7. Welcome to the Underworld: Alex

CHAPTER 7

WELCOME TO THE UNDERWORLD

ALEX

T he car rumbled beneath them, a soothing counterpoint to the chaos that usually defined their lives. Alex glanced in the rearview mirror, catching sight of Cerberus sprawled across the backseat, all three heads competing for space in Zac's lap. The kid looked both terrified and thrilled, his hands buried in the hellhound's fur like it was some kind of lifeline.

"You know," Alex said, breaking the comfortable silence, "when I pictured road trips with a teenager, I always imagined more complaining about my music choices not petting my hellhound."

Zac's eyes met his in the mirror, a grin spreading across his face. "Hey, I'm not complaining."

"Fair point," Alex conceded, feeling a smile tug at his own lips. It was moments like these that reminded him why he'd chosen this life, this family. Messy and complicated as it was, he wouldn't trade it for all the power in the cosmos.

As they pulled up to the Shadowguards Headquarters, Alex felt the familiar twist in his gut. He hated leaving Eryx behind, even for short trips. It felt wrong, like going into battle with only half his armor .

Eryx must have sensed his unease, because he turned to Alex before they could head inside, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you sure you don't need me to come with you?" he asked, his voice low and serious.

Alex felt a rush of warmth at the offer. Eryx, always ready to dive headfirst into danger at his side. It was one of the things he loved most about him, even if it did give Alex regular heart attacks.

"We'll be fine," Alex assured him, summoning a soft smile. "It's just a quick check-in, see what's been going on down there. We won't be long."

Eryx studied him for a moment, clearly debating whether to push the issue. Finally, he nodded, leaning in to press a kiss to Alex's lips. "Be careful," he murmured against Alex's mouth. "Both of you."

Then, because he was Eryx and couldn't resist, he turned to Zac with a mock-stern expression. "And you, behave yourself. No overthrowing my husband's kingdom while you're down there, got it?"

Zac rolled his eyes, but Alex could see the fondness in the gesture.

Alex raised a brow at him. "Husband huh?"

Eryx's cheeks reddened and quickly turned around after slapping him in the shoulder. "You know what I mean."

As Eryx headed inside, Alex took a deep breath, centering himself. This was Zac's first trip to the Underworld, and he'd be damned if he let anything go wrong. The kid had been through enough; he didn't need Alex's old realm adding to his trauma.

"Alright, kid," he said, turning to Zac. "You ready for this?"

Zac nodded, his expression a mixture of excitement and nerves. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, Zagreus has told me stories, but..."

Alex understood. His son had been mentoring Zac for a while now, but they'd always met topside. They hadn't thought Zac was ready to see the Underworld itself. But looking at the kid now, steady and determined despite the fear Alex could sense thrumming beneath the surface, he knew it was time.

"It's okay to be nervous," Alex told him as they got back in the car. "The Underworld is not an easy place, even for those of us used to it. But you've got me and Cerberus. Nothing down there is going to mess with you, I promise."

Zac nodded, absently scratching behind one of Cerberus's ears. The hellhound rumbled contentedly, and Alex made a mental note to watch out for drool on the upholstery. Cleaning up after a three-headed dog was not how he wanted to spend his evening.

"So," Zac said after a moment, curiosity winning out over nerves, "how exactly are we getting there? I mean, I know you used to be able to just... pop in and out, but..."

Alex grinned, feeling a spark of his old mischievous nature. "Oh, we're driving there."

The look of utter confusion on Zac's face was priceless. "Driving? To the Underworld? What, is there like a secret tunnel under the city or something?"

"Something like that," Alex said cryptically, enjoying the kid's bafflement perhaps a bit too much. Hey, he might be retired, but he was still the God of the Dead. He had to get his kicks somewhere.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Alex raised his hand, fingers splayed as if reaching for something just out of sight. He could feel the old power stirring in his veins, a familiar warmth that both comforted and unsettled him. It had been a while since he'd done this, but some things you never forgot. Like riding a bike, if that bike was actually a portal to the realm of the dead.

With a flick of his wrist, reality split open before them. The air shimmered and warped, revealing a tunnel of swirling darkness that hurt to look at directly. Zac let out a startled yelp, and even Cerberus perked up, all six ears alert and focused on the portal .

"Holy shit," Zac breathed, his eyes wide as saucers. "That's... we're going through that?"

