, too, mate. Luckily I got just the thing! Let’s sit you up…there we go! Drink this special medicine; it should help get your strength back.”

“What is it?” Zagreus asked right before the cup was brought to his lips. He smiled at the first sip. “Oh, haha, it’s just pomegranate juice! That’s not special!”

Asclepius chuckled as he helped his patient drink the juice. “Don’t underestimate the power of antioxidants, mate. Or a balanced meal. You’ve been eating your meals every day, right?”

“Gods don’t eat,” Zagreus said in between sips.

“They don’t?” Asclepius said, pretending to be surprised. He leaned in and whispered. “That would explain why your father is so grumpy all the time. He’s constantly peckish!”

Zagreus giggled. “No, he’s not, he’s always got a bowl of pomegranates on his desk!”

“Have you seen him eat from it?”

Zagreus nodded eagerly. Asclepius winked and handed the little boy the cup so he could drink from it by himself.

“So gods eat?”

“…I suppose so. But they don’t need to.” Zagreus finished the rest of his drink and handed the cup back. The shade looked at him with sympathy.

“Needing to eat doesn’t make you any less of a god, mate.”

“I know.” Zagreus shyly looked up at the shade. “Asclepius, sir? May I ask you some questions about my ‘condition’? I asked Mother, but she said I should ask you because you’re the royal physician and will explain it to me better.”

“Is that so?” Asclepius smiled warmly at his patient. “Mother Nyx honors me, truly. I am more than happy to answer any questions you have, Zagreus. What’s on your mind?”

“Thank you, sir. Why am I sick?”

The shade laughed. “Straight to it, then, I like that! To put it simply, you’re sick because your humors are out of balance. You remember what those are, don’t you?”

“Yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, and blood!” Zagreus said, counting on his fingers. Asclepius gave a proud nod.

“Smart lad. Your imbalance has to do with your blood humor. Specifically, you have a deficit. Blood’s what makes the body strong and gives you consciousness, so since you have a deficit, you feel tired.”

“I see.” Zagreus said. He coughed a little before asking, “Why do I have a ‘deficit’? Is it because I don’t have a heart?”

“No. Well! No. But yes,” the royal physician said with a sheepish chuckle. “Let me start over. Hearts are the mechanism that pumps the blood throughout the body. Your blood, however, moves without a heart thanks to Mother Nyx’s divine and dark blessings coursing through your very being, pushing your blood right along. Unfortunately, that method is not efficient enough to completely make up for the absence of your heart. Your blood is simply not getting to where it needs to go consistently. Therefore, in order to regain equilibrium, we need to promote healthy blood production and movement with the proper diet and exercise regimen. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, I think so, sir.” Zagreus didn’t quite understand all of the words being said, but he got the gist. “If I get a new heart, I’ll be cured.”

The physician grimaced. “Uhh, that’s not-”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want to take a heart from someone already using theirs!” Zagreus said. “I was thinking I could share with Hypnos? I mean, he just sleeps all day, he doesn’t really need his heart.”

Asclepius let out an uneasy laugh. “He very much does, mate. Without it, he would die.”

“But gods can’t d-die!” Zagreus said, coughing into his hand. Asclepius hesitated.

“That’s…true, yes, at least permanently. Unless you’re a Titan. But gods can be harmed to the point where their bodies break down and need to be regenerated.”

“So Hypnos would grow a new heart if he died?” Zagreus asked. “That’s perfect! We’d both have hearts.”

But the shade shook his head. “From what I learned about the process from your father, the River Styx would gather all of him up, including his heart. See, mate, Hypnos is not like you; he needs his heart to function. Yes, he wouldn’t die if his heart was somehow separated permanently from him, but he wouldn’t be alive either. He’d be in a state between life and death, something called a coma, or a deep sleep.”

The little boy coughed into his hand again. “Hy-Hypnos already does that.”

“No, no, he wouldn’t wake up in this case,” Asclepius said quickly. “Ever. No matter how loud you shout in his ear or how hard you shake him.”

Well, that was no good. As annoying as Hypnos could be sometimes, Zagreus didn’t want him to never wake up from one of his naps.

“What if we used the heart of someone dead?” Zagreus asked. “The dead don’t need hearts, so they wouldn’t go into comas, right? Perhaps we could use yours? It must be a good one if you had it. Only if you didn’t mind, of course!”

“Uh, no, I suppose I wouldn’t, but I’ve been dead awhile, mate,” Asclepius said. His eyes turned sad. “My heart’s certainly decayed by now, along with the rest of my body…”

“Sir? Are you all right? Was I ‘inconsiderate’ again?”

“Not at all,” Asclepius said. He smiled at Zagreus, but the sadness didn’t fully leave his eyes. “Forgive me, Zagreus, I haven’t been frank with you: giving you someone else’s heart won’t work. The body does not like foreign objects put into them. Hearts may look the same to you, but your body will be able to tell that it isn’t yours.”

“Oh…Oh!” Zagreus perked up as an idea came to him. “You know what we could do? We could make a heart, one just for me!”

Asclepius’ eyebrows rose. “Make a heart?”

“Yeah!” Zagreus smiled brightly. “You told me Lord Cousin Hephaestus made himself a leg out of metal. Could we do that, but for a heart?”

“Haha, I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Asclepius said with a fond smile. “A heart is far more complicated than a leg! Wouldn’t even know where to start with a project like that.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Zagreus said encouragingly. Asclepius looked up at the ceiling

“Oh, I will, will I? Thanks for the vote of confidence, mate!”

“You will! You’re a legend, sir!” Zagreus insisted. “They called you the god of medicine, the greatest healer ever!”

“Oh, stop, mate, I’ll blush…or do whatever the equivalent is for a shade.”

“No, it’s true! The shades in the lounge say you once brought someone back to-”

The little prince clamped his mouth shut when he realized his father was standing in the door-lacking doorway of his room. Asclepius gave a start and bowed deeply to the lord of the Underworld as he entered his son’s room. Hades’ severe glare always made Zagreus feel quite small, but the boy held eye contact, even though he wanted to look away. He was already far too weak for a prince of the Underworld; he did not want to be cowardly, too.

“Don’t let me interrupt you, boy,” Hades said, his tone somewhat light, but clearly displeased. “By all means, tell us what the shades in the lounge say.”

Zagreus squeezed his blankets in his small fists. “They say…that Asclepius brought someone back to life.”

“And you believed it?” Hades asked with a derisive scoff. Zagreus frowned.

“Yes? Why would they lie about something like that?”

“One does not need to be a liar to spout and spread nonsense, boy,” Hades said. “They need only be a fool to believe that a mere mortal could accomplish what not even gods could. Once mortals perish, there is no escape from here. That very reputation is we what we strive endlessly to achieve, and I’ll not have my own son tarnishing it because he neglected to use common sense.”

“I wasn’t trying to—I-I mean, I’m sorry, Father,” Zagreus quickly changed his phrasing so Hades wouldn’t think he was arguing or trying to make excuses. “I won’t spout nonsense again.”

“I highly doubt that.” Hades turned his severe gaze to Asclepius, who visibly shrank. “Now tell me, god of medicine, am I to understand that instead of treating my son as you are meant to be doing, you have been boasting about your hollow past accomplishments?”

“No, my lord, never!” Asclepius said quickly. “I was only answering some questions the Prince had about his condition.”

“Without Nyx or I present?” Hades asked with a twinge of anger.

Zagreus spoke up. “Mother said I could ask-”

“Be quiet, boy. Shade, in the courtyard, now.”

Asclepius lowered his gaze to the floor in deference, fear, and what the young prince recognized as shame. He walked out of the room into the courtyard with Hades following closely behind, his fiery steps unnaturally silent for a deity of his size. Zagreus clutched his sheets anxiously as he faintly heard his father scold the royal physician. He couldn’t hear everything being said, but apparently Zagreus’ questions were foolish and childish, and Asclepius shouldn’t have entertained them. Asclepius argued that Zagreus’ curiosity should be encouraged.

“Just as your ‘curiosity’ was encouraged?” Hades scoffed loudly enough for Zagreus to hear. “He is a child, Shade. My child, and I will not have you fill his head with your ruinous flights of fancy and empty promises. The last thing he needs is false hope.”

Asclepius made a small murmur of resignation and regret. Zagreus slid out of bed and weakly staggered to the entrance to the East Hall. He poked his head out to see if Nyx was in her corner. No such luck, she was gone. Was she in the West Hall with Thanatos? That was so far…

“Is that Lord Hades’ son?” a shade whispered to the shades next to him. “He doesn’t look so good.”

“He looks like he’s about to fall over.”

“Does he need help?”

“Should we help him?”

“I’m okay!” Zagreus made an effort to straighten up and deepen his voice to sound strong and important. “No assistance needed, um, go about your business, Shades! Please.”

The shades straightened up and scattered. Zagreus felt excited because he thought it was because of him, but as he was picked up by two large grey hands, he realized that wasn’t the case.

“I cannot leave you alone for a second,” Hades grumbled, carrying Zagreus back to bed. “What were you thinking, letting the wretches see you like this?”

“I was looking for Mother,” Zagreus said, cross and embarrassed that the shades saw how ill he was. “Because she’d explain to you that Asclepius did nothing wrong-”

“You know nothing of what that charlatan did, boy,” Hades said, gently setting Zagreus down and roughly pulling the sheets over him. The young prince scowled.

“Don’t call him that. He’s brilliant. Before, I was so sick I couldn’t sit up, but thanks to him I got out of bed and walked to the hall all by myself.”

“Which is the only reason why I haven’t fired him yet,” Hades said nastily. “But I will should he continue to behave unprofessionally. So don’t give him any excuses and keep your inane questions to yourself. Is that clear?”

Zagreus glared at his father for an admirable amount of time, but he eventually nodded and looked away. Hades left without another word for there was nothing more to say. Asclepius slowly reentered the room and returned to his place at the small boy’s bedside. After a few moments of silence, he spoke.

“It looks like Lord Hades needs a pomegranate or two…”

Zagreus didn’t laugh. “I’m sorry I got you in trouble, Asclepius.”

“No trouble here, mate,” Asclepius waved a hand. “Your father just wants to make sure I’m not saying anything inappropriate or giving you the wrong idea.”

“About what?” the young prince asked.

“About…me,” Asclepius said. “I’m not as great as you think I am. Since I’ve become your physician, I’ve come to realize there’s a lot I don’t know about medicine, health, the body. I don’t know if I can completely cure you of your pain, and I don’t know if I can promise I ever will. But know this, Zagreus: I will treat you to the best of my abilities and do all I can to minimize your suffering until I do. Even if it takes a long time.”

“That’s okay,” Zagreus said, a bit confused why Asclepius looked so dispirited. “I’m a god, I can wait forever.”

Asclepius smiled just a little. “That’s true, innit? But I’m not going to make you wait forever. You’re young! You should be running around scraping your knees and causing trouble for your father, right, mate?”

Zagreus grinned mischievously. “Right, mate! Oh, I’m sorry, is it all right if I call you that, sir?”

“Of course, you can call me whatever you want!” Asclepius winked. “We are family, Little Cousin.”

Zagreus didn’t really understand what it meant for his heart to “soar”, but he got fairly close then. Asclepius saw him as family. That sentiment made him feel better than all the pomegranate juice in the Underworld.

“Thanks, mate.”

 

 

It was then our heart-filled Prince arose from his slumber. He had fallen asleep on the floor after his lord and father sent him to an empty chamber in Erebus, where there were no exits and no choice but to wait until his lord father released him.

“I could always take out Stygius and have the River Styx give me a lift back to the house,” the Prince mumbled groggily, slowly sitting up. “But then Father would just send me back here, wouldn’t he? Fine. I’ll wait. Can you at least tell me how much longer he’ll be?”

No.

“Great, awesome, thanks for absolutely nothing, old man.”

The Prince ran a hand down his face and sighed, thinking back on his dream. Asclepius, the beloved son of Apollo. He had been struck down by Zeus long ago for defying the Fates’ design, extending mortals’ lives beyond what they were allotted with his superior medical practices, and even attempting to raise the dead. Who else would Hades employ to cure his sickly, bedridden, heartless son?

“I wonder if he knew the truth about me,” the Prince said, feeling numb. “I suppose it doesn’t matter now. I have my heart and…and Dionysus is dead.”

No, Asclepius had said a god would merely fall into a coma if they had their heart removed. So…so Dionysus’ body was all right. Ampelos would keep continuously regenerating it on Olympus until he could make his lord whole again. Ampelos wasn’t like the Overflowing Cup; he was his own miracle, so he would be fine while Dionysus was out of commission.

…He hoped.

“Oh, gods!” the Prince groaned, burying his head in his hands. “What else did I enchant? The maenads are screwed, no getting around that. Definitely some of the barrels in the wine cellar…oh, no the cellar. There are definitely some load-bearing vines down there, oh, gods, someone’s going to end up down here if they go into that deathtrap.  Gods damn it all, how could you do this to me, Zag?!”

Memories flooded his head as if in response. Gasping for air as he struggled to run from Hades’ forces as they chased him around a locked chamber. Failing to keep his heavy shield lifted up as the wretches attacked him. Defeating Megaera for the first time only to collapse and die on the stairs to Asphodel from exhaustion. All the despair, rage, humiliation he felt every time he was sent back to that awful house, his father sneering at him like it was obvious that someone who couldn’t even walk across the room without feeling faint would fail.

“That didn’t mean you could just take my heart!” the Prince snapped. “I know it was hard, believe me, I do, but come on, man! Was killing me really worth feeling better than you’ve ever felt before in your life and being able to live with your mom? Oh…”

Despair settled deep into his bones as he remembered just how cruel the Fates could be. After clawing his way up to the surface, running only on the fumes of the Olympian boons he gathered, and finally reaching his mother on the surface, the son of Hades discovered he was bound to the Underworld, cursed to be taken back to his father’s house by the Styx only hours after he escaped. He only had precious few moments with Persephone, the mother whose existence had been kept from him his whole life, before dying of “natural causes”. No one without a heart could naturally survive in the land of the living…

“But what if I did have my heart?” Zagreus had asked Nyx. “What if I was ‘alive’ again, could I stay on the surface with Mother?”

“That is entirely possible, my child. It would be well within your immortal heart’s power to sustain you while you were on the surface. But there could also be devastating consequences that even I cannot fathom. Are you sure you wish to pursue this?”

“I have to try, Nyx. I know my meeting with Mother was brief, but…I need to have her in my life.”

“But I was in your life!” the Prince said. “You knew me, I was there! And I wanted you there, with me on Olympus! I cared about you, man, I really did, I gave up everything for you to keep you safe from Her Majesty! I got fired and banished from my own home, for crying out loud! Does that mean nothing to you? Huh? Say something!”

What was he doing? He was yelling at himself, that was what he was doing. Blood and darkness, he needed a drink. A crying shame he didn’t have wine in his inventory. He did have a ton of Ambrosia bottles, though. How did he get so many? Whatever, gifted horses and whatnot, he needed a pick-me-up bad. The Prince pulled a huge crystal bottle out from his inventory and yanked on the cork. It wouldn’t budge an inch.

“Ughn…! Come on, stupid thing!” the Prince muttered as he futilely pulled at the cork. “Come on, please, I can’t handle this right now!”

Tears stung his eyes, and he stopped his useless tugging. It just wasn’t fair, man…

The Prince stared down at the bottle in his hands, suddenly filled with calm. He took one hand off the Ambrosia and held it for a few seconds before placing it into his other hand.

“Here you go, Dionysus mate.”

The cork slid off easily with a satisfying pop. The Prince hugged the bottle to his chest for a bit before taking a sip…

A purple orb with the symbol of wine glass on it. A boon from the god of wine. Blessings of hangovers, positive outlooks, health-resorting Nectars, strength from each fountain he drank from, and an alternate form of his Cast he could lob at his enemies in one trippy shot! All thanks to his happy-go-lucky cousin.

“Oh, Zag…”

Another sip. Another boon. He had approached it and sent a bottle of Ambrosia through it along with a sincere message. He wanted to show not only his gratitude, but his affection for his distant cousin. Bottles of Nectar were simply not enough; the god of wine deserved the best!

“You gave me Ambrosia, Zag? When did…? Oh! Right before I got banished, when I went on that bender with Lady Demeter…”

“Look, look at what Zag gave me!” He had gasped with delight and held up his prize to the goddess of the seasons. “He really gave me Ambrosia, where did he get this all the way down there? Hang on, I gotta find a safe place for it where no one will drink it until Zag gets here!”

“Careful, you oaf! Tsch, give that to me before you drop it on the floor and break it!”

“Okay, but you got to promise not to drink or freeze it, I promised Zag we’d share it! You can have a tiiiiny little bit of it with us if you do!”

“Oh, how generous of you…”

“You really did save it,” the Prince said, surprised. “You really wanted to share that Ambrosia with me because…”

Because Zagreus was a kind, sweet chap who loved giving gifts to his mates. For goodness sake, the happy memory from the Ambrosia wasn’t even Dionysus’ reaction to the gift; it was the act of giving itself that made the memory worthy of an Ambrosia-induced recollection. Because that was the type of man Zagreus truly was, not some heartless monster that would kill and maim whoever stood in his way.

It was all so obvious. Zagreus would never hurt Dionysus so brutally, and he would never sacrifice anyone for his own gain. What had he been thinking? He never should have doubted him…self?

“This is certainly a unique situation we’ve found ourselves in, lads!” the Prince said, crossing his arms as he spoke. “But how did we get into it in the first place? If Zagreus didn’t attack Dionysus, who did? And why? What exactly happened up there? If only I could remember…”

The Prince looked at the bottle of Ambrosia. Whatever happened wasn’t a happy memory for either Zagreus or Dionysus, he knew that much, but perhaps the drink might help focus his mind and trigger those memories? Only one way to find out!

“My son!” Persephone had cried with joy. “Oh, thank the Fates, my son!”

“Mother…!”

