#yes i do love how charon covers her with his jacket

[gobald]

Clara: Time to turn on the charm ✨

It didn't go well....

[incompleteth0ts]

At your best(you are loved)

Prompt for day 2:

“I was tempted to take a nap at Hades’ feet. Curl up here and sleep forever.”

“Percy, if we want to make the reservation, we must leave now.”

“I’m coming Hades, don’t get your wife's panties in a twist.”

Percy smiled at his reflection when he heard his wife laugh down the hall. Putting on the rest of his jewelry, Percy ran out of his bedroom, grabbed his jacket out of Hades' hands, and offered his arm to Persephone.

“You make us late for dinner; you steal my wife, and now you expect me to get the door. What am I going to do with you, seastar?”

Percy blushed at the kiss the older man gave him. Despite the complaints, the words were said with so much fondness that Percy almost felt sick. He’s been with the married couple for nearly six years, yet they still made him as shy as the day he met them.

Percy tried to steal another kiss, but Persephone was already dragging him out the door and to the car. Percy rolled his eyes at Hade's chauffeur, and the limo parked pretty at the top of the driveway.

“Hey, Charon.”

“Hello, Percy.”

The inside of the limo was covered in red leather and had fluorescent lights illuminating the hardwood floor in the car.

The limo smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. A tell-tale sign that Persephone had been in the car earlier. Hades crawled inside the vehicle after me and his wife and waved a dismissive hand at his chauffeur the way he always did when the older man asked for a raise.

I sat next to the mini fridge that was unfortunately empty and across from my aunt, who was pulling out party favor wine bottles from the ice chest. There was a variety of 8 oz bottles that I feared she would binge on before we even made it to the restaurant.

“Out the bottles down, Persephone. You can drink at the restaurant.”

“You are such a bore. I was only seeing what the limo service had to offer; just look, they even have whiskey.”

I watched as Persephone opened her black Gucci bag and carefully snuggled three of the bottles in the bottom of it.

“You guys are a bunch of alcoholics. Keep this up, and you won’t live to see me graduate from med school.”

“And not embarrass you in front of all of your little friends? I don’t care if I need to pull up in a hearse, you’re going to see us.”

“Bold of you to assume you’re going to graduate.”

Persephone grabbed an ice cube from the bucket and threw it at Hades' forehead.

My night in sexy armor.

“Oh shut up, you grouchy, old man. Ignore him; he's just mad because he hates joy and fun.”

My uncle rolled his eyes and lowered the divider to ask Charon how much longer until we got to the restaurant.

“Be patient Hades; the table isn’t going anywhere.”

“No, but the reservation expires in less than an hour, and I’d hate to miss it; it was nearly impossible to set up a reservation for this place. I had to schedule for a week in advance.”

I blinked at the wealthy man and watched Persephone do the same.

“Hades…please shut up.”

“Yes dear, do be quiet, not all of us grew up swimming in Olympic pools of gold coins and having our butts wiped with Benjamins.”

“I do something nice, and I’m immediately made the bad guy.”

“Yes, now be the good guy, and get out of the limo, you’re trapping me and Percy in.”

I pressed my face against the glass to take a look at the building we had pulled up to. The sign at the front of the restaurant read, ‘Lago’. The entire building appeared to be white and had an open patio that overlooked the Vegas Eiffel Tower.

“I’m going to send you back home if you don’t stop pressing me against the door Persephone.”

“You don’t seem to mind it when we’re at home.”

“Not to be a buzzkill of anything, but I can feel my stomach eating my shirt through my belly button. Can we go inside and eat?

“See Persephone, the boy is starving.”

Hades held my hand as he helped me leave the vehicle. Persephone was standing by the driver's side window, telling Charon when she wanted him to pick us up. I almost felt bad for the guy. Did he ever sleep? I’m pretty sure he was even older than Hades.

“You look handsome, Perseus.”

Hades brought my hand to his lips and kissed my inner wrist. He was an old-school lover, but maybe that’s why I enjoyed being kissed by him. He reminded me of my father but could keep a wife and choose not to abandon his family.

“Thank you. Did you notice I’m wearing the earrings you gave me last week?”

“Of course, I was beginning to worry you didn’t like them. I was planning on buying you a different pair.”

“Didn’t those earrings come in a set, though? If you throw them out he’d have nothing to match the bracelet and necklace, too.”

Persephone flanked my other side as Hades led us to the entrance of the building.

“I would have bought you a whole new set. One much more expensive and attractive.”

“And one that matched your eyes better. You look good in diamonds, but you would look perfect in sapphire or zircon.”

“He would look perfect in anything.”

I sucked my gut in to make room for the rich couple to kiss around me. Hades put his hands on my waist, and Persephone curled a strand of my hair. If I leaned into one of them enough, they would diverge and kiss me.

“The reservations, dear?”

“Can wait.”

My stomach gave an unappealing kick. “No, I don’t think they can. I’m hungry now, baby.”

Pressing one last kiss behind my ear, Hades peeled himself off me and straightened his suit.

“In that case, what kind of man would I be if I let my lovers starve? After you two.”

The inside of Lago was just as white as the outside. Multiple fluorescent lights gave the room a heavenly look, not metaphorically but rather literally. It's like an airport to heaven.

The back wall appeared to be made entirely of glass, giving the guest a full view of the fountain display outside.

“This place is gorgeous.”

“Nice to know you like it; this is where I took Persephone for our first date. I hoped you would like it too.”

Hades was waved by a passing waiter and held out his ID.

“I made reservations for the patio view. I want a mint spritzer, two glasses of bourbon, one with ice and one without, and a pineapple amigo.”

Without waiting for the approval of the poor, employee Hades made his way to the top of the restaurant.

When we got to the open patio, I was starstruck. I've seen photos of the view before, but none of them brought the place justice. The lights reflected off the white and blue decals and gave the experience an expensive air.

“Do you like it? I made sure to get you the best seats in the whole damn restaurant.”

I spun around the room, falling over one of the wicker

Deck chairs pointed towards the fountain.

“Why is there no one else here?”

“I got reservations for the entire patio dear; no one is coming up here but the staff.”

“Damn Hades, what's into you today? Is something special planned today?”

Hades and Persephone shared a silent look from across the room. It was one of those glances I have yet to decipher; it was something that usually meant ‘We're both hiding something from you, but it's not the time to share it’.

“Try not to think so hard about it, or you'll hurt yourself. Now, look at the menu and see what appeals to you.”

A waitress different from the young man that was flagged down earlier brought us our drinks and left once Persephone told her we were still searching.

“The fonts are starting to hurt my eyes. What do you two recommend? I've never been here.”

Hades scanned over my menu before pointing towards the bottom. “You'll enjoy, Polpo Lago.”

“Or the, Calamari alla Griglia.”

“Yikes, I'll just get whatever is easier to pronounce.”

“Don't you speak Spanish?”

“Doesn't mean these words aren't a mouthful.”

I picked up the Mint spritzer and gave it a sniff. I didn't trust the alcohol that strangers made, but if anything happened to me, I was confident Hades and Persephone would bomb the building for me.

“What do you think? Do you want me to send it back?”

“No, it’s fine. Plus I’d hate to be a bother”

Persephone put her hand on my knee.

“Oh sweetheart, you could never be a bother.”

“I was talking about the staff.”

Hades downed his first glass of bourbon and picked up the second.

“Bother them all you want. That’s what they're here for.”

“As someone who’s worked in customer service in the past. Fuck you.”

The waitress from earlier marched back up the stairs with a pen and notepad.

“Have you three decided what to order yet?”

The woman had an accent.

“Yes me and my husband will be having…”

The accent was thick. It was hard to understand what she was saying. It sounded Polish. Maybe Romanian? She was pale. Her complexion reminded me of Abbey from Monster High.

“Percy! Do you want the waitress to bring you anything else?”

While I was lost in my head, Hades and Persephone had managed to order our food and refills.

It looks like it was my turn to act like an adult.

“I’m good with everything you guys got; just make sure to keep my water glass filled.”

Hell yeah.

“Excuse him, he’s more eyebrows than brain.”

“You said you liked my eyebrows.”

“I do.”

The waitress walked off with our order and Persephone went back and forth on the state of my eyebrows.

“What were you so lost in thought over?”

I stopped mid-sentence to look in Hades ' direction. He was looking at the direction the waitress turned in like he was waiting for her to come back so he could pick a fight with her.

“I was thinking about her accent. She reminded me of Abbey from Monster High.”

“You mean that show your sister watches?” Persephone pulled out one of the limo wines from her purse and poured it into her restaurant drink. “Didn’t we buy her like, three of them for her thirteenth birthday?”

“Yeah, Cleo, Ghoulia, and Clawdeen.”

“Ghoulia was my favorite.”

Persephone pulled out a pack of cigarettes from Hades' coat pocket but put them back at the look I shot at her. I hated it when they smoked around me.

“I'll be right back.”

Hades stomped down the stairs, disappearing.

“What's up with him?”

“Who knows.”

After too long of a while, Hades came back with a new waiter in tow.

“What did that jealous old man do now?”

The waiter quickly dished out our orders and left without a word. I made a point not to look at him just as Hades made a point of not looking at us as he began to eat his meal.

“Hades.”

“...”

“What did you do to the waitress.”

“...Just eat your dinner dear.”

____

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my stomach. I ended up eating a little bit of everything off the menu. It was spectacular having to date two rich people.

“I’m stuffed to the brim, I don’t know if I can eat anymore or else my buttons will go flying.”

Persephone chuckled and rubbed wide circles on my tummy like I was our pet dogdogNot even dessert?”

I sat up straight and grabbed the nearest fork. “Maybe one dessert.”

Hades had disappeared again earlier, and said he was going to put in a ‘special request’.

“Hey, Sephone, do you know why Hades is acting so loopy today?”

“Persephone stacked up our empty plates for the waiter to pick up when he got back.

“Hades is…an enigma. Try not to worry too much, you know how he is in public spaces.”

A small group of servers walked onto the patio cleared the table and left just as quickly as they arrived.

“Where is that husband of yours? If this keeps up I’m going to start thinking that he no longer wants us.”

“I don’t think there is a lifetime or universe where I don’t want either of you.”

Turning around I was planning on chewing Hades out for making us wait so long but froze when I saw the plate he was holding. In his hand was a slice of blue cake.

“Happy anniversary.”

What.

“What! What do you mean-”

“Hades your ass, it is not our anniversary, calm down Percy.”

Hades' shoulders shook with laughter as he handed me the slice of cake. “She’s right, I just wanted to make you sweat.”

I swat Hades' arm when he moved close enough pushing his face away when he leaned in for a kiss.

“No way, you don’t get a treat after scaring me like that. Persephone can have it.”

