Drag Me Up

by RM Virtues

  Hephaestus nods. “Of course, Uncle, I’d like to hear it.”

  Hades returns the gesture before he looks between Ares and Athena. “That brings me to my next question then. Do you two think you can do this together? Run Olympus?”

  Athena is the first to respond when Ares seems to have no intention to, but her voice is thin. “I - I believe we are capable of anything, Uncle, but I doubt Hera would be at all thrilled.”

  “Let me handle Hera. She is of no concern to me right now. I am planning for the future. Your futures. You are who I’ll leave the city to when I’m gone, and I need to know each and every one of you can hold your own.”

  Ares looks up at Athena. Hades knows they can. When Ares isn’t around his mother, and he and Athena aren’t around his father, they get along just fine. They may not be blood, but they are family. However, he knows they each have their reservations about this coup, and Athena is also the first to voice them.

  “Why now, Uncle? I - I trust you have your reasons, and I also trust your judgment, but - is this about the deal with Tartarus? Shouldn’t we be focusing on them right now? I mean they attacked the casino. That’s a call for war, and we need a united front. Removing him now might show weakness.”

  Hades looks between them all, his eyes landing on Dionysos, who hasn’t looked up from his hands in his lap. While he’s very much a people person, he is no politician, and he’s always hated this part of the leadership. It’s why he and Hermes work so well together, and why he needs Hermes in the first place. But Hades worries how he’ll react when he finds out what Zeus had done to Elysium, even if it hadn’t been about him at all. While Dio does a great job of pretending he no longer cares about Zeus’s rejection, any reiteration of it always makes him uncomfortable. Hades huffs.

  “It isn’t just about the deal with Tartarus. I’ve made peace with Tartarus, and they will be lifting the lockdown shortly.”

  “What?” Athena scoffs. “But they-”

  “They didn’t.” She gives him a quizzical look. Dio does too. “Zeus is the one that attacked the casino.” The air in the room seems to disappear, and now everyone’s eyes are on him. “He paid one of Coeus’s men a lot of money to frame Tartarus, but he made the call.”

  “Just because you stood up to him?” Dionysos croaks, his face falling, and Hades’ chest hurts.

  “I think it was a lot more than that to him, son.”

  They’re quiet for a long time, and Hades lets them all ruminate until at last, Athena speaks up once more.

  “I know what you’re doing is the right thing to do, Uncle,” she assures him, meeting his eyes. “But it is difficult. I - we have been loyal to Zeus our whole lives. And - he took me in when I had no one. You’ve done a lot for me too, and I trust you, but still.”

  “I understand that,” he returns with a sympathetic look. “I have been loyal to him most of my life as well, and this is not a decision that was made lightly, and it certainly was not made easily, but I am asking you to trust me now. I have done everything else I possibly can to make Zeus see the error of his ways, but lives are at stake now. He’s grown vengeful, and that can’t pass.” He leans forward in his seat, resting his forearms upon the table and clasping his hands. “This particular decision regarding the leadership doesn’t have to be set in stone. We can renegotiate the terms as we go, draw lines if we must. The territory is going to get smaller. Tartarus will take the port that Zeus originally promised to them as a sign of good faith. Demeter is going to expand some in order to minimize any losses that might be caused by whatever financial disasters we find in Zeus’s wake, but there will be room for you as long as I live. I promise you. Both of you.”

  The two of them are quiet again, but eventually, they nod. Not to their uncle but to each other. He smiles.

  “Good,” he says. “That’s good. That’s what I wanted. Now.” He looks to Dio and Hermes. “You two, I have something for you as well.”

  “You know you don’t have to bribe us, right, Uncle?” Hermes asks, raising a brow. “Our loyalty has always been to you.”

  “Oh, I know, and this is not a bribe. It’s a benefit for us all. I’ll give you access to any plot of land this side of the river for another vineyard and another port. It should help increase trade and production, and it will keep us out of Tartarus’s way until things truly settle.”

