"Father, please. Listen to me!" Nico pleaded, following Hades around the garden.
Were all mortal children this irritating? Hades thought, covering his ears with his hands. Maybe it was a good thing him and his brothers had made that oath.
"Don't get your hopes up, dear," Demeter added. "It's impossible getting him to listen to anyone. Even me, who's practically his mother. He won't even let me decorate this place a little."
"You are not!" Hades snapped, glaring at her. "And maybe I'd listen to you if you had any better ideas."
"He's right," Persephone agreed. "It's hard enough having you as my mother."
"How dare you?" Demeter glared at her.
Nico groaned. "Would you stop arguing for five minutes? I thought the arguments at camp were bad when I first got there, but now I wish…"
"Don't mention that place," Hades snapped. "You've really become insolent, almost as much as Poseidon's son. I knew I should've kept you in that hotel."
"No, you shouldn't have!" Nico protested. "I missed out on so much of my life, being stuck in that awful place. And it was all because of you. It's no wonder I don't fit in with any other children."
"Don't take that tone with me, boy. I put you there to keep you safe," Hades hissed. "Perhaps a little appreciation…"
"Oh, really?" Nico scoffed. "Where were you when I was running around on the streets?"
"I did give you a place to stay eventually, didn't I?" Hades reminded. "How many mortals have a room in my palace?"
"I'd rather be on the streets than in that dump you call a palace," Demeter muttered. Hades glared at her.
"It doesn't matter now," Nico said. "Once Kronos takes over, everything will be destroyed, including your palace. But I suppose that doesn't matter to you. You're planning to let everyone suffer, just because you're too cowardly to help the other gods."
Hades gritted his teeth. He hated being lectured by a mortal child, let alone his own. Especially when he was admittedly right. But even more than that, he remembered the last time he had listened to a mortal's wishes. It had ended in tragedy. He still remembered that tragic day, wondering if things would have gone differently if he hadn't been so taken with Maria's pleas.
"Why should I?" Hades demanded. "What have they ever done for me? They ignored me until I was useful for them."
"Like you did with me?" Nico muttered.
Hades narrowed his eyes, lowering his voice. "Excuse me?" Nico didn't reply. "Say that again, boy."
"Please don't say anything, child," Persephone pleaded, glancing worriedly at Hades. He had the deadly look in his eyes that terrified any mortal or god. But not his son.
Nico glanced up. "You kept us in that hotel for years," he reminded. "And you only took us out when he wanted one of us to be the child of the prophecy. I guess having all the fame and glory was more important to you than keeping us safe, wasn't it?"
He had never looked more like Maria than at that moment. His dark eyes flashed in the same way as hers. Something broke inside Hades at the words. He conjured the fire in his hand, and Nico looked surprised for only a moment. Then he challenged him to blast him, like the others would expect. As Hades pulled his arm back, Nico cowered, worried his father would actually do it. But instead, he threw the flame at the tree next to him. There was a silence.
"Well, I'm not surprised," Demeter quipped. "He already tried to kill Zeus's daughter and Poseidon's son. I suppose it must be a habit for him."
"Shut your mouth!" Hades hissed. He narrowed his eyes at Nico, who looked terrified at first, but then began to glare at him. "Nico…"
Nico gave a bitter laugh. "Is that your way of protecting me?" he demanded. "By trying to blast me?"
Persephone glanced at him warningly, but Hades didn't say anything. He remembered how happy he had been to visit Maria and the children. It felt like he could escape from his responsibilities in the dark, gloomy Underworld and be a normal mortal man, even for a short while. He remembered the happy, cheerful look on Nico's face when his papa arrived. Now he was glaring at him with anger and resentment. Then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. His children were rarely ever happy, especially with him.
"Don't speak to your father like that," Demeter added. "He was trying to protect you.
"Really?" Nico asked, sounding surprised instead of bitter. Hades was as well. Demeter rarely said anything positive about him.
