A/N: I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to review. :3 And Kata Chthonia, though I have not read "Hunter of the Dead and the Kiss of Persephone", I will definitely be looking for it now. Thank you for the recommendation. :) Also, I'd like to clear something up. I know I'm not very good at answering direct questions when you guys ask me in comments, (mostly because I only recently learned that you can do that) but a guest reviewer asked me whether or not "Amon" is gay. I am going to right out say it that he is not gay; nor is he straight or bisexual. He is simply a sadist – and in this sense, he is aroused sexually not by a particular gender, but by making people suffer. Again, I would like to reiterate – Amon is not gay, or straight, or bisexual. He is a sadist, and much of his character has been based on Ramsay Bolton from G.R.R.M.'s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Amon also isn't his real name, but if anyone has seen Schindler's List, you'll see the connection. I hope that clears things up.

Chapter 35: Loss of Innocence

HADES

Warm sand is underneath my feet. It is running through my fingertips; thousands of individual grains falling and joining the rest, with a green forest at my back and brown desert stretching before me. Endless numbers of stars on a black sky look down on me. A thunderstorm is far off in the distance, bringing with it rain and thunder and lightning.

Where am I?

Sand pours through my fingers.

"Aidoneus."

My father sits across from me. I do not look up. "Yes?"

"You are dying."

Warm, soft sand. How nice it would be to just lie down... "I know." Soft arms wrap around my neck, and kisses trail down my jaw. I sigh.

"She isn't real, Aidoneus." As he says the words, I feel her disappear.

I lean back, watching the thunderstorm off in the distance grow closer, mile by mile. I peer at my father; black haired and bearded, with a strong jaw and furrowed brows. We are almost spitting images of each other.

"When the storm hits," he says, "you will need to fight yourself, and you will need to win. To fail will mean your death."

I run my fingers through the sand, breathing in deeply. He is beginning to fade. "What is happening to you?"

He smiles at me, and though it is not kind, it is not entirely malicious, either. "You are not cursed by me, and Tartarus is pulling me back."

He picks up a pile of sand, lets it pour down from his semi-closed fist. "…You helped me…even though you knew it would be of no benefit to you. Why?"

He looks up, and though I have lived for thousands of years, he has lived for aeons. For the first time, I can see the age on his face. "Because you are my son."

"That hasn't stopped you before-" Thunder rumbles in the distance.

"Aidoneus," he says, cutting me off. His hands are fading. "I am old, and I am very proud and revengeful in my age. I know…have done you many offences-"

I crawl over to him and slam him to the ground with my hands around his throat. "What, are you now apologizing? As if it will change anything!" My hands around his throat grow tighter, but he effortlessly manages to pull them off. He grabs my wrists with his fading hands, and I am held there. "Listen! I haven't much time so you must listen to me! I had been sick for many, many years, Aidoneus. Aeons. Decaying from the inside out, and filled with fear. My actions towards you and your brothers and sisters – I was mad, son. When your mother finally wanted children, I had already been long since gone –"

"The curse!" I scream down at him. "You cursed me to live in eternal agony, and now I can't even walk!"

His hands are gone now, and his arms are beginning to fade. I strike his face with a punch, but it doesn't seem to do anything to him. "Hades! Please…listen! The only way you will leave this place alive is in…conquering yourself. Your fear….your…madness….your rage."

My jaw is clenched. "How do you know this?"

"Because…I have done it," he says, fading completely. I am completely alone, and the storm is getting closer.

CORA

When we reach Olympus, I fall on my knees and try to throw up but nothing comes out. Oh God…we forgot about Rachel.

Odin helps me up. "Rachel," I say. God, I sound so weak. I'm tired of being weak!

"Your friend is safe. They are not interested in her," he whispers into my ear. His hands are on my shoulder and waist. He smells like cigar smoke. Dad…

I look around, and I'm starting to see double-vision of everything. The days of old Olympus, and the days of new Olympus. Doric, marble-looking columns reaching up into clouds; fountains and music playing. Smells of meats and wines and cheeses and things I can't even describe, but make my mouth water. Laughter and dancing and the warm, comforting feeling of sunlight on your skin. But these are…memories, because Olympus now is somber. Lifeless, almost. This isn't the place for that, and it doesn't seem natural. As we are rushed forward by the cats towards the huge palace ahead of us, I see nymphs and minor gods whispering and pointing at us.