The Prince could almost feel Persephone’s warm arms around him when she had embraced him for the first time. She hadn’t abandoned him. She had thought him dead, permanently. And she had been right. He was dead.

“But Nyx brought Zagreus back,” the Prince said with a mouthful of Ambrosia, gratitude and love for his foster-mother swelling in his chest to near bursting. “She gathered every little piece, every speck of him and put him back together. She’s…she’s incredible. If she could do all that, then she could put the heart back into Dionysus, no problem.”

Or into Zagreus in the first place.

The Prince nearly dropped his Ambrosia bottle at that thought. No, no way, that was—no. Nyx wasn’t the one that attacked Dionysus. He wasn’t even going to entertain that theory. That was unthinkable!

But Hypnos said I had died of a heart attack before. Meaning the heart had already been inside Zagreus and a part of him. So how did that happen? Who could possibly be powerful or skilled enough to do that? Who would have the motivation to kill an Olympian for Zagreus?

“I need to talk to Nyx again,” the Prince said. “And Orpheus. Without wine, ugh. I suppose I should talk to my father, too, ask him how in the name of him did his dead son’s immortal heart end up in his half-mortal nephew. Does Dad have anything to do with it? Erm, Uncle Zeus? Or…is he both our dad? Whose son am I?”

The Prince kept drinking steadily. It did not help find him answers, but it tasted wonderful and the happy memories of the two gods made him feel warm and giddy.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Achilles, sir. My name is Zagreus.”

“Dad, are…are these laurels? Wow, you shouldn’t have, these are so nice, like they were made for a…hold on. Does this mean what I think it means…?”

“Than, you’re back!”

“Oh, hey, Ari, hi! Don’t be shy, come sit down, have a drink with me!”

“Come on, Lady Athena, please have the dash, please have the dash…yes!”

Gods, this drink was incredible! A little dangerous, too. Perhaps he ought to save the rest for later…after one more sip.

“I hear such wicked rumors about my daughter, lost to me, and what became of her,” Demeter had said through an ice-cold boon. “Kore was what we called her. Persephone is what she called herself. Before she vanished utterly, leaving no trace…”

The Prince gasped so sharply he started choking on the half-swallowed liquid. Kore? Persephone was Kore? As in, the daughter Demeter loved so dearly that when said daughter vanished, the goddess of the seasons plunged the world into a never-ending winter as revenge? That Kore?!

“Wait a moment, how did you not recognize her before, Dionysus mate?!” the Prince cried incredulously. “You knew her on Olympus! I mean, yeah, I saw her around a couple of times, but I never really spoke to her, you know, she was kind of ehhhh with her black cloak and dead eyes and her mom not wanting anybody talking to her. You know what? It’s weird Persephone didn’t recognize me!”

The Prince paused and was surprised to remember that Dionysus didn’t always look the way he did now. His hair and eyes were completely different colors, he had a thick beard, and he wasn’t nearly as fit. Even his name was different.

“Wait, but this is bad,” the Prince said. “This is really, really bad! If Lady Demeter finds out…if the other Olympians find out…!”

In his mind’s eye, the Prince saw a gold apple tossed carelessly into a crowd. Carved into it were three little words…

To the fairest.

The Prince gulped far too much Ambrosia to chase horrid thoughts and memories of that incident away. He remembered why Demeter’s words came to mind in the first place: Zagreus’ joy of discovering that she was his grandmother. He hadn’t had a grandparent in his life before, and he really liked Demeter. She was strong, confident, secure, capable, and…

Little sprout.

…warm.

A happy smile curled the corners of the Prince’s mouth. Funny how the cause of his extreme distress was also the cure for it.

“Yeah, that’s family for you,” the Prince remarked out loud. “Blood and darkness, I’m in a lot of trouble…”

“At least you have the sense to recognize that at least, boy.”

It was then that the god of the dead appeared before the Prince, shedding the gloom of the room as he would one of his silly capes. Hades glowered down at the Prince and received an annoyed eye roll in response.

“Speaking of dysfunctional family! Greetings, Father, if that’s even your real name.”

“Enough!” Hades said. “You have a lot to answer for, and I will not allow any more-”

“Hades,” Nyx emerged from the darkness as well as if slipping off a cloak. “Berating him won’t give us the answers we seek. Calm yourself.”

Hades was beside himself. “Calm myself? He let a violent outsider into my house, murdered an Olympian, stole one of his vital organs, and is now guzzling Ambrosia as if he wishes to drown in it as we speak! Have you gone completely mad, boy?!”

“Nah, I’m not mad,” the Prince said, slurring his words properly now. “I’m happy, man, yeah, I’m feeling greeaaat. Hey, Father, remember when I killed you that one time? That was brilliant, hahaha…”

Hades turned to Nyx. “Was this the enlightening conversation you were after?”

“If you would allow me to actually speak to him, Hades?” Nyx asked evenly. “Per our agreement?”

Hades pursed his lips, but gestured for Nyx to proceed. As unpleasant, stubborn, and belligerent as he could be, the god of the dead took deals and agreements quite seriously. The Prince unsteadily got to his flaming feet and swayed for a second before finding his balance. He needed to be cautious here. Nyx was his number one suspect so far and Hades was his ticket out of here. So despite all the rage and accusations he wanted to throw at them, he had to remain calm, cool, collected, and above all, respectful.

…Hm.

“Can I have a lawyer?” the Prince asked, remembering the wise words of Skelly.

“My child, this is not an interrogation,” Nyx said gently. “I only wish to help you figure out what has happened to you.”

“You don’t know?” the Prince asked cautiously.

“I can sense the change in you and I felt your pulse, but I know not the circumstances of how it came to be,” Nyx said. “Before we discuss any of that, however, I must know: do you feel well, my child? Is there any fatigue or pain at all?”

The Prince blinked in surprise. “Oh. Um, no, no, there’s no pain, but…”

I know that you don’t trust her, but trust me. Tell her. It’ll be all right.

“You’re not going to believe me,” the Prince said. “But I think Dionysus is in my head. I have knowledge of the surface and Olympus, I have memories of attending and hosting thousands of feasts, recipes of dishes I’ve never heard of. I barely recognized my friends, I harassed the staff for wine of all things, I think I manhandled Than, I’m scared of Cerberus…!”

“Breathe, child,” Nyx said soothingly. “I suspected that this might be the case. You were uncertain of your identity when we spoke before.”

Right, he kind of gave himself away before, didn’t he? “But how is it possible, Nyx? Did Dionysus’ brain end up inside me, too?”

“In the time it had been separated from its rightful body, the immortal heart formed its own consciousness,” Nyx said as if that was the most logical sentence ever. “That is who we know as Dionysus. When the heart became one again with its true body, the consciousness it had formed joined with yours. Although, I did not expect the transition to be as smooth as it has been.”

“Smooth?” the Prince asked incredulously. “My head’s become a fleet of ships trapped in a whirlpool during a storm! I can’t focus, I can’t recall who anyone is or what I was doing, or how this conversation even started!”

“And that is precisely why your mental state has not completely deteriorated,” Nyx said. “Think about it: if you had all the memories of the god of wine along with yours all at once, it would have been far too much information for you to handle. Your mind is protecting you by forgetting. As time gone on, it has become easier to contend with all the information of your two consciousnesses, has it not?”

The Prince scratched his head, overwhelmed. “A little? I’ve more just accepted what’s happened, but I’m going to be honest, I’m not a hundred percent sure you’re really here right now. Can I hold your hand real quick?”

Nyx, with her jaw clenched more tightly than normal, held out her hand without hesitation, and the Prince took it into both of his. She had very sharp nails, sharp enough to easily break skin or dig into someone’s-

Stop it! It wasn’t her!

“Regardless of whatever phenomenon is occurring due to the heart,” Hades said, deciding Nyx had enough time speaking with the Prince one-on-one, “it does not change the fact that he has incapacitated Dionysus, and it is only a matter of time before Olympus learns of what he’s done and demand retribution!”

“But I didn’t do it, Father,” the Prince said, letting Nyx’s hand go. “I know I said I did before, but I was freaked out and confused, not thinking straight. Someone else attacked me and put the heart in my chest.”

“Someone else?” Hades frowned skeptically. “Who?”

Don’t say Nyx…

“I don’t remember,” the Prince said, unable to meet his father’s gaze. “My mind is really trying to protect me when it comes to that moment, I don’t even remember dying.”

The god of the dead scoffed. “How convenient!”

“It’s true!” the Prince said. “It has to be, I mean, yeah, I’ve been destructive and violent toward the wretched shades, the rodents plaguing the Temple Styx, and innocent vases, but I’ve never mutilated anybody, I just hit things really hard with whatever Infernal Arm I’m using at the time, can you really imagine Zagreus doing anything remotely that-”

“Blood and darkness, you’re even rambling like him,” Hades muttered. The Prince frowned.

“Like Lord Dionysus? Don’t act like you know him, Father, you’ve never met!”

Hades clicked his tongue and looked away, muttering underneath his breath. What a rude jerk! Couldn’t even admit when he was wrong.

“You believe me, don’t you, Mother—erm, Nyx? Mother Nyx. No, that’s too formal. What was I saying? Oh! I couldn’t have done it because I didn’t even know my heart was Dionysus’ before it found its way into me!”

Hades looked back at him. “You did not know? Have you forgotten your tale that inspired Orpheus’ latest song, boy?”

“What? That was just prank, man!” the Prince said. “We just wanted to mess with Orpheus, he makes it so easy, you see.”

“‘We’? You’re referring to Dionysus and yourself, yes?” Nyx asked.

It took a second to work out why those two options were different. “Yeah, that’s right. We didn’t know a thing, honest, we just thought it was a stupid jest everyone was taking way too seriously.”

“A jest? A jest?” The chamber shook from the force of Hades’ rage. “Blast you, boy, do you understand what that ‘jest’ nearly cost us all? What your actions have cost us? But you didn’t care to consider such things, did you? You couldn’t leave it well enough alone, you and that fool Dionysus!”

“Of course I couldn’t leave it alone, that’s my mother and my vital organ, thank you, and you wouldn’t give me any answers!” the Prince shot back. “Perhaps this whole mess could have been avoided if you were honest for once in your blasted life!”

“You dare blame me?”

“Yes! This is your fault! You’re the one that lied to the Olympians, to poor Demeter when you absconded with Mother, and to me when I very reasonably wanted to know the truth of what happened to my heart after I apparently permanently died!”

“Reasonable? Do you jest? Look at what has happened because of your quest for ‘the truth’ you were so adamant to know!”

“What are you talking about?! I would have never entertained getting my heart back if I knew it was being used by someone, let alone my own family!”

“Interesting claim, considering it is currently residing in your chest as we speak!”

“I told you, I didn’t attack Dionysus!” the Prince shouted. “I didn’t even want my damn heart, I never did! You can just take out your damn spear and take it out right now for all I care!”

“No!”

Hades and the Prince whipped their heads toward Nyx, sharing the same wide-eyed surprise. They both could count on one hand how many times they had heard Nyx cry out with such alarm and fear.

“Dionysus’ consciousness has merged with yours and is tethered to your heart,” Nyx said with an intensity that frightened the Prince. “If we remove it now, only the Fates know the amount of damage it will have on both of your psyches. We don’t even fully know the damage the first transition had.”

“But…you can separate them, right?” the Prince asked, his voice shaking. “Us? You can fix this, can’t you?”

Nyx did not answer. Hades inhaled sharply and his dark eyes filled with abject dread at the weight of Night Incarnate’s silence. The Prince felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into the whirlpool.

“There’s got to be a solution to this,” the Prince said. “Nyx, what if you worked with Asclepius like you used to, he’s brilliant, I’m sure he knows how to make some medicine for people’s minds! O-Or Athena, she’s a healer, my healer, Dionysus’ healer, whatever, she’s smart, she’s so smart, she could probably come up with a hundred different ways to fix this, you just need to…”

The Prince trailed off. He knew this was far behind Asclepius’ expertise, and Hades and Nyx weren’t going to go to the Olympians for aid. Not when Dionysus had been given a fate comparable to death for a god and the number one suspect was the very Prince Olympus had been blessing for the past however long.

“What if we made peace with Olympus?” the Prince asked. “If no one’s angry at each other, then we can all work together to figure this out! What if I brought Mother back here? We could come up with a plan! Nyx, please, I can’t stay like this, Dionysus can’t either. A-Athena said an awful thing to him before he was banished, and she hasn’t apologized yet! She’ll feel awful if Dionysus doesn’t… d-doesn’t wake…”

“Banished?” Hades stirred out of the shocked stupor Nyx’s words put him in. “What are you talking about?”

The Prince rubbed his eyes dry. “It’s a long story…”

Indeed, much time passed as the tale-telling Prince recounted Dionysus’ entire tale to his grim lord father and Night Incarnate. When he informed them that the god of wine went to the gentle Persephone’s cottage, Lord Hades responded as well as anyone would expect.

“Olympus found her?!”

“Relax, just Dionysus, and I didn’t tell anyone!” the Prince said, mixing up his pronouns in his haste. “No one even knew he was having those dreams about Mother’s home, except for Heracles-”

“Damn it all, this is exactly what I tried to prevent from happening! They could have been tracking you! Er, Dionysus!” Hades corrected himself.

“No one was tracking him,” the Prince said. “Everyone was too angry with him to care what he was up to. He didn’t have any blessings or his holy symbols on him.”

“So you believe,” Hades said. “Although, if any of our distant relatives had seen your attack on Dionysus, no doubt we would have heard from them by now.”

The Prince bared his teeth. “I. Didn’t. Attack. Him.”

“If not you, then who? Answer me that, and I might entertain the idea,” Hades said.

Don’t you dare say Nyx!

“Persephone?”

Blood and darkness, that’s even worse…

“No, hear me out,” the Prince said out loud. “She’d want to have Zag whole so they could be together and Dionysus out of the picture so word about her location wouldn’t get back to Olympus. She knows where the Underworld is, Nyx’s magic is keeping her hidden from even her, so no one would have seen her when she attacked us, and I think she figured out the heart was in me all along when we were talking, she was giving me some looks…”

“Now I know you’re grasping at straws,” Hades said with a scoff, yet he had calmed considerably. One might even describe his expression as soft. “She would never do such a thing.”

“You sound certain,” the Prince observed calmly. “Why? Because you know her well, don’t you? Why can’t you give your own son the same benefit of the doubt? Because he challenged you? Refused to be intimidated by you? Would do anything to reach his goal? Well, tell me this: what was his goal? What was the objective that kept a chronically fatigued, anemic kid running toward painful death after painful death just for a few minutes of conversation with her? I didn’t want my heart, Father. The heart was a means to an end. And I think you know that.”

Hades’ mouth became a thin line. He was looking at his son, but the Prince could tell he knew he wasn’t. He probably knew from the start, just like Nyx, but couldn’t admit it, not out loud and not to himself. But now…

“Are you certain Heracles was the only one that knew of Dionysus’ dreams?” Hades asked after a moment. The Prince gave a nod, relieved.

“Yes, I’m certain. One of the few things I am about.”

“And no one was tracking Dionysus’ movements?”

Nyx could have easily seen me when I was camping out in the woods near the Underworld all those nights…

What about Eris? She knew where your chariot was after you died…

“Not a chance,” the Prince said, accidentally answering his father’s question. “Erm, wait actually…no, never, she wouldn’t, she’s been helping me-”

“Spit it out, boy!”

“Nyx, did you do it?!” the Prince blurted out before he could stop himself. “I’m sorry, it’s just, you know so much about what’s happening, you have a motive, you’re strong enough, your nails are sharp, but you wouldn’t do that! Would you? It’d make sense, but the obvious answer is never the right answer with these types of mysteries, and the Dionysus part of me knows all about mysteries-”

“It was not Nyx,” Hades said dismissively. “She has an alibi.”

The Prince blinked. “An alibi, really? Nyx, what were you doing?”

“I was with Charon,” she said. “It had been awhile since we corresponded, and we were away from the house. My timing was…quite unfortunate.”

“Indeed!” Hades scoffed.

“…Oh.” The Prince felt his face flush, vindicated and also deeply embarrassed. “Great! See, it’s never the obvious answer, haha, ha! Ugh, gods, I’m so sorry, Nyx.”

“It is quite all right,” Nyx said. “I do not hold it against you. May I ask, however, how my nails factor into you suspecting me?”

“Oh, you know, they’re sharp,” the Prince mumbled. He made a shape of a claw with his hand and swiped the air shyly. “Like that, you know?”

Nyx looked at him sharply. “Is that how your assailant attacked Dionysus?”

“Um, I dunno, maybe?” the Prince shrugged. “I’d just figured it’d make it easier if your nails were sharp.”

Hades frowned. “Make what easier?”

“Ripping my heart out,” the Prince said it like it was obvious.

“…Do you mean to claim that someone literally ripped the heart out of Dionysus’ chest with their bare hands?” Hades asked. “Tsch, blood and darkness, boy, why did you not say this before?”

The Prince shrugged. Hades clicked his tongue again. He then crossed his arms and glared at a spot of nothing. Heh, it was the same expression Zeus and Athena made whenever they were thinking hard about something! Must be a family quirk.

“Obol for your thoughts, Father?”

“You had been wielding Stygius, yes?” Hades asked after a few moments. “Not Malphon?”

“Malphon? Oh, I know what you’re getting at, the Aspect of Gilgamesh, yeah, no, I didn’t have its claws at all,” the Prince said.

“And you can tell us nothing more about your apparent attacker?” Hades asked.

“No, I never got a good look at them.” He placed his fingers over his heart. “All I remember is their hand was definitely like this. They were…digging into my chest. I took out my thyrsus to get them off me, th-then…”

 “Child?” Nyx floated closer to the Prince when he didn’t continue and slowly reached out. “Child, are you-?”

The Prince dashed backward before she could touch him. His back slammed against a pillar so hard rocks from above came down upon his head. He cried out in pain but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as it should have.

“Bah, we just finished repairing that!” Hades complained.

“Can we go back to the House now?” the Prince asked with a groan. “I proved my innocence, haven’t I?”