Alex nodded, unable to keep the grin off his face. "Yep. Might want to hold onto something. First time can be a bit intense."

Without further warning, he gunned the engine and plunged them into the heart of the portal. The world around them twisted and stretched, colors bleeding into each other in ways that defied description. Alex heard Zac's sharp intake of breath, felt Cerberus's low growl vibrating through the car.

The journey through the portal was simultaneously an eternity and no time at all. One moment they were hurtling through a kaleidoscope of impossible hues, and the next, they were bursting out the other side with a splash that rocked the car violently.

"Shit!" Alex cursed, wrestling with the steering wheel as the car bobbed in the inky black waters of the River Styx. "Forgot how finicky interdimensional travel can be. You okay back there, kid?"

Zac's response was a mixture of a groan and a breathless laugh. "Define 'okay.' Are we actually floating in is this the River Styx?"

Alex nodded, already reaching for the door handle. "Welcome to the Underworld, kid. Hope you brought your swimming trunks."

As they clambered out of the car - which was rapidly sinking into the murky depths of the Styx - Alex felt a shift in the air around him. It was subtle, barely perceptible, but it sent a shiver down his spine. The Underworld recognized its former master, and it was... unsettled.

"You feel that?" Zac asked, his voice hushed as he helped Cerberus out of the backseat. The hellhound shook himself vigorously, sending droplets of Styx water flying everywhere.

Alex nodded grimly. "Yeah. Something's off. Keep your guard up, and stick close to me and Cerberus."

The shore of the Styx loomed before them, a desolate stretch of gray sand that seemed to absorb what little light there was. As they sloshed through the shallows, Alex couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness that permeated the air. It was like returning to a childhood home only to find all the furniture rearranged - familiar, yet jarringly different.

"So," Zac said, his eyes darting around nervously, "what's the plan? We just walk up to the gates and knock?"

Alex snorted. "Not quite. First, we need to-"

He broke off as a figure materialized on the shore before them, seeming to coalesce out of the very mists that clung to the River Styx. Tall, gaunt, and swathed in tattered robes that seemed to absorb light, Charon cut an imposing figure.

"Ah, right on time," Alex muttered. "Come on, kid. Time to meet the Underworld's crankiest ferryman."

As they approached, Alex felt a complex mixture of emotions swirling in his chest. Charon had been a constant presence in his life for millennia, steady and unchanging as the river he guarded. Seeing him now, after all this time...

"Lord Hades," Charon's voice rasped out, sounding like dead leaves skittering across stone. "You have returned."

Alex winced internally at the use of his old title. "It's just Alex now, Charon. You know that."

Charon's hollow eyes seemed to bore into him, unblinking. "You will always be Lord Hades to me, regardless of your current circumstances."

There was something in Charon's tone, a hint of disapproval? Disappointment? Whatever it was, it made Alex's hackles rise. He'd made his choice, dammit. He didn't need judgment from a glorified water taxi.

Forcing his irritation down, Alex gestured to Zac. "Charon, this is Zac. He's, well, he's family. Zac, meet Charon, ferryman of the dead and the Underworld's least favorite conversationalist."

Zac, to his credit, managed a wobbly smile and a nod. "Uh, nice to meet you, Mr. Charon. Sir."

Charon regarded Zac for a long moment, his gaze inscrutable. Finally, he inclined his head in the barest acknowledgment. "The living do not belong here," he intoned, his voice heavy with the weight of eons.

"Yeah, well, neither do I these days, but here we are," Alex shot back, his patience wearing thin. "Look, Charon, we need passage across the Styx. What's the going rate these days? Still one coin per soul?"

A gleam appeared in Charon's hollow eyes, and Alex was forcibly reminded that for all his dour demeanor, the ferryman had always had a keen eye for profit.

"Indeed," Charon rasped. "One gold coin per passenger." His gaze flickered to Cerberus, who was sniffing at the ferryman's robes with all three heads.

Alex couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Some things, it seemed, never changed. "Still trying to squeeze every last drachma out of your passengers, eh? Even from your former boss?"

He dug into his pocket, fishing out three gold coins. They gleamed dully in the dim light of the Underworld, their weight a familiar comfort in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed them to Charon, who snatched them out of the air with surprising speed.

"Your fare," Alex said, unable to keep a hint of his old authority out of his voice. "Now, how about we get this show on the road? Or river, as the case may be."

