[Part 1]
"You can just call me Persephone you know," there's a slight tremble to her voice, Will can't quite place it, and it's not obvious enough to call her out on it, he only even catches it because of his musical inclined ear (Apollo score 1-2). He tried to ignore it, but he can't help but notice the weight her hesitant pause causes in the air around them.
He debates whether or not to say something, but she beats him to it.
"For you, at least, I'm not so nice to everyone so don't be giving anyone else ideas. However you can address me without my title, it's fine."
"It's an honor then," Will catches himself before he addresses her too formally, "Thank you."
She nods, somewhat stiffly.
They continue their walk down the hallway, there's a tension in the air Will hasn't felt since he tried to date Drew. Not a mistake but, not his best decision either.
“Would you like to cut through my garden on the way back?”
He’s not sure where this is going, or what is happening, but she has always been kind to him so far. He, against the advice of many hero’s stories, will trust a god not to lead him wrong. To her credit, Nico is still alive and not killing your husband’s secret bastard has to require a lot more restraint than not killing his boyfriend.
Really Will is more like an accessory. He's like Ken. He thinks it would be nice if his job was beach. Though he thinks of Percy, and decides he would not like to be Percy.
He realizes then that Persephone is staring at him, he can see her move her thumb to press on the joint of her pointer finger and the soft “pop” that emits as she cracks her joint.
“Oh yes, of course, I'm sorry- please, lead the way.”
A smile blooms across her face, “Wonderful! Off we go then!”
Will is pleased to get a good grade in appeasing goddesses. Or goddess. But he'll take it.
She leads him this was and that, her steps both meandering and direct, until they arrive at a large open space. The ground is soft and plush, but it's the plants that take his breath away.
The garden is obviously meant to be approached from a certain angle, as his awe from seeing it before cannot be compared to his awe at seeing it now. Will is well versed in plants, demigods tendency to try and self destruct and his ability to patch them back together means he is well versed in many healing arts and plants are just another aspect of that. There are plants here though that Will has never seen or heard of, their leaves glisten in the ambient light, and each petal looks like it was cut from gemstones. There's a bioluminescent glow coming from many of the plants and the provide a soft patchwork of light that fills the space with many colors.
“It's amazing,” Will says, at a loss for more eloquent words.
“I'm glad you like it, I figured you would understand it's beauty. I'm glad you can appreciate it.”
Will turns to her and smiles, “Well, of course, thank you so much for sharing.”
“C'mon,” Persephone waves him forward into the stone pathways of the garden, “we still have a ways to go.”
They walk in a more comfortable silence now, Persephone pausing briefly here and there to give extra attention to a flower or a bud. He watches her place a kiss to a glowing pink rose at one point and then feels confused as her face turns red. After that he feels nervous to touch anything, worried about the possibility of an allergic reaction if it was able to have such an effect on the goddess of spring and flowers.
“I actually was hoping to catch you alone,” Persephone rubs a hand up and down her shoulder.
Will hesitates again, but he would like to think he does a better job of masking his hesitation in his footsteps this time. He debates speaking but worries about ruining the moment.
“What did you want to talk about? Or tell me I suppose?” He finished awkwardly.
“Oh umm,” she twists a vine around her fingers, tumbling it over and over with a feigned causality, “it's a little complicated?”
Will looks around and all he can see around them is an expanse of abundant wildlife growing, above water dripping of stalactites twinkles.
“I think we have a little while before we reach the dining room again.”
He gives her a comforting smile, and she smiles back.
[Part 3]
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Avvvaaaaaiiiilllllllll you gotta give me a next part for #25, especially after that adorable bonus conversation, my heart needs to see the reunion 😭
ask #25: final
taglist: @persephil @selene-stories @whumpworld @diamondbedard
It had taken two months for the criminal to wake up.
In that time it had seemed life had gone by in a blur. Supervillain had been arrested and locked away for good. Hero had almost been kicked out of the agency. Villain wasn’t as active as they used to be.
Life had ached and yet the civilians lived on as if nothing happened.