“You’ve done no such thing,” Hades said promptly. “You have introduced the possibility that there might have been a third-party involved, but that does not mean you are innocent of the crimes you are accused of.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m guilty, either!” the Prince said. “Come on, you can’t just leave me locked up in here!”

“I very much can, boy,” Hades said. “And I will. As I should have the moment you first attempted to leave this realm. It pains me that it has come to this, but you have given me no choice. You’ve proven to be too much of a danger to leave to your own devices.”

“But I paid to have the Great Hall cleaned up after Ampelos!” the Prince said desperately. “I even calmed down the shades-”

“You gave some of the shades handouts and now every blasted shade currently in the House is asking for ‘compensation’!” Hades snapped. “And because there is no way to verify which shades were actually present during the attack, I must take them at their word…! Bah, the point is, I am not letting you out of this chamber, no matter what you or Nyx say.”

“Yes, you will,” the Prince said with a pleasant smile, suddenly calm. The magnificent eyebrows of the lord of the Underworld rose all the way up at the audacity.

“Oh? Pray tell, what makes you so certain?”

“The good Lady Athena was quite alarmed when she saw me all bloodied from the little tussle with Ampelos,” the Prince said. “She thought you had something to do with it. It’s as you said, it’s only a matter of time before someone discovers Dionysus’ lifeless body. If I were to stop showing up to collect her blessings right after these two events, whatever is the goddess of wisdom going to think? Nothing good, I can tell you that.”

“He is right, Hades,” Nyx said. “The Olympians will notice his absence. They will see Dionysus’ state as a result of martyrism rather than foolish trespassing if they believe you have harmed your son in the House and completely trapped him after Dionysus attempted to rescue him. I have told you this myself.”

The incredulous, choking rage on Hades’ face was priceless. The Prince smiled at the sight. A part of him knew he should have been afraid of the ruler of the Underworld, but he felt just as powerful as he did when he was effortlessly cutting down the wretches of the Underworld. Was this what it was like to be clever? No wonder Athena was the way she was…

“Fine,” Hades practically growled. He must have really been furious because that was all he said before raising his hand and announcing, “By my authority, you are declared not guilty and your sentence is rendered null due to lack of evidence.”

The Prince felt himself being transported to a different place. He was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, a welcomed sight compared to Erebus. Cerberus was resting in his normal spot on his bed, chewing absentmindedly on the thyrsus.

“Cerberus, spit that out!” Hades scolded lightly, appearing into the room instantly with the aid of Nyx. He approached the dog and carefully pried the thyrsus out of his mouth. “You don’t know where it’s been.”

“Here, Father, I’ll take that for you,” the Prince smiled sweetly at the god of the dead, hand out. Hades actually let out a bark of laughter.

“Ha! Not a chance, boy. If the Olympians catch you with this, it’s over. Besides, you already have an entire arsenal of Infernal Arms at your disposal, do you not? Now, go pick one of them and make your presence known to our relatives. Convince them that nothing is out of the ordinary here. Nyx and I will…discuss the situation further.”

“So I’m supposed to try to escape?” The Prince let out a laugh that was quite unlike the son of Hades’ laughter. “Hahaha, the more things change! Maybe when I get out I could investigate the spot where it all went down, jog my memory a bit, you feel me? It’d be grand if I could find my chariot, too, and my—oh, gods, my leopards!!!”

The Prince sprinted toward the East Hall. His poor fur babies! How could he have forgotten?! They must be losing their minds, how long had they been alone out in the cold? He had to get back to them!

And Mother! She must be thinking the worst when Dionysus disappeared when he died. Was she still there? Did the Olympians find her like Hades feared? Or did she flee before they could?

Please, Mother, wait for me! The Prince prayed, hoping the goddess of verdure could hear him even from all the way down in hell. He barely noticed Skelly, Achilles, Orpheus, Dusa, Megaera, Thanatos and Hypnos all together in the courtyard, discussing matters most-certainly related to him.

“Hi!” The Prince gave them a wave as went to the cabinet of keepsakes. “I know you guys have a lot of questions, but I’ve got to pop up top real quick, we’ll talk soon, all right? Right! Bye!”

They might have called out to him, shouted at him, but the Prince was deaf and blind to it all in his single-minded focus on his task before him. Not only was he going to make his presence known to the Olympians, he was going to escape! With his new heart and newfound strength, it was sure to be a cinch!

“…What the hell is this?!”

The Pact of Punishment on his window had been changed; even his flawed memory could tell him that. A new condition had been added called “Personal Liability”, while some of the old conditions, such as “Hard Labor” and “Jury Summons” to name a few, had been raised to the first rank. They were marked in an ink that could not be erased or undone, raising the Heat Gauge to…

“FIVE?! But the highest level of Heat I’ve ever done was only-”

“Is something the matter, boy?”

The Prince turned and saw the god of the dead had followed him and was watching him panic at the new mandatory terms of the Pact of Punishment. Hades was smugly aloof; unbothered to let his healthy son out of the House now that he had the proper counter measures in place.

“You can’t do this!” The Prince pointed to the Pact. “You can’t just change the rules and make some of the conditions mandatory after all this time!”

“I believe I already have,” Hades said lightly. The Prince looked to the others to get some back up, but they were all wishing they were anywhere else.

“Look, I’m very close to convincing Mother to come back here with me,” the Prince said desperately. “Together, we can figure out how to settle things with the Olympians, I know we can! Then all of us as a whole family can come up with a solution to get Zagreus and me back to normal!”

“Did he just say himself twice?” someone in the crowd whispered. That person was politely and promptly shushed.

“A shame you could not have obtained the consciousness of a god with more sense,” the lord of the Underworld said coldly. “Have you not learned that your efforts have only made things worse? You are not escaping again. I will ensure this through any means necessary.”

Hades started to turn to leave the courtyard. He stopped when he heard many conditions of the Pact being activated. He swiveled his head back to the Prince in disbelief as he set the Heat Gauge to a ludicrous level of thirty-two. The staff of the House of Hades recoiled from the window, feeling the intense heat radiate off the parchment even from a distance.

“A little Heat won’t stop me,” the Prince said, glowering at Hades. “Nothing will stop me. I’m getting out of here. Just you watch.”

Hades glared at the impudent Prince, who fiercely held his gaze. It was Hades who broke eye contact and shook his head as he left the courtyard.

“You’re delusional…”

“You’re afraid!” the Prince shouted at Hades’ back. “You’re afraid of what I’m capable of now that I’m not incomplete, aren’t you? With my heart, I made it all the way to Tis even though I was half-dead and disoriented! Just imagine how far I can go now! I’m more powerful than you could possibly—I’m so screwed, man…”

Everyone was taken aback at the sudden despair that overtook the Prince the second Hades was out of earshot. They stared incredulously as the Prince quickly removed all the extra conditions.

“If he asks, I’ll just say I walked away before signing to change my gear and the conditions didn’t save,” the Prince said underneath his breath. “Is that how it works? Can’t remember. Whatever, do we have a weapon we both know how to use? Maybe I could use the Rail, Eris let me hold it once-”

“Zagreus?” Thanatos spoke hesitantly. “What is going on?”

The Prince turned and saw everyone was looking at him, lost, concerned, and a little afraid. He let out a weary sigh. No point in putting it off any longer. The Underworld would still be waiting for him by the time he was done explaining everything to Zagreus’ friends.

“I suppose it all started with that stupid song…”

Notes:

Full disclosure, writing this chapter was when I was truly confronted with the fact that I cannot make the plots of my stories simple for the life of me. While my wings haven't melted yet (I don't think), I truly have learned nothing from Icarus.

Anyway, baby Zag is my favorite character, he's so cute. And Hades putting him to bed is the closest we're going to get to him being a good father in this fic, it's all downhill from here.

Asclepius was the most logical choice to have be the royal physician. Get some juicy parallels with Apollo treating Dio as well. Also, it's really funny to me that Zagreus calls people "mate" but literally no one else in the Underworld says that word. Like, where did he pick that up? So I had Asclepius say it. The origin story no one asked for lol

But the real point of this chapter is to establish what's happened to Dio's body without a heart, what happened to Zagreus' body with a heart, what's going on with his head, and why it's not going to be an easy fix. Not to mention there's maybe a murderer out there with unknown motives. Some questions answered, many more not. Let's see if your confusion about what's happening is because I'm good writer or because I'm a bad writer lmaoooo

Also, we're now in HELL MODE baby! Never actually beaten Hell Mode myself (not that I've tried very hard), but hopefully the Prince will have better luck than me.

Chapter 12: Endlessly Toiling

Summary:

The Prince, hoping Persephone can help come up with a plan to make peace with the Olympians and get him back to normal, attempts to escape the Underworld while under the brutal new conditions of the Pact of Punishment.

Notes:

Oh my god, it's been a year since i've first published this fic wtf. Thanks to everyone that commented, left kudos, or even just gave this fic a shot. Let's see if it takes me another year to finish lol

The heart and body were one. Though they had been realms apart for many years and grew separately from infancy to adulthood, they fit back together seamlessly. The body welcomed the sound and feel of the heart beating in its previously empty chest. With the heart’s power, the body ran and dashed everywhere, nonstop with relentless vigor. The heart never beat out of rhythm, never stuttered or caused pain for the body. It was perfect.

The Prince was perfect.

“Wow, back already?” Hypnos yawned as the Prince passed him. “That was fast. Oh, well, you’ll get ‘em next time, maybe.”

“Maybe!” the Prince said cheerfully. It was hard to be upset when everything felt so good. He felt like he could do anything! What used to be impossible for him was child’s play now…

“Um, Prince, what are you doing?” Dusa asked after he ran by her for the fourth time. He pivoted on his heel and ran back, skidding to a halt in front of her.

“I’m seeing how long I can run without stopping!” the Prince said, a little breathless. “I’m at two hours now, and I don’t think I’ll be stopping soon. Am I bothering you?”

“Oh, n-no, I don’t mind,” Dusa said. She looked awkwardly at him. “It’s just…is there a reason you’re sprinting for two hours straight? A reason you want to talk about?”

“Um, no I don’t think so?” the Prince said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Just wanted to run for a bit is all. I never was able to before. For fun, I mean, either of us. We ran because we had to, even though it hurt. But now, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I feel great!”

“That’s…good,” Dusa said hesitantly. “But…look, Prince, a lot has happened, and I’m not sure if you’re taking time to process everything? I mean, the fight with the vines was really intense, and I’ve never seen you so…scared. Before. A-Anyways, I know I’m not one to talk, but maybe take a break every once in awhile? Or at least drink some water? I don’t know. This is all so strange, I’m probably overstepping.”

The Prince stopped bouncing and looked at her seriously. “Not at all. You’re a good person, Dusa. I’m very glad Zagreus has a friend like you.”

Dusa’s eyes, including the ones in her hair, became shiny with tears. “Prince…you’re Zagreus.”

“Well, then I’m glad to be him!”

The body didn’t need breaks, though. Not when it had its heart. It could go on and on, running, slashing, striking, shielding, shooting, punching, casting…

“Oh, right, my Cast! I forgot I could do this!”

…and that didn’t even include the power the Olympians (and sometimes Chaos) granted him. He felt unstoppable with their power and they were most generous with what power they gave.

“Ahoy, Little Hades!” Poseidon cheerfully greeted the Prince as he always had. “Let’s make some waves in that gloomy Underworld, shall we?”

The Prince smiled. So far, the Olympians had been oblivious to his possession of Dionysus’ heart. They had been unable to see through the Underworld’s shroud of darkness and sense the change in the Prince like Chaos, Cerberus, and Nyx had (if any Olympians even could sense such a thing). Regardless, no one seemed to suspect the son of Hades of any foul play. In fact, if he didn’t know better, the Prince would have assumed all was well on Olympus and nothing was amiss with the god of wine in the slightest. No one even spoke Dionysus’ name. Then again, Zagreus hadn’t noticed when Dionysus stopped sending boons after he got banned from doing so by Zeus and the others, so who could say what was truly going on that mountaintop?

“Wait, you didn’t…? Wow. Okay, then…”

It wasn’t anything personal! With the repetitive and cyclical nature of escaping the Underworld, it was understandable how Zagreus could lose track of who wasn’t sending boons down as often. One run was damn near indistinguishable from another, even with different boons and weapons. Although, every now and then, something special would happen that would stick out in the Prince’s mind.

Gu-dong!

“Death approaches.”

The Prince broke out into a huge grin. “Than!”

“Hmph. So you’re still trying to escape even after everything that’s happened,” Thanatos said, annoyed, yet somewhat charmed. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Let me give you a hand, then.”

And a hand he gave. It made the chamber much more bearable. Honestly, he could have let Thanatos take the entire horde, but the Prince wanted to show Death Incarnate what he was capable of. That he could hold his own and stand tall next to him. That he deserved to…

“Good job,” Thanatos said simply as he handed over a Centaur Heart. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, Than,” the Prince said as Death Incarnate shifted away, his heart pounding for his dearest friend. It had taken him a bit to realize this beating was not a sign his heart was failing, but rather a side effect of a powerful emotion. The heart knew this feeling and felt this way many, many times before. The heart had been dear friends with the goddess of such.

Am I…in love?

Ha, of course I am! Man, I got it bad, but how could I not? Look at him!

I want to be with him. But…does he want to be with me? He practically ran away when I asked him how he felt.

Of course he wants to be with me. He was mad at me when I first started escaping because he was scared to lose me-

That wasn’t you.

That was…no, you’re right. It wasn’t me. It was Zagreus.

So…am I still Zagreus?

“Of course I am,” the Prince muttered to himself. “I mean, you are. You are Zagreus. Definitely. Who else would you be? Dionysus? As if, I’m Dionysus! Wait…”

While there was perfect harmony between the body and heart, the Prince’s mind was another story. Two gods with their own histories and personalities collided and bashed together, sometimes in a way that made the Prince unsure of who he was. Thankfully, the son of Hades had plenty of friends to listen to his woes.

“I don’t know where Zagreus begins and I end. Or no, where I begin and Dionysus ends. See, that’s what I mean! I’m just so confused and lost, it’s like I’m seeing things for the first time but I have knowledge and memories of these things that I didn’t have before, but I remember having these memories too? Am I making sense? Ugh, I’m sorry to dump this all on you. I really appreciate you listening to me. Here’s a Nectar for your trouble, Bouldy.”

“….”

“That’s very kind of you, Prince Z.,” Sisyphus smiled. “Bouldy and I are always happy to lend an ear. It’s no trouble at all.”

“Well, just in case, I’d like you both to enjoy!”

The Prince beamed in a way Dionysus would have as he handed Sisyphus a Nectar as well. The knave king was very grateful. Not a bad sort, the Prince determined. He understood why he was punished, but eternal punishment seemed so harsh, especially when Sisyphus had changed. Perhaps he ought to look into getting that fixed…once some of his own issues had been taken care of.

“Zaggrreusss…murr, muurrr…”

“Hi, Tis. Sorry things got intense the last time. Perhaps I can put down my comically-sized spear and you your whip and we can talk it all out-”

“Murderer!”

“Ahh, okay, I’ll fight you, take it easy!”

This time, the Prince was far more prepared to face the Tormentor of Murder, despite the conditions of the modified Pact of Punishment. He took his time, remembering the pattern of Tisiphone’s movements from past battles to avoid as much damage as possible while also not being afraid to rush in and strike with his weapon. Before he knew it, Tisiphone exploded into many bats and flew off to regenerate elsewhere.

“Zaaagggreeussss….”

Yes! Success! Take that, Pact of Punishment! Now to grab the Titan Blood-

“What the hell, man?!” The Prince whipped his head away from the massive floating glob of blood. “Why are we picking up globs of blood like it’s a collectable?!”

The Prince then recalled he was in possession of a Codex lent to him by Achilles that would answer such questions.

“…They feed on blood to get stronger?! That’s disgusting! You’re disgusting, Spear! Whatever your name is!”

The Eternal Spear, Varatha, remained silent and uncaring of the loud-mouthed Prince’s opinion of it.

“Eugghhhh, whatever, man.” The Prince kept his face turned away as he blindly reached out and put the Titan Blood in his inventory. “Ugghhh, I’m going to throw up…”

In an effort to forget how vile and tainted his inventory had become, the Prince sprinted up the stairs to Asphodel. He started dashing and found himself giggling. It was as natural and effortless as a twitch of a finger. He didn’t have to say a magic word or anything, he could just do it! It was incredible! He’d never walk normally anywhere again! He could even go through some walls, if he wanted!

“So, should I start calling you ‘Dagreus’ now, Your Highness?” Eurydice, the carefree muse and bride of Orpheus, asked as the Prince scarfed down his meal with fervor. He responded with his mouth full, an extremely Dionysus thing to do. He stopped himself and swallowed his food before speaking like a member of polite society.

“You know, you’re actually not the first person to suggest that terrible name.”

Eurydice laughed. “Hey, it’s better than ‘Zionysus’!”

“My friend Skelly would disagree,” the Prince said dryly. “So Orpheus has told you everything, then?”

“Yep,” Eurydice said, stirring the massive pot of pom porridge. “He was so frantic, telling me the wildest story I’ve heard, apologizing for not coming back sooner. But between you and me, hon, I never would have even known he was imprisoned if he hadn’t told me.”

The Prince frowned. “Really? But I could have sworn it had been months or something.”

“It probably had,” Eurydice shrugged, tossing more herbs in the pot. “Time really slips by for us shades, especially when you can’t keep track of it. But next time Hades locks Orpheus up for singing, especially after he got angry at him for not singing, you tell me and I’ll have a chat with him myself, okay?”

Holy moly. She’s so cool. No wonder Orpheus is mad for her…

“You got it, girl!” the Prince said with a big grin and a wink. “I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t come to that, though.”

Eurydice eyed him curiously. “Appreciate it, hon. Good luck with your whole heart/head situation. I’m always here if you need a meal and a song, okay?”

The Prince smiled. “Thank you, Eurydice, that means the world to me. Us? Anyways, I should…actually? Would it be all right if I listened to you sing? Just for a little while?”