"It's him," they say. "The Unseen One." The cats hiss at them, and would-be voyeurs shrink back into their dark corners. The stars are shining above us, but it feels like they're wasting their time. Who pays attention to the stars in times like these?

The palace doors are open when we get there, and we run in. Down the long stretch of hallway, there are two white, marble thrones. And I guess it's Zeus and Hera who sit there. How is any of this happening? How is any of this real? There's a ton of gods here, actually; all dressed in suits and dresses. When I look at most of them, my vision doubles, and they look like they're wearing chitons and robes. A few of them I guess I don't "recognize", because when I look at them I don't get a migraine. I spot one with orange-red curls rush over to us. God, it's Poseidon.

"What's happened?!" he asks, looking at Hank –Hades – at his brother, desperate and scared. We've stopped about halfway, and I watch Zeus stand up.

Poseidon looks back at Zeus, and I start to hear the loud roaring of the ocean in my ears. "What have you done, brother?"

Zeus narrows his eyes. "What was necessary to keep us safe. Apollo, you know what to do."

Apollo nods, running left into a corridor while carrying Hank. Hades…

"Calm down," Odin whispers into my ear. "You will see him soon."

I feel the girl named Hel touch my shoulder. "Pluto is in good hands. He will play chess with us later, don't worry." I know my mother is looking at me, but I can't look back at her. I don't know if she's mad at me, or disgusted. Probably both.

I don't care.

Thor crosses his arms. "What's going on, then?" he asks.

Poseidon clenches his fists, glaring at Zeus. "You were just going to let him die," he says. "Let him be killed."

"Be quiet!" Zeus booms, causing the room to shake. The gods shrink away from him, all except for Hera. I guess she's used to this sort of thing. "We are at war, Poseidon! I cannot risk so many lives just for one-"

"He is our brother!" Poseidon yells.

"And Ares is my son, who has been taken from me!" Zeus snaps back. The whole room has gotten really, really quiet; and the only things that I hear are the sounds of the squalling ocean, and thunder lowly rumbling in my ears. Then another voice turns up – one I don't recognize; a woman's voice, light and soothing. She walks out from the parted crowd in-between Zeus and Poseidon. She is graceful and lean, and her face reminds me of a feline's – angular, powerful and wise.

"We are here to discuss war plans," she says, controlled and measured. "Not to get into another war."

Zeus sits back down, heaving a heavy exhalation. "You're right, Bast."

Poseidon growls, turning. "We're all damned if we follow a coward," he whispers under his breath. Then he looks at me. "Be strong for him," he says. And he walks out of the palace, his shoes clicking all the way.

There's gasps all around us, and I look up. There are two…men, I think, floating high up in the air. What. The. Hell.

"The angels are here," Odin says. Angels. So there's gods, talking cats and angels. I've lost my mind.

"Raguel, Dumah," Zeus says. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"We are here to simply observe, Zeus. Please, carry on with your business." Oh God, one of them just talked. And he's smiling down at me. "We will only observe."

As I keep looking up at him, the world around me turns black and the last thing I remember are Odin's hands keeping me from falling and the angel's softly spoken words swimming through my mind: we will only observe.

JIM

I'm allowed to go to her funeral. I wear Hades' stupid Yankees cap to stay invisible, because the cops are looking for me. And of course, it's raining. The cold droplets on my cheek remind me that this is really happening. She really is dead.

Viola's family is Catholic, and I hear the priest say the final words over her grave: "We therefore commit Viola's body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life."

She's gone. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

And Hades is still alive.

And he's taken my mom.

My fists clench really tight. I hate him; I hate him so fucking much. I trusted him – he made me feel like I was his –

No.

He needs to die.

I need to kill him.

