Hades' Home

mppersephone​:

(...) The goddess of spring comes back to her husband after exactly five seconds, a huge jar of newly-baked cookies is secured in her embrace. “I hope Cerberus will love this!” She shows the jar to Hades, like a mother who couldn’t wait to give her child a gift that she’s made herself. Persephone takes another moment to look around the apartment, the beautiful place where they have shared so many memories together, in silent gratitude. She’ll miss this place, this island, and for sure, all of its citizens. Her eyes suddenly get watery from the tidal of emotions, but because this shall not be their very last goodbye, she doesn’t let the sadness of farewell dominate the joy of coming home. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she looks back at her dear husband, eyes still full of love and trust as always, with an peaceful smile. “I’m ready, Hades. Let’s go home!”

Persephone’s up and out of his hold in no time and he can’t do anything but smile at her enthusiasm to go home. After all; most of the things people say about them have something to do with how he kidnapped her, how he forced her to be his wife, speak of sympathy for Demeter and what a horrible person he was. But the people that matter, and in this particular thing that is only his wife and him as far as he’s concerned, know that the reality is quite different. Yes, he might have listened to Zeus’ stupid suggestion and gone to kidnap Persephone, but the reality is that she’d put herself purposefully in his way and had let him take her. And ever since, his home, which he’d resented for so many years, had become her home as well and it had finally started to feel like home, especially those few months when she was there with her.

To go there with her now, to spend not just winter but any season they want together in the place that homes their life, their beloved Cerberus and much more is something he can only be excited for himself, and to see her just as excited - if not more - warms his heart more than anything else. He watches her disappear into the kitchen then return with a jar of cookies he know she recently baked. When she then mentions Cerberus, there is no one else in the world he loves more than Persephone, shining with life and light, full of love and delight. His Persephone, as much as he is hers.

mppersephone​:

(...) “We’ve been away from the Underworld for quite a while, my dear, much longer than I’ve planned it to be.” A sigh almost escapes Persephone, but she doesn’t mean to be sad. Just homesick, that should be the right word for it. Looking into Hades’ eyes, she unknowingly squeezes his hand in her dainty fingers, as if she was afraid that he would reject what she’s about to suggest. “Should we go home, Hades? I need you, and our Cerberus, and our Underworld, all together again. We can always come back here whenever we want, and if you want to go alone, I would never stop or doubt your intention, I promise.”

It’s been thousands of years with Persephone by his side. Thousands upon thousands of years and still when he looks at her it is like he’s beholding her for the first time again, with that same little happy skip of his heart and that same warm feeling in his chest. He’s grown since the actual first time, of course, has grown by and within himself, has also grown alongside her. He doesn’t think they could be in a better place than they are now, doesn’t think they could understand each other better in this very moment than they do now. So when she looks at him from where she’s resting her head on his shoulder, he faces her with a smile, and when she squeezes his hand, he knows what she plans to say even before the words have fully formed in her head, no doubt.

The actual words only serve to make his smile grow wider, that warmth in his chest now also reflected on his face as he uses the arm he’s got around her middle to pull her even closer to him, to embrace her quite fully as he leans in to press a kiss to her forehead. It’s a lingering thing since he only pulls away after a short while of having breathed in the scent of her hair and having just held her to him for a moment or two. When he looks at her again, his eyes are filled with only warmth, with love, with understanding. At this point he knows they need not worry about each other’s feelings, each other’s intentions, any part of each other, because they have taken their time to learn each other so well that there is nothing there that can be misunderstood anymore.

“It is but a word, my beautiful wife,” he tells her softly, lifting their entangled hands so he can brush his thumb past her cheek. He continues to smile, because there has never been a more peaceful moment than right here with her. “We can come back whenever we want, together or separately. There is nothing forcing you to stay here or for us to be apart. If you want to go home...” He breathes out the warm amusement at his own thoughts, before he continues. “...then home is where we’ll go. Cerberus won’t know what to do with himself, so excited he will be.” He brushes his thumb over her lips and then lowers their hands again so that they rest on his chest once more.

mp-santino​:

(...) The demigod smiles again when he’s getting his head pat. Such a simple gesture but he does take it to heart. It’s not every day he could get such an affectionate Hades. “Oh? The person is a goddess?” he asks and he sits there for a moment thinking about it. He’s still on the fence. A lot of his past feels like it’s something that can’t be fixed. What’s done is done. He’s got his outlets he could probably indulge more instead of going back to his old vice but he hasn’t lost control. Tino was definitely covering up more pain than he let on. “I’ll..look into it. I can’t promise I will go to her quickly.. I feel like opening that can of worms would do more harm than good.” 

