King of the Underworld
In order to tell this story right I’ll have to go back to the beginning, not the very beginning since that would take way too long to talk about. I guess the best place to start would be the week we met. The week that changed my life.
It started out just like any other week, nothing strange or out of place, but I was soon to learn that things wouldn’t stay that way.
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“I don’t belong here! Please, I-I still have so much to live for!” Shouta had long ago lost track of how many times he’d heard those exact same tear filled words screamed by some soul as they were dragged out of his throne room.
This particular soul had decided to try and make a break for it while he was on the path to judgement, he should’ve known that no one gets away that easily. He’d made it further then most, though that was more due to the closest guard being distracted trying to guide an older soul who was extremely hard of hearing then his own actual skill, but he hadn’t made it out. He’d been recaptured just before turning into Cerberus’ newest chew toy, which was good, because it meant he could still be brought to Shouta for torture.
While Shouta was the king and god of the Underworld, torture was admittedly not his favorite thing to do, in truth it was mostly just an activity to pass the boring and seemingly unending time. He only really derived pleasure from the action when he was torturing someone who really deserved it, which this soul did. After all, anyone willing to pit children against each other in order to get money for their food was bound to get what was coming to them sooner or later.
As the soul was slowly dragged away to be put in the nearest torture chamber Shouta sat back on his throne with a tired sigh. While running the Underworld did keep him busy, it was tedious and repetitive work, so while he was grateful that nothing serious had gone wrong for quite some time he did find himself wishing that something would happen. Something exciting.
As if in answer to his wish another undead soldier entered the room with a quick bow before announcing loudly, “ Your Highness, your son wishes to speak with you!”
Shouta struggled to keep a grin off his face in front of the guard as he spoke, “Send him in, and send one of the Furies to deal with the spirit they just dragged out of here, Tisiphone should have fun dealing with him. Once she’s done you can throw him in the river Cocytus.”
The guard bowed once again and hurried to follow his master's command as Shouta shifted in his seat. Perhaps things wouldn’t be as boring as he’d thought.
It didn’t take long for a new set of footsteps to be heard lazily walking closer and closer to the throne room, and when Hitoshi finally emerged from the shadows he was hiding in Shouta found it impossible to fully hide his grin.
His son looked like a teenager, though in truth he was much older then that, and he wore a black toga with silver patterns along the edges as well as a thin silver belt and thick silver arm bracers. His dark purple hair was in its usual chaotic state of defying gravity, most likely a trait acquired from his mother, and there were thick dark circles under his eyes almost identical to his fathers.
Hitoshi paused in the middle of the large room with a bored look on his face, “Father.” he said, as if he was waiting for Shouta to explain why he’d summoned him.
“Hitoshi.” His father replied, suddenly much more serious. The two always acted serious and slightly aloof around the guards and palace staff as a way to keep each other safe, but around a few trusted individuals they allowed their affection for each other to show. If Hitoshi was still acting like a dutiful son then he probably thought they were being watched by someone he couldn’t be his snarky self around.
Shouta did a quick scan of the room just to be careful before full on smiling at his son, trying to show that everything was okay while he explained. “Sorry the guard made you wait, he’s new.”
Normally Hitoshi was able to enter the throne room whenever he pleased, most times even without being announced to whoever was inside. It was probably why he thought that he had to be on guard when coming to see his father, but once he knew it was safe he also allowed himself to smile.
“It’s no worries, I’m sure with some time he’ll learn.”
Shouta very happily stood up from his throne and moved a few feet forward to sit down on the steps leading up to his raised throne platform, Hitoshi soon joined him on the steps.
Shouta preferred talking to his son this way, side by side on equal footing instead of sitting above him on that gods awful throne that made them feel so disconnected.
“So, how are your magic lessons with Nemuri? She mentioned that you two were moving onto a new subject the last time I saw her.” Shouta prodded, causing an excited look to appear in his son’s eyes.
“It’s been great so far, a little bit more difficult then the last subject but that just makes it more fun. Actually, there was something about it I was hoping you could help me with.”
“Alright, tell me what and i’ll see what I can do.”
“There’s actually this spell that I really want to try out, it’s fairly complicated so Nemuri says she’ll help me with it, but one of the ingredients is a flower that she’s out of. She says she’s too busy with another spell she’s working on to get more right now and well, I was wondering if you could somehow get me some?”
Unfortunately for Shouta, Nemuri was one of the few people who knew just how close he was to his son, and consequently just how willing he would be to pluck the very stars from the sky if his purple haired boy so much as asked. Thankfully Hitoshi never asked for the stars because all he really wanted, was to spend time with his dad.
