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It had been a couple of months since the shades began showing markings that related to how they died. Old age and disease were the exception to the rule unless it was particularly bad. Some of the strangest were those who were covered in blood and flowers. Each shade who had flowers on their body had a different type. Hades was aware that on the surface they called it Hanahaki, a disease that affected those with unrequited love. For a while he thought Aphrodite had something to do with it, though he was unable to get an answer one way or another. As Hades worked on the recent pile of paperwork he watched as Zagreus climbed out of the pool of blood at the end of the hall. Something was off as Zagreus stumbled past Hypnos without as much as acknowledgement. In fact, he proceeded right to his room without paying anyone even a simple greeting.
Zagreus made his way to the courtyard to select the weapon of choice for the next escape attempt. Settling on his sword he made his way to it. Almost as soon as his hand closed around the handle, he sensed the blade recoil, though he could not explain why. “You doing alright? I can tell you are not looking good; those flames of yours are looking rather pale.” Skelly asked as Zagreus passed by him. No response as Zagreus leapt through the window leading outside of the house.
His initial boon was from Aphrodite, though it was given without a message. Right as he claimed it, he could not help but feel sick, not that he could reject such a gift. Fighting that urge he dispatched the enemies in the room, receiving a few scratches in the process. He was only vaguely aware of the Shade Shrouds growing out from the wounds. They certainly did not go unnoticed from those who stood in his way. Each room was harder than the last as his reaction time decreased causing him to take on more damage than what he could normally do. By the time he reached the edge of Tartarus the flames emanating from his feet had turned black, even his blood was darker than what it should have been.
It was just his luck that Megaera was waiting for him this time around. “What has happened to you? You seem completely out of it, not to mention your general appearance or behavior.” Megaera asked unsure if he would be able to handle himself. At the same time, he had utilized the Pact of Punishment to make the journey a lot harder. Megaera knew that he had not touched it this time around. Unfortunately, her concerns fell on deaf ears as Zagreus launched into an attack. Somehow, he managed to avoid everything she could throw at him. Even though it took longer than usual Zagreus came out on top and continued on to Asphodel, ignoring the gems and darkness on the ground.
The main problem of Asphodel was the lava pools all over the place. The place should have been difficult to get through as the souls got more fervent the closer, he got to the Surface and yet there was little standing in his way. “Where is everyone? Not even the gods are showing themselves.” Zagreus said to himself as he realized how few boons he had managed to find until that point. All the fire made his lungs burn, or at least that was what he thought at the time. His journey had to be stopped every so often as he was overcome by coughing fits that brought up blood that was nearly black, and gray petals from the Shade Shroud flowers. “I just need to keep fighting. This is just another set back to overcome.” Zagreus muttered as he finally stepped inside the final chamber of the area.
On any normal escape the room was home to Lernie, the Bone Hydra that ensured no one would be able to escape. This time it was silent as though it was afraid of something.
Meanwhile in the Elysium Colosseum Theseus prepared for his next battle against the fire stepping prince. He watched as Asterius just stared at the entrance. “Something is wrong here. I am unable to hear the sound of battle.” Asterius said with a hint of fear in his voice. Theseus glanced around the arena finding the seats, once full of life and cheers, empty besides the single shade whose loyalty to Zagreus knew no bounds.
“Come on we should go, whatever is going on must be pretty bad if the warriors of this place are hiding. Hades should be able to handle this.” Theseus said, his right hand shaking in the thought of confronting Zagreus in his currently unknown condition. Asterius huffed in agreement, leaving yet another region of the Underworld abandoned.
Zagreus just continued on his journey seemingly unaware of what was happening to him. The Shade Shrouds had spread out from the initial injuries, covering his left eye and much of his left arm. Over time his laurel crown had slowly changed from the colors of flames to monochrome. Even his coughing fits were quickly growing worse with whole flowers coming up instead of just petals. It certainly made breathing a challenge, though his exploration felt a lot shorter than usual as if the Underworld knew something he was unaware of. “Just a little further now. Cerberus should be happy to see me.” Zagreus said as he entered the empty colosseum. For once he was glad to not have to listen to another one of Theseus’ tirades. Now the only thing that really stood between him and the Surface was the Temple of Styx before dealing with his father.