I took Persephone’s hand pressing my lips to her giggling mouth. She’s drunk all night so far and if she kept up she wouldn’t remember anything tomorrow. Her mouth tasted fruity and made me feel tipsy myself.

“That’s enough you two, keep this up and you're splitting the bill.”

Me and Persephone separated with a wet pop. After taking sobering sips of my water (and thinking of naked grandma’s) I felt clear-headed enough to dig into my cake. The inside was chocolatey and spongey like red velvet, when Hades had ordered my cake he must have put in the works. The cake wasn’t as good as my mom's, but it was still tasty.

“If you two could excuse me, I’m going to head out and powder my nose.”

Persephone pulled out the Hades pack of cigarettes and a box of matches then headed down the stairs.

Hades pulled me close to his side as I finished my slice of dessert. I pulled my feet up on Persephone's abandoned spot and leaned my weight on him. If I was a cat I pur would have made itself known in my chest by now. Despite all the fun I loved to poke at him I couldn’t help but feel like such a schoolgirl with him.

Hades was old enough to be my father, even older than him. Persephone wasn’t that much younger than Hades herself, midway through her thirties and still as blooming as ever. Hades was twice my age and five times more mature. Maybe I was overglazing him, but he made me feel…extraordinary.

Yawning I felt myself slipping into the beginnings of a nap. I was tempted to take a nap at Hades’ feet. Curl up here and sleep forever. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.

“Tired seastar?”

“Yeah. Thank you for taking me out here. I can see why Persephone loves it so much.”

“Mhmm.”

Hades lifted my head and pulled me into a kiss. I couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed with him. The kiss was different than the tipsy one I’d shared with Persephone, even though he’d had just as many glasses of bourbons as she had ‘amigos’, he was much better at holding his liquor than either of us.

“Percy. I must admit that there is a reason why I haven’t brought you here until now.”

Hades slid down the couch and kneeled in front of me, grasping my hands.

“Percy I am so proud of you. Since the day I met you, I knew that you would live on to be great. You once told me that you’ve had people look down on you all your life and you felt that you wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything.”

“Damn Hades, way to not hold back.” I intertwined my finger with him leaning down to kiss him. He was such a sap. I wanted to hop into his lap and let him talk me through _____.

“Percy. This is the spot where I proposed to Persephone nearly eleven years ago,”

My heart fell to the bottom of my shoes as I watched Hades pull out a blue velvet box from Persephone’s purse. Popping the box open a band of black gold coiled around embedded sapphires until meeting at the center drawing my attention to the center of the show, a dark blue tanzanite that gleamed under the patio’s fairy lights.

“And Percy. This is the spot where I’m now going to ask you the same question. Perseus Jackson, will you marry me?”

“Yes!”

I ripped the box out of Hades’ hand so I could snap the lid shut and throw it on the chair I was previously occupying. Falling into my fiance’s lap, I kissed him until his lungs couldn’t take anymore. I pressed my forehead to his and tried not to sob into his mouth.

“I love you fiercely, Percy.”

“I love you too. Now let’s go back home so we can celebrate in our bed with Sephy.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I celebrated a proposal here.”

“Wait, what?”

_______

DAY 2!!!

@hadesxpercy-events

[shortyisweird9]

'Lonely ghost serie'

Proposition and Accord-part VII

"Ghoooost! Good noon!"

"Hello!"

You opened your eyes slowly, barely awake from the deep sleep you had. The grogginess in your voice shadowed by the abnormal deepness of the voice changer.

"Hey, ghost."

"Corpse! Always pleased to hear you."

"Always ,ey?" Toast picked what you said in a more suggestive tone, teasing you with it.

"Cut it ,man."

You didn't bite on the trap however.

" Anyway, mind if I bring a friend?"

"Of course!"

"Sure why not."

"Okay,brb."

"So ,Corpse..."

"To early for that ,Toast."

Near the white astronaut Ghost had, a new little one came. It was black with a pair of headphones and a Wall-e companion. On top the name Charon was displayed.

The others started circling the new mate as Corpse's pink character stood unmoved by your side.

"Good evening!" A low and mature voice came from a woman. It didn't had a mechanical effect to it so it was coming in naturally.

"Hiiiii!"

"Hello!"

"Guys this is Andreea, Andreea this is the Peanut gallery."

"Ha,nice. Good to meet you all."

"Likewise."

"You too."

"Your robot is cute." Corpse remarked.

You smirked when your phone immediately lighted up. A message from Andreea written in big bold letters: 'HIS VOICE IS HOT!'

'I know :)))'

"Andreea , you know how to play this game?"

"Y-Yeah ummm..."

"Sykkuno."

"Sykkuno! Yeah, I know me and Y- I mean ghost sometimes play it. "

"You play together?"

"Well yeah, we play Fallout together, sometimes Minecraft even Eyes the horror game. Speaking of which ghost?"

"Yeah?"

"My place tonight?"

You smirked knowing what's to come.

"Time to corrupt another soul?"

You laughed was intentionally made to be interpreted by the others as evil and dark. In the inside you cringed, you sounded so stupid.

"Umm,guys?" Sykkuno asked for clarification, to which he will not receive.

"YOU GUYS LIVE IN THE SAME CITY?" Pooki asked all excited for some reason.

"Yeah?"

"Same city? We leave in the same apartment building." Andreea told ,a pleasant hiss rang as her long nailed hands opened a Pepsi can.

'Cola is better'

'Fuck off, Y/n'

':))🖕'

"That's so cute!"

"I guess,but she's a pain."

"A pain? Moi? Please, I am only in pain not one."

The others chuckled at your shenanigans, the humour between you and Andreea being based in play fighting, cursing each other and bumping as hard as you can into each. Considering how much of a height difference is between you two, everything just gets more interesting.

"Maan,I want to stay in the same building with you guys also." Corpse pouted.

You two sounded really nice to be with, especially you. You were fun to talk witg and your natural voice was a godsend to his anxiety and insomnia. It made him sometimes slip into a blissful sleep,especially when you began reading to him Doom lore in the late hours of the night.

' "The Maykrs' need for the Essence is prime. Without it they must suffer the monstrous fate of Transfiguration, and see their wisdom and faculties slither from their twisted forms. By bidding of the Khan Maykr herself, the Order of the Deag has devised a method to improve and accelerate the production of the Hell aura. What once took eons for the savage beasts to attai...oof. Wait."

Corpse heard you move in the bed, your body getting its pressure off it before settling back in.

He wanted to start to ask you to read again when he was interrupted by the sound of smooching ? You were kissing somebody?

You puffed and smiled as Sergiu bombarded you with another waves of kisses, a tradition in your group. You all were touched starved creatures so you showed your platonic affections through hand holding, sudden hugging, cuddling- sometimes propping your cold feet on the other person's back just to be dickish- and rains of kisses.

Sergiu was the most affectionate out of all of you, the rain of kisses being something that his mother used to do before she left to work. 'A kiss on the forehead to brighten your thinking, two on the cheeks so no one is lonely and one wherever you want.'

"Alright! Alright! I get it, you are leaving!"

You laughed as you pushed the cuddly golden retriver of a man away.

His chains attached to his black leather belt with grey 3d rombes running all over it clicked as it bounced. His hair smudged on the worn out black leather jacket and his face all but a smile. He was happy and you love to see it.

-Vrei ceva? ("You want something?")

-Umm...PIZZA PĂTRATĂ DE LA DEDEMAN ȘI MOUNTAIN DEW.("Um...SQUARE SHAPED PIZZA FROM DEDEMAN AND MOUNTAIN DEW.")

The man laughed at your antics, roughing up your freshly washed hair and closing the door as he left.

"Corpse? You still there buddy?"

Corpse felt a pang in his chest, you sounded like you have much more fun with the other person. He knew it was stupid but he couldn't help feel jealous and worried at the same time. He wanted to be the reason to make you sound so happy and he didn't want to be worried of being replaced anytime soon.

"Corpse? My petit orchid? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah,I am fine."

It came out shaky and too abrupt for your liking. Something's wrong and you didn't want to overstep your boundaries but you couldn't let him go about his day while having something munching on his good mood.

"Hey,hey Corpse."

"Yes?"

"Wanna see my cat?"

"YOU HAVE A CAT?"

"Yes,so do you..."

"Hell yeah. I mean...sure I am cool with that."

You shook your head and became giggling, it's good to know you weren't the only one who didn't know how to cover their slip ups.'

"Trust me Corpse. You don't want to live with this anxiety filled owl."

"HEY! My anxiety adds spice."

"Oh my god!"

"Guys, guys. Can we start the game please?"

"Oh for sure."

————————————————————

"Watch out for the wall, ghost. Watch out for--GHOST! Oh shit ,I lost her guys! Ghost, where are you?"

His character ran in desperate search to find you. When it left the snowy environment from outside , it stopped abruptly. You were there in the office with Sykkuno ripped apart body in front of you.

"Oh shit! Sykkuno!"

His thoughts ran wilde as they hurried to reach a consensus. He knew that you will probably kill him also as you waited for those 10 seconds to pass.

His premonition was proven true went you shut the doors of the office , your character moving slowly towards him.

"Ahhh! Guys ,what the hell do I do?"

His eyes clenched shut as his finger hovered the report button.

The sound of a meeting went off,forcing him to let out the breath he's been withholding. His hands shook as he relaxed himself when his friends started discussing aka screaming at each other.

Someone else called in another body.

You held your fingernails between your lips, leg bouncing from the nerves. You knew Corpse will snitch you out,after all you did killed Sykkuno.

I am so fucked...

Your body covered in a white and black hoodie contorted itself into a smaller position.You ignored the pain that your dead thighs were trying to emit while being in a cross position. Head to busy with anxious thoughts of what Corpse may do.

"Phew, Jesus. I am too nervous for this game."

Andreea's words caught you off guard. She nervous? It's more likely than you think.

Your feelings long forgotten as your protective nature sprung out of the shell.

"You? Nervous? Andreea you are a freaking talented tattoo artist."

"It doesn't matter, my hands are sweating like they are the Danube river."

"Wait ,are you a tattoo artist?"

"Yeah ,I am. I started tatto--"

Mission accomplished! Your goal wasn't to comfort, you knew you sucked at that but to distract. To take her mind away from whatever cause her pain ,then to secretly totally not obviously attack the shit of whatever upset her even bad vibes. Fuck them bad vibes! You and your friends are bad bitches not second hand embarrassments.

"It will be nice if I could do henna also but this hoarding gremlin was only calm enough when she did them. So basically it became her summer job."

Ah. Your mind realised she was telling them how you two met.

You wanted to get some henna tattoos, see if you liked the way the look at you. Andrea was just a beginner when you entered the tattoo shop and her life.

