down the river styx

Hades Cosmatos thirty-four, mage, medium owner of the underworld club an eye for an eye, i don't care if you go blind

[coreytaylortv]

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[odairannies]

hades  /ˈheɪdiːz/  god of the dead and the king of the underworld. “death is not a lover. oh yes, he is.”

[drapedindeath]

thatghostbcy​:

seeing another medium was a total shock to norman. he always thought that he was one of the only mediums in the world; but another one in porthaven, so close to them? it was amazing. hearing hades’ words, it pulled him back into the real world with a soft smile. “oh i mean, it more thanks for having me… i just- i haven’t actually had a job before, not outside of working for my uncle. i wanted to look good since I don’t exactly have a resume…” he mumbled, smiling weakly. 

at hades’ confirmation, the grin on norman’s features grew. “i’m not like cursed, i’ve had it my whole life too! but uh, my parents see it as a bad curse, rather than another way to help people…” he explained, looking at the other. “did you uh… there’s one sitting in the waiting room, he looks rather patient, but he’s trying to read the paper and can only read the first page.” norman explained, fairly certain that the ghost would still be there. 

‘My uh… my whole life here is ghosts right now… and don’t get me wrong, I do love working with them, but I need something else. and it would really mean a lot if you trusted me to walk your dogs.” norman rambled, desperate for hades to like him. 

Hades wondered how little worldly experience and knowledge this kid had to have in order to be so surprised by another Medium. Though many of the fortune teller types who charged people to speak to the dead were fake, Mediums as a whole were not incredibly rare. They were all over the world and Hades knew of at least a couple others living in the city. Perhaps Norman was just sheltered. Or maybe his uncle had raised him to think that so the poor kid really thought that the task of helping wandering spirits rested on his shoulders alone. 

"Mediumship is a powerful gift, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” Hades wished someone had told him that when he a kid. He’d been younger than Norman back then, but it would have been nice to have someone to have confided in other than his mother. “Yeah he comes around every so often.... doesn’t really do much other than just sit there though. Can’t seem to understand that the person he’s waiting for instead here anymore either.” He didn’t do enough to be considered an annoyance, just something Hades chose to ignore.

Basing his whole life around ghosts - Hades thought that sounded more like a punishment than anything else. At least it meant was there would be less spirits for Hades to deal with. “Well you seem alright to me. If you’re free tonight you can drop by my apartment to meet Cerberus - he’s who you’ve got to hope likes you,” Hades looked forward to seeing Norman try to manage a doberman.

[drapedindeath]

opcndoorpolicy​:

Anna couldn’t help the slight flinch at the man’s words, he first instinct being afraid she’d been caught. There were days that she forgot that, legally at least, she was an adult. Even if he turned out to be a professor at the college, which she really liked to think she’d remember seeing him around campus, it wasn’t like he could drag her down to the principal’s office for punishment. The worst that would happen is a mark against her grade, which she’d really been hoping to avoid, even having gone to such lengths as to have a classmate sign her name on the attendance sheet.

“Nope! That is…so not what I’m doing right now. I am a responsible student, thank you very much.”

Hades knew he had an intimidation factor whether he was trying to look menacing or not. It also seemed to be especially effective on young people. This girl was clearly no exception and was acting as though he was some teacher or other authority figure who would drag her back to wherever she was supposed to be. “Ah, my sincerest apologies then,” His tone was laced with humor. “How strange of me to have thought otherwise.”

[mcthercfmcnsters-deactivated202]

Anna smiled to herself as she walked into the museum, quietly purchasing her ticket before heading straight to the section filled with Dutch paintings from the 17th century. So far, Operation: Avoid Class and All Sense of Responsibility was a complete success! No one would ever look for her here! Maybe she should take the advice of strangers more often…

“This is so much better than class,” She thought out loud, staring at the paintings as she struggled not to touch anything.

