Green Eyes and Blue Flames

Getting Ready

The day of the ball finally arrived and all of the Grecian Pantheon was getting ready; the Gods cleaning up and wearing their finest togas or armor and the Goddesses doing their hair and makeup and wearing their best dresses. Even Hades was getting ready... but he was struggling to find a decent outfit to wear. He hadn't been to a social gathering in millennia and almost everything he had was practically falling to pieces because they were so old. He went through almost his entire wardrobe and nothing he found was good enough, not even the armor and cape he wore during the Titanomachy was acceptable. He sat on the edge of his bed in nothing but a black cloth wrapped around his hips and a pair of sandals and groaned in exasperation, running his hands through his flaming hair.

"What am I gonna do? I can't go anywhere like this, at least not in my underwear!" He shouted.

Unfortunately for him, Pain and Panic chose to arrive at that moment. At the sight of their half-naked boss, Panic quickly screeched and covered his eyes while Pain groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Uh, boss? Do you mind?" Pain asked.

"Yeah! Please put some clothes on!" Panic cried.

"Ugh, don't be like that, guys. Come on." Hades said as he got up and made his way over to the dark and chipped mirror he owned. He stared at his reflection and placed a hand on his left side, the scar on his stomach was still quite visible. "I don't know what to do, okay? I want to look really good for this ball, but I have NOTHING decent to wear. I definitely don't want to make a fool of myself in front of her."

The two imps opened their eyes and asked in unison, "...Who?"

"Maleficent, you nitwits!" Hades screamed at them as fire erupted from his body; the two cowardly minions squealed and cowered in response. He groaned and facepalmed before turning back to his mirror. "I just wanna look my best for her."

"Knocky-knocky!" A new voice said.

Hades turned around and was surprised to see Nyx standing in the doorway; her hair was pulled up in a massive flowing ponytail and she was wearing a floor-length black gown with golden yellow accents around her waist and bust, mid-length sleeves, and a deep blue rap around her hips. He unconsciously covered his scar with his undergarment the moment she walked in.

"Wow. Nice dress, Nyx." He said.

"Aw, thank you. I designed it myself." Nyx said. "But Hades... you're not even dressed yet? The ball is in a few hours, you have to hurry."

"I know, I know, I know. But I can't find a good enough outfit, okay?"

"Come on, there must be something you can wear. Let's take a look together."

Nyx strode over to her friend's wardrobe and started to look through it with Hades right beside her. She looked through all of the garments he had, but she noticed something about every single one; one had a large stain that wouldn't go away, one was too itchy, there was even one that had a horrible rotting smell to it. And most of the other outfits were so old fashioned that they were almost crumbling to pieces like a broken stone statue. She stood straight and put her hands on her hips, furrowing her brow and pursing her lips in thought.

"See? Nothing." Hades said.

"Hmmm... Well don't worry. I'm always prepared for a fashion emergency. And this is most definitely an emergency." Nyx said as she waved her hands over her head; a box with a black ribbon wrapped around it suddenly appeared and floated into Hades' open hands. "Think of this as an extra birthday gift. Happy Birthday, Hades." She smiled warmly at her friend.

With a curious expression, Hades untied the bow and opened the box. His eyes widened when he saw a set of brand new clothes neatly folded up inside; he looked back at Nyx, who was still smiling.