A God's Grief
Chapter XI
The man that appeared became more identifiable and with an enraged step came into view; Thanatos then felt a great force shove him hard, he slid twenty feet back.
"Who dares interrupt me" Thanatos questions the god standing before him, his voice still as cold and unnerving as before.
The deity in question stoops down over Nico and mutters something in ancient Greek and the half-blood's wounds sealed up immediately.
The deity then straightens up and turns to the god of death and fixes him with a glare with cold, dark anger.
"I dare interrupt you" said the deity.
Thanatos then visibly flinches as realizes who this new god is
"My sincerest apologies…Lord Hades" Death stated bowing to the Lord of the Underworld.
"I would prefer you not to take my son's soul right now Thanatos" Hades said it didn't sound like an order but Thanatos suspected that it was
"With all due respect Lord Hades, even the Lord of the Dead cannot stop Death" Thanatos said his icy tones making Apollo visibly shiver both Hades and Thanatos had forgotten that the weakened sun god was there.
Hades quickly remembers that Apollo was mortal and Thanatos' will could easily drain the life out any mortal.
"I would also appreciate it if you didn't drain my nephew…lessen your power NOW!" the Lord of Wealth commanded in a dangerous tone.
"And if I don't what will you do Hades?" Thanatos threatened glaring at his boss slightly.
"It is not what I will do you should be worried about…it what Artemis will do once she gets her hands on you"
Death clearly blanched at that statement he had never suffered the wrath of the moon goddess but he had heard stories from Hermes when he would visit the underworld.
"My lord I need to"
"Your services are no longer required here Thanatos…be gone from here NOW!" Hades commanded with vicious finality and Thanatos didn't argue this time, attempting this time would be dangerous for him and so he melts into the shadows and is gone.
Hades turns back to Nico, the gears in his head turning he then turned to Apollo and asked
"Nephew, how is it that you've earned Nico's undivided trust"
to say Apollo was taken aback would be a gross understatement if the blonde teen didn't know any better it sounded like Uncle Hades was asking for parenting advice.
"Um…Uncle, I don't mean to be rude but it sounds to me like you're asking me for parenting advice" Apollo asked hesitantly not wanting to offend his uncle.
Hades pulled another unexpected move he swallowed his pride
"Yes Apollo, I am asking for parenting advice"
Apollo thought about it "How I gained Nico's confidence was more of an accident if anything; the sun god recounted how Nico offered to be his confidant and the weeks they spent getting to know each other now the Son of Hades was one of his closest friends.
"How can one gain the respect of someone who's trust is so difficult to attain" Hades inquired of the blonde teen
"Start by being there for one, tell him that you're there for them; that they can tell you anything" Apollo explained as he picked up his crutches and steadied himself on them.
(Hope you didn't forget he was on crutches)
"Another method would be to support them and tell them when you think something is a bad idea but praise them for their good work as well that goes a long way" the teen added brushing plaster and debris out of his hair.
Hades nodded
"Everything else is better experienced rather than taught" with that statement he turned to his uncle who inclined his head.
"Why are you still on those" Hades asked curiously
"Oh the crutches? Well mortals heal more slowly than gods so yeah the nurse said I have about six more weeks before I can walk without them" Apollo answers honestly clomping his feet of his crutches on the floor in a frustrated manner he didn't like the crutches they were uncomfortable and hurt his back and shoulders.
They heard a groan they turn their heads to see Nico coming around.
Nico's eyes slowly open and he notices Apollo kneeling next to him and to the demigod's surprise his own father standing to the other side.
"Father" Nico whispered
"Rest Nico, rest you've been severely hurt"
Apollo trickled some Nectar down the Nico's throat.
Hades then made a startling move he bent down and scooped the dark haired half-blood into his arms
"Apollo, I will see too my son's recovery, you are of course welcome to visit…oh and by the way it seems that some of your godhood back, keep up whatever it is you were doing and you'll be back to your former radiance in not time" and with that Hades and Nico vanished in a burst of shadows while doing so Hades uses his godly powers to clean up the some of the mess; not all however.
"Okay that's done" Will says walking up and then looks around "Where's Nico?"
Apollo smiles
"Hades took him to his palace in the Underworld and said he'd see to Nico's recovery.
This astounded Will because gods never did selfless things like that especially the Olympians; Will was also aware of a law that prevented gods and goddesses from interacting with their kids.
"Apollo"
He looks and his heart skips a beat as his love Tifa walks up
"Are you alright?"
Apollo nodded and she continued to say
"The teacher's said terrorists planted a couple of bombs in the gymnasium…but that isn't true is it…Lord Apollo?"
Apollo and Will both froze how had this mortal girl discovered him
"How do you know?" the blonde teen knew couldn't go against his god of truth tenure
"I saw everything" she answered simply "Those hydras that attacked those two boys, I'm guessing their half-bloods, and being that Will looks eerily similar to you I can only surmise that he is a child of yours"
Apollo was utterly stunned; she was smart, really smart this makes Apollo even more sure that what he's feeling isn't just a crush.