Viola's parents are the last people to leave. Her dad is holding her mom, and her baby sister isn't there with them. They probably hired a babysitter. Viola's dad says something in Spanish, but I don't understand most of it. Still, the words sound really pretty. He sings, slowly and painfully:

"Yo creo que a todos los… hombres
les debe pasar lo mismo que cuando
van a ser padres quisieran tener un niño...

Luego les nace una niña
sufren una desepcion y despues la quieren tanto
que hasta cambian de opinion...

Es mi niña…bonita
con tu carita…de rosas
es mi niña bonita
cada día más…preciosa
es mi niña bonita
hecha de nardo y clavel
es mi niña... bonita
es mi niña bonita
cuanto la lleguo a querer…."

And he starts crying, and his wife does too, and they stay there like that for almost an hour; just crying and crying as the rain pours on them, until they both decide that they've had enough pain for one day. I walk over to her grave, and make purple and white roses grow by her gravestone. "I'm sorry, Vy," I choke out. "I'm so sorry." I drop my old copy of The Call of the Wild and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea into her grave. "I love you, Vy. Always will." The grave-diggers come, and one of them looks really confusedly at the flowers.

"I swear," one of the guys says, shoveling the dirt back into the grave, "I feel like I'm gonna run into some sort of Hamlet wannabe doing that Yorick line."

"Just shut up and do your job, Steve. It's raining and I'm fucking freezing."

I walk away before those two idiots piss me off more and I end up killing the both of them.

When I get back to Compound One, I don't even bother talking to Alex. Hell, I don't even bother to go to the kitchen and eat, because I know Lucas and Tugg will be there. Instead, I go to my room, and I cry, because I'm weak. I've failed everyone I love.

Dad.

Viola.

Mom.

Because even though I told them where to find Hades, they were too fucking late getting there. He took my mom, and now she's gone. When there's a knock at the door, I wipe my face and clear my throat.

"Who is it?" I ask, doing my best not to sound like I've been wailing like a little bitch for the past 15 minutes.

"Venus," the voice behind the door says. My heart starts to beat fast. I get up and nervously walk over to my door.

"Yes ma'am?" I say, opening it.

"May I come in, James?"

"Uh." I look back into my room. At least it's clean. "Sure."

She's wearing a different dress today. It's blue and simple. I really like it.

She sits down at my desk, and I sit at the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling?" she asks me. Terrible. Angry. Lost.

Alone.

"Fine," I say, rubbing my eyes. She smiles lightly at me. "Are you sure?"

I nod. "Yes ma'am," I say, but I almost choke because she really looks a lot like Viola right now.

"You don't need to lie to me, James," she says, standing up. Then she unzips her dress, and it falls to the floor. Holy shit. She's naked. In front of me. I'm pretty sure my mouth is hanging open. "I came here to comfort you." Oh my God she's so beautiful and she looks just like Viola and she smells just like Viola and she's naked and standing in front of me and my pants have never felt tighter. I cover my crotch area, because it's fucking embarrassing.

"Don't hide, little hero," she coos, lifting my chin up with her fingertips. Oh God, she smells exactly like Viola.

"Everything hurts," I say, getting past the huge lump in my throat. She touches my cheek, wiping a tear that's managed to well up. "I know, my little hero. Let me comfort you." And then, she kisses me, and scoots me back on the bed. In a few minutes, my clothes are gone, and I just let her take me. I try to lose myself; try to forget for a while my mistakes and the people I've let down. And when she's done, leaving me panting and spent, everything still hurts…but it hurts a little less.

When I wake up in the morning, she's not there, but her smell – Viola's smell – is, and I breathe in the scent of the sheets.

God, I am so fucking lost.

How did I lose my way so fast?

CORA

When I wake up, my mother is there, dressed in what I can only describe as scrubs. She's holding my hand, smiling softly down at me. "Hello, daughter." And I don't know why, but those words really upset me when she says them.

"Don't call me that."

She looks like I've just slapped her on the face. It's less than she deserves. "Why? You are my daughter. No longer my Kore, but you are my daughter. And I am your mother."

