Advisor Among the Shades
Getting ready for work the conventional way takes time, and that's fine by him. He needs the time to get his mental state back into some semblance of normal. If Ares could pick up on his wrath, as little as he and his nephew see each other, then Hecate will notice in an instant.
The time to prepare, walk and feed the dogs, make himself some breakfast...it's all very cathartic. But it's also too much time thinking. Thinking about what Hecate will say. What she'll do. Yes, he does plan to tell her what's going on at some point. She does need to know, and he'll probably need her help.
On the other hand...he's not sure he wants to tell her now. Scratch that, he's sure he doesn't want to tell her right now, not when his own emotions are running hot and his mind is in upheaval. He needs to be calm, in control, when he tells her, or his fury and hers will feed each other, the way they did with the reporter. And that wouldn't be good.
Apollo might be scum, but he's not the sort of low-life scum that he and Hecate can hunt without consequence. Besides, he did promise Persephone and Eros that he wouldn't do anything until Persephone asked him to. If she asked him to. So, much as he'd like to tell Hecate and unleash her wrath on the brat, he can't afford to do that just yet.
So...the best plan is to go to work, get working, and let the routines of his job take over. Once he's in 'King of Underworld' mode, or CEO mode, he'll be able to stay calm and unruffled much easier. He'll have other things to focus on. Hecate might notice an edge to him then, but he's frequently sharp at work. He has to be. She'll brush it off as job related stress. Or concentration. Or something.
That's the plan. Get to work, work hard, and he'll talk to Hecate...later. Much later. Like maybe next week or so? Whenever he can think about the situation without blushing like love-struck mortal or falling into wrath and radiating darkness.
Plan established, he heads for work.
And, because the Fates apparently like having a laugh at his expense, he gets to his office to find Hecate waiting with a stack of reports. Of course he does.
He blinks and tries to hold onto his calm and equilibrium with both hands. "Hecate. Did we have a meeting scheduled?" He didn't remember seeing one on the planner, but then he does miss things sometimes, and his focus wasn't the best this morning.
"Just bringing you the weekly reports." Oh, right. It is that day of the week, isn't it. Hecate gives him a sideways glance. "But now that you mention it, there are some things I need to talk to you about, and no time like the present, right?" She gives him a bright smile with an edge of teeth.
Busted. He tries not to swallow nervously. Two thousand years old and the king of the Underworld, and Hecate can still make him feel like an idiot child. Still, he knows what his response would normally be. "Sure. Come on in." He opens his office door, lets her in and takes the reports from her. "Is there something wrong?"
"You tell me." Hecate folds her arms and gives him a narrow look. "You look about one step away from going King of Darkness on someone. Has another reporter been harassing you?"
"No. Nothing like that." Nothing that simple is what he'd like to say. He arranges his face into something he hopes is calm and neutral. "Just a minor personal issue." Then, because it's a reason he's used before and he hopes to diffuse her suspicions. "Didn't sleep well last night."
"Didn't sleep at all, you mean. I can tell."
Shit. How did she know?
She sees his expression and snorts. "Please. Being sleepless is the only reason you'd have your collar undone at this hour of the morning, and your hair's mussed."
What...he's sure he buttoned...He looks down at himself, one hand flying up to touch his hair. He knows he brushed…
Hecate snorts again. "I cannot believe you fell for that."
Crap. He gave himself away. He sighs. "Okay. Fine. I didn't sleep last night. You know how it goes. I haven't been sleeping that well since..." He trails off, letting her draw the obvious conclusion.
Since Minthe nearly drove him to a psychotic break.
He sees a flash of sympathy in her eyes, but also resolve. "You're not thinking of getting back with her?"
"No. Nothing like that."
"Good. So what has you all in a huff?"
"Just...personal issues."
She leans against the wall opposite him. "Something to do with your brother, his latest tiff with Hera, or the summoning you got last night?"
"It was the..." He stops, staring at her. "How did you know I was summoned?" Does she have spies in his house or something?
She huffs an exasperated noise in his direction. "Of course I know whenever you teleport out of the Underworld. And I have an alert that informs me if you're summoned. How else would I be able to keep track of where you are in case of an emergency? Or how would I know if I need to rearrange your schedule?"
Oh. Point. And it's not like Zeus is exactly consistent with his demands. And sometimes there are emergencies in the mortal realm. And sometimes he gets summoned to Olympus for random things. He tries to keep a reasonable schedule, but it's not always easy.
