Chapter 31 — Discord to Sow

"What the fuck are you even here for, again?" Hades played with flames on his fingers and for a moment, they coated his fist before he loosened his control. Tantalus just stared impassively from across the large table. He hated the sight of him. Ares' special chair and table plate held firm against the heat of Hades' hand, a small flicker to the full body flame he'd worn for months. The war room had never felt so small, surrounded by the anger of those two now raging in the room.

Several gods and Titans settled into their own chairs around the table. Some wore bemused expressions as they studied Hades and Tantalus, others were more wary. The Titans seemed curious, studying the strange display of anger between them. After Poseidon goaded Tantalus into admitting the nature of their relationship with Dark, the Titans that were close to Dark had been trying to make sense of it.

"Because my presence was fucking requested…by your future queen herself," Tantalus' voice was buttery, serpentine, vicious, and his accompanying smile was equally so, "If memory serves." He relished the look of pure, unbridled rage on Hades' face for a flicker of an instant before he masked it under his flames. They coated him head to toe like a wave washing over him and the look of surprise told Tantalus it hadn't been Hades' intention.

"Your wine, sir," Christine offered the glass to Tantalus, his nod the only reply. He thought back to the day he let Ares take them all from his house and shrugged. In truth, he hadn't even noticed their absence. Then the involution came, and he couldn't think of anything but the lack of Angel. Not just that she didn't want him anymore, despite reaching out to her as Ares suggested, but that the Titans took her. Tantalus was sure she was dead. He would never see her again. The agony of Asteria taking Angel to hell was ravaging, but the thought that she was dead? His entire existence obliterated inside of him.

Tantalus' attention sliced back to the flaming king before him. The god's power remained wild and unruly; the edges of his eyes hardened with the whisper of an animal below the surface. One could come back from the feral edge, in theory, he mused. But it would also be terribly easy to push him farther, to make him break. Tantalus stored that observation in the back of his mind for later. Whether or not he would finally take this opportunity to break Hades, relied entirely on Angel. Dark.

"Don't bring her into this." Words like ice flew from Hades despite the ever-growing heat. To their credit, the normally observant Titans busied themselves in conversation just to ignore the lovers' quarrel. Either that, or they were trying to mask the blatant eavesdropping. Dark was the source of everyone's curiosity. And perhaps lust. Certainly, the source of everyone's attention, at least.

"I think she's going to remain at the center of this until the bitter end, I'm afraid. Especially if the other night is any indication." It was Tantalus' turn to grow angry at his own words, remembering that he'd not only shared her, but shared her with Hades of all people. The crowned king of nightmares and death. Ruler of the underworld, ravager of women and souls alike. He'd spent centuries as vengeance incarnate. Wrath. And yet, Angel loved him. It was enough to make his power sing under his skin.

It wasn't that Angel loved Hades. That's not what Tantalus truly hated, it was the fact that somehow, as wicked as the king had always been, he'd managed to never truly wound Angel. He'd never truly hurt her like Tantalus had. Whether or not it had been his fault was irrelevant. Tantalus understood that he'd stabbed her soul, shredded it, brutalized it by loving her only to betray her. Of course, it hadn't been a choice to love her. He hadn't intended to give her every ounce of decency he was capable of and yet, even with every ounce he could give her, it hadn't been enough to stop the evil inside of him from breaking her. Gods, how he wanted to break Hades. To make them at least even on the scales.

How easy it would be to command the king of hell to do something unspeakable…To whisper a temptation into him, suggest he take a lover, perhaps Nyx, if his memory served him right. Yes, Minthe's replacement could do nicely in such a game. She made a bargain or two for her obsession with Hades over the years. Persephone had been enough to curb that interest, though, he could rekindle it. And yet, Tantalus didn't say a word, holding his power like an animal to be caged. He clenched his mouth tightly. It might not affect Dark, but it would shatter Angel and he'd already done too much of that already.

