He who aligned the stars

V

Ophelia was a Magus.

She had been raised as a Magus, she practised as a Magus and she lived as one as much as could be expected for her. That came with the age old belief of being a Magus was to walk hand in hand with death. Not necessarily your death or someone else's death, but you had to accept that death would surround you in some capacity.

Some spell might go wrong or someone you associate with would get killed in some interesting capacity because they had slighted the wrong noble or even they had gotten killed in their own stupidity. You had to accept that when living as a Magus, you would face death at some point in your life to a far greater extent than the average person would likely experience.

As she stared at Hades standing across from them projecting what she imagined to be a withering glare onto the Goddess Persephone. It was difficult to read his expression, seeing as though he didn't actually have one to give in the first place. Though that was with the quick glance she had been able to sneak in the direction of the God before she averted her eyes in the desperate hope that he would be too busy to actually notice that she existed in the room.

Yes, she imagined that this isn't quite what they meant by the phrase 'walking with death' but oddly enough it was the most literal interpretation of it that she could ever imagine to exist. It was probably safe to say that this was also going to be the closest to death she ever felt before in her life. So much so that her every muscle felt as though it had locked up and she was barely registering the words that were being spoken around her.

Keeping her eye dead ahead, focusing on the ashtray currently sitting on the table was somehow the most soothing thing for her. Though, try as she might, there was no avoiding the elephant in the room.

Hades had not been expecting them.

He had not been expecting them and Lord Kirschtaria had just called his wife a secretary to her face. In fact, she wasn't even sure why Persephone was here at all, it was still spring so by all accounts the Goddess should have been back in Olympus with her mother and the rest of her family. So why was she even here in the first place? Did they end up ditching that old law that required her to be split between the two locations or was it ever applicable in the first case?

Was this just a special instance?

In fact, she had said that only the house staff were currently in the mansion at the time, which meant that it had effectively just been here and Hades alone at home. But then why was the Cerberus sent to them if they hadn't been expected? What was supposed to have been the point of the great hound charging across the field of death and dragging them back supposed to have been about if there was no chance they were going to be-

"And who is this?"

Every single muscle in her body chilled, her eye dilated and her breath felt as though it had been ripped right out of her lungs. She locked up straight in the posture she had drilled into her by her parents. Locking her spine upright and directing her focus across the room, though still not towards the voice. Where before there had been nothing but muffled sounds coming from next to here, there was now a clear intellectual voice that had spoken with her.

She knew who it was and who it was being directed towards.

Every instinct in her screamed at her to turn tail and run as fast as she could, whether it was merely the effect of some mental effect the God could establish through his mere existence or if it was truly her fight or flight responses as a human being kicking in, neither of those held much weight in her current predicament.

…If she turned and ran right now, that would be profoundly embarrassing not just for herself but for Lord Kirschtaria, who might have just made a catastrophic blunder of any manner of proportions. The fact she was even debating the idea of shaming him in such a way was disgusting to her beyond all manner of belief. Her mind hardened, there was only one true path to take in this instance.

Lord Kirschtaria might have brought her here, but she came here of her own volition and if there was a punishment to be served, then she would stand by his side when it was dealt out. Such was the responsibility of one who had chosen to follow him, regardless of where the path would lead. She would not show herself up as a coward and would not have Lord Kirschtaria's name besmirched after he had somehow won respect from a God.

She pushed herself off the sofa, though it felt as though she had lead weights pressing down on herself as she turned, twisting on her heels and facing the direction of the God, though making sure not to look him in the eye as he spoke, instead keeping her focus directly ahead of herself and staring at his exposed ribcage. "My humble apologies for the intrusion, Lord Hades."

The fact she was able to speak with such clarity and without her voice trembling was something she was exceedingly proud of.

"I am Ophelia Phamrsolone, associate of Lord Kirschtaria Wodime." She bowed her head to him, now directing her attention towards his shoes…or lack thereof. He was just walking around in literal bare feet. "If our presence has caused insult to you, then I can only offer my most sincere apologies for our coming here and that we did not first make arrangements before our arrival. There are no excuses I can offer for this unfortunate state of affairs and I can only ask that you be merciful."

She wasn't going to ask him to overlook this because that felt far and above being presumptuous, then again everything else she spoke had practically flung itself to the forefront of her mind when she was called out to so what difference did one more sentence make? Then again, she internally cringed at the possibility she was coming across as too pathetic, especially given the fact she had come here with Lord Kirschtaria.

Ophelia could only hope that she had not embarrassed him too deeply with this display of hers. She blamed the fact that her mind wasn't quite working the way it was supposed to at the moment, namely a result of an exceedingly powerful God currently standing less than ten feet away from her whose house they had effectively just goose-stepped into without actually asking permission from.

It was at this moment that she became acutely aware of the silence that had fallen around her, yet that was not the only issue that was pressing upon her mind. She could feel her heart speed up the longer she felt it on the back of her neck, a very focused gaze that had every single one of her hairs standing on end. An intensity about the look that was impossibly focused, so very focused, that it wasn't even looking at her but rather straight through her. That was the only way that she could describe it. She wasn't even looking up at the God in question to feel his intense gaze deep into the very pits of her soul.

Gulping, she fought the urge to bring her head up and kept it aimed straight downwards towards the ground. Not even trusting herself to glance to the side, the fact that not a single soul was speaking in the room was already a screaming issue in it of itself, neither Lord Kirschtaria nor Lord Hades were-

"Hooo~" The deep rumbling voice took her breath away, if only because of how cold it was and how close it now felt to her, despite the distance of the God remaining much as it had always been. She had not seen him move from his current spot, eyes still fixed upon his feet. "I find it curious…I inquired as to only your identity and not a moment later, I have you all but throwing yourself to your knees and begging for mercy."

Ophelia felt as though every single cell in her body turned to ice.

"I need barely speak for you to utter such…rapid pleas." Hades' voice continued on, the God remaining unmoving from his position and yet the intensity of the gaze felt more pressing than ever before. Almost as though it was a physical force weighing down on the back of her head, the urge to drop to her knees was growing stronger and stronger. "I fail to recall where I stated that I was offended or in need of such demands. Not to mention that you did not even consult with your esteemed accomplice here before throwing such words in my direction."

