Hazel shifted in her bed a few times before she felt herself wake up. She released a breath before her eyes fluttered open. Looking around for a moment, she discovered that she had a pounding headache. Not to mention her overall feeling of slowness. She took nearly a full thirty seconds before her memories were put in the correct order.
She rubbed her head. "All of this fainting can't be healthy…" Hazel said as she stretched her stiff limbs.
"As long as it doesn't lead to death-I'm sure it isn't an issue." Somebody said from on the side of the room. The woman turned out to be a very bored Hecate who was flipping through a magazine. "If it does, can I have your body? Hades cut me off." She said casually, failing to notice the cat that was attached to her leg and was currently drooling.
Hazel blinked at Hecate. Then she leaned over her bed to see if Hades was still on the ground. Lo and behold...he was. "...Maybe all of that was just a...weird dream..?" She said, holding her head and looking over Hecate's question.
Then she caught the eye of the heavily purring red cat clinging to Hecate's leg. "...Or maybe not?" Hazel blinked questionably.
Hecate lazily floated what looked like a business card over as she flipped a page. "Amaterasu told me to give you this. It's like a business card, only it summons whoever is on the card when you chuck it on the floor." She said, not phased at all at the confusion that was apparent on Hazel's face.
Hazel watched the magical card as it floated over and landed on her bed. She leaned forward, picking up the card. She curiously tilted her head at the card that summons someone by the name of...Frigg? The name sounded vaguely familiar. Hazel blinked before saying, "O-kay. What would I need this for?" She asked, looking at the details of the magical business card.
"Maybe for the evidence you need to slap Hades in the face? I dunno, she just dropped it off when she dropped you off. I noticed it when I walked in and figured I'd give it to you when you awoke." Hecate said with a shrug.
Hazel nodded. "Okay, not a dream." She told herself before looking over at Hecate. "Umm...thanks." She said before sighing.
"Yep. So did you find out what you needed? While you were sneaking, I was telling the others bout everything at the castle. Got dragon mom Mal in, my psycho kid, a few people who broke in, a mini Elsa who is that mini Hades' boo, oh and Skadi and her hubby are also in there-but Skadi is mostly using the time to practice on moving targets so she's been trying to take out Hermes. I know that Hestia and Vesta are cat mom's to a bunch of random cats...oh and Persephone has like a hundred dogs since Hades doesn't want to commit." Hecate paused in her rambling as she tilted her head. "Did I get them all or…"
Hazel blinked before asking. "Mini Elsa? Grandmother and her hubby? Hestia and Vesta are cat ladies?" She said, pausing before she was about to ask about a thousand more questions.
"Oh ya. The other Elsa has a super skittish kid who's basically a mini version of her. The kid hides with Hades' son all day and only comes out for food. Skadi picked her up along with her hubby before she wound up at the castle. As for Hestia and Vesta, they are rehabilitating cats and using them as a sort of cat therapy in their rooms." Hecate answered, tilting her head at the magazine in slight confusion.
Hazel raised an eyebrow. "I am assuming Grandmother and Grandfather had gotten back together, then?"
"Yup. Had a big wedding back in Asgard that I, unfortunately, missed due to being trapped in darkness. I didn't even get to get them a gift." Hecate said with a pout.
Hazel offered a small smile. "Look who you're talking to. You're not the only one who missed it." She said before laying back down, playing with the card. "I'm fine, though. I'm just glad Grandfather's okay."
"I'm just upset because the lack of communication is on me since I was the regular Hermes of cross-dimensional communication. The angry fairy princess knew that so she shoved me in. She really should have gone ahead and erased my memory but noooo, let's just shove me into a dark abyss with no one to talk to. Make me lose my mind more than normal." Hecate said with annoyance heavy in her voice.
Hazel shook her head at the goddess that still had the cat on her leg. "Well...it always could be worse." She said in amusement.
"I missed my bestie's second marriage! It is worse!" Hecate said with exasperation. "Stupid fairy princess and her stupid quest for world domination." She grumbled out while pouting much like a child.
Hazel looked at Hecate in amusement before turning over in her bed. "So...when is he waking up?" She asked, referring to Hades.