Of course his primary aide would need to know if he has to leave for some reason.
She grins at him. "I've got a tracker on your car too."
That is not even the most annoying thing she's said today. He almost expected that, actually.
He sighs. "Fine." He gives up any pretense of looking at the reports and folds his hands in front of him. "How much do you know about the summoning?"
"It happened. It was late. You didn't come back until earlier this morning. About two hours ago. I don't know who summoned you or why."
That's some relief.
She cocks an eyebrow at him. "I do, however, see that you're about ready to kill someone. Or something. So whoever summoned you did something to upset you, and I'd like to know what. And how many bodies we'll need to bury, and who exactly we need to make disappear. Or if you've already buried the bodies, where and how many."
He sighs. "I haven't done anything yet. And we're not going to do anything for the moment. The summoner wishes me to remain...uninvolved at this time." There. That's nice and neutral and doesn't give anything away, right?
"Then why would they summon you?" Hecate frowns.
Crap. Maybe he revealed more than he meant to. "Personal reasons."
"Hera?"
The safe answer would be to say yes. She would stop asking questions then, and assume it has something to do with Zeus being a jerk again. But Hecate and Hera talk. Frequently. And Hecate will ask Hera why she called Hades, and then she will find out he lied. And while she can't kill him, she can make her displeasure known in various creative ways.
"No." He tries to keep his face calm and relaxed. "It wasn't Hera."
"Oh?" She cocks an eyebrow at him again.
A blush rises unbidden to his cheeks. He tries to fight it back, and prays she hasn't seen it, but from the way her eyes narrow, that's a futile hope. Like trying to challenge the Fates.
Hecate stalks forward and plants both hands on his desk. "Start talking."
"Hecate..."
"You came in here with an aura that said you were about to kill something, you haven't slept, and now you look like an errant child caught stealing sweets. I'm not an idiot." Her nostrils flare and her lips thin. "This involves Persephone."
Busted again. He sighs, and decides to tell the truth. Maybe if he admits a little, she'll let the rest go?
"Yes. It involves Persephone. She summoned me."
"Why?"
"Because...personal reasons, as I said."
Something slips, though he isn't sure what. Hecate's expression goes thunderous. She leans down and grabs his tie, forcing them eye-to-eye. At the same time, he feels her aura expand, in a way that will make sure no one wants to disturb them for a good long while.
"Start...talking."
He swallows. He can handle Hecate, he knows he can, but he really doesn't want to. And he's a bit afraid of what will happen, if they clash when they're both apparently so volatile. "Hecate..."
"Persephone and her mother are friends of mine. If something has happened to her..."
He gives up. She's riled, and he can either tell her the truth and try to hold her back, or he can keep prevaricating until she really loses her temper. Best case, they end up in a shouting match that half the Underworld can hear. Worst case, they end up in a shouting match, he says something he didn't mean to, and then she goes storming off to confront someone on Olympus, and this whole thing gets blown to Tartarus and back.
He releases his hold on his own aura. Not a lot, but enough to overwhelm and sweep around hers in a way he almost never does. They work together, and he's made it a personal point of honor never to try to control her that way. But she has to know he's serious, and he has to be able to keep control of this situation, for Persephone's sake if nothing else.
Although, bonus, he's probably not going to be disturbed by anyone for the rest of the morning, if not the rest of the day. No one wants to get near Hecate when she's unleashed her aura, and that goes double when both of them are sending out signals. Every office on this floor is probably being either locked or vacated by it's occupant, all of whom will have found pressing tasks that will keep them away.
He rises to his feet, freeing his tie as he stands. "This cannot go further than you. Understood?"
She nods. He considers, then grabs her shoulder and teleports them both to his home. He can be more sure of their privacy there. Underworld workers are snoops, and Minthe might brave the chilling aura, if she thought it would be advantageous to her.
Hecate gives him a scathing look and breaks contact as soon as they arrive, folding her arms and scowling in a way that makes the dogs all cower and slink away. He'll have to apologize to them this evening. "Talk."
He sighs and forces himself to calm. Hecate isn't going to like what he has to say, but it's going to be worse if his aura and hers are feeding each other. He raises an eyebrow at her until she also calms, then nods. "Thank you. I don't like being threatened in my own home."
She stares at him. He sighs again. "Persephone summoned me last night. She was upset. Apparently she's been having trouble. She didn't give me details. She just said she didn't feel well, and she wanted me there to offer comfort. She asked me to stay with her while she slept. It was strictly platonic. Just comfort. We talked. And some things came up."
