Five

People in my house have always shocked me—primarily alive people. No one wants to hang out with the King of the Underworld. Well, walking downstairs to find two figures on my couch shocked me. I recognized the duo in a second: Zeus and Demeter.

I believe Zeus goes by Oswald. Not my first choice for a name but whatever.

Zeus still has the same form except for a few details. He let his blond hair have gray flecks, and he grew out a small beard. And he now has clearer blue eyes. But his height and weight stayed the same—a tall, muscular, and narcissistic man like himself would want to remain tall, muscular, and narcissistic.

I am not partial to the smirk on Demeter's face.

Then I remembered Demeter's threat to get Zeus involved.

"Good morning, brother," Zeus spoke.

"What do you want?" I spat.

"Come sit."

"I will do no such thing. Tell me what you are doing here or leave."

He sighed. "Demeter tells me you are involved with her daughter. Does that ring any bells?"

"Yes, I admit it. I have begun courting Demeter's daughter."

"Well, I forbid you from doing so. Break off your relationship immediately."

Anger boiled in my veins. I felt its heat pulse through my body. "You have no right to tell me who I may marry!"

Zeus stood up, wrath burning in his eyes. He did not scare me, though. In the distance, I heard a clap of thunder. "If you do not stay away from my daughter, I will make sure you do!"

I took a step back. "Did you say, 'my daughter?' I always wondered why Demeter kept her child's parentage a secret, and now I realize why. You are the father!"

"Hades, I mean it. Stay away from the girl, or I will gather the Olympians and take the Underworld from you."

I hesitated, freezing in place. "You would not dare."

"I do believe some gods would be perfectly fine to rip it away from you."

I knew that he was serious. Although Hermes will always be an adorable little boy in my heart, he has tried to take my kingdom for a few centuries. I do not stand a chance if Zeus rallies all of the Olympians; at most, I have Thanatos, Hekate, and Charon. Maybe some titans, but they might still be mad at us for our role in their decline. With persuasion, I could have Thanatos' siblings.

My heart dropped. They outnumbered me.

I have to let Calantha go.

I cannot see her any longer.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe, and my heartbeat sped up. "Get out of my house!"

"Not until you can verify you will leave the girl alone."

I gave my brother the coldest stare that I could muster. "I will," I choked out. "But know this: next time you require help... you will not get it from me."

I closed my eyes as they passed me—I could not bear to see their self-righteous faces. I flinched when the door closed, a dull ache spreading through my chest. Something wet landed on my cheek. I wiped it off—is that... a tear?

Now I understand why they call it a heartbreak—my heart feels as if something shattered it into a thousand pieces.

I decided to say goodbye to Calantha before I left. I did not want her to think I vanished because of her. As I walked across the road—the sunrise accompanying me—I contemplated taking her with me. I shook that thought out of my head; Zeus would flay me alive.

Why did Zeus have to be her father? Any other god would be more lenient.

The fact that Zeus is my brother, and I am dating his daughter, did not bother me. Even though we share parents—we are created, not born, per se. Technically, since I do not have siblings, I am not related to Calantha. Which is also why many gods choose to marry their "siblings."

I rang her doorbell and listened for footsteps. After a few seconds, I heard some small thudding. She opened the door, grogginess coating her face. "Aidon?"

I smiled, and, for a split-second, I forgot the reason why I came. "Good morning, magnolia."

"Are you all right? Why did you come so early?"

"I am fine. May I come inside?"

She nodded and stepped back. "Yeah, of course."

I headed to her couch and gestured for her to join me. I pulled her into a hug; she laughed and returned the action. "I have something to tell you."

She moved back. "What's wrong?"

"I-I..." The words refused to depart from my mouth. No matter how many times I said them in my head, the words never left my tongue. "I-I have to leave you. A relative is sick, and I must go away to help them. I-I am so very sorry, magnolia."

I appalled myself how effortlessly I lied to her.

Hurt flashed in her eyes, and she winced. "I-I understand." She closed her eyes for a moment. "How long will you be gone?"

"I do not know, magnolia. But I assume a while. I loved every minute of our time together, but it has to end."

"Oh, o-okay." Tears glistened behind her beautiful lashes.

I rose and clasped her hand. I squeezed it as a tear fell onto her cheek. Then more drops followed in its wake.

Oh, how this pains me!

"I am so sorry, magnolia," I whispered. I leaned in and connected our lips. She tasted of salt. And remorse. I rose; as I touched the doorknob, I spoke, "Always remember me, okay, magnolia?"

"O-of course," she choked.

Just before I shut the door, I blurted out my heart, "I love you."

