Hades POV

Why was everything I thought about Elsa always wrong? I thought she'd like presents and she threw them away. I thought she'd like a devilishly handsome man and she pushed me away. I gave her flowers and let her out of her room. What more was there?

Meg might have been infuriating, but at least she was consistent. I always knew she despised me outwardly and couldn't squash a tiny smolder of desire inside. Why wasn't Elsa like that? Why wasn't she outspoken, or sassy, or cutting, or dismissive? I had no idea what to do with this maddening woman.

Elsa isn't Meg.

That was it. That was it all this time. Elsa wasn't Meg. Elsa was Elsa. She was different. Maybe all women were different. For ages I'd thought I was the only one with half a brain around here. There were all the other harp-strumming self-proclaimed "good guys" and then there was me. Maybe I wasn't the only different one. Elsa was certainly different from anyone I knew. Even the saps in Olympus had a few differences. All this time I was going about it the wrong way.

But what's the right way? With Meg I could say anything I wanted. If she didn't like it she'd just throw it back at me. There wasn't much that fazed her, but everything fazed Elsa. She was skittish. That was one thing I'd have to change. I couldn't just go up to her at any time. She wouldn't be ready sometimes. I'd have to rein in my charm and humor and make sure she was ready first. I had to adjust my schedule so she wouldn't be overwhelmed.

Then there was the touching. Meg let me know when I went too far, but she tolerated me cupping her chin or things like that. That was clearly not the case with Elsa. She must have had some past to be so scared of the slightest contact. If we were going to get serious it would have to change, but the most important thing I realized about Elsa was that change had to happen at her pace. Really, that was all I needed to know. I had to do things cautiously enough that she would be comfortable.

It was like a new start. I resolved to find something that would make Elsa, not Meg, happy. It felt strange and oddly thrilling to try to make someone else happy and know that I could. Meg would like something exciting like riding Scylla. But Elsa was different. Elsa would want something quiet. Something orderly and something where she could leave if she needed to. Something like a walk. A peaceful walk around the Underworld. That is what Elsa would like, and that is what I would give her.

Anna POV

Meg and Hades must have had quite the past. When she heard about our plans, she immediately called Hades a "disgusting snake" and said that she'd rather kiss all of the hydra's heads than see him again. She elected to stay behind in Olympus while Hercules and I went after Hades.

With Hercules' horse it was a quick journey back to the spot where Elsa vanished. When we landed, the ground was undisturbed and grass grew serenely over the place where the hole had been.

"It was right here. But it's gone now," I said to Hercules. "Can you get down there?"

"It's easier just to go to the entrance," he said.

"There's an entrance?" I asked.

"Yeah, right where the Acheron, the Cocytus, the Phlegethon, the Styx, and the Lethe come together," he said.

"Um... is that close?" I asked.

"Closer than it should be," he said. "Come on." he boosted me back on his horse on hopped on.

It turned out all those funny words were rivers. Five rushing rivers converged in one spot, leading up to a shadowy, menacing tunnel. I was about to wade across the river when Hercules stopped me.

"You have to take the ferry," he said.

"What ferry-" I started. I looked up and out of nowhere a robed man stood on a small boat. He held out his hand.

"You have to give him a coin," Hercules explained. I rustled through my pockets and shoved the first coin I touched into his hand, which was ice cold. We both stepped into the boat and the man pushed us across with a pole. As soon as we stepped out of the boat, the man vanished. Hercules stopped me again before I could charge into the tunnel.

"What?" I demanded. The tunnel was scary enough without hesitating.

"Once you get in there, you're not allowed to talk until we reach the other side. If you do, you vanish," he said.

"Oh. Okay," I said. I stepped inside the tunnel and promptly almost vanished myself by nervously starting to attempt small talk. This was going to be harder than it looked.