Charon's nod was barely perceptible as he gestured towards his boat, a sleek black vessel that seemed to absorb the mists around it. "Enter," he commanded. "And mind the dog. He drools."

As they boarded the ferry, Alex couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia. How many times had he made this journey? How many souls had he guided across these dark waters?

The boat glided silently through the inky waters of the Styx, the only sound the soft lapping of waves against the hull and Charon's rhythmic poling. Alex's eyes scanned the river, a frown deepening on his face with each passing moment. Something was off, and it took him embarrassingly long to realize what it was.

"Charon," he said, breaking the eerie silence, "where are all the shades?"

The ferryman's hollow gaze met Alex's, a flicker of concern passing through those bottomless eyes. "There have been disturbances, Lord Hades. The flow of souls has become erratic, unpredictable."

Alex felt a chill that had nothing to do with the perpetual cold of the Underworld. "What kind of disturbances? And don't call me that," he added, almost as an afterthought.

Charon's bony shoulders rose in what might have been a shrug. "It is difficult to pinpoint. The very fabric of the Underworld seems... unsettled. Souls that should arrive do not. Others appear where they should not be."

"Well, that's fan-fucking-tastic," Alex muttered, running a hand through his hair. He glanced at Zac, who was listening to the exchange with wide-eyed intensity. "You getting all this, kid? This is what we in the business call a 'cosmic clusterfuck.'"

Zac nodded, his face a mixture of excitement and apprehension. "Is this... normal? I mean, does the Underworld usually have, uh, traffic problems?"

Alex barked out a laugh, but there was little humor in it. "About as normal as a sunny day in Tartarus. Which is to say, not at all." He turned back to Charon, his expression hardening. "How long has this been going on? And why the hell didn't anyone think to inform me?"

The accusation in his voice was clear, and for a moment, Alex thought he saw a flicker of guilt pass over Charon's impassive features. "It began gradually," the ferryman rasped. "At first, it was hardly noticeable. By the time the severity became apparent..."

"By then, I was out of the loop," Alex finished, a sour taste in his mouth. "Right. Because why bother the retired god with potential apocalyptic bullshit?"

Zac shifted uncomfortably beside him. "Um, should we be worried? I mean, more worried than we already are?"

Alex sighed, forcing his anger down. It wasn't the kid's fault he'd stepped into a divine mess. "Let's not panic just yet. For all we know, this could be a simple case of... I don't know, cosmic constipation or something."

Even as he said it, Alex knew he was grasping at straws. In his experience, there was no such thing as a "simple case" when it came to the Underworld. Still, no need to freak the kid out more than necessary.

The rest of the journey passed in tense silence, broken only by the occasional whine from Cerberus. Alex's mind raced, trying to piece together what could be causing such widespread disruption. Nothing in his millennia of experience quite matched up to what Charon was describing.

As they approached the far shore, the looming silhouette of the Palace of Hades grew more distinct. Alex felt a complicated surge of emotions at the sight of his former home. Nostalgia, certainly, but also a strange sense of longing, dread or Maybe a bit of both.

The boat bumped gently against the shore, and Charon's pole struck the black sand with a muted thud. "We have arrived," the ferryman intoned unnecessarily.

Alex nodded, helping Zac out of the boat. "Thanks for the ride, Charon. And... keep me posted on any developments, alright? Just because I'm not running the show anymore doesn't mean I don't care what happens down here."

Charon inclined his head in acknowledgment. "As you wish, Lord... Alex."

As they made their way up the winding path to the palace gates, Alex couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him. The Underworld had always been a place of order, of rules. Chaos was for the realm of the living .

His thoughts were interrupted as they reached the palace gates. The fallen guards stationed there snapped to attention, their spectral forms shimmering with recognition.

"Lord Hades!" one of them exclaimed, dropping into a deep bow. "We... we did not expect your return."

Alex winced at the title but decided not to correct them. Some battles weren't worth fighting. "At ease," he said, slipping back into the commanding tone he'd used for millennia. "We're here to see Zagreus. I trust he's in?"

The guards exchanged glances before the first one spoke again. "Of course, my lord. Prince Zagreus is in the great hall, attending to his duties."

As the gates swung open with a ponderous groan, Alex turned to Zac. "Welcome to the House of Hades, kid. Or, well, I guess it's the House of Zagreus now. Hopefully, he hasn't redecorated too much. I'd hate to have to smite my own son for crimes against interior design."

