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The Immortal Heart	By : amandalee Category: 1 through F > Clash of the Titans (2010) > Clash of the Titans (2010) Views: 7819 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: We do not own Clash of the Titans or the characters portrayed in this story, and we make no money from writing this.

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Chapter 38

Though Hades awoke at the same time as Zeus, he remained perfectly still in bed while his brother dressed himself, ate his breakfast, and got ready to depart on his long journey with Poseidon. Knowing that he would have to part from Zeus, perhaps to never see him again, in just a few hours made Hades wish he could fall back asleep and never wake up.

Pretending to be asleep could only postpone the inevitable for so long, and when his brother still had not risen when it was time to leave, Zeus shook the other god.

“Hades?” he whispered, leaning in to nuzzle the back of the dark head. “Dearest, it is time. Will you come out and say farewell?”

Hades nodded mutely and sat up to face his brother. In a wordless gesture of affection bordering on desperation, he wrapped his arms around the Olympian leader’s neck, not wanting to let go until Zeus gently pried his arms loose and disengaged himself from Hades.

“Get dressed, brother,” he said, walking over to the door. “Poseidon and I will wait outside until you are ready to say farewell.”

Demeter was waiting for her brother outside the door to Zeus’ bedchamber, and once Hades finally appeared she took his hand in her own, squeezing it. Hades tolerated the gesture but did not return it. Nothing his sister said or did could currently give him any comfort.

Together they walked outside, where their other siblings were already waiting. Hestia was doing her best to maintain a smile on her face while she wished her brothers a safe journey, and Hera for once did not look spiteful or morose, just despondent.

“We should not have any doubt as to the outcome of the fight,” Zeus said, hoping the confidence of his voice and words would instill confidence in his siblings. “The titans stand no chance against the strength of our skills, or comrades and our weapons. But it is because of our family that we shall return victorious.”

The Olympians made their farewells, some more emotional than others. Demeter was tempted to ask Poseidon if he had avoided intercourse last night because he might end up thinking of Chiron, but she thought better and only wished him good luck on the battlefield. Hera tried to sound as genuine and sincere as possible when she wished Zeus’ safe return to her, and his response to the affirmative made her think she had succeeded. The goddess was rather pleased with her attempt until Hades approached their brother. He had waited to be the last to say goodbye, and Hera made an expression as though she had smelled something foul.

“I will return,” Zeus reminded Hades, who only mumbled out an ‘I know’.

This time Zeus was ready for it. He opened his arms and welcomed Hades against him, embracing him and stroking his hair. He heard no sobs or blubbering pleas for him to stay, only felt the tight squeeze as though his older brother could keep him there always.

“Don’t go…?” It was the lack of tears in that voice that was so saddening.

“You know the answer to that, brother,” Zeus gently said.

“I wanted to say it anyway.”

“Hades?”

Zeus looked up and saw the source of the voice, Demeter, standing close by, arms out to take the older god away.

“Until we meet again,” he whispered, kissing Hades’ forehead and unlocking his arms. Demeter lightly took Hades by the shoulders and guided him away. Hades stared at the ground and only two tears fell from his green eyes. Demeter’s hands remained where they were in case her brother finally broke and ran after the departing gods.

Such did not happen. Hades stayed by her side until Zeus and Poseidon had disappeared from their view, and he did not even turn his head to gaze after them. Demeter feared that her poor eldest brother was going to suffer another depression and hoped dearly that they would soon hear news of their brothers’ success in battle.

“Hades, let’s go back inside,” she gently cajoled him, making an effort to guide him toward the door.

Hades, however, resisted. “I would like to remain outside,” he said. “Please let me.”

“Why would you want that, brother?” Demeter inquired, confused. The humid climate was mild, but it also allowed the ubiquitous presence of mosquitoes, flies and other insects; some of which were already congregating around the two Olympians. Why Hades would want to stay outside with no apparent chores puzzled her.

“I cannot be inside the house,” Hades explained quietly. “I feel as though the walls are going to come down on me. Please let me stay here.”

Demeter considered his request and reached the conclusion that it might be best to humor his wishes, as long as they were not harmful to the god himself.

“Alright, Hades,” she said. “But stay close and do not wander into the woods by yourself. You never know what you might come across.” The real reason the goddess asked her brother not to wander was that she wanted to keep him in her eyesight at all times, afraid that if she lost sight of him, Hades’ desperation might drive him to do something rash.

“Don’t worry, sister,” he replied, taking a seat in a chair only a few yards from the entrance. “I won’t go anywhere.”

Had there been no chair present, Hades might have been inclined to sit in the grass, despite the insects. Even so, Demeter would not let her brother sit in the grass for hours on end and would have gone looking for a chair. Hades was miserable enough without something crawling up his leg and stinging him.

Dusk was approaching and Hades had not moved from his spot. A relief to Demeter and Hestia, as he had remained safely in sight, but it proved to be an annoyance to Hera.

“Even when he’s vacant from the house he annoys you,” Hestia said irritably. “He is not bothering you out there.”

“He’s behaving like a child,” Hera argued. Hestia wanted to voice her opinion about who was behaving like a child, but she was certain she would be kicked out of bed for it and hence remained silent.

Hades was still sitting in his chair outside, pensive and silent, when Hera left the house and addressed him. Her hands rested on her hips impatiently.

“Our sisters want you to know that dinner is ready.”

