*¸.•'´falling like ashes to the ground

[gracekelli-archive]

modern mythology: hades

[h-adcs-blog]

king-ofgods:

This was their dynamic, this was what was they did and even what was expected of them. They were the brothers that fought and had little loyalty to one another unless the stakes were high, that tried to out-trick each other at every turn. This was different. Hera had gone millennia without sleeping with another person, and Hades had taken that away from her in an instant and for sport. “I’ll keep on eye on her too, since that’s what we’re doing now. You took advantage of the goddess of matrimony and let her unwillingly cheat on her husband. Only seems fair to retaliate with something big. Or how about him?” He nodded towards the scruffy man that had rushed to Hades side and thrown his arm over Zeus’ chest to keep him from punching Hades again. The crackle of otherworldy around him was there if he squinted hard enough to look for it. “It seems extreme to kill your hostage wife, but guard dogs are so replaceable.”

“Good luck finding her,” he said with a roll of his eyes - an action that now hurt as he felt one of them slowly swelling. But if Zeus had taken a year to find his own wife, he figured Persephone was probably fairly safe. He’d just have to watch her more carefully in the meantime. Getting Zeus riled up was always his favorite, even if it was with lies. He hadn’t actually slept with Hera - not yet, anyway. They’d kissed and cuddled and done normal beginning of relationship things, but he hadn’t pushed  too far, out of respect for her and for his own marriage. Admitting that didn’t seem fun but he tensed as Zeus threatened his guard. He’d suspected that he might have been his Cerberus, but Zeus making the same assumption only cemented that.  His hand came up only for a moment to cup his security’s scruff covered face before letting it drop. “Go call someone about the door,” he said before turning his attention back on his brother. “I haven’t actually fucked your wife. Yet. But you lay a hand on either of my people and I won’t hesitate. She trusts me, it wouldn’t be hard to do. I’ll have her screaming my name so loudly, all of Greece will know exactly what’s happening.”

[h-adcs-blog]

king-ofgods:

“I wasn’t looking,” he admitted with a shrug. There was no use denying it when Hades knew him so well. “I was trying to figure out how to reverse this. Glad to know you spent that time selling beer to commoners and taking advantage of the compromised. Utterly useless.” His brother had his own queen, if he had bothered to find her. “What happened to Persephone? Although it makes sense if you’ve lost track of her. It’s so much harder to keep track on prisoners when you’re mortal.” Zeus took the little glass gratefully, slugging it back in the hopes of dulling his pounding headache. Hera was queen to all of the gods, even in their mortal state, and he bristled at he implication she was anything but. Getting Hades to respect Zeus’ title was a lost cause, but his wife’s title was a different story. Zeus let each word crash over him like a wave, stoking the fire inside of him so he could properly mount an intricate plan of revenge. Except that all seemed too complicated for him to process at the moment, so he settled for drawing his arm back and punching his brother as hard as he could in the face. It hurt much more in a mortal body than he thought it would, but after a few seconds it dulled to a fiery ache in his knuckles and he could safely grip the rest of Hades drink, downing that one as well.

“Typical,” Hades scoffed when Zeus admitted to not even looking. A year might not mean much to him usually, but a year felt like a lifetime as a mortal, and not once had he sought out the wife that he was trying to defend now. “I’m keeping my eye on Persephone, she’s none of your concern,” he said cooly. Persephone, much like Hera, didn’t remember who she was either. Hades had had a handful of conversations with her, but she seemed happy and free and so he left her that way, letting her enjoy her time until they went back to who they were, all while keeping an eye to make sure that she was safe. He wanted to bristle at the part about her being a prisoner, knowing full well that Persephone was so much more. “And yet, that sounds so much better than being shamed into a marriage with a guy who doesn’t know what ‘no’ means,” he responded. They’d both gotten their wives in terrible ways, but Hades had never cheated or strayed or forced himself on Persephone and  he knew with the exception of Zeus’s trickery, Persephone hadn’t strayed either. Of course, these current times were a little more challenging. He stumbled back with the strength of the punch, catching himself on the counter behind him so that he didn’t completely fall. He couldn’t say he was surprised by the punch but it still hurt like a bitch. “You even punch like a mortal now,” he couldn’t help but laugh, trying to ignore the intense aching in his face. 

