#infernonotes

I told myself that I wasn’t going to leave this character without any resolution, so here it is! It’s been about a month or so since I last posted on this account and while I don’t know the future of Velia, I just wanted to tell you all that I’m super grateful for all of you and all your wonderful characters! I got so incredibly attached to Hades, and have probably written thousands upon thousands of words for him, and I know I will continue to do so on my own. 

Now though, I just wanted to give him a happy ending. 

-

All he remembered was light. 

He had been broken, and bruised, and his bow splintered in his grip from overuse... but they had won. With one final blow to the horned devil’s eye, the last boss exploded in a thousand black pixels that rained down on them like soot from a newly erupted volcano... 

And then light. 

They were given no time for celebration. No time for goodbyes. No time to take one last look at the world they had all been living in these last few years. Instead, he was given just a few seconds to look Cerberus in his red eyes, only to watch the light flood his vision entirely.

And after the light came the darkness, followed by the muffled sounds of whirring and beeping. Had they really won? Was he back in Nova? Or was he somewhere in the middle? Floating between reality and Velia?

... Things felt different though. Real. More real than he had felt in a very long time. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A slow fluttering that had him groaning in pain. But he wanted to see. 

And the first thing he saw was a window... and rain... and a sky he knew all too well. It was too real to be programmed. Too imperfect to be digital. 

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Ronan.” Beside him stood a man he didn’t know, green eyes twinkling behind glasses. No one needed glasses Velia. 

“I-” 

His voice was rough, throat dry from misuse. 

“We’re all very excited to have you back.” Leo’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion. 

“W-We?” 

He was alone, was he not? He had lost everything. He had no one. 

The man smiled before looking to the doorway. Leo followed his gaze, only to freeze at the sight before him. He hadn’t even realized he had been crying till a hand rested against his damp cheek. 

“S-Sa-” 

“Shh... Welcome home, big brother.” 

-

It happened slowly. So slowly. As if they were underwater, as if his limbs were moving against powerful waves, preventing him from getting to her. 

Sawyer. Sawyer. Sawyer, No. 

“An astronaut?” 

“Yep.” 

“A zoo keeper?” 

“Definitely.” 

“A car mechanic?” 

“You coming for my job, Crick?” Leo bumped his hip against his sister playfully as he walked her to school. Sawyer let out a delighted laugh, squeezing her brother’s hand affectionately while she swung her lunch box back and forth beside her. 

Contentment.

“What do you want me to be, Leo?” Sawyer asked after a while. She knew many of her classmates’ parents had set expectations for their children, so surely her brother had dreams for her too. Leo raised a brow at the question before shaking his head. 

“I just want you to live your life, Crick. It’s not up to me.” He looked down at her and smiled before shrugging his shoulders. “At the end of the day, whatever it is you decide to be, whatever path you choose to take, I’m still going to love you all the same. You’re always going to be my baby sister.” It was a statement laced with promise as he squeezed her hand back. 

“Always.” 

“Let her go!” His screams did not sound human to him. Gargled and desperate as he ran towards her, bow aimed to the sky as arrow after arrow left his quiver. With one final wail, the monster disintegrated into a gust of pixels and ash, and with his heart in his throat and his blood turned to ice, he watched his sister fall to the ground. 

And it all happened slowly. So slowly. 

“You don’t get it, Sawyer. What if something had happened to you? What if I hadn’t gotten there in time-”

“Everything was under control!” 

“Oh yeah, it looked like you had everything well under control.” 

“Leo, you’re suffocating me, can’t you see?” 

“And can’t you see that I’m just trying to keep you SAFE.” The room had gone painfully quiet after that, their breathing ragged and their brows furrowed as the two stood in their small living room, two pairs of identical blue eyes burning with fury and frustration. 

“Can’t you see that I go mad with worry every time you put yourself in these situations? Can’t you see that I am holding onto you for dear life sometimes, because I won’t survive it if I lo-...” The word got caught in his throat. “ If I lose you?” He couldn’t even comprehend it. “I’m not going to stand by and let that happen, Sawyer. I’m sorry, I won’t.” 

