Who: Hades, Persephone, Apollo, Dionysus and the Devil What: Rescue Mission Where: Hell/Apollo's Place When: 5/5 Warnings: [] = Greek, ##=Telepathy, Blood, Gore, Cusses
Apollo fixed himself his third drink in under twenty minutes and glared at the door as he skulked back into the living room. The whole idea was ridiculously fucking stupid, and as an added insult, he'd been the last to find out about it, too. In a 'Oh by the way, Apollo, we need you to clean up our mess at the end!' sort of way. It rubbed him the wrong way. In fact, it was the same way that Hades coming to his house rubbed him.
He cursed under his breath as he plopped down onto the couch and picked up the remote. Why did they have to come here? Not that anywhere with Hades would have been better, but why *here*? Of course, he wasn't about to say that, since he'd just get one of those LOOKS. He hated those looks, doubly-so when they came from someone other than D or Artemis; those 'You are being absolutely ridiculous right now' looks. Hate.
Grumble.
Well, in Dionysus's mind, his beau was being very silly. He was going to be fine. Moreover this was going to be fun. He loved the excitement of a fight, the thrill of a challenge, the prospect of saving a damsel-in-distress. He would find all this and more in the Underworld. He cracked his knuckles, dancing a little on his toes as he waited for Hades to open the gates.
And in Hades' mind, Persephone lived. But that wasn't important at the moment as Hades paced back and forth, ignoring Apollo with all his might. The fact that Apollo was involved in any way and not the wonderful plan of being chucked at the Devil as a distraction, disgusted the Dark One momentarily out of fear. "... And there are three types of demons. Greek Demons, we will call them ogres... His created demons, we'll call them super ogres 'cause they're just like ours only uglier... and then his angels, we'll call them Demons," he counted on his hands, and then still studiously ignoring Apollo, brought all his drugged attention to D, "The Ogres you should be able to handle. The Sogres, you should be able to handle if they don't team up on you. The Demons? Avoid them. Their master is nigh all-powerful down there. It's not worth experimenting. We need to be in and out as best we can."
With all of Apollo's might, he fought to not comment on how absolutely stupid Hades sounded right in that moment. What did it matter what the things were called? They were all going to get in the way and tear off body parts that Apollo was going to have to reattach without so much as a 'Thank You' when it was all said and done. He rolled his eyes and sipped at his drink, trying to concentrated on whatever happened to be on the TV screen at that moment.
"Blah blah blah," he muttered under his breath. So much for not commenting.
"No fun, telling me not to experiment," D grumbled, cracking his neck. "But I get it. Slow and stupid first...the smart ones never notice first anyway." He was giddy like a kid on Christmas. Potential carnage always put him in that mood, and not even Apollo's gloomy disposition could bring him down. "So when do we go?"
Hades shook his head at D. For once, he and Apollo might have a shared opinion that D was not taking this seriously enough. That could get him killed, but then again headlong brashness was D's way of being serious. With a sigh, he stepped directly in front of the younger wine god and placed his hand on the side of his throat, flooding him with his own power. It wouldn't matter, no matter how winded it made Hades now, he would regain all that strength and more when he entered into Hell. Almost immediately. "You could get trapped there without my power... Now you have the chance of escaping." Then he pulled out a key from his pocket, letting the glamour around it drop to reveal the ornate and dreadful key to the Underworld, "Do you have all your affair in order?"
Power. D likey. He nodded silently to Hades, beyond ready to step into Hell and into the next great challenge. So long as he got his ass back to the house Apollo could take care of it. D trusted that. And if it was really bad, well, he was sure there was still some power boosting juice in the fridge. He patted himself briefly, gun holster, knives, none of which he'd use half so much as his bare hands. "I'm ready to go."
Again, Hades shook his head, but this time he turned his back to D and looked at the front door of the house. He hadn't moved that far away from it when he had left. Summoning his helm into existence, he took comfort in the weight of his own weapons and the weight of the cigarette case in his pocket, his last resort plan to become a human and a deathbed Christian. "Going to open this gate in of the alcoves of the outer castle walls. If she is where you say she is, we'll have a few moments before we're found out probably."
"One last thing before you two morons go running off on your grand adventure," Apollo announced as he stood up to refill his drink and seek out a pack of cigarettes. "If you're going to lose any body parts, you better fucking bring them back if you want them reattached; I'm not going to listen to any bullshit about growing you new ones." They could just...go around without arms or legs if they were going to be like that. Hmph.
"Coming back missing limbs should be the least of our concerns." Having their souls ripped from their bodies would be the greatest of their concerns. Hades turned the key in his invisible hands and the front door of the apartment disappeared, overcome by the black spiked gates of the Underworld. The heat and chill of Hell, not in anyway making the other more tolerable, flooded the room as the moans and wails of the tortured damned shook and rattled the gates in a terrible clanking. The gates then opened, its flames reaching out to where Hades stood, welcoming him and then stretching further to dance around Dionysus. "If we don't come back, avenge us." Hades then stepped through. It was now or never.
