It was the night before Christmas. Hades was in his palace, in a meeting with all his subjects, who were being as irritating as always. He didn't know why he had scheduled meetings. It wasn't like he cared what his servants thought. It was just useful to get everything sorted regularly.

The worst part was listening to Charon's requests for pay raises. He was almost tempted to oblige, just to shut him up. When it was his turn to voice his complaints or suggestions, Hades groaned internally.

But instead, Charon said, "My lord, do you know what day it is?"

"The day you actually start working for a change instead of pestering me for pay raises?" Hades suggested irritably.

"It's Christmas Eve," Charon explained, used to his lord's irritability. "Surely you know of the holiday?"

"Of course I do," Hades snapped. "Well, good for the mortals who celebrate it."

"I was simply wondering..." Charon paused. "Perhaps, due to the holiday season, you could consider giving me a pay raise?"

"What?" Hades scoffed at the suggestion. "That's desperate even for you. I see no reason a frivolous holiday celebrated by mortals should be a reason to give you a pay raise."

"Let me explain," Charon pleaded. "Most mortals give their workers a day off for the holiday. I know you obviously can't do such a thing, but perhaps you could at least give me a pay raise instead."

Hades' eyes narrowed. "I don't care what mortals do. If you desire a pay raise, there is one way you can get one."

"How?" Charon asked eagerly.

"Try working harder and stop bothering me."

Charon's face well. "But I do!" he insisted. "I try my hardest."

"Well, your hardest isn't good enough," Hades snapped, losing his patience. "Now go, before I decide to lower your pay instead."

Charon looked like he was considering arguing, but left as instructed. Hades didn't miss the venomous glare he threw his way, but he didn't particularly care.

The meeting lasted for a while more before Hades called all his servants back to work while he returned to his throne room. He quickly returned to his paperwork, feeling as annoyed as usual. Before he could continue with the mountain of work in front of him, he heard a knock on his door. Did one of the servants have the gall to interrupt him after the meeting?

"Come in," he snapped, not looking up from his paperwork. The door slowly opened, and Hades looked up. He was surprised to see who it was.

It was his son, Nico. He spent most of his time at Camp Half-Blood now, which was fine with Hades. He didn't quite know how to deal with children. Or anyone, for that matter.

"What is it?" he asked irritably. "Make it quick. I just finished a meeting."

"I... I'm sorry, Father." Nico was standing nervously behind the door, not having entered. "I can leave."

Hades noticed he was holding something in his hands. It glowed brightly in the dark room, but was too far away for him to discern. "What's that you're holding?"

Nico stepped slightly further in. "It's for you," he explained.

"Let me see it," Hades ordered, slightly curious.

Nico walked up to his father until he was standing a short distance away from him and held up the object. Hades saw it was a snow globe of some sort. It was a very nice one. The glass was dark, and there was a sparkling little palace inside that the snow fell onto before landing at the bottom of the globe.

"It's a snow globe," Nico explained. "I thought you might like it. The palace in it looks like yours."

"It does," Hades admitted, eyeing the miniature silver towers. "Except without the snow falling."

There was a silence before Hades spoke up. "What am I supposed to use this for?"

"Uh... nothing," Nico replied, shifting nervously. "It's just an ornament."

"Then what was the purpose of bringing it to me?" Hades asked, slightly annoyed.

Nico lowered the globe, looking disappointed by his father's reaction. "It's Christmas Eve in the Upper World," he explained. "Did you know?"

"Yes," Hades replied. That was the second time he had been reminded of it.

"So... I thought I'd bring you something," Nico explained. "I know it's stupid."

"Let me see it," Hades ordered. His son held out his hand, and he tentatively accepted the gift.

"I... uh... wanted to ask you something," Nico said when several moments passed without Hades speaking. "I mean, it's just a small thing. You don't have to. But–"

"What?" Hades urged, annoyed by his babbling.

"Could... could I stay here tomorrow?" Nico blurted out.

"What?"

"I mean, in your palace," Nico explained.

"You can stay if you wish," Hades replied. "But why?"

"Well, it's Christmas tomorrow. Everyone at camp will be celebrating," Nico explained. "I really don't want to talk to anyone. And..." He looked down and mumbled something.

"What is it?" Hades urged.

"I... I was thinking we could do something together." Hades had to strain to hear, and even then he wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"Excuse me?" Hades raised an eyebrow.

"Not something big," Nico clarified. "We could just go check on Cerberus. Or have dinner together."

"Then you'd stay in the Underworld permanently," Hades noted, still surprised by the request.

"Okay, not dinner," Nico conceded. "Though I could bring my own food."

There was a silence, and Nico looked more and more nervous. He was about to leave when his father spoke up.

"That seems highly unnecessary," Hades said. "I hardly see the point."

"Well, it is Christmas," Nico noted.

"People don't stop dying because it's a holiday," Hades retorted. "I still have work to do. That's far more important."

Nico lowered his eyes, but not before Hades saw the glint of hurt in them. "Of course, lord." He said "lord" in a sarcastic tone with more insolence than respect. Hades bristled, but let it slide.

"You're still free to stay here," he offered.

"No, forget it." Hades thought he heard a touch of anger in his son's voice. "I'll just leave. Wouldn't want to distract you from your paperwork."

There was definitely some anger when he said that. Hades watched his son turn and leave, shutting the door with more force than usual. He looked down at the snow globe. It was rather nice.

That was the second person he had angered, and on Christmas Eve, of all times. No matter. He returned to his paperwork, trying to forget about it.

"Hades, why don't you redecorate?"

Hades groaned as he was once again faced with nagging from his overbearing mother-in-law/older sister. At least she wasn't lecturing him about marrying her daughter again, or about eating more cereal.