You weren't always an anxious person,the situation changed when your math teacher decided to be a bitch and humiliate you for not knowing geometry. Since then you were always out of breath when you spoke in public, always bouncing your leg when stressed , biting off your nails and having a constant dread when it came socialising with others. And when you are a big girl that amplifies considerably.

People are just shallow like that and you learned a long time ago that their intolerance towards you was a THEY problem rather than a YOU problem.

It's hard thought, sometimes their words and disgusted glares burn you from inside out. Make you feel inhuman ,that your anger,sadness and your passion don't mean anything ,that they are not valid, that you cannot be yourself and liked at the same time nevermind seen as a romantic interest.

But I digress, when it came with Andreea ,everything when abnormally smooth, you joked and laughed, bitch about people and so on. You hit off immediately.

So when you wanted to make a bit of cash ,Andreea didn't hesitate to teach you how to do temporary tattooing.

"That's so nice guys,the body was in specimen room by the way." Dave said.

The others for some reason started blaming Rae , you didn't said nothing as you were still waiting with your breath tight for Corpse to rat you out.

"Corpse? Where were you by the way?"

Here comes the expose.

"I ..uh...wait. I was in the storage then I met Sykkuno in the office but left with ghost."

What?

"Ghost? Can you collaborate his story?"

"Yeah , me and him left Sykkuno. I think orange was with him last time we saw. I am done with my tasks by the way."

"What?"

"LUDWIG! HOW DARE YOU KILL SYKKUNO?!" Corpse growled.

You muted yourself as you squealed. You couldn't believe him. He really took your side!

You took a sip of your green tea, patting yourself on the back for being calm and getting back in the game.

————————————————————

"How could you ,Corpse? I trusted you and you stab me behind my back." Sykkuno exclaimed, pout evident in his voice.

"I am sorry Sykkuno..i-it's just...I...uhh.."

Your microphone was not muted this time so when you burst in laughter you dominated the whole discussion. You laughed ugly but happy as you always did, holding your lower abdomen as it clenched muscle you didn't know you have.

"It's NOT funny, ghost!"

"It'S nOt FuNnY, GhOsT! Bwahaha..."

Despite laughing ,deep down you worried you may have offended your new friends? Nah, too early to call them that.

"I think I know why Corpse did what he did." Grease started in a dramatic sober voice.

"You mean cheated on Sykkuno."

Ludwig ignited couple of laughter from the group.

"Yeah. He did it....drumb rolls please. "

Sean provided the suspenseful roll.

"Because he is a SIMP."

"WHAT?"

"No way..."

"You heard me."

The group went wilde. You didn't know what you could say, your mind crazy yet also numb. Poor Corpse.

"Hey, hey. Guys, please calm down. If you want to come for someone, come for my neck."

Your hands flared up into a peaceful backing sign, you knew of Corpse's bad anxiety and you didn't want to cause him distress by bringing the limelight into his face.

"It's alright, ghost. I am a big boy, I can take it."

You tried to keep it short, you really did but your mind wanted to say one more thing.

"Just like you can open foil?"

You heard a breath intake. You lowered your volume, thinking of what he may do.

"I FUCKING HATE FOIL!"

————————————————————

"Tonight was fun." Corpse said after taking a sip of water.

"Yeah, it was."

You watched your dark hair moving in the air as you played with your toes.

"Sorry again for bringing all the...uh...attention on you."

"It's fine,ghost. I know you didn't mean it."

"Y/n."

"What?"

"My name is Y/n."

Ah!

His heart jumped a bit ,you told him your name that means you trust him right. Lily doesn't know your name so he is the first to know. The first to guard this special information.

"Ghost was kinda wearing down,you know?"

"Y-yeah,...uhh..I mean no! Yes? No? Fuck...It's a pretty name,um...Y/n."

You haulted, getting used to him saying your name will take a while.

"Heh,thanks Corpsie."

"Mhmmm, did you have time to think about what I told you?"

Couple of nights ago,Corpse proposed the idea of starting your own Youtube channel. You were hesitant.

"Corpse, I told I don't think people really like me. I think they just like the voice."

"Non sense. You watched our stream?"

"Noo...? Sorry,I didn't really have time to..."

"Hey, it's okay goofball. Anyway,they were asking more videos with you. Maybe some of them like you because of your voice but most of them like you because they like your personality, gh- Y/n."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Look you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I just feel bad for all the fans that want to talk with you or sometimes I found something funny and I want to send you or tag you. It's stupid I know."

You didn't like the sad tone of his, your heart tightened and your worries worsened.

"I think I am going to sleep. Goodnight, ghost."

"'Night,Corpse."

You were left in the darkness of your room, at the end of the bed with your long fingers reaching towards your knife, your personal fidget spinner. You chew your nail as you moved the blade unconsciously.

Corpse's account:

.ghost added you. Add them back?

————————————————————

Hey,guys!💖💖

Hope you like the seventh part of the serie. I almost went into a writing block with this one.

Anyway, have a nice day!💗💗

Tagged💖💖: @moolujk @magenta-skyline @yikesyikesyikes95 @mythicalamphitrite @yoyoanaria @simonsbluee @cherry-piee @gaysludge @softboiicorpse @heavenly3308

[btsslowburnfic]

Chthonic Love Chapter 3

Series Summary: Greek AU Yoongi/Hades x You/Persephone.  The Olympic Lord, Namjoon kidnaps you as a "gift" for his brother, ruler of the Underworld. Lord of Death: Yoongi.

Previous Chapter: Chapter 2

“Dear Hoseok,

I am sure you are quite worried about me and so I firstly want you to know that, all things considered, I am ok. Zeus brought me to the Underworld and Lord Yoongi has been a very gracious host. I’ve heard you lost a bet? I need to know what in Olympus happened so I can disentangle myself from any terms you have entered me into. Maybe now you’ll listen to me when I tell you to stop messing with the Olympians.

--Persephone”

You folded the letter and looked around for an envelope. You didn’t see any on the desk so you left and walked over to the door. You opened it and poked your head out to see if Yoongi was out there, but he wasn't. Feeling disappointed and not really wanting to go back to your cold, boring chamber, you turned back into the office. It was much warmer there than the rest of the castle. You appraised the room once more; you tried to remember what all you had heard about Lord Yoongi before today and you realized: not a whole lot. He seemed nice enough, just lightly annoyed that you were here. But if someone had dropped a person off in your house unexpectedly you would also be irritated.

You walked along one of the many bookcases and pulled out a few different books, perusing their covers. Some seem to be journals and you put those back, not wanting to be rude. A few of them have musical notes written in them, you turned your head towards the back of the office, noticing the Lyre and Harpsicord one again. Yoongi must play at least one of them. You continue to browse the shelves, finally finding a small book labeled, “Underworld Compendium.” You take it over to the pile of furs you had made earlier and settle in for some reading.

In the beginning there was Darkness. Before the brothers were Kings of the Realm, they were slaves to their father: Cronus. Cronus, not wanting to share any of his power, swallowed each of his sons, keeping them in interminable darkness and pain. Finally, their mother was able to spare a child: Zeus. Zeus led the charge against Cronus and the other Titans, and in his surprise, the enslaved children were accidentally released. The Titan Wars were waged for decades: Olympians versus Titans. Finally, Cronus was destroyed. The realms were divided amongst those sons who fought in the Titan Wars. Namjoon, who the mortals worship as Zeus, wanted Olympus and ascended to his throne with great fanfare and a feast that lasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Jin, Poseidon, enjoyed splashing in the waves and playing with the animals of the sea. Yoongi, Hades, traveled down from Olympus, through the Earth, Through the sea, and arrived at the Underworld.

GEOGRAPHY

The Underworld is comprised of many subsections. At the center of it lies the Obsidian Palace. Hewn into the very core of the Underworld, it is a sight to behold, visible from Erebos all the way to Oceanus. Surrounding the Obsidian Palace is the Desert of Sorrow, bordered by the Stygian Sea to the South….

You yawned and sat the book facedown on the furs. You found the book interesting, you really did, but between the warm fire and the crying earlier, your eyelids grew heavy. You decided to lay down for just a moment and before you knew it, Hypnos was proverbially knocking on your door.

------------

Yoongi had left you to write your letter in private. He’d deliver it to Charon either tonight or tomorrow. To his surprise, he wasn’t as annoyed by your presence as he thought he would be. He started to wonder when the last time he had talked to a person? He occasionally would speak to Penthos, but considering every day was the same, there wasn’t really much to say.

He walked down the hallway and heard voices speaking in a hushed tone.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure she’ll be leaving soon. She seems so nice. I don’t know what your problem is.” It was Lethe.

“She just walks in and acts like she owns the damned place,” Yoongi heard Penthos harshly retort.

Lethe laughed, “She’s a Goddess. The fact she didn’t disembowel you for speaking to her without being spoken to is really something. It’s clear you've never served in any other courts before. While Lord Yoongi is a quiet God, he’s a million times better than most of them.”

Penthos sighed, “I suppose you’re right about that. I’ll see you later.”

Yoongi waited a few seconds and then rounded the corner, he put his hands on his hips, “Lethe, Just the person I wanted to see.”

Lethe froze at first, clearly surprised. After a few seconds, she turned around, bowing slightly, “Yes, my Lord?”

“What room did you end up taking Lady Persephone to?”

“Uh…” she faltered for a moment, wringing her hands.

“I know you didn’t actually put her out in the furthest corner of the palace. It’s fine.”

She let out a deep breath, “She’s staying in the room with the quicksilver door. And I’m sorry she wandered around the castle. I didn’t know if she was supposed to stay in her room or if I was supposed to lock her up. Even though I don’t have a key. I really should have asked first but I didn’t,” Lethe rambled.

“Lethe, it's OK . She’s not a prisoner here, it’s fine.” Yoongi gave a rare smile to reassure her.

“Ok, thank you sir.” she visibly relaxed. “Do you need anything?”

“Just make sure Lady Persephone is comfortable while she is staying here. I’m not sure how long she will be staying, but consider yourself her attendant while she is here.”

Lethe was visibly surprised, “Yes, m’lord.”

This is what I get for complaining that things were too boring. He thought to himself.I’m just glad she’s calmed down. Crying women terrify me. Yoongi continued down the hallway to the furthest wing of the castle. He approached a large set of Enchanted doors. He raised his hands to the sigils and unlocked them. You can’t be too careful. He crossed the antechamber, twisting through another hallway, and finally down a staircase he hadn’t used in decades. He conjured a blue flame to light his path. The air had turned heavy and acrid in the absence of any fresh air. He continued until he arrived at the bottom of the staircase where the floor was dirt. He took a few steps into the small room which connected to the catacombs through various tunnels. He waited several moments before he heard the scratching sound begin against the wall. The sound came closer, accompanied by a clicking noise.