The blonde teen notices grey streaks in Tifa's eyes.
"You're a half-blood yourself aren't you…a Daughter of Athena no less"
Tifa nodded "As perceptive as the legends say Lord Apollo"
He waved his hand "No need for the titles right know, I'm not a full god."
"I figured as much" Tifa as perceptive as her mother "Which goddess is responsible for this"
"Hera mainly" Tifa nodded in a way that obviously said she suspected as much.
"Huh, you'd think with Hera being Goddess of Family she'd be a bit more accommodating"
Apollo's jaw dropped "I'm liking you more and more" he said he truly impressed by her.
Tifa smiles and blushes for the first time since Apollo's met her and he couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she blushes.
The rest of the school day passes without much incident Apollo decided to stay at Will's place tonight; while walking towards the hotel he was staying at, it was super swanky he guessed it was one of his "temples" so Will was using it as a temporary home until Apollo regained his godhood; as they were walking a mist began enshrouding them; making them stop as visibility was limited.
When the fog lifts they are standing in the middle of an expansive meadow of roses, in varying colors.
Apollo and Will saw roses in typical red, pink and white but they were other hues too like blue, green and purple.
They're eyes were drawn to the voluptuous form of Aphrodite.
"Apollo" she said her sweet voice tingling the ears of all those near enough.
Apollo knew what the tingling vibe to Aphrodite's voice meant
"Why don't you stop trying to charmspeak us Aphrodite" the diminished sun deity states coolly.
The Goddess of Beauty smirked playfully
"Oh darn you found me out" she taunts trying incur Apollo's sense of humor.
"Why are you here 'Dite"
Lady Love sighs dramatically "I'm here to help you of course" Apollo looks at her quizzically.
"Haven't you ever wondered why you haven't found a wife?" the blue-eyed teen snorts in offense
"Of course I have, I'm not a complete idiot"
Aphrodite was observant however and apologizes quickly as Apollo could be just as nasty as Artemis when he was angry
"I apologize, I didn't mean to offend you little brother" she taunts coyly.
"Stop flirting, you know you're not my type" the blonde boy says turning his head a way defiantly.
"Now with all the playing out of the way, to business"
this made Apollo stare at the Love Goddess, she had voluntarily stopped her game with not so much as a threat.
"I want to help you regain your immortality, and stick it to Queen Hera at the same time so I figure kill two peacocks with one stone"
Apollo raises his eyebrow
"Peacocks" he comments before he snickers getting the joke.
"So how are you going to help me?" Apollo inquires of the Love Goddess
"I won't beat around the bush, Apollo you need to find love in order to restore your godly powers, and no I am not talking about lust; actual love." Aphrodite could see the confused look on Apollo's face.
"Didn't you notice when you admitted to yourself that you had more than a crush on that Daughter of Athena that a bit of your power returned to you?"
Apollo thought about it and realizes that the goddess was right, his telepathy returned upon him confessing his attraction and his lie detection got stronger when he realized he was in love with Tifa.
"You see, do you understand the answer to this problem now?"
Apollo inclines his head
"You're saying in order to cure this curse I have to find true love…and earn that same love in return"
he states looking at Aphrodite for confirmation said goddess smiles brightly.
"Don't worry I'll help you…it'll be fun helping you win your soul mate" Apollo blanches and nods
"Oh and by the by that little stunt Hades pulled didn't go unnoticed by Hera, she has called a council meeting to address it so be prepared"
the blonde pales he knows how that most likely play out, Apollo didn't say anything he just nods silently.
"I must go, Hera is expecting everyone to attend" Aphrodite tells them to avert their gazes as she reveals her true form and vanishes it seems she also transports them right onto Will's hotel floor so they just have to walk in.
Apollo is apprehensive to say the least what was about to go down wouldn't be good for the mortal world.
Meanwhile on Mount Olympus, the council had gathered at Hera's request and Aphrodite was lucky enough to arrive before the queen could lecture her about tardiness.
Every god and goddess was present including Hades well almost everyone; only Artemis was missing, Hera called this meeting while Artemis was doing her nightly jaunt across the sky.
Zeus and Poseidon were sitting on their thrones looking extremely pissed off while Demeter was now glaring at a specific deity and surprisingly it wasn't Hades; it was Hera.
Athena was sitting there subtly glancing out the window at the rising moon; Ares was polishing his spear while Hephaestus was tinkering with something as usual.
Dionysus was actually sleeping and Hermes was glancing in the direction of Apollo's empty seat with golden tears in the corners of his eyes.
Aphrodite felt sorry for her half brother; Hermes was really torn up about this whole thing.
Hera then clears her throat and begins speaking "I know you are all wondering why I have called you all here…where is Artemis?" Hera states halting in the middle of her thought just as the words leave her mouth said moon goddess appears on her throne panting heavily.