He breathes out a soft smile when Santino speaks, and it’s really nice to just sit here and have a drink with the young man, to just speak with each other and figure out what is going on in their lives, because it keeps that level of connection that nothing else quite manages to capture. Yet what it does most of all is let the boy know he cares, and let him know the boy is fine. It’s an important part of the connections he’s made with people, he thinks, and so he enjoys it to the fullest.

He especially enjoys the smile that appears on Santino’s face when the young man looks at him, knowing that he can bring some lightness to this face even though the subject has been so heavy and it’s clearly been weighing on Tino’s mind for a while now.

“You don’t have to promise me anything other than that you will take care of yourself,” he says with great warmth, as he reaches out once more to let his hand rest comfortably on Santino’s back, in between his shoulder blades. “Whichever shape that may take. Just don’t let yourself fall into the dark pit of despair, because there is so much great possibility for you to find in life.”

phobetorxmp​:

(...) “Are your dogs fixed?” Turning to the other god, Phobetor’s eyebrow raises a little as it was something that he found curious. If he could understand the thoughts of his pets, did he neuter them?

He smiles when Phobetor muses on having his area of expertise changed from people to animals, considering what it would do to the animal population. He thinks most of their fears are instinct driven, though, and very easy to pinpoint; anything that is dangerous to their wellbeing should be avoided at all cost, after all. Usually that includes humans.

He’s still mulling over this unique switch in careers when Phobetor asks a question so suddenly and out of the blue that it has him laughing softly. “I don’t actually keep any dogs, my friend,” he says comfortably. “They have no place in the Underworld and I have no desire to keep any in the Upperworld.” He doesn’t count Cerberus, of course, because that is not an actual dog firstly, also isn’t exactly his technically either and the mere idea of trying something as insulting as fixing him is like asking for chaos.

mpxmarcel​:

(...) Marcel’s lips finally pull in the slightest smile, but he muffles the laughter with a cough. “There really is a lot of the Greeks here. Aphrodite and Hermes are the only other Greeks that I’ve met than you. She is rather loud.” He meant that is many ways, but he did not push into that conversation. “Well, I am sure with my luck that I will run into the rest.” Which, for the most part, he did not mind. The idea of family sounded too good of a dream. As they arrived to his apartment, the male opened the door, allowing the god in first before he followed. 

He laughs when Marcel mentions suffering in the Underworld as a personal chef, an idea so random that it amuses him to no end. And though there is no such thing in the Greek afterlife and the roads to a peaceful afterlife or endless doom are the only two paths to take once death comes for them, he doesn’t mention this to the young man and rather just ends up nodding. “Alright,” he says magnanimously. “I look forward to being impressed.”

When the young demigod also speaks of the other Greek gods he met, Hades simply nods his head, understanding fine how each of the other Greeks have their own charms, and some people might enjoy them even when he himself does not. Marcel seems to question Aphrodite as much as he does, though, which at least indicates a healthy set of common sense does live in the boy’s head. He might simply choose not to use it most of the time.

mp-santino​:

(...) Tino felt indifferent about getting some professional help. Sure he knows that there are people that are trained to listen to ones thoughts but opening up for him hasn’t been very easy. “I’m hoping the doctors here then would be better than else where.” he smiles a little. “They do have to work on a whole different level I feel.” 

He smiles softly when Santino thanks him for listening to him, which he thinks should be an of course rather than a thing to be thanked for, but then he’s not always as good at it himself either so he can’t really comment on it. When the young man then continues on talking about himself a little dejectedly, Hades once more reaches up to put his hand like a reassuring weight on Santino’s upper back.

“Don’t worry about me, Tino,” he says lightly. “If I would not be able to listen to your problems I would not be sitting here listening to them. Whether I’ve recently returned or I’ve been around for months doesn’t matter. If you need to talk about it, I will listen to you. If you think it might help, I will listen to you for hours on end and you can just talk about every single thing that comes up in your mind.”

He lifts his hand to run it over the young man’s hair, wondering at how sometimes Santino can feel like simply a young friend, but sometimes he can feel so much like a son he wants to help guide and protect throughout his lifetime.

mpxmarcel​:

(...) As they head toward the apartments, he looks over to him, almost as if to make sure he was stilling following him. “Is there many of you here?” He asks, trying to hide his interest. Though, he would enjoy having more in his life if possible. “Like other Greek gods. I’ve heard the parental unit is here, but I do not know much beyond that.” 

The boy says he’s lasted this long and Hades can’t do anything other than laugh. It’s not a mean laugh, but it’s an amused one for sure, his entire demeanour brightening with it. It takes him a few moments just to get over that amusement enough to continue their conversation, and he can’t help but reach out a hand to fondly pat the young man’s shoulder.