“Thank you, but I am not very hungry,” Hades murmured, avoiding her gaze. The goddess of course was not pleased with this reply.

“You know you can get up and leave your place for a few minutes,” she said casually. “It is going to take our brothers a little longer than a day to return.”

“I am not out here waiting,” Hades said, glaring at the horizon where Zeus and Poseidon had disappeared. “I am gathering my thoughts and enjoying the solitude… which has, by the way, been interrupted.”

Hera merely huffed and turned around to walk back into the house. Hades was not worthy of her time or attention, and if the wretched god wanted to sit out in the approaching dark and let himself be eaten up by mosquitoes, it was not her problem.

Demeter brought her brother a small tray of food along with some tea, which Hades barely touched. He drank some of the tea and decided that he did not like the taste, leaving the rest.

When midnight was approaching, and her brother still had not come back inside, the goddess went out to collect him, prepared to use force if necessary.

“Hades, you cannot stay here over night,” she said resolutely, grabbing his wrist. “Come with me.”

“I like watching the stars,” he half-heartedly objected but stood up without actively resisting when his sister pulled on the arm in her grasp.

“You need to sleep,” Demeter said, tugging Hades with her. “You’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.” Despite the conviction in her voice, she was less than convinced that sleeping would actually do any good for her brother’s state of mind.

Perhaps Zeus should have let Hades come with him, she thought. Granted he is not a warrior and not trained for battle, but who’s to say he would still not be useful?

When the two reached the bedchamber shared between them, Hades slowly undressed after given an incentive by his sister. He thought back on the last night shared between himself and Zeus, and he felt guilty for wishing so desperately that his youngest brother were here in Demeter’s place.

Both god and goddess gathered against one another for warmth, but otherwise Hades did nothing to indicate he required comfort. An hour passed as they attempted to fall asleep, and Demeter found herself sinking into slumber until she felt a nuzzling against her back.

Turning over onto her back, she looked at her brother, his face clearly unhappy in the poor light of the room. “Do you wish to talk?” she asked. No impatience was intended, nor perceived.

“What else is there to say?” Hades said, not looking at his sister. “I miss him.”

“We all miss him,” Demeter replied. “But I understand what you mean. Your heart very likely hurts the most from his absence.”

Hades nodded, giving a soft sigh. Demeter kissed his forehead, perhaps not the most influential attempt at comfort, but a simple gesture to show she understood and cared.

“I could hold you if you would like.”

Hades shut his eyes, thinking of his brother, the god who might not return to him. “I would like that very much.”

Smiling, Demeter pulled the other close to her and wrapped her arms around him. Several minutes passed without a word as Hades relished in the feeling of being held. It hardly felt the same as Zeus holding him. Demeter’s build was nowhere near as tall or muscular, and her arms were not as big as his.

“I am sorry if it is not the same,” the goddess said as though she were reading her brother’s thoughts. Hades shrugged in her grasp.

“It is not your fault.”

“Perhaps I could put my hair in front of my face, so that you can pretend I have a beard.”

Hades felt compelled to laugh at the outrageous proposal as he tried to form a mental picture of his sister with a beard.

“I believe we should not go there,” he said with a small smile. “You would not look very flattering with a beard, dear sister.”

Demeter smiled back. “I thought not. Try to get some rest now, Hades. I’ll be here if you need me. Lacking a beard, however.”

Despite some difficulties initiating sleep, Hades’ weariness eventually caught up with him, and he fell into a slumber listening to his sister’s steady heartbeat.

*

After a night out on open waters, Zeus and Poseidon could state that they were making excellent time. Their respective gifts, particularly Poseidon’s trident, turned out to be highly useful in guiding their boat through the waves toward the mainland of Greece. The god’s earlier practice with his weapon had enabled him to create currents running in the ocean as well as the air, and to Zeus’ satisfaction, he put his talents to good use.

“Maintaining this speed, we should reach the shores of Greece in just another day,” the Olympian leader told his brother. “We’ll arrive to meet our allies ahead of schedule.”

“If they are already there waiting for us,” Poseidon added, “They will be pleasantly surprised.”

Luck and the elements were on their side as they continued to guide the weather to their bidding, and the two gods found themselves no longer worried of any storms or rain. Even so, Zeus saw that his brother appeared to be agitated.

“Is there a problem?” he asked as he retied a fastening on his armor.

Poseidon peered out into the distance, nothing around them but water and air for miles. “I am thinking about that… thing that watched us in the fog.”

Zeus looked up as though simply considering the unknown creature would bring it back, or possibly alert it to their presence. “Is it out there?” he asked, standing up. “Can you sense it?”

“No.” Poseidon’s grip tightened on his trident. “I am not even sure if I am able to. But I cannot see nor hear anything now. It has made me reconsider going underwater for the time being. If we get hungry, we will have to settle for what we packed.”

Though an excellent swimmer, Poseidon had felt he very narrowly escaped the massive beast when the Olympians were sailing to Crete. Now that he and Zeus were returning to the main lands, he did not want to risk his luck a second time.

“At least we have no fog,” Zeus stated in an attempt to reassure himself more than the older god.

“Even so,” Poseidon replied. “That creature was gigantic, and could cover many leagues if it wanted. I do not think being able to see it any clearer would help us.”

Zeus warily glanced out at their surroundings again. The gray skies turned the water quite dark, and kept him alert in case whatever that thing was would come back.

TBC...
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The Immortal Heart