Eurydice assured him that would not be a problem at all. She continued stirring her pot as she sang a song that Zagreus loved, hoping whoever the god he was now enjoyed it just as much.

“Farwell…To all the earthly remains…No burdens…No further debts to be paid…Altas…Can rest his weary bones…The weight of the world…All falls away…In time…”

“Goodbye,” Orpheus sang in the Great Hall as the Prince emerged from the Pool after he perished while aboard the Barge of Death. “To all the plans that we made…No contracts…I’m free to do as I may…”

Oh, grand, nasty old Hades seems to be letting Orpheus sing unbothered! The god of the dead was safe from Eurydice’s wrath. For now.

“Hey, Meg,” the Prince greeted the First of the Furies.

“Keep walking, Dionysus,” she said, keeping her eyes on Hypnos as he signed her in. The Prince sighed.

“You can just call me Zagreus, Meg.”

“You’re not Zagreus,” Megaera said, still not looking at him. The Prince positioned himself in front of her so she could see his face. Her eyes slid to him, her pink lips pursed in a thin line.

“As you can see, I’m not Dionysus either, Meg…”

“We could always call him Dagreus~!” Hypnos suggested in a sing-song voice.

“No, we cannot~!” the Prince said, copying Hypnos’ tone. Sleep Incarnate only smiled wider.

“Zionysus is good, too!”

“You’ve been talking to Skelly again, haven’t you?”

Hypnos giggled. The Prince turned back to Megaera, but she had walked off the second he had looked away. He sighed. Megaera obviously hadn’t taken this whole thing well and needed space, understandably. It didn’t make it hurt any less whenever she avoided him, though.

“Hey, don’t feel bad!” Hypnos said comfortingly. “So what if you’re a stranger to yourself and everyone you’ve ever known all because you did everything your dad told you not to do and ran away from home? At least you don’t feel tired anymore!”

“…Go back to sleep, Hypnos.”

“Okay!”

The Prince left Hypnos, but did not make it two feet before he heard growling. He immediately scrambled back from the scary, red hellhound that saw him as a stranger the most. The Prince felt sorry for the poor pooch; it was hard enough being two minds on everything, let alone three.

“Guess Father’s still away,” the Prince observed out loud as he looked at the empty desk. The lord of the Underworld had been scarce lately, making sure no one discovered the current state of Dionysus’ body. Hades had refused to explain exactly how he was accomplishing this, which was incredibly aggravating because the least Hades could do was be transparent for once. So the Prince proceeded to make what had been referred to as “a scene”. Achilles ended up having to drag the Prince to his room as he screamed all the worst insults Zagreus and Dionysus could come up with at Hades. And Dionysus knew quite a few colorful ones…

Hey, if anyone deserves to be sworn at, it’s that massive bellend.

“Say, Orpheus,” the Prince said, mind settling into place once more at the sight of the court musician. “The hymn you wrote, it’s scarily accurate despite it being a complete joke. Not to accuse you of anything, but is there something you’re not telling me?”

Phew, finally got the question out! Now to brace for earth-shattering revelations-

“No,” Orpheus said.

“No?” the Prince repeated. “Apollo or Hermes didn’t mention anything about where Dionysus came from?”

“No,” Orpheus said again. “The lyrics came from the tale you yourself told me. Although, I admit I took some creative liberties for a few of the verses.”

“Like that bit about my death giving rise to mortals?”

Orpheus nodded. “Yes. That part was based on another tale Lord Dionysus told me whilst I was still living. I suppose you might not recall, even with his memories, but he took it upon himself to ‘cheer me up’ after I lost my Eurydice and failed utterly to save her. Much like yourself, he would regale me with fantastical tales of his deeds, hoping it would inspire me to play a happier tune. Such as his escapades in Egypt and India, or when he gave King Midas the power to turn all he touched to gold.”

“Gosh, you remember all of that?” the Prince smiled, touched. “I didn’t think you cared for them. But you do know that most of those stories were all rubbish, right?”

“Your humbleness knows no bounds, my friend,” Orpheus said, ghostly eyes shining with blind faith. “Now that your heart and body are one once more, you ought to take pride in the many great deeds of Dionysus as you do in your own.”

“But none of that stuff happened! Think about it, what do grapes and vines have anything to do with gold?”

“I cannot think of an answer. Which makes it all the more inspiring! For if Dionysus could perform such miracles with your heart, and you could easily endure so many trials without it, why, think of all you can accomplish now that your wondrous heart is back in your chest.”

“That…actually is inspiring…”

Fates knew he could use some encouragement, certainly. With the Heat Gauge stuck at a ludicrous five and an annoying condition that makes him more vulnerable, his actual escape attempts had been going rather poorly. Even though he was much stronger and his stamina was limitless, the mind and body were still out-of-sync when it came to combat. So after several more failed runs, the Prince asked the combat expert of the House for some guidance.

“I know what the problem is!” Skelly gave a toothy grin. “You zigged when you should of Zag’d, Zio!”

The Prince sighed, flat on his back in the courtyard. He had asked Achilles to help get his combat instincts back on track, obviously. But the Bloodless couldn’t help but play the role of peanut gallery as the greatest of the Greeks whaled on him.

“As much as I hate to say it,” Achilles said, helping the Prince get back on his feet. “He is not wrong.”

“He’s not?”

“I ain’t?”

Achilles gave a nod. “My last attack, you started to dodge to the left, but went right suddenly. Why is that?”

The Prince frowned as he tried to remember. “You jabbed at me as I came up to you straight on. I thought about going left because you’re left-handed and it’d be harder for you to swing the spear and block my swing mid-attack.”

“Good,” Achilles murmured, his impressed tone warming the Prince’s estranged heart. “Do you know what made you reconsider?”

The Prince put a hand over his chest. “I think I was afraid you would hit my heart if I dodged that way. One hit there and I’m dead. I’m not used to having such a huge weak spot.”

“I understand, lad,” Achilles said gently. “I know about fighting with a weak spot all too well. However, that doesn’t mean we let such vulnerabilities hold us back. It is good not to be reckless, but if you hesitate, you’re sure to be killed in an instant out there. Remember, fear is for the weak.”

“Fear is for the weak,” the Prince said softly back, a reflex his heart was really starting to like. “Hm, maybe the Dionysus part of me needs a bravery lesson rather than a combat lesson.”

Achilles smiled. “Hah. I’m afraid that is something one has to learn on their own. But if you ask me, Lord Dionysus has plenty of courage already if he was willing to defy the gods for your sake.”

Heat rushed to the Prince’s face. “Ah, well, that was more stupidity than bravery, if I’m being honest.”

“Ain’t no line finer,” Skelly said with a toothy grin. “But sometimes stupid is the smart thing to do, know what I mean, Zio?”

“Right on, man. But please stop calling me Zio.”

“Sure thing, Dag-o. ACK!”

“Good form, lad,” Achilles said as Skelly disintegrated temporarily. The spearman studied the Prince a moment. “But I do wonder if perhaps a change in weapon might be more complimentary to your new state of being.”

“I’m way ahead of you!” The Prince ran to the shield. “With my new strength, lugging around Beowulf’s aspect of Aegis will be no problem, and it’ll keep me safe when I’m charging in! I’ll take more damage if I do get hit, but what’s life without risking it all every once in awhile?”

Something flickered in Achilles eyes. “Indeed…”

A memory of a lone shade sitting in a gorgeous field knocked the wind out of the Prince’s lungs. The shade of the fallen warrior, with hope in his eyes, had requested the Prince pass on a message to his beloved. To risk it all so that they might be reunited at long last. Zagreus had been close to making that a reality…but then the Prince freed Orpheus, forgetting what he had been saving his diamonds for.

“You know, sir,” the Prince said slowly. “The Fates rewarded me for freeing Orpheus; they gave me some, eugh, blood, and I got some from Tis earlier. I could go to the Broker and trade them for some diamonds-”

“Highness, I am deeply touched that you would consider spending your resources for our sake, but I must insist you use them for yourself,” Achilles said firmly, almost stern. “Things have changed. The House was attacked, an Olympian has fallen into a coma, and you…you’re…”

“Going through a lot?” the Prince finished. Achilles let out a shaky, breathy laugh.

“That’s one way of putting it, yes. The point is, Patroclus and I can wait. I don’t think Dionysus can.”

“I…all right. If you’re sure,” the Prince said hesitantly. He felt guilty, irrationally so. Almost as if it was his fault Achilles and Patroclus had been separated in the first place, even though that made no sense.

A lively feast…his family all around…a golden apple rolling in the grass…

“Lad?”

“I…I should go. Thank you for everything, sir.” The Prince, Aegis in hand, ran to the window to start his attempt and definitely not to run away from Achilles. “Wish me luck!”

“You don’t need luck, lad. I have the upmost confidence in you,” Achilles said with complete sincerity. The Prince nearly wept that someone so great had so much faith in him.

“Artemis was right, you’re the best, Achilles!!”

Unfortunately, the Prince would not escape that particular time and would end up back in his father’s house after being struck down in Asphodel, for there-

“There is no escape, yeah, yeah,” the Prince muttered bitterly, stepping out of the Pool. He went to the West Hall to see if Thanatos was there. Seeing him always cheered him up.

“Zagreus,” Death Incarnate greeted him with a nod. The Prince’s heart started to quicken as he stood next to Thanatos as if it was screaming at him to stand nearer, put his arm through his, rest his head on his shoulder, do something to express the feelings he was experiencing.

“Hey, Than,” he said instead. “Any news from upstairs?”

“No,” the brooding son of Nyx said, frowning at the red water. “I couldn’t find Lord Dionysus’ chariot or his leopards, and I wasn’t able to find any ‘clues’ where you were attacked, either. I think the snowfall covered up any tracks left behind.”

The Prince sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that. But thanks for checking anyway, man, I know you could get in a lot of trouble with the big man, I would have done it myself, but this new Pact, yikes, man, it’s, like, ‘Hell Mode’ or something, you know what I’m saying?”

The Prince was about to continue his light ranting, but he found he couldn’t say a word as Thanatos looked sadly into his eyes.

“Than? What’s wrong?”

Thanatos turned back to the swift current of the River Styx with a pained expression. “Every time I speak to you, you sound more and more like Lord Dionysus. Mother says you’re still in there, but…what if one day or night that’s not the case? What if Lord Dionysus…takes over?”

“I rather think I’m too stubborn to let that happen, Thanatos,” the Prince said after a pause.

Thanatos let out a huff of a laugh, tension in his shoulders bleeding out. “Hmph! Well, you’re not drinking or stealing away all the women in the area to join your cult. That’s something, I suppose.”

“Night’s still young, Than. Or day. Whatever time it is.” The Prince reached a hand up to cup Thanatos’ face. “Don’t worry, love, we’ll figure it all out-”

Thanatos flinched and stepped back quickly before he could be touched. Regret slammed into the Prince like a boulder, and he withdrew his hand. Blood rushed to his face, aided in its ascension by his perfect heart. Thanatos looked flustered as well and was really making use of his hood to prevent direct eye contact with the Prince as he stammered out apologies.

“I-I’m sorry, Thanatos, th-that wasn’t me, that was-”

“It’s fine, really, caught me off guard is all-”

“I didn’t mean to, well, I did mean to, but I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, man-”

“Really, it’s nothing to be so bent out of shape about, Dionysus—Zagreus. I meant Zagreus, I…I need to go, there are some mortals I need to collect, I’ll see you-”

“No, wait!” the Prince cried out as Thanatos vanished before he finished his sentence. “Blood and darkness!”

The Prince waited there for a bit, knowing Thanatos wasn’t likely to return any time soon. But eventually he left the hall, knowing he couldn’t wait for Thanatos forever.

But I said I would wait for him. Didn’t I? Or did Dionysus say that to someone else? What…what was the last conversation Thanatos and I had?

I…I can’t remember…!

“Child,” Nyx said, scaring the ever-loving Tartarus out of him. “Are you all right?”

“Yep, never better!” the Prince said with a big smile. “Hey, question for you: how did my heart end up inside Dionysus in the first place?”

“I know not of the exact circumstances of Dionysus’ birth,” Nyx said after a pause. “I understand, however, that he was born prematurely and required extreme measures to be taken in order to survive.”

“Yeah, Dad sewed me into his leg because I was born too soon,” the Prince said slowly. “Did he also sew Zag’s heart into me because I would have died otherwise? Is that why Father cut ties with Dad and Olympus? Gods! I can’t really blame him, then, I don’t know what I’d do if I found out my brother stole my son’s remains. Then again…if it was my son dying and there was only one way to save him…”

The Prince trailed off and stared off into space. It took Nyx a few tries to regain his attention. Once she had, he immediately asked a question as if mere moments rather than minutes had passed. Nyx did not call this to attention.

“Why didn’t you or Father just take the heart back? Didn’t want to risk Dad’s ire?”

“Zeus’ ire is of no concern to me,” Nyx said coolly. Her expression softened, probably because the Prince looked a little scared. “Regardless, Dionysus was well into his adolescence by the time I discovered his heart had been replaced with yours. It would have been exceptionally cruel to end his life prematurely. We were content to wait until his life ended naturally to collect the heart.”

“Except the Fates have a sense of humor, and Dionysus turned out to be immortal,” the Prince said. “Yet you didn’t give up and convinced the Fates to go easy on Zagreus. He doesn’t need a heart to live, at least in the Underworld; he fades pretty quickly up on the surface, huh?”

“That’s right,” Nyx said. “I had hoped you would avoid your father’s fate, but you are bound to the Underworld as he is.”

“But now I have my heart,” the Prince said. “So I should be fine on the surface now, right? Not that it matters. It wouldn’t solve anything to hide away on the surface with Mother. I don’t think I ever really thought it would…”

The Prince went silent again. Nyx only called to him once before deciding to wait for him to speak. His brows twitched and furrowed as many different thoughts ran and collided in his mind. Eventually the Prince spoke again, forcing his tone to be light and casual.

“You mentioned there could be ‘devastating consequences’ if I found my heart,” the Prince said. “You couldn’t have been a bit more specific, seeing as you knew potentially what said consequences were?”

“No,” Nyx said. Her eyes glittered with regret. “I made a binding oath of silence in regards to anything about your heart to prevent worse consequences than you have experienced thus far. Do not ask me to elaborate, please. I fear I already said too much.”

The Prince frowned. If Nyx didn’t fear Zeus, then she wouldn’t fear Hades. So if the one she was forced to make an oath to wasn’t either of them, who silenced her? Who was Nyx afraid of?

“…The Fates,” the Prince said. “They told you about these ‘consequences’ and you made an oath to-”

“Child,” Nyx said sharply, urgently. “Do not invoke my daughters thus. I have told you all I can. Please let us leave it at that.”

The Prince closed his mouth halfway to a pout. “Fine. Can I just ask one more thing? Is Father my dad or is Dad actually my father like in Orpheus’ song? Wait, that might’ve not made sense-”

“Zagreus is the son of Hades,” Nyx said carefully so there was no confusion. “Dionysus is the son of Zeus. That you can be certain of.”

“And that Poseidon’s my uncle!” the Prince added brightly. Nyx’s mouth twitched.

“Indeed.”

With that, the Prince retreated into his room. He walked over to his desk and glanced over the Fated List of Minor Prophecies. It hadn’t change since the last time he looked at it.

“Hey, where’s the ‘The son of Hades will get his heart back after some psycho ripped it out of the god of wine’s chest and shoved it back into him’ prophecy?” the Prince asked sardonically. “Although, I guess I’m glad it’s not here, I’d be pretty upset if you ladies categorized that whole mess as ‘minor’.”

Hold on a moment. You might be onto something there. There might be an honest-to-goodness prophecy out there about our heart! One that the Fates wanted Nyx to keep secret…

Maybe. But why keep the prophecy secret? Prophecies always come true no matter what, don’t they?

Well, actually, sometimes prophecies need a little nudge to get them going. Just look at the Minor Prophecies, you wouldn’t have thought to do some of this stuff without it written out.

That’s true. So the Fates would want to keep a prophecy secret because they didn’t want it to come true? Gods, what kind of horrifying prophecy would that even be?

One we don’t want to think about. We’d best forget about it and keep this to ourselves; the Fates are ladies we do not want to go against.

Is it even possible to go against the Fates?

Asclepius did, didn’t he? He brought someone back to life.

Well, he tried. That was enough for Zeus to smite him.

Gods, this was already terrible without throwing “major” prophecies into the mix. I hope I’m wrong. Yeah, I’m probably wrong…

“All right,” the Prince breathed out as he stood before the Pact of Punishment. “Time to go die again.”

 

 

Megaera shot flurries of projectiles at the Prince, which he easily blocked with Aegis. There was no limit to how long he could hold his defensive position. He readied a charge powered by his Cast until the right moment.

“Sorry, lass!” the Prince said when he slammed into her with Aegis, killing her. He then grimaced with embarrassment as the Styx took her back to the House of Hades. At least he didn’t call her “girl” or “love”…

“Phew, it is hot!” the Prince gasped as he entered the fiery plains of Asphodel. “Worst than Hephaestus’ place, I swear! Hope I run into Lady Demeter or-”

The Prince paused when he saw the image of the boon that would be his reward for clearing the first chamber of Asphodel. It had an orangey-yellow color with the symbol of a wing of a bat bird. Instead of excitement and elation of seeing the boon of this particular god, an ugly bitterness stormed in his perfect heart. The bastard, the liar, the two-timing wanker! Hermes must have known about the heart, he was there when Dionysus was born, both times! He knew everything, and he didn’t say a word! Well, Hermes and his stupid blessing can burn in the Phlegethon for all he cared!

“Good thing I switched up the talents on the Mirror,” the Prince said as he waved a hand to change the chamber reward. The orange boon was replaced with Artemis’. Much better. Because Artemis didn’t know, she couldn’t have, she stayed away from all that drama. And she would have told Dionysus if she knew. Right?