"Whenever you want me to kick him," Hecate said in a casual manner.
Hazel sat up at that and said, "I guess now would be nice. Let's get this lame conversation over with. Hopefully, it won't end with me passing out." She looked at Hecate. "You are not getting my body."
"Not even a bit?" Hecate asked with a pout as she tossed the magazine over her shoulder and stood up.
"No," Hazel said in a deadpan.
"...You are no fun," Hecate said with a huff before walking over and promptly kicking Hades in the side. "HEY! GET THE HELL UP, YOU ARE DRUNK!" She yelled before looking at Hazel. "It works every time." She said with a wave of her hand before kicking him again, prompting the god to let out an annoyed groan.
Hazel looked at him before looking at Hecate. "I'm not going to ask." She said before sitting Indian style.
"You sure? It's a fun story." Hecate said as she kicked the god again, causing Hades to growl as he woke up a bit.
Hazel looked at her with a half eyed gaze. "Hecate, your 'fun stories' are hours long." She said, using air quotes.
"Not all of them-HEY! No trying to light my leg on fire!" She yelled before kicking Hades again.
This time Hades growled and sat up with a flaming head. "Then stop kicking me!" He yelled back with a twitching eyebrow.
Hecate shrugged and looked back at Hazel. "As I was saying, not all of them are hours long...only eighty percent." She said with a carefree smile.
Hazel continued to look at her with the same gaze before turning her gaze to Hades. "I got proof." She stated plainly.
"Load of crap that is…" Hades muttered as he growled at Hecate who, funny enough, growled back right in response. The god grumbled some more and folded his arms. "Fine, show whatever 'proof' you have."
Hazel nodded with a bored expression. "Of course I will." She replied in a sarcastic tone. "After I went around the world, found the goddess of the universe along the way, and nearly got into a fight with a doctor, I guess Ama just helped me out by giving me someone who could tell you straight up." Hazel looked at the card.
Hazel looked back at Hecate. "What do I do? Do I just toss it?" She said, taking a closer look at the card.
"Just throw it on the ground like they do in all those card anime shows," Hecate said as she comically tossed a pillow at Hades, causing the god to punch it...only for it to land right back on him.
Hazel, not paying attention to the two, hummed at that. "Alright...here goes nothing." She said before flicking her wrist, allowing the card to land on the ground.
Hecate zapped the card, causing magic to form around it as she snickered. "Hey, uh, Hades, you might wanna scoot back." She said, almost as if she knew something was coming and would most likely hurt him.
Hades stubbornly folded his arms and shook his head as a redhead with silver eyes appeared behind him in full battle gear with a sword. "I am fine-" The god was cut off as the unknown woman promptly kicked him out of her way, prompting Hecate to fall into hysterics at the state of the older god.
Hazel winced at that. "Oooh...I felt that from here." She snickered, placing a hand on her chest.
The woman looked around. "Who summoned me and why?" She asked, her thick accent ringing clearly as she cautiously looked around as if she was expecting a beast to appear.
Hazel blinked before raising her hand in a timid manner. "Um, I did." She blinked before saying, "I summoned you since you were the goddess with Ama. You can help me prove the fourth child?" Hazel said, sounding more like a question.
"Oh." Frigg promptly sheathed her sword with light embarrassment. "I thought you might have been under attack by some horrid beast." She said plainly while averting her eyes that appeared to shift to red to match her cheeks.
Hazel blinked at that before smiling. "I'm fine. There's only one beast here and you took care of him." She said, referring to Hades with humor.
Frigg looked down at the clearly wounded Hades and nudged him with her armored boot. "Hades, rise up. A god does not stay down after such a weak blow." She said with halved eyes.
Hades grumbled and crawled to the nearest seat. "Queen Frigg...Can't say it's a pleasure to see you." He said with annoyance as he wiped at some golden blood on his head.
Hazel smacked her lips. "Well, you said you needed proof. I went out and got proof." She said smugly. "She has the same abilities as Hera so…" She trailed off purposely.
"And you thought...that bringing the damn Queen of Asgard was a good idea?" Hades said sarcastically as he winced while feeling where Frigg had kicked him.