He’s held her so many times before. The first time they had met, with her swaddled in blankets and pink in the face. That times she had asked him to hold her during storms because the thunder was too loud. Her first break-up, her first car, all her birthdays... Now... It broke his heart to think that this might be the last time. 

There was blood. So much blood. He tried to heal her, bandage her up and douse her in potions, but nothing seemed to work. 

“Leo... Leo I’m scared...” 

“Leo, I’m worried.” Her voice was small as they stood side by side in front of the massive brick building, bags and boxes in hand. Leo closed the car door and whistled lowly. “You’ll be fine, Crick. You’re one of the smartest people I know, College is going to be a breeze.” He rested a hand on top of her head and ruffled at her hair in good nature. Sawyer let out a playful sound of protest before shaking her head, only to have the smile waver once more. 

“It’s not that...” She paused in thought before she fixed him with a frown. “I’m worried about you. I don’t like the thought of you by yourself.” Leo stood stunned for a while before a slow smile crept up his lips. 

“Oh Sawyer...” He understood. It had always been just the two of them after all. “I know I’m... probably the worst person to say this... But don’t worry about me.” He meant it when he said he wanted her to live her life, and ultimately that meant moving forward without him. “I always worry about you.” Sawyer replied, and Leo couldn’t help but laugh.

“It seems to be a family trait, then.” 

It was her turn to laugh. They allowed themselves the small moment of just being together before Sawyer bumped him with her hip. 

“You sure you’ll be okay?” 

He grew quiet for a while before finally nodding his head. 

“I’ll be okay, Crick.” 

“Leo...” Cricket gasped, hands trembling as she grappled for her brother’s hand. Cobalt met cobalt, and all of a sudden they were back at home, back in their small house, on their small couch, in their small living room, not as Hades and Cricket, but as Leo and Sawyer. Brother and Sister. “Promise me... you’ll be okay.” 

He didn’t even realize he was crying. He felt his head shake as he held her to his chest. 

Had she always been this small?

“Promise me you’ll get home...” 

Home... it would have been nice to see it again.

A sob fell from his lips before he forced himself to pull it together. She needed him to be strong. He couldn’t collapse now. “We’ll both go home, Sawyer. Don’t worry. We’ll be okay.” Will they though? Will he? He felt her grip loosen around his hand, but he still held on. “We’ll go home, and you’ll live the rest of your life the way you were suppose to. Big family. Great job. You’ll end up being some astronaut or...” 

“Or a zoo keeper...” She managed weakly. He let out a strangled laugh as he watched his tears fall on her face. 

“Yeah. And everything’ll be okay... You’re going to be okay... So don’t be scared, Sawyer, because I got you...” 

A small smile tugged at her lips, and that was when he realized she had been crying too. “You got me...” She said softly, before her head lolled to the side, resting against his chest till finally she breathed her last.

Her hand fell limp and in that moment, his own heart stopped beating. 

- 

When they found him, he was alone, arms out as if he had been holding someone. His cheeks were dry and his eyes were empty, and without another word, he got up and walked away. 

Slowly... so slowly...

“Just wait here. I’ll be down in a while.” He turned to Cerberus with small smile, his wolf eyeing him carefully before plopping himself down by the large oak tree. Hades shifted the bag he was carrying on his shoulders before slowly climbing up the tree house. The last time he had been there, he was in a completely different mind set. All he could remember was anger, and hurt, and pain, and everything in between that just thinking about it made him dizzy. 

Now... Now there was a sense of calm. 

He wasn’t sure how it all progressed, but he was sure about two things. 

It began with Cricket’s bow and arrow. His talk with Wolverine, as mundane as people may think it might be, hit him in ways he wasn’t expecting. It was the first time in a long time he had spoken about his sister without the anger of her death looming over his head. 

It ended with his talk with Jude. Painful words and desperate kisses that made him realize... This wasn’t how things were suppose to be. 