This was such a bad idea.
D blew a kiss to Apollo. "I'll be right back, honey-buns." With that he took a step in, glancing around at what had become of the Underworld. "He's...really done something with the place, huh?"
"Yeah. Try not to look at any of the souls. They are what will shake you most." Hades knew its what shook him most, and he had been Keeper of Tartarus. The innocent being tormented brutally was much worse than the sights of the fire or the ice or the ruination of all his gardens and the disrepair his palace had fallen under. He paused only for a moment, allowing the feeling of all his strength returning to him, washing away the pain being away from the Underworld put into his bones. It put some sense of bravery into his bones, even as he heard a shriek break across the smoke filled sky. Some sort of harpy demon was flying above them but she didn't seem to notice them, her... its visage terrible to look upon but not what shake him out of bravery. "[Stay close to the wall and don't think. The demons and him will hear it.]"
"[No problem,]" Dionysus wasn't much of a deep thinker. As for the screaming souls, it didn't phase him much. He was a god of nature, of what was real and practical and tangible. In short? He was a realist. He expected bad and so when bad appeared he would not be phased. He would not feel emotions except for excitement, anticipation. It was warm around them, fiery, just the right setting with sulfur in the air so thick a normal living human would choke in an instant. He crept, silent footed, to the walls of the outer perimeter.
In retrospect, it would have probably been a better idea to have grabbed Dionysus' hand then gone invisible, offering the younger god the cloak of invisibility as well until they were forced to part, but Hades couldn't remember the last time he actually had a good idea anymore. This certainly wasn't it. Not that Hades' was thinking of it at the moment, the Underworld was whispering in his mind, whispers that Dionysus could vaguely hear as well, encouraging him to remain here and to protect and guide it again. It whispered to him in some sort of combination of child and lover, coaxing him to return to it... And it shunted any thought from him.
His eyes were locked on the prize. To the grand steps where his former throne stood. The walk around the wall went smoothly, it was only at the base of the steps, where he could see the foundations of three thrones of his former judges in ruins, did he pause. Here they... well, Dionysus would be exposed, there would be no more shadows or alcoves to hide in. Hades doubted the younger god foolishly cared though, and at the moment it wasn't his concern. Even at the base of the grand stairs, he could see the glimmer of the gold spikes that held a woman in the throne. Didn't anyone use snakes to bind people to chairs anymore?
To his merit, Dionysus kept his mind on the here and now, so when he saw Persephone in the distance, his eyes darted to the sides. It was just like in Indiana Jones. The part where the prize was in plain sight was always the most dangerous. Snake pits, dart walls, anything could be waiting.
And as Hades ascended the steps, carefully and silently, not that it was terribly important with the wailing of the souls all around, it would become more like Indiana Jones for Dionysus. The gargoyles that circled around the palace heights caught sight of the living god and knew he did not belong. They swooped down in a grinding shriek, the only sound their stony throats could make.
Unholy shrieks were good. They alerted Dionysus to the threat of an oncoming enemy, so as one swooped close to exact a blow, Dionysus deftly jumped up, grabbing the stony creature fast by the neck before flinging him face first to the ground. Whee!
It took all of Hades' discipline not to think 'Just draw all the attention to you' as he moved further along the steps, with complete disregard to his nephew's exploits or dangers. Higher up on the stone stairs now, he almost understood the dread the souls must have had approaching him. Readying themselves to see a sight... Part of him wished seeing her body in its painful position had made any sort of emotional response. There was none. She might as well have been a flower pot with golden spikes through it. Perhaps that was good. Would make things easier.
The gargoyles felt no pain and knew no fear. The one slammed into the hard ground, crumbled and cracked along its facial features, but that didn't really stop it from flapping its razor sharp wings at rapid speeds, while the rest of its cadre tried to sink claws into the wine god. His deftness avoided most, but one of them managed the task and began to take flight with him in its arms.
He was up! This was a new experience. Dionysus felt sharp claws in his shoulder, his blood dripping and pulse racing. He gripped onto its arms and though this created large gashes along his shoulders, he flipped himself over the front of the gargoyle, loosening himself from his grip and planting him on the creature's back. Now it was his turn to get grabby. He clutched onto wing, dragging the creature into a suicide dive.
The gargoyle would feel no pain and knew no fear, especially of destruction. It willingly went along with the suicide dive, but at the last moment flipped around like any trained sky-diver could do so Dionysus would hit the ground first with its full stony weight atop him. Its stone body cracked around him on impact while the others circled around like vultures for flesh.
Not too far away a palpable but unseen presence watched on. Hades, clearly, was not the only person or persons invisible.
