The deal with the god (Hades x OC)

Chapter 18

Hades's POV
I made sure that Opal wouldn't have anything to worry about that day. The day of the funeral.
The day before, I gathered all the information about the funeral. Even though it was a stupid tradition. No, not stupid, just from another religion. I had to accept that some people believed that I didn't exist. But I wasn't going to worry about that. The only person that I would worry about was Opal.
I knew what time the funeral would be, where it would be, and what Opal was going to wear. The answer to all of that was: two o'clock ; the only church in the city where her mother used to live; and some black pants and a blouse that I knew she liked.
I woke her up at noon, her eyes swollen from crying the night before, and her hair tangled. This time she didn't complain about me waking her up. That wasn't a good sign. I knew her, and I knew that she always complained when somebody woke her up. I told her to get ready while I prepared her something to eat. I told the servants to take the day off, so that Opal wouldn't have to see everyone. While she showered, I made her bed and cooked breakfast. When she left the bathroom she was already dressed. She looked so... miserable. Her face was numb, there was no emotion there, as if she decided that feeling nothing was better than dealing with the pain she used to endure. I was wrong though, a few seconds later a single tear left her eye. She just stared at the floor, not trying to stop it. I immediately put down the tray that I was holding and ran to hug her. I knew that there were no words that I could say to help her. I couldn't revive her mother again, I had to beg the Fates to do it the other time, I had to get down on my knees and ask them. And they just laughed. That cruel, vicious laugh that still haunted me to this day. But they still did it, now I know that they just did it because they had another plan. They always did.
And we just stood there, her face buried against my chest. My shirt was stained with her tears, but I did not mind. The only thing I wanted was for her to be alright. About a minute later she pulled away.
"We have to go." She said, wiping the tears away.
So beautiful and yet so depressive.

Opal's POV
He teleported us to the church's street. The other funeral was there as well. But this one would be different. This time I promised myself that I wouldn't cry in front of everyone. The last time, I started off strong. We went to the church one hour earlier and during that time I didn't cry, that was until I saw my brother crying. I had never seen him cry until then. Seeing the tears leaving his eyes made something happen to me and after that I couldn't stop. There was no hug someone could give me. No "It's going to be alright" that could save me. Of course, I stopped for a few minutes but that didn't last long. I just couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again, never hugging her again. The thought of losing her.
Spoiler alert: I couldn't fulfill my promise and ended up crying in front of everyone. It started well, as good as a funeral can. Some of my mother's old friends came to say their goodbyes. They all told me how sorry they were, and I thanked them, even though I had no idea who I was talking to.
Hades held my hand all the time, I didn't even register that. My mind was too focused on other things. I felt so much guilt. I felt guilty for not visiting more. For not calling that much. For not saying goodbye. For not saying I love you more.
During the ceremony I leaned against his shoulder and just stared at the picture of her that was next to the coffin and let the tears fall. Thinking, how could I let this happen again? I had her and I lost her. I tried to tell myself that it was Fate, but the Fates weren't the ones who left their mother alone. I was.
I couldn't accept that I was never going to see her again. I would never be able to call her and hear her voice.

Everyone gathered in front of the church. We were deciding what the best route to the cemetery would be. I noticed that Hades was pretending to engage in the conversation, even though he had no idea where the cemetery was.