"Things." Hecate's voice is flat and unimpressed. "Elaborate."
He swallows. "She asked about my scars. She wanted to know how long it would take to heal from severe trauma, and how to heal. I was honest with her, and she was honest with me. Something about an act of wrath she performed, though I don't know the details, and I didn't press her for it. But also…she was hurt. Apparently shortly before she became an intern. Again, she didn't give me all the details, but she was assaulted. In a way that invalidates her G.O.E.M. scholarship."
Hecate's eyes go wide and hurt, then angry. "You will find out who..." Her voice is a furious hiss, and he holds up a hand to stop her.
"Persephone asked me not to become involved at this time. You and I both will honor that request, until she asks otherwise, or unless the situation deteriorates to the point where she needs our intervention. At the moment, she has Eros watching over her. I've spoken to him, and he's agreed to keep me informed if assistance is needed."
"But we can still find out who...and when the little Tartarus plagued rat-bastard of a mortal or immortal slips up..." She's still hissing in her fury, and her eyes are bright with vengeance-light.
Not that he blames her. Still. "When the bastard slips up, we'll move. But it has to be done carefully and correctly."
Hecate stares at him, then spits the words he expects. "You know who…"
"I do." He sighs.
"Tell me." Her words are a low growl.
He steps forward, knowing what's about to happen, and knowing what he has to do. "It was Apollo."
"Apollo. That little..." Hecate flickers, her form wavering into her Face of Wrath. He grabs her shoulders, holds her, his own power sweeping out to block hers and keep her in his home.
"Stop."
She slaps him. He lets it connect, turning his face to the side. "And you dare to claim you care for her..."
"I care enough to respect her wishes, and also enough to know the name of her attacker despite her refusal to tell me, and enough to make sure she is as safe and protected as she can be without taking her freedom and her choices away from her. Will you deny her that?" He keeps his tone even, though the slap stings more than his face. His heart aches.
Hecate has never struck him. She knows how he would react. How he wants to react, even now, though he has to stand strong.
Hecate stills. Stands frozen for a moment. Then her aura collapses, and she resumes her regular form. Sorrow dims the rage in her eyes as she cups his darkened cheek. "I'm sorry…"
"I know." He sighs and lets his own power settle. "I know why. I even agree with you. But I promised Kore I would respect her wishes, and I'm trying."
"I understand. I don't like it, but I do understand." She sighs. Then she meets his gaze, and her own is fierce again. "When the time is right...we will take that weasel down?"
"Yes. When it's time. When Kore gives the word. Not before." He nods decisively.
"And you'll let me make him wish for Tartarus as a mercy?" Her eyes gleam with a predator's light.
"I'll let you go as far as possible. As far as circumstances permit. As far as Kore wants us to." He swallows. "We'll have to deal with Zeus though. He may constrain us. Apollo is his favorite son."
"Zeus." Hecate's expression waxes scornful. "Let him try and protect his golden boy. He owes a debt for the grief he gives Hera, and if I must take it through his son, so be it. He'll permit it, or know my wrath himself."
He'd almost pay to see that. Although he suspects he would regret the fallout. Hecate is fierce and strong, but Zeus is king of Olympus for a reason. Nonetheless. "If worse comes to worse, I think Ares will side with us. And Hera."
"Of course Hera. If she doesn't know already, I'll tell her when the time is right. Although, I would be surprised if she doesn't know. She's seen Kore since the incident?"
He considers, then remembers the day he and Minthe separated. Bringing Hera home, coming inside to see the kids, and Kore arriving to take care of the roses. "Yes. At least once that I know of."
"Then I'll wager she has suspicions, not that she'd voice them to you. Zeus is too dismissive of her gifts." Hecate scowls again. Then she shakes her head. "Well, I'll see if I can have tea with her one day and feel her out on the issue. I won't tell her about you and Persephone, but I might hint at at few things..." Her expression turns thoughtful. "She has been rather shy the last few days..."
He can't help the wry expression that quirks his face. "I think that's a different issue."
"Oh?" She gives him a Look.
Well, he needs to tell her anyway. It was a security issue. And it's a safer topic than the one they're currently discussing.
"The riot on the beach. She was in the middle of it." He makes a face. "Apparently, she was giving out coins to shades on the shore."
"She was what?" Hecate's eyebrows shoot upward. Then her expression clouds. "That reckless little..."
