âLernie? âŠZagreus. Did you name the Bone Hydra?â If that wasnât the most âZagreusâ thing heâd ever heard⊠He shook his head, faintly amused.
See you around? Could he possibly mean that? Or was it just something to say, relatively meaningless? Thanatos wasnât usually one for actual goodbyes, so he really wasnât sure. But the overwhelming urge to get out of here before he said something else he couldnât take back came upon him again, so he justâŠnodded. âBye, Zag.â And vanished.
He reappeared back at the House, with just a little time before he had to get back out there. He spent it sitting in Zagreusâ room with the bottle of nectar heâd just been given. Maybe drinking right before the job wasnât all that different from drinking on the job, but right then he really could not have cared any less. And when he did go back to work, he couldnât help keeping some part of his mind open and alert for the familiar feeling of Zagreus dying. Just in case.
Perhaps it was because he was distracted mulling over his conversation with Than, but he found himself making more missteps than usual. Heâd come close to what should have been an easy victory, but Lernie got in the last word. Or⊠hiss. Than wasnât in his customary brooding spot overlooking the Styx when Zagreus returned to the House, so he headed toward his quarters after dispensing of the goods heâd managed to acquire (and adding a table to the West Balcony, because he could.)
His room, too, was empty but⊠There was a faint, familiar scent in the air, and a small purple ribbon abandoned on the floor among the haphazard piles of things Zagreus had conveniently put off picking up. Than⊠He was here? Contrasting hues blinked as they searched the vacant room. Was, but not anymore. With a sigh, he set the ribbon down and made for the courtyard, to fling himself once more out into Tartarus.
*******************************
Heâd been so close this time. Somehow heâd managed to beat the odds and defeat the two powerful heroes who had thus far thwarted his every attempt. Heâd taken his first steps out of Elysium, and into that strange space In Between, the Temple of Styx. Heâd heard from his father of the problems the Temple faced, but he hadnât been prepared for just how foul the vermin and satyrs that had overrun the place were.
He actually wasnât certain just what had ended his latest escape attempt. It could have been one of those prancing, poison-toting satyrs. Or the abnormally large vermin that also spewed toxic⊠stuff. Or maybe it was one of those explosively annoying Bothers. There had been rather a lot going on. At any rate, he found himself floating in the Styx more suddenly than expected.
   âUgh. Well, at least the stench is goneâŠâ And now he had a general idea of what to prepare for next time. Shaking the last ruby remnants of the Poolâs liquid off himself, he trudged down the hall, figuring he might as well peek around the corner to see if Death might be in his usual spot.