The Prince took a deep breath when no one had an answer. He wanted to sit down and cry, but this was not the time or place. He had to keep going. He had to get to Persephone…

“But first I got to get through you,” the Prince said as the skeletal guardian of Asphodel loomed above him. “Hello again, Lernie. It’s been awhile.”

The hydra’s glowing pupils became slits as she beheld the Prince for the first time since he became whole. Her bones rattled in a way it never had before and an ear-splitting hiss rang throughout the cavernous arena.

“You can sense him, can’t you?” the Prince said. “Dionysus. Although, I suppose you knew him as ‘Iolaus’.”

Lernie hissed viciously at the name. Afraid for his brother’s life when going up against the deadly hydra, Dionysus had taken the guise of a mortal man and fought by Heracles’ side. Thankfully, not many remembered “Iolaus” in Heracles’ story and none knew his true divine identity. None except the hydra herself. How flattering.

“What’s wrong, Lernie?” the Prince taunted the beast who was only a shadow of what she used to be in life. “Don’t like hearing the name of one of your killers? Think you can take me on when you couldn’t when I was weak and sickly?”

The magma started to rise and flood the center island. Lernie wanted him dead and was going to use extreme measures to do so, even if it was unauthorized. The Prince noticed his cheeks hurt. He was smiling.

“That’s more like it! Give me all you got!”

The battle between the Prince and multi-headed hydra was just as deadly and chaotic as he remembered it being. The hydra’s main head was tethered to the center of the magma-filled arena. The Prince launched himself from one island to another with Aegis, hitting Lernie as he passed. Eventually, the hydra summoned extra heads, adding even more chaos to the tiny space. Since they were bathing in magma, the Prince didn’t need to worry about cauterizing any heads before destroying them with the massive metal board that was Aegis. Once the side heads were vanquished, the main head broke free of the tether and chased the Prince throughout the arena, which was honestly terrifying and would have been the end of him if he didn’t have his shield. As the hydra slammed into the shield over and over, the Prince grimly remembered the words that awaked Beowulf’s aspect in the first place:

I see you stand your ground against the serpent’s flame.

And that’s exactly what the Prince did.

“Not good enough, Lernie! Artemis!”

“I have them in my sights!” the goddess of the hunt cried before releasing an arrow that shattered Lernie’s main head in a single blow. The Prince’s impossibly wide grin grew even wider as he saw the skull shatter into many pieces. It was almost as satisfying as the first time he killed the serpent.

“Always a pleasure,” the Prince said, bowing cordially. He smiled at Aegis. “Beowulf’s going to be in good hands. Erm, shield strap.”

When he straightened up, a huge diamond the size of his torso was floating a foot or two in the air. If only Heracles had been so handsomely rewarded for his trouble; all he got was another labor to do for breaking rules that hadn’t been established beforehand.

“Stupid Eurystheus. ‘I ordered Heracles to slay it, not Heracles and his sickly squire!’ What a load of—whoa…”

The Prince stopped and beheld the beauty of Elysium. No fire, no gloom, just lush green fields with plenty of little buildings that housed the greatest mortals who ever lived. He walked up to a ledge overlooking the area and took a knee, placing his hand on the grass to confirm it was real.

Mother grew this, the Prince realized with a jolt. I can feel it, this is hers. It’s almost like she’s here…

“I’m halfway there, Mother,” the Prince whispered. “Gods, that’s depressing.”

Even so, he stood up and straightened his back, determined to see this through. He was going up against the greatest warriors who ever lived; he couldn’t falter now.

“You got this, man….Thanks, mate. How bad could it be?”

 

 

“I hate Elysium…” the Prince whined as he entered a chamber he knew would be safe. He was badly hurt, nearly out of Chthonic Companion summons, out of being able to die, that was a problem! He wasn’t tired, exactly, but it was as close as he had gotten after becoming whole. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

“…is he, too, lost to me as you are? Will I ever see either of you again? Am I doomed to wait eternally in this hollow paradise for a sign that my faith in that stranger was not in vain…?”

Hmm, someone was either practicing a soliloquy for a play or having a crisis. The Prince cautiously walked up the steps and found a familiar bearded shade sitting on the grass. The fallen warrior ceased monologuing and his eyes widened at the sight of the Prince.

“You…”

“Hello again, sir,” the Prince said pleasantly. The shade, Patroclus, beloved of Achilles, narrowed his eyes at him.

“Who are you?” the shade asked, tone as cold and hostile as it was when they first met. The Prince’s new heart sank.

“Sir, it’s me, don’t you recognize me? Don’t tell me you drank from the Lethe!”

“I know who you resemble,” Patroclus said, tone dripping with suspicion. “But you cannot be him.”

“I can’t?” the Prince asked, freaked out. “What do you mean?”

“You did not break the urns in the corner there when you entered.”

Oh. He was teasing him. His tone made it hard to tell.

“Are you serious? Come on, I don’t break them every time, do I? Even when there wasn’t a shiny one amongst them?”

“Who are you, and what have you done with my stranger?”

The Prince smiled. “You got me, sir: I have acquired the heart of Dionysus, the god of wine, and his consciousness has mixed with mine. As a result, some of my mannerisms may seem off to you, but I am mostly the stranger you remember me to be.”

“Fine, then, keep your secrets,” Patroclus said. “And take one of these while you’re at it.”

The shade held out an assortment of goodies. The Prince smiled and was about to thank him, but then he remembered what Kiss of Styx did for his death defiances.

“I have previously stated that Achilles was the best, but I now give that title to you, good sir,” the Prince said with great gravitas. “In saving my doomed run, you have also saved Olympus, the Underworld, and the god of wine. I shall ensure all the realms will sing your praises from dawn to dusk for all eternity. Thank you.”

“Hmph. It mustn’t have been too bad if you’re this energetic,” Patroclus said, his expression mostly dismissive with a hint of interest. “I daresay you look well for a change.”

“I feel well,” the Prince said. “But it’s only temporary. I’ll be back to normal soon enough.”

“Is that right? A pity. I suppose it is for the best, though, lest the urn population grow out of hand.”

“Perish the thought.”

“Hmm. Take care, stranger.”

“You as well, sir. And…I’m sorry.”

The shade of the fallen warrior frowned. “Whatever for?”

A golden apple, rolling in the grass…

“For…making you wait. You and Achilles will see each other again, I’ll see to it.”

Patroclus’ mouth twitched, but he gave nothing else away. “I’m sure you will. Now off you go. The Champion is waiting.”

The Prince, with many things unsaid, turned and left the shade alone to his eternal paradise. He rushed passed Charon’s shop and boldly entered the Stadium. Time to face the Champion and the Bull of Minos.

Let’s risk it all, Zag.

Fear is for the weak, Dionysus mate.

“Aha! The daemon has finally returned, Asterius!” Theseus declared in his arrogant way. “I had started to think it finally had gotten through your wicked head that you are no match for the Champion of Elysium or his brother in arms, the Bull! A shame to see I was wrong, a rare occurrence, indeed!”

“Ohh…” The Prince winced. “You’re worse than I thought-slash-remember…”

“Cease your muttering, blackguard!” Theseus said sharply, rudely. “The only ‘slashing’ that will be occurring is that of Asterius’ axe through your heartless torso! Referring to your heartlessness metaphorically and literally speaking!”

“Wait a moment, king,” the Minotaur said, letting out a snort from his snout as he studied the Prince intently. “There is something…different about him.”

“I was wondering if you would be able to tell,” the Prince smiled warmly at the Bull. “It seems only those with superior senses can detect my…blessing. I’ll keep the effects of it a surprise, but I can tell you it’s from the god of wine himself.”

“Hmph! It matters not what blessing you possess or from whom, fiend!” Theseus said haughtily, not at all nervous at the mention of the god whose bride he scorned when living. “Asterius and I will defeat you just as we always have: together! Is that not so, my friend?”

Asterius didn’t answer. His hackles were raised, his feet ready to drag across the ground before he charged. Like with Cerberus and Lernie, the Bull sensed Dionysus within the Prince and did not like it and wanted him destroyed as soon as possible. Thankfully, he couldn’t just summon his gold armor and Macedonian chariot to go full out.

“By the way, I have a message from Lord Dionysus!” the Prince grunted as the Bull pushed him back into the Stadium wall. “He’s always wanted to met you, he’s heard so much, not just the bad stuff, but good stuff too because he actually knows your—augh!”

“Enough talk, short one.” The Bull of Minos pulled his axe out of the Prince’s shoulder. “Focus.”

The Prince’s vision swam a bit at the sight of the red blood glinting off the steel, but he didn’t have time to faint because stupid Theseus had snuck up behind him and thrown his spear at him. It grazed his side, but it didn’t do too much damage. If he kept taking hits like this, though, he wasn’t going to last. He needed to take some of the heat off if he was going to take these two down…

“Skelly!” The Prince summoned his friend, who was all too happy to take some hits from Theseus while the Prince tangled with the Bull. Asterius and the Prince traveled all around the arena. At some point he locked eyes with Asterius and saw he looked confused that he was able to keep up with him so easily. The Prince only grinned at him; Hades was going to need to brief his Champions better on Dionysus’ “blessing”.

“Asterius!” Theseus cried out in agony when the Prince took down the Minotaur. He then raised his spear and pointed it toward the heavens. “Olympus, hear my call!”

Lightning started to rain down on the arena. Hot white rage surged through the Prince’s veins at the sight and sound of the thunder bringer’s power. The very shield Zeus once wielded against the Titans now protected the heart-having Prince as he mercilessly hit the Champion of Elysium blessed by the king of Olympus himself. The Prince had been in awe of Nyx when she had said Zeus’ ire was of no concern to her. Now, as lightning struck him and attempted to fry his skin and melt his insides, he knew exactly what she had meant: the fury of a miserable, pathetic, craven god like Zeus was nothing compared to his own.

“After Father, you’re next, Dad,” the Prince growled to himself. He then shouted, “ARTEMIS!”

“Taking the shot!”

Theseus fell to the goddess’ arrows and dissipated. The Prince puffed his chest out proudly as the roar of the crowd washed over him. Dionysus had people cheer for him, sure, he was a god, but it was never for feats of strength, stamina, or combat prowess. He could certainly get used to this…

Ah, right, the Ambrosia! The Prince trotted up to his prize and muscle memory took over as he ran to the western side of the arena. He needed to dedicate his victory to his one fan before he could even think about leaving Elysium.

No! He could do the Good Shade one better! He would gift the Shade the bottle of Ambrosia! The arena fighters on Olympus did that sort of thing all the time. Usually for their sweethearts, but it could be platonic too! The Prince backed up from the wall to get a running start and leapt upwards to grab onto the railings. The nearby shades gasped and cried out in surprise and alarm, but the Prince didn’t care. If they wanted to take issue with it, well, he still had his weapon and divine blessings.

“My Good Shade!” the Prince said, his face flushed from the thrill of doing something so impulsive and outlandish. “For always cheering me on, I would like to give my winnings to-”

The Prince stopped. The Shade in Red was staring wide-eyed at him, surprised, flustered. Her features became clear to him, instead of the shadowy blur of a face the millions of other shades he saw every day. She was a small woman of incredible beauty; she had dark eyes that were perfect for getting lost in and equally dark hair covered by a red hood. The Prince knew he knew her, but couldn’t recall a thing about her. All he had was the tightness in his chest and a name, a name that would stay in his immortal heart long after everything about Dionysus or Zagreus had disappeared.

“Ariadne…?”

Notes:

I will now be referring to "The Prince" as Dagreus in the author notes from here on out because that's what I call him irl. Let me know if you're Team Dagreus or Team Zionysus in the comments lol

This is probably my favorite chapter; it's basically my love letter to the game as Dagreus tries to get through hell mode and interacts with all the Underworlders. I love this game and all the characters so much, especially Achilles, if you couldn't tell lol. Except when Patroclus comes in clutch with the Kiss of Styx.

Chapter 13: Gone

Summary:

Face to face with the shade of Dionysus’ bride, the Prince is faced with old yet unfamiliar feelings that jeopardize his escape from the Underworld.

Notes:

Hey hey, it’s been awhile! Been super busy but I’m back with a super angsty chapter! Enjoy!

Ariadne, Princess of Crete, daughter of King Minos, half-sister of Asterius the Minotaur, wife of Lord Dionysus, was none other than The Good Shade, Prince Zagreus’ one and only fan-

“You’re seriously doing this now?!” the Prince growled underneath his breath. Thankfully, the uproar from the crowd drowned out his grievance with the elderly voice in his head and Ariadne was none the wiser as she took the Bottle of Ambrosia from him.

“You honor me, sir. I humbly and happily accept your gift,” she said with the grace and poise of a stoic royal. She then gave the same cheeky grin she always did to the Prince of the Underworld. “However, seeing you defeat the Champion so handily is more than gift enough to last me lifetimes!”

The Prince opened his mouth, but no sound came from his throat. He wanted to throw his arms around her, hold her close, but the memory of Thanatos’ face when he had tried to touch him made him resist. He didn’t want to upset her. He didn’t want anything to hurt that smile, least of all himself.

“Take this in return, sir,” Ariadne was pressing something soft into the Prince’s hand, moving too fast for his stunned mind to catch up. “It is not much, but I hope it will aid you on your journey.”

The Prince numbly looked down at his hand at the shade’s gift. It appeared to be a simple ball of yarn, but it was much more than that. It was hers, spun from her own hands. All the Ambrosia in the world couldn’t compare.

“Good Shade,” the Prince said, eyes only for her. “I…Lord Dionysus, he’s-”

“Oi, go back to Tartarus, you pasty rakefire!” someone in the crowd shouted.

“You wha-?!” The Prince swiveled his head to the rude heckler. “You want to have a go next, mate?!”

“Yeah, bring all four feet of you, shorty! Or should I count that stupid barnet of yours? What’s that make, four-and-a-half?”

“Prithee, ignore them, sir,” Ariadne said before the Prince could throw his shield at the tosser. “What were you saying? Speak quickly, before they start to-”

“Wait, is the Challenger harassing that maiden?!” a warrior shade cried.

“Theseus was right, he’s a scoundrel and a blackguard!”

“Leave her be, cur!”

It was quite fortunate his weapon of choice was a shield with how many spears and arrows were aimed at him. The Prince, startled, was thrown off balance and slipped off the railings back into the Stadium. With Aegis raised to block all attacks coming from in front of him, the Prince looked up at the red shade peering down at him. Ariadne gave a small shrug and a rueful smile. She held up the Bottle of Ambrosia to him and inclined her head to him thanks and farewell. But he couldn’t just leave her, not again!

“Blood and darkness!” the Prince swore horribly when an arrow managed to get him in the shoulder when he tried to get closer to the wall. It was no use. Even if he did get back up to the stands, then these dead maniacs might hit Ariadne trying to get to him!

“Run, sir!” Ariadne called when the Prince did not move. “Don’t bother with them! They’re not worthy of your time! You have much left to do, don’t you?”

The Prince gritted his teeth, but lowered his shield to scramble to the massive door leading to the surface. When the door shut loudly behind him, he staggered backwards into it. Aegis disappeared as he slid down to the ground, his legs giving out from underneath him. He cradled the yarn ball in his pale, calloused hands. They were not the hands that held the woman he just left behind, that cupped her cheek and wiped tears away with a thumb, that held back her hair when she was sick from wine or a child growing inside her. The hands that failed to heal her after she had been stabbed fatally with a spear…

“I…I saw her die, I was holding her, how…how could she be here?”

Of course she’s here. This is the Underworld. Where did you think she went after she died?

The Prince clutched his chest as his pounding heart slowed gradually. He almost thought a heart attack was coming as hot tears slid down his cheeks. They were quickly wiped away, but the Prince sat there for a long time. He eventually stood up and climbed up the stairs to the Temple Styx. Escape from the Underworld was within reach. He had to keep going. He had to keep going…

“Hey, Cerberus,” the Prince said sweetly, but he doubted he was heard over the furious growls and barking. “Good doggy, nice doggy, man, you are real mad right now, okay, message received, I’m just gonna get some things from Charon, okay? There’s a good pup!”

The Prince ducked to the right into Charon’s big shop area, the dog snapping at his flaming heels. He walked past the two Hermes boons to stand in front of the Aphrodite one. He placed a gentle kiss on the Yarn of Ariadne before offering it to the goddess of love in exchange for higher quality boons. His family had adored the Cretian princess in life, after all, and appreciated every reminder of her. However, when he paid the ferryman for the boon and saw Aphrodite’s visage, she did not speak or present her choice of boons at first. The Prince frowned, wondering if she had acquired a cat that had made off with her tongue.

“Uh, Lady Aphrodite? You all right?”

“Dionysus…?”

With a gasp, the Prince swiped Aegis across the pink orb, causing it to disappear. How did Aphrodite sense him? That couldn’t have been the first time she had given him a boon since he got his heart, was it? No, he definitely already picked up a boon from her on this very run, it was what was powering his Cast!

But before the Prince could descend into a panic spiral, the pink boon of the goddess of love reappeared before him. Aphrodite had resent it, probably to unleash her fury at being rejected; she hated when people did that. Or perhaps she wanted to find out why the hell Dionysus was accepting her boon in the Underworld of all places.

If we don’t pick it up, it’ll confirm that we’re hiding something, the Prince reasoned as he tentatively raised his arm to accept the message. And it’ll make her angrier. We don’t want that. Our heart’s been through enough.

“So sorry about that, my little godling!” Aphrodite said, sounding frazzled while pretending to be just dandy. “We must have lost connection for a moment. I hope you didn’t take my slip of the tongue personally, dearest? You see, when I felt your heart just now, it felt like…”

Aphrodite trailed off. The Prince put a hand over his heart as if that would hide its presence from the goddess of love. She could sense Dionysus now. Was it because of Ariadne? Was Dionysus’ love and heartbreak for her so familiar to Aphrodite that she was able to sense it realms away in another person?

“Well, never mind me, dearest!” Aphrodite said. She sounded…sad? “Let’s get you all settled and on your way, hm?”

