Who: Thanatos, Hades What: A slightly overdue visit When: Mid afternoon last Tuesday Where: Hades's mansion Warnings: None
Oy... Thanatos wasn't back in Miami for a solid week when drama related to his boss's family reared its ugly head. A part of him whispered that he should've known something like this would happen. Maybe he should consider his trip dealing with hostile violent spirits in Seattle a vacation? The jury was out on that for the moment. For now, the god of death was going to make a social call and drop in to visit his superior and friend and make sure he wasn't doing something silly like being dragged into the underworld against his will, or sinking into a depression only combatted by spending hours upon hours locked in front of a video game. Fates only knew what state he'd find Hades in now that his queen was in her comatose state.
Combating depression with hours of video games would have been a much healthier coping method than Hades was currently doing. Since the moment Hypos touched the wand of sleep to his precious wife's forehead, he had not left the room with her. Normally, he sat beside her, watching her, but sometimes pacing the floors of the bedroom. He had pulled the curtains of the windows, not to make it dark but to block any outside eyes. At the moment he didn't trust the outside world... At the moment, he didn't know what to trust. His mind was racing and he was on guard.
Thanatos stood on the doorstep to Hades's home and looked things over before knocking. Since returning from Seattle, he'd chosen to stay in a physical form closer in appearance to his true self than his usual jamaican persona. For the time being, he felt more comfortable in this skin than any others. At his back, though, he still carried his guitar case, just in case...
Hades heard the knocking. He did. He even tried to ignore it, but decided to at least bother to look. Placing a kiss to his unconscious wife's forehead, he sat beside her and tapped his iPhone a bit to access the security cameras of his house and looked the front door. It made the death lord frown. That was either Thanatos with a new face or his house just screamed all Thanatos look a likes should approach. Either way, he knew the rules he had set up... He motioned for one of the spirits of the house to attend to the door.
After a moment, a ghostly blond woman poked her head out the door. If it was Thanatos, she would be seen, if it wasn't, Hades could doubly not be brought to care, “Mr Lot refuses company.”
Thanatos scoffed lightly. "I'm sure he does. Not like I'm giving him a choice in the matter." With a small smile, he stuck his hands in his pockets and started to make his way into the house, not caring if the ghost was there or not.
Hades had begun to pace again like a caged lion. He needed to do something. Otherwise he would be forced to realize how helpless and powerless he truly was to help his wife. ... Maybe he should leave her alone. She had said he hadn't helped her nightmares... No, that had just been an attack. Not the truth. He growled lightly. Now his mind was betraying him. Lovely. If this didn't work... His path could clearly be seen being pressed into the lush, expensive throw rug that surrounded the bed.
Mindful of the ghosts that populated the home, but not about to let them stop him from his intended goal, Thanatos made his way upstairs, making an instinctive beeline for the bedrooms. If he knew his master, he would be by his queen's side. Coming to the closed door of the master bedroom, the god of death decided to go the polite route once more for the heck of it and knocked.
Black eyes snapped to the door, but it was good for Thanatos that he knocked. It made Hades release his grip on the handgun he had slipped against his back. No one was going to kidnap his wife in her sleep. Not without being full of lead. But the knocking made him sigh. Unless it was Mallory, he had a feeling who it was, so... “[Go away].”
Well not as if bullets really mattered to Thanatos... though repairing bullet holes in the walls and possibly door itself could be an annoyance... "[Not going to happen, Boss.]" the death god said simply as he leaned against the wall facing the still closed door. "[Came to see how you were holding up.]"
“[No guests.]” Hades tried to use his most commanding voice, but the side glance to his unconscious wife made it less than successful – well, at least to Thanatos. It probably would have been fearsome to someone who knew him less well. “[Unless you are here doing a task or service, there is a strict policy...]” Anything would do... It was a loophole that he was offering the death god. It hadn't been too long, but already simply watching his wife in the dark while he was unsure if it even worked or not was plaguing him.
Thanatos sighed softly. Hades was attempting to pull out the rule book on him? He pushed himself off the wall and stood at some semblance of attention. "[I'm here to look in and check that the Queen's state of immortality is in no immediate danger due to the slumber my brother has put her in,]" he stated simply in a stoic tone. Thanatos knew it was a low blow, but if Hades wanted an official "task" for his visit, he gave him one. Even though he was relatively sure that Persephone would be alright as far as her immortality went, in this day and age with everything going on, the fears related to the fraility of the pantheon's immunity to the ravages of time was something he was sure he could capitalize on.
It had been something Hades hadn't even considered. Could her life be in danger? The Dark One threw open the door to allow the death god entrance. It was when he his hand had reached the door knob, his mind caught up and he realized it was most likely a ploy. Thanatos was here to be a social pest, but now it was in his head. “[Check her. Now.]”
