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Zagreus hadn’t actually expected anyone to come visiting after the “reveal” party they’d thrown. It was even more of a shock when Lord Dionysus was the one who visited first.
The party was… well, almost exactly what Hades likely feared it would turn into. The House was more than a little worse for wear by the time the festivities began to wind down, to the point Zagreus had noticed Hades himself taking a long drink from an amphora while radiating exhaustion like heat.
(Later, Zagreus would wonder if that was what had done it, if Zagreus could have noticed then and there that something was wrong and stopped what happened next- but that was ridiculous. There was nothing Zagreus could have done.)
Zagreus had been talking to Dionysus when the Underworld rumbled.
They both had stopped, and Dionysus had gone pale. Zagreus could feel something deep in his core coiling, like the Styx when it claimed him, something was viscerally wrong and he was being called to fix it-
Zagreus turned and ran toward the hall, Dionysus following close behind.
“Zag, mate, what the fuck-?!”
“I don’t know, something’s-” Zagreus skidded to a stop, then turned like he’d been spun by a giant hand to face Persephone’s garden.
He sprinted forward, heart pounding with some foreign terror, only to stop again once he got inside the gates. Something- something was inside and Zagreus found himself turning to Dionysus, an intruder, not one of its chosen-
Zagreus shook his head furiously. Those thoughts weren’t his. He forcibly looked away from Dionysus, who had stopped at the entrance of the garden with a remarkably pale expression, and back at the thing hunched in the far corner of the room.
It’s massive, whatever it was, and almost completely covered in rippling black fur- no, feathers- no, fur- some shifting, fluxing mix of the two. Zagreus felt almost helplessly compelled to keep himself between this thing that he’s never seen before and Lord Dionysus, expressly for the purpose of keeping Dionysus away from the thing.
“Oh shit,” Dionysus breathed.
A pair of owl-like blood ruby eyes snapped open in the thing’s shifting coat, and a truly bizarre head lifted to stare at Dionysus. Zagreus noted the short, blunt muzzle that shifted to bear a canine’s fangs, and the odd ridges along its head that weren’t quite ears but were… something like them.
The feather-fur hiked up as the thing uncoiled. It would look terrifying, and it was clearly trying to appear that way, stomping one hoofed foot on the ground, but Zagreus could only see the wobble in its movements.
Whatever was in the garden, whatever was making Zagreus feel like he had to defend it, it was in no shape to fight, and it knew it. Zagreus could see a long tail tucked between its hind legs, quivering as it snapped its teeth and let out a warbling growl.
“Okay, okay, it is okay-” Dionysus said in a low, soothing tone, hands raised in a display of surrender.
The thing snarled, its voice rough and uncertain. Zagreus found himself closer to it than he anticipated.
“I know, I know, I can feel it in you, but it’s okay. No one’s going to harm you, okay? Anyone who tried would get jumped before they even made it halfway here,” Dionysus assured it, voice soft and gentle.
“Lord Dionysus, do you know what…?” Zagreus asked, flicking his head between Dionysus and the creature he still felt the need to defend.
Dionysus grimaced. His hands were still held up.
“Someone must have spiked Hades’ drink with… something potent.”
Zagreus stared at him, then stared at the creature who was breathing thick clouds of steam into the air. Now that he knew what he was looking at, Zagreus could pick out the features of a dog, black sheep, and screech owl in the thing’s construction.
“That’s… my father?” Zagreus asked uncertainly.
Dionysus nodded with a wince.
“All gods can shapeshift, mate. Your father doesn’t do it often, but that doesn’t mean he’s incapable, and if what I’m feeling in his blood is what I think it is, I’m surprised he’s even this cohesive.”
Zagreus stepped closer to the thing with purpose for once. He hesitantly reached out, and set a hand on the thing’s shoulder, steadying it.
The creature - Hades - let out a soft moan and leaned against Zagreus just enough to remain upright without swaying.