The Prince hesitated, but chose a boon, which was a bit stronger than usual. A bribe to carry on as if nothing happened? What was she thinking? What did she know? What didn’t she know? Could he trust her? Could he trust anyone?

“It won’t matter,” the Prince muttered as he approached the many gates that led into the tunnels of the temple. “We’re almost out. We’ll have Mother and peace with Olympus before we know it. We just have to stay focused.”

The Prince paused at the first gate. He remembered vermin and cultist satyrs inhabited the neglected Temple of Styx. Living beings that he had to actually kill to progress. He didn’t like that. He knew it was him or them, he knew they were trespassing and defiling a sacred temple, but…

“Achilles…he comforted me about this before. What did he say? Whatever it was, it worked, so let’s pretend we remember what it was and just go for it!”

Oddly enough, that got him moving through the gate. The chamber was so chaotic and filled with vermin and satyrs that the Prince didn’t have time to hesitate. Plenty of time to after slaughtering them, though.

“Okay, think of it this way: after Ariadne died, I thought she was gone forever, but she was there in Elysium! That’ll happen with the satyrs. They’ll probably end up in Tartarus, realistically, but they won’t disappear or anything, so it won’t matter if we kill…them…”

The Prince trailed off as the weight of his words pulled down on his shoulders. What was he saying? Of course it mattered. Life was precious, it was everything! Dying wasn’t as simple as packing up and moving to a different place!

…Was it?

“N-No, it’s not,” the Prince said, hands shaking. “When mortals die, I never see them again, that’s why it’s so awful and sad when they go, it’s like your heart freezes over.”

“Never fall for mortals,” Demeter’s words of wisdom came to him. “Use them if you must, but don’t waste your love on those who waste away.”

“Gods, this is awful,” the Prince whispered, clutching his chest with both hands. “This is worse than with Than and Meg! Is this…is this really what ‘grief’ feels like? Dionysus mate, how do you stand this?”

Phantom sounds of revelry and laughter rang in his head. The joy of feasting and having a good time with those where were still around while they could filled his heart. Wine and Nectar were a part of it, sure, but without friends or family, what good was any of it? And Dionysus, his family, was counting on him. So he had to forge on, no matter what, even if he had to murder every vermin, satyr, or weird crystal thing in the Temple.

“There’s a thought,” the Prince breathed out as he faced the door. “If we kill them all, they’ll go to hell together, and there will be no one left to miss them, yeah?”

After several trips through the tunnels of the Temple Styx, culling it of vermin, the full-hearted Prince found a fetid sack to give to Cerberus. However, the multi-headed hound still was wary of the Prince in his current state and would not accept it.

“One of these days, old man,” the threat-making Prince vowed vaguely. “Or nights. Damn! What am I supposed to do, run around him? No way I’m fast enough for that!”

The Prince looked over at Charon’s shop and let out a sigh. He glumly padded over to one of Hermes’ boons and paid the ferryman’s fee. Desperate times.

“So you’ve finally got your heart back, eh, Boss?” Hermes’ words came rushing out of his mouth as if they could not wait to reach the Prince’s ears. The still image of the god had caught him mid-run. “About time, too, folks have been waiting a long time for this. Shame about Dionysus, but not much to be done about that, though, is there?”

With that, Hermes was gone, leaving the Prince to pick his boons and his jaw up from the floor. Shame about Dionysus? About time? What? Hermes didn’t care that Dionysus was in a coma? No, that couldn’t be true! He had to be missing something, there had to be some sort of explanation, Hermes may be a liar, but he wouldn’t lie about caring about Dionysus!

“Haaah…hahaha…what am I thinking? Of course he would. He’s the god of trickery. He only…practically raised me like a son…saved my life countless times…said I was his favorite brother next to Apollo, it’s not like…it’s not like I was special or anything…”

As despair over the apparent betrayal of Lord Hermes overwhelmed the two-minded Prince, the infernal hound Cerberus grew quiet, no longer sensing the intruder masquerading as his master’s son. Now, he was far more receptive to being bribed with a fetid Satyr Sack.

Cerberus’ heads all perked up when he spotted out as his master’s small son cautiously crept closer. The head on the right bent down and enthusiastically licked his face, the other two rubbing their wet noses against his arm and side. The Prince smiled and petted Cerberus just how he liked it.

“Here, boy, I’ve got a treat for you. Here, it’s still, ugh, warm.”

Cerberus gratefully accepted the Satyr Sack and stomped off to eat in peace, happy whatever dark power had been possessing his master’s son was gone. Had he stayed for a moment longer, he would have sensed that was not the case.

“Augh…!”

The Prince clutched his head as the whirlpool started spinning again. Everything that ever happened to him (or one of him) hit him all at once, and he nearly fell to his knees. He swiftly forgot most of it, and he was back to how he was before he discovered Hermes betrayed him. If only he could forget that particular detail as well.

We don’t know that Lord Hermes-

Who do you think Dad got to steal your heart in the first place? The god of thieves could never ever say no to him. Probably helped Nyx take your heart back out of guilt or spite…

Mate, Nyx didn’t attack you, she was with Charon-

Charon’s her son and mates with Hermes! He obviously covered for them!

No, that can’t be true, it doesn’t make any sense! If we just talked to Lord Hermes properly-

“Look, I cannot deal with this right now, I just saw my dead wife, my best friend barely recognizes me and doesn’t know I’m in the worst trouble of my life, and I just murdered a ton of satyrs in cold blood, can we just go? Please? I want to get out of here already…”

With great sigh, the Prince ran to the door out of the Underworld and threw it open. Shockingly cold winter air blasted the Prince in the face when he stepped outside. He took in a deep breath of the fresh air and savored it. He had just one more fight, the big boss himself and he’d be done. The Prince walked forward until he saw Hades standing at the edge of the water, the moon and stars above reflecting off the lake’s clear surface like a mirror. The lord of the Underworld was wearing his usual battle regalia and silly, long red cape. He had his back to the Prince, dramatic as always, but it seems like he was in the middle of a conversation.

“…trespassing in my domain! You have no business being here!” Hades said furiously, but with far more gentleness than he would use normally. It was like he was scolding a very young Prince Zagreus after he attempted to touch his bident, Gigaros. The Prince raised his voice to be heard from across the clearing.

“Erm, am I interrupting something? Father, who are you talking to?”

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Hades turned around. His arm was up and in front of his torso to provide a level perch for the little owl on his arm. The owl looked absolutely miniscule compared to the god he was standing on, especially when he seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible. The owl was shaking and his big eyes were wider than normal as he smoothly swiveled his head to look at the Prince. While Zagreus was by no means an expert on birds when heartless, it was plain to anyone with an iota of empathy that the poor thing was scared to death.

“Erm, hello?” the Prince greeted the owl, so bewildered by this turn of events. “Father, why are you harassing the local wildlife?”

“He is far from local, boy. This is an owl in the goddess Athena’s employ,” Hades said, displeased. “I caught him trying to hide in the trees shortly before you arrived.”

“Mew…” the little owl cooed apologetically. The Prince frowned.

“Why does he sound like the little chariots in Elysium?”

“Never mind that,” Hades said. He addressed the owl severely. “Owl of Athena. Keeping in mind that the last intruder of my realm was slashed to ribbons and burnt to a crisp, explain yourself at once lest you suffer a similar fate.”

“Hey, hey, easy, man!” the Prince cried as the little owl nearly fainted in terror. “That’s not how you treat a guest! Humble servant of Athena, I do apologize for my father’s rudeness. He has an annoying habit of assuming the worst in others and acts scarier than he is so people take him seriously.”

“You little bast-”

“I promise no harm will come to you,” the Prince continued. “We do not wish to invoke Lady Athena’s wrath; she loves her owls more than she loves her family. Especially her family…”

The little owl chirped anxiously, stuck between the reassurance of Prince’s words and the fear of Hades’ threat. Hades large brows furrowed deeply as the little owl seemingly cooed around the bush for a time. The Prince mirrored his father’s countenance, studying the owl until he broke into a smile.

“Hold on a moment, I know this owl, he works in the library! Horus, is that you?”

“That is not his-” Hades started to say, but the little owl gave a shrill little cry of excitement for only one person had ever called him by that name. The tiny bird flapped his wings and jumped off of Hades’ arm to glide to the Prince’s bare one.

“Ow. Ow. Mind if I put you on my pauldron, little guy? Your little talons are very sharp.”

“Mew!”

“You oaf, that’s not how you pick up a-”

Hades was interrupted mid-rant as Horus hooted excitedly at the Prince. The young god listened intently, nodding along.

“I have no idea what you’re saying,” he said.

“He has mistaken you for Dionysus,” Hades said, his voice tight. “This is Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld, although he does share a fair amount of the god of wine’s foolishness so I can see how you could make that mistake.”

“Don’t listen to the mean old man, Horus, we’re both brilliant,” the Prince said to the confused owl with a smile. “Lord Dionysus and I have a special connection. We’re the same god, you see, and what he knows, I know. And I know that you, Horus, are the most clever, helpful page in Athena’s library.”

Bright-eyed Horus bashfully turned his head away 180 degrees in a vain attempt to escape the flattery of the silver-tongued Prince. Nevertheless, he fell for the honeyed words the son of Hades continued to shower upon him.

“I can only imagine the wisdom and integrity required to be trusted by Lady Athena to handle her scrolls and tomes,” the Prince said. “So I have full confidence you have a valid reason for being here. If you would be so kind as to tell us your business so we might assist your mission? It must be important.”

The avian page, without the gift and curse of speech, hooted at the Prince, unable to say that he had left his post on Olympus to retrieve the map of Greece gifted to Lord Dionysus by lion-hearted Heracles, who had neglected to renew it after checking it out from the library of Lady Athena all that time ago.

“You flew all the way here from Olympus, risked your life and the peace between Olympus and my realm, for the sake of returning a bit of parchment to its proper place?” Hades gave the owl a nod of respect. “Commendable.”

“No, that’s mad!” the Prince said. “Horus, what were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed! Wait, Father, you heard all that just now?”

“Of course I heard him, boy, he was quite clear,” Hades said, gesturing to Horus.

“No, not Horus, the…never mind. Since when could you speak bird?”

“I speak the tongues of all who enter my realm,” Hades said imperiously. “Or trespass. How could I listen to the wretches make their claims otherwise?”

“How, indeed,” the Prince said, sorry he asked. He turned back to Horus. “Why did you come here for the map?”

The question-asking Prince did not remember that each scroll and tome of Lady Athena’s library was enchanted so that they might be tracked down should they become lost.

“Oh, yeah,” the Prince muttered. He had a vague, terrifying memory of myriad owls descending upon him after attempting to hide a scroll from the library as a prank. “So wait, if you tracked the map here then does that mean it’s in the Underworld?”

Horus did not know. The map’s location had been difficult to pinpoint, but the avian page knew it was somewhere close.

“Okay, I think I understand now,” the Prince said. “Horus, could you fly over to those pillars over there for a spell, I need to have a sidebar with my father.”

Horus complied with the Prince’s request, thus making him unable to hear the subsequent bickering between Lord Hades and his progeny.

“Father, did you take Dionysus’ body from Olympus and bring it to the Underworld?!” the Prince hissed. “Is that what you’ve been doing all this time in secret?”

“Don’t be daft, boy!” Hades hissed back. “How would I accomplish such a thing without being detected?”

“Uh, you’ve got the Helm of Darkness, don’t you? You know, the thing that makes you invisible?”

“Have you forgotten Dionysus’ blasted vines?” Hades asked. “I would have had to pry his body from them, causing more of a commotion than just letting the Olympians find him naturally! Or risk killing his body outright!”

The Prince refused to acknowledge that was a very good point. “Okay, so what have you been doing? Nothing, apparently, because we have a sweet owl here poking his beak around for Dionysus! Wasn’t making sure that didn’t happen your job?”

“You neglected to tell me Dionysus stole from Athena, perhaps the one goddess capable of glimpsing through Nyx’s veil!” Hades snapped. “Bah! ‘No one was tracking me’, indeed! What were you thinking?”

“Don’t blame me, I had no idea the map was from Athena’s collection!” the Prince said. “Al—Heracles gave it to me and…forgot to renew it, I guess.”

“And here yet again you blame others for your incompetency! You should have never trusted that simpleton, so incapable he cannot follow the most basic of instructions!”

“Hey, don’t call him that! Yeah, he’s not the smartest fruit on the vine, but he’s…Wait, hang on…”

“Don’t you dare lecture me after all the uncouth insults you spouted at me in my very halls!” Hades said. “Even Nyx would have washed your mouth with soap had she heard even half of the filth you-”

“Shut up, man,” the Prince said, annoyed. He sighed and said, “Sorry. I meant, I think I know what might have happened.”

The god of the dead crossed his arms and scoffed. “Have you now? Has your memory conveniently returned to you or is it another baseless accusation?”

“Call it a hunch, Father. You see, I don’t think Dionysus actually had the map on him before he found Mother’s cottage and was attacked. I think he had left it with his-”

The Prince charged forward with Aegis mid-sentence, catching Hades by surprise. The god of the dead hadn’t expected his progeny to attack while he was still talking. It wasn’t Zagreus’ style to do something so underhanded. But as everyone kept pointing out, the Prince was not Zagreus.

Unfortunately, Hades was never one to fully let down his guard down. He summoned Gigaros from the earth and blocked the Prince’s attack at the very last moment. Hades pushed him away, confusion, anger, and even betrayal on his face. The Prince grinned back, loading up all his Casts into his shield.

“Ah, crying shame, that, thought I’d get a hit in before we started proper! Well, can’t blame a guy for trying, eh? Oh, don’t look at me like that, Uncle! You see, I’ve reached an epiphany traveling through your nasty Underworld this last time around: I don’t give a bloody darkness what’s going on or all these plots and schemes you gods and Fates got cooking! Doesn’t change the fact that I need to defeat you, does it, so why not we cut the chit chat and get right to it?”

Hades fully growled and threw off his cape, which burnt up in the air. “Boy…!”

“Mew?!” Horus stared in shock as the two gods before him attacked each other. He had no context whatsoever to the cause of their fighting and was unable to leave as a divine boundary kept all the opponents inside the general area. He had no choice but to bear witness to the legendary battle between father and son as well as be uncomfortably present as they worked out years of emotional hurt through the medium of deadly combat and loud arguing.

“You lied to me, you’ve done nothing but lie to me!” The Prince screamed as he charged into Hades, weakening him with Aphrodite’s power. “You’re still lying to me! After everything you put me through, everything I suffered because of you!”

“You know nothing of suffering, boy!” Hades yelled back as he attempted to swipe at his son. The Prince dashed to the edge of the arena, throwing the heavy form of Aegis back at Hades.

“I don’t know suffering? I don’t know suffering?! I was hunted down by the queen of gods when I was just a little kid! And all I did was be born!”

“Precisely!” Hades shot skulls at his son, which bounced harmlessly off Aegis. “You have Dionysus’ memories, you should know exactly the sort of cruelty, destruction, and chaos our kin is capable of! Yet you insist on bringing it upon yourself, upon your home, upon your mother!”

The Prince attacked the skulls with his shield so they wouldn’t send out devastating necrotic waves. “I don’t even know who she is because of you! You kept her from me and me from her! You kept my whole family from me because you’re nothing but a damn coward!”

Gigaros circled around Hades as he charged his power. “Insolent little-!”

“Don’t you realize how lucky you are?!” the Prince shouted as he blocked the beams of fire and sulfur. “Your wife is out there, but you won’t even try to talk to her!”

“She is the one who left!” Hades roared, forgetting himself in his rage. “What would you have me do, keep her prisoner? I was respecting her wishes to be left alone-”

“If you really respected her, you would have told her the truth and let her make the choice whether to stay or not herself! Instead, you made the decision for her and ran away! You’re no different than the Olympians!”

“Darkness!”

The fire stopped, and Hades was nowhere to be seen. The Prince lowered his shield and quickly looked around for any sign of movement or sound, but there was nothing. He caught sight of Horus and had a moment of hesitation out of concern for the owl’s safety. He raised his voice and addressed his father, wherever he had gone.

“Do you know what I’d give,” the Prince said, “to see my own wife again? To hear her voice? You can do that any time! Your wife isn’t dead, she’s out there, just let me go and I’ll get her! Please, I don’t want to fight anymore…”

That was when Hades reappeared and struck him in the back with his massive bident, “killing” him. The Prince shrugged it off and put himself and his shield in between Horus (who was perfectly fine) and Hades.

“Artemis!” the Prince called for the goddess of the hunt, who dealt a mighty blow to the god of the dead. But the god did not fall. He summoned a little army of wretches, in fact. Cheater.

And thus, the full-hearted Prince fought with all his newly found might and power, but it was all for naught. Grim Hades would send his progeny back to his dreaded house, leaving him with an owl of Athena and the lingering echo of the Prince’s final words:

“YOU HAD A SECOND PHASE?!”

 

 

Zagreus’ fingers still remembered how to play the lyre. He was no Orpheus, certainly, but he definitely played better than Dionysus, who had no skill whatsoever in the instrument. He was more into pipes and flutes, the instruments of the satyrs. And singing. He loved singing. Apparently, “the Prince” did, too.

“Hear, O Gods, my desperate plea…To see my love beside me…”

The Prince shut his eyes as he sang. He was in a forest just outside an “uninitiated” town, the feast he was holding in full swing. Many from the town had joined the celebrations, mostly women. His maenads were pulling him left and right, laughing, dancing, singing, drinking the night away. Ariadne had to drag him to the side to rest when his breath became too labored. His chest hurt, but the smiles on everyone’s faces were worth it.

“Close enough that light we can see…”

Eventually, the authorities from the town followed the torch light of their feast to break it up and drag their women back to their homes. Or to prison. He told everyone to flee, and he rushed toward the soldiers with his thyrsus in hand. If he could slay a hydra, he could handle a couple of mortal feast-crashers!

