Chapter 6: The Reunions
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Hey All!

TLDR: Please post feedback so I can improve my writing! Love ya!

Thank you so much for reading! This has been a dream of mine for a while, and I'm really enjoying making my work public. I'm hoping to get into a rhythm and post regular updates. I'd have never dreamed this many people would end up reading it this early on (I was hoping for at least 4 or 5, tops).

This is my first writing I've ever made public, and I don't really have an editor (except my husband who dutifully says "great work babe" when I make him read it; so understand that it may be a little clunky. This is a first draft, and I am looking for feedback so I can hit it again with a more polished final work later. Don't worry, I can take it!

Love ya lots, and if you appreciate my sense of humor, you can follow me on Twitter @D_B_Blackwood to keep in the loop between posts.

-D.B.

Hades was pissed. For the king of the underworld and god of the dead, one would assume that this was a normal occurrence, but this was actually quite rare. Hades prided himself on being a gentle receptor for souls who passed, and he found no joy in tormenting even his most wicked charges. 

Hades was widely known by the other gods for his cool head and slow to burn temper, and the other gods seemed absolutely delighted with the ways mortals seemed to contradict that image. The Greeks, who were their pantheon’s most faithful followers, seemed too afraid to even utter his name, lest they hasten their own demise. The Romans and eventually Christians played up the theatrical animus of that image and made him out to be some sort of villain, and frankly, the Disney cartoon ‘Hercules’ had done nothing to help.

Hades didn't like leaving the underworld to consort with the conceited gods who lived on Olympus, and he also hated being away from his lovely wife. But more than anything, the unusual reason that Hades' temper had risen, was because he hated being assumed as a fool. His brother Zeus had broken the agreement that the six original Olympian gods had pledged to uphold, and he was either too pompous or too foolish to believe that the others would ever find out. 

They had agreed to leave the humans to their own devices and not to interfere or even contact them without discussing it as a council. He’d known there was talk of breaking the agreements, but up until recently it had only been talk. Now he was sure that the agreement had been broken, and he would need to confront them if he was going to break the agreement as well.

Hades’ ruminating on his brother's actions was interrupted by a big, slobbery, wet kiss to the side of his face, leaving a thick viscous saliva to drip down onto his previously clean matte black armor. Wanting with all his heart to keep being angry, Hades couldn't help but smile. Cerberus’ specialty was being able to sense when Hades needed relief from his stress, and he was an expert at relieving that stress. It didn't help that Cerberus’ stature kept everyone but the titans’ faces within licking range; all without his front legs ever leaving the ground. 

“You truly are the goodest boy in all the realms” Hades cooed, reaching out with both hands and alternating scratching the scruff under his three chins. “If there's any good that comes of this whole catastrophe, it's that you are finally getting some much deserved walkies.” Hades grin came out in full force as his faithful pooch rolled over onto his back showing off his more prominent spots, for which he was named. As Hades dutifully rubbed the soft fur on the dog’s underbelly, he found himself being very thankful that his faithful friend also shared his immortality, as he couldn't imagine a life without him in it.

“Alright boy, it's time to get in there” Hades said standing. He’d cooled off, and with renewed purpose he started up the steps of the Olympian Monolith that Zeus called home. 

The guards stiffened as Hades approached, but made no moves to stop him from entering. It would seem that in his absence, the old narratives of ‘Hades being evil’ were resurfacing among their kind. Zeus was passionate about rewriting the narrative to make himself out to be the hero, and Hades’ role as the villain played a common theme. It's easy to talk shit about someone who isn't around to defend himself, Hades seethed. A healthy dose of fear would serve him well today, so he stopped himself from being polite to them. 

Pushing open the doors to Zeus’ court, a plump and red faced attendant tried to step in Hades’ way. Hoisting up a comically large speaking-trumpet, the man began to bellow “Lord Hades, humbly presents himself for your Imperial Majesty, King of the Gods, God of the lightning that leads, and the thunder that follo-”

The attendant was interrupted as Cerberus stuck one of his tongues in the funnel in an attempt to try and find where the sound was coming from, and to see if there were any treats inside.  

“Yeah, I know who he is. That's why I came all the way up to this eyesore of a building.” Hades replied coolly, keeping his smile from his face. He turned to Zeus before continuing “little brother. I hear you've been busy.”

A chorus of gasps came from Hades’ interruption, and one stepped away from the pack. “You should speak to father with more respect.”