His words reminded him not only of sharing his love, but also of who was coming to kill her, who wanted to wipe her off the face of the earth, and who was very much capable of making those fears into realities. Of the very large, deadly thing she was actually at the center of. Not just a love triangle of sorts, but a war. And Asteria would never be tamed. Perhaps she couldn't be. So, this would be a dance to the death. Suddenly, the room felt chilly as he thought again of Angel being dead.

"She hates you," Hades spat. It wasn't a taunt, and it wasn't quite a question. It was a hope, Tantalus realized. A hope that this new Dark, this eviler, stronger twin to their Angel would hate him just as much as her other half. Otherwise…Well, that was a thought Hades did not want to dwell on. Hate and love were sisters to the end. One could easily flit between them both even if it was never an advantageous ending when one did.

"Love's twin isn't enough to sway me from her, I'm afraid. Not if she wanted me here," Tantalus took an agonizing drink of his red wine, "Especially not with the way her temptation speaks such sweet nothings to my own."

Hades couldn't put his feelings to words, but Angel had loved the god of temptation once. Deeply. And could love him again. Love and hate. Hate and love always hung by a thread's balance between which one would ultimately settle. But that wasn't the core of his discomfort, whether Dark grew to love Tantalus once more was secondary to the thing he really feared.

If Angel had learned to hate someone she loved, she could again. If Hades became something brutal and angry, something insatiable and wicked, something she didn't recognize…If he betrayed her. If he continued to deteriorate. Perhaps he was looking at himself on the other side of the table. Perhaps he was always looking at himself. Perhaps that was the true chord struck between them all. That and temptation…temptation.

A blink and Tantalus would have missed the utter confusion across Hades' face, even beneath the flames. And then something like agony. The flames vanished into smoke, leaving the stony face untouched beneath. He'd never felt her temptation, and the realization was a blow. There were things she'd shared with that god that she'd never shared with Hades.

"Oh, do tell me you've had the pleasure of seeing the temptress yourself?" Tantalus cast a devious smirk, already knowing the truth of the situation, "A shame never to experience it, I promise you. Perhaps I could ask her nicely, to show you." The jab struck home. Even as Hades said nothing, gave no outward inkling of it, Tantalus knew it had scratched that impenetrable armor.

"Careful…you are merely a guest here, Tantalus. An unwelcome one at that. You would not even be at this table if it were not for Dark's explicit instructions. Tread quieter." Hades' tone spoke of blood and death and nightmares, but Tantalus didn't even flinch. And as if to push a finger harder into Tantalus' chest, Hades said, "And perhaps when my brother returns with her, her opinion of you will have returned to normal. I'd like nothing more than to escort you to the underworld at last."

"Pray, where is your brother?" Tantalus clinked his glass atop the table, "it's been more than a day…"

"Angel was stubborn, Dark even more so. She's probably just pissing him off."

"And your bother would decide not to check back in if she were just 'pissing him off', as you say? From what I recall, your brother is a stickler for keeping his word. Didn't he say, 'I will go to her and apologize,’ dear brother? And unless she's gotten herself into some trouble, I'll be back within the hour."

Those words broke the conversation the Titans were having. The implication settled like a rock in each of their stomachs…why haven't either of them returned?

Ares clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention, "Alright, we have much to discuss! Everyone, sit!"

The last few meandering gods and goddesses now took their seats around the circular table. Athena was the last to arrive, slicking into her seat across from Hades.

"You look like hell," she sneered.

"At least someone's looking," Hades rolled his neck, "Perhaps if you could capture some lasting attention of your own, you wouldn't bother with me…"

"Hmm sharp words from someone on the edge of feral," she laughed breathlessly, "Poor little Hades. Tell me, is her vagina made of gold? It certainly must be for not only one but two dark and delicious gods to be fawning over it."

"Well, it's certainly not made of knives like yours…Tell me Athena, do you ever tire of being a bore?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Careful king, love is a fickle thing…You thought yourself immune to it once, and now look at you. Look at how you bark like a dog. Sniffing after blood like a hound. Are you hungry now? What would you give me for just one lick of my blood?" She mused a bit, slinking her eyes back and forth from Hades to Ares, who was now explaining something to the Titans.

"I would spit your blood in your face," he growled.

"Mm, give it time. Give it time."