So, unsurprisingly, he caved.
“Sure, what flower are you looking for?”
The smile on Hitoshi’s face from his father’s response was small, but Shouta knew it was completely genuine. “Heather.”
“Heather it is then.” Shouta reached out and placed a hand on his son's shoulder, which was more or less their equivalent of a hug, as Hitoshi looked down to hide his small blush.
“Thanks Dad.”
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It wasn’t until much later, when he’d finished talking with his son and filling out that days necessary paperwork that Shouta was able to make his way to Nemuri’s laboratory for a chat.
The sturdy metal door creaked open slowly and he soon found himself surrounded by a sweet smelling cloud that tried to dull his senses. Being one of the three most powerful gods had its perks so the perfume had no effect on him, but he could recognize the ingredients of the sleep draft on his tongue.
“If you honestly thought a low level sleeping cloud would work on me, then it would seem that the goddess of magic is losing her touch.”
The cloud around him began to thin and dissipate until it was finally gone and he was able to clearly see his surroundings. Nearby tables covered in jars filled with herbs, liquids, and remains as well as other ingredients added a mad scientist feeling to the room, along with the various glass and clay beakers and bowls that took up the remaining table space.
With the cloud gone he could now also see a familiar figure leaning over the table just a few feet in front of him. Her gaze slid back and forth between a small bundle of glass containers, her worn notebook, and a larger bowl that she had pushed just off to the side.
Her already short, white, one armed dress slid up even further with the way she was leaning on the table in front of her, and if Shouta didn’t already think of her like a sister, he would’ve found it very distracting. The thin silver bracelet around her wrist slid down slightly as she turned her head to look at her visitor, resting her head on her hand and her pointer and middle finger on her cheek.
“My liege you wound me, the cloud was simply a deterrent to prevent unwelcome guests from interrupting my work. You, however, are always welcome here, so I didn’t need it to work on you.”
“And when Hitoshi comes for his lessons?”
“I’ve already taught Hitoshi a number of tricks to help combat simple magics. He truly is your son, he learns quickly.” She replied with a sly grin as she turned to properly face him. “But I don’t think you came here just to be a mother hen.”
“Hitoshi tells me that you’re too busy to refill your heather stocks, which is odd since you never allow a dip in any of your stocks, much less such a basic ingredient. And you and I both know you mastered the ability to duplicate yourself years ago so tell me, what are you up to?”
“Should’ve known you’d see right through me. Alright, I confess, I lied to him.”
“Why?” Shouta asked, resigned annoyance very quickly making its way into his tone.
“Because you’re bored oh great and powerful King of the Dead!” she filled his title with as much sarcasm as she could muster, “It’s been, what, 10 years since the last time you left the underworld?”
“You know why-”
“Yes, Shouta, I know, but as your best friend I feel like I’m watching you waste away until you become one of the very spirits you guard! You drag yourself through these cold, dark hallways when you should be up there seeing the living world again! Talking to people that aren’t dead, me or Hitoshi.”
“I talk to the furies.” He grumbled, knowing full well that he was losing this argument, but gods damn it if he was gonna lose that easily. “And besides, the other gods don’t like me going up there too often, remember I’m ‘too dark and depressing to be any fun’.”
“To Tartarus with those other flower smelling eternally happy gods! They don’t have to sit down here and deal with dead souls day in and day out. Not to mention they don’t have to deal with your extra grumpy face when you’re bored or annoyed from dealing with said souls.” Mentioning his extra grumpy face was the surest way to get it displayed and once it decorated his features Nemuri gestured as if to say ‘See!!!’.
“Look, you don’t have to go up there long, and you can avoid anyone that might recognize you, but please go soak up some sunlight, for me?”
Shouta turned to glare at a nearby table top as he thought about his decision. Sure, it had been awhile since he’d last been upstairs, and it might be nice to see living humans again for a change. Plus, as long as he avoided Messina, everything should be fine.
Before he could think better about it he found himself grumbling an agreement to Nemuri’s plan as he turned for the door.
“Wonderful! And while you’re up there could you grab me some more Daphne? I’m afraid my stores of it really are going to need replenishing soon.”
He shot back a ‘Fine’ before closing the lab's door and hurrying down the hallway to escape his ‘helpful’ friend. He didn’t even make it 10 steps before he froze, the realization of what he’d just agreed to crashing into him.
Oh gods, what had he gotten himself into?