Chapter Text
The silence of the apartment was disrupted by an alarm as loud as an air raid siren. Dazed from sleep, Zagreus knocked his phone to the floor as he attempted to turn the alarm off. He swore under his breath, tripping out of bed in his rush to find the blasted thing, landing with a thud tangled in bedsheets. Cerberus gave him a curious glance from his side of the bed, huffed, and laid his head back down. Somehow the phone had slid under the bed, and once Zagreus had untangled himself from the sheet cocoon and turned the siren alarm off, he found himself hopelessly and unenthusiastically awake.
Groaning, Zagreus opened the black-out curtains, allowing bright sunlight to flood in and illuminate his small, sparsely furnished studio apartment. His neighborhood outside the window had long since greeted the dawn, alarms successfully silenced. Today was one of Zagreus’ rare days off. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to do absolutely nothing at all, he had promised Megaera that he would still meet her for their regular workout at the boxing gym.
The shower stream was on the colder side, washing away the remaining fog of sleep. Someday he would need to ask the landlord to fix his water heater. Zagreus braced his hands against the shower wall, the pounding of the droplets beating like drumsticks into tensed muscles. It wasn’t so much that he was dreading working out with Megaera. He genuinely loved spending time with her as she was the closest thing to a sister he had. It was more that seeing her brought back memories of his father. A reminder that if he again failed to get the detective promotion, his plan to help his father would be delayed once more.
Zagreus wanted to punch the wall in frustration, settling for slapping it with an open palm instead. There was no reason to keep denying him the promotion. He tried to swallow the bitterness that came with the utter disappointment of being shuffled to the K9 unit last year. Uncle Zeus, or, in this case, Police Commissioner Zeus, had had said at the time that it was for “additional experience” that would make his application stronger.
And he adored Cerberus, even sneaking his canine partner into his not pet-friendly apartment every night. But the K9 position wasn’t what he needed.
What Zagreus needed was to become a detective so he can officially investigate his father’s case.
When Hades had been convicted, Zagreus had been left parentless. His mother had vanished when he was too small to remember her face, and Hades had done his best raising Zagreus as a single father. But between his work as the prison warden and the stress of the police investigation, their relationship hadn’t been a close one. They had been at arm’s length well before Hades was sent to the very prison he was warden at. During the entire affair, Megaera had been by his side, acting as a stabilizing force lest Zagreus spun out of control. He could never thank her enough for that.
Uncle Zeus had taken him in after the sentencing, but Hera hadn’t liked having yet another child in the house. Once Zagreus had gotten old enough to live on his own, Uncle Zeus had sent him away to this apartment. He’s been here ever since, alone day in and day out with the exception of the occasional visit from Megaera or one of his cousins.
Cerberus was the most consistent company he’d had in years.
Zagreus sighed and turned the shower off. He needed to get ready.
Needed to find a way to put the past fully behind him.
Find a way to remove the mantle of the son of a murderer from his shoulders.
***
Zagreus had let his thoughts drift, and his reward was the punching bag he was meant to be holding steady knocking him flat on his ass. “Was that really necessary, Meg?”
“Maybe. Did it knock reality into that thick skull of yours?” Megaera pulled off a glove to offer a hand to help him up, which readily he accepted. She set both boxing gloves on the bench, reaching into the storage cubby above for her water bottle.
He tried to keep it as light as he could despite knowing that she was gearing up for a tongue lashing. “I have no idea what I’ve done to require giving reality my precious attention when I don’t care to give it the time of day. Enlighten me?”
“What makes you think that this time you’re going get it, Zag? You’re working yourself to the bone and haven’t made time to visit Hades in months. I know we both don’t like to see him in there, but that doesn’t mean he should be hung out to dry.”
“Look, I know, ok? But unlike last year, Uncle Zeus actually approved my request to sit the exam.” It was the furthest he had gotten, and he wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass him by. Deep down, though, Zagreus knew that it was a slim chance of success at best as long as Uncle Zeus had the final say. But that was something far too painful to confront at the moment.
“Have you given any thought to investigating Hades’ case on your own? It’s not as though you need to be a full-fledged detective to go poking around. It never stopped you before.”
“I’m so limited in this case, though. Imagine interviewing possible witnesses or suspects while in uniform with Cerberus at my side. Or even in plain clothes. Either no one would take me seriously or they would clam up and say nothing at all.” Zagreus sighed and sat heavily on the bench, head resting against the concrete wall.
“You do know it doesn’t have to be you asking the questions, right?”
Zagreus narrowed his eyes at Megaera. She was hinting at something, but he didn’t have a clue what she was going on about. It was his father’s case. All the responsibility should fall on his shoulders.
Megaera threw the empty water bottle at his head, picking up that Zagreus wasn’t following her train of thought. “I’m talking about your cousin, you idiot.”
“Oh.” Then it clicked. His eyes widened and he shot up from the bench. “OH!”