[h-adcs-blog]

king-ofgods:

“The theatrics are necessary,” Zeus growled, missing Olympus where he could make his voice properly boom and vibrate every glass in that shitty excuse for a bar. A dramatic flair got people’s attention, it was his favorite move. For the first time since his last lightning strike and his few minutes at the bar with Hera, he felt like himself again. “Don’t jump to conclusions. You were the second person I sought out, after I found Hera. Just so happens I didn’t find her for a solid year.” Zeus stepped past the smoking wreckage, gesturing to the bar with a flourish. “If you’re fucking my wife, the least you could do is offer me a drink.” Now that the reason for his visit was out on the table, might as well drown his sorrows like only an immortal could. And it would give Hades a few minutes to explain himself, if his explanation was more than simply wanting to piss off his brother. “She’s your queen, Hades, and she’d never deem to touch you in her right mind. Surely you’ve realized that.”

“They’re dramatic and over the top,” he corrected with a bored tone. It was kind of nice seeing Zeus, seeing how very mortal and weak he was.  “It took you a year to find your wife? Were you even looking? Or too busy fucking anything that would give you the time of day to bother?” he asked curiously. He rolled his eyes as Zeus stepped in and stepped behind the bar. He poured them both glasses of one of the mid level whiskeys he had and  slid the glass to Zeus. Maybe he could get him drunk enough and have him arrested for public intoxication. “Drink up,” he said before taking a swig from his own glass. “I have realized that, yes. But she’s not in her right mind. And down here, she’s no one’s queen, just as you’re no one’s king. At least I didn’t pretend to be you to trick her into sleeping with me.  So at least I can claim to being more honest than you’ve ever bothered being.  I figured she’d be hella boring in bed to make you stray so much, but she’s actually pretty fun. Sucks for you to have finally lost her. It was only a matter of time, though.”

[h-adcs-blog]

underworldrus:

Russ nodded, knowing that good security could only be proven with time. He could pledge his loyalty all he wanted, but only time would truly make Hades trust him. “High turnover rate, then?” That made sense based on the probable clientele of such an establishment, and all the reviews trashing the place. He arched an eyebrow as his new boss looked him over yet again, unsure if he was checking him out or just wondering if he was physically up for the job. Either way, it was amusing. “Want me to spin around, sir?” Russ followed behind Hades through the mostly empty bar, typical for the time of day and location, hands shoved deep into his pockets. “I’d shadow you so I’d know your routine. Based on the number of people you have that dislike you, I’d like to be prepared in case you ever decide I’m more useful as a personal bodyguard than general security.” Guarding the gates of the club wouldn’t be nearly as fun as guarding every inch of Hades, but he could handle himself either way. Protective instincts had always been his strongest suit.

“Higher than I’d prefer, yes,” he admitted. Some of it was him, but he knew it wasn’t all that. People didn’t come to his type of establishment for a long lasting career. They were drifters or criminals, neither of which had a lot of staying power in the long run, especially when placed under actual expectations like Hades tended to have. “I’m a fair boss if you do what’s expected,” he said with a shrug. He rolled his eyes at the offer to turn around before responding, “Save that for later, Fluffy.” As they made their way into one of the back hallways, he pointed out various offices and storage rooms, most of which wouldn’t be relevant to Fluffy’s job. “Do that many people really dislike me?” he asked curiously, not having realized he was quite so hated that even this stranger was aware. Hades did his best to be a decent business runner and a good boss, it wasn’t his fault if other people couldn’t handle his expectations. “Let’s see how you do protecting my business first. Then we can discuss if I trust you enough to keep you that close.”