I rip my hand from hers. "You ignored me for 32 years! You broke my dad's heart. How can you even dare to call yourself that?"

She stands up, throwing her hands in the air. I can barely see her in this low light, but I can tell that she's angry.

"Safe from what? From who?" I sneer.

She crosses her arms and walks away from my bed. "You know who."

I cross my arms too. "You watched my dad die, stayed completely out of my life, just so Hank-"

"You know his name, girl." Yeah, but…it still weirds me out to say it.

"Just so that Hades wouldn't find me. Well, look at how great that worked out. But I'm sure it was worth it; letting your daughter fend for herself after her father and grandmother died. Good on you, Mom."

She snarls at me, turning around. "Do you even remember what he did to you? He killed you!" I may not remember much, but I know that's not true.

I shake my head. "Why do you hate him so much?" God, I'm cold. I pull the sheets up to cover my shoulders.

"What kind of question is that?! He stole you away from me!"

I shake my head again. "No, it's more than that. I remember…you…never liked him. Why? He's… your brother." That means we're related, and I feel kind of queasy knowing that. I push that thought to the back of my mind.

She sighs and sits in one of the large plush chairs in corner of the room, facing the window that opens to the night sky. "I hate him because he reminds me of our father."

"Cronus." My spine shivers when I say the name.

"Yes," she says, closing her eyes. "My first memory is my father's angry face, and then being swallowed by him. And when I grew older in the pit of his stomach, and I saw Hades' face and voice grow to resemble his, I hated him. He was…so cold and unfeeling." I remember when Jim and I rented Hercules and put it on, and how much Hank laughed during that movie, especially when Cartoon Hades would show up. How he and Jim would joke around; how he would hold me after a long day of work, just letting me know that he was there. And when I reach back, I remember how much he cared… about his kingdom. That he was a good king. No, he wasn't – isn't– unfeeling.

"He isn't cold," I say. She ignores me, keeps on going, "When he went to war with Zeus over that human girl, I knew on that very day that I hated him, and his soulless, cold, blue eyes. And then when I saw you two kissing on that day of the solstice so long ago, I knew he wanted you; wanted to rip you from the world of light and take you to become his morose queen. And he did, and you died." She looks at me, and her mouth is in a thin line. "That is why I hate him. I was in so much pain, child; I missed you so dearly, and for so long, and when I saw your father, handsome and proud – and buying flowers for his own mother, I knew I could no longer wait to bring you back into my life. I couldn't stay with you because I knew Hades' spies were everywhere, searching for you. To stay with you would have been giving you away. He had become a complete recluse since the winter solstice of 1919. Everyone thought he had given up, but I knew better. So I stayed away from you, hoping that your father would provide a happy life for you, and I would watch from afar. Hades would never find you, and I would get to watch you grow up again. That's how I justified it then. I am only sorry that it didn't work. Now he has impregnated you with his foul seed, and there is nothing I can do. The child will be born, and he will have progeny. From you. You already have one bastard. It is disgusting, daughter – "

"Shut up," I say, and I think I see her jaw drop in shock. "For the love of God, just shut up. Don't you ever call my son a bastard – ever, do you understand me?" God Jim, please be safe. Please. I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen-

No, don't think like that, Cora.

I put my hands on my face and breathe out, trying to calm myself down. "I want to see him," I say, standing up.

"Go," she says. "After all, who am I to stop you? I only gave birth to you. Twice."

Yeesh, this woman can lay on a guilt-trip. I shake my head, starting to walk out, but then I realize –

"I don't know the way."

A small, condescending smile appears on her lips. "Follow me."

HADES

I sit on the sand, watching the storm as it gets closer. I can see funnel clouds reaching down and spiraling in-between lightning strikes and thunder rumbles. A voice behind me brings me out of my reverie, and I jump up onto my feet, despite my protesting leg.

It is Amon.

No.

NO.

"Look around you, Hades. You've been deserted, everyone has left you. You know it's always been that way." He opens his palm, and sand pours down. "You're alone."

"You're just an illusion," I whisper. "A dream."