She gasped and froze. "I-I love you, too."

I smiled and walked away—my heart in her hands.

~~~

After Aidon walked away, I collapsed to the floor, anguish flaring through me. Tears clouded my vision, and sobs wracked my body. I don't know for how long I cried, but when I finished, my throat and mouth were dry, and my head pounded. I hauled myself to my room to get dressed for work. Even though my boss said that I could take off more days, I can't use up all of my time.

I ignored my puffy and red eyes and applied makeup to conceal them. I didn't bother eating; my appetite fled with Aidon. I tried my hardest not to look at Aidon's house as I drove past. My boss gave me a worried look when I showed up but probably assumed it was my "sickness." She didn't question it. The day passed by at a crawl, but once I got home, I couldn't remember a single thing that happened—except for this morning.

My house sounded eerily silent, and I struggled with what to do around the house. I tried reading, but I couldn't sit still. I tried to watch a movie, but the restlessness caught me again. I finally went to bed, hoping the repose will knock me out of my funk.

In the morning, the sun shining in through the curtains woke me. I rolled over in bed and checked the clock—it read five forty-five. It didn't faze me. I still received ten hours of sleep. My garden outside called to me, and I decided to drown my sorrows in my flowers.

I donned my gardening outfit and my favorite gloves and got to work. The dirty work succeeded in taking my mind off my loneliness. I zeroed in on my petunias—they were in the early stages of wilting. I guess we haven't had enough rain.

The memory of meeting Aidon had tears pricking my eyes, and I forced the images away. I paused for a minute and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. When I opened my eyes again, I blinked in shock. Were my petunias this wilted earlier? They seem more shriveled up than a second ago.

But that's not possible—plants can't speed up their aging.

I must not have been observant enough.

I removed one of my gloves and patted the soil underneath the flower. It has enough water, and I didn't want to overwater them. After preening over my other flowers and shrubs, I headed back inside to eat. My stomach finally made an appearance, and it was angry for getting nothing for the past day.

~~~

After I left Calantha's house, I summoned some of my spirits to move my things back to the Underworld. With all of my help, it took about half a day.

"We are departing whether you are partial to the idea or not," I told Kerberos—who stubbornly refused to leave. He laid in the now-bare living room. He raised his head and showed me his teeth in a snarl. My shoulders dropped in a sigh when I realized the reason for his disobedience. "I know. I do not wish to leave her, either. I love her, too. But if we do not depart, I will not have a kingdom. And you will not have a home."

He whimpered and slowly got up. I patted his head in sympathy and teleported us back to the place that I have not seen in two decades.

The first person that I summoned was Thanatos, respectively. He was surprised, to say the least. "Hades! You're back!" Then he saw my sullen expression. "What? What is it?"

"Nothing," I snapped.

His eyebrows rose. "Oh? I don't think it's nothing."

"I do not wish to speak of it. Call the servants and prepare dinner—I am famished."

"Do it yourself, Hades. I am the king of death—not your valet." To others, they might have seen the disrespect, but I know Thanatos well enough to detect the jest.

"Oh, all right. Now, get out of my sight."

Thanatos laughed and shoved my shoulder before disappearing.

For a week, I kept the thoughts of Calantha at bay. But, as I stepped onto my balcony on the tenth day, my solitude hit me like a car, knocking the air from my lungs. Oh, how I willed for Calantha to be by my side—for her to be in my arms again.

I missed her floral scent—the way the aroma of flowers followed her.

I missed the silkiness of her hair—the way it felt as I ran my fingers through her hickory strands.

I missed her laugh—the way she brightened up the room with her giggle.

I missed her innocence—how easily I could make her blush, or how she reacted to my kisses and caresses.

And I missed how she made me feel—as if I were not the god everyone feared. As if I could be normal for a few weeks.

I missed her with everything that I am.

In the morning, Thanatos confronted me. "Hades, what the hell is up with you? You've been moping for, like, two weeks!"

I sighed, rubbing my hand over my face. I have avoided the question thus far, but I guess I have to reveal it at some point. "I... I met someone while I was with the mortals."

Thanatos grinned. "That's wonderful!" I shot him a glare. "Or... not?"

"No, not "wonderful." The woman is the daughter of Zeus."

"Oh... bummer. And I'm assuming Zeus forced you apart?"

"Yes—" my voice caught in my throat "—he threatened to take the Underworld from me if I did not comply."

"And... you love her?"

"Very much so. I love her so much that it hurts."

"I'm sorry, man... If there's anything I can do, let me know."

"Thank you, Thanatos. You are a true friend. But the only thing that I need is time alone."

