No, he couldn’t. He couldn’t let his son just wander the city distraught. That isn’t what a father would do, and he hurried down the stairwell. “Peter!”

          the alien nature of the city hadn’t intimidated the youth when he’d come into new york for the first time and it didn’t now; easily weaving between throngs of mortal idiots so caught up in their ‘jobs’ and hobbies that it was almost amusing to watch them bustle about; this time pan barely paying attention to them as he merely wandered around, disappearing.

“Peter!” The man weaved down the stairwell and into the streets, catching sight of his son’s retreating back. “Peter!” he called to him.

continuation || @a-decaying-heart

He bit his lip and looked away from his son, tucking his head down. Was that too harsh? Probably. But he didn’t want to wind up saying something he might regret.

          he’d been in the apartment complex to easily navigate his way down the stairwell and out its doors, leaving the god to brood or trash his things or whatever he did in this type of situation, heading in a random direction, flicking his hood up. 

No, he couldn’t. He couldn’t let his son just wander the city distraught. That isn’t what a father would do, and he hurried down the stairwell. “Peter!”

He bit his lip and looked away from his son, tucking his head down. Was that too harsh? Probably. But he didn’t want to wind up saying something he might regret.

Hades shook his head angrily at his child and made his way back to the apartment, never letting the boy go for even a mili-second and reaching out to grab some paer towels.

          the man’s wrath wafted off of him, and perhaps that kept the youth silent, after a few minutes exposed to the lidded rage recoiling away. 

Hades emptied the child’s pockets of syringes and sat him on the chair. “Stay there.”

His backside recieved an incredibly harsh swat for the shove as Hades scowled down at the boy. “I don’t trust you.”

          “i don’t care,” he bit out, words slurred as he gave up fighting the former god and merely allowed himself to be taken away, eyes closed, deciding to escape via the fluid in his veins instead. 

Hades shook his head angrily at his child and made his way back to the apartment, never letting the boy go for even a mili-second and reaching out to grab some paer towels.

“Actually, I don’t trust you to walk on your own.” He scooped the boy up in one arm.

          he grunted at that, annoyed and irritated, one arm shoving him away though his eyes shut. “i can walk,” he mumbled. 

His backside recieved an incredibly harsh swat for the shove as Hades scowled down at the boy. “I don’t trust you.”

Shock cleared after a moment as Hades stared at his son. He grit his teeth and grabbed the boy’s shoulder, storming off with him. “Let’s go.”

          pan stumbled to his feet, not entirely levelheaded at the moment, not speaking as he was forced after the man.

“Actually, I don’t trust you to walk on your own.” He scooped the boy up in one arm.

continuation || @a-decaying-heart

          hand, still stinging, fell to his side as the youth pushed himself up into an unstable sitting position, would’ve already run if his mind weren’t already clouded and blurred, blinking hazily at the man.  

Shock cleared after a moment as Hades stared at his son. He grit his teeth and grabbed the boy’s shoulder, storming off with him. “Let’s go.”

Hades was not expecting the right hook that came, stumbling back in shock and holding his nose. Blood dripped from both nostrils as he slowly raised stunned eyes to his son.

𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣.

          the youth stayed where he was, reluctantly, believing approaching would only make things worse and nothing changed a few moments before he finally just cast a light spell. the same that he did to emma on neverland, an enchantment he had mastered to make one hear things at his will. he didn’t need his full magic to do it, merely letting the man’s ears pick up on some random violin notes the boy remembered from the underworld chambers.

Hades’ scrambled mind picked up the pacifying notes of his favorite instrument and the crying lessened, but he still shifted uncomfortably. It seemed although he was drugged he wanted to get up.

𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣.

Whatever she pumped into his veins slowly roused the man awake as he mumbled something and made pained noises.

“I know,” she tutted to his whimpers. “You’re in a lot of pain, but the morphine should kick in soon.”

          his first instinct was believing that whatever she had given him was causing the man’s pain, and he stopped himself from moving forward just before he did, instead staying where he was and hanging onto the curtain for support from the bloody weariness already returning. 

The nurse left after a moment but the man was still crying, disoriented and drugged and barely awake. He tried to turn his head but the bandages made that impossible.

𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣.

Bae left shortly after getting an update from the nurse. Apparently they were going to wake the man now, since it was apparently slightly safer. A nurse moved past the hidden child, over to the sick man.

          he had no idea what the nurse was doing, seeing needles and other equipment; and the only thing stopping him from knocking the woman out being that he, somewhat, recognized the items, and so restraightened himself, remaining in the corner draped by the curtain.

Whatever she pumped into his veins slowly roused the man awake as he mumbled something and made pained noises.

“I know,” she tutted to his whimpers. “You’re in a lot of pain, but the morphine should kick in soon.”

𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣.

Bae laid back next to him without any caution, perhaps recklessly trusting but not caring.

          when he awoke several hours later, frustrated that he’d once more fallen asleep, baelfire was still out beside him. the proximity of the man unfamiliar after the time that had passed, and silently, pan bound the man’s wrist to the bedpost before forcing himself to his feet, shaking from the exertion but he still managed to slip out of the room a few moments later. 