"--rgh." That would be a cracked rib. Or three. But while Dionysus was down there, he tugged sharply on his winged grip. No more flying for this gargoyle.
The wings came off and the creature continued to crack down the center until it fell apart around him. Such was the problem with new additions to older homes, they were never to the same quality of workmanship. If the gargoyles knew any sort of knowledge of loss, they did not show it at the sight. Yet another thing the creatures did not know, perhaps. Instead, the remainder swooped down again in their shrieking war cry. The flesh still moved and they wanted that to stop. For their own very primitive reasons.
"[If you're around, you ought to get going,]" D muttered, pulling himself from the rubble. At least now he had a decent enough game plan for the gargoyles. "[I can hold down the fort.]"
If unseen incorporeal presences could say 'I told you so', it would have echoed across all of Hell. The presence condensed into sight, four angelic beings almost identical in appearances, their black wings folded against their backs like capes, donning burnt black armor and wielding flaming spears. Stepping away from them was the fifth, his form clearly not yet decided -- in a wisp of silent flame he motioned for them to hold. He moved right through the battle in rolling tendrils of burning white flame, not caring in the least if he scorched his own gargoyles and pleased as bunch when he did the wine god. Part of him wondered if he would burn faster being of wine, but it was a fleeting thought. "#If the twice-born wine god's presence wasn't a give away enough...#" The Devil's voice echoed in Greek and angelic mind equally now, "#His words certainly were.#"
Well, that was just lovely. Hades grimaced but then decided there was no time to try to be gentle. He took Persephone by both her shoulders and pulled her from the throne. The sound of her body tugging away, the ichor spurting and bone cracking didn't phase him at all. The Devil's voice in his mind was shaking him far too much to care about his ex-wife's temporal comforts.
The rolling fire took a humanoid form directly in front of Hades. "#A rescue attempt? The way you are going, even if you succeed, she will die. You are very bad at this, Possession.#"
The gargoyles surrounded Dionysus once more, somehow being watched by the fallen angelic cadre encouraged them, but at the sound of a subterranean shaking howl in the distance, they went into a fury, charging at the younger Greek at once in a mad, rushed fury. Flesh had to stop moving now.
Persephone's body lolled against Hades. Ripped up by the throne as she was, parts of her were only held together by flimsy weakened muscle and skin, giving her the look of a macabre rag doll and giving credence to the Devil's words. She opened her eyes weakly, glancing at the seemingly empty air that held her. "Hades..."
Dionysus ducked under one gargoyle, ripping wings as he went. His skin was covered in angry red burn marks from the Devil's grand entrance, and the pain was more than he would've liked but stopping to deal with it was not an option. So he continued to deal with one problem at a time, dodging the gargoyles one by one and grabbing at the flaws in their wings. One managed to strike a good blow with its claws and ichor poured from the jagged cuts down his spine. He hissed, struggling a bit to move, as he reached forward to take out another gargoyle.
"Shhh," Hades whispered to her as he eased her over his shoulder. It gave away his location completely but being invisible never seemed to help him against the Devil anyway. He needed to get out with her but to just leave would abandon Dionysus...
The Devil laughed merrily and dreadfully, "#Going to trade him for her? If that is the case, I might just let you do it. Keeping your heroic wine god would be more painful than your foolish whore.#"
Their wings mostly torn from them the gargoyles were forced to hop from bowed leg to bowed leg to move, it almost appearing like some sort of blood fueled jig. The gargoyles only paused in their attempts to tear at them when another howl broke across the Underworld, its triple nature clearer now as it was closer. Just at the entrance to the ruined gardens of the palace courtyard stood the giant beast Cerberus, licking his maws: one head focused on Dionysus, another on the gargoyles and the third on the events of the staircase.
"[This is so not my day...]" Dionysus muttered, taking a few languid steps away from Cerberus as some of the gargoyles' attention was turned off of him and onto the protector of the Underworld. In the good old days, it was just a matter of showing the dog that he wasn't mortal or taking the back stairwell into the Underworld. But he had a feeling that the dog had been retrained since. He really didn't want to have to kill Hades's dog. That just seemed like an unnecessary rub. "[Good boy, right? Good boy...]"
The problem with the gods being able to die now was that it kinda made them mortals Cerberus sniffed the air good and hard before turning his third head back to the conflict at hand. Gargoyles he hated and a mortal-god... His growling caused the ground to rumble beneath as he lumbered forward, two of his maws wrapping around the heads of those stone chew toys that thought they were so great, shaking them with great force. The third maw, the center focused solely on Dionysus and his delicious open wounds, his many snaked tail wagging in viscous joy.
Shit. Shit. It was Hades' expression and thought as he squeezed Persephone slightly. She had said he could do this. Now it just seemed like he had condemned the three of them. He began to back away down the stairs, seemingly inching his way back to Dionysus... if he could get close enough.