***
Zagreus had contacted his cousin as soon as he left the gym, asking to meet that afternoon. Hermes had quickly texted back for him to wait at a very fancy coffee shop in a newer, wealthier neighborhood. The neighborhood was a bit too polished for Zagreus’ tastes, and the commute to work would be a nightmare, much like how it had been a nightmare to get to the shop. Out on the cafe patio, he was jiggling his leg impatiently while Cerberus was quietly curled up under his chair. Right when he was about to flag down the cafe staff for a refill of his drink, Zagreus was violently tackled by a blur of orange and yellow and brown.
“Heya, coz!” Hermes sang, squishing his face against Zagreus’ and beaming. “It’s been a while since we’ve hung out! How’re things? How’s the gig? Is this the dog? Hello, puppy!” With that, Hermes began rolling on the ground with Cerberus, petting his ears and rubbing his belly. Cerberus yapped happily at the attention.
Zagreus chuckled. Though he was never quite sure how to handle Hermes’ boundless energy, it always brought a smile to his face even in the darkest times. True, conversations with him often switched topics before he finished a sentence, but Zagreus was happy to simply listen to the entertaining stories. Hermes had been a bright light during his tense stay with Uncle Zeus.
He waved down a cafe employee. “Another Americano and a small cup of whipped cream for my dog. Hermes, do you want anything? My treat.”
Hermes’ head popped over the edge of the table with a smile radiating his joy at not having to pay. “Affogato with three espresso shots, please!”
The employee arched her eyebrow at the odd request but jotted it down anyway. Hermes dusted off his jeans before lounging in the chair opposite Zagreus, chin in palm. He quickly took control of the conversation. “So, my dearest cousin. It’s unusual for you to reach out to me, usually it’s the opposite way round, you know what I mean? To what do I owe the pleasure of this reversal of events?”
Zagreus worried the paper napkin in front of him. On the walk over, he had gone over how he was going to ask Hermes for help. But now that Hermes was right in front of him, he was starting to lose his nerve at involving his cousin. “I just really wanted to see you, Hermes, it’s been far too long!”
Hermes beamed, eyes crinkling. “Aw, coz, you know I’ll always make time for you! However,” he said, shifting forward in his chair and pointing a finger in Zagreus’ face, expression darkening. “Considering how quickly you wanted to meet up, I’m gonna call bullshit on that. You may want to see me, but it’s not just for my charming personality and storytelling talents. What is it that you need, coz?”
Sighing, Zagreus surrendered. He should have known better than to try and lie to a professional like Hermes. The cafe staff brought their orders to the table at that moment, and he paused, waiting for them to leave. Even once they were out of earshot, he still tried to keep his voice low. “Fine, I need your help. Do you know anyone who would be able to gather sensitive information under the radar?”
Herme’s eyes widened, spoon frozen midway to his mouth. “I really hope you’re not asking for the reason I think you’re asking for, coz.”
“You know I am.”
Hermes grew silent, shoveling an extra-large spoonful of affogato in his mouth before speaking. “Look, when it comes to the kind of stuff you want, I may know someone who knows someone, but it would have to be for the right price.” Another spoonful. Zagreus waited with bated breath for Hermes to continue. Hades’ assets were frozen and he didn’t have much money with an officer’s salary. But he would make do if need be. “The real question, though, is whether you’re prepared to face all that could be unearthed. It was a very ugly case, there’s a lot of dirty laundry. Are you sure you can handle all that could possibly come to light? And I’m talking about everything, coz.”
In order to button up the past and truly start moving forward, something had to change. Zagreus knew he was on the edge of having a total breakdown from the stress of it all, and he desperately needed help. He locked eyes with Hermes and nodded, Cerberus letting out a small whine at his side.
“Alright, if you’re sure. I’ll work my magic. Phone.” Hermes held out his hand expectantly. Zagreus complied.
He watched as Hermes quickly unlocked his phone and started swiping and tapping. “How did you know-you know what, nevermind.”
“My God, coz, how many porno tabs do you need to have open on this thing?!” Hermes exclaimed loudly when the cafe staff came a bit too close to their table. Zagreus could feel a blush dusting his cheeks as the staff eyed him, cleared the neighboring table, and scuttled off, leaving the pair alone on the balcony again. Hermes waited for the door to click shut before tossing Zagreus’ phone on the table. “I put an app on there that will allow us to chat without being tracked. I’ll be using that to contact you from here on out.”
Hermes finished his affogato and stood, tossing his signature orange scarf behind his yellow tee shirt. He walked up to Zagreus, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I really hope you know what you’re doing, coz. Once this starts, there’s no backsies. Talk to you later. Bye puppy!”
And then he was gone. Zagreus deflated as his nerves gave way, sinking low in the chair. Cerberus nudged at his leg, whimpering. He ruffled the Dutch Shepherd’s pointy ears. The cup of whipped cream was still on the table, and it was time for the best boy to get a treat for being so patient.
While Cerberus happily lapped at the whipped cream, Zagreus thought about his situation. About all that he has been through these past 15 years. He can’t take another 15 more. This is the first step towards a resolution, so it’ll all be worth it in the end, right?
Right?