Her heart felt as though it was going to explode when she watched Hades take a single step forwards, coming close enough to her that he would have been able to reach out with his hand and touch her. The fabric of his robe crinkled slightly as she watched it incline itself forwards, the shadow of the God falling completely over her, a creeping dread occupying every ounce of her mind.

"Tell me something, Ophelia Phamrsolone, associate-" Hades spoke the word with a sharpness to it that was almost like that of a blade. "-of Lord Kirschtaria Wodime."

If it had been a pressure on the back of her head before, it was now a hydraulic press pushing down on her shoulders. That she could even find herself standing upright at all was nothing short of a miracle in it of itself. Though it did not feel very miraculous to her at the moment, it felt more as though she was trying to fight against the pull of gravity itself, almost as though the natural thing - the right thing - to do was to just accept the pressure and fall to her knees. Yet…yet for whatever reason, she did not do that.

She wasn't going to do that because she was a direct associate of Lord Kirschtaria and proper formalities or no, she was not going to embarrass herself further than she already had done so. Closing her eyes, she awaited the next words delivered with bated breath, there was a tension in the air. An inevitability she felt, she knew that the next words were going to be some of the most important. She didn't know how she was aware of this, but she simply was.

"Who are you to speak with such authority?" Hades asked in a low voice, her eyes watched as a hand of solid bone slowly slithered forwards, fingers curled and placed themselves under her chin before they gradually lifted her head upwards, finding her vision changing until she was directly staring into the face of the God. Luminescent sapphire orbs burning like twin suns, directly straight towards her very being and all consuming in their demands for her attention. "Who are you?"

Who was she?

…

"Ophelia Phamrsolone." She answered once more, putting as much strength into it as she could though it was barely above a whisper, yet her eye did not deviate from the face of the God even for a moment. Starting straight up at him with the same unblinking focus that he provided her with. She was something that Lord Kirschtaria had brought here for a reason, he had selected her for this role for a purpose she did not yet know. However, she chose to believe it was for a good reason. "Subordinate of Lord Kirsctharia."

Hades stared at her in total silence, the complete lack of breathing never felt more deafening than this very moment. The blue orbs remained totally focused on her for what felt like years, the fingers on her chin dragged themselves along her skin until they pulled away from her, the hand they came from curled them into a fist, the glowing orbs narrowed and the God took a single step backwards. "Ho?~"

Releasing a deeply amused noise, he tilted his head to the side as he leaned backwards. "So that is where the shame from deep within your mind comes from. I wondered why you would make such a declaration to me even as you felt so insulted…" his eyes flickered away from her, moving towards her right and someone else. "You certainly attract a loyal following, Wodime. That they would become embarrassed at the mere prospect of causing trouble for you. Certainly a…curious sort you ally with."

"Something I can attest to." Lord Kirschtaria's voice came next, with a hardness to it that she had not been expecting. Yet she could not pry her sight from the God to gaze upon her associate. "Though I would much prefer that you not make such an effort to intimidate the one I brought here. Especially given this is their first encounter with a Divine being such as yourself."

Her breath caught in her throat. Unable to believe what she was hearing right now.

Evidently, neither did Hades as he slowly turned his head away from her and brought his entire attention to bear on Lord Kirshctaria himself. With the attention of Hades no longer upon her, she swung her head so fast that she very nearly gave herself whiplash, staring at the blonde with an expression that made not even an attempt to hide her shock or growing dread. No, it wasn't dread, it was complete and utter disbelief. Only matched by the fact that Lord Kirschtaria was looking Hades dead in the face with a completely flat expression, save for the slight narrowing of his eyes.

Hades took a single step towards the blonde, humming lowly "So you say…yet you would bring someone such as her on a voyage that could very well have been her last if I was in a poorer mood?" sucking in a breath, the God whispered the next words. "Something of a blunder for you, would you not say, Wodime? Especially since you have appeared in my home in a rather…uninvited manner?"

Wodime nodded his head in acceptance, closing his eyes "What you say is indeed true." The admission was met with a gape from Ophelia "In which case, Ophelia is not wrong in her statement and had she not spoken it, then I would most certainly have done so myself. I have complete faith in her and how she operates even outside of my presence."

He had complete faith…in her?

Her heart stopped beating.

Completely unaware of the new focus from silver eyes from the only other woman in the room.

"More to the point, as she is a subordinate to myself, it falls to the one responsible for her being here if there is punishment to be met out." Continuing onwards, Ophelia found herself utterly dumbfounded at the words that he was speaking and by his ability to look the God directly in the eye without even batting an eyelid. "If needs me, I will repeat what she has already said for the benefit of hearing the words come from my own mouth, if that would please you."

Closing his eyes, Lord Kirschtaria lowered his head. "We have no excuse for this sudden and unannounced visit, Lord Hades. I can only ask that you offer clemency for this one occasion of an oversight when balanced against our as of yet beneficial arrangement with one another. Though I am wholly prepared to be met with punishment if that should satisfy you."

Ophelia felt her eyes widen, panic shot through her at the mere thought that her own blunder was about to end with some sort of harm befalling Lord Kirschtaria, especially given the fact that it had only been because of her instinctual response that brought about this current situation. Her eyes swung away from the blonde, falling onto the God once more and already opening her mouth to announce her own desire to take the place of her leader. He was much too valuable and she could only hope that her efforts could perhaps spare him some-

"Enough grandstanding, dear." The voice of the almost forgotten Goddess rang through the halls around them, the tension which had previously seemed at an all time high was cut through as though it was little more than warmed butter. Ophelia whirled her attention onto Persephone, the platinum blonde stood upright in between the two men with her arms folded over her chest, a stern expression on her face…aimed directly towards Hades himself. "We have guests here and we are certainly failing in our capacity as hosts, are we not?"

She raised a delicate eyebrow at the God in question before her lips thinned. "And I certainly hope you weren't planning on doing anything to them given that they are currently guests." she waved a hand towards Lord Kirschtaria and herself. "More to the point, I have officially recognised them as such…more so since I dispatched Cerby-"

Ophelia nearly choked at the name.