Hazel frowned at that before folding her arms. "Uh...yeah? How else was I supposed to get proof of an unborn baby!?" She said, throwing her hands up. "It's not my fault you didn't listen to reason and got got!" She said in a huff.
Before Hades could argue, Frigg promptly punched him in the face which resulted in him groaning and glaring at her. "It was Amaterasu that summoned me, fool. You need to learn to speak before you blab." She said while Hades grumpily rubbed at his nose.
"Oooh...She told you." Hecate said, eating out of a bucket of popcorn as she watched intently.
Hazel blinked before saying, "Eh-hem." She cleared her throat before she spoke. "Well...here is your proof. She confirmed that there is a fourth baby this morning. Three girls and a boy!" She did a small round of applause.
"Oh, really why don't you have physical-OW DAMN IT!" Hades began before yelling as Frigg slapped him over the head. "What the hell is up with you Norse?!"
"You talk too much," Frigg said simply with a shrug.
"Do I really need it?" Hazel asked in a calm manner. "I mean, I have a goddess of motherhood here." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah, and the one named Hera lies about a lot of things." Hades deadpanned purposefully stopping as he noticed Frigg's hand twitching. "Besides, I believe in physical proof, not word of mouth."
Hazel looked from him to Frigg then back to him. She chuckled. "So far, the only physical thing you're gonna get is a beat down." She casually smirked at him.
"Hah ha ha…" Hades laughed sarcastically being rolling his eyes. "So, Queenie. You got anything to say besides screw you?" He asked with halved eyes.
Frigg glared at him and rolled her eyes. "Do I have to slap it into your head, you moron? I found what I found and if I say that there is something...there is something!" She said irately as Hades shrugged.
"Physical evidence or it didn't happen." He replied, watching as Frigg's hand reached down to her sword.
Hecate cleared her throat loudly. "Actually! I bet I can make proof! But if you wanna mess up my boss's face first, go ahead." She said lazily, prompting Hades to shoot a fireball at her that she dodged.
Hazel watched the fireball hit the wall with halved eyes. "Yeah...I'm putting that wall on your tab…" She stated.
"Oh, shut up-half the castle is already on my tab," Hades grumbled.
"More like the entire castle." Hecate deadpanned while continuing to munch on some more popcorn.
Hazel shrugged. "It's your fault for being a fire breathing version of Wreck-It Ralph."
"I hate you both," Hades grumbled with halved eyes.
Hazel looked at Hecate and said, "I think I'll take that as a compliment. How about you?"
"Makes my day better and better when he thinks of me as evil," Hecate said with a snicker.
"So, about the physical proof?" Hazel asked, getting back on track.
Hecate lazily waved her hand before causing a piece of paper to appear. "I had this for a while now since Hera can't hide her crap from me. I can get past all magic." She said casually, prompting Frigg to slowly look at her in confusion.
Hazel shrugged. She grabbed the paper, with curiosity before smirking. "If you don't believe me after this, you are a blind man." She said as she smugly held the paper out for him to take.
Hades took it and stared at it blankly. "And...what am I looking at?" He asked, clearly clueless as to what the paper was.
Hazel tilted her head in amusement. "You've never seen an ultrasound? I thought you said you were wise…" She mumbled the last part. "An ultrasound is like an x-ray except it's supposed to allow the viewer to see pre-born babies." She folded her arms.
"My question still stands. None of my kids had this crap so don't even go about how I should know." Hades said dryly as he blankly handed it back to Hazel.
Hazel took it with a raised eyebrow. "None of your kids had an ultrasound..?" She asked, truly baffled. "Wow...you are old school!" She looked at him as if she was looking at a museum.
"No, the Isle and Hell are old school," Hades grumbled. "You know, no tech? You only figured out somebody was knocked up when they were huge. Not like the queen and king wanted us to figure out genders and crap." He said with a hint of anger in his eyes.
Hazel shrugged. "Chick who's never lived on the isle, right here." She said. "Look. That's a literal picture of your grandkids, bucko. If you don't take that, you're going to find out for yourself real soon." She said in her monotone voice.