Hades had planned to arrive during Zeus’ court, so that Ares would be present, but didn't let on. “Ahh, good. Ares, you're here too. That saves me a trip from having to have this conversation twice. Zeus, You have been accused of violating the agreement. The accusation includes sending your errand boy Ares to the mortal realm to drum up support for a war intended to kill off as many humans as possible, thereby encroaching on my domain.”

“As is my right! It isn't your domain until they're dead!” Ares shouted before Zeus could reply.

Hades had hoped the lesser god would speak without thinking first and force his father’s hand, but that was almost too easy. The eager god of war still struggled to think before acting. “So, you don't deny it then?”

“Shut your mouth Ares!” Zeus thundered, upset with losing his plausible deniability. After thinking for a beat, Zeus replied coolly “I made the terms of our agreement, I have every right as king to decide the exceptions to be made.”

“That's a great narrative little brother, but you forget yourself. We made that agreement as the six original Olympians, and vowed not to break it without discussing it between us first. You are not above the law, no matter how often you try and rewrite our history. Shall I ask Poseidon if he knew of your violation, while the oceans lay in waste. Does Demeter know that the harvests that have been put in jeopardy because of climate change were within her grasp again to save? What about you Hera? Surely, Zeus consulted you before acting so rashly? Zeus would never violate your trust in this way.”

“Enough!” Zeus boomed, but it was too late. Hera was shaking with anger, but wouldn't meet anyone’s eyes. Hades knew that his words had cut deep and that Hera had long ago tried to reason away her frustration at her husband's infidelity, but that their marriage was only in name. He knew that she must be seething at the thought that she could have been influencing her domain once more, but that Zeus had chosen to violate her trust yet again. 

In a low rumble, Zeus made eye contact with Hades once again “They are destroying the earth. Their overpopulation is ruining the world, my solution will fix it.”

“But that isn't the problem, is it? The damage is coming from the powerful and wealthy mortals, who would hide in their bunkers until your wars wiped the innocent from the earth. Their advanced weapons regularly destroy the domains of the other gods, but you have no empathy for your fellow gods, let alone the innocent mortals caught in the crossfire.”

“A small price to pay for reducing the infestation of humans littering the earth. They number in the billions, Hades! The greed of the mortals hasn't changed, only the number of them left to inflict it on the world. Innocents must die in order for balance to be restored.”

Hades snapped “how unjust an act, for the so-called god of justice. I guess you consider yourself lucky that your domain doesn't include truth or fidelity. I’ll be spreading the word of your violation to every god I can. The agreement is no longer.” Hades turned to leave without waiting for Zeus to respond.

“I won't be criticized by the lowly god of the underworld. I am king of the gods! Lord of Mount Olympus!”

“You live at a higher altitude, little brother, that doesn't make you a better god.” Hades heard gasps from the court as he left the room and summoned Cerberus to his side. That had gone exactly as planned. Even without telling the other gods, Hades could be sure that the attendees of Zeus’ court would gossip his transgressions. Hades had an alternate motive for the theatrics though. He knew that Ares would send word to his mortal priests to be on the lookout for new threats, and Hades had his best scouts trailing him to record their identities.  

**

Soft knocking roused Samantha from her mild panic. There's no way that was ten minutes she thought as she looked at herself once again in the mirror. She was wearing a t-shirt that was massive on her, and a pair of sweatpants that had been cinched tight around her flared waist. On her feet, she wore her favorite slippers, that looked like they’d slip off her feet if she tried to walk faster than a slow stumble. Her overall appearance gave the impression that she had stayed over at her boyfriend’s place, and now had nothing to wear. She didn't have time to be critiquing her lack of wardrobe now, she had a goddess to meet.

Rushing as fast as she could without sending her slippers flying she made her way to the door and opened it without so much as looking through the peephole. In the doorway stood her friend and next door neighbor, looking slightly startled at how fast the door had been opened.  

“Oh uh hi- is Max home?”

Sam froze, in equal parts because she was terrified at being discovered, and also at the rush of feelings she was feeling. Sam had long held a crush on David, and she had made a point of trying to stay in his life as a friend, just to be near to someone she idolized. He was a good person and another kind soul, and now without dysphoria clouding her judgment, Sam felt the full brunt of her multi-year crush. 

Blushing heavily, and realizing that she had yet to give him an answer, she said “No- um, he's out. He will actually be out for a while, as he’s uh… fishing with his father.”

“Hmmm” David replied a little suspiciously “how very uncharacteristic of him. And who might you be? Living in his house and wearing his clothes?”