"-to pick them up and deliver them here." She was silent for a moment, then her lip twitched into an almost approving smile. "And they were even polite enough to thank him for the ride."

Hades straightened himself somewhat, turning his attention onto the Goddess. "Cerberus himself took them here?" there was a pause before he inquired in a slightly deeper and more perturbed tone of voice. "Furthermore, why was I unaware of the movement of Cerberus himself? Did you accomplish this in so short a span of time?" He sounded vaguely impressed.

Persephone's already raised eyebrow was soon joined by its twin. "Careful dear…" she warned with a friendly smile "You almost sound as though you are doubting my capabilities." the brows lowered "But it wasn't for these two, I merely assumed it was the Wolf coming back from one of your little hunting parties." she waved her hand dismissively "Especially considering he is the only human around…I just wanted to scare him off with Cerberus…then I saw it was two humans who I had never seen before being granted access to the Land of the Dead and wanted to meet them myself."

So that was the reason that the Cerberus was sent to them, just to scare them off? Ophelia supposed that as far as intimidation tactics went, it was certainly an effective one. Yet there was something else in that sentence that caught her by surprise, namely something that had been alluded to earlier but was confirmed. Lord Hades had not shared the existence of Lord Kirschtaria with anyone, not even his own wife. Furthermore, mention of this second human by the alias of wolf was…peculiar.

Though she barely focused on that right now, at least considering that the Goddess Persephone was now speaking and making very little effort to not dominate the room with the somewhat overwhelming aura that she was unleashing, though it was very different to the power that Hades exuded. His was more forceful, like the very air was being bent to his will and your body was being forced to comply with his demands. Persephone reminded her more of the weather, something outside of her control yet it didn't feel forced at all, as though the pressure she was feeling was perfectly natural and not at all unpleasant. A peculiar thing for the Goddess but considering who her Mother was, it made a great deal of sense.

The platinum blonde continued onwards, her hands firmly planting themselves on her hips "Besides. If this human is affiliated with you, and given that he barely required a tour of the house and was already familiar with how to use the doorbell-" Hades remained strangely silent at the accusations "-then I will assume he has appeared here often enough."

Tilting her head to the side, the Goddess curled her lip into an almost predatory smirk "And he is apparently able to speak with you rather casually, so I am left to wonder just how long you two have been meeting with one another in secret without my knowledge…" her eyes narrowed, yet they didn't feel very negative. More mirthful, though it might have just been how she interpreted what was going on here. "So then, dear. I believe that Mr Wodime here has already apologised to you and then you go off and scare this poor girl-"

Ophelia felt her heart leap into her throat when two things happened, the first was that Persephone closed the distance between the two of them faster than her mind could even process, it was simply that the Goddess was in front of her one moment and in the next, she was stood right next to her with her hands placed firmly upon her shoulders. The second thing was that Hades had somehow tracked her movements and his head had very literally blurred as well, moving as though it was a slideshow from one frame to the next. Now finding herself once more under his attention.

"-who was just trying to apologise for what was going on like any unannounced guest would do." Persephone remarked, patting her twice before she leaned forwards into her visible side, looking her up and down from the corner of her eye. "Anyone who has never met a God before and somehow stands directly in front of Cerby without running away in terror is clearly a brave mortal. I know how much you like those ones…" she paused for a moment, then turned her attention towards Hades once more.

"Or…perhaps you were getting a little jealous that someone else might spend time with-"

"Persephone." The tone of Hades voice had not changed, he had not even raised the volume of it beyond speaking level. Yet the single word reverberated through her entire being, as though the planet itself gave way for him. That was all he needed to do, her throat ran dry and her breathing stopped. The glowing orbs which served as the Gods' eyes blinked in and out of existence. "...You are correct in that Kirschtaria is an affiliate of mine and I do hold him in high esteem."

Hades turned to the blonde "Because I have personally witnessed his resolve first hand. I know exactly what I am dealing with when I speak with him and, therefore, I believe I am just as entitled to validate any of those who would claim to be his subordinates." the head drifted back to her, blue orbs piercing her once more. "You might well have faced Cerberus, but there is a marked difference between my pet and me."

He stepped forwards once more, tilting his head "And if you claim to be his associate, then you know of his goals in part…if you cannot face a God who is barely even trying to intimidate you, then what use can you actually serve?"

…That made perfect sense to her.

"Ho~?" Persephone sang in an almost musical voice as she stepped around her, gliding her way towards Lord Kirschtaria and pacing around him, eyes sweeping over him up and down before they returned to her husband. "So you were just looking out for your friend, was it? That's so sweet, dear-"

Hades let out a long and earth sundering sigh, his head inclined forwards and his right hand moved to pinch the bridge of his nose between his fingers with an audible click. His shoulders dropped ever so slightly, perhaps the domineering presence was lost, but Opehlia was certainly not going to loosen her guard yet. Especially given the fact that Hades had just tested her once already. She still didn't know if she passed such a test.

The bony fingers peeled away from the skull, arm falling back to the side of the owner. "You may find this as amusing as you wish, dear. Though my point remains and you know that just as well as I." Persephone schooled her features, then gave a single nod of the head and paced away, turning her back on the group. "Now then. Kirschtaria, I shall speak with you in private."

Ophelia jolted at the announcement, opening her mouth only to pause when Hades locked eyes with her. "You will remain here until such a time that I call for you." The sapphire orbs narrowed into slits. "You might well have earned Kirschtaria's trust…but the expectations of a God are far and above that of a human. Even one such as him. Do not think your current position affords you privileges…You have yet to prove yourself worthy to me of what you claim."

Be it the words of the God themselves or the tone in which he spoke, Ophelia found that she could not refute them in the least. Rather, it was to be expected and it raised a very real issue. If she could not even stand before the likes of Hades - who was an allied God - then what right did she have to stand before the likes of Lord Kirschtaria and the others and proclaim that she planned to have Odin killed. It was the height of hubris and not just something which mocked her, but also the one who placed their faith in her.