A voice that sounded like something being stretched uncomfortably over a wringer called out in the darkness. “Lord Yoongi. It’s been so long. What does the Lord of the Underworld require?”

Yoongi looked almost bored as the creature climbed closer; its hundreds of black eyes reflected his blue flame.

“Hello Arachne. How are the catacombs?”

“Such a kind Lord. Asking Arachne about the catacombs. This is why you’re my favorite.”

“The catacombs?”

“Fine my Lord. You know we keep the others down here. Its is our privilege to serve the Underworld.” she replies in her raspy voice. Dozens of smaller spiders have started to enter the chamber. Arachne’s children crawl over the walls, eager to catch a rare glimpse of the ruler of the underworld.

Yoongi turned his gaze back to Arachne’s eyes, “Clothes, Arachne. I need dresses. Nice ones, suitable for a Lady.”

The creature let out a cacophonous sound like gnashing teeth. “Oh? Is there a Lady of the Underworld now? I haven’t sewn a wedding dress in centuries.”

Yoongi sighed. He hated dealing with Arachne. Being a gossip is what caused Athena to turn her into a spider in the first place. “No Arachne. Just a visiting Lady who didn’t pack enough. A few normal dresses. No wedding dresses.”

He heard a small wailing sound and watched her pincers quiver, “But I want to make beautiful clothes again. The Underworld needs a Lady for me to dress, and then children to dress. I’ve taught my children to sew, did you know that?” Arachne sounds almost human again as she becomes increasingly excited.

“No. No.” he holds his hand up, glad the darkness is hiding his red cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment and anger coloring his face. He’s becoming sick of others telling him he needs a companion. “Just normal dresses. That’s all”

He heard a collective whining sound from all the spiders, “Very well Lord Yoongi, what colors should they be.”

Yoongi was already turning around and walking towards the door, “You’re the stylist not me. Nice normal dresses Arachne!” He went back up the stairs and straightened his jacket once he arrived on the other side of the locked doors. Arachne would have those clothes done in no time. The poor Spider-Woman had nothing else to do, just decorating the Underworld’s cave system with things people would never see. Yoongi had invited her to come up to the main part of the palace when she first arrived, but she had balked saying it was “too bright” and that “nobody wanted to see a monster.”

He wondered what you were up to. He imagined you had probably finished your letter and were poking your head around the castle some more. He found himself smiling as he walked up the staircase to his office. He opened the door and saw you fast asleep in front of the fireplace. He brought his hand to his mouth and entered the room as quietly as possible, not wanting this moment to end. He tried to decide if he should stay or leave. Instead he found himself just staring at you. You were very pretty. Not in an unnatural way like the other Goddesses he had met, just pretty. He walked across the room and saw You were clutching a book. He knelt down to see what book you had ended up with. Yoongi gently removed it from beneath your arm and ran a finger down the spine. “Underworld Compendium.” A good book. He should know, he wrote it. He grabbed a scrap of paper and marked where you had it open and sat it down next to you.

He walked over to his desk and saw the letter you had written your brother. He imagines that it said “Please come rescue me, I’m being forced to stay with a monster and pretend to be nice to him.” He really wanted to look but knew he shouldn’t. He heard you stir a little and watched you throw an arm over your eyes. Yoongi raised a hand towards the flames, dimming the lights in the room. He looked at the letter again and decided to read it. He took a breath and flipped it open. He read it quickly. It’s a very short letter. He propped his elbows on his desk and held his head in his hands for a moment. He was also eager to see what your brother’s response would be. He thought about writing his own letter but somehow “you fucked up and now I own your sister,” seemed like a bad idea. His nose twitched. He smelled a faint floral scent and looked up. Flowers had started to bloom in a bowl on his desk.

“What the hell is this?” he asked. He heard a faint moaning come from in front of the fireplace, another flower bud appeared. Yoongi felt his face grow warm. He tapped on his Hourglass, watching the sand swirl.

He pulled out one of his journals and began to write in it. He became lost in his own thoughts for a while, the crackling of the fireplace and your light breathing the only sounds. It was soothing in a way he had never felt before.

When he looked up again his desk was covered in flowers. He laughed lightly and heard you start to awaken.

You stretched your arms above your head. Where were you again? You felt the warm fire on your back and slowly opened your eyes. You saw Lord Yoongi sitting at his desk. His eyes flicked over towards you and you suddenly felt very embarrassed. “Sorry. I meant to just rest my eyes,” you said as you sat up. “I hope I didn’t snore too much.”

To your shock he laughs, his deep voice echoing. “Just a little bit. You did make quite the garden here though,” he gestures to his desk which is covered in chrysanthemums.

You blush “Sorry, it happens sometimes. My powers sometimes do their own thing when I'm sleeping or sick. Fortunately, other than making people sneeze, it’s not that bad.” He clearly doesn’t know the meaning behind flowers and you hope he doesn’t look it up any time soon.

You stood up, rubbing your hands up and down your arms at the loss of direct heat from the fireplace.

"it's fine I uh," he runs his tongue along his lower lip, "just didn't know flowers could bloom in the underworld. I've never seen them here."

You laugh a little, "Well apparently they can when the Goddess of Spring is here. Speaking of, when is the next time Charon will be arriving?"

Yoongi moved the hourglass on his desk and looked into it. To you it appeared as though nothing was happening, the sand suspended in between the top and bottom, but he appraised it carefully as though he was reading it.

"Soon," he stood up, pulling his shirt down straight. He pulled an envelope out of the desk drawer and placed your letter inside.

You walked over to the desk to gather the flowers. “Sorry, I’ll just--”

"No. Leave them." he said

You thought maybe he would say more about it but he doesn't. He walked to the back corner of the room and grabbed a cloak.

"Can I come with you?" you asked him

"You don't trust me to deliver it?" he responded harshly.

You feel sad that that's what he thought, your gaze traveled to the floor, "No. I just saw the sea earlier and it looked pretty. And I really don't want to be alone in this giant Palace."

His features immediately softened. "Oh. Ok. Hmm. Hold on." he walks over to you with his cloak and puts it around you, carefully fastening it below your neck. "Here. It's colder out there than it looks."

"Won't you be cold?" you asked in disbelief at how quickly his moods could change.

He shrugged and picked up your letter. "I'm used to it. Don't worry about me."

"I can just stay here…"

"No, let's go." he said and opened the door, motioning for you to go through it. 

 NEXT  CHAPTER

[angelanimedesaray]

A Quest for Gods

AN:  This is an inherited request for a DemiGod!Reader, child of Hades, going about the task of reviving Erwin after the events of season 3.  This turned into far more of a behemoth of a part 1 than I’d been expecting, and wow did I love writing this.  I’m playing with the idea of a part two, but if I do a part two, then unlike this one, it will be more pairing centered, and yes, I already have a pairing in mind.  But that’s entirely up to how this part 1 is received and the feedback I get.  Also, yeah, this part is pretty much pairing free because there was already SO MUCH TO DO WITH THIS IDEA without adding a pairing into the mix.  Finally, I tinkered with some of the Underworld myths because there’s different variations/conflicting stories, and here and their I wanted to tweak the narrative to fit my needs :)

Characters:  Demi-God!Reader, Levi, Hange, Erwin (?), Hades, Charon

Warnings:  Language, Death, angst

Word Count:  9930 (Sweet Merciful Glory, this is the size of my longer AO3 fanfic chapters O_o)

Part 2 --->

(I reached a dead end trying to find who made the gif)

“He’s already dead.”

The solemn finality that settled over the group of five--now four--was crushing, the weight of the yawning unknown in front of them causing a suffocating pressure to build in your chest.  The grim air cloying around those gathered near Erwin’s body was in stark contrast to the reunion happening several houses over.  As glad for Armin and the others as you were, Erwin’s loss hung too heavily over you for you to join those feelings.

You didn’t envy Levi having to choose between Erwin and Armin, something telling you that if you’d only had those two choices, you wouldn’t have been able to choose.

If you’d only had the two choices…

Your gaze slid towards Erwin’s body, the inkling of a dangerous thought starting to tickle the edges of your consciousness.  Before the idea could form into a solid thought, Levi’s words about why he’d chosen Armin despite his earlier stubbornness to save Erwin echoed in your mind.

He had no choice but to become a devil.  It was us who wished for that.  And in the end, when he had finally been set free from hell, we wanted to bring him back once more.

But I think...it’s time to let him rest.

You snapped your gaze away from Erwin with a guilt starting to eat its way through you at feeding the thought that hadn’t even completely formed.  How could you even start to consider doing such a thing to Erwin?  Floch had said the reason he didn’t kill Erwin upon finding him was because Floch wanted Erwin to suffer more.  Part of Floch’s argument had been to make Erwin suffer more.

Surely, whatever it was that awaited them in the abyss of the unknown, was something they could navigate without Erwin having to suffer on this Earth any longer.  The few Survey Corps that were still alive would find a way.

Somehow…

And yet...I can’t quite bring myself to believe it.

The basement didn’t bring enlightenment.  It brought darkness and fear, a frightening reality that made frightful questions plague your mind.  Yes, Armin was a genius in his own right, and he was valuable and still had so much to live for...but with possibly the whole world against your people…

How were any of you going to survive without Commander Erwin’s leadership?  You all had thought he could finally rest--whether or not he’d earned it wasn’t in questions--but it seemed now you all needed him more than ever.

But could you justify pulling that man out of what very well could be true rest after the hell of this world?

Your eyes stared unseeing into the darkness of your room as thoughts, ideas, theories, all angles of the moral dilemma in front of you churned in your mind.  It was an unseen wrestle of the soul, and when at long last you decided you would not come to a conclusion on your own, you threw the covers aside and felt your feet touch the cold floor.  You subconsciously made yourself decent, your still-bare feet carrying you out the door as you strode with a purpose through the halls.  You didn’t even fully realize where you were going until you were standing outside the door and were halfway through four quick knocks.

You needed another opinion if you were going to break the pattern of indecision.  What better place to go than to someone who said things as he saw them, blunt, and the one who’d already made the impossible choice?

There was a moment of complete silence that made you briefly worry that you had just knocked on Levi’s door one of the few nights he’d managed to fall asleep.

“Who is it?”  After giving your name, you heard shuffling inside, and then a follow up, “come in.”

Levi’s office was almost as dark as your own room, except for a single candle on his desk lighting the small area.  Levi was still in uniform--minus the cloak and jacket--and leaning against the front of his desk, a faintly steaming cup of tea in hand.  Beside him, sitting in the chair normally placed in front of his desk, was Hange, a glass of what was most likely alcohol gripped in her hands.  She was leaning forward, tired eyes focused on you as you slipped inside and shut the door behind you.