Sam could have cooked bacon on her cheeks with how hot they were. “I’m Samantha, I’m his sister. He’s letting me stay here while I get back on my feet.”

David's eyes narrowed “Max doesn't have a sister, he's an only child.”

Panic set in, and now Sam was freaking out about getting discovered as a magical Arch-Priestess only a day into her preternatural transition. “Half-sister, actually. We have the same father, but he cheated on Max’s mother with mine. We haven't known about each other for long, we only recently became involved in each other's lives. You must have realized that Max has been out the last week or so, Montana is a long way away” she rambled nervously.

David’s face softened a little, and Sam knew that her excuse might be working, so she decided to go for the throat with a little guilt trip. “I’m actually expecting a friend any minute now, who can corroborate what I’ve said. I feel a little bit threatened by you as a man coming and asking all these questions, as Max didn't mention anyone would be watching his place while he was away.”

David looked hurt and more than a little guilty before saying “sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I can definitely see the resemblance between you... I didn't mean to be hostile. It's just that Max kinda disappeared on me without saying anything, so I’ve been trying to reach out to him. Do you know if he has phone reception out there?” 

Now it was Sam’s turn to feel guilty, as she had made one of her best friends feel bad in more ways than one. She’d made him worry with her disappearance, and she’d made him feel guilty for being cautious. “He should, but I’ll reach out to my dad to have him get back to you. I’m sorry about what I said, you seem really nice. He’s lucky to have a friend like you looking out for him.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” David brightened. 

Just then, a woman appeared behind David, whom Samantha immediately recognized with a smile. 

“Seph!”

“Hey Sam, how's holding down the fort going? And who's this hunk?” She said unbashfully sizing up David. “Just two days in New York, and you're already inviting men back to your brother’s place. For shame.”

Both David and Samantha blushed furiously, much to Seph’s pleasure.

“Um. I should be going. Nice to meet you Samantha” David choked out before quickly making his way back to his apartment across the hall and closing the door. 

Seph watched him leave and then laughed raucously before pushing Sam back into her apartment, and closing her door. “Gods, you mortals are so easy to embarrass,” she cheered as she took off her coat and handed a large bag to Sam. “Go put these on, I won't be seen with you looking like a college student, Samantha.”

“Seph... um I mean goddess. How did you know my excuse?”

“Don’t call me goddess, sweetie this is the two thousands AD, not BC. ‘Seph’ is sufficient. And to answer your question, my connection to the soul of my followers is distance and faith based. I can sense when my Arch-Priestess is in trouble, anywhere in the realms, but when I get especially close like this, I can feel your soul on a more personal level. I can't read your thoughts or anything, but I can understand your meaning when you speak, even if I’m out of earshot.”

“Woah, okay. I suppose that makes sense. Does it work the other way around?” Sam asked thoughtfully.

“Kind of, but much more vaguely. As the head of my religion, you will also be able to sense when I’m in peril, more clearly the closer I am… And right now I can sense that you haven't gone and changed, because I can physically see you wearing sweatpants,” Seph chided.

“Yes. Right.” Sam blushed as she took the bag, and rushed off to the bathroom. Once inside, she opened the bag to find thick leggings, a soft wool sweater, a simple nude bra and pantie set, a scarf, a light jacket, a matching beanie, and a pair of warm looking leather boots with a slight heel. 

“Woah,'' Sam said aloud, before mentally chastising herself that Seph had likely ‘heard’ that using their link. She quickly got dressed into the clothes and luxuriated at the feeling of tight clothes that felt nice on her skin as well looking fashionable on her frame. Looking into the mirror with the complete ensemble, she saw a cute girl with short unruly hair, but otherwise chic. This is me. Holy shit, I look good!

Stepping out of the bathroom, she immediately heard a whistle. “‘Woah’ is right, girl! You're killing it.” Seph approached and examined the blushing Sam as she inspected. “We need to stop off at a salon and do something with this bed head, but god damn. You want me to go grab David so he can come ravage you?” Seph chuckled.

Sam blushed furiously which only made Seph laugh harder. “Why are you blushing honey, I don't need to be Aphrodite to see that you two were interested in each other. You’d think with sub-century life expectancies, you mortals would be going at it like bunnies.”

“I just- he’s my friend” Sam said, looking at her cute new boots.

Seph softened. “Alright sweetie, I’m only teasing. Let’s go get breakfast, hit a salon, and do some shopping. In that order.”

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