"Yeah, well why don't you point out said things. In case you didn't know, most of us in this room, aside from Hecate apparently, don't even know what we are looking at. Take a look at Queenie, she is baffled." Hades said while lazily gesturing to the highly confused Norse goddess.
Hazel heavily sighed at that before standing, ignoring the protest her head was giving her. She held up the picture. "You know what a picture is, right? A captured image?" She asked, sarcastically.
"I know that much," Hades said sarcastically, ignoring the fact that Frigg had only grown even more confused at Hazel's words.
Hazel dryly said, "Notice that the picture is in black and white." She pointed out. "The black part is the surrounding area while the grey is where the image is formed using sound. In this case, it is used for locating babies. So…" She tapped her chin before pointing. "Here...here...Here...and Here. Those are the babies. Look." She pointed at the one farthest to the right. "I can clearly see that one's head."
Frigg nodded in interest as Hades' eyes went huge and he twitched a bit. "Wow...I had no idea the mortals had such ways...I thought they merely relied on their magic." The goddess said in amazement.
Hazel lowered the picture before saying, "As a goddess who thought I was a mortal my entire life, I can proudly say that there have been major advancements in technology." Figuring Frigg was like her grandma, Hazel pulled out her phone. "Like this for example. It's used for many things: communication, literature, information, wasting time, it can even be used as a compass." She held out her phone for Frigg to see.
"...Wow. That is...unlike anything I have seen." Frigg said in awe as she yet again failed to notice Hades who, for a lack of better words, was clearly panicking-at least internally, that is.
Hazel glanced in his direction before taking a double-take. "Is he going to pass out again?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Frigg, who was still eyeing the phone, bopped Hades on the head. "Stop freaking out, you idiot. You are acting as if they are your kids." She said with annoyance.
"I...do not do kids." The god muttered back in response, prompting Frigg to roll her eyes.
Hazel held out her phone farther with a smile. "You wanna play with it?" She asked, "It will give you something to do while he picks up the shattered pieces of his ego."
Frigg happily accepted the phone and found a place to sit. Hades, who was wiping at the brightly colored blood on his face, rolled his eyes and shook his head. "My ego is perfectly fine." He muttered out.
Hazel happily went back to the bed. "Now that my Indiana Jones journey around the world is over. Will you please listen to me?" She shook her head.
"What...listen to you mocking me some more?" Hades asked with a grumble as his eyes appeared to darken a bit.
Hazel looked at him in confusion before saying, "Not what I had in mind. I was hoping that you would help me with what I wanted before this wild goose chase? I was supposed to talk to you...ring any bells?" She tilted her head.
"About what? That clone didn't say anything." Hades said blankly as he continued to rub at his face with his sleeve.
Hazel started, "She told me. That maybe we could help each other since we have the same fear." She said despite the fact that she felt otherwise.
The god sniffed before immediately rubbing at the blood escaping his probably broken nose. "I don't have any fears that you would also have." He said with a blank tone.
Hazel relaxed in her bed before saying, "Let's get this over with for both of our sake. I can't be around kids, you can't be around kids. I'm scared of them. The only reason I'm in this room with you is because I panicked like a wimp from being in the same room as a pregnant woman." She explained with irritation. "Terra thinks we could talk or something. I don't know."
Hades chuckled humorlessly. "I have a reason for kids to fear me and for me to fear them. They look at me like I'm a monster and I look at them and just see...everything I failed at doing with my own." He said while shaking his head smiling coldly.
Hazel looked at him before folding her arms. "And I have my own reasons. Except kids actually seem to like me. I just can't stand near them."
"I already knew part of the story...Us gods of the dead can see the souls that have been brought down...and what their story is. The difference is...they escaped through death...my kids will never escape what I didn't do." Hades said while looking over his leg before promptly popping it back in to place with ease.
"And those kids who 'escaped through death' will never have a future because of something petty." She countered, her countenance becoming rather guarded.
"I've seen many souls that died in traumatic situations...and let me tell you. It would be worse than death to live with the memories. Death is an escape for those kids...because the odds of them taking it anyway in a few years is high." Hades said in a calm voice as his eyes darkened a bit more.