"It is Christmas, after all," Demeter pointed out. Hades was beginning to hate being reminded of that holiday. "Your palace could really use it. At least put up some lights to make it less dark."

"Last time I checked, it was my palace, not yours," Hades noted through gritted teeth.

"You could take the decorations down after Christmas," Demeter continued, not listening to him. "Then it'll be as miserable and gloomy as it was before. Just how you like it."

"No," Hades snarled, losing patience.

"It's not how you like it?"

"I don't want to redecorate!" Hades snapped. "It's none of your business, anyway."

Demeter glared at him. "Excuse me? It was my business when you married my daughter and made her live with you for half the year. You could at least make sure she lives in a decent place."

"Ask Persephone, then," Hades suggested. "I'm sure she doesn't care."

Demeter scowled at him. "I'm leaving. I can't stand being in this dump you call a palace."

"Please do," Hades urged. "It'd be much quieter around here without you around."

Demeter glared at him one last time before leaving. Hades groaned internally. That was three people he had angered in less than an hour. Not that people disliking him was anything new, but angering everyone right before Christmas required talent.

Well, at least Persephone was around, since it was winter. He headed for her chambers, wanting to see her after all the arguments he had gotten into. Maybe she would cheer him up.

"Hades!" Persephone turned around as she saw her husband enter, smiling. "It's nice to see you."

"Hello, Persephone," Hades said. "It's nice to see someone's happy to see me."

"Oh no. Was my mother pestering you again?"

"She was asking me to redecorate this time," Hades explained. "Then she got mad at me and left."

"Good riddance," Persephone said. "She has a point, though. You should redecorate."

Hades groaned. "Oh, not you too."

Persephone giggled. "Oh, I'm only joking, Hades."

"Oh, good."

Persephone suddenly grew serious. "I wanted to ask you something, though."

"What is it?"

"Well, did you know that tomorrow is Christmas?"

Hades winced at the word. So far, the holiday had only caused everyone to hate him. Or rather, his hatred of the holiday had. "You're the fourth person to tell me."

"Well, I was thinking, maybe we could do something together tomorrow," Persephone suggested. "Just the two of us." Hades winced again. He wasn't looking forward to having this conversation again.

"I'm not sure, dear." He tried to break it to her as gently as possible.

"Why not?" She frowned. "We could go on a honeymoon. When was the last time we did?"

"Not that long ago," Hades said. "Only a few years."

"More like a few decades," Persephone corrected. "You kept making excuses about being busy."

"I'd love to, really I would," Hades said. "But I have a lot of work to do."

"Come on, Hades," Persephone pleaded. "We already only see each other for half the year. And now you don't even want to spend Christmas with me?"

"I do," Hades insisted. "But I have work to do. Maybe another time..."

"Oh, I see how it is." A note of anger had entered Persephone's voice. "You're too busy for your own wife."

"That's not true, dear." Hades felt a headache coming on. Now even his wife was angry at him.

"Yes it is!" she accused. "Well, in that case, I'm staying with my mother for Christmas. At least she'd actually spend time with me."

Hades gaped. "Persephone, you can't!" It amazed him how quickly she had gone from friendly to furious. Maybe his brother Zeus was right about goddesses being impossible to understand.

"I can," she insisted, heading towards the door. "Maybe I'll come back once you learn how to be a better husband."

Great. Now his own wife hated him. Hades felt like a hate magnet. He had made everyone hate him right before Christmas. Then again, he was used to being hated. The Olympians certainly didn't like him.

At least he had the palace all to himself now. He liked it better this way, anyway. No son, mother-in-law, or wife to pester him. Yes, he was better off that way, he convinced himself, though he didn't entirely believe it.

A while later, Hades was visited by his brother, Poseidon. He cried out in surprise as he saw him in his throne room.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, glaring at him.

Poseidon just smiled at him. "Can't I visit my favorite brother on Christmas Eve?"

"Favorite brother?" Hades scoffed disbelievingly.

"Well, I like you better than Zeus," Poseidon said. It was true. They had always gotten along the best of the Big Three. "Zeus was being unbearable, so I decided to visit you instead."

"Get out of my palace," Hades snapped.

"I will, I will," Poseidon assured, raising his hands defensively. "I just wanted to wish you a merry Christmas."

Hades scoffed. "What's so merry about it?"

Poseidon raised an eyebrow. "Not feeling the holiday spirit, are you, brother?"

"It's just made everyone hate me so far," Hades confessed. Well, that wasn't entirely true. It was more like his hatred of the holiday had.

"Doesn't everyone already hate you?" Poseidon asked, only half joking.

"Well, hate me more, then," Hades corrected. "Even Persephone left. She got angry with me for not spending enough time with her."

"So much for your perfect marriage," teased Poseidon.

"I thought you were going to leave," Hades reminded, glaring at his brother.

"Wait, Persephone left?" Poseidon asked, seeming to just realise. "What happened?"

"None of your business," Hades snapped. "Now will you leave like you said?"

"Okay, okay," Poseidon conceded, frowning. "You know, I'm not surprised she left, if you treat her like this. Merry Christmas, brother."

As his brother left, Hades mentally kicked himself. He had done it again, angered someone with his hostile behavior and made them leave him. His brother was just trying to help, as annoying as he was. At least he wasn't as bad as Zeus. He supposed being a brother was the fifth thing he was terrible at.

No, what was he thinking? Since when did he care about his brothers? Poseidon deserved exactly what he had said for barging into his palace uninvited. He should be glad to have the palace to himself. He was glad. He was all alone, which was just how he liked it. Wasn't it?

Look, I posted this on Christmas Eve. Okay, a few hours before midnight, but still.