`Hades did not have the patience to deal with this today. For fuck's sake, he had literally gone out with Zeus last week, how on Earth could he need to have another "family meeting" already. If anything, he needed a Hades night?! He had just broken it off with the girl he had been on and off with for years! Years! There's no fucking way Zeus' most recent fling with a mortal could be worse than this. He almost considered calling them up and canceling. The ideal night to him was spending it with a fine cigar, some whiskey, and a crappy rom-com (sue him, he's a hopeless romantic). He would rather be cuddled up with his dogs (and preferably a curvy pink goddess) then out socializing. Instead, he was being dragged out to some strip club bar with his noisy, obnoxious brothers. At least alcohol was involved; he was positive he would be drinking far more than usual tonight.

He finally parked in his driveway. Traffic had been terrible, only worsening his foul mood. He strode up to his door in the familiar dark chill of the underworld and threw it open to greet his babies. Well, he might as well start off the night in a decent mood and, nothing puts his head in the right space like his pooches and a certain goddess. Crouching down to scratch them in greeting, he was practically tackled by Cerberus. Who knew ending up under a pile of slobbering dogs was precisely what he needed. Hades let out a deep sigh, just releasing all the pent up stress and emotion from the day. He raked his hand through his usually sculpted white hair, missing it up a bit into its more natural loose waves. Extracting himself from the dog-pile with difficulty, he rose to his feet. He headed to his room to shower before getting ready for the night ahead.

Throwing his suit jacket on the near chair he finally let himself relax, the usual stiff posture eased from his tense shoulders, and he fell onto his bed with a huff. He pulled out his phone and flicked to Musify. Tonight he was going to indulge in his pop-rock; he didn't care how "immature" it was, according to Minthe. To hell with that, he didn't owe her anything. Gah, he had to stay so calm and collected at work (trust him he was anything but on the inside). Screaming singing in the shower was the perfect release for all the anger and sadness from a day that was truly shit. As usual, his dogs were his only audience. He wasn't going to be caught dead singing in front of anyone else (he had heard Minthe bitch enough about the quality of his voice the few times she had heard him). He turned on the water, connected his phone to the speaker, and clicked on his favorite playlist featuring Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragon, Panic at the Disco, and similar bands. Gods, I'm such an emo teen, he thought to himself. Still, he couldn't deny the familiar base practically shaking the room comforted him. As he stepped under the spray, he began mumbling the lyrics of the songs he knew by heart, getting more confident as it played. When it got to the chorus, he couldn't help but belt out,

"That's the price you pay

Leave behind your heartache, cast away

Just another product of today

Rather be the hunter than the prey

And you're standing on the edge, face-up

'cause you're a Natural

A beating heart of stone

You gotta be so cold

To make it in this world

Yeah, you're a natural

Living your life cutthroat

You gotta be so cold

Yeah, you're a natural."

He even grabbed the shampoo bottle and sang into it like a microphone showing off his dance moves that are never used at parties (because that would be humiliating). Secretly, he was quite proud of the fact he could moonwalk, do the worm, and just dance in general. It's not like anyone other than the dogs, and maybe Hecate when he was absolutely pounded, actually saw. At the end of the song, he was feeling refreshed and even cheerful as he stepped out and toweled off. It had been way too long since he had just let go and jammed out like that. He glanced in the mirror, and all the gel had finally washed out of his hair. It was a messy spiky mess that left him looking ten years younger, and if he was honest, he preferred it this way. He laughed to himself as he almost considered wearing it to the bar as a final "fuck it" to the bar (she hated his natural hair). Unfortunately, a glance at his phone told him he had under 45 minutes to get there, and he would only leave his house looking perfect. Anything less and the paparazzi would be on him like a pack of wolves. He can see the headlines now, "Hades is Falling Apart: Will Minthe Give Him Another Chance." Yeah right, he scoffed, half of his brain telling him he didn't need her and the other whispering she'd never take him back. Besides, his appearance had to reflect his station as CEO and king, so gelled hair and sharp suits (as much as he loved his vintage band tees).

He pulled on a simple black dress shirt, still singing under his breath, styled his hair, and paused his music. Giving himself a last once-over in the mirror as he walked out, he grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone, and headed to his car. Though his brother had no qualms in being 40 minutes late to his brunches, Hades knew better than to be tardy to one of the "King of God's" gatherings. (Even though he was technically older, his brother could throw one hell of a righteous-anger filled tantrum, and Hades did not want to deal with that).