Hazel's eyes began to shift colors for a bit before saying, "Yeah...except for one tiny detail. Those kids should have never had to go through that. That shouldn't have happened."
"To the many that did die, there was a special place in Hell regardless of how they entered. Those who didn't...they aren't down there with them." Hades said, sounding a bit cruel at the beginning before his voice faded to a softer tone. "Besides...I'd have done the same if they did that to my daughter."
Hazel shook her head at that with a frown. "You. Are. Hades." She looked elsewhere. "That sentence speaks for itself."
"You think because I'm cruel and I torture that it would be only me? Heh...I can't think of a god who wouldn't do the same. Even my idiot brother Zeus would come in and smite them all if it meant that his child was safe. We don't give a damn if those we hurt deserve every last bit of pain we deal. We just want our children safe because we are...we are immortal and having kids is the only thing that makes it bearable." Hades said before his eyes went hollow and he turned away.
Hazel took a deep breath. "What I did, regardless of the reason, was a terrible act of a lack of self control. With greater power, comes greater responsibility and I proved to be irresponsible." She said as she shot a glare at him.
"...You did it to protect yourself and the ones you cared for. Until you wreak havoc and kill millions because you found it funny...don't say it was a lack of self-control. You protected yourself and your friends...those terrible souls had it coming." Hades said as he regarded her with a somewhat saddened look before it faded.
"I could have done a million other things to protect them!" She snapped. "I could have...I could have tangled the bullies up with vines! Caused a sandstorm so we could sneak away safely! If I would have shown a silver of my powers they would have backed off!" She growled as her eyes turned to an angry obsidian. "But earthquakes!? Lava!? Boulders!? Against a bunch of defenseless children!? Not a lack of self control; you can't be serious!"
"Yet would you have been happier knowing that they went onto cause more emotional destruction to other kids? To cause others despair and find death as an escape? Would you be happy if they caused many to give up and submit to...hopelessness? Kids like those are never better...because I was one and I'm still a piece of absolute shit. The only way we behave is when we are dying." Hades said with a twitch as he played around with his fire that had begun shifting colors. "Would you want a bunch of kids like me running around causing people emotional turmoil when you know you could have ended their sorry lives and sent them to where they belong?"
"I don't find satisfaction out of ending the lives of others." She sharply replied. "Someone else could do it and I wouldn't feel a thing. Just not me. Especially due to a fit of anger." She shook her head.
"So you'd rather they have lived to go about continuing their hell…" Hades shook his head. "That's not acting good...that's called being too weak to end something that never should have begun. You think my siblings haven't tried to off me since I'm terrible? Hell, if I wasn't immortal, I would have been dead before I even reached a thousand. I am the same as those kids...so tell me...would you kill me if you could if you knew you were saving countless others?" The god asked with a cold look in his eyes.
Hazel looked at him as if he had officially lost his mind. "...What?"
"Would you kill me to spare the others that I would ruin? I have killed many just from fear alone, much less actually going about killing them." Hades said as he leaned on his hand. "Those kids are like me, only words are their weapons."
Hazel looked at him fully before saying, "No. If I did, Heidi would never forgive me." She said, looking away again.
"My daughter would mourn for me...but if she understands what was being prevented she would see the truth. She is...I trained her to see the end goal and do anything to reach it. It's what makes her so...unpredictable with her ways. She said screw the plan to defeat her mother...that she'd just kick her into the void and take the fall if it meant that it would all end." Hades said with a cold chuckle, causing even Hecate to look at him with wide eyes.
"That has nothing to do with me," Hazel responded harshly. "If that's the case why wouldn't she take care of you herself? Hell, if I even tried to kill you, you'd kill me in a heartbeat. You know why? Because I hate hurting people much less killing them." She seethe. "Knowing, I stole such a priceless gift away, because I couldn't control my temper makes me sick. I'd been through way worse than that." She spat.
Hades seemed unaffected by her rage and smiled coldly. "...Then...If it was all one big hell of an accident...why have you decided to become hung up on it for the rest of your days? Why don't you just forgive and forget like the rest of the world? Instead you want to stay with that pain until you become something dark and twisted like me." He said as he studied her.
