The one that was in the room with me and the doctor when you passed out? yes. He asked my name and gave me back my doll. If you see him, will you thank him for me?
it's so sweet of you to ask something about Hades! <3 then again, i think you've seen everything DD i have already, so... xD
this is the part of one of the future chapters for Chained butterfly which is currently on hiatus due to RRR. in the fic, Than (and any other Incarnation, really) is an eldritch primordal monstrocity and only looks like the hot boy we see in game because they have an outer "shell" which looks like it, to make it easier to deal with Gods.
the premise of the arc was, Than got really injured as he was helping Zag, it all became obvious that he was going behind Hades' back, and everyone got punished. Zag tried his best to stay in the House when he healed, but you know Zag, he has an antsy ass, so he tried to calm Than down and have a run out of the House again.
he fought through the first location with ease, but before the first boss room, he meets a surprised Charon who offers him a suspiciously free advice of not going forward. Zag laughs it off, thinking it's a joke, rushes in and sees the boss room empty. in a moment, he hears a familiar toll, and Than appears, while diligently looking down at his feet. and i had the following dialogue written down:
"Than? What, you got too worried about me? Or have I activated Mort accidentally? Sorry, if I did, there are no enemies here, and I dunno where Meg is"
"There are. She's working"
"Working? Isn't her work to stop me? She must be late, for the first time. I kind of feel insulted"
"She isn't. She has a replacement"
"What do you mean a repla-- No. No. No! No, he wouldn't!"
"Lord was livid for me messing up like I did, and doesn't take kindly to slackers in the House"
"Slackers? You're still injured and didn't have rest for what, past hundred, thousand years? More, even?"
"It matters not when you fail to meet his expectations"
"That sounds like Father alright. How did he even-- Why Nyx wouldn't say anything?"
"Don't talk ill of her. Looking over Thartarus was as soft as Pact of Punishment she could get me"
"Why would you sign something like that?"
"Some of us don't have the luxury to choose whether they sign those or not, Zagreus"
"So... so what now? You're actually going to kill me? Because if so, you're taking your sweet time!"
"Death is inescapable, it can wait. And Mother was most unpleased with my past actions, so as additional condition of my Pact I am forbidden to attack first"
"Oh. I... I need to thank her later"
"You sure do"
"Well I won't attack you!"
"You fought with Meg"
"It's... different. I knew she'd get out of the Pool just fine, and with you I... Can you even...?"
"You can find out"
"Have no intention to, you know!"
"The choice is yours"
"You honestly think I would do something like that? Thanks for vote of confidence in me!"
"You're very welcome. And I never said you would"
"Okay... okay this... this I don't.... ugh! Well. I don't know, I... you say the fight won't start unless I attack you?"
"I'm bound to my contract. And I wouldn't even if I had to, for as long as I could stall myself"
"I.... Thanks, Than. So. Huh. So all we have is time here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, only one of us could leave, and I have to intention to kill you to get out, neither do you, apparently. So all we have now is time. A rare commodity between us, I must admit. Um... I was... how's... how are your wings, Than?"
and it becomes their routine, for a time. i dunno how it could happen, but i wanted Zag to be returned to the House of Hades at least a couple of times my thoughts were either - Styx could've flooded those chambers after some time since the Underground moves around constantly - add dick moves to daddy dearest and add summons to Than's fight after some point in time later (like it's with Meg and Alecto), so Zag either allow himself be killed by wretches, or start the fight proper, but then Than is no longer bound by "you no move first" rule and just... KOs him in one soft touch, probably, so that it won't be "violent death" and Keres won't have any saying in this (yeah, those still exist) so Zag is back in the House, Than is still recovering and has it worse in the House (because of added chaines), and Zag runs off, fighting to the Thartarus boss.... so they could sit and talk, and just spend time together
but of course it wasn't that sweet and easy and had a drama twist in there :D