“My doubt betrays the better of me…”

Ariadne ran after him, yelling at him to stop being stubborn and to just come with her. He told her he would be fine and that he could handle this, but she just wouldn’t listen for some reason! Did she not trust him to protect everyone? Did she think him lesser than the rest of the gods, too?

“A glance to the stern is all it would be…”

Fed up, he half-turned back to yell at her that he was a god, he wasn’t weak, he was stronger than anyone there, and he didn’t need her nagging him. With his body twisted, the spear that he hadn’t seen thrown at him merely grazed his torso, harmlessly passed his worthless heart…

“That anguished shade shall haunt me.”

…and right through Ariadne’s.

“Lad?”

The Prince opened his eyes and he was back in the courtyard, standing near the ledge that looked out over all of Tartarus. Dark buildings stood tall in the green light of Ixion, shades lighting up in the gloom like many wretched stars in the sky. The Prince did not turn around to face his mentor. Don’t look back…

“Are you all right?” Achilles asked.

“I read your entry on Dionysus in the Codex, you know. On me. About how I love mortals, but cut ties with them when they die. ‘Why confront the woes of the dead when you can live in eternal feast?’ Something like that.”

“I…truly, I meant no offense-”

“Death was always on my mind when I was a kid,” the Prince said. “Hard not to with the sort of heart I had, not to mention the scary goddess queen out to get me. Every single day could be my last, and…it scared me. But I couldn’t be scared, stressing about my impending death would only put strain on my heart, killing me faster, so I pretended nothing was wrong, that everything was fine, I wasn’t going to die, I wasn’t going to be sent to a dark spooky place with all the bad people for killing my mom during childbirth. The Underworld was nothing more than a story, a tale Hermes came up with to comfort a frightened kid with a weak heart that death wasn’t the end. That when people died, they didn’t go anywhere, they were just…gone.”

Achilles said nothing. The Prince took in a deep breath and let it out shakily before he continued.

“Even when Zag came along, it all felt like another story. Old, grim Hades actually had a sweet, polite kid that wants to escape the Underworld to join the Olympians? What fun! Zag crushed the hydra whose poison killed my little brother? Serves her right! Poor Orpheus found his lost bride and went on to write plenty of new songs? Brilliant! What a nice, happy end to a miserable, tragic tale…”

“Is that why,” Achilles said softly, “you modified my Pact a few hours ago? So I could have my ‘happy end’ as well?”

The Prince hunched his shoulders. “You’re mad, I know, but you and Patroclus should have never been separated to begin with, that whole war never should have happened, the gods should have never dragged any of you into our squabbles, they don’t understand how precious mortal life is, how it’s precious because it’s so short compared to eternity, but I do now, I really do, I’m so sorry, Achilles-!”

“No, no, no, none of that, lad.” Achilles put a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. “I don’t know what memories of Lord Dionysus’ are having you say these things, but you have nothing to apologize for. You had nothing to do with that war or our deaths.”

The Prince looked up at him miserably. “No, you don’t understand, Dionysus, he was, I was-!”

“We mortals made our own choices during that time. I won’t place the blame on anyone else for my actions, not even the gods.” Achilles cracked a small smile. “Pat wouldn’t let me get away with it. So don’t ever apologize for what happened during that time. Either of you. All right?”

The Prince bowed his head and gave a resigned nod. The shade then sighed and pulled him into an embrace, which he reciprocated. It was cold, like hugging his little brother, but the arms around him were comforting, like hugging his big brother. He gritted his teeth and held all the tears in, unable to stop the damned golden apple in his memories from rolling into the crowd.

“May I show you something?” Achilles said after awhile. “I think it might help you feel like your old self again.”

The Prince nodded glumly like a despondent child having been promised a treat. He followed Achilles to the center of the courtyard. The warrior went to the upper corner where the gap between Aegis and Coronacht was. In that space, Achilles placed a staff of fennel topped with a pinecone, locked with many chains of darkness.

“My thyrsus!” the Prince gasped. “How did you steal it from Father?”

“The same way I stole the Infernal Arms,” Achilles said, mischief in his small smile. “He had put it in the same place, luckily. Although, he put far more locks on it than the others.”

Even so, the Prince ran up to the thyrsus and used twenty Chthonic keys he got from dying repeatedly in Tartarus to unlock it. He clutched the thyrsus close to his chest, a tension he had not known existed in his heart finally easing. He turned to the blonde shade and smiled gratefully.

“Thank you, Achilles. This means more to me than you know. But why did you say this would make me feel like my ‘old self’? I’m not-”

“Lord Dionysus is a part of you now,” Achilles said. “To discount his experiences and feelings would only be a detriment to you, and from what I gather, he is very much connected to this staff. While you have claimed Dionysus is no fighter, he is a survivor. You need to be both if you want to escape your father’s realm. Is that what you still wish?”

“Yes, it is,” the Prince said firmly. “I know my family’s awful, and I probably can’t trust most of them, but…I know better than anyone that blood alone doesn’t make family. So you know I mean it when I say the gods are mine, Olympian and Chthonic. I’ll be damned if I let them destroy each other. I’m not giving up on them, not yet. Not until I know the whole truth of their lies. Even if I’m terrified of what else I’ll find out. Fear is for the weak.”

“Fear is for the weak,” Achilles said firmly. The Prince smiled, but it wavered as he gazed down at the thyrsus. He would need to hide it when accepting boons from the Olympians, but it was exactly what he needed. The minute that Dionysus had been fully gone from his head scared the hell out of him. What if Dionysus hadn’t come back? Forcing himself to grieve over Ariadne to feel like Dionysus would only work for so long, especially since he could just…go and talk to her. No, the signature accessory of the god of wine was a much better way to ground himself.

“You know, you should probably make yourself scarce for a bit so Father doesn’t accuse you of stealing the thyrsus,” the Prince said. “Might I recommend a certain glade in Elysium? There’s a chap that hangs about there, a gloomy gent, but not a bad sort, I think you’d get along. Go to him, sir. You’ve waited long enough.”

Achilles smiled wryly. “If you’re certain you’ll be all right…Farewell for now, lad. I cannot thank you enough.”

A teleportation circle with the symbol of the god of the dead appeared under the shade’s feet. In a blink of an eye, Achilles disappeared off to Elysium to be reunited with his beloved at long last. Another happy end. If they hash things out, that is.

If they can do it…maybe Ariadne and I could…

“So you gonna whack me with that stick or what, Zio?” Skelly piped up. “ACK! Sorry, I meant Dag. ACK! OW! OW! Yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket, keep it comin’!”

“My life is so bizarre now…”

Notes:

Okay so, the reason "Dagreus" asked why Horus sounded like the Flamewheels (which are the fucking worst I hate them) is because Zagreus doesn't know what a cat sounds like or really what a cat is sound like kittens and the reason the flamewheels sound like cats when they charge you is because they are the small version of the big chariots, the Nemean Chariot, have lion faces painted on them, which is a reference to the Nemean Lion, the lion Heracles killed in his First Labor and where his lionskin came from. A very complicated joke that i am very proud of.

But going back to the sad stuff, I wrote Ariadne's death a bit differently than the original myth. In some tellings, apparently Dionysus and Perseus, yes Medusa's Perseus, were fighting each other because Dio was being too rowdy with his feasts i guess and when Perseus threw a spear at Dionysus and missed, Ariadne was hit instead. But this story is already so complicated, I’m not throwing in the drama of Dionysus’ wife being killed by his half brother, it’s too much so I just had a rando stand in for Perseus because it doesn't really matter who did it, Dionysus blames himself either way :'(

Also in other news, I freaking beat Hades on 32 Heat!! Despite the Joy Con drift my stupid Switch Lite has (I had fixed it before, but immediately got it again a few months after, rip me), I did it and I had to share my achievement here because only two of my friends play Hades and I need validation from people that understand lmao

Chapter 14: An Old Friend

Summary:

As he continues his toiling through the Underworld, the Prince finally has a chance to talk to Ariadne. Little does he know that another from his past waits ahead.

Notes:

Hey, it's been a hot minute since I updated, don't worry, still plugging away at this fic, the latest chapter I'm working on just took me a bit longer than usual due to the Baldur's Gate 3 hyperfixation rearing it's head again as I tried to beat Honor Mode (basically perma-death) with a character I made to look like Zagreus since I thought I'd be...which I did! So hopefully it won't take as long to update next time, I like to post monthly.

Also Nero_Nexus made some fanart based on this fic and it's amazing, so go over there and give them some love!

The run was going fine…ish. If the Prince ran into Patroclus, that would be super, but he was running out of opportunities to find his glade. He was already at the mini-boss of Elysium. His chances of making it out of the Underworld were slim, but it wasn’t zero. He needed to be perfect, especially when going up against the Bull of Minos himself.

“You have the same blessing as last time, short one.” Asterius’ nostrils flared when the Prince entered his chamber. “I can smell it.”

“I hope it’s not a scent that offends. But yes, the god of wine certainly favors me. Although, I noticed those that can sense the blessing become rather…hostile. You yourself seem a little perturbed. Can you explain to me why?”

“It is hard to describe it,” Asterius said shifting on his hooves. “I feel… angry. Like I did in life when all I had ever known was the labyrinth and wished to tear down its walls and all those within.”

“That’s awful,” the Prince said. “I am very sorry, it’s not an effect I have control over.”

“Do not be. It gives me strength, if I do not surrender to it fully. Let us see if it is enough.”

It was not, as it turned out, but Asterius put up a good fight. He had to yield and the Prince cheerfully bade him farewell as he left the chamber. He picked up a blessing from Athena, who didn’t have much to say, and was about to move on when he caught a glimpse of his own face out of the corner of his eye. There was a tapestry of himself hanging from the railing of the stands where the souls of Elysium watched the Bull of Minos battle. And standing at the tapestry of the Prince…

“It’s you!” the Prince gasped. The Good Shade smirked.

“It’s me,” she said. Her smile faded into something more formal and poised, yet it was nonetheless genuine. “Well met, sir. That was a fine match.”

“Thank you, Lady Ariadne,” the Prince said, heart aflutter. So he wouldn’t be accused of staring, he said with a sheepish chuckle, “Erm, sorry for beating up your brother, though.”

Ariadne shook her head. “Do not be. He enjoys sparring with you, even if he does not state it.”

“Heh. While I’m not thrilled to be in danger of his axe every time I come to Elysium, I am glad he enjoys our matches. But I must ask, does it bother him to see that you’re cheering for me rather than him?”

“If it does, he has not made his displeasure known to me,” Ariadne said. “He has definitely seen and recognized me while I have been watching his matches. Other than those brief glances, we do not engage with each other whatsoever.”

“Oh,” the Prince said, not hiding how sad that made him for her. The red shade only smiled as if amused.

“Do not mourn for us, sir, there is no bad blood between us, so to speak. We simply have nothing to say to one another.”

The Prince, with no small amount of effort, pushed down the burning desire to “fix” Asterius and Ariadne’s relationship. She said everything was cool, so everything was cool. Besides, he needed to fix Ariadne’s relationship with Dionysus. She probably hated him for getting her killed in the first place-

“I apologize for taking up your time, sir, but might I inquire after Lord Dionysus?” Ariadne said. Eagerness cracked her perfect poise. “You mentioned you carried a powerful blessing from the god of wine, and I’ve seen his blessings on you during your matches, so I assume you are in some sort of contact with him? In life, I knew him quite well, although it has been some time since we last met. I imagine he’s long forgotten a simple mortal such as I.”

“Forgotten you?” the Prince said. “You’re his wife, how could he possibly?”

“I am dead,” Ariadne said. “And he will live forever. We had our little time, but his is infinite. He will not waste it mourning one mortal among the myriad he has lost and has yet to.”

Why confront the woes of the dead when you can live in eternal feast?

“He spoke of you to me once,” the Prince said, remembering that fear was for the weak. “I had one of your balls of yarn and he recognized it straightaway.”

Surprise lit up her face. “He did? What…what did he say of me?”

“That you were a right attractive one.”

Oh, gods, what was wrong with him? That was a completely inappropriate thing to say, even if it was true! Blood and darkness, this was Thanatos all over again…

“That sounds like him,” Ariadne said, unfazed. “He always was one to wax poetic.”

Was she…serious? Her countenance was hard to read, so the Prince couldn’t tell.

“Ahem, w-well, from the way he said it, I’m sure it was meant respectfully-”

“Respectful?” Ariadne almost looked insulted. “Perish the thought.”

The Prince’s face burned, awkward by how giddy that made him. “I-In any case, it was clear he is still quite fond of you. He has so much to tell you, if you wished to hear it. I wouldn’t want to interfere with your eternal peace and bliss by bringing up the past, especially if you’ve…moved on.”

“What does Dionysus have to tell me?” Ariadne asked after but a moment’s pause.

Yes! She still loved Dionysus! Enough to want to hear from him, anyway. Now, the Prince had thought carefully on how he was going to present the situation to Ariadne; he did not want to alarm her by callously telling her that Dionysus was stuck in a coma after having his heart and soul ripped out of him and put inside the warrior prince she had been cheering for, resulting possible irreversible psychological damage to them both. He did not want to lie or hide anything from her, either, but some tact and discretion regarding some of the details would be necessary if he wanted her to believe and trust him. He needed to ease her into this madness gently.

“You see, Dionysus and I made a tremendous discovery concerning our origins,” the Prince said. “Long ago, when I was an infant, I was torn to shreds by the Titans. All that remained was my heart, which never stopped beating. From that heart, came Dionysus.”

“I see,” Ariadne said without batting an eye. The Prince frowned.

“That doesn’t surprise you?”

“Did Pallas Athena not sprout from her father’s head? Was Dionysus himself not sown into his father’s leg after he was born three months prematurely? The children of the Underworld’s Lady Nyx were created solely from her. A god’s conception is not bound by mortal limitations.”

“Fair enough,” the Prince said. “But the thing is, the heart that was originally mine found its way back to me. It beats in my chest as we speak. But it does not pain me as it did for Dionysus. It gives me the strength I was meant to have as a god. That’s the ‘blessing’ I referred to earlier.”

“Dionysus gave you his heart?” Ariadne asked, merely mildly impressed. “Or, I suppose it’s your heart, isn’t it? That’s incredible, I had no idea he was capable of such a thing.”

Yeah, neither did I! “I have more than the god of wine’s heart within me, lass. I am truly one with Dionysus now. I have his memories, his soul, everything Dionysus was and is, I am, too. I am him and he is me. We are the same god. I know it sounds unbelievable-”

“I believe you.”

“What?!” The Prince gave a start at the blind trust this woman had. “Just like that? You’re not even going to ask me questions to prove I’m me? You have every right to doubt me; I just told you the wildest story about how Dionysus grew from a severed heart and is now in the body of his cousin-”

“My brother has a bull’s head,” Ariadne said with such seriousness that the Prince burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, yeah, got me there, lass! But still, I could be lying or mad or-”

“Of course you could. But let us say you are telling the truth and you are Dionysus,” Ariadne said. “Let’s say you’ve convinced me. What now?”

“I…I don’t know,” the Prince said. “I didn’t think I’d get this far, to be honest. I guess…I just wanted you to see me as me and not…but you can’t, can you? I’m not me. But I will be! I’ll be myself again once I escape the Underworld and return my heart back to Dionysus. Then he will speak to you face-to-face, if that’s what you want.”

“Then, we are exactly where we were before,” Ariadne said with a satisfied nod. “You will continue fighting on, and I will support you unyieldingly and smile when you win.”

“But this time you’ll be waiting for Dionysus,” the Prince pointed out. “Right?”

“As I said,” Ariadne said, expression unchanging. “We are exactly where we were before.”

Oh…

“My Good Shade,” the Prince said with solemnity befit for one of his station. “I dedicate the rest of my run to the surface to you. Watch and behold the true power of the son of Hades!”

Ariadne smirked. “I look forward to it!”

The Prince left her and breezed through the rest of Elysium, looking deranged as he blasted through the exalted warriors and chariots down with Exagryph with a huge smile on his face. What had he been so worried about? That was so easy! He should have known; Ariadne was as agreeable and trusting as Orpheus! She really was amazing…

“…Are you even listening to me, daemon?!” Theseus shrieked at him. The Prince didn’t even look his way, content to commit every detail of his Good Shade’s visage to memory.

“Hm? Oh, no, your voice is annoying,” the Prince said as Theseus sputtered indignantly.

“H-How dare you?!!! My voice is melodic and pleasing to the ear! Tell him, Asterius!”

“Please stop yelling in my ear, king.”

Properly antagonized, Theseus did not make it easy for the Prince. However, the Prince was still running on the high of his promise to speak with his heart’s beloved. He dispatched both Theseus and Asterius and claimed the Ambrosia for Ariadne.

“Oh, sir, I cannot accept another-”

“The first one was from Dionysus!” the Prince said, clinging to the rails awkwardly. “This one’s from me. Save it to share with him. I wish the both of you luck.”

The red shade blinked at him. She slowly took the Ambrosia and clutched it to her chest, a complex emotion in her eyes that the Prince couldn’t place. She eventually gave him a small grateful smile, and the Prince was proud he caused it.

“Thank you.”

The Prince grinned and got the hell out of the Stadium before all hell broke loose. He climbed up to the Temple Styx, determined to make this run the last, despite his wounds and on his last chance. Cerberus was waiting for him, tense and ready to throw down. By the time the Prince found a Satyr Sack and returned to the multi-headed dog, Cerberus was practically frothing at the mouth to tear into him.

“If Asterius feels like he’s back in the labyrinth when I’m around, what’s going on with you, boy?” the Prince asked the agitated hellhound. He slowly approached him. “Is it like when I first left the House and you wrecked the lounge? Are you that upset? Cerberus, I’m doing all I can to get back to normal, but I need to leave and find Mother. Persephone, remember? She’ll know how to fix everything, I know it. So do you think you can accept my bribe and let me go? For Zagreus’ sake?”

The Prince offered the Sack. Cerberus begrudgingly took it and stomped off, one head looking mournfully, yet hopefully, back at him. The Prince took a deep breath and opened the door to the outside where someone was eagerly waiting for him.