"Me...turning out like you?" She said with dry humor. "That's funny."
"You can only hate yourself long enough before it seeps out and your hatred turns to others. You become cold...unaffected...all because you have lasted so long hating yourself and not forgiving yourself for the actions you have committed." He glanced up at her. "You think I was born heartless? Hell no...I was made this way by myself and by others...I just continued to make it worse."
Hazel's eye twitched. "You're point?"
"...I can't be fixed. I'm too far gone past the point of being fixed. You aren't so...I'd take the opportunity before you can't be helped." Hades responded while folding his arms.
"That's reassuring." She said with sarcasm.
"You only get to my level of broken when you act like that and ignore others. You can continue acting like nothing is wrong but...one day you'll be like me. No friends because they couldn't trust me...No family aside from a sister who knows what's wrong, all because I am broken and I cannot be fixed. Your sister may be there for you...but how can you guarantee everyone else?" Hades asked with a serious tone. "Or...you could forgive, forget, and move on with your life."
Hazel huffed at that. "Way easier said than done."
Hades was silent before looking at Hecate. "Make sure that chick can't hear us." He said, pointing to Frigg, prompting Hecate to nod before casting a spell. Hades regarded her with a nod before returning his dead gaze back to Hazel. "What would make it easier? Hearing something I haven't forgiven? Hearing something...my daughter hasn't forgiven? What?" He asked while extinguishing the dark blue flames from his fingers.
Hazel, still not looking in his direction, waved. "Anything you think you would help. Everything I try to do is cheap so don't let me choose." She said plainly.
Hades let out a humorless laugh before shaking his head. "Normally I don't get hung up on things...but there is one thing that has never left me. It was the day they pulled me out of the Underworld to drag me to the Isle. I never thought they'd bring my daughter into it...but they saw me and looked at her and labeled her. There we are...discussing with the king and queen since they wanted me to revive all the dead villains...and they just see Heidi with her ember-not mine. The morons thought that she had mine and just...took it from her. It...It was bonded to her since birth and…" The god uncharacteristically stumbled over his words and shook his head. "...She just screamed." He said, going silent to regain himself.
Hazel didn't respond or move for that matter. However, her eyes did change from obsidian to a red hue.
"Hestia knew what they had done but...she took an oath not to interfere and with me being without my powers...we could only watch. We could only listen and watch as she wreathed in pain and screamed while those morons thought that I had done something. That stupid old bat of a fairy didn't even do anything...they just watched." Hades said with an almost silent growl. "By the time it was over...she was passed out due to sheer pain and those three idiots...they just resumed the plan for me to revive their enemies! They didn't care what they had done...they just wanted to see the people that had done them wrong suffer." He closed his eyes with a sigh. "My sister awoke Heidi after she had watched her for the rest of the meeting. Next thing you know...we are being marched and put on the big screen for the world to see. Heidi never remembered that because she instinctively erased that memory, but I remember it clearly." He finished with a cold tone.
Hazel still didn't respond, but her eyes had worked themselves all the way back down to their original color.
Hades opened his eyes and looked away. "She couldn't even remember why touching my ember made her feel complete. She just...knew that something was missing. So...Instead, I taught her how to fight back. Just so that she could defend herself if those idiotic Auradonians tried to destroy her for being my daughter. Did I forgive them? ...Hell no. I will never forget, never forgive, not until I see them suffering in the same way she did. What they did defies all rights and...I thought I was the bad guy. Funny how the good always ends up being the bad." He said with a small smirk before it faded.
"Hm. That's something we can both agree on." Hazel said, remembering all the trouble her and Ara went through when they first met.
"The King and Queen at that time were truly evil. Good people don't bring back the dead to watch them suffer again...that is evil. You cannot convince me that they did it for any good and just reason." Hades said while shaking his head.
Hazel nodded, once again in thought. Her lip quirks upward as she pondered over different things.
"If I had my way...Auradon would have been the next city to fall into the Underworld. I would have released every beast of Hell to wipe all the souls in the city." Hades said absentmindedly as he leaned back in his seat. "Maybe flood it with lava...make it a clean slate for something better to be built on it."
