Cherry Wine (Hankcon)

Chapter 1

Mother had always told him to avoid the seductions of the mortal world.

"Humans were born to sin, and to condemn others to their lives of sin." She'd said. "They'll bribe you with women and wine until you fall from grace."

While Connor never saw the temptation in women. But wine? That he understood. It was his small bit of freedom he'd managed to gain control of, a freedom that he could relish in once every moon, when his mother would be busy with Zeus and the other Olympians and he could bask in the sun's rays while getting drunk off of cherry wine. It was a bittersweet day, always, as he watched the hours fly by, and he knew by dawn the next day he'd be stripped of his wings. But for today he was as free as a honeybee on a midsummer's day.

It was about noon, and Connor was already beginning to feel a bit tipsy when he felt a sudden coldness set over him, like a snowy December chill. It was familiar to Connor, though, and eagerly the deity deserted his wine and plants, following the trail he'd trekked so many times before, into the woods where wolves howled at dawn and birds chirped at dusk. Across the stream where fish swam against the current instead of with it.

It was when Connor saw the withered grass that he knew he was nearing the source of this chill. He quieted his steps, peering through the thicket to catch a glance at the unseeable king.

Surrounded by wither and decay stood the king of the underworld, brother of Zeus and, to his mother's dismay, ravager of plants. Demeter had never cared much for Hades, Connor having witnessed quite a few of their shouting matches which always ended in Demeter storming off and Hades shrugging before returning to his throne. And while Demeter had tried her best to deter Connor from him, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the man. It just so happened that Hades's return to the underworld always aligned with Connor's breath of freedom every moon, and so Connor had developed a habit of sneaking a final look at the king before he disappeared back to his kingdom.

Connor had always wished to visit the underworld. He barely knew anything of it! He knew Hades ruled over it, and that if you went into the underworld, it was unlikely you'd come back out. The only attraction he had to the underworld was the mystery of it, and the mystery of the man who ruled over it. (Though, Connor would have to admit that there were many other things he found attractive about Hades)

As Connor became lost in his imaginations of the underworld, Hades had already opened his way back home. Sadly the god watched as he glanced around at the bushes and bramble surrounding the clearing before finally stepping through the entrance. Connor let out a sad sigh before noticing that the gateway remained open. It was something that Connor had most likely seen happen before, but hadn't put much thought about until now.

"Surely..." He thought allowed, passing through the bramble and looking at the gateway with a curious and drunk gaze. "Just a short trip wouldn't hurt anyone?" Connor raised a hand to the entrance gingerly before retracting it, and looking up at the sun.

"Mother would kill me. Surely she'd rip my head from it's body and mount it above her mantle. A cautionary tale! I wouldn't want to become that." He ranted before looking back.

"But...if she doesn't find out..." Connor breathed out before nodding his head, allowing himself to indulge.

"Call me a fool for walking into darkness with blind eyes, but curse you to be double the fool for not noticing my chaos." The deity grinned, and without another moments hesitation, walked straight into the arms of the dead.