Hades was asleep in bis Chambers. Or rather, still unconscious. Unaware of how bad the man's injuries were Bae had wrapped them up, but blood streamed down the man's face. No longer a God...his life was clearly in danger.

𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣.

The kick came before he realized it, but the man honestly didn’t attempt to deflect it. It hit hard and he fell hard onto the floor. His eyes shut and he pushed himself up on his hands and knees but…didn’t do anything except wait for the last blow.

          a second kick came, to knock the man down again. pure adrenaline channeling a body that couldn’t stand on its own had rage not controlled it, as he shoved the man down onto his back, dropping next to him, pinning him down. 

          “you should’ve let me die.”

         he cracked the man’s head down to the stone. 

Everything rang and started to dim. Blood trickled down Hades face and he gurgled out a trickle down his chin. His eyes slid shut just as a form tackled Pan to the ground.

𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣.

He didn’t see it and if he had he wouldn’t have cared. He didn’t care who hurt him, who killed him. If he couldn’t see his son again he didn’t want to exist. And if it was an escaped soul of the Underworld, he didn’t think he’d even have the mental strength to carry out a punishment.

But when he saw who it was…everything changed. The world spun, his head spun. He didn’t believe it for a second, and thought pain and the impact of the punch was just trying to trick him. After all, he’d see his son every night before waking up in the morning sobbing and just wishing the figments of his broken heart were real.

And now they were, and they were…standing in front of him…?

“…..” He couldn’t speak and when he finally could, it was a breathy, choked whisper. “My boy…”

          it took only a split second to confirm it was him before he slammed his knuckles into his jaw. forced to pause a moment, as the simple punch jarred the entirety of the thin body, sending a wave of throbbing pain up his arm and already-bruised knuckles split. emerald hues met wide, shocked blue coldly, and without any change to them. 

         the boy straightened, shirt limp off the torso that didn’t stir ( motionless, heartless ) and chapped lips pulled into a half-smile. a voice that hadn’t been used for anything except screaming and cursing cracked, like shards of broken glass. but it was there. 

         “hey, papa.”

          the weapon grinned, before pan moved forward again, this time spinning and kicking at the man’s stomach. 

The kick came before he realized it, but the man honestly didn’t attempt to deflect it. It hit hard and he fell hard onto the floor. His eyes shut and he pushed himself up on his hands and knees but...didn’t do anything except wait for the last blow.

𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣.

Hades life had stopped, even if physically it had long, long ago before being brought back to life by a vibrant, precious pain-in-the-ass brat that he loved more then anything in the world. ….And he had abandoned him.

No, his mind told him every night. He had to. He had to give the child to the assailants. He didn’t know what they did, or what they had accquired, but it was a poison so vile and foreign that a hospital even in New York just didn’t know what to do to combat it. They couldn’t even trace the chemical. And all the while he’d watch his baby scream, hallucinate, cry and take multiple seizures that dwindled his pendulum of time down more and more. Until finally the father had no choice…but to pass the boy over to the villains he was so diligently trying to protect him from…just to safe his life.

His best chance…

…But was it?

The Underworld just wasn’t the same without his bratty toddler-like man child waking him up in the morning with splashes of cold water, or a sounding trumpet. It wasn’t the same without his tantruming teen that growled about having to take a shower or take his boots off in the chambers. It wasn’t home.

It never would be again was his only empty thought–of a soul who had given up on everything–as he slowly opened the iron doors.

          the poison had been so long ago, that he barely even remembered it clearly. it didn’t help that during that time, he had been unconscious, or delirious, or unfocused strapped down to a hospital bed all of that time. he didn’t know where the toxin had come from, or how the men had used it, and the only cure, to render the god of death helpless, into HANDING him over to the men behind it all. oh they reminded him of that part, over and over again; it was the first thing they said, when they came in for the sessions. 

          he hadn’t been captured. he’d been HANDED OVER. 

          the iron groaned and shrieked as it was pulled on, and as it did so the boy moved to his feet; barely able to stand but he still managed, eyes, hardened, on the door. he’d been prepared for this moment, for a long time; and by now, he was ready. and willing. good boy. he could practically hear the words in the dead air, as slender fingers curled into gnarled fists, and a shadow appeared in the doorway. make him pay. 

          at the moment that the door was open enough for a figure to be seen on the other side, pan moved forward swiftly, and threw his fist into the face awaiting. 

He didn’t see it and if he had he wouldn’t have cared. He didn’t care who hurt him, who killed him. If he couldn’t see his son again he didn’t want to exist. And if it was an escaped soul of the Underworld, he didn’t think he’d even have the mental strength to carry out a punishment.

But when he saw who it was...everything changed. The world spun, his head spun. He didn’t believe it for a second, and thought pain and the impact of the punch was just trying to trick him. After all, he’d see his son every night before waking up in the morning sobbing and just wishing the figments of his broken heart were real.

And now they were, and they were...standing in front of him...?

“.....” He couldn’t speak and when he finally could, it was a breathy, choked whisper. “My boy...”