“What is it?” Levi asked, the hint of a worn note reverberating in his curt question.

Fuck, what were you doing?

You were already here, the door was shut behind you, there was no going back.  You might as well--

“Spit it out,” Levi commanded as an awkward silence started to fill the room.

Don’t even think about it, just say it and get it over with--

“If there was another way to bring Commander Erwin back, would you do it?”

Another, this time painful, silence fell over the room.  Levi’s eyes widened in surprise, and Hange leaned back in her chair.  The urge to squirm under their intense and shocked gazes was hard to resist, but you didn’t want to give them any more reason to keep giving you those looks.

“What the hell kind of a question is that?” Levi eventually snapped.

That piercing gaze was not one you wanted to meet right now, considering Erwin had just died and the pain was still fresh, and here you were asking this.  Instead, you looked either at the ground or at Hange, even if her gaze was also quite piercing.

“It’s just something I need to know,” you said softly.

“Tch.” Levi turned aside, placing his cup on the desk with more force than necessary.

“There’s no way to bring the dead back to life, y/n,” Hange said in a serious tone you were still adjusting to hearing from the woman.  The new Survey Corps Commander...she had a lot of weight on her shoulders, now--you might be seeing this serious side of her far more often.

“It’d be a pointless conversation,” Levi cut in with a tone that suggested there would be no more discussion of the matter.  “If that’s all you wanted to ask, then you should leave.”

You stood your ground, summoning up the courage to meet Levi’s gaze head on, even if you wanted to squirm or dash away.  “Just answer the question.”

The faintest smile appeared on Hange’s face, while Levi scowled and turned away, walking around his desk.  He paused at the desk’s side, his back still towards you, and started to speak.

“It’s like I said...Erwin’s earned his rest.”

“We might need him more than ever, now that we know what’s out there,” Hange pointed out.

“But would you want to take that rest from him?” Levi asked sharply, head turned to Hange as he addressed her.  He turned just enough to face you, part of his face cast in shadow.  “Does that answer your question?”

No, it didn’t.  It was just the simplified version of what you were struggling with, and didn’t give you the solid answer you needed.

It seemed you were only going to get the sure answer from one person.

Your frustration bubbling, you hoped the dark of the room hid your feelings and the serious contemplation you were still struggling with.

“Thank you, Captain.  Commander,” you said suddenly, re-opening the door to make a quick exit before things could get any more awkward.

As the door shut behind you, Levi and Hange shared a look.

It was depressingly easy to sneak out with so few Scouts left.

Upon returning to your room, you had simply stood in the center of its darkness for a few moments before stirring to action.  After pulling on your green cloak and some socks and boots, you grabbed a pouch you’d been keeping hidden under a loose floorboard, tied it onto your belt, and hurried back out of your room, drawing your hood to hide your face.

Outside it was a little easier to see with the moonlight filtering down through light canopies of the trees instead of peeking through the occasional window of the Survey Corps headquarters.  Your steps were sure and quick, your destination firmly in mind as you moved in the shadows--just in case someone who was still awake like Levi and Hange happened to look outside.  This was something you needed--or, at least, wanted--to do alone, and prying eyes was the last thing you wanted on you.

A couple miles away from the Survey Corps headquarters, you finally saw the outcropping of rock you’d been looking for.  Walking up to the exposed rock wall, you placed a hand thoughtfully against the cool, smooth surface, your other hand reaching into the pouch you’d brought with you.  After a quick inspection of the rock, you pulled out one of the small medallions your father had given you long ago for emergencies only.  You hesitated for one brief moment, then carefully pressed the medallion against the surface of the rock.  The metal-wrought image of an ancient helm placed in front of a bident suddenly sank into the surface, a dark red glow appearing around its edges.  You stepped back as the medallion seemed to melt, the trickles of metal turning to thin lines that shone like obsidian framed by magma in the night, forming the outline of a slim, arched doorway.  The rock within the outline started to crack, then suddenly crumbled with a burst of steam to reveal a dark, cavernous passage leading steeply down into the earth.

You hesitated at the entrance for a moment, wondering if you needed to brave the depths alone or if you needed to wait for…

Movement in the darkness caught your eyes, and you stepped back from the entrance at the sight of silver streaked white hair.  The figure emerging from the darkness was an elderly man dressed in tattered, simple clothes, a sturdy, long rod in hand that he leaned upon in the doorway of the newly formed entrance.

A gnarled hand reached out towards you, held out as if expecting an offering of some kind.  His eyes were dull and haunting, framed by a tangle of long, unkempt hair the same silvery white as his patchy beard--but his eyes also held danger, a threat, even for you if you made a wrong move.

Reaching back into a pouch, this time you pulled out a handful of ancient silvery coins, dropping three into his hand.  The man quickly clamped down on the obol coins, tucking them away as you spoke up.

“Does he know I’m coming?”

“You’ve been gone a long time--he would not miss your arrival.”  As he spoke, his eyes shifted, looking at something behind you.  A shiver went down your spine, hairs standing up on the back of your neck.

“And who exactly is waiting for you?”

The low, dangerous tone had you backstepping before you’d even finished turning around.

Captain Levi, the one who just spoke, and Commander Hange were both standing directly behind you, a look that matched the dangerous tone darkening Levi’s face.

The reality of just how bad this all looked, considering what they had learned today, struck fear in your heart, even if you knew you weren’t doing anything wrong.

All they knew was that you’d snuck out in the middle of the night, opened a hole in the earth by means unknown, and were talking about some mysterious individual you wanted to see.  Considering you’d all just learned about a world of unknown capabilities beyond the walls that was out to destroy everyone in the walls...you understood why Levi was pinning you with such an expression.

Lying right now was only going to get you killed.  They would know you were lying, and at the very least, the fact you were trying to lie might condemn you if the ‘you wouldn’t lie if you didn’t have anything to hide’ philosophy applied here.  The truth was your best option, no matter how outlandish it may seem.

At least after today, after all the information that had been dumped on everyone, they might be more liable to listen to the outlandish and insane.

“My father--I wanted to try asking for his help,” you said quietly in the face of their suspicion, doing your best to stay calm.

Levi’s eyes narrowed.  “Your father?”

“I know this looks bad, but I’m trying to get help, not fetching another threat,” you said, glancing between the tense Hange and Levi.

“Your behavior suggests otherwise,” Hange pointed out.  “Sneaking around, keeping secrets--it’s in your best interests to start explaining.”

“It’s a lot to explain, and a lot to believe…” you said with a hint of hesitation, conscious of the fact you’d already paid an increasingly impatient Charon.

“I would not keep your father waiting.  Not on account of these mortals,” Charon said behind you, his annoyance clear.

Your father’s anger, or Levi’s…

Your father could wait a few moments longer.

“Look, I don’t have the time to explain right now,” you said, drawing Levi’s and Hange’s attention back to you and away from the fact they’d just been called mortals.  “But, if you think you can trust me enough to come with me, I’ll try to explain along the way.”

There was understandable hesitation from both of them.  Considering the current situation and the recent betrayals even among former Scouts, you weren’t expecting these two to trust you immediately, no matter how many fights and near-death situations the three of you had been through in the past years.  Frankly, you’d be disappointed if they hadn’t hesitated, or didn’t even try to question you to some extent, first.

“How do we know you won’t lead us into a trap?” Levi asked.

“I suppose that’s part of the trust.  You’ll have to trust that I don’t mean either of you harm, or anyone within these walls, for that matter.”  You put your hands up in a proffered silent offer.  “You can frisk me for weapons if it will make you feel better.  I don’t have any--considering I’m going to meet my father, I didn’t think weapons were needed--but you can still check.”

Not one to disappoint, Levi checked you over anyway, fingers prodding in places you hadn’t even thought of for any kind of hidden weapon.  While Levi searched you, Hange asked questions.

“Who’s your father?”

“Hades.  Just Hades,” you said simply.

“You say that like it’s supposed to mean something to us.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t--it didn’t mean anything to me the first time I heard it, either,” you admitted, finally putting your arms down as Levi stepped back, finished firsking you for weapons.  “If you’re satisfied I’m not going to try stabbing you in the tunnel, I’ll explain who he is on the way there.  If I keep him waiting any longer, he’s going to be furious...and that’s not something I want to be on the receiving end of.”

They didn’t say yes, but they didn’t say no, either, so you assumed they were willing to follow you, turning back to Charon and digging back in your purse, pulling out six obols this time.  Charon didn’t reach out to take them.

“Your father will not be...pleased that you’ve brought mortals into his realm.”

That earned a bit of a glare from you as you dug back through your bag and pulled out two golden drachmas to add to the obols.  Now that you’d tripled the fare, Charon accepted the coins and turned to face the depths below them, already starting the path down.  You turned back to Levi and Hange, neither of them looking pleased to be following you down into the unknown.

“Stay close to me,” you told them seriously.  This was uncharted territory for them, but somewhere familiar for you, and considering all the dangerous things the three of you could run into on your way through the Underworld...you’d rather keep an eye on them, for their sakes.

With no torch lighting your way, the three of you followed the narrow tunnel, the sound of Charon’s rod tapping against the rocky ground acting as an audible guide through the darkness.  You had a hand pressed against the wall on your right as a way to stabilize yourself.

“Where does this even lead?” Levi asked, his voice coming directly behind you.  Hange was probably walking behind him.

“The Underworld...not to be confused with the Underground, that’s entirely different.”

A few moments of silence, then, “Start explaining.”

Here we go…

“Before the walls were put up, there used to be this ancient civilization known as the Greeks.  They believed in many different gods and goddesses, but the most important were the Big Three: god of the sky, lightning, and thunder, Zeus; god of the sea, earthquakes, storms, and horses, Poseidon; and god of the dead, hidden wealth, the Underworld, and some would also say regret...Hades.  My father.”

“You want us to believe you’re the brat of some ancient god?  You do know how insane that sounds?”

“Even though we live in a world with Titans, and after everything we’ve learned about what’s outside the walls, is it really that hard to believe?” you asked, noting that the ground beneath you seemed to be leveling out once more.  “Besides, you’ll see it for yourself soon, anyway.”

Light started to filter into the tunnel, a faint bluish light that made it possible to see the ground beneath your feet and Charon walking a few steps ahead of you.  If you turned your head, you could see Levi indeed walking only half a step behind you, Hange only a step away from Levi.  At least they were staying close, like you’d asked, though you had the feeling part of it was in preparation for an ambush or trap of some kind.  Especially since you were officially claiming to be the offspring of a god.

“And the Underworld would be what, exactly?” Hange asked.