  Dio recovers quickly, grinning as wide as his face allows, and Hermes claps his hands. Hades can’t say he isn’t relieved. He’d do anything for that reaction.

  “Thank you, Uncle,” they both say before fumbling a high five.

  “We’ll do right by you always,” Dio says, sobering as quickly as he can.

  “Speaking of which,” Hades goes on, trying to hide his smile. “It does come with a condition. I need you two to get with Apollo and make plans for another theatre. Having only one doesn’t cut it. It’s cost us a lot. Not only can we alleviate that hurt in the future, we can create more spaces for entertainment. It may also give people more reason to visit, right?”

  Dionysos hoots with giddy laughter. “Absolutely!”

  It goes about as well as Hades expects it to. Making them happy had been of the utmost importance to him, and he’s glad he’s able to do it. Turning to his baby brother, who has been quiet this entire time, he raises a brow.

  “What do you think, Si? Amphi?” he inquires. “Any objections?”

  The two look at each other before turning to him and shaking their heads. The relief on Poseidon’s face is evident and outright. Hades knows he hates confrontation and stays away from Zeus as much as he possibly can for that very reason, but Hades also knows that his baby brother has his own concerns, concerns he felt he was never able to voice. Hades had fought hard to give Poseidon his territory in the opposite corner of Khaos Falls, if only to ensure he had a place that he could go to get as far away from the other two. He often wonders if Poseidon had believed it was because Hades himself had wanted the distance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He simply believed Poseidon would be happier that way.

  The fact remains. Hades had allowed his caretaking of Zeus to rob him of all of his time with Poseidon. He had effectively neglected his blood brother in pursuit of Zeus’s happiness, and that is certainly not what Rhea had made him promise. Hades hates that it took so long for him to realize it. He’d missed out on so much. He just hopes there is still something to salvage.

  “Thank you, Hades,” Poseidon says at last, his baby face a picture of serenity. “I think you’re doing the right thing, and - we’re behind you. No matter what, we trust you.”

  “I know, little brother,” Hades returns with a soft smile. “I’m just sorry it’s taken me this long.”

  “Better late than never, right?”

  “Right. —Are you ready for your condition?”

  Poseidon manages a lopsided smile. “What’s that?”

  “The two of us have dinner once a week, and then, we all have family dinner at least monthly. Is that reasonable for you all?”

  They each signal their agreement in turn, Poseidon more enthusiastic than Hades has seen him in a long time. He’s fully embraced his choice, but for the first time, he’s proud of it. He knows for sure now that he’s doing the right thing.

  “Alright, that’s all then,” he sighs. “By the end of the month, it all changes. I’ll be by to see you all soon enough.”

  Athena stops him. “And - if it doesn’t go… If he doesn’t go quietly?”

  Hades can’t deny that he hasn’t considered that possibility, but he wants to believe that Zeus knows a lost cause when he sees it. At the very least, he’ll take said loss and learn to lick his own wounds somewhere far removed from a place of power. One way or another, Hades is going to finish this, and he’s going to finish it for good.

  “He will,” he states with a firm nod. “ I think my terms for him are quite reasonable. He will still live comfortably in the city, and if he can learn from his actions, I might give him mor
e freedom here in my own district. Regardless, none of you will have to worry.”

  He knows Athena probably has more love for Zeus than anyone in this room save Hades himself. She may not be his kid, but he had always been more attentive in raising her than he had been with any of his sons. This is hard for her, but she is the most rational and intelligent person Hades knows. And he knows she understands this is what must happen.

  “Just know this,” Hades continues. “As long as I breathe, you will be taken care of, and you will want for nothing.”

  As the others file out of the room, Dionysos hangs back, and Hades approaches him with curiosity in his gaze. As soon as he’s close, the younger man turns to him and wraps his arms around his middle. Hades is only surprised for a moment before he embraces him. No matter how large Dio gets —and he is large, almost as tall as Hades with the bulk of a bear cub— his uncle still struggles to see past the boyish features he’s possessed since youth. In fact, he still holds fast to that youth to this day. He’d taught Hades how to love in a warm way. He only wishes he would have had more time with him, with all of his nephews, that he would have stood up to Zeus the first time he’d given up on Hephaestus or made Dio cry. That should have been more than enough. The worst part is that Hades knows Dio would never fault him. And now, he has as much to do with Hades’ moves as Persephone. He wants to do right by them the way they have always done right by him.