[drapedindeath]

Hades had always enjoyed museums. Something about being surrounded by things from the past just appealed to his soul. His mother had often said he belonged in another time. An old soul. He’d visited the city’s Art Museum multiple times since moving to Porthaven, trying to go every time they got a new collection or theme. It was a relaxing activity on the days when he had nothing to do. Or rather, nothing he was obligated to do. Hades was wandering through a hall of old Dutch paintings when a girl near him who happened to be looking at the same work of art broke the relative silence of the room. “Skipping a lecture or something?” He asked, peering down at her. She looked young - the type of young where he couldn’t tell if she was in high school or college. He’d guess either a senior in high school or a freshman in college.

[ilonvilon]

Visit Original Link

[drapedindeath]

goddcss​:

when hades pushed the cup toward her she made sure her hands were nowhere even remotely close to his. though she was sure she’d just been overexerting herself and therefore imagining things last time they saw each other, she didn’t want to take the chance that it might happen again. once she could blame on lack of sleep, twice would make her paranoid; and she wasn’t quite sure what it was she would be paranoid about since she had absolutely no idea why she’d felt what she had.

“thanks,” she hummed as she first took in its aesthetic. it was quite a pretty looking drink. whatever that white stuff at the top was looked tasty. she took a full sip to really taste it and held it in her mouth for a minute. she immediately shook her head and let the liquid spill back into the cup like water fountain. her face puckered in distaste. “how do you drink that? it’s-” she shook her head, “not good.”

now she really needed a drink to get this taste out. she scanned the room for something that looked less awful. a girl walked by and persephone reached out to tap her. “hi, sorry, what are you drinking? it looks really good” she added at the end so it wouldn’t seem like she didn’t know anything about coffee. the girl looked back and forth between hades and persephone in confusion before telling her it was a frappuccino and quickly scurrying away.

“a frappuccino…. i need one of those. what did you say yours was…” she asked as she turned in her chair to look at the menu again. “mocha? so that’s a no on mocha. what about caramel? does that sound like a good choice if i hated that,” she grimaced at the drink.

Hades pretended not to notice how Persephone avoided his hand like the plague. He wasn’t sure if the reaction they experienced the last time their hands touched would happen, but clearly she wasn’t willing to take any risks. Not that he would try to push it. He didn’t want to do anything that made her uncomfortable, and it wasn’t like they ever touched each other aside from shaking hands. 

The expression she made after trying his drink made him genuinely laugh. He was barely more than a chuckle, but it was probably one of the only times he had smiled that day. Though he would need to order another drink after she spit her sip back into the cup. She certainly was proving to be an interesting one. Hades couldn’t recall a time where someone asked to try his own drink - let alone spit it back out. Well, other than Zeus who had immediately regretted his first glass of whiskey when they were much younger. “It’s probably not sweet enough for you,” Persephone didn’t seem like the woman who enjoyed any bitterness in a drink. He was fairly certain that his drink used some percentage of dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate and he’d also asked for the barista to use less sugar than normal. 

He found himself wondering if Persephone had much experience with coffee if she didn’t even know what the blended beverage the other girl held was. Three Witches didn’t have many blended coffee options - it was a drink more popular with chain coffee stores - but they did have a few. It wasn’t something he really enjoyed and never ordered for himself. “Caramel should be a safe choice,” He spoke, watching her inspect the small menu on the table like it was some treasure map. As if any drink could be a dangerously unpalatable trap. Hades rested his elbows on the table with the inkling of a smirk on his lips, “You don’t seem overly familiar with any of the drinks here... or coffee in general.”

[drapedindeath]

villainousstyle​:

“Gesundheit,” Now that was a hell of a name. Not so much the first, that was odd, but easy enough. There was no way notoriously bad with names Roman Torchwick would remember the last name, not without at least a few dozen slip ups. Again he found himself trying to come up with a nickname for the man, something short and easy to remember. He’d just have to avoid the need to say it until something came to him.

For now, he had plenty of extra cash, a startlingly empty dance card, and what was hopefully a decent guide to the more worthwhile aspects of the city. Having spent a majority of his time in Porthaven learning which districts saw less police activity, who could be bought, where to get muscle, and just building his network, it’d be a crime to ignore this opportunity for a bit of actual fun, “So what’s there to do in this dump? Besides drinking with the relics.”