He pushed the door of the tree-house open, the floor opening up to a large, empty space that was once filled with the presence of his sister... He had gotten rid of all of that. Everything save for the small cricket sitting on the window sill. He pressed his lips together before taking a long, deep, breath, and pushing himself into the tree-house. 

“Hey Crick, it’s been a while.” 

Silence... but it wasn’t the deafening silence he was expecting. It was a warm quiet that invited him to continue. He looked around at the empty of it all and sniffled before digging through his bag. “Listen, I’m sorry I’ve been away. I... was in a bad place for a while.” He pulled out a silver party hat reminiscent of the one he had given her for her birthday, clenching his jaw before begrudgingly putting it on his head. “I’m getting better, I think. Some things happened that made me... see things a bit differently.” 

Her eyes were lost, just like his, and her hands were desperate against the ropes he had tossed over to her to keep him from floating away. 

“Not to mention I forgot to celebrate my birthday. God, we never really missed a birthday, have we? Wasn’t about to start anytime soon.” He made his way over to the middle of the tree house before sitting down on the floor, crossing his legs and pulling out a slightly smushed cake from his bag. The silence continued, but it wasn’t ringing. Still a soft quiet. Still a comforting warmth. 

He was quiet for a while as more tears welled up in his eyes. 

“You should be here you know.” He finally managed, throat tightening as he wiped the tears away roughly with the back of his arm. “You should be here to tell me what to do. To help me decide. I shouldn’t be doing this alone.” More tears came and before he knew it, his shoulders were shaking from the sobs. It was as if he had broken a dam that was already crumbling to begin with. A few more minutes passed till he finally realized he probably looked absolutely ridiculous, crying his eyes out with a too-small-for-his-head hat on, a birthday cake in front of him in an empty tree house. 

“Wow... I guess you were right.” He let out a watery laugh before picking up a candle and putting it in the middle of the cake. “I am a loser.” It held no malice though, none of his usual bitterness. It was... nice. He took in another long breath before lighting the one candle on the cake and glancing up at the ceiling. 

“Things are going to have to change. I know that, Sawyer. I’m going to change. For the better. For myself. I think... I think it’s about time I start doing that huh?” She’s been saying it for years, and only now was he beginning to listen. 

All his life, he’s lived for someone else... 

“Well... Here’s to... me?” He gave the sky a two-fingered salute before making a quick wish and blowing out his candle. 

HC: the stand ins

"I brought pie!"

There were obvious perks when living in a neighborhood full of retirees. It was relatively cheaper than most neighborhoods, that was the most obvious. There were very few parties save for the weekly bingo night down at Mr. Bradley's and there was practically no need for noise complaints, nobody drove too fast, and there was always, always, always an abundance of food.

"And I brought cake, so you can tell us which is better!" Leo stood at his doorway slightly stunned, expression balancing between surprise and sleep before shaking himself awake to properly greet both Mrs. Green and Mrs. Long, inviting them both in for tea as a thank you.

With all the perks, however, there was no question that practically all of them were terrible gossips (albeit well-intentioned). It didn't take long for his neighborhood to find out that both his parents had left them. The first night with his mother gone, he came home to find five casserole dishes in his fridge with small post it's from five different households voicing words of encouragement and support. Sawyer, later on in life, had joked that while they'd lost two parents, they gained 20 pairs of grandparents in return.

And she wasn't wrong.

They were all very sweet. He goes walking with Mr. Garcia's walking group in the morning, mostly because he likes listening to their stories. Mr. Carter had been a war vet. Mrs. Tully was a nurse. Mr. Lions claimed he'd very nearly worked for NASA, but Mr. Garcia wasn't all that convinced. They would, in turn, ask him how his job was going at the auto shop and he would tell them stories of his own. He learned how to buff out a sports car, and one time, a mildly famous author tipped him a fifty! More often than not, it would end with them attempting to push their grandsons or granddaughters at him or Sawyer and he would laugh because it was nice of them to care.

It made him happy.

Their first christmas alone, they had been invited to three different dinners, and were given a total of twelve knitted winter clothes (ranging from scarves to mittens to sweaters). Sawyer and him wore all of them individually, sending pictures to their respective gifters as a thank you. He would write out cards to all of them and whenever he would visit, it would make his chest warm whenever he would see it on their mantle.