When Other Villain opened their eyes for the first time in many weeks, all they could see was white. They had thought they were well and truly dead at first, but the faint sound of a rhythmic beeping and the smell of stale hospital equipment told them otherwise. The bright lights dimmed and soon Other Villain’s eyes were adjusting to the brighteness, taking a look around the hospital room.
It was small. Homey.
They were faintly aware of the oxygen mask covering their nose and mouth, and the plastic wires stuck into their body. The next thing they saw was somebody on their bed, alseep. They were sat in a chair pulled up beside the edge, arms and head resting on the mattress where Other Villain’s hand was.
It wasn’t difficult to recognise who it was, and when they lifted their arm to weakly poke the right hands head, they stirred, lifted up, and almost yelled from shock.
“Other Villain—” They cried, shooting up from the chair with a newfound energy. “You’re awake.”
The criminal could only hum, unable to find the energy to do anything else. News of their arrival to the land of the living stayed limited to a number of people in the hospital. Each day it gave Other Villain a chance to recoup, to full remember everything that had happened.
They woke up from a deep nap with Right Hand perched in the chair next to them, phone in hand. Their eyebrows were crinkled in thought and Other Villain released a small groan, pushing their head into the pillow.
“You should go home.”
The Right Hand didn’t even look at them. “Not until you’re better.”
“That could take months.”
They shrugged. “I don’t care. Besides.” They turned their phone off, placing it upside down the beside table. “I’m here. You’ll make a much quicker recovery than most.”
Other Villain didn’t approve of that. The numbness in their arm that Supervillain had completely destroyed reminded the criminal of their right hand’s extraordinary powers, and knew they had been speeding up their recovery.
Small bruises were peaking out under the cuff of their shirt.
“I told you not to do that,” Other Villain murmured, shifting against the mattress. “I told you, it’s not worth you getting hurt.”
Right Hand’s lip pursed. “You know the effect isn’t as bad on me. I don’t trust the doctors in this hospital to fix your arm without permanently damaging it.”
Their eyes softened, averting away. “Besides. I panicked. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Other Villain’s chest wracked with guilt, feeling ashamed for putting their most trusted personel in such a position. They turned their head away and sighed, fingers twitching slightly. Their arm was heavy and it felt uncomfortable to lift, but they knew it was part of Right Hand’s healing process.
The next couple weeks gave Other Villain some time to get out of bed. It had been difficult at first, to even make their legs move, after being asleep for so long. They could only walk a few steps before their muscles gave out, and they were back in bed. Making progress walking gave Right Hand some more solidity, and they finally gave in allowing visitors.
Other Villain’s work force came first.
Their henchmen arrived at the hospital in big spurts, shuffling inside on most mornings. They had seemed reluctant first, but soon caved and each presented the other villain with small gifts and flowers, if brought. Other Villain relayed that they didn’t want them, but the gesture was still nice.
It wasn’t long until Hero showed up, either. Right Hand had tried to prevent them from coming in, but there was nothing stopping the hero from doing something they put their mind to.
Other Villain had been a little uncomfortable at first. Seeing their face for the first time in months had made them jittery, and wracked with nerves so bad they had almost backed out. But seeing those eyes, and those lips, and that expression on their face had washed away any previous doubts Other Villain had.
The hero crashed into their arms, burying their face into their shoulder with stuttery sobs.
“Don’t ever do that again!”
Other Villain winced, their arms clumsily coming to wrap around them. They felt they could only apologise for making such a mess of things, but it only made Hero cry harder.
“Stop that, please,” they whimpered, pressing their face closer into their neck. “Stop getting yourself into trouble! Stop getting hurt.”
Other Villain apologised again, their heart aching. It felt like it had been too long since Hero had been in their arms, and it felt as perfect as ever.
“I’m sorry, I-I should have handled all of this better. I should have talked to Villain before, I shouldn’t have rushed everything—” Other Villain tried to get them to stop, pulling on their shoulders, but Hero was too stubborn in their ways. “—it’s all my fault for suggesting this all in the first place.”
The criminal sighed heavily, gently rubbing their back. “Hero. It’s not your fault.”