Fortunately, Thanatos had the sense not to let any semblance of a grin or triumph show on his face as Hades opened the door. Just because his ploy worked didn't mean he had room to be smug about it. Instead he did as he was told and entered the room quietly, turning his gaze towards the sleeping figure in the bed. The god of death's eyes glowed red for a moment as he closely examined the aura surrounding his queen. After a few moments, he turned back to his king. "[So far everything looks fine,]" he stated. "[Nothing indicates that her immortality is in any danger.]"
Hades let out a heavy sigh of relief from the new, but fleeting worry, before sitting at the edge of the bed. His head hung wearily but his eyes remained on Thanatos, “[So, why did you really come here?]”
"[I came to check on you,]" Thanatos said simply. "[I haven't been in Miami for a number of weeks, and after seeing my brother, you were the next one I wanted to visit.]" The god of death leaned comfortably against the wall opposite Hades and returned his lord's gaze. "[Especially after I heard from my brother what had happened to the Queen.]"
At the sound of her title, Hades' eyes shifted to her again, asleep. He hoped this was working. He hoped as hard as he could. But other things echoed in his mind. “[You think I'm the one giving her the nightmares somehow?]”
Thanatos shook his head. "[I don't know, my lord. Dreams were not my domain. If my nephews were around, I'm certain they could trace the source of her nightmares.]"
Now Hades shook his head, “[No. They are not from me. But I wish they were... Then I could do something about them. Not just sit.]”
Thanatos raised an eyebrow at Hades. "[Do you know then the source of her nightmares?]"
“[No.]” He replied softly. “[She was fine when the spring came... And then, she started having problems sleeping.]” Hades shrugged as he stood and fixed the blankets over her. Not that she needed them, but they were soft. She had to be comfortable, right? That would help? “[She slept well when the spring came...]”
Thanatos pondered Hades's words. "[Spring... Do you think it has anything to do with not returning to her mother now that both you and her are here in the Queen's life?]" he asked, careful with how he mentioned Demeter. He might've been gone for over a month, but he was certain nothing changed between the god and his sister
The thought forced Hades to rest his head directly in his hands. Was his selfish desire to have his wife with him the whole year causing her distress? “[Maybe...]” But then he paused. She had said the dreams had continued there... “[But I don't think so. Persephone went to her mothers for about a week. She said she couldn't rest there either. And it isn't like we are in different worlds. She is always in the same land as her mother. They could go get lunches with each other every day and I wouldn't know.]”
"[What do her dreams consist of?]" Thanatos asked. The nightmares plaguing Persephone were certainly a mystery, from what he was slowly gaining more and more information on.
“[I don't know.]” Hades looked back up to Thanatos, his franticness breaking enough to allow him to give a look they easily conveyed 'Why would you even ask that?'. “[I never asked and she never volunteered to tell me...]”
"[Well you are her husband and she is your wife.... There's this thing I heard that married couples do. I think it's called 'talking'.]" Thanatos spoke matter-of-factly, returning Hades's gaze with barely a flicker of his eyelid. "[Honestly... If something was the matter with your Queen, I would've thought you'd have been the first to ask her about it.]"
There was an audible growl from the exiled king, “[I know what is wrong with her. She is having nightmares. She doesn't want to tell me what they are about and I will not force her to do so.]” Hades' franticness was now long gone, replaced by anger from a betrayal that he didn't understand. “[How dare you insult and lecture me.]”
Thanatos held up his hands. "[I didn't mean it like that. I only assumed because that is what you had told me.]" He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
Tilting his head just slightly, he eyed Thanatos with suspicion before rolling his eyes and relented in his anger. He knew Thanatos spoke the truth. He had not meant it. So instead he brought his eyes back to his wife, tracing her palm lightly with a finger, “[Why is it so hard for both of us to be happy? We were and it was so wonderful. And then her dreams began...]”
"[I wish I had an answer to offer you, my lord,]" Thanatos said gently. "[Has my brother been able to give you any insight into the situation?]"
“[Would I be this crazy if he had?]” He did not move from his position beside his wife, but his black eyes shifted to glance at Thanatos from the barest edge of his vision now. “[Dreams are not his domain.]”
"[No, they are not,]" Thanatos agreed. "[And unfortunately the one whose domain it is has still not resurfaced.]" He sighed. Just as he was close to his brother, so was he fond of his brother's children. "[I've only just returned to Miami... Has there been any new family of yours or mine that have cropped up?]"
“[Some. Zeus' children from what I know. None of your family.]” Hades' voice hushed like he would wake her if he spoke too loudly. He knew he would not, but he was trying to trick his mind into believing he just couldn't wake her up without hunting Hypnos down and shaking him... or asking him nicely. Whichever. This had been a very bad month for him not to feel powerless... And that thought made him sigh. He seriously wished he could stop making things about himself. But then again, he knew why he did it. It made him have power in the situation. “[How was your trip?]”