“What exactly are you feeling in his blood?” Zagreus snapped, fear sharpening his tone more than he anticipated.
Someone had spiked his father’s drink. Someone had tried to drug Zagreus’ father. He couldn’t tell if the rage boiling in his stomach was from his own emotions or whatever hold Hades was currently exerting over him.
(Zagreus had known, academically, that Hades could call upon the whole of the Underworld as its god, from the faintest shade to Chaos itself. He also knew that any divine being could throw off his call unless they had made a specific pact to answer. He’d just never felt that call in action. Hades had never tried to use it on him before.)
Dionysus sucked air through his teeth before answering, “It’s… something of mine, actually. Real intense stuff, I can only handle a diluted glass of it. I brought it with me for my use only, but I guess someone must have either grabbed the flask or stole some of my drink to mix with his.”
“It’s just a strong drink?” Zagreus asked, unconsciously running his fingers through Hades’ pelt.
Dionysus wavered one of his hands.
“More or less? It’s got a torporous effect, which is probably what your old man’s fighting right now. Plus-” Dionysus cut himself off and glanced at Hades.
Zagreus frowned.
“What?” he asked.
Dionysus glanced between them, then bit his lower lip, then sighed.
“Look,” he said quietly, “I’m only telling you this because you’re his son and you’ll need to know what might make him freak out worse.”
Zagreus stiffened. Hades leaned a little harder on him.
“This isn’t the first time Hades has been dosed with this stuff. Happened way back when, when he was still being invited to - well, also accepting invitations to - Olympus. Not sure what happened, I don’t think anyone is, but your father got pushed way over his limit. Vanished into some side room to try and sleep it off, far as I know.”
Dionysus looked uncomfortable. Zagreus kept petting Hades, who at least wasn’t breathing as heavily now.
“Something… happened. Like I said, I don’t think anyone knows for sure what, but there was suddenly a bunch of screaming and bellowing, and by the time anyone got there, Hades was panicking in spite of being barely awake and the room was- just- splattered in ichor. A couple things had died in there, likely by Hades’ hand.”
Dionysus paused again, his shoulders lowering.
“Hades wouldn’t let anyone touch him. I’m not going to repeat any words, but from the way he was talking, whoever had found him had tried to get overly familiar.”
Zagreus might have stopped breathing. Part of him rebelled, because there was no way, this was Zagreus’ hard-ass cold-hearted father who helped defeat the Titans, there was no way someone would have been able to- to- try and force themselves on him. Another part cracked, because of course, of course Hades had such a vehement hatred of Olympus, if that had been done to him there and-
“Why would you bring that here?” Zagreus hissed.
Dionysus flinched.
“It was just for me! No one else should have even known I had it! Zag, mate, I’m so sorry, this wasn’t- this wasn’t supposed to happen at all!”
Zagreus turned and pulled Hades’ neck into a hug, burying his face in the odd fur-feathers there. He shouldn’t really be mad at Lord Dionysus, he knew that, the god wasn’t malicious but damn it all, his actions had led to Zagreus’ father ending up in this state.
After a moment, Zagreus pulled his face away and looked at Dionysus.
“You should leave for now,” he said as calmly as he could, “Hades can tell you’re not supposed to be down here, and it’s… upsetting him. We can talk later, okay?”
Dionysus nodded, not looking at Zagreus, and vanished.
As soon as he was gone, Hades sagged against Zagreus, all coordination gone. Zagreus grunted as he caught Hades’ weight, slowly lowering him down.
“How are you so heavy?” Zagreus muttered as he did.
Hades was limp on the ground, and did not answer.
Zagreus sighed and sat down, pressing his back into the silky pelt covering Hades.
“I’ll keep watch,” he promised, “No one will come anywhere near you.”
Hades let out a whuffling whimper, and Zagreus stroked one of his ear-tufts absently.
“I’ll keep you safe.”