Hades didn’t think his name was all that difficult to remember (especially when compared to some other Greek surnames), but he’d noticed that many of the Americans he had met struggled when it came to names of foreign origin. Especially the self-important types like the man before him appeared to be. Hades considered himself to have a fairly good memory and rarely struggled to recall the names of people he had gotten into conversation with.

Porthaven wasn’t somewhere he’d consider a dump, but if Roman was used to other places like New York then he supposed Maine’s magical coastal city might not appear quite as enticing or exciting. Hades didn’t really get out much himself - he had never been the life of the party - but he liked to consider the Underworld as one of Porthaven’s best nocturnal attractions. “Well, I do own a club downtown,” He glanced down at his watch, realizing he probably needed to head back inside to pay his bill soon. “It’s one of the city’s best offerings at night - in my humble opinion.”

[drapedindeath]

⌜TASK 003 : HOME SWEET HOME⌟

Spacious, dark, and elegant seems to be the theme of Hades’ home. He lives in the penthouse on the thirteenth and top floor of the View at Elysium. It’s a very nice apartment building that many mistake for a hotel upon first glance. The tenant who lived there before him had a rather Gothic style that fits Hades’ tastes perfectly. All he had to do before moving in was a few touch ups and a bit of modernization of appliances. Minthe says it’s too gloomy, but Hades wouldn’t change it for the world. The apartment is comprised of a kitchen, living room, dining room, office, two guest bedrooms and baths, the master bed/bath, and a nice sized balcony. A mix of brass and silver can be found throughout the home amongst all of the black. Eventually he hopes to switch all of the warmer browns and brass out for cooler toned blues and silver. 

[drapedindeath]

villainousstyle​:

“A couple of months,” He shrugged, though internally he preened at the compliments. He spent a lot of time, and money, on his wardrobe, more than he was usually willing to admit. It was good to meet someone else who could appreciate that. And Roman would be the first to admit that flattery would get one everywhere with him. He was, unsurprisingly, unashamed of it, “Thought it was time for a change of scenery.”

Speaking of scenery, he gave the the man another once over, never being one for shyness. It was all well and good to compliment Roman on his clothes, but that suit easily dwarfed the amount he’d paid for them. Custom-made if he had to guess, and damned if he didn’t find himself wishing for the number of his tailor. Taking one last drag of his cigar, Torchwick let it drop to the ground before it could stain his skin, grinding it beneath his heel. He flashed a grin at him, sticking out a hand in introduction, “Roman Torchwick.”

Hades wasn’t sure if he considered a couple of months to still be new to a place, but he supposed it depended on how acquainted the person had become with the city and if they were used to living in one place for long periods of time. Hades had been in Porthaven for around a year and probably knew the city well enough after two months of living there to no longer consider himself a new resident. It certainly helped that he had visited Porthaven multiple times before officially moving there. 

No one who dressed that nicely didn’t care for compliments on their appearance. Certainly not someone with the other man’s attitude. Hades knew that despite the outwardly nonchalant response, his acquaintance was probably beaming inside. He met Roman’s hand with a firm shake and a half smile, “Hades Cosmatos.” Part of him was glad that he’d come across Roman after his fight with Minthe. If not for the other’s interruption he would already be on his way home fuming for the rest of the night.

[lcstprincessxxx]

Since arriving in Porthaven, Rapunzel had quickly discovered a few favorite places, ones that she routinely worked into her weekly routine. Today’s venture happened to be Archimedes Antiques, which she’d chosen to visit after her shift at Valley of Flowers had ended. Next on her route was to grab an afternoon pick me up of caffeine, but currently, her interest had been piqued by a frying pan she’d found on one of the shelves.

Of course, when it slipped from her grip and clattered to the floor, the light chatter in the shop went silent. Rapunzel’s cheeks reddened. “Well, this is embarrassing.”