She aimed her single eye to the ground, feeling the piercing stare of Hades linger on her for a few moments before his footsteps receded from the room. She did briefly glance upwards, though that was just to see Lord Kirschtaria following the God out of the room, more than ever she felt as though she had let him down. Even worse was that he proclaimed his trust in her. Ophelia pulled her expression tight, watching as the blonde retreated from the room with the Lord of the Dead.

What she needed to do was prove herself worthy of this trust. Which meant that she would have to face the likes of a God in the future. Her mind hardened, she would win Loki to their cause whatever the cost might be. That was something she was certain of and she would not humiliate herself like that again-no. She would not besmirch the faith that had been placed in her.

"Dear me." She froze at the voice, turning her head to Persephone and seeing the Goddess staring at the door the other two had left through with a slightly troubled expression on her face. Her hand placed delicately on her cheek and her head angled ever so slightly to the side, silver eyes flickered towards her and the lips pulled themselves into a smile. "My husband has a way with words and he only exchanges them with those he has true expectations from, else he just ignores them."

If that was meant to sound reassuring, then it wasn't. Besides, Ophelia had already deduced as much when she heard the final sentence of the God. Though she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do at this very moment-

"I suppose that leaves the two of us here." Persephone continued on, folding her hands behind her body while keeping the cordial smile on her face, swinging herself around to face Ophelia. "It has been a while since I last spoke with a human and you…you're certainly a little different compared to most." her eyes meaningfully landed on Ophelia's right side in the direction of her blindspot. The Goddess stepped forwards, each one being a gentle clack on the floor due to her heels.

Keeping her face devoid of emotion was slightly challenging, especially so when the Goddess leaned forwards and revealed that she was actually a little bit taller than she was. It might have only been an inch or so, but it felt absolutely mountainous in this one moment. Her left eye flickered to the side, watching as Persephone brought her adjacent hand up and placed it rather gently on her shoulder, applying just enough pressure to turn her body towards the large sofa. "But enough about all of them…I'd like to know a little bit about the human who is close friends with my husband."

She paused, then inclined an eyebrow "I believe that would be a fair exchange? Nothing too personal or sensitive…I just want to hear your opinion on him." Ophelia…supposed that was moderately acceptable, but if Hades had not spoken of him to Persephone then it might have been for a good reason and-

"Oh, and if you're worried about my husband." Persphone guided her down, ensuring she was seated firmly on the sofa before she took a spot next to her, all the while keeping a beatific smile on her face. "Don't worry. Just consider it a secret between us women, hmmm~"

Even if she said that, there was still the manner of speaking of Lord Kirschtaria without his permission to a Goddess. It felt more as though she would be speaking behind his back-

"Oh-ho-ho-ho!" The Goddess suddenly grinned "It's not just Hades you're worried about insulting…I didn't realise this Kirschtaria meant so much to you as well…" pausing, the Goddess hummed as she reached up, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Kirschtaria is such a long name. Not very cute either."

C-cute?!

With a snap of her fingers, she smiled directly into the face of Ophelia "Kirsch-tiara! Or perhaps Tiara for short? I like it. Very cute and-"

Ophelia made a strained noise "Please refrain from insulting Lord Kirschtaria."

Persephone leaned forwards, so close that Ophelia could feel the heat of the Goddess breath on her, silver eyes looking directly into her own. "Or?~"

…For the sake of keeping Lord Kirschtaria respectable, she could go so far as to give her own interpretation of him. Just for his own sake and to maintain his image.

Ophelia opened her mouth and started speaking in a rather professional manner.

Wodime could feel the pressure of the room from the moment he stepped inside of it, he might have been slightly hesitant to leave Ophelia alone in the same room as the Goddess Persephone - namely because he knew next to nothing about her and Hades had made quite a show of meeting her - but it was likely better for them that he was here. He very much doubted that Hades was going to wish for an audience for what was to come next.

He watched the God of the Dead stride to the other side of the study, coming to a halt right before the large desk carved from what looked to be solid gold, the ornamental decorations of skulls facing forwards lined each corner of the desk. Behind it and shooting further than the eye could see were rows and rows of bookshelves all thick with tomes, scrolls and all other forms of recorded information.

Hades remained stationary for a few moments, not turning around. The silence stretched out between the two of them was likely to breed a sense of tension. Indeed, if that was the intent then it was clearly working. Wodime felt it, the unspoken words hanging in the air. He knew what was going to happen, or he assumed as much. But he would not be certain until Hades spoke.

"I know why you have come, Kirschtaria." Hades spoke in a slow and measured tone of voice, his arms folding behind his back and fingers slowly curling into a fist. "Yet it is not your arrival that vexes me so. Indeed, I had been expecting you to respond once I had alerted the others within your organisation to the discovery that I had made and the pressing nature of it."

The God sharply breathed in.

"Indeed…it seems as though they pressed the importance of this information rather deeply." He slowly turned around, blue orbs in his skull burning brilliantly like torches. "Seeing as you wasted no time in traversing the underworld directly to my front door without even granting me the basic courtesy of forewarning. No…you stride through my home without even a note and then it falls to my wife to bring you before me."

Wodime rolled his lips, keeping his face as blank as he possibly could.

"If any other mortal had pulled a stunt such as that…" The orbs blinked out, the God turned his head to the side and let out a long sigh. "This conversation would be much less pleasant."

Nodding his head up and down, he opened his mouth to speak. "You are right to be frustrated by my presence here. Indeed, it was my…overzealousness which led to this unfortunately premature meeting. I should have gone through the proper channels."

"You most certainly should have." Hades snapped, whirling his head onto him once more and dropping his shoulders. "If the roles were reversed, would you expect me to just drop in at the foot of your bed in the middle of the night? By Chaos, Kirschtaria…I expected this level of arrogance from one of my bothersome family, perhaps even Demeter come marching in…"

He brought his hand to the forefront, waving it at him "Instead I emerge and find out that you have all but goose stepped through my front door. I was expecting you to send a message first and then we would have met at a later time to arrange all of this…" Wodime internally cringed. "You can't just go barging into my home without warning! Least of all when my wife is here!"