Thanatos glanced from Persephone, then towards the door, indicating voicelessly that perhaps they ought to speak outside the slumbering queen's bedroom, so as not to 'wake her up' and continue to fuel Hades's attempt to deceive his own mind. "[I'll tell you over some coffee if you have any.]" he murmured softly.
“[There's some coffee in the kitchen. I've been drinking it nonstop...]” Hades looked away from his friend and kept his eyes focused on his wife. He was still paying attention to Thanatos though. He was, he just had to keep vigil. His various issues demanded it. “[If I leave someone might come in here...]”
"[I'm certain she'll be fine for a few minutes, my lord,]" Thanatos insisted gently. "[Your ghosts are very attentive here.]"
And he knew she was not to wake up today. Hypnos had not given him an exact date and time, but he got enough of a time table to know it was too early. “[They do adore her. They wouldn't let anything happen without a warning...]” Hades stood finally, placing a kiss to her forehead as he murmured to her he would be right back and to sleep well. He turned back to his friend, “[Very well, but not too long...]”
Thanatos smiled and bowed slightly at the waist politely as he used to do in the old days before opening the door for Hades. "[It won't take too long.]"
The exiled king was able to manage a small smile as he let Thanatos have a friendly swat along his shoulder, “[What have I said about still treating me as royalty?]” Not that it stopped him from walking through the open door and instantly closing his eyes. It had been a while since he had left the curtained bedroom and now his light sensitive eyes were forced to adjust.
Thanatos smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. "[Doesn't matter. you're still the boss in my books,]" he quipped back as they made their way to the kitchen. "[So Seattle was interesting. Turned out to be more than I expected.]"
His eyes adjusted and he poured a couple mugs of coffee for the both of them before sitting in his usual chair. Hades tried for the sake conversation etiquette to not constantly glance toward the steps to the bedroom, but he doubted Thanatos would begrudge him the action, “[What was it?]”
"[Well originally I'd heard that it was just a single poltergeist responsible for the death of a child in a condemned old hospital. However, once i got there i found out it wasn't a hospital, but rather an old asylum for the criminally insane.]" He sipped from his coffee cup. "[There was more than one hostile spirit lurking in that place.]"
“[Hmmm, you don't see a lot of those.]” Or at least Hades didn't. He didn't sip his coffee. He more took large chugs out of it before eying Thanatos carefully again, “[Are you well? It does not sound like a place to go unprepared.]”
"[Oh I'm fine. I was a bit sore after everything was said and done, though. That asylum was condemned for a reason. There were around thirteen ghosts in that place, and all of them pretty vile pieces of work. A couple of them actually didn't seem phazed by who and what I am. They were fun to put in their place.]"
His cup of coffee was now gone as Hades nodded. “[It sounds fun. I assume you sent them all to their proper places. Especially if they were responsible for the death of a living child.]” It felt good to speak like this. Sitting in the dark waiting for his comatose wife to wake up was not good for his mental health. A momentary reprieve with familiar situations was good for his soul and strength.
"[Oh of course. I had absolutely no problem sending those hostile spirits where they truly belong.]" Thanatos smiled darkly before taking a long draught from his mug. He had an especially low tolerance for spirits who plagued and harmed children. "[I wish you could've come with me, looking back on it. I think you would've enjoyed the encounters with them.]"
“[Maybe next time if my life stops trying to rip my sanity from my skull.]” Leaning his chair back on its back legs, Hades managed to grab the coffee pot and bring it to the table and more importantly to his mug to refill it. “[I had a meeting with the family about battle plans. Yes, it was just as fun as it sounds.]”
"[Battle plans?]" Thanatos looked at Hades with a measure of confusion. "[What were they about?]"
“[Fighting the Egyptians and stopping their crazed plans for world domination is the short story. I'm really not in the mood to give the long version.]” This time Hades managed to sip his second cup of coffee. The caffeine from the first was doing it work well enough without him rushing reinforcement directly to his system. “[Oh, and Anubis is betraying them and on our side.]” The words made the exiled king roll his eyes as he took another sip.
"[Anubis hmmmm.... Well that's an interesting development.]" Thanatos mused on that concept for a moment "[Any particular reason why Anubis defected?]" he asked curiously
“[He believes his family was tricked by Coyote into taking actions against their better judgment. Everything is a huge mess, Thanatos,]” It was an easy confession for Hades and it had enough double meanings that it easily flowed passed his lips. His eyes shifted once more to the stair case, “[But if the call to battle is sounded any time soon, I will be forced to refuse. I will fight to defend my family, but I will not leave my family at risk to do so.]” That made sense to him, he just hoped it was clear.
