Dying Ichor

FORTY-SIX

Elias had died. Hades was furious.

Out of everyone in Olympus, he was the only god who was able to sense a mortal's death. At first, he was confused and didn't realize what was going on. It was a weird feeling, but not a moment later did he finally get what had happened.

He didn't bother asking Hera what had happened when he busted through her private quarters. He didn't spare a glance over at Apollo and Nemesis, even though he noticed the bow Apollo had and the wound that definitely belonged to an arrow right in the middle of Elias' chest. Even when he faced Hecate, listening to her scramble and trying to beg him to save Elias, he didn't pay any attention to her and drowned the goddess' worries out.

Instead, he placed a tender hand on the boy's corpse and crouched down on the floor. Hades placed his head on Elias' stomach as he lifelessly laid still on the sofa. He closed his eyes, hand clutching at the wound as he tried to feel his soul. He searched for a long time, but when Hades opened his eyes, he gripped Elias' body and kept his head on the male's stomach.

There wasn't a soul. He had completely passed.

And that made Hades all the more infuriated, glimpsing at Apollo with vehement passion to kill him. Hera and Hecate backed away when they felt a sense of death and decay lingering in the air, permeating their senses and scaring them.

"Child, don't you know better than to offend me?" Hades whispered in warning, still not letting go of Elias. "You're several centuries too young to fight. I'll take Chloris' soul instead as compensation."

Apollo widened his eyes. "You can't-"

"Of course, I can. I can do it because I have the power to. If you had the power to kill him, then why can't I do the same to Chloris?"

Hades burrowed his face into Elias' body, desperately trying to not look up at see the male's glassy eyes without any life.

"I don't know why you did this, but I would've done everything and anything for him... I still can. I'll start off by detaining you and killing off that beloved priestess of yours. I'll be generous enough to inform you I have no intention of letting her soul have a peaceful afterlife. Expect her bound in my realm for all eternity. She won't ever have the chance of reincarnation-"

"Hades."

Everyone went quiet at Apollo. The god put his bow down against the wall and took a few steps forward, his eyes glancing over to Elias' lifeless body. Hades clutched the male, not liking the way Apollo stared at him with some remorse.

If he felt guilty, why kill him in the first place? He acted like Zeus on a whim sometimes. Hades despised that.

"If you knew what was happening, you'll thank me for this one day," Apollo said once he tore his eyes away from Elias. "I did it for all of our benefits. It's not like I wanted to kill him... in fact, I wish I didn't, but I did it for us."

With some hesitance, Hades pulled away from Elias and lifted his bloodied hand away from the wound. The blood was still warm. It almost made Hades cringe.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Apollo turned to Hera. The woman jumped back, not expecting to be part of this. What was Hera going to say? How could she even explain the dire situation they were all in because of her greed?

Nemesis held a hand up. "Apollo... don't say anything. Hades, I know you're angry, but we need Apollo. I'll make sure to watch over him. Don't touch Chloris as well. I don't want you to get on my bad side as well if you try to act funny in the name of revenge. That's what I do."