"Forgive my rudeness but…isn't she supposed to be in Olympus?"

"With Demeter?" Hades scoffed, shaking his head from side to side "That was merely because her mother was possessive at the time…a long time, actually. The half a year shared between us fell out of fashion and Persephone is a grown Goddess capable of making her own choices. She can come and go between here and Olympus as often as she likes. Demeter can no longer enforce the time restriction upon her…" he paused for a few seconds, then his eyes glanced to the side. "As of…fifty years ago at least."

Wodime felt his expression shift ever so slightly, gradually turning his head towards the door they had come through and staring at it in silence for a good few seconds, then he returned his gaze towards the God. Persephone had said that the only individuals in the mansion were the staff and the two of them. Which meant, effectively, Hades and Persephone were alone together.

He also noted that this outfit was much less…ostentatious than the sort he would usually wear.

Almost as though it was…not for public events.

"...I feel as though I should apologise once again." He spoke again in a much more strained voice "To you and to Lady Persephone."

Hades grumbled "Persephone will adore this. I dare say she will call this the best interruption of all time." he reached up with his right hand, running his boney fingers along the surface of his face. "Months hounding me for information about you, I did not realise she was going so far as to search for you in secret as well but…you're here now. Expect her to…"

He was silent for a moment, his skull shifting and his eyes glancing down in an almost thoughtful manner. "...I suppose the correct word to use would be to interrogate you. I rarely find those I can genuinely call my friends and Persephone is very…supportive of such relationships."

Wodime could not think of what else to say but "She sounds wonderful."

"...Quite." Hades responded flatly, then shook his head from side to side "She is aware of our goal, before you ask. So long as Demeter and the other Olympians remain unharmed, she has no concern with what we are trying to achieve…" he waved his hand dismissively "Considering where her affiliations lie, she never much cared for interference in the mortal world anyway."

That was good news, he would not wish for there to be strife between his friend and his wife. In fact, this was the second time in as many days that he arrived at someone's home unannounced and ran into their spouse first. Perhaps he should have started sending messages ahead rather than just appearing. It did seem a touch rude and only a step below inviting himself in.

Wodime exhaled "As much as I understand your frustration, I must still lodge my own protests for the treatment of Ophelia.'' His expression hardened ever so slightly, though Hades gave little indication that he even noticed beyond a slight twitch of his eye in Wodime's direction. "She had done no wrong and her words were perfectly valid. Much as I might understand the point you were trying to convey…I must still question its execution."

Hades stepped forwards, pointing squarely towards him "You have only yourself to blame on that front. You have somewhat spoiled my expectations for humans who arrive here as of late and specifically those associated with you. The girl could have stayed silent and I would have still done exactly the same." he lowered his hand, staring into his eyes for a few moments longer. "Still, it's not quite like you to get so confrontational with me."

"Her coming here was my idea for the sole purpose of aiding in her recent goals." He brought up the flat of his hand. "Those are for her to convey, not for me to do on her behalf."

"After chastising me, you leave her to her own devices?" Hades inquired with a tilt of the head, a touch of intrigue to his voice.

Wodime nodded his head once "I shall not step in and usurp control of this from her. It was her plan and it shall remain her plan. It is in her hands whether it succeeds or not. I will provide what aid I can in executing it…but in planning it?" he shook his head "Unless she directly asks for my aid. I will not impose myself."

Hades gave a single hum "I see. You trust her that much…not just because of the amusing little trinket in her head?"

"She could be blind and I would still listen to her opinion."

"...You do her no favours with this display, you understand?" Hades remarked with a mirthful scoff "I expect even more from her now. Though…I will grant credit where credit is due. She was capable of standing before me without showing her fear, even if she felt it." the God nodded his head up and down, raising a single finger. "She has a promising foundation, I suppose…whether that goes anywhere is up to her."

Wodime supposed that was the best he was going to get and it was somewhat better than he was expecting. At least Hades was admitting she had potential, it meant that he saw just as much in Ophelia that he currently saw as well. More than his own words had delivered, he would be rather distressed if his blunder and Ophelia's attempt at salvaging it had marred the future relationship between the two of them. Though winning the respect of Hades was a rather…challenging feat. Though, he had full confidence in Ophelia.

Just as he would have full confidence in any one of his team he might have brought here and found themselves in exactly the same position.

All of that aside, there now came the issue of the fact he was here now. He could always come back at a later date but that would be somewhat awkward to do at this point, as it would effectively mean his sudden interruption had been for absolutely nothing. "I would not seek to impose further than I already have-"

"Return to your companion." Hades cut him off before he could even finish his sentence, the God stepped forwards and crossed his arms behind his back once more. Blue eyes staring down at him. "Given that you have come all this way, it would be somewhat redundant to send you back only for you to arrive once more - likely tomorrow - to receive news that I could just as easily grant you now."

Eyes narrowed. "Though I sincerely hope that you will reflect upon this encounter and recall the importance of proper visits."

He nodded to Hades in confirmation "This was spurred by my own overzealous nature, as I have said before." being silent for a while, he allowed his shoulders to drop and an almost embarrassed smile came upon his features. "I say that but it was more a case of me being over excited for what you might have told me that I couldn't quite contain myself…I suppose it would be correct to say that I was a child on christmas morning."

Probably not the best example he could have given, seeing as how Santa did originate with several other figures in history. Namely Saint Nicholas, Odin and Coca Cola. The latter he didn't see Hades taking as much issue with as the first two, though if he was offended he didn't show it. Then again, Wodime always had a problem with reading Hades' face…namely because he didn't actually have one to begin with.

Strolling past him, the God exhaled "Let us see if your companion is still capable of thought, after she has been left alone in the company of Persephone." he grumbled lightly, a small warmth to his words that was rather unusual and somewhat revealing. He'd never heard Hades speak like that before, he supposed love really did bring out the best in everyone. Also the worst, but mostly the best.

The door was opened and the pair walked back through into the room.