"I had words with her about it. I told her that wasn't allowed. She was pretty upset, but I think she understood." He hopes. Although, considering everything else that happened…
He doesn't catch his expression in time, from the look Hecate gives him, and the heat in his cheeks. Hecate arches an eyebrow and folds her arms, stern and regal in a way that always means trouble for him. "Words?"
"Yes. I told her it was a tradition, and that there were reasons, and I didn't appreciate her undermining my position..."
"And?"
Oh Tartarus. He's in for it now. But it's still better than her stewing in wrath and plotting vengeance on Apollo. Probably. Maybe.
Nothing for it. "She asked me why her opinions would matter to me when I'm a king, and I may have...uh...I may have admitted to non-platonic feelings for her. And kissed her."
"You what?" He winces at the low shriek, and makes a note that he'll really have to apologize to the dogs. "You did...She's nineteen!"
"Twenty, actually. Her birthday just passed." Same day he kissed her, but he doesn't need to tell her that…
"She's still a hundredth of your age!"
"I know." He rubs the back of his neck, no longer trying to hide his blush. "I know. And I felt...I know I shouldn't have. It wasn't planned. We were just both on edge, and I was upset, both because of the coin issue and the fact that she went down to the beach without an escort even though she knew it was dangerous...it wasn't deliberate. It just...happened. And then she turned into butterflies and disappeared back to Olympus."
"She turned into..."
"Butterflies. Apparently a reaction." He is NOT going to tell Hecate what Persephone said last night about being...excited. Not a chance in Tartarus.
Hecate huffs, then stomps around his living room muttering to herself. Finally she whips around to face him. "You're an idiot."
He sighs. "I know."
"She's a child."
He doesn't think so, but she did look a little childlike last night, clinging to him for comfort. And anyway, Hecate does not want to hear denials at this point. Not when she's still steaming about him taking liberties with her young friend. "I know."
"You're a hundred times her age."
"I know!" He scrubs a hand through his hair. "Trust me. I know. I know all the reasons that it was a stupid move, including the age gap, the fact that she's a goddess of spring and life and blooming, and I am the King of the Underworld and death and darkness, which are total opposites and probably not healthy for her. And I know about her other commitments, and the fact that she's currently an employee, and there are rules about that, and ethical standards even if there weren't rules, and believe me I thought of all those things, and I haven't been thinking of much else for the past several days. Until she summoned me last night."
"Yes…speaking of that..." Hecate's voice goes low and warning. He holds up a hand to stop her.
"Nothing happened. She summoned me for comfort, nothing else. I did ask if I'd offended or upset her with the kiss, but that was the extent of our conversation on that front. We spent most of the night talking about other things. Like my personal history."
"Personal history." Hecate does not sound amused, and he sighs again. He doesn't want to discuss this again, but it seems inevitable. At least Hecate doesn't need many details.
"I told you, she asked about my scars. She wanted to know how I dealt with...with the things that happened to me. I told her what I could. It seemed to help her. She told me about...what I told you earlier. Then I held her while she fell asleep and left as soon after as I could. I spoke briefly with Eros and asked him to keep an eye on her, which he's already been doing, and then I came home."
Hecate is silent for a while. Then she steps forward and touches his wounded cheek again. "Your scars? You told her..."
"How I got them. A bit about the war. Some of the side effects." He pauses, but he's already come this far. "She was worried that she'd caused me to break up with Minthe, so I told her a little bit of the truth about why Minthe and I are no longer together, and how she hurt me."
Hecate huffs something that might be a laugh. "I'd throw a party for her if she had broken you up with Minthe, rather than the way it happened." Her eyes darken again. "Aidoneus...I am sorry..."
"I know. I expected it." He didn't, not really, but he did know that Hecate would be in a rage and react badly.
"You shouldn't have. And if you'd like me to resign or take a leave of absence..."
"No. I need you. And if things go bad, I'll need you even more. Besides, if we wind up giving Kore sanctuary or something similar, you may be the only thing that stops Demeter from trying to kill me with her bare hands."
"True." A small smile blooms on Hecate's face. Then she exhales. "I should be giving you a lecture about the propriety of your recent actions, or rather the LACK of propriety in your recent actions...however, I think there's been enough yelling today."
"Thank you." He does appreciate the pass.
She gives him a Look over her shoulder. "I will be watching you though, so you'd best be on your best behavior with my young friend."
"I promise." He raises his hands in surrender. And honestly, it will be an easy promise to keep. He's always been a gentleman with his feminine companions anyway, and after what Kore told him, there is no power in any realm that would make him do anything she wouldn't want him to do. None. He has no desire to hurt her in any way he can avoid, thank you very much.