"He definitely was," Persephone muttered bitterly. "He kept worrying about you in that hotel, every time I visited. And that was when he wasn't talking about that awful mortal woman. Maria this, Maria that!"
Nico stared at her in shock. Persephone hated even mentioning his mother, so he was sure she was telling the truth.
"I… I'm sorry, Father," Nico apologized. "I'm sorry I bothered you and defied you. I'll just leave you alone."
Hades watched as he left, his head bowed. He felt like he was watching Maria walk away on that tragic day, her every step causing him pain. She had left because of him, and now his son had as well.
"Well done, Hades," Demeter remarked. "You got the boy to leave. I was going to blast one of you myself if you didn't stop."
"Aren't you going to go after him?" Persephone asked.
"Why should I?" Hades retorted. "I don't suppose he wants to speak with me, after everything he said. He must detest me."
"Is that really a surprise?" Demeter quipped. "Everyone does. It's no wonder he does as well."
"Mother, please," Persephone pleaded.
Hades glared at Demeter, and Persephone quickly left as well. Hades realized with slight guilt she was slightly afraid of him now as well. He always drove away the people he loved. Demeter stayed, staring back at him. His anger turned to sadness, and he lowered his head.
"Yes, I suppose you're right," he agreed. "I did rob him of his normal life."
"Well, not necessarily," Demeter admitted. "You saved his life, didn't you? He lived much longer than he would've if you hadn't intervened."
"It was my fault," Hades admitted, lowering his head. "Well, not entirely my fault. It was mostly because of Zeus." He scowled. "But I should've tried harder. I knew he was after them. I should've tried harder to protect them from him."
Demeter hesitated. "You did all you could," she reminded begrudgingly, as if she hated getting the words out. "It isn't your fault if he was determined to take them from you. Just like you did with my daughter…" Demeter scowled. "But at least you didn't try to kill her. That's the very least I can say about you."
Hades stared at her in surprise. Was that how she had felt when he kidnapped Persephone? He had always thought she was overbearing and unreasonable, but now… Well, he wasn't going to apologize, but he at least understood how she felt.
"It was the opposite of what Maria would've wanted," Hades muttered. "Being trapped in that place…"
"You did it to protect him," Demeter said. Hades had never sound her so kind when speaking to him before. "To keep him safe."
"Yes, you're right," Hades agreed. "No matter what he may think."
Hades glanced at Demeter, and for once, she didn't look angry or disgusted with him. An understanding passed between them.
"But I suppose he's right, too," Hades admitted. "It was also selfish of me."
"Of course it was. You can never be completely altruistic about anything, can you?" Demeter quipped. "The boy was talking some sense."
"Perhaps he was," Hades agreed. "But I can't stand the thought of a mortal child, let alone my own, giving me orders. He sounds so much like…" He trailed off.
"Like what?" Demeter urged.
"Like his mother," Hades muttered. He wondered if things would've been different if he had stood his ground instead of being swayed by her wishes. "I can't stop worrying that something terrible will happen if we do fight."
"What could happen?" Demeter demanded. "We are some of the most powerful gods, are we not? As much as I hate to admit it about you."
"No, not to us," Hades admitted. He couldn't stand the thought of losing Nico as well. He knew that sounded strange, since he just threatened to blast him, but feelings were often strange. One moment he wanted to kill his son, and the next, he was worried about him. He supposed many mortal parents felt the same way. "You know how vengeful Father- Kronos can be."
Demeter stared at him in understanding again. "That boy is braver than he looks," she said. "He could speak back to you without so much as wincing, even while you were in a rage. How many mortals do you know who dare speak to you in that way? I imagine even most of the other gods wouldn't."
"I can think of a few," Hades muttered, remembering the insufferable son of Poseidon. He just hoped Nico didn't get too close with him. "But you're right. I still couldn't believe he dared to speak like that."
"But I can believe you tried to blast him," Demeter quipped. "Like I said, it seems like a habit for you. You don't seem to have any objection to killing children."