"-lm and collected regardless of any situation." He heard Ophelia's voice as he entered, finding her sitting next to Persephone with an almost clinical look on her face as she disguised something with the Goddess. He'd seen her with such focus before, normally she only spoke like that when it was something she was interested in, clearly it interested Persephone as well, given that she was nodding her head up and down with a very engaged look upon her face. "Hence why I am unsurprised in his befriending of-"

Ophelia cut herself off and fell silent, doing so the second she caught sight of himself and Hades, her jaw snapped shut with an audible click and her eye widened for a split second before it returned to its usual state. Wodime was almost disappointed that she stopped speaking, he at least hoped to have been part of a conversation…but that was quickly overshadowed by the knowledge that Ophelia had been speaking with a Goddess in a rather cordial way.

Persephone glanced over in their direction, her eyes lingering on him for a few moments longer than he would have expected. She was still smiling, but now her smile very much reminded him of the ones that Leona would have when she was in the midst of teasing someone, when she aimed that smile towards Ophelia and the woman glanced away from the Goddess, he could empathise completely with her. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of that sort of mirth.

Hades didn't seem all that concerned, continuing his casual walk across the room with only a passing comment aimed towards Persephone. "I see that you have been keeping our other guest entertained."

"Of course." The platinum blonde remarked with a single confident nod of the head, "I had to reassure her that not all of us Olympians are quite so direct."

"She would have found me much more amicable had she not shown up unannounced today of all days." Hades, to his credit, didn't even miss a beat and he glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with him as he said that. Wodime winced ever so slightly, understanding that it was going to be a long time before he actually got over that, especially considering the circumstances that surrounded his arrival being rather…unfortunate.

Hades turned back around, marching towards his desk and seating himself down behind it. "Now then, you are free to remain if you want Persephone, but I understand that these meetings hardly interest you…" he trailed off for whatever reason and stared at the Goddess, Wodime found his attention on her as well. Then blinked as he watched her make a purposeful show of leaning back onto the sofa and spreading her arms wide across the back of it, crossing one leg over the other and giving an innocent smile.

It took the Lord of the Dead a moment to recover enough to speak, when he did it was rather slow and somewhat puzzled. "You appear to be making yourself rather comfortable there." It was a fairly innocent comment but it carried a subtle hint of confusion and accusation behind it.

Persephone hummed and nodded her head once, "I am, aren't I?" and then she said no more. Falling into a deep silence as she gazed across the room directly towards Hades himself, Wodime slowly tracked her line of sight to the God and stared at him, looking for any sign that he was going to react to her words. Hades didn't even so much as blink as he stared at his wife, keeping his gaze locked with hers for what very nearly amounted to ten seconds before he finally made a noise, bringing up his right arm and gesturing to the sofa.

"You may take a seat, Kirschtaria."

It was less of a suggestion and more of a command but he obliged all the same, moving across to sit himself down next to Persephone-

"Ahem."

Which, upon further analysis, would probably be a rather unwise move to do. He straightened himself back up, then slowly moved across from the Goddess and sat himself down next to Ophelia instead, adjusting his seating posture and straightening himself out, placing his hands on his lap and staring directly at Hades himself.

Hades stared at him for a moment, then leaned back onto his small throne and interlocked his fingers together with one another. "Now then, considering you have arrived so rapidly, I shall assume that you were rather interested with the findings that I came upon. Indeed, this meeting serves a deliverance of multiple findings in recent months of research."

Wodime leaned forwards "Then you were indeed able to find those who might offer assistance aside from yourself?"

The Olympian nodded his head once "You are quite right, though for a mortal you were rather demanding with what you set out for me." he remarked with a dry tone to his voice, very nearly a hint of amusement in his words. "Though I am sorry to say I wasn't quite able to win over the assistance of the White Princess. Tracking her down seemed to be something of a problem for me so I am hoping you will overlook that failure on my part."

…He was being sarcastic.

Wodime adjusted himself, regarding Hades with a flat expression "Whatever aid you have secured is something to be lauded."

A snort from the God "So you claim, yet you were the one who presented Amaterasu as a potential opponent." he leaned forwards, tenting his arms over the desk. "Not even the full might of Olympus in the golden days after the defeat of the Titans would so recklessly challenge her to a contest of strength and somehow winning the aid of Shiva is beyond my efforts." he added on with a deathly serious tone.

"Amaterasu?" Persephone perked up from the side, Wodime glanced at her from the corner of his eye and noticed her staring at him with a rather curious expression, yet there was something akin to incredulity in her eyes as well. "Dear me, you certainly have a way with finding the most bold mortals, don't you dear?"

"Hmmm." Hades merely hummed "That aside, this does bring me to my next two points. Or rather, the subject of interest." he brought his hand up and gave a simple flick of his index finger. A moment later, a small glowing map of a country appeared, something which earned Wodime's attention as it was hardly what he had been expecting. "Or rather…the place of interest, I should say."

Furrowing his brows, Wodime leaned forwards and tilted his head. "South America?" and it wasn't just South America, it included Mexico as well.

Hades nodded once "Indeed. I would ask what you would tell me of this place but it would be a long winded discussion. So I will simply ask you this single question." the God leaned forwards. "What is the most predominant religion in this side of the world?"

Was that supposed to be a trick question? If it was, then Wodime would admit that he was getting tricked hard here. Logic demanded that there was only one answer for it, both in Mexico and in the rest of South America, there was only one Religion that was the largest in both areas of the world and yet he imagined that there was much more to this than was the answer. His eyes moved between the map and Hades several times, searching for anything that might indicate there was some manner of hidden answer to this.

Hades remained tellingly silent through it all, content to merely stare at them.

He supposed the best thing for it would be to bite the bullet, so to speak. Opening his mouth, he was barely able to get even a single syllable out before Ophelia jumped in front of him and spoke in a rather quick tone of voice.

"Roman Catholicism." He closed his mouth, sparing her a quick glance and then looking back to Hades. The blue orbs of the God barely even spared Ophelia a glance, though they did flicker to here for a brief moment, but no longer than that.

"Yes, quite." The God rumbled "Yet, would you be interested to know that despite the predominant religion within South America and Mexico…there is not a single Angel to be found?"

Wodime blinked.