The light grew brighter, an indication that you had at least made the on foot part of the journey.  You were about to come to the part that made Charon invaluable to anyone who wanted to travel through the Underworld.  In fact, it was close enough you made Hange wait for an answer until you’d gone down the last few steps and could finally see the beginning of the Underworld, moving aside so that Hange and Levi would be able to see as well.

“The land of the dead.”

They had entered a vast cavern that was bathed in the etheral blue light.  The tunnel ended in a small cliff that jutted out into the cavern, the rest of the space made up of vaulted natural ceilings and a bottomless pit instead of a smooth rock floor.  As for the light, it came from a flowing silvery blue river that touched the lip of the cliff before disappearing down into the dark depths below.

And it was suspended in nothing; just a stream of ethereal water thick enough for a narrow boat to sail, winding forward and curving out of sight, deeper into the realm.

It was all they could see at the moment, though considering it was a glowing river suspended in the air, you figured it would be enough of a first sight of the Underworld to get them thinking you were telling the truth.

Hange gasped behind you, pushing her way to the front so she could get a closer look at the river, peering over the edge to gaze at the water disappearing below.  She got close enough to the edge you saw a slightly wide-eyed Levi shift closer, ready to catch her if she leaned too far over the edge.  As you watched, Charon’s boat started to make its way towards you as if it had a mind of its own, Charon’s gaze focused on the boat and ignoring the three of you entirely.  Hange was momentarily distracted from the river by the approaching unmanned boat, eyes wide.

“Ooh, you have to tell me how it’s doing that--and this river--”

“Most of what you’re going to see down here I can only explain by calling it magic or divine...or infernal, whichever you prefer.  I don’t think you can call some of the things down here divine.”  Maybe if you said that now, it would save you from having to explain things you really didn’t know how to explain later.

The boat reached the cliff, causing Hange to step back as Charon reached out a hand and placed it on the boat’s figurehead of a screech owl, bringing it to a stop and steadying the boat in place.

“Come on--we need to keep moving,” you said, already climbing onto the boat, watching the other two as they climbed aboard.

Hange was studying everything, from the figurehead carving as she climbed into the sides of the boat for any kind of visible mode of movement--finding none--and still gazing at the glowing water, an arm resting on the side of the boat as she did so.  Levi was far more cautious, approaching the boat like he expected it to tip over and drop all of you into the bottomless chasm below, leering at the glowing water--he probably thought it was poisonous or tainted in some way.

Sadly, he wasn’t wrong.

Charon was the last one to get in, the rod in his hand dipping into the shimmering waters and pushing off the cliff to get the boat started forward.  It glided through the waters without any kind of turbulence or resistance, making it deceptively smooth sailing into the land of the dead.

“I don’t see many dead people for a land of the dead,” Levi pointed out, leaning back in his seat at the end of the boat opposite from Charon, his back against the bow and other carved figurehead.

“We haven’t even gone through the entrance yet,” you defended, watching Hange as she leaned over the edge of the boat to get a closer look at the water.  “That tunnel only brought us over the boundary river Styx.  This river is going to bring us past the actual entrance.  Don’t worry, you can’t miss it, there’s a three he--don’t touch the water!”

Your hand shot out before you even finished speaking, lunging forward to stop Hange from plunging her hand into its glowing current.  You had her by the wrist, your eyes wide as you pulled her back into the boat.  Levi was half out of his seat from your sudden shout and movement, but Hange was looking at you startled and with an expression that clearly asked ‘why not?’

“This is the Lethe, river of forgetfulness.  Souls drink from this river to erase the lives they’ve lived from their minds entirely.  So unless you want to forget everything you’ve ever known, I’d resist the urge to touch it...or any of the rivers, on that note--none of them are good.”  You let go of her wrist.  “It’s best to just steer clear of the waters down here.”

Levi pulled Hange down into her seat by the back of her shirt after your explanation.  “This place isn’t curiosity friendly, four-eyes, try to keep yourself under control.”

Hange pouted.  “But I wanted to get a closer look…”

“Sorry, Hange, but this is as close as you’re going to get in this stage of existence,” you said with a bittersweet smile.

“This is all...interesting...but why did you come down here?” Levi asked.  “This isn’t just a family visit.”

You looked away, choosing to look at the glimmering water below rather than at your companions.  “No, it isn’t.  Ever since we found out what was in that basement, I’ve been thinking, and I want to try…”

You really hoped they weren’t going to take this badly.  Especially knowing Levi’s thoughts on the matter.

“I want to try asking my father if he’ll let Erwin come back.”

There were a few beats of silence with you refusing to take a peek at their reactions, just in case their reactions weren’t pretty.  Your eyes were fixed on the water until you finally heard Hange speak.

“So you are trying to raise the dead, essentially.”

Your question in Levi’s office had been rather obvious and odd, hadn’t it?

“Sort of.  I personally can’t do anything more than get down here.  My father’s the one who can do it, if I can convince him.  I wouldn’t dare try this without his permission--”

“Were you listening to anything I said?” Levi interrupted, voice low, his body taunt and his eyes stormy.  Predictably, he wasn’t happy about your rushed scheme.

“I was.  I put this whole notion aside several times listening to you.  But knowing our situation, knowing we might need him, and hearing conflicting opinions left and right…”

Turning the bend, the actual entrance to the Underworld loomed overhead.  The sight made you trail off as you rose to your feet, exuding calm in the hopes your companions would retain their calm.

Trying to attack the Titan sized three-headed black dog pushing to his feet would not go well.

A snarl reverberated around the cavern, causing Levi and Hange to reach for what you could only assume were concealed weapons.  They really had been prepared for the worst, for a possible betrayal, when they’d followed you tonight.

“Steady,” you admonished, trying to carefully step around Hange to get a little closer to the massive dog.  “Cerberus might be a big, scary guard dog, but he’s got a soft spot for my father and his children, which includes me.”

As you spoke, you reached out a hand as the boat came close enough for Cerberus to be within arm’s reach.  Levi rose partially out of his seat while Hange leaned closer…

The snarls resided when Cerberus got a whiff of your scent, lowering his heads as you came within range.  The left and right you gave affectionate rubs along the sides of his faces, while the middle you nuzzled against affectionately.  The head on your right nudged your pouch in askance, prompting a small chuckle out of you.

“Sorry, Cerberus, I don’t have any treats for you today.  Maybe another time,” you told the giant hound with one last affectionate rub on two of his snouts before pulling away, the boat already drifting past the giant hound.

Turning back to the other two, their expressions were rather priceless.  Hange seemed like she was about to burst at the seams with questions--when was she not?  This place was like a eutopia of question provoking things for her--and Levi...well, his reaction had been fleeting, and he’d already schooled his expression back to its usual neutral state.  He’d definitely been watching you treat the giant hellhound like a fluffy puppy, though.  You must have been quite the sight.

After passing Cerberus and continuing past a passage on the opposite bank, a jagged opening in the cavern appeared around one last bend, a cacophony of ethereal lights emanating just beyond the exit.  The Lethe grew wider, and as the boat passed under the opening, divided into three separate directions.  To the right, the Lethe continued with its glowing blue waters.  The left melted into a seething river of fire that winded over the immediate landscape and towards a jagged collection of sharp rocks that reached towards the skies like broken blades, a hellish red glow emanating from something unseen within their center.  Down the center, the glowing blue rivers melted into waters blacker than ink and appearing bottomless even though it wound through the air--at least at the beginning.  At points, the waters of the different rivers dipped low and ran along the ground before reaching back into the air.

At the moment, the only thing of the land that was visible was a stretch of field that seemed endless in its bleak, grayish appearance, devoid of most color, only a few of the hoards of wandering souls below appearing to retain faded memories of color in them.  In the distance to the right, the Lethe melted away into a river dark red and thick as blood, the border to an area of land draped in a heavy fog and darker than the rest, no other definite features visible from such a distance.

As the boat continued forward along the black waters, you shuffled back to your seat, gaze searching the horizon for your destination.  Hange and Levi were both looking around, taking in the sight of the actual Underworld as you waited for them to process their surroundings.

“A little grim for an afterlife, especially compared to what you normally hear,” Hange commented, gazing over the edge of the bow into the colorless fields teeming with aimlessly wandering souls.

“Most of it is, yes,” you admitted before launching into an explanation of the Underworld’s regions, Levi and Hange both letting their gazes roam to follow your explanation.  “There is a better corner of the Underworld, it’s just on the completely opposite side.  What we’re going over now is the Asphodel Meadows, the largest portion of the Underworld, that acts as a sort of in between--no one down there did anything exceptionally bad or extraordinarily heroic or good.  They fell into a middle ground.  Those jagged rocks at the end of the Phlegathon--the river of fire--cover Tartarus, where the especially nasty beings go.  We’re on the Acheron River right now, river of sorrow and pain--it winds through most of the Underworld.  That foggy place over there is the start of the Fields of Mourning, a place specifically for those done wrong by love who never recovered, framed by the Cocytus River of lamentation and sorrow...Then somewhere off in the distance, on the other side of the Underworld, is the Elysian Fields and the Isles of the Blessed.”

“That sounds much better than Fields of Morning and River of Fire,” Hange said in a tone so deadpan that for a moment you thought it was Levi who’d spoken.  It definitely wasn’t Levi who spoke, though.  He was looking up at the rock ceiling high above--almost out of sight--with an expression that disgust and trepidation only began to describe.

“They are.  The Elysian Fields are for the truly exceptional--the heroes, the ones who made a difference, the truly good.  And the Isles of the Blessed are for...the cream of the crop, I suppose.”

“Then you’re going there.  For Erwin,” Levi cut in.  You would have assumed it was a question, but it still sounded like a statement, which was a little confusing for you.  Thankfully, whether it was a statement or a question didn’t matter, because he was wrong.

“Actually, no.  I am not about to presume where the judges decide souls go, that’s not my area--even my father rarely pulls strings for who goes where.  And I’m not about to piss off my father by trying to sneak a soul out of here, either--not that it would even be a successful endeavor,” you said with a shake of your head.  You weren’t about to be pretentious or foolish enough to think you could do anything successfully down here without the permission of Hades...or Persephone, but it wasn’t winter, so she wasn’t down here and wouldn’t be any help.  “Which is why we’re not going to any of these fields--we’re going to my father’s palace.  I’m going to talk to him, see if he’ll be willing to make some kind of deal or arrangement.  And if he is...I’ll ask Erwin himself if he’d be willing to come back.  Since everyone else can’t seem to agree, I figured why not ask the man himself instead of assuming what he’d want.”