Zac laughed, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. "I don't know, I kind of like what he's done with the place. The whole 'gloomy fortress of the damned' vibe really works."

Alex snorted, leading the way into the cavernous entrance hall. "Just wait till you see the gift shop. Nothing says 'eternal damnation' like a novelty mug."

As they entered the great hall, Alex's eyes immediately sought out his son. He found Zagreus hunched over the massive obsidian desk that dominated the center of the room, his head bent low over what appeared to be a mountain of paperwork.

The sight was so incongruous with Alex's memories of his rebellious, adventure-seeking son that for a moment, he wondered if he'd stepped into some sort of bizarre alternate universe.

"Zagreus?" he called out, unable to keep the note of concern from his voice.

Zagreus's head shot up, his mismatched eyes widening in surprise and then joy. "Father!" he exclaimed, abandoning the paperwork and practically vaulting over the desk in his haste to reach them.

Alex found himself enveloped in a bear hug that would have crushed the breath out of him if he'd been mortal. "Oof, easy there, kid. I may be immortal, but I still like my ribs intact."

Zagreus pulled back, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, it's so good to see you. Both of you," he added, turning to envelope Zac in a slightly gentler hug.

Before anyone could say anything else, Cerberus decided he'd been ignored long enough. With a joyous bark from all three heads, the hellhound launched himself at Zagreus, knocking him flat on his back and proceeding to thoroughly bathe his face in slobber.

"Agh, Cerberus, no! Down boy! Boys? Whatever, just... ack, not in the mouth!" Zagreus sputtered, laughing despite himself.

As Alex watched the reunion, he felt some of the tension that had been building since their arrival ease. This - the laughter, the joy, the simple pleasure of family - this was what he'd left the Underworld for. And seeing Zac fit so seamlessly into it made all the potential divine catastrophes seem a little more manageable.

But the warmth of the moment quickly faded as Alex remembered the reason for their visit. He turned to Zagreus, his expression sobering. "Alright, son. You mentioned a disturbance in the Underworld. What exactly are we dealing with here?"

Zagreus's smile faltered, replaced by a look of concern that made him seem centuries older. "Right. About that. It's... complicated, Father. And I think it's best if we discuss this with everyone present."

Alex frowned, a familiar sense of foreboding settling in his gut. "Everyone? Who's 'everyone,' exactly?"

"Well," Zagreus began, looking slightly uncomfortable, "Macaria and Melino? are already waiting for us. They've been investigating the situation."

"Investigating?" Alex repeated, his eyebrows shooting up. " Since when do those two 'investigate' anything beyond new ways to drive each other insane?"

Zagreus shrugged, a gesture that was far too casual for Alex's liking. "Things change, Father. They've been taking on more responsibilities lately. And they're waiting for us in Elysium."

The word hit Alex like a physical blow. Elysium. He hadn't set foot in that realm since, well, since the war with Kronos. The memories that name evoked were a complicated tangle of pride, pain, and old, half-healed wounds.

"Elysium?" Alex said, unable to keep the surprise from his voice. "The disturbance is in Elysium? Why didn't you lead with that, for fuck's sake?"

Zagreus held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn't say the disturbance was in Elysium, exactly. Look, it's complicated. Macaria and Melino? insisted on meeting there. Said if we were going to have a family crisis, it might as well be there."

Alex groaned, running a hand down his face. "Of course they did. Because heaven forbid we have a straightforward apocalypse for once. Alright, fine. Let's go before they decide to redecorate Elysium in shades of brimstone and hellfire while we're keeping them waiting."

Zac, who had been following the exchange with wide-eyed fascination, piped up. "Um, are your daughters really that volatile?"

Alex turned to the kid, a wry smile twisting his lips. "Kid, 'volatile' doesn't begin to cover it. Imagine a volcano had a baby with a hurricane, and then that baby grew up and decided to become a professional chaos manufacturer. Now multiply that by two, add a healthy dose of divine power and millennia-old sibling rivalry, and you're getting close."

Zagreus laughed, clapping Zac on the shoulder. "Don't worry, they're not that bad. Most of the time. They're just passionate."

"That's one word for it," Alex muttered. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. Lead the way, Zagreus. And maybe fill us in on what exactly we're walking into while we're at it?"