Dying Ichor

TWENTY

   When Hesiod came in the palace, he was met with corpses strewn throughout the main hall of the throne room.

He carefully stepped over a mangled body, giving it a look of disgust before hearing the king let out a frustrated groan. Hesiod watched Sisyphus furiously cut a limb from one of his dead servants, choosing to take his anger off on it.

Pelagios was unconcerned with the whole situation and was seated on the throne. He casually threw his legs off to one side of the armrests while he meticulously cleaned the blood off his own weapon.

"That damned god managed to get out of his chains!" Sisyphus spat out, still repeatedly stabbing a corpse. "Not only that, but he took Elias as well! Who else is supposed to entertain me now? I didn't spend all my time taking care of him, only to have him snatched away!"

Pelagios raised his xiphos up to the sky, letting the sun glint against the small blade. He frowned when he realized there was still blood on it.

He clicked his tongue before hurriedly scrubbing the blade again. "I guess it's a good thing Thanatos stole him away. I've been trying to get that kid away from the likes of you and Hesiod. Elias is better off without you, you know?"

"Shut up, Pelagios!" Sisyphus threw down his weapon. "And get down from my throne! Hurry up and clean all these messes up!"

The brunet hummed, "If I didn't make the mess, I don't have to clean it up."

"D-Did you say Elias was taken away?" Hesiod meekly questioned from the side. He didn't even notice he was stepping on the bodies, trying to get to Sisyphus. "Where did he go?"

"How should I know? Thanatos just took him!" Sisyphus hissed.

"Oh, no... no, no, no... where did my Elias go? Your Majesty, you have to get him back. What am I supposed to do without him? Pelagios, you should help find him as well!"

Pelagios gave Hesiod a ticked off look before pointing the edge of his blade at him. "I'm going to tell you this only once, Hesiod. Stop it. You're doing it again."

Sisyphus groaned loudly when Hesiod continued muttering up nonsensical things. He couldn't be bothered helping Hesiod, it was always difficult for the man to regain his sense of logic when his trauma had been triggered.

"Where did he go... I must find him," Hesiod mumbled over and over again under his breath. "I have to find him. I haven't seen for him a while now... how can he just leave? Your Majesty, I have to leave for a while, you'll permit my leave of absence, won't you? You will, right? I must-"

"Hesiod, he is not your dead brother."

Hesiod went dead silent, his eyes turning wide and glassy at Pelagios' venomous tone. Even Sisyphus had to stop, a little surprised at the Roman. Even the king of Corinth was reluctant to bring up Hesiod's dead siblings.

Pelagios' glare worsened as he rose up from the throne. Despite how haggard Hesiod looked, he continued to coldly drill some sense into the man's head.

"Elias is not your friend. He is not your family. If you think he has any resemblance to your dead brother then you're wrong, stop this right now, Hesiod." Pelagios walked straight up to him, smacking Hesiod' left cheek with such force it echoed through the room. "You're so fucking stupid for thinking that he is. You were stupid in the first place, trying to dress him in the way your little brother did. He is not Janus... now leave him alone."