Hades relationship with his abilities as a Medium were⌠complicated. His connection to the spirit world was something that had manifested at a young age, but he had kept it a secret for years. When Kronos had found out his oldest son could see and speak to ghosts he had forbade the child from telling anyone about his ability. Mystiques were held in higher regard in Greece than they were in many other parts of the world, but anything involving the dead or the Underworld still left people shivering. Zeus could summon storms and Poseidon could create earthquakes where he walked, but Hades being able to contact the souls of those who had passed was the weird thing no one understood. Or rather, didnât want to understand.
For a little while in his childhood ghosts had been his only friends. âFriendsâ was a loose term - they were more of just company for him when he had no one else. Then, in his angsty preteen years, they had flocked to him like moths to a flame. His deep-seeded sadness and emerging anger attracted them and they fed off his hurricane of emotions. There was a reason happy people werenât haunted.Â
âFair enough,â It was pretty basic advice, but Hades wasnât about to downplay the kidâs fatherly wisdom. All of the âadviceâ he had been given by his own father had just been harsh criticisms in disguise. âWell I thank you for coming then, Norman.â
The conversation was quickly derailing from the subject of their employment, but Hades didnât entirely mind. It wasnât often that he got the chance to discuss his Mediumship - let alone someone who shared the same ability. More often than not when people found out he could communicate with ghosts they either quickly grew uncomfortable or wanted him to contact a deceased family member for them. âSee, hear, talk to, summon - the whole works,â Hades gave them an amused half smile. âThough it was something I was born with, not cursed.â
Hades crossed one leg over the other, âHow⌠noble of you.â Maybe once he had thought about using his abilities to help spirits more, but as he grew older it just became less of a possibility. He wasnât a kid with a ton of free time on his hands. It didnât help that most of the ghosts that surrounded him werenât exactly nice spirits. It was better for his own mental health to just block them out. âBut I suppose someoneâs got to do it, good on you and your uncle.â
seeing another medium was a total shock to norman. he always thought that he was one of the only mediums in the world; but another one in porthaven, so close to them? it was amazing. hearing hadesâ words, it pulled him back into the real world with a soft smile. âoh i mean, it more thanks for having me... i just- i havenât actually had a job before, not outside of working for my uncle. i wanted to look good since I donât exactly have a resume...â he mumbled, smiling weakly.Â
at hadesâ confirmation, the grin on normanâs features grew. âiâm not like cursed, iâve had it my whole life too! but uh, my parents see it as a bad curse, rather than another way to help people...â he explained, looking at the other. âdid you uh... thereâs one sitting in the waiting room, he looks rather patient, but heâs trying to read the paper and can only read the first page.â norman explained, fairly certain that the ghost would still be there.Â
âMy uh... my whole life here is ghosts right now... and donât get me wrong, I do love working with them, but I need something else. and it would really mean a lot if you trusted me to walk your dogs.â norman ranbled, desperate for hades to like him.Â