Hades's POV
Opal watched as the coffin went down, and I stared at her, waiting for her to react. She threw the flower we got on the way from the church to where we were now to the top of the coffin. I heard her say "I love you, mom. I'm sorry for not being with you more. I was messed up, mom, I still am. I'm sorry for not being healthy enough to be the daughter you wanted."
"You're sorry, now?" Her brother scoffed, loudly enough for everyone there to listen.
"What?" Opal asked
"You're ridiculous, Opal."
"What are you talking about?"
Where the fuck were you during these months? Do you know that me and Ella visited her every weekend? Where were you?" I assumed that Ella was her sister. "You don't need to answer, I know exactly where you were. I bet that you stayed at home doing nothing all day. Laying in bed on your phone. Because that 's you. You're selfish, lazy and don't give a fuck towards other people's feelings. And now you're sorry? Now, you love her? I've been working to death these past months and I still had time for her. Why couldn't you do the same?" He continued. I could see the shocked looks on everyone's faces. But Opal wasn't shocked, I knew that she had thought those things herself. But it's always difficult to hear it coming from someone else. Especially if it was someone who you looked up to.
"Stop, please." She didn't even try to insult him back, which was the thing that I'd have expected Opal to do. I put my arm around her waist and brought her closer to me. I whispered in her ear that we should leave.
"Don't run off to your boyfriend. Is that what you did all this time? Did you hide in your boyfriend's house? Is that why you never visited? Why you stopped caring? Did you find someone to give you more attention?" She started to sob. I had had enough. I knew that I was going to be making a scene. And I knew damn well that Opal didn't need anyone saving her. But she wasn't herself that day. And I promised that I would take care of her.
"First of all, I am not her boyfriend. Second, you have no idea what she has been through. Third, you have absolutely no right to treat Opal like that. You're her brother for fucks sake. Fourth, she never stopped caring. And I know that she never will. Fifth, if she tried to find someone to give her attention, maybe it was because you never gave her any, and I know that she looked up to you. And now, we're going to leave." I grabbed her hand and we walked away. "Oh, and I'm really sorry for your loss, you have my deepest condolences." I added to everyone in her family, including her brother.
I knew that she must've been thinking how I knew that much about her. You could say that I had done my... research about her. What could I say? I've been in love with her since the day I saw her in the park.

Opal's POV
I wasn't mad. No, I take it back, I was mad. It wasn't directed towards my brother, though. I was angry with myself. Because I knew he spoke the truth. I knew it because I had said all those things to myself. It just hurt to know that someone thought the same.
And Hades. He stood up for me. How the fuck did he know all that about me? This wasn't the first time that he said things about me that were entirely true, that I'd never told him, or anyone else. How the fuck did he know that?
We were going on a walk. He called my name.
"I don't want to talk about it, Hades. You saw what happened."
"Fine. But I want you to know that what he said wasn't true."
I didn't answer. We were both aware of what my thoughts were.
"Do you trust me?" He asked.
"Was I supposed to?" I didn't forget that he kept me locked in his castle. Some of the things my brother said were his fault. But Hades was also the one who defended me. The one who took care of me. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be, it's not your fault."
"But yes, I trust you." I wasn't lying.
"Then you know that I'm not lying when I say that your brother didn't mean what he said."
"Yes, he did." The tears threaten to fall, but I don't let them. "Of course he did."
"No, Opal, I know you. You're not like that."
"Then what am I like? Am I the kind, thoughtful person that giggles and is happy and likes parties and likes people? We know that I'm not." My voice faltered "It's not because I don't want to. I desperately want to be. But I can't. It's not who I am. I'm exactly like my brother described. What do I do the whole day? I lay in bed doing nothing. I'm too lazy to do anything useful. How many times have I told my mother that I love her? How many times have I hugged my father? How many times did I take care of my mother when she was sick?"
"Opal, different people deal with situations differently. And you don't have to be anyone you are not. I like you the way you are. I like you when you yell at other people. I love the way you always have something to say."
"What if I don't love it?"
"You should, Opal. I like you just the way you are."
"That makes one of us."
"And have you ever thought that there were reasons for you to not show your family how much you love them? Maybe because they never showed you? And you do care about other people's feelings. You only agreed to come live in the palace because of your family. Because you didn't want them to continue to suffer. And also, you not visiting her during these past months is entirely my fault."
"But they don't know that."
"They don't have to, Opal. You have to. I know there wasn't a single day where you didn't think about your family. Different people have different ways of caring for others."
I hugged him, and I did not cry anymore. "Thank you."
"I'm really sorry for everything that I made you go through." He apologized.
"I'm sorry too. For being mean to you."
"Don't apologize for that. Some of them were actually hilarious."

After a while, everyone started to leave the graveyard. I saw the looks of pity in some of their faces. While others seemed to agree with my brother. I didn't look at them, instead I stared at my family. My brother started to walk towards my direction.
"I'm sorry, Opal. I shouldn't have said that to you. It's just- I'm- I don't know. It's difficult, kid, you know that we're all going through tough times."
"I know. I don't mind. You know that I... l-love you."
He hugged me, tighter than he ever had. And a while later I started to hear sobs. They weren't mine this time, they were his. "I'm sorry, Opal, I'm so sorry. I love you, kid. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it."
"I know you didn't" That was a lie. "I understand. You don't need to apologize." He didn't need to apologize because I knew that no matter how many times he said he was sorry I didn't know if I could forgive him.

After that I said goodbye to my family and went back home. Not home, Hades's castle.