The Angelic cadre stirred, but the Devil ordered them to remain still... or at least implied the order by laughing again, reaching out and grabbed Hades' right along the arm that held the battered spring goddess. His humanoid form disappeared around his hand, returning to flame and Hades growled in pain as his arm ignited into fire; he dropped his former wife to protect from a similar fate. The Devil continued to laugh as he lifted the former king by the throat with his other hand, "#This looks ridiculous invisible. But I really am tiring of you thinking you can get the better of me. Whatever you do, I will always win. ... But maybe it is time to end your annoyance. If you aren't snapped by now into submission after all...#"
Sensing that 1/3 of the dog's attention was fully on him (and that said intention was a little bloodthirsty) D leaped back just in time to feel Cerberus's teeth shear down the skin of his left leg. He rounded a fist, bringing it down for a hard bop on the guard dog's muzzle. "[Bad dog! No biting!]"
The bopped head of Cerberus shook, confusion clear in his glowing yellow eyes. The other two heads dropped their bits of gargoyles and focused on Dionysus now, too. Growling. The snake tail ceased to wag, instead it angrily swayed. Dionysus had hurt the monster beast' pride and now it was on. He pounced the wine god like a normal dog does a squirrel.
Hades could not see this event, his eyes had clenched shut in pain as the searing heat of the Devil's touch spread from his throat to what felt like every nerve in his body. His one arm hung dead at his side, burnt beyond use for now. He could still draw his weapon but what good would it do against the Devil? "[Dionysus! Do you still remember your wa...?]" The Devil's grip tightened around his throat cutting off his words.
"[Hades...]" Persephone whimpered, glancing up from the ground. "[You have the right weapon...]" She only hoped he could figure out what that was in time.
Dionysus leaped forwarded, between the dogs four legs and under its toothy mouths. It would only be a temporary distraction, so he bolted towards where the mess of Persephone lay, even if he was getting much too close to the fallen angels. His sister turned her mouth to see him being chased by the three headed hell hound, and all she could really do was hope that the dog who was once half-would remember her whistle. Exhausted, she brought her fingers to her mouth, blowing a hard whistle to get his attention.
Between her whistle and the high pitch ringing coming from the glowing key around Hades' neck, Cerberus paused his chase. All three heads and even the snake heads of his tail looked around in all directions. He was receiving too many orders... To kill the intruders from the rightful King, to stand down from the technically rightful Queen and a call of distress from the man who raised him... He knew he should ignore the latter no matter how loud it was but...
The Devil shook his head and in some silent command the four fallen angels moved toward Dionysus and Persephone, their spears drawn now.
"#You think they would be able to escape here? Cute. A third of the stars of the sky followed me here.#" The words echoed in Hades' mind as he tried to pull the Devil's hand away from but his one good hand couldn't even touch him, as always it was like a force field was around the Prince of Darkness. Fear shook Hades' heart. Fear of never coming home... But mostly the fear of Satan using his soul for his own purposes after he died... Maybe he couldn't escape death, but he could escape that fate. His good hand reached into his pocket and pulled out the cigarette case. In a lucky move, the case fell away leaving only the syringe he had prized.
Dionysus made it to Persephone, hefting her up as quick as he could. However, now there were angels with spears pointed at him. He began to backup, even knowing that this brought them both closer to the hell hound. Persephone tried her best to keep an even smile on her face as she approached the dog, reaching her hand out to pet his fur. "[Help us...]" she murmured to Cerberus. She doubted they would make it out on their own, and Dionysus was inclined to agree. He could feel the direction in which they had to go, but getting there with all of Hell aware of their presence was going to be tricky.
The tentative smile on Persephone's face faltered as she felt the horrible fear falling over Hades, and then she felt what he was planning. She panicked, her voice a frightened shriek. "[That's it! Use it on him!]"
Cerberus held still at her touch. She was still queen but...
The rest happened so quickly. In the same second even. The four angelic soldiers thrust their flame tipped spears with brutal force and fierce precision. One went through both Dionysus' legs, one went completely through his stomach and the other directly into his heart.
Hades could feel his thoughts echoing in his mind. He could see the light glow around him as his life itself was escaping him and he clutched the syringe tighter. He might die but... He could have a deathbed conversion... But before jamming it into his own thigh and forfeiting his divinity, he heard Persephone... So close to death, his mind defaulted to the years of marriage with her... "#Deathbed conversion? Your final thought is pointless. There is no mercy her...#" The Devil's telepathic projection ended abruptly as Hades pressed on the button of the syringe, injecting the condensed poison laced ichor into his momentarily corporal body. The Devil dropped him just as suddenly, backing away, clutching his head as his form shifted rapidly between appearances. The four fallen angels withdrew their spears from the wine god and flew over to him, forgetting all other orders. The smoke filled sky glimmered as other angels converged on the scene, lifting their king from the ground upon their various hands.