"Nor even an official Exorcist?" Hades rumbled, leaning forwards and his tone making it clear there was now a sly smile on his face. "In fact. Despite the overwhelming presence of Christianity within this corner of the world…there is not an ounce, or even a trace, of connection between them and the official Holy Church. In fact, the entire continent is rather…" he trailed off, humming for a moment "...uneducated on the true nature of the mystic world."

He…found that very hard to believe.

"I am certain you are confused, I was as well." Hades admitted with a slow nod of the head and an understanding tone of voice. Waving a hand towards the glowing shape of the map "Indeed, it was something I was completely unable to believe initially. Therefore, I dispatched my own enforcers to investigate…" pausing for a moment, he brought up the flat of his hand "By that, I mean I dispatched my own human agents."

Wodime raised a brow, not at the existence of human agents but rather the fact he dispatched them rather than his own personal force of Reapers. He didn't think it was related to the other factions within the underworld, namely because he very much doubted that Hades even cared what those two thought of him, let alone what they believed he was doing.

A gentle cough came from his side, both he and Ophelia turned their attention onto Persephone. "In case you're wondering, the Gods of South America are notoriously isolationist. They're rather unwelcoming of outsiders to the point where no one sets foot into any of their territories." she paused for a moment, then gestured to herself "At least the European powers don't, we assumed that the Holy Church had an actual presence there given the size and strength of the Christian faith."

Hades took off immediately after she finished, raising a single finger. "Something which struck me as rather bewildering. I would have assumed it was because of the unfortunate incident regarding the ultimate fate of their worshippers at the hands of the Christian invaders some few hundred years ago." he remarked in a rather offhand manner and Wodime would admit, a reason like that would certainly explain the lack of presence…and yet…

He hummed "You suspect there is a different reason to their rejection of outside influences?"

A single nod of the head. "I believed there was a basis in reality for it. Yes. Namely the fact that Christianity is even present in South America at all, let alone to such an overwhelming degree." the God unlocked his fingers, placing them flat against the desk. "The progenitors of the faith are unable to interact with their own worshippers and yet the religion is allowed to exist unimpeded?"

That certainly sounded peculiar, but at the same time there was something odd about it all. "Yet it would not explain why they would allow the religion itself if they were going to prevent those affiliated with it?" he raised an eyebrow, tilting his head "That seems defeatist at best. If they can prevent the presence of the likes of Angels, then surely the religion itself would have been a simple feat of…simply sinking the boats that carried the conquistadors."

Hades nodded his head "Precisely my own conundrum. Yet…that was when I examined it further." leaning forwards, the God continued further. "Because it should go without saying that it is not just the Angels who are forbidden from entering South America, but all factions as well. Not that my Reapers have much cause to go gallivanting around the Amazon."

Wodime nodded along "I inferred as much, and yet they allow the continued existence of Christianity…just without the presence of those truly tied to the religion." reaching up, he rubbed his chin and furrowed his brows. "That is…I would have assumed that it was much the same as the initial expansion of Christianity, where the Angels would accompany the templars to the different regions and bring their own enforcement, as happened throughout the years with the other pantheons."

Hades grumbled "Yes, quite. Though Angels alone are nothing more than fodder. The true danger was always God." he shrugged "And there is a very good reason that Hinduism is still the third largest religion in the world." he chuckled lowly "It was a rather amusing thing to hear of the Angels making an effort to expand into India only to be rather violently rebuffed by the Gods of the region…"

Persephone cleared her throat "Very interesting, but you're waffling dear."

The God huffed "Yes, yes. As I was saying, previously there was very little that I was capable of doing and I would have never thought to look there had it not been for one of your little associates sending me a message." blue orbs narrowed and Wodime felt his interest rise, Hades leaned back into the throne "Jedidiah. He claimed that South America was 'Home to a Nightmare Millennium Old.' and I found my interest piqued…hence sending one of my human subordinates to the region, though I was surprised to find his entrance was…rather smooth."

Wodime inclined a brow "They made no attempt to prevent him?"

"Whether they were even aware of him or not, he claimed to have encountered no problems in his entrance to South America. He spent the last few months moving through the continent from the foot of Argentina all the way up to the border of Mexico and America." Hades punctuated the sentence by pointing to the glowing map, tracing his finger along it. "He reported back to me recently that he found no evidence of anything related to the Abrahamic faiths and the people who worshipped God had just that to go on…faith."

Hades rumbled with amusement "Can you imagine that? Pure and simple faith in the belief of their God without the concrete evidence that comes with meeting him? And this not from some ignorant little human but from a genuine member of the Church, who preaches to people?" shaking his head from side to side, he continued onwards. "But I was more curious about this old threat that was spoken of and it wasn't until recently that I understood what he meant."

There was an audible smile in Hades voice as he explained the next part. "South America is declining."

Wodime raised his brows "In what sense?"

"Every sense not related to humanity. Mundane existence." He shrugged "Initially, I believed that being unable to properly scry South America from a distance was due to the influence of the Gods preventing my actions but with the news I received, I have come to believe the opposite." he spoke slowly "It is not the actions of the Gods that have prevented this…it is their inaction. They prevent outside influence from affecting the humans of the region while they themselves have been quietly slipping away to the background. As a result, humanity has been recognised as the governing body by the planet in this region, inch by inch."

He felt his heart stop, understanding flashed through his mind a second later as he leaned forwards, slowly rising up from his seated position. His dry throat made swallowing difficult, but he managed it as the full weight of the Gods words settled in his mind. "Do you mean to suggest that the texture of South America has…shifted?"

He was answered with a genuine chuckle "I don't believe I've ever seen you look quite so gobsmacked, Kirschtaria." Hades observed, leaning back and resting his fist on his cheek, leaning onto it. "This makes for a rather worthwhile conversation just for that face of yours."

"Hades, please-"

"But yes." The voice turned serious once more "And it is something that has not been seen since the era of Gilgamesh. The very near fall of the Mesopotamian Gods." he adjusted himself "That caused an influx of panic when we - for the very first time - became aware of just how dependent we were on the world. A single Demi-God very nearly robbed us all of our powers…thousands of Divines flooded into Mesopotamia and it was likely only the death of Gilgamesh that prevented this separation from occurring. Only just…" he exhaled "Yet there were two groups noticeably absent from that."