“My dear boy, you have not lasted long at all yet,” he says with great warmth. “You are what? Twenty-something? Even not counting the lengths of time I’ve spent on this earth, that’s but the start of the inhale in the breath of life.” He grins lightly, because he thinks humans and their shortsightedness can sure be amusing, but he should have probably expected to come across it in a son of Dionysus of all people. “Your behaviour not getting you killed so far has just been a speck of good luck is all.”

It’s not that he wants to take away the young boy’s spirit, but perhaps a bit of a reality check wouldn’t hurt.

mpxartemis​:

(...) “Are you looking for an excuse to open a portal under my feet again?” She asked with a giggle, raising an eyebrow. “Thanks, uncle, but I think I’d rather walk~”

She questions his intentions and he can’t fault her for it, of course, he’s known to play around more often, but that wasn’t his intention this particular time, and so her calling him out on his sometimes rather immature behaviour has him laughing in delighted amusement, shaking his head lightly even as he’s offering her his arm to accompany her on the regular walk.

“You have caught me red handed,” he says, for her benefit, because he loves the laughter in her eyes and the giggle falling from her lips, and if he can be the cause of that forevermore, he will consider his job as an uncle fulfilled.

Not for the first time the sight of Artemis makes him wonder what it would be like to have a child of his own. Not with a mortal but rather with his wife. To create something so powerful and beautiful and wonderful and to see himself and his wife in it. Then again it’s been several millennia and it has never happened, and he’s started to think that maybe that is because Persephone, beauty and power and ruthlessness personified, might not want to be a mother at all.

It’s not a conversation they’ve had yet, because he doesn’t think he’s ready to hear her admit such a truth. Doesn’t think he’ll be able to handle that desire of his getting crushed completely. And so it stays unspoken in the middle between them, only breaching his thoughts occasionally at times when he looks upon either his wife or Artemis, who he considers more of a daughter than probably her own father might even do.

phobetorxmp​:

(...) Still, for all his griping and moaning about the canines, they were incredibly special to him. He could see why people like them, and as one of the soppy Doberman trots up to his side, he gives in quickly and offers a firm head pat with a soft sigh. “I suppose they’re not too bad. Hearing their thoughts must be interesting-” he enquires with a glance back towards the other Greek. He has to admit, he is curious. What do they think about?!

Phobetor jabs a finger at him, grumbling and mumbling, but really all Hades can do is grin, because this is much like the banter they used to have throughout the course of his entire life, and it is good to know some things don’t change, even if so many things have. So he reaches out a hand, to rest it solidly on Phobetor’s shoulder for a moment. It’s nothing but a touch, he doesn’t squeeze or pat or anything, but it communicates the gratitude that no longer needs voicing for what had transpired in the past.

He knows, of course, that Phobetor was one of the few on his side way back when, and he also knows that without some support he might not have been able to stick to his intentions and keep Persephone with him. Then again, the reality is that Persephone has always wanted to be with him anyway, so even if he had lost his nerve, nothing would have stopped her from finding her way to him.

phobetorxmp​:

(...) “Why do you underworld gods enjoy dogs so much?” He huffs, slipping a hand under his long coat to rub a little at his sore ass. The ground, despite being soggy, was cold and solid and he doesn’t have enough padding for that kind of fall! “Cats do not pull you through the mud” he grumbles, he knew there was a reason he preferred felines, and he seems to have found the only Egyptian to not worship them but actually be a dog instead!

He can’t help but chuckle at the way Phobetor counters his argument, and then shake his head a little. “If you’re really comparing yourself to Persephone right now, you have a very wrong understanding of my differing opinion on her and literally anyone else,” he replies lightly, not in a way to insult the other god, but rather to indicate that to him Persephone is above anyone else in the world, which includes his family and his friends.

He doesn’t try to argue further, however, and just puts himself in motion again, the dogs following meekly without even a hitch of complaint, though they do go about sniffing here and there while they’re still in the park, since Hades has not tried to keep them from doing so. As long as they’ve got good recall he doesn’t quite mind what they do as they go.

Phobetor’s little rant about dogs has him breathe out another smile, and he turns his gaze to the god of Nightmares with slightly raised eyebrows. “On the contrary. A dog who knows you are in charge will follow your every command. A cat will always do as it pleases. You might teach it some tricks, but it will only perform them when it feels like it rather than when you require it of them. A noble and admirable creature, for sure, but not a good one to work with.”

mppan​:

(...) The playfulness sticks even as his smirk moves to a pout, one that deepens when Hades answers his question. “You think I can’t summon a direwolf? Out here in my own forest? There are creatures out here that would make even you shiver.” Like the boast that it is, Pan stands up straight and smirks with a little too much show of teeth, following with a throaty growl and, finally, the sort of roaring howl that one of those creatures might actually make. From the shadows behind him, a deeper shadow takes form and emerges. Red eyes glow from the darkness, the rest of the direwolf finally emerging with its tail wagging playfully as though it knows why it was summoned. It is easily large enough for Hades to ride, perhaps even for two of him.

