Epilogue:

It's been weeks since the ordeal, since the battle that rocked the palace of Mt. Olympus, and weeks until he finally manages to get out of one of the many guestrooms. He didn't even leave come to his trial, and Zeus didn't make him. He was sentenced to 10 years without ambrosia, as was Poseidon, but Zeus told him that the sentence was only a formality to get Demeter off of his back; that he could eat ambrosia if he wanted to, but not to tell anyone else. Hades didn't think he could have possibly cared less. He was already weak; 10 years without ambrosia would only make him weaker. Good, he decided. It is a just punishment. After Hades' and Poseidon's trial came Ares' and Dionysus', and the two were sentenced to five years of abstaining from war-making with the humans, and delighting in any sort of revelry or drinking, respectably. The irony was not lost on Hades, but he did not smile or laugh when Zeus told him the news, turning his back toward him while lying on the bed. He just wanted to sleep, to dream of her, and Zeus would not take that away from him as well. He hoped that his judges could rule in his stead, because he knew that he would be not fit to rule for quite some time. He spent days upon days sleeping, and each time he got close to her in his dreams she would always slip away. She was gone and he was broken, addicted to and craving on last glimpse of her smile, one last smell of her hair, one last caress of her fingers.

What finally made him get up to leave the bed, what finally stirred him to leave the room so many weeks after the battle, was Aphrodite's and Eros' trial. He had arrived in the throne room early, so that no one could see his limp. He had thought that the wound Zeus inflicted on his leg would have healed by now, but like so many other things, it would be a painful reminder of that day. This was his punishment. He was crippled. His face and body were scarred. His wife was-

No, don't think about that now, he had said to himself, clenching his hands. You'll lose control of yourself. Standing was hard with his bad leg, but he managed it by leaning back against the wall, putting most of his weight on his left foot to watch the proceedings. He noticed that much of the damage from the battle had already been repaired, though there were still some rather gaping holes in the ceiling. Most of the gods kept their distance from him, but there was a brief moment when Poseidon came over and squeezed his shoulder. He hadn't seen his brother since that time in the throne room, and he noticed that Poseidon had his fair share of white little scars on his face from the attack on his palace, though most were barely visible. No, Hades was not quite so lucky when it came to his scars. The moment was fleeting, though for how brief it was, there was a spark of something there that was not there before – understanding –and his brother walked into the crowd with the rest of the gods to watch the trial.

"Hades," he heard a familiar voice say. It was his mother.

He didn't look at her, instead choosing to keep his eye on Aphrodite as she squirmed in her seat while Zeus read out her crimes against Olympus.

"I'm sorry for all your pain, my son," she said, touching his cheek, and he allowed it, not because he wanted to, but because he didn't want to limp away from his mother in a room full of other gods. A traitor, a fool and a damned cripple on top of everything else, he thought morosely.

"I don't need your pity," he said, flatly. Despite that, she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, and he was truly surprised, though he kept his face from betraying that fact. She moved to stand beside him and lean against the wall, holding his hand in hers. He pretended not to notice, except that when Zeus stated his punishment for Aphrodite and Eros – 100 years in the deepest level of Tartarus – he squeezed his mother's hand. And once again to his surprise, she squeezed back.

Now after the trial there is a feast, and most of gods, even those of the Underworld, dance and cheer with the rest. He takes the chance of someone seeing him in their inebriated state to hobble outside, and look over the world from this high palace of Mount Olympus. The setting sun makes the clouds turn different shades of yellow and pink and orange, and the lights from the villages below give an almost star-filled quality to the whole thing. It really is quite a beautiful site. He wishes she were here with him to see it. Perhaps she is, he thinks. Perhaps she is.

"I figured you would come out here," Zeus says. "Care for a drink?"

"No, thank you," he replies, not turning to look at his brother.

"I …noticed that you were… limping." Zeus waits for almost a whole minute before he gets a response, and when he does, it's curt and clipped.

"Yes." His voice is monotone and flat when he finally does speak.

The music inside is happy and festive. Neither one of them feels that is appropriate.

"I've made Demeter keep her…weather cycle? Yes, weather cycle, that she has created for the humans." He waits a moment for a response. He receives none. Zeus takes a sip from his goblet before continuing. "Demeter tells me that she will have no more children."

Hades nods, and the look on his face is almost wistful. "That seems like something she would say."

"You don't believe her."

"Not for a second."

Zeus smiles at his brother. "I forgot how strong you were, brother. When we were fighting-"

"We weren't fighting, Zeus."

"All the same, it was your body. You had me bested." He slaps a hard hand on Hades' shoulder, and if the god were a cat – and didn't have an injury in his leg – he's pretty sure his back would have arched and he would have crawled up a wall to the top of a ceiling, hissing all the way.

"I hate it when you do that," Hades says. He still won't look at his brother, but Zeus still has him talking, which he guesses is some progress.

"That's why I love doing it," Zeus says, smacking his shoulder again, lighter this time.

Hades' icy blue eyes shift to look at Zeus, and he figures playtime is over.

"What will you do now, Hades?" he asks, squeezing Hades' shoulder not much differently than the way Poseidon had done earlier.

"What else is there left to do?" Hades asks, looking up towards the stars in the sky. "I will wait for her."

Zeus almost snorts at his brother's unrelenting belief in Hecate's nonsense. He had hoped telling Hades what Demeter had said would dissuade him from such blind pursuits. "Hades, even if she does happen to have another child, what if she decides to hide her? You could spend years looking, never finding her." Zeus says, moving to look out from the balcony as well.

"Then I will spend years looking," Hades says as he turns to face Zeus, " but I will find her."

"She won't remember who you are."

"She won't have to."

"She won't love you."

For the first time in the weeks since the battle, Hades smiles. "We'll see."

A/N:

Annnnnnd that's all folks. Be on the lookout for the sequel, k guize? Love you all, thanks for sticking with me. Of course, leave your comments and reviews.