[drapedindeath]

Hades had a true appreciation for antiques. It wasn’t something most people knew about him unless they got to know him well. By no means was he a collector, but he enjoyed having pieces around his home or on his person that came from another time. They always looked and felt different from things produced in the modern era. Sometimes they even had spirits attached to them, but those were usually abandoned family heirlooms or other sentimental objects that he didn’t come across often. He’d gone into Archimedes Antiques once or twice before just to look around. Today, however, he was on a search for an pocket watch. 

He was still in search of a watch when a girl near him dropped a pan. It resounded throughout the shop with a loud clang and her cheeks heated up immediately. The pan had landed close to his feet, so he reached down to grab it and hand it back to her, “Better a pan than a glass I suppose.”

[drapedindeath]

goddcss​:

if persephone knew any better, she would’ve known it was rude to invite yourself to sit down at someone’s table and be present while they were having what was probably a private phone conversation. but she didn’t so there they were.

as she waited for him to finish his call, she pondered how to go about figuring out what to order without giving away the fact that she’d never had coffee in her life. she didn’t understand why it embarrassed her to admit this. maybe it was because technically she was a grown woman and her mother still coddled her like a toddler. nevertheless, she would be trying her best not to divulge the information. especially since the last time they spoke she literally ran away from him, so he probably already thought she was a weirdo.

but of course, when he asked if he could help her with something, what came out was, “what are you drinking? is it good? can i try it?” she snapped her mouth shut and grinned to keep from rambling but made sure to add a please through her clenched teeth.

Persephone was proving herself to be a rather peculiar girl. Her stunt in his office had left him curious about her powers, but it was more than that. She had come to him looking to get a job she had no experience with and quite frankly didn’t fit the aesthetic for. And yet, she’d gotten it. The younger girl had managed to do well enough during practice to impress the dancers’ manager and get the position. What let him feeling most intrigued by her though, was how they had last parted ways. It was a simple handshake, but he had felt something... strange. When he touched her hand it was as if he’d stepped through a door. On his side was darkness while hers was light. It was bright and warm and made him want to smile. He only vaguely knew that feeling from his childhood when his mother would console him after his father lashed out. Nowadays it was something he didn’t feel very often, being a Medium that attracted death. She felt like the opposite, like life. 

He knew he wasn’t the only one to have felt something. It had been evident by the look on Persephone’s face and the way she abruptly pulled her hand away from his. But whatever it was she felt, it clearly hadn’t been the same as him. The look of distress that momentarily passed over her features before she collected herself and said goodbye was something that had stayed in his mind the rest of the day.

And yet here she was again, clearly not so scared off by whatever she felt to avoid him. “Uh, sure, I suppose,” He pushed the untouched cup of coffee forward. “It’s a caffè mocha, but it’s not hot anymore.” What an odd character she was turning out to be. Odd, but pleasant to be around.

[drapedindeath]

thexcurious​:

The old stone wall was a nice little treasure Alice had stumbled upon during her walk in the forest. It looked long forgotten, moss creeping across sections of it in an effort to reclaim it. Alice had not given it much thought as she climbed atop it. She was determined to see where it led, after all who knows what could be at its end. So she walked along top it, one foot in front of the over, arms held out to keep her balance.As she walked she started to sing an old nursery rhyme as she went to cut through the silence. Sing a song of sixpence was something her father used to sing to Alice and her sisters when they were little. It always had stuck with her. 

Things continued on like this for a good bit. Until she slipped on a patch of moss, crying out as she tumbled down roughly onto the ground . There was that half second where time slows for a moment. Where she holds her breath, a fleeting hope she won’t hit the ground. Alice knows by now not to get her hopes too high, because they are dashed every time. She was a little disoriented, but in one piece. Gathering herself she started to stand, a shooting pain in her ankle contradicted the motion. It didn’t look too bad, no swelling or anything like that. Hopefully if she gave it a moment to rest it would be good as new.

“Guess I’m not going anywhere for a bit.”