Dionysus nearly dropped his sister, and in the middle of his sudden pain, he was relieved that the spears in him had missed her already broken body. He coughed up a mouthful of ichor, dropping to his knees before completely collapsing on the ground. Persephone felt the bonds that held her and Hades's minds fall apart, ripping her violently from him, sending her own mind into a harsh spiral that made her own mind simply crash. She lay in the pool of Dionysus's blood unable to gather her own thoughts from off the floor.
Cerberus sniffed the air again and let out a thrice-voiced howl at the lifting of the Prince of Darkness. But with another moment to gain three sets of thoughts, all three heads thought in union and almost smirked. Carefully enough, one head picked up Dionysus by the back of his shirt, the second did the same to Persephone. Then with a quick dash that Persephone and Dionysus' legs should be thankfully for how large the beast was, the third picked up Hades, shaking him gently to stir him.
Hades felt in his heart the word '_You_should_open_your_gate_' and didn't over think why he thought his former hound was speaking to him or why he felt like he was dangling beside Persephone and Dionysus. Instead, he simply turned the glowing key around his neck and opened the gate to Apollo and Dionysus' home.
Then the monster of a beast stepped through, three mangled gods dangled from his teeth.
There are some things even gods can't prevent. Having heard the gate open while he made his way down the hall, Apollo had liked to think he was at least somewhat prepared for what he'd find when he entered the living room, but he was wrong. For once (or again, depending on who you ask).
He had not braced himself to find a giant, three-headed dog shuffling through the gate, displacing furniture, and dragging three battered and broken relatives along for the ride who, being as they were mangled and possibly lacking consciousness, could do little to stop themselves from leaking ichor all over the hardwood. Generally, Apollo was the composed sort, at least as far as surprises went; most expressions of shock and surprise left a person looking unattractive long enough for jokes, and he had enough of those coming his way already. But, in light of the situation...He gaped. The whole scene, which took seconds really, seemed to drag on forever; the crash of the television set as the bookcase toppled into it reverberated off the walls and nearly drown out the sounds coming from the still open gate.
Maybe he'd been too optimistic, which seemed odd, because he was usually the one bursting in with the reality of situations. Injuries were to be expected, but he'd assumed, somewhat stupidly, that Persephone would be the worst off; in hindsight, that was completely irrational, since Dionysus was going in there and he just dove headlong into anything that was set in front of him. At least they seemed to have all their limbs?
The longer he stood there staring, the more time was wasting, and he was at least vaguely aware that he really ought to do something about all the bleeding. But he still didn't move. Moments ticked by; he felt a twitch in his left cheek starting up again, and as he opened his mouth to see if any of them were still lucid enough to answer, all that came out was probably the last thing you wanted to say to a mutant hound sitting on what's left of your coffee table.
"Bad dog!"
Cerberus took another sniff to the air and then half tossed Dionysus at the blond god-mortal. It was probably to his advantage that the hell hound had never been formally introduced to Apollo. Otherwise, the reaction would have probably been worse. The other mangled gods, the hell hound rested to the ground, before laying down. The ceiling above his head had been cracking, the lights flashing against his ears the the hound didn't much enjoy that one bit.
Hades rolled to his side on the floor, consciousness returning to him in bits and spurts but speech certainly not. However, the sight of Dionysus and then of Persephone made him realize he was third on the list of healing. ... Now why did it look like Dionysus had been thrown? Maybe he jumped through the gate? Nothing told Hades that the heavy breathing beside him of his once faithful hell hound may have been the cause. Instead, he merely pointed at Dionysus with his good hand. There was too much ichor on him... He needed to be healed first. Persephone might be a lost cause after all...
The twice former Queen of the Underworld rested in a heap on the floor. Though physically she was better off than her half-brother, she was still experiencing the effects of a sudden mental implosion. She stared unblinkingly at Hades, almost through him.
The sound of one particularly irritable voice was enough to get Dionysus conscious again, and being thrown around by a giant dog was certainly enough to get him alert. Despite his spear wounds, his arms were very much in tact so he used these to pat the closest bit of Apollo that he could manage. "Told you I'd be right back," he gurgled lightly through his own ichor. "And I gots all my limbs..."
"You fucking overgrown mutant! It's not enough you destroy my living room, but now you have to throw invalids at me?! Between all those heads you should have at least a bit of common sense! Godsdamned mutt!" Oh yes. This was all peachy. He completely ignored whatever sort of dazed hand signals Hades was trying to send him, and knelt beside his brother first purely because he was the closest; he'd get to them all in good time.
