Chapter 33: Chapter 33

S A V A N N A H

HORKOS WAS THE god of oaths —the godly embodiment of a snitching teacher’s pet; not a noble recorder and keeper of promises.

So, he was really only doing his job.

“Wait, he’s only a god?” Søren frowned, sitting down gingerly on the sofa. “We thought that he was a Titan.”

“Yes, he is only a god,” Hades sighed, “but he is Zeus’ right hand man. Which means that he is just as threatening as a Titan, if not more so.”

“Zeus?” I echoed. “…Is he the one coming with Horkos?”

The combination of a liar’s worst nightmare and the king of the Olympians; the god of the skies…It was not a good mix, and it would spell doom for a master evader of responsibility like Thanatos.

“No,” Hades sighed wearily. “Zeus has no interest in the affairs of death. None of the Olympians do.”

“But what about the other minor gods?” Søren pointed out. “They always have something to side in a war about.”

“You’re telling me,” Hades sighed, rolling his eyes. His annoyance was momentarily amusing —and got me thinking.

The minor gods must feel every bit as undermined during conflict as when dubbed with the title of ‘minor gods’. Regardless, maybe they were not as much of a threat as perhaps implied.

“So…are there minor gods coming with Horkos?” I asked, wanting clarity. “And if so, do we really need to worry about them…?” I trailed off, while tilting my head to the side in an uncertain fashion.

Everyone murmured in agreement, but Hades shot me a very hard look, causing the humorous mood to deflate instantly.

“Horkos is a minor god,” Hades deadpanned.

No one was smiling or murmuring now.

“Oh,” I swallowed, putting things into perspective. “Well. Shit.”

“Exactly,” Hades agreed, sighing heavily. “So, he might as well bring an entire army of minor gods —mind you, there are a lot more than you think.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” I muttered, folding my arms. “So, what are we going to do?” I frowned deeply. “Do we resist? Give ourselves up?”

“Like hell are we going to give ourselves up,” Hades suddenly raised his voice, startling us all. “No matter the situation, the gods of death are very proud and stubborn, so do not even dare to suggest giving in. It is not a joke.”

“…Yeah, proud and stubborn sums it up perfectly,” Søren muttered.

“Hey,” Hades snapped, snapping his fingers and pointing at him. “You watch what you say, young man. You are on very thin ice as it is,” he said ominously, tipping his head back with disdain.

Then the god glanced at me. Søren’s silver eyes widened slightly as we then made eye contact, frowning in confusion.

Did Hades…think that there was something between Søren and me? Was he spying on my life? Or perhaps I was overthinking things again.

“…Um,” I started, biting the edge of my fingernails. “Didn’t stubbornness and pride cause all of your problems in the first place?” I murmured.

Søren vigorously sliced his hand in front of his neck —until Hades turned and glanced at him. He stopped immediately and smiled widely, playing innocent. I rolled my eyes and Hades shook his head slightly.

“Savannah,” Hades said to me, making me tense. “Regardless of the past…spats —we like to maintain a non-helpless reputation in the Afterlife Department. Please understand that I am not stupid, and that I want what is best for those of whom I care. However proud we may be, it does not excuse us from apologising and considering other people.”

I held my hands up in surrender and blinked rapidly. “Wait! Okay, okay —I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Hades sighed before crossing one leg over the other and smirking at me. “…We do not back down very easily, either.”

I lidded my eyes. What exactly did he ever accomplish with those contradictory policies?

“…I think what Savannah is trying to say,” Nadine surprisingly came to my rescue —even though she did shoot me a disapproving look, “is that maybe you should approach this new threat…differently. Like, different from when you were confronted by Kronos. Perhaps your strategy is…outdated,” she put delicately.

I winced.

Chainsaw Guy leaned towards Søren and whispered something with a snarky look on his face; his eyes on Hades. Søren snorted before leaning back against the sofa to say something back. Maybe the conversation they had had helped a little more than they would care to admit.

Hades also raised an eyebrow; in response to Nadine.

“…How old are you?” he asked her.

Nadine blinked, clearly thrown off by the question. “Two and a half centuries —why?”

“Two and a half centuries?” Hades repeated, nodding patronisingly. Spite did not look good on my father. “…Just who do you think you are to say such things about how I run my systems? You were probably there during the war but what makes you think that I would give up my ground in this case? Horkos is just a petty toga-wearing asshat —I was not intimidated then and I will not be intimidated now.”

I did not think that Nadine had ever been told off like that before. For some reason, I wanted to laugh.

“…Uh, well I wasn’t trying —” she started.

“Exactly —no, you were not,” Hades cut her off, holding a hand up to stop her from talking.

Nadine hung her head and put her hands between her legs, silenced. Not one else here had made her shut up out of shame. I then frowned. I was all for smart mouthing Nadine, but Hades was taking it to a disrespectful level.