“You got hurt,” they sobbed, clinging onto their hospital gown. “Again. I couldn’t even do anything! I couldn’t even see if you were alive. It’s been so—so horrible.”
They felt guilt creeping up their spine. They’d had plenty of time to overcome what had happened with Supervillain. They were still plagued with horrible nightmares, but Right Hand kept them thoroughly updated on the blood controlling villain’s captivity.
Highest security. Secure. They weren’t coming back anytime soon.
Hero seemed to peel backwards, their tear filled eyes finding theirs desperately. They wouldn’t let go of their shoulders just yet, fingers like velcro on their clothes.
“You look good,” they breathed, the tears still falling down their cheeks. They seemed terrified, as well as relieved. “You look so, so good. I-I’m so glad.”
They moved back in for another hug, and the other villain gripped them tighter, like they would turn to smoke right in their arms and disappear from their life all together. They took on their scent, their chest rising and falling against theirs, and their skin against theirs. It was amazing.
“I love you,” Hero sniffled, squeezing their eyes shut. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”
They snapped back, running a hand against Other Villain’s hair. “Do you know I never thought I’d get the chance to say that?”
It made their heart flutter, and their cheeks flame. Hero closed their mouth and rubbed a hand gently over their tears, wiping them away, before swooping forwards and pressing their lips against theirs. Other Villain slid an arm around their waist, holding them flush against them, as they both desperately tried to make up for lost in a few simple seconds.
“I love you too,” Other Villain murmured against their lips, kissing them between breaths. “So much. I’m so–glad you’re safe.”
“Me?” Hero cried, as if struck. “Safe? Are you joking? That’s supposed to be my line.”
Other Villain laughed, and it was the most free they had felt in weeks.
Despite Right Hand’s annoyance, Hero had stuck by Other Villain during their recovery. They kept them company at night and encouraged them profusely during their recovery. It had helped them, in some way, and after a few weeks Other Villain felt comfortable walking on their own two feet, with their arm healed and working averagely.
It had occured to them that Villain never appeared. Their presence had lacked for the entire duration and if Other Villain was being honest, it hurt. They had thought Hero would have contact with them, but the crime fighter had reported that since they were attacked that day, Villain had disappeared off the face of the planet.
Hero hadn’t seen them since. It angered them, knowing Villain left Hero when they’d needed it most, suffering with the ambiguous fate Other Villain had suffered. It angered them and it made them fustrated, but most of all, it made them upset.
Hero claimed they empathised with them. Other Villain couldn’t think of a justifiable explanation.
It was when they were packing up their things, alone in their hospital room, when Villain finally showed their face. They had called out their name, echoing through their mind, and they didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
They kept packing, and Villain took a step forward, their expression tense.
“Are you not even going to talk to me?” They frowned. Other Villain simply waved at them airily.
“It’s nice to see you too,” they murmured, zipping up their bag with a face tight with an unreadable expression. They didn’t know how to feel at the moment. Were they happy they showed up? Or furious at them for abandoning Hero?
Maybe they were sad, too. Sad that they never wanted to see them. Sad that they weren’t by their side.
Villain blinked, their eyes faltering. They seemed uneasy to say something, like any words that came out of their mouth would make their situation worse. A small sigh slipped past their lips, turning their head aside.
“How are you feeling?” They asked.
Other Villain almost scoffed under their breath, moving their flowers to another desk. They would get someone to come and get them later.
“Take a look for yourself,” they shrugged. “How do you think I’m feeling?”
Villain shook their head, a pitiful smile on their lips. “You’re probably annoyed at me, huh? For not showing up.”
When Other Villain noticed how close they had gotten, they almost leapt back, flinching away from them.
“No,” they firmly snapped. “You want to know why I’m annoyed? How could you just disappear like that? You left Hero alone. That’s what I’m annoyed about.”
Something twitched at the villain’s lip, and even though their eyes were sad, their lips formed a small smirk. “You’re lying.”