There was no smile for D's attempt at humor, or relatively 'safe' return. Apollo would have kicked him if he wasn't already seriously injured. "Shut up and bleed quietly!" It was unnecessary, really, but putting one of his hands on D's mouth would stop the chatter while he worked, and who knew, maybe if he fed enough power into the other god's head, something good would happen.
Like an explosion.
Well even if talking was out of the picture for now, Dionysus was still happy. That had been some helluva fight, and this was nothing that wouldn't have healed on its own eventually. Plus now he got Apollo touchy which was always A+ in his book. He could feel his organs being healed. Mmm tingly. He decided to show his appreciation, by kissing the underside of his brother's hand that rested upon his mouth.
Apollo waited until the more serious injuries were complete --bruises and minor cuts could fend for themselves-- before he hauled off and slapped D across the face. "Keep your lips to yourself," he snarled as he stood up and moved away to his next patient. How about Persephone this time, since he was in no hurry to lay a hand on Hades; pity he couldn't just leave him lying there.
Really, truly, he knew it wasn't exactly all D's fault, but it had been his idea to open the gate in the living room, which made him just as bad as the bastard who decided a giant dog was going to fit in a normal sized house. Besides, D was the only one he could get away with being pissed at; Hades would probably just feed him to the stupid mutt and toss them both back through the gate. Bastard.
D took the slap, rolling his eyes a bit. Apollo was in a mood, maybe for a good reason this time, and all Dionysus could do was take the hits and be kind. He got up gingerly, peeling off remnants of burn scars. He made his way to the kitchen, grabbing an old rag to wipe off as much ichor as he could. He cleaned off his hands and moved to the fridge, pulling a syringe from the butter tray.
Persephone meanwhile, made no acknowledgement of Apollo's presence. She was still as a corpse, barely breathing as she lay on the floor. Dionysus returned, crouching by Apollo's side. "Do you need this? This is a lot of healing for one go..."
Clearly Persephone knew how to be a proper patient. He rested his hands on her a little more gently and set to work; she wasn't nearly as bad as he'd thought she would be, but it was a pathetically small consolation in the grand scheme of things.
Technically, D was right. It was a lot to do in one go, even if he'd already been dosed once; he took a few moments to catch his breath and clear his vision before he stood and moved towards Hades. "I thought I told you to Shut Up!" Gods. Couldn't even follow simple directions, could he?
Hades watched with careful attention, as careful as he could manage in his state anyway, but he was pretty sure he was hallucinating. Why else would there the monster of his former hound playing vigil beside him and Dionysus offering syringes to Apollo? None of that made sense. But slowly, he sat up. Injured as he was, he wasn't going to spend all his time laying sprawled on the floor waiting for Apollo to heal him. He had some dignity... But more importantly, he sat up to watch Persephone be healed.
Dionysus shrugged, setting the syringe on what was left of the coffee table. Apollo could get it if he needed it. He turned his attention to Persephone, who was thankfully looking less like Swiss cheese. Despite this, she was still not moving. He sat himself down, pulling her over so that her head was resting in his lap. He placed a hand on her forehead, feeling for something. Yep. There was the faint tug of madness, of a broken mind. "Hmm..."
Hades sat up, and Apollo shoved him back down. It probably wasn't the best move as far as self preservation was concerned, but he was in no mood for bullshit or arguing about medical care. "Lie down and stay there or I set your other fucking arm on fire!" Which was a lovely mental picture, all things considered. Maybe the stupid dog could go up in flames too while they were at it.
Grudgingly, he knelt beside his last patient and placed his hands on Hades' chest with no small amount of irritation and disgust; the sooner he got this over with, the sooner Hades was gone.
Even burnt, Hades didn't hide his own disgust and irritation. Ironically, him and Apollo shared the exact same emotion about the whole affair at the moment, but he did bother to lay down. He may hate Apollo, but he understood following direction for the greater good. The greater good of himself even. He could feel the healing god's power enter and spread throughout him. The burned skin began to renew and he could feel his wind pipe opening again. It actually felt good to be able to breathe without hindrance, but when he was well enough to let just a bit of time take care of his wounds, he pulled away.
That was quite enough of Apollo's help. Drawing up to his feet, his mind cleared from injury, he couldn't deny the twenty-foot hell hound in the room anymore. Cerberus was actually there, staring at him with six yellow eyes with rapt attention. "[But you...Whatever. Deal with you in a second, Cerberus.]" He then turned his attention to Dionysus, "[How is she?]"
"[Physically she's fine,]" D replied. Best to start with the positive. "[Mentally]...oy." He ran a gentle hand over her hair before glancing at Apollo. "[How are you feeling?]"
Apollo was back to glaring at the dog. He wasn't surprised at the lack of consideration and gratitude, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. He didn't even bother to turn and look at D, which was probably a good thing in the long run; they didn't make up that saying about how looks could kill for nothing. "Oh, I don't know. Why don't you take a fucking guess!" He rounded on them both then, and pointed an accusing finger at Hades.
