The wind whipped around Mount Olympus, picking up the rubble and debris from the ground as Kore and Adam’s bodies rose to the sky. Hands connected, their bodies exuded both light and darkness that touched every corner breathing existence into dead nature while threatening to suffocate the life from its inhabitants. Zeus fell to his knees, his breath struggling to release from his throat. Summoning his thunderbolt, his hands shook as it crumbled under the light of Adam’s eyes.
He could feel death’s touch on every hair follicle, as his defenses fell from his frame one by one. Hades watched, his heart bleeding at what would be his last image of Kore. He closed his eyes.
*I love you*
And felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to Thanatos. “I apologize for not being able to keep my word to you.”
Hades arched his brow, “What are you talking about?” His legs weakened, as another pair of hands clasped the sides of his face. He stared at the Grim Reaper.
“You won’t be able to witness the death of Zeus.” Thanatos placed his hands over Evie’s, and she gritted her teeth as she pulled Hades’ soul from his body, absorbing it into her. As his shell continued to look, the piercing silence of nothingness removed his ability to hear words, but he could see. See Aphrodite’s death as Derrick and Romulus’ worked to remove her life source before switching with Thanatos and Evie to take his. And then, the God of Death finally understand what it felt like to die.
Derrick and Evie rolled around the ground, the Gods thrashing around in them. “HOLD ON JUST A LITTLE LONGER!” Romulus screamed as the two struggled to hold onto the powerful energies. Thanatos looked to his brother, whose body was just as weak as his, as they continued to feed Evie and Derrick as much power as they could to keep Aphrodite and Hades’ from being released.
“You…can’t defeat…the king of Gods…” Zeus choked out, his words met with an agonizing pain that shot to his feet and slowly worked its way up to his massive body. He rose, arms and legs spread, juxtaposed to Adam and Kore. They infused him with their unlocked power. One by one the essence of the Gods flew from his body. He seemed to shrink as Kore’s mist pulled them from his chest, and Adam’s light destroyed them as soon as they hit the air. A fraction of what he was, Zeus begged for his life.
“Please don’t kill me.” Zeus’s body froze. Marble rising up his frame, solidifying his entombment into stone. Stopping at his head Kore and Adam spoke as one.
“But if we don’t, how else will Earth retain your head as a trophy?” His eyes widened as a thunderbolt darted towards him, slicing his head from his shoulders. The stoned remains of his body shook violently, before bursting into specs of dust that fell to the ground. Kore and Adam’s bodies descended down and they both collapsed.
Thanatos’ chest bubbled as the souls raged against him trying their hardest to get their hands on Hades’ soul. Like a moth to a flame, his darkness pulled at them and he stood Evie up.
“DO IT!” She cried.
His eyes blackened as the souls attached to him. “GIVE ME THE SOULS OF THE GODS!”
The souls reached into Evie and her eyes shot open as they pulled Hades and Aphrodite from her. Thanatos’ held her still. “Look at me Poppet…look at me!” She bared her teeth, trying her best to push through the agony.
“I GOT THEIR LIGHTS!” Romulus screamed. And the four quickly circled Aphrodite and Hades’ bodies. Death with death, life with life, connecting to create a power that should never exist. One strong enough to hold the souls and life sources of the very Gods themselves.
Forearm to forearm Romulus and Thanatos’ poured their powers into one another. “GO BACK WHERE YOU BELONG!” Thanatos boomed, and the dark soul of Hades grabbed its life force before returning to his body.
“GO BACK WHERE YOU BELONG!” Romulus screamed at Aphrodite’s life source, which flew into her soul before return to her.
“LEAVE!” Thanatos commanded the souls of his chest. Romulus’s light poured through him, and the souls, hearing their master’s words returned to hell. The brothers fell to the ground with their Soul Ties.
“Is everyone alright?” Thanatos’ asked breathlessly.
Evie nodded, “Did it work?”
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Aphrodite screamed. Jumping to their feet, she and Hades glared at them.
Thanatos rolled his eyes, “Yeah…it worked.”
Hades put his hands on his hips. “YOU ATE US! WHO THE FUCK EATS PEOPLE WITHOUT TELLING THEM?!”
“I THOUGHT WE WERE ON THE SAME PAGE!”
He looked at the Grim Reaper in disbelief. “WHERE IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET THAT IDEA?! HOW THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO GATHER YOUR WIFE AND BROTHER-IN-LAW WERE GOING TO EAT US THANATOS?!” He pointed his finger at Evie, “WHAT IF I ATE HER HUH? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?!”
Thanatos pushed him, “DON’T SAY THAT ABOUT MY FUCKING WIFE!”
Shaking her head Aphrodite scrunched her face, “Yeah…that kind of hits the ears wrong.”
He looked around. “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!” He sighed, “Thank you…I don’t know how…but thank you.”
“Anything for our children.”
Everyone’s eyes darted to Kore and Adam who still laid on the ground. Running to them, Aphrodite and Hades bent down to pulled them to their chest.
Kore's eyes slowly opened. “H-Hades?”
He smiled, “Yep.”
“Why are you still alive?” Hades scoffed and she laughed, “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”
“Apparently neither of us know how to say the right thing.”
Looking over to Aphrodite and Adam kissing, she smirked at him, “How about we make out and then do the talking part later?” Caressing her face, he heard her whisper, “I love you.”
And he reached down and took her lips with his.
----------------------------------------------------
*Two Days Later*
“So…I’m like evil now or something?” Aphrodite asked twisting up her face.
Thanatos chuckled. “No…you just a little *tainted* if you will. I needed something for the souls to latch onto and Apollo was perfect. That's why I pressured you to absorb him. Couldn't have asked for a better line up.”
She grumbled, “Sorry for calling you a controlling asshole in my mind.”
Laughing again, Thanatos’ patted her shoulder, “All is forgiven.”
“I still don’t get why you wouldn’t tell us about the plan though dad.”
“We didn’t even know if it would work-besides-” He cut his eyes at Hades. “I thought since it was technically his idea…he would have caught on but instead, he grew upset.”
Hades cut his eyes back. “Evie and Derrick literally erased me from existence…I think I have a right to be upset.”
“NOT IF IT’S TO SAVE YOUR LIFE! YOU DON'T EXIST, YOU AREN'T A TARGET!” Thanatos huffed. “YOU’RE BEING A BABY! APHRODITE ISN’T MAD ANYMORE AND YOU ACT AS IF YOU DIED!”
“I DID DIE AND YOUR WIFE ENSURED I DIDN’T HAVE AN AFTERLIFE!”
“YOU WEREN’T GOING TO HAVE ONE ANYWAY!”
“THAT’S NOT THE POINT!”
Romulus laughed uncontrollably, “Oh my goodness! Why don’t you two just hug and make up?!”
Muttering under their breaths, Hades and Thanatos walked to opposite ends of the room. “I’m not hugging him.” Thanatos grumbled.
Evie chuckled, “Reaper…you sound like a child.”
Whispering into Hades’ ear, Kore brought something to his attention, “A lot of fathers would have let you die after the Dionysus and Artemis incident. Now that everything is calmed, you may want to make up before he remembers.” Hade's eyes widened. Walking over, he wrapped his arms around Thanatos, causing the reaper to blow steam from his nose.
“Get off of me Hades! Kore! Why is your Soul Tie so DAMN annoying?!”