When Death Comes to Visit |ONC 2021

Dionysus

The Italian bar was crawling with tourists and regular holiday goers. The music was at an all-time high and sloppy drunk people stumbled on the dance floor enjoying their night. I watched from the dark corner in the bar sipping on my own smooth liquid. It was the perfect place to see the rest of the room and remain tucked away from any mortals dumb enough to touch me.

If my guesses were right, this would be the place to find a certain god. I, of course, hadn't crossed paths with him in over a millennia but there's no time like today for a family reunion. I took another sip of my drink, it glided down my throat easing my anxiety only a little. I'd been in here for an hour and I hadn't yet spotted who I was looking for. Did I somehow miss him? Tonight's party in the small town holiday bar was the place to be, he always turned up to a good party. It wasn't guaranteed of course that he'd also be hanging about in Italy but I had a feeling he would be, ski resort parties where big this time of year hosted by many of the wealthier families.

Today had been a wild one, and part of me worried that the little demi-god would fail, I couldn't rely on him. He hadn't even been trained by Chiron for goodness sake! He turned mere demi-gods into legends that are still told and retold to this day. Now wasn't the time for more doubt and hesitation, I had to trust that I chose the strongest demi-god out there for this task and that he wasn't as stupid as he appeared earlier this morning. He should've reached Rome by now, and if he was smart he'd already have found the mortal entrance to the underworld.

I anxiously rolled my shoulders and scanned the room again for the godly aura I needed but only drunk mortals barely able to walk filled the room. I sighed and downed the rest of my drink along with all my hopes for tonight. It was late by human standards and this party was about to be shut down. I contemplated leaving but it was a little too packed for me to make my escape - I didn't need dead bodies on my hands, especially if I had to see them in the underworld when all of this was over.

I caught the eye of the waitress who graciously served me all night and waved my hand above my head. She smiled coyly and made her way to me, hips swaying dramatically left and right.

"What can I get you handsome?" she asked in English, her American accent cutting through the music.

"The same as before," I said dryly.

"Is there anything else I could getcha?" She asked lingering a little too long at the side of my table.

"That'll be all," I said nodding curtly before looking away in dismissal.

From the corner of my eye, I watched as she lingered a moment before turning in a huff. Good, she doesn't know what she's dealing with.

"Still not the friendly type huh?" a familiar voice said from my right.

I turned to look at the owner of the voice and saw a tall man with sharp pointy features, his skin had a golden glow - tanned from the winter sun. His blonde hair hung over his face barely revealing his eyes underneath. A golden glow shone around his body radiating out in waves as he announced himself.

"Dionysus," I said, partly in relief that my efforts were not in vain and partly in annoyance. Just seeing his face reminded me why our relationship was so strained.

"Long time old friend." He said pulling out the chair opposite me and dropping himself onto it.

Not long enough.

"I wasn't sure you'd be here."

He raised his eyebrows, "You were looking for me?"

I nodded, "I wanted to find out if there's anything happening up in Olympus."

"Ohhh straight to business," he drawled, "Not even a drink?"

"Mines on the way."

I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him until I got the answers I needed but with Dionysus, that sort of thing didn't phase him. He was a wine and dine sort of guy, and that could take all night depending on his mood.

"Great." he grinned flashing his pearly whites and waved his hand over the table in front of him.

A glass of red wine appeared in a very large wine glass, he lifted it to his lips and took a large sip. As if the waitress had cue cards she appeared with my drink in hand, I saw the way she looked at Dionysus who basked in the attention and gave her a wink. Thankfully, she didn't linger around and disappeared back into the crowd.

"So what are you doing out here?" Dionysus said gesturing to the room around him, "I thought you hated the surface. Oh wait, that's right. You have a week of punishment every year? No that's not right." He took a pause and I just watched him in disinterest. "Ah, that's it! It's every hundred years."

I really felt like throttling him now.

"Yes yes," I waved dismissively, "That's why I'm on the surface, but I also want to know what's happening in Olympus. It's been a while and news doesn't really travel to the underworld."

That's a lie, people loved to gossip down there, it's what kept everyone moving, but whatever was keeping me out of the underworld was a part of something else. I intended to find out, no matter what, and maybe also throttle the person who dared stop me from doing my job.

"Fine fine. I guess this isn't a social hour for you." He said gulping down his wine before refilling it again. "There's some trouble up there. It's mainly between Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the usual."

"What kind of trouble?" I asked leaning forward in my chair.

"Oh you know, Hades is upset that he's been pushed aside and isn't allowed to freely walk among the living like he used to."

I remembered, Zeus and Poseidon had managed to band an alliance with the other gods after Hades went crazy a couple of centuries ago. He'd essentially threw a massive tantrum that caused a lot of inconvenience to the rest of us. Hades didn't want to be stuck down there, ruling over the dead for all eternity. He and I had many drunken discussions of what he could do to claim a different realm. Maybe he already started his master plan.

If that involved me though...

"So what?" I asked, "Is anyone taking action?"

Dionysus raised his eyebrows looking surprised.

"You don't seem to be siding with your long time ruler." He noted, refilling another glass.

I shrugged, "I don't care about some grudge, or whatever tiff those brothers are having. I only want to do my job in peace, I like routine."

Dionysus laughed, "Still the same old Thanatos, all about balance and neutrality."

"There's nothing wrong with balance."

"Ok. Fine." Dionysus leaned forward. "I'll give you a piece of advice. Pick a side, a war is coming and there's no stopping it."

I didn't respond, it was best not to show what I really thought about the whole thing, word of it would quickly spread to either side and I didn't need that heat on my tail.

I picked up my glass and held it towards Dionysus in a salute and said sarcastically, "To family."

The cogs in my mind begun to turn in double time as the weight of Dionysus's words sunk in. I'd just sent that demi-god straight into the middle of a war between the gods, more specifically into the hands of Hades. If Hades manages to capture that boy or worse, kill him, it would mean an all-out war, possibly the biggest war ever seen between the gods.

My time here was no social visit, it was a political agenda.

A/N This one's a short one but what do we think Thanato's next move will be?