"...Compared to the King and Queen, I guess I'm not that bad. I got a terrible deal when it comes to fortune, but I'm not like that." She shook her head. "We both hated Auradon, me, and my sister. If it wasn't for that, we would have never met. We wanted them to suffer for making us suffer." Hazel admitted as she looked down in thought.
"If you ask me...it's normal to hate those two. Us villains hated them because they made us into guinea pigs to warn their kids about. Not to mention the fact they gave us nothing but the scraps of their trash. We were degraded...yet it wasn't that that made me want to kill them over and over again...it was for the evil I saw in their eyes when they watched her writhing in pain...and thought that her father had done it." Hades said with a humorless smile.
Hazel nodded at that, falling silent once again. She asked to herself if it was even possible to fix such a long-practiced habit. Especially since she couldn't even stand the thought of being in the same room with a kid. Still, it would not be easy and if she were to try now, it could take months even years to get where she should be.
Hades glanced at her and tilted his head. "Better to try than to become me and give up." He said as though he could hear her thoughts.
Hazel looked at him for the first time in a while. "I have a bad feeling. Every time I try to get ahead, something bad happens to me." She admitted.
"Same thing with me...hell, when I was born my own dad up and ate me. Yes, I said ate. Can't get more cursed than that." Hades said with a shrug. "Then when I was finally back out, I get the short end of the stick and go to the Underworld and I am quickly disowned by my family for being creepy as hell and smelling like the dead constantly." He said dryly with annoyance flickering in his eyes.
Hazel sighed. "I'll see what I can do." She said, obviously hesitant about the future.
"Kid, you can still be helped. Unlike myself, your future isn't set in stone. Mine was set the moment I couldn't help my daughter, and it will never be fixed." Hades said calmly as he closed his eyes.
Hazel nodded, tossing her fears aside for later. "Okay."
Hades offered her up a smile. "You are way too young to get stuck with an unchangeable future. No matter what my daughter or that clone might say, I, however, am far too old to be helped. You can't exactly be around something when you just see the same images every time...and hear the same sounds." He sighed and shook his head. "...Don't let it last this long, kid."
Hazel looked at him, unblinkingly for a full minute before saying. "I won't."
He looked back at her silently before nodding. "Good...I...Have to go." He said, shooting her a look that practically said everything he meant by those words as he stood up. "I guess...I'll be around."
Hazel nodded at that. "Alright...bye, I guess." She said awkwardly.
The god shot her one last despair-filled look before he vanished in a column of blue flames. Once he was gone, Hecate let out a low whistle. "...Wow." She said with wide eyes as she munched on some popcorn.
Hazel's gaze changed to a deadpan. "Nice way to kill the vibe." She said with slight sarcasm.
"Oh, sorry. Just never seen Hades that upset. He's pretty good with hiding his emotions." Hecate said with a shrug as she went for more popcorn.
"I...don't have an answer for that," Hazel admitted. "But he did look quite upset."
"Oh...he definitely was. See, he wants to talk...but that isn't how he does things. He doesn't talk about his feelings, he doesn't talk about anything aside from his duties to the Underworld." Hecate explained with a soft sigh. "His family really did sort of throw him out. I guess the constant look of death was too much for all but Hestia and Hermes."
Hazel nodded before sighing, "I think...I'm going to go back to bed." She said with a few blinks.
"Well, I need to be heading back anyway," Hecate said as she stood up, and for probably the hundredth time, forgot about the cat on her leg. "I'd watch out for Frigg, she's probably gonna hang around and doesn't like it when kids are sad."
Hazel tilted her head at that before nodding, "Alright. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."
"Not a problem," Hecate said as she gave her a mock salute and began to summon a portal.
Hazel rose her hand before saying, "Heh...cat..! My cat...is on your leg still…" Hazel said with a nervous smile.
"A cat? What cat?" Hecate asked, oblivious to the very happy feline on her leg.
Hazel pointed downwards. "You might want to look down."
Hecate finally looked down and took a moment to shift her dress before she noticed the feline. "Oh, that cat." She said while blinking before walking over and lifting her leg up. "Can you get him off? I have no experience with cats."
