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It was yet another dark and gloomy day in the Underworld, but there was something different in the air. There was...laughter? Not a harsh maniacal laughter, either. It was a bright and happy one that completely contradicts the decor. Inside the palace, Nico layed on the floor trying to protect himself in vain from the worst monster to ever exist. The tickle monster. The day started as regular as it can be in the Underworld with the Ghost King walking aimlessly around the palace in one of his usual mood slumps. The Lord of the Underworld had enough of his kid’s bad moods. He summoned Nico to the throne room for a mood lifter that he had seen many mortals use to cheer up their own kids. Hades rose from his throne and stalked over to his offspring with a threatening aura when he posed the question everyone is most afraid of.
“Nico, are you ticklish?” The child was dumbfounded. What kind of answer did his father and a God expect? Nico did the smartest thing you can do when posed with the question. He ran, or at least tried to but was intercepted by Hades pinning him to the ground. “You still haven’t answered my question, son~”
Nico fought against his father’s grip, but if you didn’t already know, it is near impossible to move a God’s grip. The kid did the smartest thing he thought of-staying silent in response to his father’s question. A tactic he learned from being tortured by Bianca in the past. That didn’t deter the God of the Underworld, he simply began placing strategic pokes all over Nico’s small body and keeping him guessing where the next one will come from. Then, Hades started scribbling his long fingers all over the young demigod’s stomach. Nico immediately burst out into a happy laughter as his hand shot down to grab onto his father’s wrists to no avail. The cold hads of the God wandered all over his son’s ticklish torso, eliciting everything from bright giggles to laughter. On a whim of curiosity, Hades reached behind him and squeezed the demigod’s knee. That curiosity did not disappoint as he heard a snort come from his usually grumpy son. Hades gave the most shit-eating grin and he shuffled down to sit on his son’s shins.
“Wahait! Dahad! Nohoho, plehease!” Nico pleaded.
“No, I think I’ll just stay here and squeeze your knees until you can’t breathe!” Nico panicked and kept his eyes glued on his father’s fingers as they lowered and hovered just above his knees, teasing him relentlessly. Nico flashed him one last pleading look, but Hades just attacked his son’s knees with what seemed like endless squeezing causing the youth to snort with each squeeze. After tiring out his son, Hades climbed off his son as if nothing ever happened. “Sorry Neeks. I’ve got to go to Olympus for a sudden meeting. We’ll finish this once I get back!” With that, Hades disappeared from his palace and appeared on Mount Olympus to find all of the Gods staring at him like he did something wrong. “Um...Hi?”
“Hades, do you know why we summoned you?” Zeus questioned.
“I don’t know, you missed me so much?” Hades shot back in sarcasm.
“No,” Poseidon injected. “We want to know what you were doing with your son. He looked..happy. We want to follow your example and be close with our children like that from now on. They have done much for us and we have neglected them.” This was what they wanted. They actually wanted to be like parents! After a long discussion of demigods and how they can be ticklish, Hades was finally able to go back to his palace proud that his brethren want to be better to their kids.