Other Villain looked stung. “You abandoned them when they needed you most. Why would you do that?” Their voice was getting louder now, laced with an uncontrollable tremour. “Do you know how much that hurt? They...I-I waited for you, and you couldn’t be bothered to show!”
Villain took another step forward, and they placed a gentle hand on their shoulder, the touch like a ghost. “Look, Other Villain. I know you’re upset—”
“I’m not upset!” They snapped, unable to stop the tears from falling down their scowled face. They had slapped their hand away, backing into the bedside table of flowers. “I’m angry. I’m so pissed off at you, Villain.”
Villain sighed. “I know...”
“You don’t know.” Other Villain sobbed with vigour. “You don’t know how I feel. You would never understand. God, I hated you. For the longest time, you made me feel like the shittiest person on the planet, and I was so sure that you were going to keep on making me miserable, over and over again.”
Other Villain’s voice broke, and they weakly pushed Villain back when they approached again.
“You ruined my life. I was certain I hated you,” they bawled, struggling to catch their breath inbetween sobs. They even started to feel a little dizzy and hot. “But, fuck, now I’m not even sure about that.”
Villain gazed upon them with soft eyes.
“I’m not even sure about that...”
Before Other Villain could find the strength to speak again, the villain wrapped them into a warm hug. The criminal seemed to immediately crumble into pieces, shaking into their arms, leaning their body weight into them. They refused to let go, not again. It had been too long since they had seen them.
“I never got my chance to apologise,” the villain suddnely murmured, hand cupping the back of Other Villain’s head. “Hearing what happened with Supervillain, I don’t know. I was scared.”
Other Villain sniffled, shifting their head upwards.
“I was so trapped in my own head, thinking it was my fault. You would never have left if I hadn’t gone off the rails, and worked myself up. I was the one who couldn’t keep you close.”
Other Villain’s voice went weak. “Villain, please...”
“No.” They interrupted. “Don’t tell me it’s not my fault. I’m taking responsibility for my actions. And I’m going to make it up to you. I’m going to make it up to Hero. To both of you.”
They tucked some hair behind their ear, their voice softening inexplicably. “Because I love you.” Their expression tightened. “I love you so much.”
This time, it wasn’t Other Villain who was weak in the knees. They both sunk down onto the ground, embracing each other tightly, as if they would never let go. Villain pressed their lips together gently, barely even a peck, before burying their face into the crook of their neck.
Other Villain wiped their tears away, a weak edge of humour in their tone. “You rehearsed that, didn’t you?”
Villain’s chest rumbled. “I needed this time, to convey my feelings in the most honest way. I’m not used to it.”
The criminal relaxed into their embrace, smiling under their breath. “It was a little dramatic.”
Villain pulled back, chuckling. “Dramatic enough to make you smile.” Their shoulders sagged. “God, I’ve missed you.”
Other Villain let out a breathy laugh as Villain gently wiped some of their tears from their cheeks. “I missed you too.”
Goodbyes to the hospital staff were quick and sweet, considering Right Hand wasn’t fond of how long it took for Other Villain’s recovery. Hero was quick to return and after scolding Villain on the journey back, the two had gone back to their normals selves.
Other Villain, however, found themselves content gazing out of the window in silence, watching as the world rushed by them in a blur. Their chest felt lighter and they had never felt this way during their entire lifetime, despite the extensive paperwork they knew they would have to deal with.
When they all returned to the apartment, Hero and Villain were eager to show Other Villain just how much they loved them.
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Look.
He didn’t mean for it to happen.
It’s not like Will got up that morning trying to get a goddess's attention. Sometimes when you’re a demigod, things just sort of… happen. Who was to defy a goddess’s wishes? Especially one so beautiful as Persephone?
(Will was not going to call her “the most beautiful” he may not be smart enough to stop his heart from running up his throat every time he’s seen her, but he is smart enough to know he doesn’t want to be the demigod responsible for the next Trojan War, thank you very much.)