Hazel blinked at Hecate and Deuce.
Deuce, on the other hand, chuckled...before passing out at the sight of a woman lifting her leg in a more than revealing dress. He fell right off her leg and landed on the floor with a thud.
"Ta-da..?" Hazel said with a small smile and a shrug.
Hecate blinked as she picked up the cat and handed him to Hazel. "Just for that, you are hereby Patron Goddess of Kitty Cats in my book. Never seen them just fall off like that from a blink!" She said, missing the real reason as to why he fell off.
Hazel found that to be too funny. She shook her head. "It was...nothing." She chuckled, already knowing why her friend fainted. She took hold of the large feline before waving at Hecate.
"I'll see you guys when you arrive...or if you need me to distract everyone again," Hecate said before offering her a wave and jumping into her portal that closed up soon after.
Hazel smiled at that before turning her gaze toward Frigg. The goddess still seemed to be occupied with her phone. "Excuse me? Queen Frigg?" She called to her. "I'm finished now. So, if you are ready you can return home." She sighed before offering a small smile.
"Oh...I'm fine. Odin does not need to see me back...and it is alright to drop the formalities." Frigg said as her outfit changed into a light teal dress that was adorned with countless jewels and shifted to silver near the bottom.
Hazel nodded at that before tilting her head in confusion. "No formalities? Do you prefer just Frigg or something else?" She asked with a blink.
"Most call me Frigg or Frigga, whatever feels better for you. Or if you think up a nickname, I am completely fine with it." The queen said with a smile.
Hazel regained her smile and tilted her head the other way. "A nickname..?" She said with thought. "I'll work on one. For now, Frigg is okay with me."
"Okay. Did you want your...thing back?" Frigg asked while pointing at the phone, clearly having forgotten what it was called.
Hazel looked at it before asking, "My phone? Oh. I don't mind you messing with it. I was just about to take a nap since I am bored, on bed rest, and have nothing else to do." She said with a half eyed gaze.
Frigg tilted her head at her before deciding to get up and walk over to her before sitting down. "Well...I have nothing to do since we don't have anything planned...aside from whatever fight my son has caused yet again." She said, sighing at the thought of her son.
Hazel looked at her in surprise. "You don't?" She looked to the side before saying, "Well, I don't mind you staying with me." Hazel said, indirectly admitting she did not want to be alone despite what she said earlier.
Frigg nodded before she went silent for a moment. The woman set the phone down before, surprisingly, bringing the girl into a gentle hug without a word as to why she was doing it.
Hazel's eyes widened in surprise since she was not expecting this. She stiffened for a few moments...before letting herself relax into the goddess' embrace. Hazel nearly felt fresh tears pricking at her eyes already.
Frigg gently patted her on the back and smiled softly as she looked down at the girl. "I...apologize if that was awfully abrupt. But it is hard to hold back after I saw you earlier." She admitted in her regal tone.
Hazel looked away for a moment, blinking away any developing tears before turning back. "No...it's okay. I didn't mind. I needed a hug anyway." She said with a small smile.
"Oh...good, otherwise this would have been terribly awkward," Frigg said with her cheeks flushing at the thought.
Hazel shrugged. "I've been through things way more awkward than random hugs." She looked up at Frigg. "My name is Hazel, by the way. Sorry for not mentioning it earlier."
"It's not like I mentioned mine when I kicked Hades out of the way expecting a dragon attack," Frigg said with amusement.
Hazel tilted her head with interest. "Dragon attack? Why a dragon attack?"
"Because an ice giant attack in this realm would have made no sense. There are far more dragons." Frigg said with a blink.
Hazel nodded at that. "I guess that makes sense…" Hazel shook her head. "So...what did you want to do while you're here?" She gestured to her room.
"Hmm...Oh dear...I guess I hadn't thought that far." Frigg said while scratching the side of her head.
Hazel blinked before tapping her chin. That was before a smile appeared on her face. "Have you ever played a video game?"
Frigg blinked in confusion. "...What is a video game?"
Hazel stared at her blankly for a few seconds before saying, "...oooh...This is gonna be fun." She grinned before getting up to set everything up.