As I lay later that evening in my room, I made a vow to myself. That would be my last venture out of the Underworld for pleasure.

A week later, I drudged up enough energy to attend a Judgment. The guards opened the doors, and in walked a spirit.

He bowed before the kings, and the kings started their discourse. "I say Asphodel... he hit his wife in an argument, but he also took care of his mother when she had dementia..."

"Good point, but I say Tartarus. As you said, he hit his wife."

"I agree with Rhadamanthus. He deserves Asphodel."

In the times there is not a unanimous decision, they turn to me for a verdict. And that they did. I took no time to answer. "Tartarus. I do not allow abusers to go away unpunished."

The spirit's jaw dropped in shock. "But-but, Your Majesty! It was years ago! My wife forgave me a long time ago—"

"I do not care," I interrupted. "Guards." They heeded and dragged the spirit out of my room.

Later as I walked the grounds of my palace, I stopped to stare at the sunset. Although I do not receive sunlight, I have an artificial sky equipped with both day and night. Ice-cold water splashed over me, and I broke out of my thoughts with a gasp.

I whipped around and saw the culprit—a stable-boy. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Your Majesty, I-I'm so, so sorry! I-I tripped!" the boy cried. He held a water bucket. Around us, I noticed more ears tuning into the conversation.

Anger boiled in my veins. "Insolent child! How dare you?"

"Please, Your Majesty! I didn't intend to—"

"Maybe some time in Tartarus shall teach you not to be inept!" I waved my hand and sent the servant away. I glared at the eavesdropping servants and stomped off to get a new shirt and pants.

A few minutes later, Thanatos burst into my study with a disapproving look. "Really, Hades?"

I set down my book and stared back. "What?"

"You sent a boy to Tartarus because he spilled water on you?"

"Yes. He—"

"Do you think he did it on purpose?"

"I—"

"Well, he didn't, μαλάκας!"

"Since when do you hold such high regard for my staff?"

"Since you overreacted!"

"Thanatos, need I remind you that I am your sovereign?"

He opened his mouth but stopped. He rolled his shoulders back and nodded. "You're right. My tone is disrespectful. I am sorry for my impudence, Your Majesty."

He strode out, slamming the door behind him. I flinched as the sound resonated through the room. What I said sunk in; how could I say that to my best friend?

Regret swept through me. First, Zeus turned my beloved nephew against me; then, Zeus takes away the love of my life, and finally, I drove my best friend away.

What has my life become?

~~~

I've never had any of my plants die on me. I stared at my shriveled-up petunias and sweet peas, brown and lifeless in the dirt. How did they die? Did I not water them enough? Did I overwater them? I know the soil was the correct type—I know which plants can handle the acidity of my land.

I dug them up to check for life in their roots. Nothing. With somberness, I shuffled to my garbage and threw the dead plants into the trash. Do I bother replanting them? Was their death my fault? Or did something like the weather kill them?

I reached for the phone to call Aidon about what happened but stopped myself. He's not there anymore—he won't answer the phone. I inhaled and straightened my shoulders. Stop being selfish; he is helping a sick relative.

As the days passed, I noticed lots of things—the first was that I lost a lot of weight. I guess to retain body mass, you have to eat. When Aidon left, my appetite fluctuated—sometimes, I felt hungry; other times, I didn't eat for twelve hours. But I know that I never ate more than three-quarters of a meal.

That summer, Aidon leaving threw my sleep schedule completely off, too. I either slept through the night and couldn't get up in the morning, or I didn't sleep at all. And when I did sleep, I dreamt of terrible things—like nightmare-level things—which left me exhausted and feeling like I didn't sleep a wink.

I wished everything would end.

My boss cornered me one day. "Darlin', is everything all right at home? You're lookin' a lot skinnier and paler than usual."

I stared at her for a second. "Yeah. I guess I'm still recovering from that sickness. Every time that I go to eat, I get super nauseous." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Ye should go see a doctor for that, darlin'. That don't sound too good."

I nodded—maybe I should. Perhaps I'll see a therapist or something. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Okay, darlin'. Take it easy for the day, yeah? Don't go liftin' the heavy pots." She leaned forward and patted my head before walking back to the register.

Then I noticed my mother hasn't called me for at least a few days. And she hasn't randomly appeared in my house, either. She stopped right after Aidon left; is that a coincidence? Is she truly that mad at me?

But what made me feel more guilty is that I didn't care. I couldn't find enough energy to take an interest. I was too numb already. I couldn't find the strength to do a lot of other things, either.

I didn't care that my mother cut off contact.

I didn't care to eat.

I didn't care.