“…Dad,” I said slowly through my teeth, getting a feel of the word. Hades looked at me and blinked, suddenly unnerved. “That was harsh,” I told him, giving a look of disappointment. “Like I said to Thanatos: pride is one thing; a huge ego is another. Putting down other people’s input is uncalled for. You should be ashamed —do you think it would kill you to listen to people’s ideas and advice? You might actually learn something. Because guess what —we aren’t stupid either.”

Hades froze. Truly —he looked back at me blankly, his mouth slightly open and his jasper eyes widened. I dithered, wondering if in turn I had been harsh. Then I shook my head. No. It had been necessary to reprimand him. It was inexcusable to talk to anyone the way he had spoken to Nadine. I then nearly choked. I could not believe that I had actually concluded that.

Hades coughed and looked vaguely embarrassed, before he exhaled loudly and nodded. “You are right, Savannah. That was…out of line. I apologise…Miss…What is your name?”

Nadine took a few seconds to register the question, before she quickly responded in a fluster.

“I am sorry…Nadine,” the god of the dead said through his teeth.

“Anyway,” I said nervously, clapping my hands in order to divert Hades’ attention and the conversation. “So, what happens now?”

I glanced around the circle for suggestions.

“If we are going to fight back, then we are going to need an army of our own,” Søren said.

“Do we have to fight?” I asked.

“Do you want to die?”

“Well, no, but surely there’s another —”

“Then we are fighting,” Søren concluded. “We have to assemble a defence. I suggest we recruit as many Reapers as we can. Because it’s not as though the Olympians will volunteer.”

“Exactly.” Hades nodded in agreement. “It is unlikely that we will likely get any help from them. And there are many Reapers. I suggest we start now. Like here, in this block of apartments.”

“Like…give them a campaign speech?” I murmured, narrowing my eyes thoughtfully.

“Convince the Reapers why they should fight on our side,” Hades sighed, standing up. “In the meantime, I will see if there are any Págos in the Underworld that I can rope in.”

“What are…Págos?” I asked.

“Ice giants,” Hades grinned.

We might stand a chance with those on our side. The god then straightened his blazer, before walking towards the front door. I got up and walked him out. We then stood there in the hallway in silence, unsure of what to say.

“…I am fighting because I do not want to hand you over,” Hades eventually murmured. I glanced up at him and blinked. “I do not want to lose you. Now that I can be here for you,” he went on. “It is like losing something that you just found after years of searching —frustrating and enraging. I do not want to give you up.”

I smiled softly. “Aw, Dad…” I sang, before we both chuckled. Hades then enveloped me in a hug and patted the top of my head.

“You do not understand how much you mean to me, Savannah. Always remember that,” he whispered.

I nodded, before withdrawing. I waved him off, before breathing out and leaning against the wall. I smiled and clutched at the necklace around my neck. At least I could still see my father in this new life. Assuming that I would survive the war. That then got me thinking. The whole situation was about family, in a way. So, I decided that I wanted to see my mother again. Just once more, in case I would never get the chance again.

I went back inside the apartment to the others and paused as they all looked ready to leave.

“Where are you all going?” I scoffed.

“Nadine and Lewis are heading downstairs to the lobby and Melchior and I were going to go across town to see a friend,” Søren answered. I smirked, to which he responded with a dirty look.

“Later,” Nadine said as she held up her hand in a way to saying goodbye, before she and Lewis left. Søren then offered me a smile before I glanced away and folded my arms. “Do you…want to come with us?” he offered.

I did not respond.

Søren, Savannah and Chainsaw Guy. Not a good combination.

“…Are you okay?” Søren asked, walking over to me and then putting a hand on my shoulder. I was so startled that it took me another second to realise he was asking me something.

“Hm? Yeah,” I breathed, nodding for emphasis. “I just…I was just thinking about my Mom.”

“Oh,” he murmured. “Is it to do with the possibility that you might never see her again?” he guessed. I nodded slowly.

He hesitated, but then he suddenly pulled me into a firm hug. I froze and stood there stiffly, before uncertainly wrapping my arms around him in turn. He towered over me and he was not as soft and warm as Hades, but I liked the way I fitted in his arms. This was new. I liked it.

Chainsaw Guy did not.

“…Hello? I’m still here,” he announced loudly.

Søren playfully shushed him as he let go and comfortingly patted my shoulder. He went to grab his crossbow, as I put my hands on my hips and tapped my fingers on the handle of my sword.

Phee-Phee looked up at me curiously before I realised that there was no one staying with him. “Guys…who’s going to stay and watch Phee-Phee?”

“Not a goddamn chance,” Chainsaw Guy immediately declined, cringing. “Never again.”