He smiles, and his violet eyes have never looked more sinister. "Sometimes dreams become reality. Like when you dreamed of being tortured, and then I tortured you in reality. Nice times."

He steps closer, dusting off his hand on his pants. "You're afraid and alone. And you will die here–"

I get down on my knees, put my hands to my ears. "Shut up–"

"Because you are a weak–"

"Shut up!"

"Sniveling, pathetic god."

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"You better not give up, Hades." I look to my left, and I feel relief fill my chest. "Jim!" I get up on my feet to walk over to him, but with each step I take, he gets further and further away from me.

"Don't you fucking dare give up," he says. I reach my hand out, and I suddenly feel very thirsty and hot. I fall onto my hands and knees, and I feel a hand grab the back of my head and push me down into the sand. "Jim," I choke out.

I feel Amon's cold fingers on my neck, and I shiver. "I am your fear; I am your pain. I am the chain around your neck as you scream. You are worthless. Your own family left you to me; to die at my hands. You will not survive this. You are weak."

"Don't you fucking give up Hades. She needs you. I…need you. We both do."

I reach my hand out. "Jim, help me…"

"Don't give up," he says, fading from my vision.

"You're not strong enough to survive this," Amon whispers into my ear. "You never were." My body feels hot, and I cannot breathe.

I need help. "Somebody help me!" I scream into the sand, and Amon continues to whisper into my ear. "You will die here," he says. "You were meant to die here."

CORA

"Get out of my way, Apollo."

"You don't want to see him like this."

"You don't know what I want. Now, step aside."

"Very well," he sighs. He has sweat on his brow, and his eyes look tired. He must be completely exhausted. "Come."

I walk with him into the makeshift infirmary that used to be one of the grand dining halls of the palace. There are a few other gods here; some I don't recognize. And then I remember – they haven't told me anything about the war. But then I spot him, twisting and turning on a litter, and I figure those questions can wait for the moment. Right now, I need to be here for Hank.

Hades...

I look down at him, and it seems like he's been given a bath. Other than that, though, he still looks terrible; pale and shivering, with dark bruises on his face and sides. He has IVs connected to water and other bags of liquid, and there's a heart monitor beating regularly at his right. Apollo has placed ice on his sides, and when I touch his forehead, he's clammy and hot. Honestly, besides the fact that I'm in fricking Olympus, I feel like I'm in an actual hospital.

I think he says something, but I'm not sure. I feel Apollo come to stand beside me. "I'm doing all I can. The ambrosia seems to have calmed down his fever, but it's going to be a rough night."

"Everyone else here – do they have the same thing? Were they poisoned?"

Apollo nods. "To varying degrees, yes. He was lucky enough not to be given that much, but…"

I clench my jaw, and suck in a quick breath. "But?"

"I'm going to be as delicate as I can-"

I shake my head, looking down at him, and his shallow breathing. "Just tell me, Apollo."

"Very well, my lady…He's comatose. I don't know why; none of the other gods who have been poisoned have gone into comas."

Somebody whispers into Apollo's ear, and he nods. "My lady, I have another patient I need to attend to. Stay, if you wish. Talk to him; he may be able to hear you." And then he rushes off to some other god that needs his help.

I sit down next to Hank…next to Hades, and I move his hair from the front of his eyes. He makes a sound, and I take his hand in mine. "It's okay," I say, trying not to cry. "I'm here. I'm right here."

HADES

"You're not alone," a voice says, and I feel Amon's weight lift off of me.

"Cora?" Persephone?

I manage to stand up, and I turn to the sound of her voice; the feel of her gentle touch on my cheek, but where I look I find nothing. "I am here with you, Hades. You are strong enough to face your demons. I will be with you the whole way."

"I am afraid," I whisper.

The voice giggles, lightly and softly, and for the first time in days, I smile. "The only time you can be brave is when you are afraid," she says. Thunder rumbles around me, and I look up. The storm is upon me.

I am ready.

A/N: So guys I hoped you liked this longer chapter. :) I really appreciate all your reviews, and I thank you all for sticking through with this story. :) Cheers!