He raised one finger "Yahweh and the Mesoamerican Gods. Even if they had just emerged from Malla, they would have been aware of their decline the moment they entered the world, something about their power slipping away and yet they remained absent from what had been the largest gathering of Gods that would occur until…" he trailed off, a dark look flooding across his eyes as he looked to the side. Wodime would almost suspect a look of fear on the face of the God as they adjusted themselves. "...That isn't relevant."

Shaking his head to dismiss the odd thoughts, Wodime focused on the map once more. "You suggest that the Age of Man…is coming to fruition here?"

"Quite so." Hades confirmed "And at the hands of the Gods themselves. Who would ever suspect they would be capable of such a thing?" he leaned forwards "At this stage, I doubt it is reversible. From what my own affiliate spoke of, the likes of highest Gods of the Region, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, would be reduced to a level of power…equal to an Archangel."

Wodime blinked. That was certainly a major step downwards and if such a thing could happen to Chief Gods, then there was no telling what could happen to those of lesser power than them.

"Indeed, you see the dilemma." Removing the hand from his chin, Hades continued on "That is where I would recommend looking. Within South America, I doubt they would be comparable to myself but outside of it? They are still Gods and they have shown a willingness to keep their people devoid of the presence of…bothersome pests." he growled for a moment before catching himself. "If you were to look for those who would jump to your side and would present themselves as true allies…I would look no further than South America. Though I can offer very little on where they might be found. I would have suggested only the Yucatán Peninsula but the fact this expansion extends over all of South America and into Mexico suggests that they could be found anywhere over the country and not even my associate could trace down where they would be."

Hades was silent, then hummed "Though if there was one capable of such a thing, I would assume you could do it."

Wodime nodded his head once "You have my gratitude for bringing this to my attention, Hades." He felt an earnest smile work its way onto his face. Gratitude couldn't even begin to cover the emotions he was feeling right now. What he actually wanted to do was shout in joy towards the air but that felt as though it would be more than a little uncalled for in this situation. He slowly turned around, facing Persephone and bowing his head. "And I would again like to offer my most sincere apologies for interrupting you."

The Goddess waved her hand "Don't worry…this day has proven to be far more interesting than I could have possibly imagined." there was an odd twinkle in her eye as she glanced towards Ophelia, then back towards himself.

"Your forgiveness is most welcome." He exhaled, it really did feel like a weight off his mind that both of them weren't unhappy with him. Returning his attention to Hades, he nodded his head once. "Before I forget, there is another matter."

Hades hummed "Oh?"

Wodime didn't speak immediately, but he did slowly turn his attention onto Ophelia and raise an eyebrow at her. Nudging his head slightly, hopefully she would understand what he was trying to do. Indeed, on the second nudge he watched her single eye widen and she rose from her seated position.

"Lord Hades, I would ask to be granted the opportunity to make an inquiry." The words were delivered quickly, Wodime returned his focus to Hades and watched the God in question stare silently at the woman for what felt like years. Eventually, he waved his hand in assent. "My thanks for this chance. In the matter of discovering allies for our cause, I would ask if you believe there is potential for Loki to become one affiliated with us."

Hades made a noise of incredulity "Loki? I doubt the cause of human progression interests him all that much. Unless…it's not Loki you aim for, but Asgard itself?" the God leaned forwards, falling silent for a moment and then letting out a short laugh "Oh? I see…It is more a case of who Loki is affiliated with, is that is? Most shrewd, girl…most shrewd."

Wodime would have been impressed that Hades had deduced what their intention was from the start, but he figured the God would have come to the conclusion fairly quickly.

"I can only assume your target is Odin himself…Yes, the hanged man is quite the troublesome one and I can only assume that you wish to remove him from the equation before he has a chance to disrupt your plans." Hades surmised with an almost bored tone of voice, then waved his hand from side to side "If you wish to know, yes. There is a good chance that Loki would indeed be willing to aid you in the removal of Odin, but there would easily come a point after that where he betrays you simply because it is amusing for him. That being said…he has grown rather antsy over the years. Then again, his purpose has been denied to him unlike myself and many others…I imagine that would drive him to madness."

Drumming his fingers on the table, Hades exhaled "...Loki would aid you to remove Odin. Provided you were to aid him in bringing about Ragnarok." he raised his eyes "And for that, you would need the aid of Surtr. If you can somehow accomplish that…" he shrugged "But that remains the only way you can win Loki's aid, showing him that you will help him as best you can."

Getting the aid of Loki was one thing. Getting the aid of Surtr was quite another and it went without saying that accomplishing this was far beyond what he had been expecting. If Hades thought that was the only method by which they could somehow win the aid of Loki, then things would prove to be far more difficult than previously thought.

Ophelia merely nodded her head "My thanks for the information." her voice was measured, she didn't look dejected but it could just as easily have been her hiding her feelings on the matter. She turned towards him then moved to stand beside him. He kept his eyes on her for a few moments, then returned them to Hades and nodded one final time, turning back around and making his way towards the door.

"Do not feel discouraged." He spoke to Ophelia as they departed the room "There are other solutions-"

"Discouraged?" Ophelia parroted back to him with a shake of her head "You misunderstand, Lord Kirschtaria. I am merely taking into account these new variables. I am certain my original plan still bears discussion, it is merely that I must now expand to Surtr himself." she let out a small sigh "I…will endeavour to make certain it works, Lord Kirschtaria. I promise that."

"...So long as you do not overreach."

He wasn't expecting this turn of events but it wasn't as though he could stop them either. If Ophelia was dead set on this course of action, then that was that. But getting the help of Surtr would be next to impossible because he had not left Muspelheim for many years, to his knowledge at least. Furthermore, he didn't believe the Giant was all that interested in Ragnarok from the get go…unless he was waiting for Loki? That was the problem with prophecies, they were rather vague at the best of times.

As for himself.

He knew where he had to go and he knew who would accompany him.

It would seem that he and Daybit were going to South America.

AN: We're going to Brazil guys.