Cerberus p.o.v
“Would you mind finding Hades now? Before it’s too late?” she said, pulling away from me slightly.
I felt a bit embarrassed. I enjoyed her embrace a little too much that I had forgotten about Hades for a brief moment.
I almost melted In shame as she reminded me.
“y..yes of course” I said, standing up to my feet before helping her to stand.
“where do you think he might be?” she said, the look of worry etched more on her face as she spoke .
I opened my mouth to say something when it hit me.
something was wrong.
A scent I couldn’t ignore reached my nostrils.
It was strange yet familiar. I could barley keep myself composed.
It was the scent of Hades. But why did his scent seem different?
Before I could rap my head around that thought, I lost control of my senses again, going back to my true form.
Without a second thought, I followed the scent, my massive paws thundering across the barren ground, my three heads alert and scanning the darkness for any sign of him. I knew this scent all too well—it was laced with power, with the authority of a god, but now it was tainted with something else: humankind
As I rounded a bend in the river, the sight that greeted me made all three of my hearts skip a beat. Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, lay crumpled on the ground near the edge of the Styx, His skin was pale, his usually commanding presence diminished to something fragile, almost mortal.
I rushed to his side, nudging him gently a low whine escaping from my throat. He didn’t stir. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, his normally cold, piercing eyes closed, lost in unconsciousness. This was wrong—Hades, was... he was unresponsive.
It sent a wave of panic through me.
I nudged him again, more urgently this time, hoping to rouse him, to see those eyes snap open and hear his voice command me as it always did. But nothing happened. He remained still, his body unnervingly cold against my fur.
Still nothing.
‘I have to do something’ I thought looking around for some help.
‘Did he really give up his immortality, was he going to leave me here, all alone?’ A loud whine that could be heard across the Underworld escaped my lips.
The only thought that made sense was to follow him—to give up my own immortality and join him in whatever fate awaited. If Hades could fall, then so could I. It was a price I was willing to pay if it meant staying by his side.
My mind made up, I moved closer to the edge of the Styx, ready to plunge into its waters and surrender my immortal soul to the river’s dark depths. If it meant reuniting with Hades, I would give up everything. I could not be here without him. I needed him, just as much as he needed me.' I told myself over and over.
“Cerberus,” scylla said, her voice a low, gravelly rasp that seemed to echo from the depths of the river. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I growled, baring my teeth at her intrusion, but she didn’t flinch. We never saw much, mainly cause she handled a different part of Hades than I did. But still. We never saw eye to eye on anything.
“I’m going after him,” I rumbled, huffing as I walked further down. “Hades is… he’s dying. I won’t let him go alone.”
She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she regarded me with something akin to pity. “You are a fool, Cerberus,” she hissed, her voice filled with a mix of anger and sorrow. “Do you not see what is happening? Hades is choosing to give up his immortality, to leave this realm behind. If you follow him, the Underworld will be left without its master, and it will fall into chaos.”
“I don’t care,” i snarled.. “I will not abandon him.”
Scylla’s eyes flashed with anger, “are you that daft that you can’t understand !!! If you give up your immortality, who will guard the gates? Who will keep the dead in their place? The Underworld will crumble without its keeper.”
“you can do it! We both know that if I was not here Lord Hades would have made you his second anyways! Not me! You have been by his side longer and can handle hell’s affairs” I growled, looking at his body. The longer I stayed here without following Hades, more delay in my own reincarnation as a mortal. If I was not fast enough, I could miss him by a lifetime.
“fool! But you are here” she muttered. shaking her head as she said it.
Her words struck me like a hammer, forcing me to pause. I hadn’t considered the consequences of my actions beyond my desire to be with Hades.
“You are more than just Hades’ companion,” Scylla continued, her voice softening slightly. “You are the Keeper of the Underworld, the guardian of its borders, the one who ensures that the dead remain where they belong. Without you, this realm will be lost.” She looked at me, pressing when she realised that would not move me. “Hades could give up himself because he knew that you would handle it perfectly. You could cover his back here, that he could depends on you”
I looked back at Hades, his unconscious form lying so still by the river’s edge. My heart ached ‘what if he feels all alone in the mortal realm? What if he had no one to protect him there? Did he even think of me before leaving? what if....'the thoughts just kept running through my mind as stayed, looking at his unmoving body.
I felt a stinging feeling in my chest as I used my paws to cover my face
Just like the other gods, Hades eventually left me too. ...'I fought the whine that tried to escape my mouth.