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Hades stood alone on the roof of The Last Resort, pacing back and forth with his eyes turned upwards towards the dazzling night sky. Always something of a recluse, he’d kept to himself since the moment he arrived, attempting to work out exactly how Zeus had managed to banish him from both his Realm and Olympus. His brother possessed a depth of power that Hades was aware of, but he hadn’t seen Zeus tap into those reserves since the battles with the Titans: he hadn’t had a reason to. Moreover, doing something this drastic seemed unreasonable, especially considering the Underworld had a system of rules all its own, and Hades’ lordship was eternal, even if he was far from the Realm.
It seemed likely that Zeus had thrust him to this desolate place, Hades reasoned, to keep his son Apollo safe. Indeed, he had to know by now what that reptile had done. As much as Hades respected Persephone’s desire to do something about Apollo herself, if she were unable because of Zeus’ degree, Hades would not hesitate to act on her behalf, which might very well be why he was here now - so far from everyone.
The god rubbed his hands together as he paced, unsure of his next move. Hades was trying his best to smother his rage, drawing on everything he’d taught himself about emotional restraint to keep from railing against this strange prison Zeus had sent him to. For as long as he could remember, he was motivated to keep his rage and passions to himself, lest some outburst change his skin to stars. There was nothing Olympians feared more than his resemblance to Kronos, and truthfully, there was nothing that Hades feared more, either. But his collected veneer had shattered recently when he’d learned what Apollo had done to Kore, and that side of himself hadn’t quite ebbed off entirely since. As either a result or the cause, thoughts of burning this entire place to the ground to get his hands around his brother’s serpentine neck weren’t far from his mind.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hades caught a speck of light that made him do a double-take. Fluttering towards him like a dream was a small, pink, and quite determined butterfly. He rushed towards it, almost walking off the edge of the roof before he caught himself at the last moment. He held out a hand so the glowing insect could land on his palm.