[h-adcs-blog]

king-ofgods:

Zeus felt electricity crackling through his system, but he couldn’t figure out how to channel it. If he had been able to, he’d be looking at a crater where the Underworld used to be, instead of fuming outside of the bar. There had to be a way to rationally talk to his now mortal brother without killing him straight of the bat. If they died in this realm, who knows where they went? Better not to risk losing his brother for all eternity, as appealing as the idea sounded at that current moment. There was time for violence later. He would give Hades thirty seconds to explain himself before he allowed himself to punch the man in his dirty smug idiot face. Making a decision seemed to solidify his powers for just a second, enough for a bolt of lightning to crack down from the sky out of nowhere, hitting the thick wooden door to the club and splitting it into charred and smoking pieces. If that didn’t get the attention of the owner, nothing would.

Hades had been working in his office in the back when he’d heard and felt the cracking of the door, the overall sound too familiar to just ignore. He shot up from his desk and walked across the floor of his bar to where his very expensive door was in smoking pieces. The smoke rose up to help cover the person standing behind it, but even without the dramatic entrance, he would have know that was his brother standing there. “The theatrics are....a bitch much,” he drawled with a slightly amused but mostly bored smirk on his face. “It seems even in this world, you rarely see fit to visit your brother. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked curiously, brow raised. Of course, he’d done a number of things to piss Zeus off, it was one of his only sources of entertainment, but this must have been a good one to be deserving of lightning in their mortal states. “Run into your wife lately?”

[h-adcs-blog]

underworldrus:

Messing with this guy was proving to be a lot of fun, but he had to drop his smirk when he realized his mouth was already getting him into trouble with the owner of the fucking place. The very magnetic owner that he sort of wanted to lick, but he knew he had to resist that primal urge. “No. But you could be. It’s all about that confidence.” And he seemed to have confidence in spades, and an air of malice and intimidation that was supposed to trip him up. Instead he was drawn to it. He had always been attracted to the dark streak in humans that most tended to hide. If he wanted to coax that out of this man though, he needed to not wind up fired on his first day. “Sorry. Look, I’m good at spotting idiots and assholes with something to prove, I’m physically capable, and I always show up. I won’t let you down, sir.” Bringing up fluffy was a dangerous idea, and counterproductive to his new goal of behaving. Because now all he wanted to do was make jokes about leashes and owners and being a good boy. “I’m not shadowing you?”

Hades listened with a raised brow when Fluffy ( what a ridiculous name ) listed off the reasons he’d be good at the job, but it wasn’t enough for him. “I need more than someone who shows up, though yes, that’s a good first step. I need someone I can count on. Someone I can trust and  someone who’ll be loyal.  I haven’t found that yet and my patience is running thin,” he commented, giving the other one more once over. Fuck, he hoped this one worked out. He was nice to look at and Hades felt....at peace around him. “Why would you shadow me?” he questioned. He wasn’t hired as management, he was simply security. “I’ll show you around and if no one seems decent enough to pass you off to, I’ll consider it. Come with me, I’ll show you the back first.”

[h-adcs-blog]

underworldrus:

“Kind of,” he admitted gruffly. There was no reason to sugar coat anything if this guy was as big an asshole as the guy who ran the place, and it wasn’t like he would stick around long in any case. Or maybe he shouldn’t decide so quickly - this place seemed like a better fit than anywhere he had been so far. At least he wasn’t washing dishes this time around, and the city was beautiful and worth exploring. “To be fair, I didn’t know you were the boss. Figured you were just another jaded trainer making a joke.” He tipped his head in a very insincere apology, raising it back up so he didn’t have to stop looking at the very hot man that he was supposed to report to every day. “Hades. It’s a pleasure. Very on the nose though, don’t you think?” Russell grinned, Cerberus the first name to jump to his mind, since he clearly had a theme going on and he was supposed to act as bodyguard to the Underworld. Instead he went for a similar but slightly nerdier Harry Potter joke. “Fluffy. or Russ, whatever the boss prefers.”