"You get out. Get out of my house and take your godsdamned mongrel with you! Now!"
Cerberus was beginning to growl lightly, understanding reaching his three brains of who the blond god-mortal may be. Of course, growling lightly only meant some of the floor rumbled and only half of everything fell of whatever tables remained functioning as tables.
Hades was back to completely ignoring Apollo. Completely. Like he was a shadow on the wall. That was how he showed gratitude to the other god, making him a persona not grata in his mind. Instead, he moved across the room to Dionysus and swooped the immobile flower goddess up into his arms with complete ease. "[She'll be coming with me. I didn't expect her to be overly well in the mind department.]" He knew where her mind had been after all. He then turned from both gods and looked to Cerberus again. "[I don't know why you're here or why you're not eating me, but we are leaving. You need to be smaller to fit out the door. I know you can do that. You're the same generation god as me.]"
He whistled to focus the three heads and Cerberus seemed to snuff loudly but then he did begin to shift and shrink, taking up a glamour smaller than his original frame. At least passable to maybe being a dog. Hades would work on that with him later... If there was a later. Right now, it was time to leave this house.
He didn't want to be around He-Who-Was-Being-Ignored anymore.
"[YOU HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!]" Not to be outdone by the growling mutant, Apollo turned up the volume as he strode past D to block Hades' exit. "[When I said leave, I meant you and that fucking mutt. You aren't taking her anywhere!]" Snarl. "You think I'm going to let you walk out of here with her in the condition she's in? Especially after you were so ready to leave her down there! You told people she was dead, you unbelievable bastard! [Put. Her. Down. Now.] Even if this wasn't all your fault you can't take care of her; you're incompetent!"
"[I am not leaving her with you. I know exactly what she went through and clearly, there is nothing you can do to fix her. So move.]" Hades glared directly at Apollo now, no longer ignoring the other god. There was no discussion about this. Once in his arms, no one was taking Persephone away from him.
"[Actually...]" D wasn't sure he should interrupt, but he was all about reckless behavior today. "[I think Apollo's right here. Maybe there's something we can do for her. Might as well give us a day or two to try.]"
"[No. Now are you going to let me leave with her peacefully so I can surrounded her with her greenhouse and take care of her or am I going to have tear this place ap... more apart.]" Even in Hades' seriousness, even with his threats, he couldn't help but notice the room was pretty tore up as it was.
"What are you, a doctor now? You want her to stay a vegetable, don't you? So you can just put her in a room and not have to worry about her ruining whatever fucked up plans you might have. Almost as good as letting her die, isn't it?" Clearly it was not the best way to get someone to agree to his terms, but he really could have cared less. "You are the last person who should be making any decisions about her welfare."
Oy. Just oy. Dionysus stepped between the two of them, giving Hades the pathetic baby nephew look. It helped that he was covered in ichor and flakes of burnt skin. "[Look we'll keep her safe. In spite of how he's putting it, remember that we believed she could be brought back from Hell. And she was. Now we're believing she can be fixed. Trust us on this one...]" He shot a look over his shoulder at Apollo, not really a glare, more of a warning that Dionysus's tactics might work better on Hades.
"[I know how to fix her.]" Hades growled and then shoved Dionysus to try move him to the side with one hand; he never needed two to hold Persephone. "[Now move or I tear a new hole on the other side of this house.]" And then a cruel smile over took him, "[Or maybe I am going to stay. Pick your poison.]"
"You don't know how to do anything other than make things worse. Put her the fuck down; I'm not letting you walk out of here with her so she can just end up in the same situation again because you're tired of her. And you're not staying here to stand over her bed and leer at her like the sick fucking pervert you are; that will only make things worse. Everyone would benefit from less time with you; she's had enough of the Underworld to last for the rest of her life. Now put her down and piss off!"
It never ended. Never. No one ever took him seriously...
Oh gods. D was ready to punch the lot of them. Hades for the unnecessary shoving. Apollo for the unnecessary Hades-baiting. "[Look, it's not like we're going to steal her and claim her as our child bride...first off, I'm not even sure this one likes girls that way anymore.]" He gestured with his thumb at Apollo. "[Give us two days. We've got a nice yard out back if she needs green and sunshine, but she's better off with a doctor and someone with extensive experience with crazy than with her admittedly well-meaning but potentially ill-equipped husband. You'll get her back. In better shape than you left her.]"
Hades sat on the couch with her. Silent. He wasn't going anywhere. Cerberus seemed to understand what was going on and laid at his feet. If monster dogs could snicker.
D sat down on the couch next to him. "[Where will you take her? Back to your house with Hestia?]" He asked softly. "[If you do manage to heal her, if she comes to rely on you for that, what's going to happen when you have to go away again?]" He reached out to hold his sister's hand. "[You said you knew what she went through, so...enlighten me.]"