  “Thank you, Uncle,” Dio breathes again, resting his head against Hades’ chest. “I’m proud of you, you know. You - I wouldn’t want any other father than you.”

  “And I couldn’t ask for a better son,” Hades assures him, his voice thick with emotion.

  “I promise I’ll make you all the pomegranate wine you want.”

  Hades chuckles. “In the end, that’s what this is all about, you know.”

  When Dio pulls back, his eyes are red, and his cheeks are damp. The boy with the biggest heart and the biggest need to please, he is every bit a better man than any who have raised him — or refused to. Hades pats his cheeks and brushes the tears away.

  “I am proud of you,” the elder says. “I am so proud, Dio. You make me proud every single day. Don’t you ever forget that.”

  Dio grins. “Not just for the wine?”

  “No, son, not just for the wine. That’s an added bonus, but I’d be proud of you no matter what you did. And remember, you’re my boy, always.”

  They hug again for a long time before Dio pulls away at last, and they head back up the stairs towards the casino.

  “What are you gonna do now?” Dio asks, slipping his hands into his pockets.

  “Mm, Persephone wants to go out to dinner,” Hades sighs.

  That impossible grin makes a comeback as he pats his uncle’s shoulder. “You know, I’m really glad I introduced the two of you. She’s a good influence.”

  “And I am grateful to you everyday for it.” His laughter lingers in the air. “Come on, walk me out. I have to meet her in the garage, and I believe I’m already late.”

  They make their way through the casino, and Hades feels a peace he has never felt. Things are looking up and falling into place. He puts an arm around Dio’s shoulders, exhaling as they exit the building. The sun is setting now, and Hades checks his watch, which continues to change hands between him and Persephone. As they come to a stop beside his car, a much smaller vehicle than the SUV he’d driven on their first date, he looks back towards the doors. No sooner does he do so than is Persephone exiting out of them, coming towards the two in a sleek black dress and a wild smile. They were both successful today, he knows. He smiles too. Dio elbows his side with a grin.

  “She is amazing,” Hades breathes as though the nudge knocks it out of him.

  “Don’t mess that up, Uncle,” Dio warns.

  “I wouldn’t think of it.”

  Persephone waves at them both before gesturing towards Hades’ car.

  “New ride, huh?” she calls out across the garage.

  “I was told this one would be better for the environment,” he returns with a grin.

  Dio howls in some generalized celebration before running towards Persephone with his arms spread wide. He’s no more than a foot away from her when there’s a loud boom that echoes through the parking garage. It sounds like a bomb.

  Or a gunshot.

  30

  Persephone

  Time slows down. Dio is running towards her. Then he isn’t. Why not? The shot rings out. His face contorts in confusion. His body falls forward, and Persephone is catching him in her arms.

  What’s most chilling about the moment is the silence. That is all there is outside of the shot itself. No screams, no cries, no shouts, no yells, no breaths. Or at least, none that she can hear. It’s all been muted. She drops to her knees, cradling him to her chest as she turns him over to look at his face. He looks up at her with dull eyes and a slack jaw, and he tries to smile. It’s stained. Someone has stained that beautiful smile. All she can see is the blood. Everything is red.

  Then the silence is shattered in the most violent of ways, disrupted and destroyed by a wail. Hades’ wail. The ground shakes. She feels like it might give beneath the sound. It pierces her straight through, hitting her heart and leaving her cold. Her blood turns to slush in its wake.

  She doesn’t know how much time passes. Eventually, Hades has Dio in his arms, and Dio is clinging to him, and Persephone is calling for an ambulance. Security is swarming the parking garage, but no one sees. No one realizes the danger, the dread, the destruction. No one knows what has happened. They only know that something was terribly wrong. They misunderstand. Dionysos has been hurt. Everything is wrong.