As Zagreus approached the exit he was taken aback as Cerberus was not waiting for him, even the boatman, Charon, had decided to not set up shop. With a shake of his head Zagreus stepped outside, the cold biting at his skin.
Hades stood with his back to the Temple of Styx, waiting to have another confrontation with his son. Suddenly he was over come with the distinct smell of the Shade Shrouds. Their petals had no smell which made them acceptable to have decorating the hallway outside the pool of blood. The problem was that the whole flowers smelled of corpses, only a few could stand the smell. Hades felt his blood run cold as he turned around to see Zagreus looking similar to the shades, he had seen earlier that day. “Zagreus!” Hades called out as Zagreus collapsed to the ground, his strength finally giving out. “Who did you even fall for? Wait there is only one person I know who loves these flowers, hopefully the war is over by now.” Hades said to himself as he transported himself and Zagreus back to the house.
He had hoped his arrival would have gone unnoticed. Of course, he had forgotten about Persephone who was always aware of something being wrong in the house. “What happened to him?” She asked as she ran over having just spoken to Nyx.
“Get Thanatos in here now. I have to get him to his room.” Hades commanded letting his status slip through. It was not easy to not use his authority to gain what he wanted or needed; exceptions could be made. Not waiting for a reply Hades headed towards Zagreus’ room near the gardens.
Meanwhile out on the battlefield Thanatos was busy collecting the souls of those who fell in the fight. “I can never get a break with Ares and his wars. It just leaves me with so little time to spend time with my friends back in the house.” Thanatos said to himself with the momentary peace before he had to gather more souls for Charon. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Persephone heading in his direction.
“Thanatos there you are. There is an emergency at the house and Hades requested that I bring you back.” Persephone said hoping it would be enough to convince him to leave the war for a while.
Thanatos had too many questions running through his head. What could be so important that a war could be put on hold. “What happened?” He asked, his heart racing at the idea that someone he cared about could be hurt.
Persephone’s eyes went wide for just a moment as she regained her composure at the sudden question. “Zagreus…” She said watching as panic spread across Thanatos’ face. He teleported away hoping that he was not too late to help the one person who was always in his thoughts.
As he appeared in the main chamber Thanatos took note of the scent of Shade Shrouds that filled the house. Standing near the entrance to Zagreus’ room was Hades who looked relieved to see Thanatos. “Where is he? What happened to him?” Thanatos asked in hopes of everything being alright.
“A sickness of the Surface unlike any other. Those cursed flowers helped me discover the key, you. You are the only person in the lands who enjoy those infernal blooms.” Hades responded, watching Thanatos slowly piece it together. Understanding what he needed to do Thanatos ran inside Zagreus’ room.
The situation was far worse than he thought. Dark blood pooled on the floor and bed, Shade Shrouds blooming from the door to the bed. It had confirmed his suspicions when he heard about the flowers. “Oh Zagreus, you never were good at expressing your feelings. I knew you left to find your mother, and that I was never around. I guess you were afraid to tell me your feelings since you thought I would hate you for trying to leave. You know I have always loved you even if I never said anything, if only my job let me spend more time here with you.” Thanatos said unsure if Zagreus could even hear him. Simply holding Zagreus’ hand was all he could do to keep himself stable.
The silence that followed was overwhelming as he waited for any sign that something had changed. “Thanatos is here, how nice.” Zagreus muttered, his eyes fluttering open for just a moment. Suddenly his eyes snapped open as he realized what he said. “When did you get here? I thought you were out dealing with the war.” Zagreus asked with renewed energy.
“Persephone found me, said you were in trouble. I thought I lost you. When I arrived, I noticed the flowers. Do you love me? I can only do so much to help you. Please I want to see your face when I return from my outings, you always know how to make my days a little brighter.” Thanatos responded unable to stop the tears rolling down his face.
Zagreus turned away unable to stand seeing Thanatos hurt like that and it was his own fault. “Of course I do. I have never felt like I belonged here, no matter what I do it is never enough. When I tried to leave, I was always thinking about you, sorry for never telling you when I should have. I was unsure of my feelings. You are one of the things I look forward to when I inevitably return.” Zagreus explained. All at once he felt the weight being lifted off his chest. His color returned and the flowers withered away. Still, it left him exhausted from the ordeal and now he could rest easy. Thanatos could have left and yet he stayed by his side even after he passed out once again.