Hades glared at her. "I think I showed great restraint. Imagine if we had said that to Kronos."
Demeter shuddered. "Simply the thought terrifies me. Then again, we didn't know him too well, after he ate all of us as children."
Hades groaned at the memory. "And I just threatened to kill my own son," he muttered. "Along with that daughter of Zeus and son of Poseidon…" Hades hated feeling guilty, but at times, his conscience caught up with him. "I suppose you're right. Perhaps I'm no better than Father."
"I wouldn't go that far," Demeter assured. "If any other mortal dared to speak to you that way, you wouldn't hesitate to blast them. And that's if you didn't slice them to pieces."
"As we did with Kronos?" Hades asked. "I have to admit, it was great fun."
"It was," Demeter agreed. "That was one of the only times we all worked together. Perhaps we should do it again, for old times sake. Nothing better than a common enemy to bring us together, is there?"
Hades knew that well enough. He was often the common enemy for the other gods. It was nice to think of someone else being that for a change.
"Perhaps we should," Hades agreed. "But it would involve admitting my son was right. My mortal son."
"Oh, Hades, don't be so prideful," Demeter insisted. "Besides, he wasn't completely right. Perhaps now you have the chance to prove you weren't a coward like he said. And to prove it to all the other gods as well. Imagine the praise and glory you'll receive if you helped."
Hades thought about it. "I'll speak to Nico," he announced.
"Good. Maybe you'll even apologize for blasting him," Demeter suggested.
Hades ignored her. He made his way up to Nico's room in the palace, where he was lying on his bed on his side. He barely raised his head upon hearing his father.
"What do you want?" Nico muttered.
Hades raised an eyebrow. Nico seemed to realize what he had said. He shot up immediately, staring at his father in terror.
"I-I'm sorry, lord," he apologized hurriedly. "I don't mean to be disrespectful. I—"
"Quit your rambling," Hades snapped. "You've done that enough. And you didn't seem nearly as apologetic then."
Nico went silent. "I thought about what you told me," Hades admitted. "And I realized that, to an extent, you're right."
"I am?" Nico exclaimed.
Hades narrowed his eyes. "Not about everything you said." Nico had the decency to look ashamed. "But you were right that I was too afraid to help my family, simply because they had wronged me."
Nico looked even more shocked than when his father had tried to blast him. "I… I'm sorry about the other things I said," he apologized.
"I hated the way my family ignored and shunned me," Hades admitted. The words were difficult for him to get out, and he couldn't bring himself to apologize, but Nico was staring intently at him. "I thought I had no obligation to help them, after the way they treated me. But now, I see I was acting the same way. And you still tried to convince me."
"You weren't, Father," Nico assured. "You were trying to protect us. Your family just hated you."
"Still, I suppose I gave them reason to," Hades muttered, remembering what he had done to Zeus's daughter and Poseidon's son, and even Demeter's daughter before that. "And the only time we worked together was when we killed Fa- Kronos. Perhaps we should again."
"What?" Nico exclaimed. "You mean…"
Hades hesitated. "As insolent as you can be, you do occasionally speak some sense. I relish the idea of my family giving me a hero's welcome. Especially Zeus. Imagine the look on his face when he has to praise me in front of everyone."
Nico smiled brightly, and Hades realized he couldn't say no to him, just like with Maria. He only hoped that this time, it wouldn't end in tragedy. But he had a feeling it wouldn't. He'd prove he could be what they didn't think he was, and receive respect and admiration from the other gods. But more importantly, he'd prove it to his son, and finally have a child who didn't hate him.
I loved how badass Nico was in the book. I figured he could be even more, by reminding Hades he was acting just like his family. Hades really seems to have a habit of trying to kill Big Three children. Apologies if I got anything wrong- I'm not too familiar with the technical details. There were some details I didn't even notice until I started writing, like Hades maybe being reminded of the last time he listened to a mortal. I also like the idea of Hades and Demeter finding common ground over being parents.
