Title: Of Death and Regret
Summary: Hades, a cold-hearted god; capable of taking another immortal's life, was really just too kind for his own good.
Pairing: Hades/OC. Yea.
Rate: T
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Hades and all other Greek mythology aspect. I just own my OC and this plot. And I also own my bunnies.
Shameless rambling: Oh-kaay… I just suddenly imagine, what if Hades wasn't really a cold-hearted god who just does his job while actually laughing. So yeah… this is just a piece of my imagination. Read and… review if you don't mind? c:
Oh, one more thing. the story is set on this century. And maybe this year. Well, whatever. Just imagine they are in our time, yea?
Enjoy~! :D
His face was young and handsome as ever. His skin was still smooth and fair, despite the centuries—millennia—of his life had passed, only paler. His eyes were still those clear frozen gold orbs as they were once, only a bit gentler and more tired than when it was filled with burning spirit despite the frozen appearance. Long eyelashes still shadowed his eyes, and they fluttered when he blinked his eyes or when the breeze softly blew. He was still that beautiful young man Hades blessed with immortality given by Zeus when he was twenty one, when he was still so young, so full of spirit, so passionate, and still so ignorance towards his every decision.
Only now, he wasn't running around to enjoy his eternal youth, he wasn't fooling around trying to find his so-called 'the one'. He wasn't that foolishly innocent young man anymore. He was only an eternally young man waiting death he could never get, laying almost lifelessly on his white, clean bed. Oh, he felt like dying. But, no. It was too good for him.
He heard someone walked into his room. He found a rather young man, dressed in a long black coat, black long-sleeved shirt, dark red tie, black trousers, and well-polished black shoes coming over to him. He knew that man. Really, he did. But he could use a bit fun by annoying the man.
"Ah, has it come to the day where I am just too weak to move that the doctor sent you here? I'm still capable of moving, see?" he said with a soft smile, raising his hands in the air just so the young man with dark hair, darker that his, could see that he wasn't really needed. If he really was sent by the doctor. Apparently not, that he knew also.
"I'm not here for that," the man replied calmly.
"Then?" he asked with an obviously shown made-up innocent. "You came to bring me some life-supporting equipment? Or to bring me to the hospital? Or—?
"Stop pretending no to notice me," the man spat at him, then quickly sighed to regain his self composure which seemed to be in the very thinnest condition whenever he met with the man on the bed. "Why do I always lose my composure whenever I lay my eyes on you, Clarion?"
Ah, Clarion. No one had ever called him by that name over these millennia. He sat up and smiled, then casually greeted the man; "Good day to you too, Thanatos."
The man took off his coat and walked to the other who was on the bed. "How are you doing?"
"I'm getting weak because I haven't eaten anything since a few decades ago; otherwise, I'm fine," he answered.
"You haven't eaten anything? That's crazy, even for an immortal. You still need food if you don't want to become a corpse with a beating heart," the man, Thanatos, said in a flat tone, despite the sentence sounded so concerning.
"Well, considering I already am a living corpse, I don't think that will be too different." Thanatos scowled at that. He laughed. And after his laugh fade, he leaned on his head board, tender smile still on his lips, and asked, "What are you doing here, exactly?"
Thanatos sighed. "Lord Hades wants me to bring you to him."
"Is he getting lonely down there?"
"No. It's… he is going to take your immortality," Thanatos spoke, a bit worried that Clarion would throw a tantrum like a child whose toy was taken.
His heart skipped a beat. He then said, "My… what good have I done that I am bestowed upon such a blessing from Hades?" He only got a shrug. "Hey, do me a favor then, would you?"
The Death nodded, even though he was filled with confusion with how calm Clarion was with this.
"Come here and sit. I want to tell you a story…"
He was once a silly young man. He befriended the Death God, Hades.
And as a silly young man who befriended a god, he eventually longed for immortality. Hades granted it. After one session of bothering negotiation with his younger brother, Zeus.
Clarion was happy to have the immortality. He went around, wooing anyone who caught his eyes, trying to find his 'the one', fixing on finding himself happiness in his never ending life.
He, however, failed to notice the hurt on Hades face.
He was being the bastard who only thought of himself. Never once he came to see Hades, as if he had forgotten the God of Death's existence, if not he was only using the god to his own advantage.
The first woman he finally settled with named Artia. She was a very beautiful woman, gifted also with the blessing of able to see the future around her. Eventually, she saw her own death. She told Clarion and the man only shushed it away.
It was one night he couldn't find this beauty and he searched for her everywhere. He found her at last, by the foot of Apollo's statue in a temple. He sighed in relief as he finally found her. The woman muttered something, and he couldn't hear it. So he asked her to repeat. "The next time you find me, I may have been dead."
"You wish to stay away from me, Artia?"
Artia smiled and shook her head. And he knew she was telling the truth; that she right about what she said.
It was the next night, he couldn't find her anywhere for the second time.
And when he did find her, she was already lying lifeless on the cold tiles of the same temple where he found her yesterday.
It was the first time since he got immortality that he visited Hades.
The god assured him with a very soothing voice, "She will be reborn someday. You have eternity in your advantage. Use it."
His face beamed like a child's face and he quickly went away. Again, he failed to notice the same hurtful expression looming over the god. It was probably why he never really got to see Artia. Hades was taking revenge on him. It was until one day, sometime in 1601. He spotted her. Finally, for the first time after centuries—or even maybe millennia, he didn't quite keep up with the time—of literally sweeping the earth to find her, he saw that beauty again.