"It's like a big family." His boyfriend had commented once as they made dumplings with Mr. and Mrs. Kim. "An odd... mismatched... endearing family." Leo couldn't have agreed more as he watched Mr. Kim question his boyfriend with a small smile on his face. He cared about all of them a lot.

-

They were all terrible (well-intentioned) gossips, that much was true. When no one opened the door the first time around, Mr. Garcia grew worried. They all knew Leo's work hours, so he should have been home, and Sawyer was home from school (she had visited Mrs. Green just yesterday for tea). He waited patiently for five more minutes before deciding to check in, using the key Leo had given him that should only be used for emergencies (I.e. if he needed extra sugar, or if he wanted to drop off some of his wife's award winning lasagna.)

He nearly cried when they found the both of them attached to their monitors.

-

They visit them regularly. A steady stream of elderly couples that argue with the doctors and bring fresh flowers when the old ones need changing. "I'm here to visit my grandchildren." They would tell the nurses, and the people at St. Mary's learned to stop questioning them. When the younger one's heart stopped beating, she had been alone, that was true, but she wasn't alone for long.

Mrs. Kim held Sawyer's hand while Mrs. Green dressed her. Mr. Lions arranged the flowers and Mr. Garcia gave the eulogy. All the while, there were whispered promises to make sure she was well taken cared of. "Don't you worry, Leo. We got her." They would tell him, even if he couldn't hear them.

-

Leo thought about them sometimes. When the threat of Velia crept to the background and he was curled up in his bed in HQ. He hoped they were all doing well. Wondered if they visited him at all... he convinced himself that it was okay if they didn't. He was just grateful. Grateful that he had known them. Grateful that they were always there...

Cerberus didn’t normally listen to Hades. He did for things that mattered, but that mostly consisted of orders on the battle field or in the midst of danger. At home, it was fair game. Hades must have caught on, because once they reach HQ, he would give Cerberus a quick pat on the head before allowing him to roam as he pleased. 

“Fiona did mention that he was a stubborn one.” Hades had commented as him and Zoner walked away. Cerberus scoffed. A mount was only as stubborn as his owner. He spared Hades one last look before making his way through the halls of Catalyst for his daily rounds.

Cerberus was quiet. He walked in silence, red eyes gleaming in the dark. Hades once compared him to a shadow, or perhaps a ghost. A formidable presence that stood only in observance. Perhaps that was what he had liked about him in the first place. His was an understated aura that complimented Hades’ own sense of self. That was the purpose of a mount, after all, to act as an extension of their master. 

That was what Snow was to Achilles, he was sure. Even that tiny weed thing Radish owned seemed to have that sort of bond with the mage. 

Cerberus huffed at the thought. He had never considered himself impressionable, but Hades seemed to have connected himself to him on an intrinsic level, so much so that he couldn’t help but have his owner’s sense of self emblazoned onto him like a stamp. When Hades was sad, he was sad. When Hades was happy, he was... as happy as he would allow himself to be. When Hades was agitated, Cerberus exhibited the same thing. It was as if they existed on two sides of the same coin, and truthfully, Cerberus found he didn’t mind. He licked at his teeth as he nudged a door open, only to find Snow asleep in the corner. A corner, he decided, should be his corner. He all but trotted towards the big cat before bumping his head against her side. The tiger cracked an eye open, unimpressed and only mildly annoyed before falling back to sleep. 

The nerve. 

He nudged her again, only this time, a tad bit harder, baring his teeth in an attempt to get her to at least share the corner. 

Snow responded with a huff, eyes narrowed in challenge. 

Fine, she didn’t want to move? Cerberus paused before rising atop his haunches, and plopping himself right on top of her, much to the tiger’s dismay.   

The next thing he knew, he had Snow’s hind leg in his mouth and her teeth in his neck. When Hades had found them, he was lying with his belly flat on the floor, Snow lying down on top of him in triumph. 