Pan looks at Hades, obviously pleased with himself.

It’s typically Pan for that little stubborn streak to show in his eyes and the god to get offended thinking Hades implied he couldn’t summon a Direwolf. The more truthful reality is that Hades had no idea a wolf the size of which comes out of the forest even existed anywhere at all ever, but then he should have probably assumed that if it could be imagined, it probably did exist and Pan could probably summon it.

He of course doesn’t back away from the large shape that emerges from the forest, as always careless of Pan’s creatures because he is utterly convinced they will never hurt him; just like Pan can be utterly convinced no Hellhound will ever harm him either. So he just reaches out a hand toward the creature for it to sniff and, once its curiosity has been sated, he lifts it higher to scratch the creature behind one of its ears.

mppersephone​:

(...) All the self-made sorrows and haunting thoughts are now as dead as her nonsensical fears, and her stinging eyes and swollen face are the only evidence of her dramatic crying. The howling winter outside’s now very much tolerable, the sky is clearer, even though the sun is still nowhere to be found, and spring still has a quite long way to arrive. Rather suddenly, Persephone lifts her head up to meet her husband’s eyes again to ask an irrelevant yet make quite lots of sense question, “Do we still have lavender tea?” 

She comes into his arms easily, willingly, and then settles in them so easily that it almost seems like he is the safe haven she’s been yearning to find. It’s incredible; the things this does to his chest, the way his heart expands and he fills with warmth for his wife instantly. As she leans into him, still crying but doing so in a more controlled way it seems, until eventually she finds it in herself to look up at him. She looks like terrible sorrows befell her, and yet she’s still beautiful to him, of course, will always be beautiful to him. Reaching up a hand, he brushes the tears off her cheeks, gentle and kind, unwilling to be anything but good to her today.

“You know you don’t have to thank me for that, my darling,” he tells her softly. “It is always my honour to be next to you.” He runs fingers through her hair, allowing her to bury against him a little longer until she finds the strength to face the world again. It doesn’t take all too long - of course it doesn’t, Persephone is strong - and then she’s looking up again, asking if they’ve got tea. He can’t help but breathe out a warm, amused smile at the words, but he nods his head anyway.

mp-santino​:

(...) Tino has a feeling that what he’s trying to say doesn’t sound good at all but even he was still trying to wrap his head around how he can’t seem to just let things go anymore. Moving to Mount Phoenix brought a lot of hope to Santino. He was determined to be someone different that who he was back in Mexico. Those confrontations he had really showed the younger that yes he might have changed for the time being but he was a lot stronger than he looked. He’s always been.

Hades frowns lightly as he listens to Santino explain that things are different now. For a moment or two he is silent, considering it all, and then he smiles softly. He can’t give many reassurances, perhaps, for he is not sure what difference Santino is talking about, but he does understand the explanation, feels like he’s been through something similar himself before and so he’s more than willing to help the younger man out if he can.

“Then that is the most important thing for you to do right now,” he says calmly. “Figure out your feelings. There’s no point in attempting to have things go back to how they were if you don’t know what has changed.” He gives the back of the young man’s neck a light squeeze before letting go and letting his hand rest in his lap again. Hasn’t he only just returned from figuring himself out as well? Would he really have been able to fully reconcile with Persephone if he hadn’t done that? He doesn’t think so.

dionysusxmp​:

(...) Dionysus carefully stands his bottle on a sprawling little coffee table before procuring two crystal wine glasses seemingly from thin air. With those also seated by the wine on the table, Dio makes quick work of dusting off the old bottle, uncorking it, and pouring out two perfect glasses of wine approximately the color of fresh blood. He swirls both glasses, exposing the liquid to fresh air for the first time in many years, then finally hands one to his uncle. With his own cradled in his palm, Dio flops down on the closest sofa without spilling a drop. 

“So, Uncle Hades, what’s the 411? What’s shakin’? What’s the dealio? How’s things?”

He follows his nephew up the stairs, to the lounge room that would be ridiculously elaborate if it wasn’t owned by Dionysus, and he calmly takes a seat. However strange Dionysus’ habits may be to him, he knows he won’t be sitting in dust and dirt and that is all that matters to him. He watches his nephew pour them a glass, taking it from him and then leaning back comfortably. He doesn’t drink straight away, deciding instead to give his nephew a proper once-over.

“I don’t understand half of the things you just said,” he replies with an amused smile when Dionysus asks him what is up in his life. “But I am well. Persephone is well too, all things considered. She’s not enjoying the idea of winter in the Upperworld, but we’ll get through it.” He breathes out a small smile an then does lift the glass to take a sip and taste the hint of pomegranates.