  * * *

  Persephone doesn’t remember how she gets to the hospital. When her conscious mind starts working again, she is in a stark white hallway pacing while Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Amphitrite, and Hermes alternate between sitting and standing. Hecate is on the phone at the end of the hall near the door, and Thanatos is leaning against the wall watching her and talking to Poseidon beside him. How did they all get here? Charon looks like an omen in front of the doors that Asklepios and his staff had wheeled Dio through. Hades had refused to let him go alone, but Persephone doesn’t know how far they had allowed him to follow. She doesn’t know what to do with her hands. She doesn’t know what to do without Hades.

  She can’t think about what they’ll do without Dio.

  The only sound that rivals the one Hades had created in the parking garage is the wrathful shriek of Athena as she blows into the building. Her rage shakes its very foundation, and Persephone flinches. She’s never seen the younger woman in anything other than perfect composure. At the moment, Athena looks like the smallest thing could turn her to ruin... Or cause her to turn everything around her to ruin. Or both.

  “Where is he!” Athena demands from a nurse, and Persephone can tell by the hollow scratch of her voice that it isn’t the first time. “Where is he! Tell me now!”

  The nurse tries to reason with her, but there is no reasoning. Nothing about this can be reasoned with. There is no rationality to a world without Dio’s laughter, to a day that imbibes his pain. Athena screams again and again, and Persephone feels the tears slip down her cheeks in hot streams. She wonders if love alone can heal a gunshot wound. She would not mind trying.

  Athena starts towards the swinging doors, but she’s halted by them swinging out towards her. Hades appears, disheveled and distraught, and again, he looks so much older than he is. Everyone halts. The air in the hall thins. He holds up his hands.

  “Asklepios says he’s going to be fine,” Hades croaks after a long moment, and a collective exhale echoes through the space. Persephone’s lungs burn with the strain.

  “Where is he?” Athena demands again, but her voice has softened, thin as an eggshell. It can crack at any moment. “Can I see him?”

  Hades grips her shoulders. “A little longer. You can go in first, as soon as Asklepios gives the okay.�
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  Athena seems to war with it for a moment before she nods. Then she hugs Hades around his middle, and he wraps his arms around her shoulders. Persephone’s mind keeps racing. She’s afraid of what happens when it stops. She isn’t sure she knows how to deal with that.

  She looks down the hall again and meets Hecate’s gaze. She’s still on the phone, no doubt trying to get confirmation from security, but they already know. Each and every one of them knows who is responsible. The bullet had not been meant for Dio. He had intercepted it without meaning to. No, that bullet had been aimed at her. Dionysos had saved her life.

  She would switch places with him right now if she could.

  Persephone only sits down when Hades does, taking the chair beside him and taking his hand in hers. It’s shaking, and she squeezes it, running her thumb over his knuckles. She can almost pretend that her hands aren’t shaking too.

  She doesn’t know what to say. She knows what has to happen next, and she knows that he knows it too, but what could she possibly say to make that any easier? How much more prepared can they be in a few weeks than they are now? She’s angry. Of course she’s angry. While she’s resigned to putting nothing past Zeus, she never could have imagined this. The recklessness of it all is so on brand yet so out of bounds that she simply cannot comprehend what it means. He is so much more than a privileged brat who won’t take no for an answer, but his ability to hide behind that makes him all the more dangerous.

  All these years, he’d stood at the head of Khaos Falls, loved by a few too many and avoided by most. No one trusted him, but everyone thought that because he was rich and handsome, everything else could be tolerated. He was the fun guy, and all other atrocious traits defaulted to Hades. Chaos could reign as long as it didn’t clash with his, and Persephone is disgusted by it. There is always a cost to pay, but no one ever cared who paid it as long as it wasn’t them. They are all guilty of it, and now they are all paying the price. It’s the only way to get them where they need to go.