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The pain surged through his body. His insides felt as if they were in fire, twisting and melting and his breath was pulled out of him. He wanted more than anything to be able to grip onto the banister of the yacht, to have something to ground him, but he couldn’t trust that Jules’ gauntlet would work when he was encapsulated with shade.
Shade. That’s what they decided to call it. The green mist overtaking his soul, causing immense pain. Shade.
Luckily for Midas, the shade only took over once in a while. He could still life his life. He just had to accept that he was, in fact, half dead.
He tried not to show the pain. He tried not to let it scare the others on the Marigold. But as he fell to his knees from the pain, he could sense someone running over to him. He couldn’t look up to see who it was, but it wouldn’t make a difference. They still didn’t know exactly what the shade was.
To the others, when they saw the green creeping up his arms and overtaking his chest, they thought it felt like pins and needles. God, was Midas good at lying. It helped him get to where he was today, but if his team ever found out that it felt like he was dying all over again every time it overtook him, he would never hear the end of it.
It’s not that he didn’t want help, it’s that there were other priorities he held higher.
His vision cleared up as he was able to breathe fully again. He looked up to see Jules hovering over him.
“Are you… okay? Want some water?”
Midas attempted to stand up, slightly wobbling, before remembering he could actually use his hands to help him up. The gauntlet was amazing. He couldn’t thank Jules enough.
“I’m fine Jules, don’t you go worrying about me.”
His throat burned. It felt as if the souls of the dead had screamed though his lungs.
Jules walked away, eyeing her father suspiciously. Pins and needles shouldn’t make him fall to the ground, but it wasn’t her place to pry.
Midas walked towards the kitchen, instead deciding to get the drink himself.
In the kitchen, he ran into Marigold. She was playing R.E.M. on a small speaker as she lounged, staring out at the water. As Midas walked in, she snapped her head. He opened the refrigerator door and grabbed the water jug. He then grabbed his golden cup and poured a few sips in. Marigold watched as he took a sip, seemingly removing weight off his shoulders.
Midas then decided to sit down with her. She started the conversation.
“So, what are you thinking of doing for Christmas this year? Gonna throw another party?”
Oh man, Midas missed his parties. Every year, he would host several masquerade balls of the sort in the Agency. Due to his connections, he was able to invite people from all sides and teams, creating mischief throughout. Everyone wore beautiful gowns and tuxedos, and shared champagne. Peaceful music flowed through the large room. It was safe to say it was one of the highlights of the year.
But after spending three years in the underworld cell, trapped away from all he knew, he couldn’t help but miss the small things. The ten foot Christmas tree in the center of the room was cool and all, but the small one he had his team decorate for him in his office was what he thought of the most. He couldn’t hang ornaments himself, wanting to keep them colorful and not plain golden.
Of course he loved gold, he gave up his whole life to it. But he couldn’t help but love the small details of the ones his team chose. They all pretended to be annoyed at the idea of hanging up ornaments for a day, but as soon as they would walk in holding boxes and having a smile on their face they would love it. They played classic carols as they reached around, making what Skye claimed to be the be the best Christmas tree ever.
“…I don’t know if I’m ready for all that chaos yet. I was hoping to just spend the day with the team on the yacht, if you were all okay with that.”
Marigold felt a smile on her face.
“That sounds fun. As long as I don’t have to cook.”
Now Midas had a smirk on his face. Instead of continuing the conversation, he closed his eyes and listened to the song Marigold was playing. Marigold didn’t mind the company at all.
———
It was now December 7th. They had steered the Marigold to the shore to “borrow” a Christmas tree for the yacht. After setting it up in the center, the whole team gathered around to hang their ornaments. Just like in the past, they played music as they all decided which branches to hang theirs on. This time, however, was different.
For the first time in several years, Midas could join in.
To others, it wouldn’t have seemed like much to do such a mundane task. But the whole team knew that it was the small things that he Midas appreciated now. Even if he didn’t show it, they knew he was feeling sappy about the whole thing. They let him put the star on top.
But as they stepped back to admire their work, Midas felt the now familiar feeling of his arms and chest glowing green. The pain consumed him yet again, and he tried to walk away so his team didn’t have to see it occur. His ribs became visible and he turned fully green.
Brutus looked back in shock, signaling for the others to look as well. Midas had turned his back to them, realizing he still hadn’t told them the shade had gotten worse. It now was his full body, making it harder to keep his composure.
His breathing became sporadic as his lungs felt like they were being twisted. He fell to the ground yet again, pulling his arms into his chest. His eyes glowed green and they felt dry, yet they still watered.
His team now surrounded him, trying to speak to him. He could register voices, but not what they were saying. He knew it would be over soon, so he tried not to scream. He didn’t need them more worried than they already were.
And he was right. Just as fast as he turned shade, he became normal yet again. He tried to steady his breathing as he stood up. Tntina spoke first.
“Ay boss, are you like, alright? That didn’t seem like pins n’needles.”
Midas shook his head as he found a seat on the couch.
“I’m okay. You can all disperse.”
The whole crew shot worried glances around as they walked to their respective quarters. Brutus, however, stayed back.
“Boss. Did you lie?”
“That shouldn’t concern you.”
“Respectively, you control my life. You’re my boss. You’re the boss of everyone here. If something happens to you, it affects all of us.”
Midas sighed, sitting back in his chair.
“Take a seat, Brutus.”
He did as he was told, sitting besides Midas. Midas continued.
“I haven’t been fully honest. The shade never felt like pins and needles. It… feels like fire. Burning. I don’t mind, but recently it’s been getting intense.”
As he paused to collect his thoughts again, Jules walked around the comer, pointing an accusatory finger.
“I knew you were lying!”
“…Jules? Why were you listening in? I was having a private conversation.”
“I know, I know, but I was curious! I knew there was no way a curse from Hades just made you feel a little numb.”
Midas sighed before speaking.
“What is it that you want to hear? That your fath-“ he akwardly coughed before continuing, “..that I am cursed, never fully being alive? Will that make you feel better?”
“Yes! Knowing the truth makes me feel much better! And you can call yourself my father. I forgave you a long time ago, y’know.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Both Jules and Brutus now stared at Midas. Brutus decided to speak.
“Really, Boss. You gotta tell us things like that. It’d be good to know if you are in trouble.”
Jules piped in.
“Yeah, and we can try and get rid of the curse! And if it’s impossible, I bet there’s a way to dampen its effects.”
Midas nodded slowly, taking in their words.
“I fear there’s no way to remove this curse. I will never be fully alive again. But I am willing to try and find ways to make the pain easier on me. The years in The Underworld took a toll… I’d like to relax now.”
Jules gave a slight smile, which Midas reciprocated. Brutus gave a stark nod, standing up and leaving to carry about his day as normal.
Jules hesitated, as if she had something else to say, but ended up walking away as well.
Midas reclined into his chair, breathing in the smell of salt water. He knew realistically that he couldn’t rest for long. The longing for power didn’t hide forever, and it would resurface soon. But for now, he sat back and breathed.