Chapter Text
Darkness guided all living creatures to their life. It's shrouded nature covered the eyes before peeling away, revealing the colors of reality. Eventually, the darkness will take back what it gave to the mortal realm and lead them to their final homes for the rest of eternity. When it unveiled itself again, a red transparent hue welcomed its new resident with its strange, yet unsettling warmth. Bubbles would emerge from the mouth with a compressed noise while they quickly searched for the top. Rays of light seemed through the crimson waters and yearned to be reached for. The sound of moving waters compressed within the ears as the light grew closer. One embarked from the engulfing River of Styx, breaking small ripples around him. He took a few steps forward until his lava fueled feet touched the dry stone floor of the house. The crimson water slowly vaporized into the air as he shook his head.
"Blasted Hydra got me." Zagreus groaned to himself.
The Prince of the Underworld greeted any nearby shades that crossed his path. They all moved aside, gathering in small groups to continue on with their afterlife. As he reached the end of the hall, he is stopped by Sleep Incarnate himself. Hypnos glanced at his updated list when he noticed the Prince's familiar face.
"It looks like the furious Hydra took a big bite out of you! I heard that they do this big jump before crashing their heads into the floor! Maybe you should scoot around before they crash your head!" Hypnos suggested.
"Right..." Zagreus trailed off.
Hypnos' advice was not as useful as he would like to admit, but it did help ease the sting of failure that weighed in. That stinging feeling fought it's way back when Zag sees his father, busy with work at his desk. He heard the ruler of the Underworld scoff at his first born son, the tension thickened within the house. Zagreus knew what was going to come next, but he chose to stand his ground.
"Still trying to escape this place, boy? I wonder how far you are willing to go with this nonsense."
"If it means I get to finally do something interesting in this forsaken household, I'll go far enough to reach the surface." Zagreus snapped back.
"Your arrogance is causing this place to fall into ruin and it will soon be your downfall. Hopefully you will learn that along with some respect."
Zagreus preferred his conversations with his father to be short. He refused to say anything else that could prolong the moment, so he marched into the west hall. Achllies was away from his post and Dusa continued to clean dust away and the fine furniture. At the end of the hall stood a figure that seemed to be a silhouette at first. His darken cloak flowed behind his robes while his glistening scythe hovered over him. Without a second thought, Zagreus approached the man.
"You're back." Thanatos uttered to himself loud enough for the Prince to hear.
"Thanatos..." Zagreus replied.
The tension in the air tightened when Thanatos refused to turn and look at Zag. All of their interactions had started like that as of late. Zagreus' new desires had put a sudden stain in their relationship. They're recent interactions felt as if the world came to a screeching halt.
"Look, I know you are doing all of this to find your mother. So... Tell me something, Zagreus." Thanatos demanded, breaking the silence. "If you somehow manage to succeed, are you going to stay with her?"
"With all the trouble that father has thrown my way, I doubt I would consider coming back here." Zagrues said with a straight face.
"You have family here, Zag. It's quite cruel of you just abandon them like this. Especially since you are leaving behind all of those who cared for you."
"I might never see them again, but at least I'll give them a nice last impression. I'll make sure not to forget them and I'll hope they'll do the same for me. Including you, Than."
Zagreus held out a bottle of nectar for Thanatos to take, which caused him to finally break his gaze from the River Styx. He wasn't surprised by the welcoming smirk the Prince usually had plastered on his face. However, hidden deeply within Zagreus' mismatched eyes lied the most unwavering determination Death has ever seen. Than took a deep sign before taking the bottle, for he knew that Zag would not take no as an answer.
"A bottle of nectar should put your busy work at ease for a bit." Zagreus continued. "If you don't drink it, you can keep it as a reminder of me...like some sort of parting gift."
"Parting gift? Tch. If you think you think you will get away from me once you escape you are solely mistaken. Death is inescapable. I will find you."
"...I'm sure you will."
Thanatos was suddenly engulfed by a cloud of black smoke before disappearing in the middle of Zagreus' sentence. From then on, he continued with his usual routine. He went back into the Great Hall to let Cerberus, bothering his father. Next, he spoke to Nyx before wondering into the lounge. As he hoped, a tall woman dressed blue leaned onto a table in an intimidating way. Zagreus decided to approach.