And if he's honest with himself, that feeling has absolutely nothing to do with Hecate's threats, Demeter's probable wrath, or Hera's disappointment if he behaved as anything less than a gentleman.
Hecate watches his face, and nods. "Good." Because apparently he is that transparent to her. Then again, she's been by his side since he became king, so she's had a long time to get to know all the nuances of his facial expressions and a good portion of his thought processes.
Silence falls. His throat is dry, so he moves to get some water for both of them. Hecate takes her glass with a nod of thanks and sips. It's only after they've both finished that she speaks again. "We'd best get back to the office."
He'd rather not. But...appearances. "Indeed."
"I'll reschedule the meetings for today. Do some of your backlogged paperwork or something."
"Sounds good. You should do the same."
"I intend to." Hecate's voice has evened out into the brisk efficiency that she always displays at work, but he knows it's a thin veneer over her rage.
But then, his own composure doesn't run that deep either. And she likely knows that too. They've both learned self-control with the passing centuries, but self-control and a lack passion are not the same thing. Cold their fury might be, but no less real than Zeus's hot temper.
There will come a day when they can take vengeance for Kore. Or stand beside her as she takes her own vengeance. There will come a time for wrath and rage and ruin. But not right now. Now they have the Underworld to control, duties to perform and plans to make.
In the meantime, it's good to know Hecate is on his side, and at his side. He knows she feels guilty about the slap, and he feels hurt, but they'll work through it. They're a strong team, they always have been. He doesn't think this has changed that.
In fact, it might well make them stronger. They've always been so careful of certain boundaries, but he's been getting stronger lately. Better. He found the courage and the will to break up with Minthe, in spite of his own insecurities. He found the will to stand strong even when Minthe tried to tempt him back. He's begun to realize what he wants from life, and to reach for it.
He wants to keep growing. He likes this person he might have a chance of becoming. And Hecate...he thinks Hecate will approve, his relationship with Kore notwithstanding.
Or maybe she'll even approve of that, in time. Or maybe she already does, but like Hera, wants to make sure he won't follow in his brother's footsteps. Not that he would, but it wouldn't be the first time he's been tainted by Zeus's idiocy.
Whatever. There is time to think about all that later. He puts the glasses in the sink and offers her his hand. They teleported together, and they need to go back together to avoid suspicion.
He pops them into his office and settles back in his chair. "Cover story?"
She considers. "What stupid thing has Zeus done lately?"
"Got into a fight with Hera, accidentally hit her and knocked her down, then ran away from her anger and seduced a mortal before getting blind drunk and crashing on my couch."
"That'll work. Rumor mill told me."
"Or Ares. He was here recently." He can't remember if that was before or after the fight, but it doesn't matter.
"Even better. He does have a way of stoking tempers." Hecate nods approvingly.
"Of course he does. He is the god of conflict." He grins at her. It makes the bruise ache. He considers it, then taps his face. "I got this in the altercation."
"If you say so." Hecate frowns.
"Better than the truth." He shrugs. "And I did get clocked in the face at one point. I was hiding a shiner for two days."
"Okay. Fine." Hecate sighs. "I'll still...make it up to you."
"Keep an eye on Kore when she's here, talk to Hera, and I'll consider it even." he smiles at her, wanting her to know there's no hard feelings. "Besides, you do take good care of me. And you let me call you about that letter..."
Hecate finally relaxes. "All right then." She picks up her pad. "I'll see you later then, boss."
"See you later." He watches her leave with a slight smile.
He still feels exhausted and there's still a churning of anger in his gut that won't go away for a while yet. But on the whole, he feels better.
He feels relieved. He worried about telling Hecate. Now that it's over, he feels better. He shouldn't have tried to avoid it after all.
No matter. She knows, and she's still on his side. With him, no matter what may come, even if the worst happens and it comes down to conflict with his brother.
Sometimes, all you need is a stalwart adviser on your side.
Author's Note: So...yep. Now Hecate knows. I wasn't sure how this was gonna play out, but Hecate and Hades both wanted it to be written, so I did. The slap wasn't planned, but hey, Hecate has a temper, and this was kind of a huge issue. Plus, I think Hades kind of wanted to show some extra character development...or something. FYI, I don't condone hitting people in a temper. It happened here, but it's not cool. There's a reason Hecate is so apologetic. Even if Hades takes it okay.