“Mew!”

“Horus!” The Prince bent down and picked the little owl up. “You’re alive! I thought Father would have killed you or locked you up, he does that sometimes, especially to me, would you believe it? Ow. Ow. Okay, up on the dog skeleton shoulder pad you go.”

“Mew, meew!”

“He is not Dionysus!” Hades called angrily. He had his back to them and his shoulders hunched angrily, giving the air of a sulky child. The Prince chuckled to himself.

“Been giving mean old Hades grief in my stead, eh? Good on you, Horus. Keep it up and that map will be yours before you know it.”

Horus puffed up his chest with determination. The Prince went on to praise him for a bit, stroking his feathers with a finger. Hades made a noise of disgust. The Prince walked closer, a big, smug smile on his face.

“Guess what, Father. I am officially better than you. I just had a conversation with my estranged wife, and it went great!”

Hades half-turned his head at that declaration. “Your…? Ah. You speak of Ariadne. Leave her be, boy, that poor woman has suffered enough due to our blasted family, she doesn’t need you harassing her whilst you’re half-mad.”

“I think Ariadne is perfectly capable of telling me to leave her alone herself, she’s a strong independent woman with questionable taste in men,” the Prince said firmly. “Sound familiar?”

“Just what are you implying?” Hades asked, knowing exactly what the Prince was implying.

“I think you’ve got a shot with Persephone.”

That was not the sentence Hades expected to hear. “Excuse me?!”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Uncle! You’re in shape, your hair’s great, could use some sleep, you seem exhausted, but that can be fixed easily. I’m just saying if you played your cards right, starting with letting me walk out of here unscathed, you can make quite the impression on her! What do you think?”

“I think,” Hades breathed out, “that this will be the first time I kill someone and not feel a shred of guilt! And as for you, owl of Athena! Consider this my final warning to you: go home.”

“Horus isn’t scared of you, Father,” the Prince said as the owl cowered on his shoulder. “And neither am I. I’m going to beat you this time and send you back to the house where you can freshen up for your reunion with Persephone! Maybe put on something nice, something other than a silly red cape? Unless she’s into that, I guess.”

“Blood and darkness, shut your mouth!!”

“Talk to your wife, damn it!!!”

The fight was brutal. Exagryph performed exceptionally, powered by two Daedalus Hammers and its range allowed the Prince to put some distance between himself and Hades. However, Gigaros had a long reach and Hades was much faster and relentless in his second phase. The Prince fell, although he did much better this time, despite being much weaker going into the fight. Next time for sure!

“Ugh, but I have to go through all of it again!” the Prince groaned to Hypnos. “And it’s so hard to get through it all without dying at least twice. How am I supposed get through it all?”

“Have you tried doing exactly what you did before when you were good?”

“I-!” The Prince was about to tear into the smartass before a thought occurred to him. “I…haven’t actually. I hardly remember all the times I made it out. Perhaps I can look at the records in the Administrative Chamber and try to get the same boons I did when I escaped. Thanks, Hypnos!”

“You’re welcome!”

The Prince was about to turn away to go straight to the Administrative Chamber when a chill went down his spine. There was something watching him from the Pool. He didn’t know how he knew that but he did. A feral, animalistic instinct took a hold of his body and rooted him to the spot; he did not move a muscle except for his heart. If he moved, he would die; he knew this for a fact.

But even so the Prince slowly turned his head and saw nothing. Just the Pool, still and red as always.

“Hypnos,” the Prince spoke softly. “Did someone else come through the Pool just now?”

“Hmm, nope, just you!” Hypnos said after checking his list. “And Megaera before you, but that was a little bit ago. Why?”

Despite the receptionist’s words, the Prince couldn’t shake away the feeling of impending doom. Without answering Hypnos, he slowly approached the edge of the Pool and tried to peer into the opaque blood-colored water. Was that a ripple? A new shadow that hadn’t been there before? What did the Pool look like when someone was underneath the water, holding their breath, waiting?

The surface of the water broke as something large and dark burst forth from its depths. The Prince pulled the thyrsus of Dionysus out and raised it up with both hands to block the two pairs of claws coming for his throat. He was knocked to the ground as the intruder pounced on him, large fangs just out of reach from his face thanks to the length of the thyrsus pushing back on the big cat’s throat. Brilliant yellow eyes furiously bore into his very being as the black leopard attempted to bite his face and claw his eyes out.

“Anubis! Anubis, wait!” the Prince cried. “I’m not—augh!”

Anubis clamped his fangs on the thyrsus and ripped it out of the Prince’s hands, throwing it over his shoulder into the damn Pool. The Prince desperately grabbed Anubis’ snapping jaws and tried to hold him back that way, hissing as Anubis’ claws sank into his shoulders. A very unhelpful memory of the same leopard ripping apart a whole crew of pirates limb from limb after they had kidnapped his master came to the Prince in that moment. A far worse fate than being turned into a dolphin, certainly.

“Somebody, do something!” the Prince yelled.

As if in response, Anubis was pulled off him. The black leopard let out a guttural growl of rage as Achilles, truly the greatest of the Greeks, returned from Elysium just in time for his shift, wrestled and pinned the wild beast to the floor. The intensity in Achilles’ eyes was one that only appeared when he was enraged, the Prince knew this.

“Wait, sir, don’t hurt him! He’s one of Dionysus’ leopards!”

Surprise and hesitation flashed across the shade’s face, but Anubis nearly slipped out from underneath him and the shade had to redouble his efforts in keeping the large feline in his grasp. The Prince crawled forward so he was in Anubis’ line of sight.

“Anubis, listen! Listen, it’s me! It’s Dionysus, I know I look different, but I promise it’s me, I’ll explain everything, just calm—yikes!”

“Damn it!” Achilles grabbed Anubis by the nape of his neck and yanked him back from the Prince. “I don’t think he can be reasoned with, lad!”

“There’s got to be some way to get through to him!” The Prince scrambled back a bit as Achilles put the leopard in a strangle hold. “Just give me time, I’ll think of something! …Gods, your arms are huge, Achilles, what’s your secret?”

Achilles gave him an exasperated look. “Lad.”

“Right, sorry! Focusing!” The Prince dashed by Achilles and Anubis to the Pool. If he could get the thyrsus to work, then Anubis would know the god of wine truly was him. But how to fish it out of the Pool?

Wait…fish…!

“Lad, what are you doing?!”

“I have a plan!” the Prince cried as he cast his beloved divine fishing rod into the Pool. “Gods, how could I have forgotten I had this? I must have run past dozens of fishing spots!”

As Achilles and Anubis wrestled on the floor behind him, knocking into things as they rolled around, the Prince stared intently at the bobber of his rod, waiting for the thyrsus to bite. All the shades in the House of Hades gathered around and watched in awe as the legendary Achilles wrangled with the black-furred leopard. It was how they imagined the epic battle between Heracles and the Nemean Lion occurred. The Prince saw none of it, absorbed in carrying out his plan.

“Got it!” the Prince said triumphantly, catching the divine staff in his free hand when he yanked it out of the water. “For once I’m glad it’s not a fish!”

Obtained thyrsus! Now to make it do magic…

“Okay, so how does this work again?” the Prince muttered as Achilles threw the leopard off and grabbed his spear. “Do I say some magic words? Wave it a certain way? Hmm…”

Achilles made some warning jabs with his spear to keep the wild animal back without hurting him. Anubis managed to dart behind Achilles and leap onto his back. The shade slammed the leopard against the wall to shake him off, deciding to forgo total pacifism. The Prince smacked the pinecone topper a few times as if that would activate it. It did not.

It’s no use. Only Dionysus can use the thyrsus. I only got it to work last time against Ampelos because I thought I was him fighting Lernie in the past. But…in the Temple Styx, I got Cerberus to see me as Zagreus. Maybe can I get the thyrsus to see me as Dionysus in the same way?

The Prince closed his eyes and focused on the divine fennel staff in his two hands. What would make Zagreus give up? What would break him so much that his sense of self utterly vanished?

…Damn! He was too willful! Come on, there had to be something!

“What if Lord Dionysus…takes over?”

Damn it. He couldn’t vanish, not even for a moment, not after what Thanatos said. But if he didn’t, then Anubis and Achilles would tear each other apart. If he couldn’t make Zagreus withdraw, perhaps he could make Dionysus come forth? Like when Aphrodite recognized him…

“Why, I never thought I’d see the day. My dear Dionysus, you’re in love!”

“Haha, come on, don’t tease me, Lady Aphrodite! I fall in love all the time!”

“Not like this. This sort of love…oh, I’m so happy for you! This love will last eons, I can tell!”

“Haha, eons? Uhh, I don’t know about that one, I just helped the little lass out awhile ago, now she’s part of the crew, no big deal. She’s mortal, besides, so, yeah, you know how that is.”

“Oh, do I ever, dearest. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make us love them any less. That’s why we must enjoy the little dears while we can before it’s too late…”

The Prince opened his eyes and turned around. Anubis was trying to tear Achilles’ throat out, but not making a dent. Probably would have been the case had the shade been flesh and blood, considering he had been effectively immortal in life. The Prince raised his thyrsus toward the two of them, his heart plunged in bittersweetness.

Nothing happened.

“Damn, I really thought that would be it,” the Prince said with a frown. “Perhaps if I tried to be more forceful with it?”

The Prince gave the thyrsus a few swings, just like Achilles had taught him to handle a quarterstaff, but it didn’t feel right. The thyrsus wasn’t a weapon…

“It is a tool,” the voice of an elderly satyr came to him then. “A symbol of the fertility and supremacy of the untamable wilds from which all life on earth originates. Although, you humans have grown arrogant and think yourselves above the natural order of things-”

Ugh, leave it to the old ass to make a crucial flashback way too long! Skip to the important bit!

“You made a thyrsus of your own? You think that is enough to bend the wilds to your whim? Hee-haahahaha! Listen well, little mortal: these lands may nourish you, but they are not yours to own or command. That honor goes to the gods. So think carefully on which god you should beseech to grant you the power you seek.”

“Okay, Father Silenus. O Lady Demeter, hear my prayer-”

“OI! This is my mountain, you little-! Phhthbt, mortals…”

One would think there was no life at all in the Underworld. Yet Persephone, the goddess of verdure, was its Queen and left her mark not only in Elysium, but in the House of Hades itself. Trees that grew the fruit Zagreus depended upon in his youth to give him strength to leave his bed. So it was to these trees that the Prince called upon when he raised his thyrsus once more.

“In the name of Hades!”

Great, thick roots erupted from the ground beneath Anubis’ paws. They reached up to wrap around the black leopard and pull him off the spearman. Anubis snarled and thrashed, but was bound instantly by the strong, flexible roots.

“You did it!” Achilles said, sounding frazzled. “You used the thyrsus! How did you manage it?”

“I made the thyrsus see me as Dionysus by remembering his love for Ariadne,” the Prince said. “Then, I called out to the pomegranate trees nearby. They’re my mother’s, so they answered me because I’m hers, too.”

If Achilles didn’t understand, he didn’t show it and smiled. “Well done, lad. I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you, sir. But don’t you see, Anubis?” The Prince turned to the entrapped leopard with a smile. “It’s me! I made the thyrsus work, only Dionysus can, so you don’t have to-”

It was at that moment, Anubis started to change…

“Pardon?”

The great, dark-furred leopard’s snout elongated and narrowed to that of a canine’s. His round ears received the same treatment and came up to sharp points high above his head. His body shrank until he was half his original size. The dark fur with darker rosettes scattered across his body and his striking yellow eyes were all that remained of Anubis, black leopard of Dionysus. In his place stood Anpu, jackal of Egypt.

“What of Egypt?!”

With his new slight frame, the leopard-turned-jackal easily slipped out of the roots wrapped around his limbs, too slow to adjust their grip on him, and charged the Prince. Achilles moved forward to intercept, but the jackal blinked out of existence in a flash of darkness right before the spear found its mark. The jackal appeared a couple feet to the left milliseconds later.

“Did you just…dash?!” the Prince cried. “Since when could you-?”

The jackal blinked out of existence again, but did not return at first. The Prince felt the ice-cold fear of impending death once again. He turned, but knew he wasn’t going to be fast enough to stop the jackal’s back stab. He was going to die. But that was fine, he died all the time. He’d…he’d be fine, wouldn’t he?

“Only bring it out if you think Ampelos cannot bring you back to Olympus,” Eris had told Dionysus when she had handed him his thyrsus. And what had he done when he had been attacked shortly after? Take out the thyrsus.

This is the same feeling, the Prince thought numbly as a whip came down upon the beast’s snout just before he sank his fangs into the Prince’s neck. Just now, I felt like the River Styx wouldn’t take me back to the Pool. This…this can’t be Anubis…can it?

“Prince, stay back!!” Dusa flew forward to join Megaera’s side as she snapped her unforgiving whip at the jackal. The gorgon head hit the shapeshifting beast with a stunning gaze, locking him in place. The statue shook and trembled as he fought to break free. Underneath his paws, an ominous dark purple circle had appeared. It was Thanatos’ death aura!

The Prince surged forward, pushing past Dusa and Megaera. He dropped his thyrsus to grab the semi-stone jackal with both hands and leap out of the circle just as Death Incarnate’s attack went off. He scrambled to keep a hold of the squirming, snapping jackal, who was very indignant and offended to have been saved by his quarry. Thankfully, the jackal was extremely light, almost sickly thin, so it wasn’t too difficult.

“Zagreus, what are you doing?!” Thanatos cried. The Prince looked up and saw a pair of bright yellow eyes glaring at him from down the hall. Frowning, the Prince looked back down at Anubis and found the same cold eyes looking back at him.

“Augh!” The Prince cried out in alarm as Anubis suddenly tried to bite his face off. He lost his balance and fell onto his back as he held Anubis away. While not nearly as huge and muscular as the leopard form, the ferocity and determination of the carnivorous canine was by no means lesser. If only he hadn’t dropped the thyrsus!

A grey finger reached down to tap the top of Anubis’ head. The vicious beast’s eyes closed immediately and his body fell limp onto the Prince’s chest as he was pulled into a deep slumber. The Prince sat up and gaped in astonishment when he saw the sleepy smile of Hypnos, Sleep Incarnate.

“Sorry, Mr. Kitty-Dog!” Hypnos said to the unconscious Anubis. “This is a place of business and we can’t have any rough-housing here, so I put you to sleep-”

“Somebody get this man on the Featured House Servant Board, now!” the Prince loudly demanded. “No, forget that, you’re on Dionysus’ VIP list from now on!”

“Oh, neat!”

Megaera, recovering from her shock, made to grab the jackal from the Prince’s lap. The Prince quickly wrapped his arms around Anubis, shielding him from further harm. The Fury, of course, had a problem with that.

“Out of the way, Zagreus!”

Oh, so now I’m Zagreus? “Whoa, whoa, wait, this is my leopard, Meg! Yes, he’s a jackal now for some reason, but I am certainly not one to talk about looking different than I used to! He’s still my friend, is the point!”

“What are you talking about, Zagreus?!” Thanatos snapped. His anger only just failed to conceal his worry. “He tried to kill you!”

“So has Meg, and she actually succeeded quite a few times!” the Prince said with a scoff. He sighed and started more calmly, “Anubis is just worried for Dionysus. Besides, he’s harmless now, he’s fast asleep and will be for a good while, trust me. When he wakes up, he’ll be in a much better mood and we can all talk this out-”

“Talk? There is no talking to a monster like him!” Megaera said with venom. The Prince raised a brow, taken aback.

“Am I missing something, why do you have a personal grudge against my-?”

The Prince was interrupted by Nyx appearing in the hall. Her hands glowed with a blackish purple aura, fury in her eyes as she beheld the unconscious Anubis. The Prince glanced at Thanatos and Hypnos, who both had the same eyes as their mother.

“Hand him over to me, child,” Nyx said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Still, the Prince kept his grip on his dearest friend he hardly knew.

“Nyx, please let me explain-”

 “Now.”

The House of Hades shook under the force of the Night’s command, softly spoken yet reaching every corner of the house. The Prince clutched Anubis tighter to his chest, hoping the thumping of his heart wouldn’t wake his boy up.

“Okay, let’s just take a second to-”

“Zagreus, do as Mother says!” Thanatos said, astounded and furious he would dare to consider disobeying Nyx. The Prince’s chest was getting tighter and tighter by the second. It was hard to breathe. Was his heart failing? No, it didn’t do that anymore, he was just panicking. He didn’t know what to do. No matter what he did, he was betraying someone. There had to be some sort of compromise…

“Promise me you won’t hurt him,” the Prince said to Nyx. “Swear to me, make a binding oath that you will take him to the surface and let him go free, unharmed!”

“Zagreus!” Thanatos admonished him.

“It is all right, Thanatos,” Nyx said grimly. To the Prince, she said, “I cannot make such an oath, my child. The creature you hold in your arms is not who you believe him to be.”

“Then who is he?” the Prince asked. “Why are you all so afraid of him? How was he able to change shape and shift like Thanatos? Why-?”

The Prince looked down at Anubis and gave a start when he realized the jackal was awake. He did not try to break from the Prince’s grip. He only stared somberly at Nyx as he would the night sky when he was a leopard.

“Why does he have your eyes, Nyx…?” the Prince asked.

“Because he is Decay Incarnate,” Nyx said, gazed mournfully back at the jackal. “My son.”

Notes:

Man I could write a whole fic about Ariadne and her terrible family and her terrible life. I probably won't, but I could...

In other news, until writing this chapter, I hadn't noticed Achilles is absolute JACKED in his character portrait, like holy cow, I didn't think he was skinny or anything, but gods, the size of his arms is just unbelievable. Did anyone else experience this, or am I just blind lmao?

Lastly, the reason Hypnos didn't put Anubis to sleep right away was because Achilles got there first and didn't want to overstep, so he let him try to take care of it before stepping in himself. Yes, Hypnos is the strongest in the pantheon and no he will not be the Featured House Servant because Hades will be far too busy to think about that for awhile. Oh, well!