"[Makes perfect sense,]" Thanatos said in agreement. "[Any idea when this battle is taking place? Do you think I'll be called upon to aid your family?]"
Hades outright shrugged. “[If I knew for certain, I would not be worried about being forced to ignore the call and as for you...]” He paused and took another sip of his coffee, “[I think Zeus and Hera assumed I would just order you to come if I felt the need, or assume I have already given the order since you came to the last battle with the Egyptians.]”
Thanatos frowned a little bit before sipping his coffee as well. "[Well if you called, I would most certainly come. You're the one I answer to, not Zeus or Hera.]" As he spoke, there was a touch of pride in the god of death's tone. It was one thing to take orders from Hades. It was quite another to take them from any of his other siblings.
That touch of pride made Hades' tilt his head and consider the Death god before shaking his head, torn between being amused and dismayed. “[At least you know you answer my call because you want to, not because you have to...]”
Thanatos smiled a little bit. "[I know I certainly don't 'have' to. However, it wouldn't feel right to deny a request from you unless there was a very good reason to behind it. You usually don't call on me without good reason anyways.]" He sighed a little bit before meeting Hades's gaze. "[You are more than merely a superior to me. You are my friend, and those sorts of folks are not the kind I have very many of. I'm sure you can say the same. Out of respect and friendship, I will answer your call if you need me.]"
“[I think I can accept that answer without debating you on it.]” Hades smiled just a little before putting his mug down and away. “[Thank you for coming today. I think I was going stir crazy in here and that is never good.]”
The god of death chuckled. "[You and stir crazy are never a healthy combination. I'm only sorry I didn't come sooner. Hard to keep in contact, i've found, when one's cell phone has been smashed into pieces. Work casualty on that last job, I'm afraid.]" He shook his head with amusement. Thanatos would have to replace that sometime soon.
“[Well, you are back in Miami where cellphones are plentiful. You should get one with the screen that pops up and turns sideways to watch TV on.]” If Hades wasn't in love with his iPhone perhaps he would get one as well. But his eyes shifted once again to the staircase and his own nervousness was making him begin to fidget. “[It's good you're back. I was wondering where you went...]”
"[My apologies for not letting you know.]" Thanatos inclined his head. "[It was a spur of the moment decision for me, and I left without telling anyone. I had thought the job would only take a couple of nights at most, but it turned out to be more complicated than that.]" Than shook his head. "[I'm back home now, though, and I don't plan to be heading out of miami without good reason for awhile.]"
Hades motioned a dismissing gesture, “[There is no need to apologize to me. You had to do what you had to. It's not like you have to report to me anymore. I just hope you told Hypnos and Takshi before you went.]”
Thanatos nodded. "[I certainly need to make up the lost time to them. Even if it was such a short time in the greater span of our relative lifetimes, I missed them a great deal.]"
It was now Hades' turn to shake his head, “[And yet, you're here and not with your bunny-girl. You need to get your priorities in order.]”
The death god lifted his head and opened his mouth to say something to Hades, but the words died in his throat and he merely closed his mouth and shook his head. Oh it had been too long since he'd endured Hades's ribbing, and he walked right into that one.
Thanatos always walked into them, but the ribbing generally meant Hades was in a pleasant enough mode. Not that such a mood kept him from rising from his chair and putting his mug into the sink. “[I think I have to cut this social call short for both our sakes. You have people to attend to and I haven't gotten around to brushing Persephone's hair in a fashion even I find a little creepy.]” He shrugged as he turned and smirked at the death god.
The death god chuckled a little bit and rose from his chair with a nod. "[Of course. Though keep in mind I'll be visiting you more often to try and help you keep some semblance... or at least a fair illusion... of sanity.]"
Hades made the same dismissing motion he had previously. “[Its only a few more days...]” Quietly, he began to approach the steps but he paused after a couple and looked over his shoulder, “[Besides, sanity is for the weak.]”
Thanatos made his way to the front door and inclined his head with a smile. "[Of course it is. Have a good evening, my lord. I'll see you again later.]"
“[No guest policy.]” Hades reminded his friend as he climbed the steps anew, “[And your ploy won't work next time as a loop hole.]” But he waved without looking back just the same.
As if a "no guest policy" could stop the god of death if he really set his mind to it. Thanatos waved back with a grin before finally letting himself out.
And Hades returned back to his precious wife's side with no doubt he would have to chase Thanatos out of his house sooner or later. Probably sooner. Thanatos never obeyed the rules about just strolling in when his residence was made of precious metals and gems and its size bordered on infinite inside... He was not going to start obeying when it came to his Miami mansion. Oh well...
Summary: After hearing about Persephone's current state, Thanatos decides to pay a visit to the former underworld lord and make sure he hasn't gone completely stir crazy.