Overjoyed, was he. And when the reincarnation of Artia, her name was Mariah that time, said that she liked him too, the world was being a better place for him.
Until, he one day found out that Mariah, the very same Mariah who had gone missing for years and also the very same Mariah who was the reincarnation of his very beloved Artia, was in the list of the virgin maiden killed by Elizabeth Báthory in her accursed ritual. No, even beheading that cruel woman was too nice. Why she only got to be sentenced? Why didn't they torture her to death like she did with those poor maidens? Like she did to his beloved? Why didn't they torture her to death and then bathe in her blood?
He stopped living that very day.
Ever since then, he thought he deserved this. He deserved to be hated by Hades. He deserved to lose the love of his life for the second time. He deserved to be damned in his immortality.
He also stopped eating from that day on, hoping that the hunger would make him remember how he hungered for forgiveness, the thirst would remind him how he thirsted for love, how the longing would remind him that he too longed for death he would never get. Which was also the best part of the punishment. He would live, but he wouldn't be able to enjoy his life, living as a corpse as he would eventually unable to move due to lack of essentials needed even by immortals to keep on getting their body to move. And somehow, he still felt it wasn't enough for his atonement. But even so, he cursed himself for this, he still wanted to be out of it. To just die already and end his suffering with it.
And since when did he long for Hades again? He thought making the god hate him would be enough. He wanted Hades' forgiveness, he wanted Hades to come to him like he used to, and he wanted Hades' for himself. The last one was the most damned. As it was exactly the very reason he wanted this immortality. So Hades would hate him for using the god. So Hades would go away and leave him with the feeling he should never dare to have. So, eventually he would hate Hades for hating him.
How he wanted to just undo it all.
He was certainly asking too much, wasn't he?
"Does this mean you regret your immortality?"
"No. never would I regret it," he replied. And also, after all I've done, I'm not allowed to regret, he mused.
The Death nodded. "Why are you telling me, then?"
Clarion laughed his sweet voice out. "Because it felt really good to finally release my burden; to finally let it all out. I feel so much better now."
"So, maybe you are ready to go?" asked another voice he knew too well. He turned his head and found Hades standing beside his bed, eyes and hair still dark as ever, skin still as pale as he remembered. And his face still as gentle as it used to be. The God of Death held out a hand towards him.
"My… I don't think I've done enough good to deserve to be escorted by Lord Hades himself," he chortled softly. "Does this mean I don't have to give out two drachmas to the ferryman?" he said again, taking Hades hand.
Hades' smile was relaxing, comforting. "It saves you all the trouble, doesn't it?" he said while slowly guiding Clarion to the portal leading to the Underworld after softly kissing the back of the immortal's hand.
Thanatos smiled knowingly. He walked out the door unnoticed and closed it. All would end, he mused. Clarion's suffering and immortality, that were. And with a last glance to the white, comfy building where Clarion lived, he walked away.
While inside the house, on the bed, laid a lifeless body still in its exquisite glory. Far skin dusted with rosy pink on the right places, dark brunette hair framing his face with soft curls, nearly closed frozen gold orbed eyes, above them was long eyelashes, below was a perfectly shaped nose, and below the nose, was a pair of kissable pink lips forming a smile, putting more perfection to the body of the former immortal who longed death for so long; Clarion, the beloved of Hades.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the mortal world. He was in the Underworld with Hades by his side. The god's voice was soft when he asked; "Clarion, are you sure you want to let it go?"
"Well, I'm already here, aren't I? Besides, isn't it the rule that once a soul gets out from its body and stepped on the Underworld, then it is not allowed to get inside its body again, even for an immortal?"
"I… suppose so," there was a hint of hesitation in Hades' voice. His eyes were rolling back and forth, as if thinking about something.
"Oh, no. You're not breaking any rule."
"How did you…?"
"I know that look. It's like when you brought back my dead parakeet, and brought back my dead horse, and when you brought back that deer I didn't intend to kill but did anyway… oh, I can do this all day, Hades."
"I just don't wish you to regret. What if you actually still want it, the immortality?"
He sighed. "Good grief, Hades. You're just too kind for your own good."
In a swift, he pressed his somehow still warm lips on Hades' cold ones. His eyes fluttered closed, body pressed closer, enjoying this very last touch. Oh, how he wanted to stay like that for all eternity. He would like that so very much, yes.
He pulled away. Hades took his hand and kissed the palm tenderly.
Clarion smiled a heart-wrenching smile. After Hades let go of his hand, he turned around and walked towards the gate which would lead him to the realm of the deaths. He was only a step away when he took a final glance to Hades and spoke his heart out; "Hades, are you quite aware you are the only one who is capable of making me regret letting go my immortality?"
With a final smile, he stepped forward, letting the darkness engulfing him to the depth of the realm.
And Hades only stood there. A warm tingling still lingered on his lips. He murmured so softly; barely audible for anyone. "And I hope you are quite aware that you are the only one who ever made me regret taking away immortality, my dear Clarion."
END
So, yeah. That's all. Is there anything wrong, or maybe you don't like a particular part of the story? Tell me. I will be very grateful for any review because review makes anyone to be a better writer. Btw, not accepting flames. Harsh critics are still useful (even though it's kinda scary, but very useful), but flames? Please, don't waste your time, and especially my time, by sending useless flame.
Thankies~! :D