Hades II

plans

Macaria

Zagreus was in the kitchen when I entered. He was toying with an arrow between his hands, eyes directed at the arrow.

"Hey," I said.

He looked up. "I went to see the fates."

"Oh," I said. It was never a pleasant experience. I'd been there a few times, very few, Hades had made sure all children from the Underworld had to meet the fates. Zagreus had been there more often as his job also required him to be in charge of eventual reincarnations.

"They don't foresee Persephone's human's death anytime soon, because someone is doing something. But of course they can't tell me who's doing something." He looked at me. Directly into my eyes. "Macaria, I don't know if it's Melinoë who has to do something, if Hades persuades her to do something, or if I'm the one to force her down here."

"Wait and see?" I suggested. "I just checked up on Melinoë and Hades and Stella. Stella and Hades are together, Melinoë is alone though she's very well aware of where Persephone is. Persephone is in a motel outside of the town Stella lives in. She hasn't moved for more than a week. The human is stronger than Persephone gave her credits for."

Zagreus nodded. "It's such a cliché, but love is a strong motivation."

I nodded. "At least for some."

"Persephone is only doing this, because she can't see Hades with someone that's not her."

"Yet they haven't been together for, what, at least a millennium. I don't think Hades is very interested."

Zagreus shrugged. "What's our plan?"

"The plan has to be, that if Persephone doesn't do anything, we can't interfere. If she tries to, we'll give Melinoë and Hades some time to work it out, and if they don't you have to." I said.

Zagreus nodded. "Okay. And I'm the one to decide when I do something?"

"Yeah," I said. "I don't know what you do or how you do it, so it can only be you."

He rubbed his temples, the arrow was on the table. "I loathe doing it," he whispered.

"I know," I said and sat down.

"Zeus will have to deal with the punishment," Zagreus said. "And while Persephone is not known in Erebos, she's been there too much for it to be her punishment."

I nodded.

Zagreus stood. "Can I stay here? Just so I have access to the right globes?"

I nodded. "I think the castle is spacious enough."

He smiled, tousled my hair and left.

"I'm not ten years old," I whispered. I looked at the door that had fallen shut behind him. Right. Time to... to go to work.