“Well, we can’t leave him here alone,” I argued. “Because look how brilliantly that turned out the last time,” I huffed, rolling my eyes.

“And whose fault was that, Princess?” he scoffed.

“Don’t call me Princess,” I snapped.

He raised a weary eyebrow. “…I’m still not pet-sitting,” he grumbled. “How about you just let nature take its course and let the damn thing turn into ash? Besides —you’re going to get way too busy to take care of it pretty soon,” he snorted, straightening his jacket.

I scoffed. “Well…Maybe he could be an asset. He has been pretty loyal so far. And Phoenixes can breathe fire. He could help us.”

“Well, then I guess that you will just have to see how loyal it can be when we get back,” he spat.

“About that,” Søren interjected, swinging the crossbow back and forth. “You know, Melchior. I was thinking maybe…I take Savannah to see her Mom, and then you can go get Abby?”

“What? Wait Søren, you don’t have to come with me,” I started.

“You shouldn’t be alone,” he countered.

“What about Chainsaw Guy?” I jerked my thumb in his direction.

“I have a name,” the blond Reaper scoffed. “…And I do not need a babysitter,” he smirked, making me gasp in offence at what he implied. “But she’s right, Søren. You don’t have to go with her.”

“Melchior,” Søren said in a sudden firm tone, unnerving us. “Don’t push it. Go and get Abby. We’ll meet you back here in about…an hour and a half.”

His jaw clenched tightly. “…Fine,” he snapped back, picking up his chainsaw. He shot me a glare, before making for the door. “Later,” he murmured, before leaving the apartment.

I almost felt bad, as though I had stolen Søren away.

“Don’t worry about him,” Søren told me. “He won’t mind. He knows what boundaries he’s pushing.”

I huffed. “It must be nice having the upper hand like that. Especially with someone like him.”

Søren shrugged. “Yeah, kind of.”

✠

Walking to my house after shifting to Fulton with Søren was not as weird as I thought it would have been. We were actually managing to hold conversation. I inhaled sharply as I finished laughing at a joke he had cracked and shoved my hands into my pockets.

“It’s been quite the three weeks, hasn’t it?” I said to the sky.

“Has it really been that long?” Søren frowned, chuckling. “Time really shortens when you live forever.”

He kicked a pebble across the path as we fell into silence.

I frowned and thought hard about Hades’ battle strategy —or lack thereof. I could not see the point of endangering more innocent lives of Reapers and other semi-mortal souls alike because my father wanted to play ‘house’.

It was just not the kind of thing that I would do.

“Søren —” I started, turning towards him.

“Savannah —” he said at the same time.

We then paused and stared at each other, wondering who should speak first.

“Okay, you go first,” Søren decided.

I chuckled. “So…it’s about the war. I…I really don’t want to fight. It’s not me. I mean, I am capable of fighting, but I don’t feel okay with acting as though Reapers are expendable. It feels like we’re using them. You know —this could all be solved over a cup of tea or something.”

Søren snorted. “Yeah okay, Savannah. The gods do not solve conflict over a ‘cup of tea’.”

“Well, they should try,” I laughed lightly. “Green tea can do wonders for the restless spirit.”

“Indeed,” he agreed. Then he sighed and looked up at the sky. “…Look Sav, I understand that you would want to explore alternative ways to ensure that no one dies —but the gods are very serious about their fights. They’re not the kind of beings to be rational. And that’s just the way it is. There is nothing that we can do about it.”

I frowned and looked at my shoes. I did not want to believe that. There had to be another way —a way to make them see reason, or even just to bargain. Any solution that did not result in a repeat of the last war.

I sighed and looked up at the sky again, suddenly reminded of how insignificant our existence felt. I then paused as something registered in my mind. “…Did you just call me Sav?” I asked, grinning.

Søren glanced elsewhere, but nodded. “But it’s no big deal. I thought it was just a nickname. It just…it kind of just came out naturally.”

I laughed softly and playfully bumped into him. “No —it’s not really a big deal,” I confirmed, straightening up. “My friends called me Sav. It’s just…that’s the first time that you did.”

“Oh,” Søren said a little nervously.

“No, it’s okay —I said,” I insisted. “We are friends.”

“Okay,” he chuckled, glancing at the houses we were passing.

“Oh, what did you want to say?” I asked.

“Hm?” he murmured, looking back at me. “…Oh!” he started, scratching the back of his neck uncertainly. “Well…look we’re here!” he then said quickly, abruptly stopping by the front gate. It was in fact my house.

He had managed to stop right in front of my house —without getting too distracted or understandably lost. “…Should I be concerned that you know exactly where I lived?” I smirked. He simply sighed.

I looked up at the house, before feeling flooded with a sense of loss and longing. Here I was again. Home.