Hades genuinely enjoyed nature. He felt like so much of his life was draped in death, being a Medium and all, that walking amongst such an abundance of life relaxed him. He felt at peace. Fortunately, Porthaven was surrounded on three sides by a dense, beautiful forest. Since moving to Maine Hades had spent quite a few mornings strolling through a part of the woods that had remnants of the older city. Stone walls that hadn’t been demolished or revamped because of their distance from Uptown were scattered all over the area, slowly overtaken by nature. He felt the presence of a few lingering spirits, but they hid from his sight. It wouldn’t be too hard to lure them out, but he wouldn’t force them to communicate if they didn’t want to. Who knew how old they were anyway. He wondered if they had died when Porthaven was first settled hundreds of years ago. Or perhaps they were more modern residents who had enjoyed the area as much as he did.

One thing he wasn’t expecting to see was girl sitting on the ground ahead of him. It wasn’t often he found anyone else out there. He was content to just continue on his way before noticing the pained expression she wore. Something about the way she was sitting indicated that she might not be able to stand up.

“Are you alright?” Hades spoke, walking up beside her. He glanced over to the short wall she was leaned against and wondered if she’d fallen off of it and hurt herself.

[goddcss]

@drapedindeath

persephone crept into the three witches brew as if she weren’t supposed to be there and that was because, in her mind, she wasn’t. she was thoroughly convinced something awful would happen like the floor would open up and swallow her whole. or worse, she’d walk in and her mother would be standing there, arms crossed, looking at her angrily. 

the second one seemed unlikely however since the reason persephone wasn’t allowed to be in was because her mother depsised coffee. there were many words thrown around in her house to describe it - poison, worse than drugs, the devil’s drink… 

that last one resonated in her brain when she finally muster the courage to walk all the way in and saw hades there. she let out a laugh and then immediately covered her mouth, side stepping toward the counter. as she scanned the menu she realized the one flaw disobeying her mother by drinking coffee had brought about…. she had absolutely no idea what to order. none of these words made sense and just reading them made her dizzy. 

she turned and walked over to where hades was sitting and plopped herself down at the table. he was clearly on the phone so she rested her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands, flashing a smile as she waited for him to get off.

[drapedindeath]

Halfway through the afternoon and Hades was in desperate need of a break. He’d been going through financial plans for his personal clients all morning and had a very long call with one of his business partners about the future of their company. On his way to lunch he’d gotten a few texts from Minthe about needing to talk. He had hoped to wait until they were in together in person before discussing their last fight, but she didn’t have much patience. 

So there he was in the corner of Three Witches Brew with a half eaten bagel and a cup of coffee that had gone cold. Their texts had turned into a phone call - fortunately with little arguing this time. He got the sense that she had been worried he was going to break up with her from her tone and the more gentle language she was using. Not that she had apologized yet, but he hoped she was just waiting until they met again. If she was still mad about his opinion on Thetis and his ‘high expectations’ she did a fairly good job of hiding it.

Hades was caught off guard when Persephone appeared before him. He'd been so engrossed in his conversation with Minthe that he hadn’t noticed the younger woman come in. His brows shot up in surprise when she plopped herself down at his table. She seemed content with waiting as he finished up his call. Fortunately the conversation had already been nearing an end so it wasn’t hard to wrap things up so he could find out why Persephone had approached him. 

“Good afternoon, Miss Sideris,” He finally addressed her once he’d hung up. Hades called all of his employees by their last names unless they were close (like Charon) or specifically asked him not to. So far neither of those had been the case with Persephone. “Can I... help you with something?”

[cavarage]

Modern Deities:  H A D E S — God of the underworld

[drapedindeath]

villainousstyle​:

“Are any of them?” It didn’t take very much thought for Torchwick to come to the decision that just about every woman in his life seemed to think they were the center of the damned universe. Which was ridiculous, really, considering he was pretty sure that everything did in fact revolve around him. Not that he’d bothered telling them that, far be it for him to shatter someone else’s delusions of grandeur. Sometimes he was just too kind.

“The latter, I’m afraid,” Unless he counted Neo, who he’d been waiting for ever since setting foot in the city. It really was inconsiderate of her to keep him waiting so long. Who else could he trust to watch his back? “If I had to hear one more old codger go on about the good ol’ days one more time…” He sighed dramatically, taking another drag before continuing, “Anyways, I thought it best to seek out more pleasurable company.”