"Sorry for my lateness but I had ask old Selene to take my place tonight" Artemis says breathlessly
"You were saying Lady Hera"
"Right, a violation of the Ancient Laws has been committed" the peacock goddess' voice rang with anger "by Hades no less"
Zeus and Poseidon looked at their brother quizzically and the Lord of the Dead just shrugs.
"What has Death Breath done?" Demeter inquires of the queen
"He directly interfered with Nico Di Angelo's battle with Thanatos and violated the No Human Interaction Law"
"How would you know that?" Poseidon questions with suspicion clear in his voice.
"I know because I have informants of my own" Hera states simply.
"I've seen Nico's condition...by all accounts he should be dead" asked Hermes who had been to the Underworld shortly after Hades arrived carrying his half dead son.
"What do you expect after being attacked by two hydras" Hera snarls irritably
Hermes halts but then something clicks
"No one said anything about the hydras…how do you know about them?" Hera pales noticing her slip up and now not only Hermes and Demeter but Hades, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Athena, Poseidon and even Zeus were staring at her with accusing glares.
"The only way she could know about the hydra attack is she ordered it herself" says Artemis bringing to light, the obvious truth.
Hera knew there was no way out this time "All right! I did it! I sent those hydras to the school I specifically ordered them to kill Hades' half-blood and the hic of a demigod!" [Just so you know the hick she's talking about is Will]
Hera then gasps she clearly meant to stop talking by then.
Artemis, Hades and Demeter were fixing her with their best death glares.
Hades spooks them all when he abruptly stands
"YOU DARE ATTACK MY SON!" he roars angrily the shadows darkening with his rising temper
"Yes, you're married!" Hera shoots back
"to Persephone no less!" the queen pointedly glares at Demeter with the statement.
"How low can you go Hera?" Hermes shouts from across the chamber
"You first trick Ares and Aphrodite into killing off all of Apollo's half-bloods, then manipulate Aphrodite further by convincing her to attack Apollo's palace not to mention attacking him with an Abyss Crystal, nearly destroying him!"
Hermes was heaving heavy enraged breaths.
"You then seek to destroy his only two remaining links to his peace of mind" Artemis snarls.
"You attempt to kill him along with Nico and Will" Hades growls his eyes a light with dark flames.
"I will rid this world of all illegitimate children starting…with…Apollo" there were gasps and snarls of anger from the Olympians that had demigod children.
Hades was shaking with violent rage
"If you attempt anything I'll"
the Lord of the Dead was cut off by Hecate who had burst into the throne room panting
"Lord Hades…Lord Hades" the magic goddess chokes out.
"Calm down Hecate, what is it?"
Hecate took a few calming breaths before continuing
"My Lord I warn; you will not like what I have to say"
Hades narrows his eyes
"Spit it out Hecate!"
the goddess flinches
"Lady Persephone was attacked by a legion of gorgons and dracnae"
Every Olympian froze
"WHAT!" Hades and Demeter shout at the same time
"Persephone managed to get away…but that is bad news…there is worse news"
Hades was getting furious "Stop with the hesitation, and come out with it" Hades growls.
"Your half-blood Nico Di Angelo…was…killed…by the gorgons" Hades stops dead all the remaining color drains from his face, the entire throne room was quiet even Zeus' eyes were big, no one would dare kill Hades' child that cruelly but it hit him, Hera would do anything to achieve revenge on the unfaithful husbands of the world.
Hecate then mutters an incantation and Nico's lifeless body materializes in front of them all.
Every god and goddess gasps at the shear brutality of the wounds.
Hades comes back to his senses and quickly rushes to Nico's side and lifts him slightly.
The boy was dead alright, his eyes looked on but were not seeing anything, and if his skin was cold before, it was like ice from Antarctica.
The council gasp as they see golden tears begin leaking from Hades' eyes he then holds Nico's corpse close to him.
He closes Nico's eyes and kisses the boy on the head.
Demeter was completely awestruck and was speechless while Artemis was absolutely livid
"You are the worst goddess in history! Not only have you violated your tenure has goddess of family, you interfered with another's sanction and now…and now you've committed murder on top of it all!" The moon goddess was not a person you wanted to anger.
Hades stood as he did he vowed to allow Nico to pass to Elysium so at least Nico would have a good afterlife, he owed his son that much.
The God of the Dead slowly turns around nothing but grief and fury on his face
"You've made the worst enemy you could think of Hera…none of us want a war" Hades began his power oozing out in volumes
"But a war is what you've got!" he finishes in a lethally calm voice.
Hera was ashen faced with that while the other Olympians knew what this meant; they would have to choose sides fight with Hades or fight with Hera what a choice huh?
[Chapter 11 is finite, a war of the gods, isn't this what Artemis was trying to prevent. So whose side will you choose: Hades or Hera]
[Sorry to all you Nico fans out there but in order to head towards the climax and eventual conclusion of the story something major had to happen and this is that pivotal event; how do you think Apollo will cope when he learns of Nico's death. Review if you want me to continue]
[I already have an Idea for the sequel send me a PM or say it in a Review if you want to see a preview]