“No wonder you were without a job, then,” he commented. Who had hired this guy? Hades made a mental note to start doing all of the hiring personally since clearly no one else could be trusted with it. “Do I seem like just a trainer?” he questioned, hoping to the heavens that he didn’t give off such a lowly air. He had to put effort into not rolling his eyes at the comment about his name. “First a problem with my hiring practices and now my name?” he questioned, unsure if he was annoyed or amused. Most people seemed so much more scared of him than this guy did and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Really, this whole encounter had knocked him off center and he desperately wanted to find his footing again. “Fluffy like...the three headed dog?” he questioned with a slight tilt of his head, his heart once again aching for his guard. He felt like half of a whole without him there by his side and he only hoped that wherever he’d ended up, he was safe. “Fluffy it is. I’m going to show you around, explain my expectations, and then pair you up with someone to shadow for the night. If you end up deciding this isn’t the job for you, tonight is your night to let me know.”

[h-adcs-blog]

underworldrus:

Russell had always been a bit of a drifter. He had roamed through most of Europe over the past year, hiking foothills and looking for a place that would make him want to stop searching. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he always found a bed to sleep in and used an app to line up odd jobs every couple of months so he could continue to eat and drink and occasionally mark his body with a new piece of art, or add another small metallic souvenir to his backpack. The app was simple and let past users review places that hired without background checks and paid under the table. Russ had picked out and applied for a security job at a local and grungy looking bar because of one simple 5 word review. ‘Owner’s an asshole. Don’t bother.’ Sounded very fitting - it wasn’t like he was searching for a Cheers-esque family work environment. The facade did the place no favors, no doubt scaring off the more cowardly would be customers. That was probably the point. The inside was dimly lit and soothing, and Russ nodded once to himself in confirmation that yes, he could deal with the aesthetic of this place. He stood a little taller as a veritable giant approached, unconsciously holding his ground. Rock climbing and hiking and running had turned his lean frame into something formidable, but this man was just as muscular and half a foot taller. “That’s me. Do you typically hire staff on sight? Doesn’t seem like the proper way to build a business.”

As Hades looked the man over, he wasn’t sure he was the best hire for security. He was shorter than Hades, though he supposed he looked well muscled under his clothing. But he was pretty and his presence was oddly soothing and neither of those things screamed ‘intimidation’. Still, there was something familiar about him that threatened to soften Hades’ edges and he was curious about it. His brows raised at the comment from the other as he tried to hide his amusement. “Do you usually criticize how your boss runs their business within your first ten minutes of employment? Doesn’t seem like the proper way to hold a job,” he said easily.  “The guy who would normally show you around and help get you settled isn’t here today, so you’re stuck with me. I’m Hades, the owner,” he said, not bothering to cover up his real name. Besides, his bar was literally called The Underworld, most people just assumed Hades was a nickname. “What do you go by? Real or fake name, doesn’t matter as long as you answer to it.”

[h-adcs-blog]

Running a club was simultaneously easier and so much more challenging than running the Underworld. It was smaller, easier to control in theory, but humans were unpredictable and lazy and awful and made chaos easily, especially since none of them knew to respect him as their god like the people in the underworld had. He had a new hire that night who was supposed to show up well before the crowds started and Hades waited at the front bar for him to enter. There was usually a person assigned to showing the new employees around, but that particular asshole had called out sick, leaving Hades to deal with it. This would be the third security guy he’d hired in just as many weeks and his heart ached for Cerberus who had always been so loyal and good at his job.  As an unknown face entered and looked around, Hades slid off of his barstool and sauntered over to him, eyeing him up and down once before zeroing in on his face. “I’m hoping you’re my new security? And if you’re not, consider yourself hired anyway if you’re looking for a job,” he said, not a fan of tardiness - and if this wasn’t his guy, then whoever it was was late on their first day and he had little patience for that. 

@underworldrus

[shadowhunters-wonderland]

2x09 “Bound by Blood”                    ~Alec Lightwood