Dark. Too dark. Perfect, Hades thought to himself, settling into his small bed at last. This entire academy idea was ludicrous, but if Zeus didn't get his way, Hades would hear about it for all eternity. It was best to remain quiet and play along rather than anger his brother, but it was a stupid game.
Hades had to admit, it was kind of nice being around others who wanted to be near you by choice, and not because they were souls bound to your realm infinitely. Apollon was always good to have around, his nephew was quite literally the brightest spot in Hades's life.
But then there was that human girl. Yui. Yui made everything go sideways, and he knew that his misfortune wasn't affecting her at all, it was just the natural way she was. Yui was elegant, light, and steadfast, and Hades certainly respected her.
I might even love her, he considered quietly to his subconscious, but Apollon is much more likely to win her heart than I. With this despairing thought in his head, Hades lay down to sleep for a couple hours before his habit of waking and brooding. His door creaked slightly, and standing as though she were a ghost in the doorway was Yui.
"H-Hades," she stammered, "I-I'm s-s-sorry to b-bother you…" Hades sat up in bed, rubbing one eye in amusement. He thought he'd play the part of slightly disgruntled sleeper, if only for a few minutes.
"It's alright, Yui, what brings you here? Were you looking to have a nightmare?" he joked, and noting the expression on her face only became more aghast in response to his statement, quickly shut his mouth.
"No…Hades…I…" Before she could get the words past her lips, tears began to flow, and Hades was stunned into sad silence. Hades didn't realize his body had moved until Yui was enveloped in his arms, and he was leading her back to his bed. Similar to the day when he had pulled her out of the river, he laid her out on top of him, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. Her warmth was a pleasant treat, to be sure, but he couldn't concern himself with that now.
"I want to go home," Yui whimpered. "Please, Hades, you're Zeus's brother, can't you convince him to let me go?" Hades smoothed out her tangled hair, sadly shaking his head to himself. She was only a human who didn't understand that Zeus's whims weren't just whims; they were law.
"Yui, I'm so sorry," Hades whispered. "Zeus can be very unreasonable and this is something he just won't budge on. I'm so sorry." Yui's arms clung to him for dear life as more sobs racked her body, and Hades's heart broke.