After your explanation, you settled down leaning against the side of the boat, eyes cast in the general direction you knew the palace was, letting Hange and Levi gaze at the Underworld around them to their heart’s content.  You were simply waiting for your destination to come into view, eyes glazing over as you eventually stared off into nothing, the subconscious squirm in your stomach at the thought of asking such a big thing of your father coming to the forefront of your mind.  You could probably count the tales you’d heard of someone successfully bringing a soul back from the Underworld on one or two of your hands.  And most of those had been because Persephone gave permission, not your father.  Perhaps you should have waited until winter, until Persephone was in the Underworld as well--maybe then she could have been a mediator.

You could feel Hange’s gaze lingering on you after some time traveling down the river, and you looked up a split second before her question burst out of her.  “So how long have you known your father was this Hades guy?”

You grimaced at her casual use of his name, a little tingle on the back of your neck as you wondered if he’d sensed it.  “Ancient Big Three Greek God of the Dead...best not to speak casually about him, he won’t like it.”  You saw Levi roll his eyes behind a once again pouting Hange, but you ignored him and continued.  “I was about fifteen when he sent one of the truth Oneiroi--daemons of dreams--to find me and bring me down here so he could explain my heritage to me.  It’s not exactly the olden days when everyone knew about the Greek Gods--well, at least everyone in the Greek area--and he could just give some sort of well-known sign to claim me as one of his children.  A lot more explanation was needed.  I knew nothing about any of this until that explanation, other than the fact I was a little...different.”

As you spoke, you could finally see Hades’ palace appear in the distance, the Elysian Fields visible a little ways to its left, a stark contrast to the rest of the Underworld, with its rich color and brighter atmosphere.  You also knew, from the few times you’d been allowed in--no matter how briefly--that there was a sky visible in those fields.  You weren’t entirely sure if it was an illusion or some kind of magic or bending of the cosmos, but you knew the sun shone on the fields and the waters, and the stars blazed in a night sky in those fields.

But that wasn’t where you were going.  Even though the Acheron River twisted and split in two separate directions low to the ground to form a border between the Elysian Fields and the Asphodel Meadows, Charon was guiding the boat to the right, closer to the palace of ebony, obsidian, and marble intricately carved in an ancient Greek style.  Columns lined the front of the first floor of the soaring building, the top and bottom of every pillar containing tales from ancient Greece, tales of heroes dying, of the toppling of the titans, of the legends Hades and Persephone were both well known for such as Hades taking Persephone to the underworld, and Orpheus attempting to lead his wife out of the Underworld (one of the unsuccessful stories).

Charon brought the boat to a stop at a bend in the bank that brought the three of you as close to the palace as you could get by boat, his staff planted firmly against the loamy soil of the bank where the river briefly met with the earth.  You climbed out first, taking the lead since this was your mission, your father’s palace, and you knew where you were going and what you were doing.  As soon as the three of you had your feet planted in the ground, Charon pushed off of the bank with his staff, already making his way back down the inky river.

“No second thoughts or going back, now,” you murmured to yourself.  You took a deep breath, and strode the last few steps to the onyx pathway that led all the way to the marble steps of your father’s palace, steeling your resolve.

(Levi POV)

The increasing tension you were radiating with every step towards and into the looming palace of marble and dark stone did nothing to put Levi’s mind at ease about this entire...bizarre situation.  They way you talked about your father--about Hades--you had more fearful respect of the--man?--than anything else.  Him being the apparent ruler of such a grim afterlife and the god of the dead made your mannerisms make sense, but even then, if he was your father, Levi might have expected those feelings to be a little less...intense.  But they were cloying with how strongly they radiated from you, and did nothing to reassure him this entire idea wasn’t as stupid as it had initially sounded.  At first he’d simply thought you were talking nonsense, but now he kept waiting for this rushed, half-baked idea to go south, ready to claw his way out of whatever bad came even if he didn’t understand half of what was happening.

One worldview altering information dump was already a lot to handle, but this was getting ridiculous.

He still wasn’t entirely convinced this wasn’t some crazy drug-induced dream or hallucination caused by Hange slipping something in his tea to try and get him to sleep.  Of course, he hadn’t seen Hange put anything in his tea--which he would have if she’d tried--but at least that would give him a more logical explanation for everything going on from the moment you’d opened a hole in the goddamn ground.

They passed the columns and approached the main entrance, Levi taking in the carvings--warriors dying in battle; a woman eating what looked like an apple, tomato, or maybe a pomegranate--some sort of fruit; a man holding some sort of instrument watching a woman disappear in a wisp of smoke--after he’d established there wasn’t anything dangerous lurking in the shadows.

As your hand settled on the ebony double doors, you paused and turned around to fix Levi and Hange with a serious gaze.  “Whatever happens in there, just let me do the talking, okay?”

Hange shrugged.  “He’s your father.”

Your gaze moved to Levi, who still hadn’t said anything, clearly waiting for him to give verbal confirmation he agreed.

“Are you going to keep us standing out here all night, or are you going to go inside already?” Levi asked eventually.

He wasn’t about to make any promises.  If things started to go bad, he was going to do what he had to.

You gave a little huff as you turned back around, prompting the faintest smirk to flash across Levi’s lips.  You knew he was dodging making the promise, but you also knew you weren’t going to win if you tried to press the issue.

The ebony doors opened with a groan, and Levi followed close behind as you strode confidently inside despite the slight tremble of your hand he’d caught as you’d passed the doors.  They immediately entered the main chamber, a vast room of marble and obsidian and doorways along the walls that signaled different halls leading to different parts of the building.  At the far end of the room there was an intricately carved ebony throne, and sitting in it was a man reclined like a cat about to pounce and radiating raw power, a two-pronged bident weapon glinting in his hand with the blunt end resting on the ground, grasped--at the moment--more like a scepter than a weapon.

More came into view the closer they drew--he was wearing a deep, dark red suit jacket that hung open over a dark grey button up shirt and black pants, his long black hair was unruly and falling just past his shoulders, a carefully kept full goatee and mustache of a matching black, and the rest of his jawline cleanly shaven.  He had a bolo tie loosely around his neck, the pendant the exact same symbol that had been on the medallion you’d used to create the tunnel.  Then there were his eyes--a piercing, all-knowing ice blue, which when matched with his stern and serious expression, gave the impression he was gazing into the very soul of whoever he cast his eyes towards, weighing its very value.

It was unsettling when that gaze was turned on Levi, but he refused to look away.

When you came within a few strides of the throne, you dropped to one knee and gave a respectful bow of your head.  Normally, Levi would have stayed standing...but you had said god of the afterlife, and if you, his own kid, was kneeling, then clearly it would be expected for Hange and himself to kneel, too.

That didn’t mean he had to like it.

After all three of you were kneeling, Hades leaned forward in his seat, that sharp gaze watching Hange and Levi while he spoke to you.

“I was under the impression you were coming alone.  Why are these mortals with you?”

Again with the mortal thing.  And you still weren’t being included in that address.  So, since your father was a god, did that mean you weren’t mortal?  You were immortal because of your parentage?

No, that wasn’t right.  Levi had seen you injured before, even close to death.  You weren’t immortal...but clearly you weren’t quite mortal either.  Somewhere in between.  He’d have to ask after all of this and try to get some clarity on the matter.

You raised your head from its bowed position, meeting your father’s gaze head on once it returned to you.  “Unforeseen circumstances.” You answered Hades’ question like it was an afterthought, trying to redirect the conversation towards the whole reason you were here.  “What’s important is why I came down here to see you.”

Hades leaned back in his seat again, sizing you up where you were still kneeling on the ground.  “The last time you were here you were quite adamant that you needed nothing from me.  Are you already swallowing your pride?”

Levi saw a muscle in your jaw twitch at the allusion, his curiosity rising once more.  There were so many things he wanted to ask once the three of you--maybe four--left this place.

You ignored what Hades had just said, speaking as if the veiled taunt wasn’t there and rising to your feet.  You were also tense again, which gave Levi the impression that Hades was not going to like what you said next.

“I came down here to ask if you would make a deal to allow me to return a soul to the living.”

In the next moment, Hades was on his feet, eyes flashing with a fire in stark contrast with his cold tone.  “What?”

As if the man--being, god--hadn’t had a presence before, now the power crackled in the air, the smell of ozone accompanying it.

To your credit, you didn’t back down in the face of Hades’ anger--Levi had never known you to back down in the face of anyone’s anger, even his own.

“There’s someone who just died that we’re going to need in the coming war, and I wanted to see if we could come to an arrangem--”

“No soul that comes down here is allowed back.  There’s a balance that must be kept, death must be final.  I would have thought one of my own would know this.”

“I do know--I know it’s happened in the past, some of the legends are carved right into this palace’s columns outside.”

The light in the room seemed to be dimming as Hades’ anger grew, a black fog rising in the room.  Levi’s breath misted in front of him as the temperature in the room dropped, something that, now that he thought back, was similar to the chill in the air the few times he’d seen you angry.  At the visible proof of Hades anger, which was directed at you, Levi and Hange both got to their feet.

“If you’re so knowledgeable, you’ll remember those were also instances where the Olympians meddled in the nature of things, or Persephone made the deal without my knowledge,” Hades growled.

“But it has been done, and I’m willing to work out a deal, something that will get us what we need without disrupting the balance of things,” you returned, stepping closer to the angry god of the dead.  “Maybe something like the deal with Iolaus--”

“Iolaus,” Hades hissed, turning away.  “The Olympians plucked him from the Underworld without any cares for the balance and the chaos their interference caused down here until he was returned.”

He turned back to face you again.  “That kind of deal would give me nothing, except the chaos of disorder.  If I was to allow a soul out of the Underworld, a price needs to be paid, one that preferably serves my own interests.  Besides--you were so intent on doing things on your own the last time we spoke.  Even if I was delusional enough to agree, another Iolaus arrangement would be too much of a gift, even by your apparent standards.”

Levi saw your fist clench at your side as you let out a long breath, suddenly falling silent.

Hades turned his back, already making his way towards one of the halls as the fog receded and the chill started to dissipate.  “If that’s all--”

“What about more of an...Orpheus, Alcestis kind of deal?”

Hades paused, a tense silence falling over the room.  Levi’s gaze was fixed on you, though, not on the god.  Instead of trying to figure out what was going on in Hades’ head, he was studying you, a foreboding feeling starting to grow in his gut at the reluctance he could hear in your voice.  That wasn’t a good sign, not with all this talk about balance and prices for reviving the dead.

Hades faced you, his composure back to the calm and calculating demeanor he’d had when the three of you had first entered the room.  “A little more promising.  I’m listening.”

You started to turn towards Levi and Hange, but stopped yourself, squaring up to Hades and centering your gaze on him.  “This may take a while.  Let’s find somewhere to discuss it,” you said with a detached air.