It was supposed to be a simple, “meet the parents” sort of dinner. Nico was routinely away to these sort of events in Hades’s palace, he didn’t understand why his “it’s probably going to be fine” was perhaps not the most comforting thing to Will. (“They’re gods it’s never safe, but they did promise food imported from the overworld, you know know, they have some installed child safety features, which means it will probably be fine.”) Will could be a rather anxious person at the best of times, meeting your boyfriend’s dad was terrifying to most young adults, and Will figured he should really get a free pass when your boyfriend’s dad was the overlord to your afterlife too. (“Persephone will be there, you like Persephone,” Nico was clever, Will enjoyed that Nico was clever, Will also enjoyed the many perks of bisexuality).
So considering he was nervous, and stressed, and being very brave about it; he’s just not so sure he’s the one at blame for getting lost on his way to the bathroom, he really feels like there’s a lot bigger forces at play here to blame for sure. It was almost bound to happen, who builds multiple intersecting hallways in a grid pattern and expects a guest to then find their own way around? Especially when so few of the rooms are truly restrooms, which isn’t really anyone’s fault either- gods and ghosts are just built differently. Natural variation, all well and good and an important aspect of a happy, thriving, biologically diverse population. Genetic diversity was great until it left you stranded in the middle of Hades’s palace looking for the proper place to freshen up.
So by scientific reasoning then, genetic diversity had gotten him here in the first place. So really all of this was biology's fault. It was usually biology's fault. Just look at the Krebs Cycle.
(One day he’d be able to hold biology accountable he was sure, but for now the sins of biological difference had him scrubbing his hands three times in the sink and he still felt like there was something on him. Thanks for this one, Dad.)
Unfortunately for Will at this moment, there were no skeleton butlers or spectrely maids to turn to for help with his struggle of finding his way back to the formal dining room when he was done either. So there he was, standing at a four way intersection of the halls in Hades’s palace trying to figure out which direction he had come from.
Apparently, Apollo’s ability to orientate his brain like a compass only worked when the sun was visible to Will. Unfortunately, in a disastrous combination of events, his ability to estimate time was also severely reliant upon the sun. So you know, not only was he lost in an unfamiliar place but he also was struggling to figure out where he had come from and how long he had been wandering. Maybe it was 5 minutes, maybe 30, maybe it had been 3 days - probably not the last one as Will didn't feel like laying in bed for 16 hours, nor did he feel particularly dehydrated. But he also wasn't quite sure. What no sunlight does to a motherfucker, huh. Damn.
Deep breath in, deep breath out. It’s all going to be fine. (In spirit of Nico, Will tacks a “probably” on the end).
(It helps, some.)
Just as the thought passes and Will starts looking around like he is in a game of clue for possible solutions out of his current predicament and back towards finding some undead to talk to to reorientate himself he hears the steady tap-tap of something walking towards him. Knowing that The Furies and The Fates both reside within Hades domain erases any initial comfort Will may have had at his initial "Well at least it's bipedal" thoughts. He hasn't yet had the opportunity to meet any of The Furies or Fates, and for all intents and purposes he had truly been advised not to.
"I was wondering where I might find you lost at," the voice is soft and light, but not in an airy or high pitched manner, but something warm and steady.
“M'lady," Will spins around to address her properly, she chuckles fondly at him.
"Had you found your way to a bathroom yet?" She has one eyebrow raised, a party trick Will's muscles are incapable of performing despite Cecil's insistence he just isn't trying hard enough.
“I was just trying to find my way back.”
"Ah, well then, follow me," she fists her hands into the soft petal-pink folds of her dress, and spins around to face the direction she'd just come from.
He hesitates for a moment, though he's not sure why.
(That is a lie, he hesitates because she smells like a gentle breeze wafting into the Apollo cabin, she smells like the gentle embrace of tall grasses in the field outside his Ma's house, she moves like a gentle stream freshly thawed flowing down the mountainside- and he is enamored by it instantly.)
"C'mon Apollopoulos don't worry," her smile is sharp, all teeth and stark in the moody lighting of the hall, "I don't usually bite."
It is absolutely the wink that does him in. His face feels all weird and warm and there's a feeling in his stomach, warm and tingling, "Of course, thank you, Lady Persephone."
He follows her.
[Part 2]
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