Elmar read the letter Theanore had sent him retelling a battle between fish of all things, and he chuckled. That kid got worked up about the smallest of things. It was adorable.

“Care to share?” Asked Hades, sitting down and handing Elmar a big, juicy, slug. Elmar gobbled it up without thinking much about it. It was good that his taste buds didn’t work anymore, or his new eating habits would be problematic.

“I am the court mage of a toddler. A ball of sunshine, really,” said Elmar as he handed over the letter. Hades’ eyes scanned through it and his eyebrows rose.

“Her signature is TN in an apple?” Asked Hades. Elmar smiled wide and nodded.

“It used to be a teddy bear holding an apple, but then her father told her she should reserve that signature for the most important of correspondence. One day, someone is going to receive it, and they won’t know what it means,” said Elmar.

“And you enjoy working for a…toddler, was it?” Asked Hades. He worked for his brother, Zeus, but the head God was more powerful than he and could enforce his position.

“She took us in. All of us,” said Elmar. He remembered the day when the toddler had come to Diana and what they had talked about. He remembered Dereck’s reaction too. And yet, Theanore had still shared her home.

“I came to talk to you about something else,” said Hades. He placed a hand over Elmar’s shoulder, and the boy turned to look at him.

“What? Do you need help with mom?” Asked Elmar. It was surprising that Hades hadn’t asked for his help already, all things considered.

Hades flicked Elmar’s nose with his other hand and looked insulted.

“The day I need someone to woo Persephone is the day I stop loving the world. No, it is about your transformation. I wanted to know how far along you are,” said Hades, and his face softened.

Elmar barely remembered his parents, but he remembered that they used to ask him about his day. Every day, until they had left him at the orphanage. He didn’t blame them. His parents became jobless and couldn’t feed him.

The orphanage offered three meals, barely enough to stave off the hunger, a day. A roof, patchy and one that let the wind through during the winter, over their heads and…

Why? Just why hadn’t Hades come for him? It was a lie that he couldn’t come to the world of the living. He was here immediately, wasn’t he? And it was a lie that he hadn’t known about Elmar. So, why had his father left him at an orphanage?

“Why didn’t you ever come for me?” Blurted out Elmar. Hades looked guilty at that and hurt. Good, thought Elmar viciously, you deserve to hurt.

“Elm, do you know what it costs me to be here, now?” Asked Hades. Elmar had not considered that. He was not going to guess. Instead, he remained silent.

“Years of my life. And I know what you will say: So, what? You will just return to the Underworld when you die. No one but the dead worship the God of the Underworld. I belong there, not here. I die and then am reborn. Furthermore, I don’t have much time here, in this world,” said Hades.

“You could have made sure I was taken care of!” Yelled Elmar. He wanted to avoid being satisfied with this excuse. Hades had let him die once, get abandoned, and then die again. What kind of father was he?

“By whom? Do you know how dangerous it would have been for you if I exposed you as my son? Do you have any idea how many enemies I have? Countless. Liches, necromancers, everyone who tries to abuse the dead!” Hades’ voice rose and Elmar jumped to his feet.

“I can see why Persephone isn’t running back into your arms! You are self-centered and uncaring! You want to feel good and to be loved, but that requires work on your part,” screamed Elmar, face red.

“I think both of you should be silent for a little while,” came Persephone’s voice from the doorway. Father and son turned to her.

“Neither of you are good with owning up to your mistakes,” said Persephone, and she sat down next to them. “You are much too alike for that, but you don’t have to be like this your whole lives.”

“How do we improve then, dove?” Asked Hades. Persephone leaned onto him, and she placed a hand over Elmar’s head. She gave the soft blonde hair a few pats and sighed.

“We can do a trust fall once in a while. The two of you can do something that you find hard, but will benefit you both. Elmar, how about you apologize to your father for being too judgmental towards him?”

“I am being judgmental? What I say to him is the truth!” Protested Elmar, although he did not rise his voice at Persephone. She did not deserve such a reaction out of him.

“I am sorry, Elm, for being a shit father. You are right about me. It would have been best if I had let you live on. If I hadn’t given that fire demon, the undead henchmen who spelled your doom. But what is done, and I can never look back,” said Hades.

“I am sorry, too, for expecting you to be a decent human being,” said Elmar, standing up. He walked to the exit of the house without looking back, and he went out in the rain without a second thought.

“Couldn’t you have sugar coated it a bit?” Said Persephone tiredly.

“He is nearly a man grown…”

“He will never be a man, Hades. He will never grow up. No Lich can,” said Persephone. Her frame shook and she curled into her husband. “Our boy is dead again.”

The quiet wails that came from her broke Hades’ heart. There had to be something he could do. A way to give Elmar back his life. Wasn’t there a king who had tricked him before to achieve this? Or was it a bard?

Yes, he remembers now. Orpheus and Eurydice. Another tragic tale. But this time he would do the leading of the soul. And regardless of what happened behind him, he would not look back.