“See? I knew you two would find yourselves getting along.” Hades smirked as Snow preened at the comment before falling back to sleep, Cerberus growling in annoyance below her. He watched as Hades shot him a small smile before closing the door behind him.

players: @crcket and hades

He never liked hospitals. Not really. They smelled funny, and they were always too expensive. ‘You’re fine, it’s just a scratch. You don’t need to go.’ his father had said to him the first time he fell from climbing their tree. Never mind the ugly scar he got or the the fact that his nurse neighbor had to ward off infection after seeing his poorly bandaged arm. He never climbed that tree again. 

The next time he found himself in the hospital was when his sister broke her leg from a bicycle accident. He bolted right out of the house when she had yelled for him, carried her all the way to his car, and held her hand as he drove her to the hospital. She apologized in between tears, and Leo continued to tell her that things were going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay. It didn’t matter that his heart froze in fear when the doctors had to reset her leg, nor did it matter that he had to borrow money from three of their neighbors just to pay for the cast. None of that mattered. As long as she was safe. 

Things changed after that. 

“Don’t climb the tree, Crick. It’s dangerous.”

“Don’t run too fast, Sawyer, you’ll get hurt.” 

“Seatbelt on, Sawyer, please.” 

He was no longer just her brother, and he was okay with that. He was okay with having to be the bad guy every once in a while when it came to her wanting to go out and do things. He was okay with all the fights they had whenever they would disagree on what she could and couldn’t do. He was okay with all of that. As long as she was safe. His job was to keep her safe. 

-

Cerberus saw her first. His body jolted as his mount moved beneath him heart seizing at the sight of her, broken and limp on the ground. He scooped her up without another word, holding her close to his chest as Cerberus ran to the nearest exit. 

Keep her safe. Keep her safe. Keep her safe. 

He couldn’t help but feel like he had failed. 

- 

He never liked hospitals. Digital ones weren’t any different. This one in particular didn’t hold any great memories for him, and the sight of his sister on a hospital bed wasn’t helping. People milled in and out of her room, but he didn’t take notice. He was too upset, too afraid, too angry that he had let this happen. 

If they had been home... If they hadn’t been stuck in this god-forsaken game... 

He growled at the thought. People were getting complacent. He had noticed it. People were getting comfortable, and efforts to get them home were growing stagnant... He reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind his sister’s ear before weaving their fingers together. 

Not him though... He was going to get them home. No matter the means. 

He had two of those terrible granola bars in hand. Despite how their conversation went not too long ago, Hades thought maybe he’d bring Achilles some real food. Just because they were no longer friends didn’t mean he’d let his guild leader suffer for much longer with hospital mush for sustenance. It also had nothing to do with the fact that he couldn’t seem to shake the magnetic pull he had towards the man... He nodded at some of the hospital staff on his way to Achilles’ room, one of them telling him to enter quietly as he might be asleep. 

Hades nodded in understanding, turning the door knob slowly, checking in to see if his guild leader was indeed not awake. 

He stilled at the sight. 

He really shouldn’t have been surprised. Once news that Achilles was awake got out, he should have known Padme would rush to his side. He immediately averted his gaze to give them some privacy, closing the door just as quietly as he had opened it. He stood there for a while, not really knowing what else to do. Well, it was about time really. Anyone with eyes could see that they had feelings for each other. That they were meant for each other. 

This was for the best... His shoulders sagged at the realization. 

He thought about Padme, how her lips had felt against his...  He thought about Achilles, the warmth of his hand beneath his own...  He thought about the both of them, two suns that finally managed to find each other, and him, someone smart enough not to fly too close. 

He glanced back at the closed door behind him before allowing a small smile to tug at the corner of his lips. Despite the crushing feeling in his chest... he couldn’t help but feel some sense of peace. At least some good came out of this. 

He pocketed the two granola bars he had before walking away. 

PLOT CHANGE

- Hades found Hestia a few days after joining the game. They both decided to go separate ways in terms of guilds, bringing Hestia to Unity and Hades to Catalyst.