Half and Half

Chapter Seventeen

Beast held back a sigh as he stood behind the counter at Lord Hades' new restaurant. It wasn't exactly what he had been expecting when he ended up on the Isle but as Lord Hades had said after he met Beast at the docks, if he was going to live in his Underworld and take up his limited resources then he was going to work.

Yeah that had been a shock. Hades meeting him at the docks, not the limited resources or the idea of working for a living. Though Beast did wish it was something less public.

Not because he didn't want to work with the public...okay that was a lie. He'd heard horror stories from what working with the public was like from Chip—apparently one of his older brothers had gotten a job in retail—but also it might have made it easier for Ben when he arrived if Beast didn't have such a public facing job.

Not that he was complaining about having a job on the Isle. Not at all.

"Well, well, well, look how the mighty have fallen."

Okay maybe he could complain a little. Especially when he was looking in the face of the man who tried to kill him once upon a time.

"Gaston," Beast said, trying to keep the bite out of his words. He knew Lord Hades' place was fairly new for the Isle and it certainly wouldn't help if Beast started fighting his patrons. Even if every bone in his body was itching for a fight at that moment.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you got thrown in prison," Gaston scoffed, a small arrogant smirk on his lips. "What, did Boreadon wake up and finally realize that kidnapping a woman and brainwashing her to fall in love with you wasn't exactly 'heroic'?"

"You know that's big talk coming from a guy who's also on the Isle," Hades' voice called from the back and both men looked over to see the God walking toward them.

"Lord Hades, I—."

"I know why you're here," Hades said, glaring slightly at Gaston and ignoring Beast's comment. "It's the same reason half the bloody Isle's been here. To see him."

Beast tried not to react as Hades almost nonchalantly waved a hand in his direction.

"Now, I can handle the gawking and I can handle the few comments that have been made, I can't control what idiots say," Hades continued to speak. "But what I don't appreciate is people coming in trying to stir up trouble."

"I can't believe you're defending him!" Gaston exclaimed. "After all he's done to the Isle?"

"Yeah, trust me, he's not exactly in my good books," Hades said. "However, I know you've always regretted not being able to finish the job when you had the chance and believe it or not, I'm not exactly fond of people who try to increase my workload."

"What—?"

"God of the Dead, you ignoramus," Hades snarked. "And if you make it so that I have to deal with Beastie's soul for the rest of my days, I will hunt you down. Got it?"

"You wouldn't!" Gaston exclaimed.

"Oh wouldn't I?" Hades asked, raising an eyebrow. "See Beastie here might be the combination of everything horrible in Boreadon but there is one thing he has over you. And that's the fact that, according to Persephone, Beastie here is a good father. How are your daughters doing again?"

"LeGumes don't have daughters," Gaston shot back. "We have boys, strapping young lads. And what would you know about being a father, Hades? Last I checked, you had no children."

"And yet I still know more about being a parent than you do...though the amount that I know that you don't could fill all the books you'd never read," Hades said. "Honestly, how you managed to have one son who's even remotely tolerable is beyond me. Must be the work of his mother because we all know what boys raised by you are like."