"Hey, Meg!" He gave his signature smirk.
"No." Megaera snapped back before taking the drink she had in hand and marching off.
"Okay, nevermind."
Zagreus went back the way he came to finally enter his room. The messy state Zagreus left it in did not help the lonely silence filing the air. He briefly greeted his room and the mirror, then marched into the courtyard. Such a rush he was in, eager to escape the underworld. For the first time in a while, he found a sense of purpose. Something to do with himself rather than waste away in hell. It gave him something to finally do, something to look forward to. It gave him life.
Sliding Stygius' sharp edges against the skin of wretched shades gave him a rush of excitement. Putting his live on the edge, risking his life to gain a chance of freedom, it all felt amazing to him. And with the help of the Olympian Gods, his escape attempts have slowly became easier. But regardless of power, nothing compared to the rewarding sound of Than's pierced butterfly. The power the nameless pin offered reminded Zagreus of Death Incarnate himself. Unlike Thanatos, the Prince was not afraid to admit to himself how much he cared for his lifelong friend. The idea is abandoning Thanatos, leaving him to his work for the rest of eternity, it pained him. On the other hand, he wasn't worried. He hoped the generous gesture of nectar would help Than consider meeting him on the surface. He said that he would, but it wasn't a promise.
It was a harsh battle, but Zagreus was able to defeat the Bone Hydra for the first time. The shining reward of the diamond made the Prince fantasize its uses as he sailed across the River of Pletheone. Once he reached the gateway, he took a quick sip of the fountain and proceeded into the calming air of Elysium. The champions residing within were eager to fatally stab Zagreus, and he was eager to do the same. But throughout his travels from chamber to chamber, his eyes began to feel heavy. The Price could not recall the last time he slept, he would always claim to have too much energy for it anyway. He wasn't sure if it was his weariness or lack of knowledge about the Champions of Elysium that allowed Theseus' spear to pierce through Zagreus' skull. It sent him back home where he was greeted by Hypnos once again.
Zagreus felt too tired to truly process whatever snarky remark Hypnos was about to give about his death. The Prince ignored his father completely and kept his conversations with the others brief. When he finally reached his bed chambers, he tucked himself under the warm embrace of the sheets. His heavy eyes fell to a close, his body relaxed into a deep slumber.
Zagreus was not sure how long he had been asleep, but when he woke up again, it felt as if he did not sleep at all. His eyes were glossy when he awakened, his body was heavy, even his stomach ached him slightly. This off-putting feeling made Zag lose the need to get up at the time, so he buried his head into his pillow, and slept once again. But then he woke up again. The restlessness quickly became an aggravating cycle. Every time his eyes opened, he only had the will to close them again.
When he woke up for the umpteenth time, things did not seemed to changed. The Prince groaned as he began to drag himself out of bed. He had to get up, he was tired of lying in bed. He didn't bother making up his bed, his room was already messy enough.
Zagreus marched his way into the great hall, watching Shades go up to Hades one by one, hurling their complaints towards him. Hidden behind the long line was a sleeping Hypnos, tucked in peacefully within his comforting cape. When Zagreus grew near, Hypnos felt a sudden shock run down his spine, which caused him to jump.
"I'm up! I'm up!" He cried, catching his scroll in the process.
"Hypnos," Zagreus said in his dominant tone. "I have something to ask of you."
"Wow, you never asked me anything before!"
"I know it's kinda your thing, but have you been making me feel this tired? It was pretty hard for me to get out of bed, let alone waking up."
"Huh? Oh no, I haven't made anyone sleep ever since you asked me to that one time. I was busy keeping thing line in check, you know...!"
Zagreus' eyes trailed to the floor. He wasn't surprised by the result. However, the sudden drowsiness that overtook him during his escape attempt was concerning. The weariness felt unique compared to all the other times he needed rest.
"Right..."
But to Zagreus, escaping the underworld was more important than his wavering sleep schedule. He swore to himself that he would break free from this realm and find his mother. Thus, he turned away from Hypnos, marching through his room and made his way into the courtyard. He quickly greeted Skelly, grabbed Coronacht, and strummed at its string. He took a moment to pause, to prepare for a brutal journey ahead. In one swift breath, he jumped out of the courtroom window.
Again.