You didn’t want to get into the details in front of Levi and Hange.  Now he really was worried.

Before Levi could do or say anything, Hades was already turning back to continue his way down the hall he’d already been heading towards.  “Then let’s talk,” he said, melting into the shadows with you close behind.  You only turned back long enough to give Levi and Hange a brief ‘wait here’ gesture before you’d disappeared as well.

“I don’t like this,” Levi said bluntly once you and Hades had disappeared.  “Whatever deal they’re making can’t be good.”

“What are you going to do, fight the god of death?” Hange returned, jumping up the steps to take a closer look at the ebony throne, running her hands along the woodwork and intricate carvings.

Maybe.

“Besides, whatever they’re talking about we clearly don’t have a say in--there’s not much else to do but wait,” Hange added.

“You don’t believe that.”

“This time, I do.  He’s a god, Levi, one we know nothing about, and we’re in this Underworld--the afterlife.  We’re getting a glimpse into the afterlife, Levi!” Hange said, her voice bubbling over with excitement as she continued to examine the throne.

“Some afterlife,” he muttered, finding a spot against a pillar on the opposite side of the room he could lean against while he watched the hallway, waiting for you and Hades to reappear.

After what felt like hours listening to Hange rattle excitedly about everything they’d seen and come up with theory after theory, Levi finally saw you and Hades return to the main room.  Thankfully, Hange wasn’t ogling over the throne anymore, so they didn’t have to worry about raising Hades’ ire for playing around with his throne.

Levi studied your face, trying to get an idea of what had happened while you were gone from your expression.  You seemed relieved, which was a good sign...but there was also a slight wilt in your movements, a slight dimness in your eyes, and it worried him.

You stopped as Hange and Levi both approached you, Hange clearly anxious to hear the outcome, while Levi kept his thoughts to himself and simply watched you closely.

“Both my father and Erwin agreed.”

Wait, you’d already seen Erwin?  Without them?  Where was he?  Especially if Hades agreed to let him go, why wasn’t he with you?

“The deal involves us leading him out of the Underworld, but the two of you cannot look back until you’ve returned to the surface world and you see the sun clear the horizon.”  While you explained, Hades passed the three of you and headed towards a smooth section of the wall on the right side of his throne.  “No looking back, even for a glimpse--you’re not allowed to see him until then.”

“What about you?” Levi asked sharply.  You didn’t hesitate in your reply, which was, admittedly, a good sign.

“I’m taking up the rear.  I’ll be guiding you through the tunnel from the back.  Special child of Hades privileges.  Plus, I felt it would help put your minds at ease if I could see it was Erwin we were leading to the surface.  That way you’re not tempted to look back to make sure it’s him.”

A sudden clang of metal on stone rang through the vast chamber as Hades planted his bident firmly in the ground, drawing everyone’s attention.  A beam of silvery light emanated from between the two points of the weapon and cast onto the smooth wall he’d been approaching, a new tunnel appearing within the confines of the light like a billowing curtain being blown back.  Once the tunnel appeared, you made your way towards it, gesturing for Levi and Hange to follow.

You shared a glance with your father, stopping just shy of the tunnel and placing a hand briefly on Levi’s shoulder to stop him from starting down the tunnel.  You were fiddling with the pouch on your waist that you’d pulled the coins and medallion from, undoing the strings and handing it over to Levi, who clutched the bag tightly in his hand as his sharp gaze tried probing you once more.  Why the hell were you giving this to him?

“You guys are in front--I just want you to have it in case you need it on the way up.  To open a passage or pay a guarding being or something like that--I don’t know if we’ll run into anything like that, but just in case.”

...something about your voice was off.  The timber, maybe, but whatever it was made it hard for Levi to believe that was the real reason.

You waved a hand impatiently.

“Come on, we’re on a time limit here, we have to get going.  You two walk side by side up the tunnel, I’ll be right back here.”

Hange shared a worried glance with Levi.  So she had her suspicions as well.  Surely this wasn’t the whole deal?  Did Hades really think it would be a challenge not to look back?

The image from the columns outside of the man looking over his shoulder as a woman faded away entered Levi's mind, and for a moment, he wondered if it was more the fact that Hades knew eventually it would be difficult to not look back.

After that shared glance, they started forward.

The darkness was quick to swallow them up, no light to even guide their footsteps and forcing them to reach out for the walls to steady themselves.  From behind, you had already started to speak.

“The tunnel should be on level ground at first, but eventually it’s going to start climbing up, you’ll feel it.  Just so you know ahead of time.  And stick close, there’s going to be a few forks I’ll have to tell you which turn to take, and we don’t want either of you wandering down the wrong path.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Hange said rather cheerfully.  “Since we have quite the walk, do you think you could answer some questions for me?”

“I’ll try to.  I don’t know how well I’ll be able to answer, but I’ll try.”

With that, Hange started pelting you with most of the questions she’d been babbling to Levi about while the two of them were waiting for you and your father.  You did your best to answer most of them--there were three demi-gods who judged the souls while your father supervised them, Hades was the god of the dead but not of death, Olympians were twelve gods that got to live on Mount Olympus and were considered the main twelve gods, Hades wasn’t counted as an Olympian despite being the oldest male god because he was never at Mount Olympus since he spent all his time in the Underworld--but other questions you admitted to having given little thought or knowing nothing about.  Two or three times you interrupted Hange’s questions to tell them to go right or left, but other than that, most of what you were saying were answers to Hange’s questions instead of directions.

Until…

“Wait, wait, wait, stop...but don’t look back.”

Levi sighed.  “We know that part--what is it?”

You didn’t answer.  Instead, he could hear you shuffling around in the dark, moving first to Hange, who gasped.

“Hange, don’t look back!”

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t look, though!  Is that--”

As you shuffled towards Levi, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder--currently a light weight, but it still felt like a fairly large hand.

“All right, you can start walking again.  Just keep those eyes forward, we shouldn’t have much longer, now.”

Levi started forward, a little more hesitant this time, surprised that Hange even seemed to have grown quiet beside him.  But the further they went, the heavier the weight on his shoulder seemed to get, like something was solidifying behind him, or gradually leaning more and more weight on him.  He felt his heartbeat pick up as he realized it was Erwin behind him, Erwin’s hand he could feel on his shoulder.  You would have said something if it wasn’t Erwin.

This was happening.  The deal was paying off, whatever its details had been.

Feeling Erwin’s hands on their shoulders seemed to make the situation feel that much more real, enough so that even Hange fell silent and no longer bombarded you with questions about everything they’d learned tonight.  The four simply walked in silence up the steepening tunnel, with your voice giving directions every now and then about particularly steep parts that were coming up, or forks in the tunnel.

Then, at long last, light began to filter in--faint at first, but growing in strength as they neared the surface.  It seemed the sun had started to rise above ground, which thankfully meant that they wouldn’t have to wait too long to turn around and see the results of their patience.

Of course now Levi also knew that if he looked back, he might be able to see Erwin.  He wasn’t going to, he wasn’t about to break the deal--he trusted you, so he knew it was Erwin behind him.  It was just that he could feel the impatience to see Erwin starting to settle in, and finally he was starting to understand what was so hard about not being able to look back--especially when the person you were trying to bring out was right behind you.

Levi squinted against a sudden piercing light as they climbed up a particularly steep patch of ground and made a turn around a slight bend, bringing the mouth of the tunnel into view.  Outside he could see the sun making its rise above the horizon--not clear of it yet, but getting there.  Would they have to keep going once they were out of the tunnel or would they simply stand there right outside of it until the sun had fully risen?

“All right, this part,” you said from your spot at the back of the group.  As you spoke, the group came closer and closer to the mouth of the cave.  “Once you pass the tunnel’s threshold you’re going to keep walking--doesn’t matter how fast or how slow, as long as you’re still moving--until you can both visibly see the sun clear the horizon.  You both might want to check with one another until you do, just to be safe.  Once you both can see that, you’ll be able to look back.  Understood?”

“Perfectly,” Hange answered.

Levi hummed in response, his feet finally carrying him out of the tunnel and back onto the grassy surface, gaze fixed on the horizon.

“Good.  Then just keep going, no matter how tempted you are to look back.  Keep going.”

Levi sucked in a breath.

Your voice...was getting farther away.

Levi’s step faltered at the realization, his head starting to turn, to make sure you were still right behind Erwin, that you were still with them, with hi--

“Don’t look back.”

Your sharp words pierced the air in startling clarity, admonishing and firm.  Levi grit his teeth, fixing his eyes forward and berating himself for almost losing Erwin for his moment of weakness.

But he hadn’t been wrong.  Your voice sounded farther away with every step they took.  He needed to look back, to make sure you were there...but he would wait until the sun cleared the horizon, just like the deal required.  That way, if his growing worry was unfounded, he wouldn’t screw this up because of a moment of weakness--he was not going to be the reason Erwin died again.

Levi and Hange both shared a look, the two of them both appearing tense and on edge to the other, but neither of them daring to look back as the weight on their shoulders grew more and more real.  They couldn’t turn around, as much as they wanted to, even as your calls to ‘keep going, don’t look back’ grew fainter and fainter.

“I see the sun’s cleared the horizon, what about you?” Hange said suddenly, reaching out a hand to place on Levi’s arm.  He didn’t answer the first few moments, gaze still on the horizon, waiting, watching…

“Yes,” he said briskly as soon as he saw the sun completely break away from the visible edge of the earth.  He’d hardly finished speaking before both of them finally, at long last, looked back.

Levi turned sharply around, hand instinctively reaching out to steady a perfectly healthy and whole Erwin Smith as the man staggered from a disorientation Levi wasn’t even going to try and understand.  Erwin was alive, resurrected from the dead, and no longer missing his arm, either--something made obvious by the fact the once-missing hand was the one buried into his blonde hair as the Commander uttered a low groan of discomfort.

Levi wasn’t paying much attention to him beyond that.  His wide eyes were instead fixed on the now-distant rock outcropping behind him, no sign that the tunnel had ever existed...and no trace of you ever being there, aside from the small pouch that now hung heavy at his waist.

He finally understood what had made Hades accept the deal, despite the resistance and displeasure at the simple suggestion of letting someone return to the land of the living--or rather, what had made him accept the trade.

Why the fuck did you do it?

Part 2--->

AN:  I was going to write the discussion between Reader and Erwin about whether or not he even wanted to come up to the surface, but this was already sooooo long and I didn’t feel confident enough to do such a discussion justice, so it got chopped.  If I do a part two, I might have the deal discussed in hindsight so I can cheat and talk about the spirit of the discussion without struggling for days with writing the discussion itself, heh.

Tags: @mysteriousmagicx @humanityshottestsoldier @final-fantasy-xv-nut