Walking around the city was the number one way to get on his nerves. No matter how many years you can have navigating the bus schedules, there was no doubt in Hades mind that the sooner he got out of D.C., the better. Going back had always been a grueling event; His law firm calling him in to deal with the higher up cases. Between the petty and loudmouthed Senators who had cheated on their wives five too many times and the stupid social reform seekers who thought that pins on their buttons would really stop the legal proceedings of set in their ways 68 year olds. Don't get him wrong, Hades wanted nothing more than to join those college kids in reforming the system, but when his life's work was at risk for such little reward, there were things even he wouldn't touch.

Bzz bzz. Bzz bzz.

Looking down at his suit pant pocket, Hades reached down and grabbed his phone, checking the screen for the notification.

Zeus 2:14pm

Where are you? You should be here by now. I do not accept…

Zeus 2:13pm

Zeus sent a message

Unlocking his phone, he read the message at full length.

Zeus at 2:14pm

Where are you? You should be here by now. I do not accept

an invitation to eat lunch to only wait outside for half an hour.

Also, you should see the women here holy shot. I sent you a photo.

Scrolling up, he saw the photo of the backside of a clearly unsuspecting waitress, who was leaning down to serve a table their food. Put your dick back in your pants, asshole. Without finding a reason that something like that should merit a response, Hades shoved his phone back into his front pocket, he picked up the pace and started heading to the restaurant, grumbling to himself the entire way.

Entering the black and red themed restaurant, Hades saw Zeus tapping away at his phone in the corner, using his index finger to press the too small buttons. He stared at him until he noticed, stalking toward him until he reached the back of the chair opposite Zeus. When his foster brother finally looked up, he greeted him with a gesture to sit down. Obliging, Hades plopped down into the chair, a waiter coming up and asking if he needed anything.

"Bourbon Old Fashioned. Burn the orange rind." Hades picked up his menu while speaking, refusing to look at the waiter. "No cherries," He said as an afterthought.

"Right away, sir."

Waving the waiter off, Zeus straightened his back and sat forward, splaying his large hands on either side of what was already a mostly finished drink. "So…"

So.

Glancing up from his menu, Hades raised an eyebrow.

"So?" Zeus repeated. Hades gave him a lookover.

"You've gotten fat." Hades quipped and returned to his menu.

The laugh of the man sitting across from him always was a deep one, sounding like a rolling thunderclap in a July monsoon. Some element of it was comforting, some element of it dangerous. The dark and sharp repeated bursts boomed over surrounding conversations until it faded away.

"I suppose I could lose a few pounds. Maybe if I divorced my wife I'd lose more than enough dead weight." Zeus laughed again, leaning back in his booth. Off to a good start.

"I done messed up, Dion!" Persephone exclaimed as she practically burst through the doors of the empty coffee shop. Honestly, how is this place still open? No one is ever here. When she finally landed in front of the counter she barely glanced up, looking down at the slightly sugar coated surface. "I saw this hot guy at the pet shelter who was adopting my children and I acted like an idiot. Who the hell says 'Hi, my name is…' three fucking times? You're right, i'm going to die alone, only it's going to be because of me instead of my mother. Oh my God, I'm going to die alone. Help me."

Finally looking up in the middle of her dramatic outburst, she saw it wasn't Dionysus at the copper machine, but instead Janus, the last person anyone tells anything to, looking like a kid who just stole from the candy store. Amazing.

"Heey, Janus."

"Hi there, Percy. How are you?-Well, I'm doing great, now what were you saying?"

"Absolutely nothing. You have a great day." She said, lifting herself off the counter and walking as fast as she could backwards toward the door without looking rude.

"You don't want to order something and talk?" Janus said, "We can talk about whatever! I won't tell."

Right.

"No, I'm good, but thanks, Janus. You have a totally cool day." Totally cool? Can't talk to anyone anymore, can you?

"Bye, Percy!" Janus said, reaching for his phone to no doubt text anyone on his contacts list about the information he was giving about the one virgin in towns love life.

"Bye!" Oh My God just shut up.

Continuing her usual walk around town, the shops seemed to pass by rapidly and without much notice. The trees that had the duty of shading the pathways in the summer were still green despite the weather getting colder and the hours in the day getting shorter and fall was rapidly approaching, the local raft store run by Athena in the late spring and all of June already carrying Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations. Once again setting herself down in the corner of the park with a blanket and a book, the only thing missing a chai latte from the shoddy cafe thay she just embarrassed herself in. Groaning, a repeat of the conversation she had just been a part of popped into her head, bouncing around in her mind until she eventually picked her book up and got invested.

Dinner had been going well. The conversation had been okay, the food was good. But then Zeus had brought it up again, and the discussion blew up into a very loud and very public verbal fight.

"All I'm saying is-"

"Maybe I don't want to hear what your stupid garbage pile of a law firm has been doing!" Zeus mocked, waving his hand around like a toddler.

"Well then maybe you don't want me to work on your finances, which you have been continuously fucking up year after year!" Hades shouted back.

"WELL THEN MAYBE-"

"GENTLEMEN!" The owner of the restaurant shouted, booming over their conversation with his small armada of wait staff behind him, looking half amused and half ready to fight. "This is a place of comfort and relaxation and you are ruining the atmosphere to my guests! You have been asked to leave by several of my staff! Banned! Get out of my business!"

Both Zeus and Hades looked at each other, straightened out their blazers and fixed their sleeve buttons, and walked right out of that store, shoving each other with their shoulders whenever they had to be within six inches of each other navigating through the tables. Hades dress shirt was destroyed, and Zeus' pants got a cut from the shards of the tumbler that one of them broke.

Stumbling out into the open, the cold night air slapped them in the face, an instant chill going through Hades as he took out his phone. Opening up his note app, he added Citrus, D.C. to his list of Places I am Now Banned From.

Places I am Now Banned From

Orange Room, NYC

Aqua Rose, NYC

The New Dehli Star, D.C.

Elements, Boston

le Chevalier de Plage, NYC

Citrus D.C.

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Hades looked up just fast enough to see Zeus heave what was his dinner and five Negroni's into the alley way. Time to go…

Beginning to take off, he didn't see Zeus come up beside him, tackling him to the ground.

"Dick," Zeus slurred. Then he laughed. "Let's get you home, old man."

Hades sighed and brought himself up, wincing at the pain in his arm that would no doubt bruise, and reached out to give a helping hand to Zeus, who took it but made no motion to get up.

It was going to be a long night.

Hi guys thanks so much for the wait… if you're still there. Honestly I just haven't been doing well and every time I start to feel better something came up and then I felt sick again but thank you for all the support.

I'll try to post again before 2019… sounds fake but okay.

Question: any fic recommendations or book recommendations? I'm in a reading dry spell where i read everything I already wanted too and i'm looking for new series. Thanks, M.