Oh, it felt so good just ignoring Apollo again. Hades was never going to doubt the green sock puppets and their wisdom from his sons' ridiculous DVDs. It did give him a sense of control to completely ignore the attempt at insult and refusing to be incited. Though he may have only had that self-control from holding Persephone in his arms, he did always feel calmer with her around. From the corner of his eyes he looked to D and replied just as softly, but not to keep D calm but to cut Apollo out of the conversation. Screw him was his thought which he was pretty sure was his alone at the moment. "[I'm taking her back to her house and when I heal her... Do you think she is some clinging leech, Dionysus? She got on without me for two thousand years.]" He then actually looked to D and then leaned in to make it even more of a secret, "[She was trapped in my mind. That's why I know what she needs to do. Much more than what you will be able to do... or handle.]"
"[I'm basing my opinion off of what she did when you two split,]" D replied before listening to Hades explanation. "[To me? That's more reason for her to not go with you, Hades. If I was collapsed under the weight on my lover's mind, the last person I'd want to see when I recovered was him.]"
"[You don't understand or you are purposely trying not to. Either way...]" Hades repositioned Persephone better so her head rested against his shoulder, not letting it roll to some incredibly uncomfortable position. "[I am not leaving her with you and I am not leaving without her.]" The last thing Hades was going to was leave her with two people who only bothered to check in on her for the sake of novelty, in addition to two people who wouldn't be able to help. Apollo he was pretty sure was only doing this out of spite anyway. "[I only explained anything because of who you are. But... my niceness is going to end. So, if I were you, I would let me go and wish me luck.]"
Dionysus narrowed his eyes, not at all pleased with his Uncle's decision to blockade reason. "[Just remember that we were willing to do this without you. Apollo is right to point out that you would have left her there to rot and die. I don't know what kind of ownership you think you hold over her, but she isn't your possession. Due time will clear that up.]" Dionysus absolutely hated not receiving due respect, as he was a true Greek deity through and through. He had to squelch down the urge to turn Hades sons into snakes. He eventually stood, making his way over to Apollo. "[Just go.]" He leaned in close to the blond, whispering. "[Think we should let the family know she's not dead?]"
Over the years, Apollo had found it increasingly difficult to deal with his own temper now that killing sprees were frowned upon. No one listened. No one ever listened. They treated him like shit and then kept coming back expecting him to fix things up when they broke an arm or got set on fire... Why hadn't he just left Hades lie there? What could he possibly have been thinking when he'd spent those few seconds healing him?! Seconds of his lifetime he'd never get back. And all he got in return was a threat to stay or put a hole in the wall and an absolute disregard for what was best for his unfortunate wife.
He shoved D away from him as hard as he could, and took a step away from the doorway. "You get the fuck away from me. All of you get the fuck out of here! NOW! OUT!" Screw the lot of them. Just...screw them.
And there we go. Hades nodded, almost bowing his head to Dionysus, "[This isn't possession, Nephew. If I had ever treated her like a possession, none of this would have happened. This is responsibility. I want to get her back to her daughter as soon as possible...]" He stood up and cradled her carefully in his arms. Cerberus stood as well, keeping his eyes on Persephone. "[You are welcome to come and check on me.]" When he neared Apollo, in spite of all his hate, he did mutter a thank you. He was a god of justice and he couldn't help himself -- as much as he wished he could.
D scowled, walking over to where a pack of his cigarettes had fallen off the mantle. The fight had been so much fun. He probably should have expected this fall out. "[Here's new plan. I'm going with you Hades. To keep an eye on her. And since you've pissed him off enough to get me kicked out of my home, you owe me as much.]" He stalked out the door, lighting a cigarette and puffing like a fiend.
Leaving the house as quickly as he could, Hades found where he had parked his black jag, but the whole time he walked he repeated Dionysus' last few words in his head. Suddenly, it was by far the most confusing thing he now had to sort out. What did that mean? was now behind fixing Persephone and why was Cerberus agreeable and not eating him. Opening the car to place the flower goddess in, he looked at Dionysus square in the face. "[... You are welcome to come.]"
"[Damn right I am...]" D muttered, sucking down the last of his cigarette before slipping into the car next to his sister. "[Stupid fucking stupid...like talking to two very hard brick walls.]" Mutter mutter.
Hades buckled Persephone and Cerberus in, trying not to think about how surreal this whole event really was. All of it. Then, he eased into the driver's seat, put the car in drive and seriously hoped there were no routine traffic stops. There really was no explanation for what was inside this car right now. None.
Persephone stared blankly out the window. Her body slack against the leather seat. Still, a part of her knew that she was in Miami. That she was finally home.
Summary: Hades, D and Apollo hatch a rescue plot. They get Persephone out, but just barely. Ironically, that's when all Hell breaks loose.