Helios (Emet-Selch x Azem)

One

Hades never really liked that girl. She was too loud, too... impulsive. Whereas the others their age would be content to simply listen and learn from the lectures the academy's scholars presented each day, she claimed that, "to see and do are the greatest teachers life has provided." What nonsense. How could one understand anything in life without first learning the delicate sciences that wove together to create the threads of reality? Surely she would not learn to adequately control her magicks through reckless trial and error. Concepts needed much time and deliberation before they could be safely implemented. And there was the matter of her soul. It burned too brightly, it was almost blinding--like looking directly into the sun at high noon. And yet, for some unfathomable reason, Hythlodaeus was absolutely enthralled with her. Not in the way Hades had seen adults become bewitched by each other, skittering around nervously and losing all sense of how to properly phrase a sentence.

Nothing like that at all, thankfully, Hades thought, his frown deepening. She's not normal.

And Hythlodaeus had always been drawn to those outliers of society. What, then, did that say about Hades? He huffed, as if such an aggressive breath could drive any outrageous implications away. He wasn't the problem here, that girl was.

Their families had never interacted much. Amaurot was a big city, after all. It wasn't until Hythlodaeus struck up a friendship with her that she really made her way into Hades' life. He sighed ruefully, yearning for the days of peace long gone.

She was some distance away from the great tree under which Hades was sitting, giggling incessantly about something or the other while Hythlodaeus chuckled along. Hades' oldest friend glanced in his direction, and Hades' gaze cut sharply to the tome in his hands. He most certainly was not going to be caught staring. No wrong impressions would be given this day.

"Yearning to stretch those stiff limbs? Or is today not the day we finally see the miracle of stone come to life?" The girl was suddenly right in front of him. She had let her mask down, hanging around her neck, and her bright eyes peered down at him from above the pages he was staring blank holes into. He went rigid. Didn't she know anything about being respectful of others' space?

"Helios, I don't think our dear Hades is quite in the mood today to join us in our investigation of nature," Hythlodaeus' gentle laugh came from nearby. Hades couldn't agree with him more.

"Indeed, can you not see I'm busy? There are better things to be doing than... playing."

The girl guffawed at his response, the sound of her laughter like the most infuriating screech of a beast in Hades' ears. "You talk like a grown-up, Hades. There are more ways to contribute to society than gaining intelligence from books and lectures. Look around you at all there is to learn right at your fingertips." She spread her arms wide, gesturing to the trees surrounding them.

The trio was young, still considered children by society. But in a few short years, they would be ready to start down the paths they were destined to walk. Their "entrance" into adulthood. Hades ached for that day. Lectures had ended over an hour ago, and the girl convinced Hythlodaeus to come with her, and he in turn dragged Hades into what was becoming an increasingly frustrating trip. They were just outside Amaurot, and the city's massive, swirling spires that sliced into the sky at dizzying heights were still visible through the canopy above. Oh how Hades wished to be indoors, far from the unsettling gaze of this half-brained nitwit.

He slammed his tome shut and tapped his fingers against the sturdy cover, his voice snide as he spoke, "I have access to all the knowledge I need right here. And in the myriad other tomes within the city. Surely that doesn't mean anything to someone who can't read."

Unfortunately for him, she was unoffendable. "Of course I can read, Hades," she rolled her eyes with a giggle.

"Helios does have a point, you know," Hythlodaeus, ever the mediator, chimed in. "There's no doubt you are destined for greatness, O esteemed young Hades, blessed with the most esteemed gift of soul sight. But, if you aim to keep your place at the top of our class, you may wish to begin studying what you read about first-hand." He was teasing him, but he was right. A good man, a smart man, would make the most of any situation. Even one as dire as being wrangled into an afternoon with the proverbial antagonist to his hero's journey. Hades breathed out slowly through his nose. He was glad for Hythlodaeus' presence.