By which of course, he meant himself.

Hades didn’t try to stifle his chuckle. Normally he’d feel bad about talking about his girlfriend in a negative light, but not tonight. Not after their disaster of a date. He didn’t understand why she acted the way she did unless it really all was because she was afraid to commit. Hades didn’t try to push her on the subject of their future despite having dated for almost two years. Two years wasn’t much to younger people who still had a world of possibilities and opportunities, but both Hades and Minthe were in their 30s. They were at the point in their lives where it was expected to stop messing around and find someone to settle down with. Hades wouldn’t go so far as to say he wanted marriage, but it would be nice to feel confident in their relationship instead of wondering if she would leave him at the drop of a hat any day. 

“Ah, understandable then,” Hades didn’t enjoy being forced to listen to older generations reminisce about the past much either. Especially when they weren’t people he knew. Just random people who thought anyone around them were interesting in conversation. He glanced down at his watch to check the time, figuring he should probably head back in soon lest the staff think that he had dined and dashed. “Are you new to the city?” Hades wondered aloud, looking the man over again. “I would think I’d have run into someone else with as good of taste in clothes and cigars as myself by now if not.”

[drapedindeath]

erosxthrutheheart​: 

Thankful for the other man’s discretion, he smiled as he immediately dropped everything to help. Right here, this was what he was made for! “Of course! For a lady friend, I presume.” He winked, deciding last second nudging this guy wasn’t probably a smart move, sticking with the wink only. “Or a man friend. Sorry, habit of assuming. I like both myself, you would think I’d be more conscious of what I put out there and assumed about people.” He realized he was ranting, to this handsome, very tall stranger, getting the vibe he wasn’t the type to be into that kind of thing, focusing back on the flowers.

“ANYWAY, let’s get you sorted out here, shall we? What is this person like? Shy? More outgoing?” Eros started on a path, a lot to look through, wondering when and how their got to be this many types of flowers in the world. Crazy! “Lets stay away from the whole roses thing. Cliche. You, my friend, want to stand out.” Though something told him this guy was A-OK in that area. “What are these flowers trying to say, exactly?”

“Are these apology flowers? Gonna need something real good, if so.” He picked up a wild looking pair of purple with black dots, the tips looking like they had been dipped in red paint. “These. Hold these. Not done.”

Hades didn’t really put a label on his sexuality, not thinking it was all that necessary. He had primarily only dated women in the past, but was open to the idea of relationships with men as well. In the end he cared primarily about personality than anything else if what he was looking for was more than just sex. Not that he usually participated in one night stands (definitely not now that he was with Minthe), casual relationships were more his brothers’ thing. Poseidon didn’t seem to have much of an interest in being committed to any one person while Zeus had a tendency to skip around romantic partners and a proclivity for cheating.

“You’d be correct, they’re for my girlfriend,” Hades replied. Sometimes he wondered how many times Minthe referred to him as her boyfriend when they weren’t around. He liked to believe that she was faithful to him... but there was a small, pained part of his heart that told him she wasn’t. Especially not when they were fighting or taking ‘breaks.’ But that little feeling was something he preferred to ignore. Hades wasn’t the kind of man to chose ignorance over reality, but the idea of Minthe cheating on him was the one thing he refused to entertain.

He hesitated for a moment at the boy’s question. What were the flowers really for? Hades didn’t think he had anything to apologize for - Minthe had been the one to blow off their date without so much as an apology - but he just kept holding onto her. Doing anything to keep her from leaving him. Why? Because he didn’t think anyone else could love him? Because he thought she would go back to the way she used to be?

“An apology... of sorts,” Hades’ expression and voice took on a more bittersweet tone. “She doesn’t seem to like any flowers that aren’t red or black. If the bouquet is too extravagant she thinks it’s tacky, but if it’s too simple she won’t think I put any effort into it,” He added, hoping that helped the other with picking the flowers out. His go-to used to be black roses or red asiatic lilies - both of which she’d grown tired of recently. Hades was sure he could pick out a bouquet for her on his own, but at the moment he just felt too emotionally drained for it.