Elsa POV
He knew. Oh god, he knew. No one was supposed to know. I wasn't supposed to let anyone. I shut the door and curled up beside it like I'd done so many times. My breath came in pants as I tried t hold it together and not do something terrible. Everyone knew back home, of course. It even ended up being for the best. But so many things went wrong first. I hurt so many people, worst of all Anna. She got better, but I'd never forget the moment my blast slammed into her and I knew everything I spent my life trying to prevent had come true.
There was something I didn't understand, though. Why wasn't Hades upset? I was a freak and now he knew it. He didn't even seem surprised. Was he that unfathomable? Did he not understand, or did he really not care? Was this country so strange that this was normal here?
Even under all the apprehension and guilt, it felt altogether new to find someone who didn't think I was abnormal. It seems I fell in with the only man on Earth who was stranger than I was. If it wasn't all so terrible, it would almost be freeing.
There was a sound at the door and in an instant what little comfort I'd achieved was gone.
"You okay?" Hades asked. I flinched at the sound.
"I'm fine. Go away. Please," I said. I felt the door growing cold at my touch and tried not to panic. I could almost hear his hesitation, and then he walked away.
That was nice of him. The thought came out of nowhere. Most people pester and pry. Why do you want to be alone? I don't bother you, do I? Just come on out. It's easy. He actually left me alone, and that was the best thing he could have done. I knew he wanted to talk more. He always liked to talk. He must have not only realized I wished to be alone, but actually cared enough to do it. He'd expected me to just fall into his arms, but when I didn't, he was still pursuing me. Was it possible he really cared about me? He was horrible at showing it, but maybe he just didn't know better. In any case, whether he meant to or not, he'd stumbled upon the only way he could ever hope for me to return his feelings. By leaving me alone, he left me free to open myself up at my pace and not his. Romance was impossible, of course, but maybe friendship wasn't.
Anna POV
I wasn't sure how I was going to walk into the city, since it was a cloud, but it proved easy enough. I jumped right on and it was solid. It looked mostly like the country had at ground level, but with more gold and fancy buildings. It didn't take long for someone to greet me. Normally I would be surprised if a blue-skinned, glowing man flew right up to me, but not anymore.
"Who are you?" I asked. The man fluttered around me and flipped around at all angles to look at me.
"What do you mean who am I?" he asked. "I'm Hermes, babe! Messenger, party animal, chick magnet. The real question is who are you?"
"I am Princess Anna of Arendelle," I said. "I need to speak with your king." Hermes continued his frenetic movements. I would have been amused, but I didn't have the time.
"What, you think you can just walk into Olympus and talk to Zeus?" he asked.
"Yes," I said firmly. "Please take me to him." Hermes held up a finger, then stopped.
"All right, fine. Chill," he said. He flew ahead of me and I followed him to the steps of an especially ornate open building. An enormous staircase wound back and forth up to its front.
"Hey, why aren't you glowing?" Hermes asked. He floated on his back and drifted in front of me.
"Why would I be glowing?" I asked. Hermes floated upright and scratched his head.
"You must be from somewhere really far out. All gods glow. Where the heck is Arendelle?" he said.
"I'm not a god. I'm a human," I said. Hermes reared back dramatically.
"You're a mortal?! You're not allowed here! What do you think you're doing?" he asked. Blue sparks shot out from him.
"Rescuing my sister," I said. We were almost at the foot of the building. Hermes flew in front of me and held out his hands.
"Woah, woah. No humans allowed," he said. "Olympus rules."
"Too bad," I said. I stepped around him and marched into the building.