8. Elysium Rift: Alex

CHAPTER 8

ELYSIUM RIFT

ALEX

A s Zagreus pushed open the ornate doors to Elysium, Alex braced himself for... well, he wasn't quite sure what. The last time he'd set foot in this realm, it had been a war-torn wasteland, the once-idyllic fields reduced to scorched earth and the crystal-clear streams running red with ichor. But what greeted his eyes now was nothing short of miraculous.

"Well, I'll be damned," Alex muttered, his eyes widening as he took in the scene before him.

Elysium stretched out as far as the eye could see, a landscape of impossible beauty that defied mortal comprehension. Rolling hills of vibrant green grass swayed in a breeze that carried the scent of ambrosia and wildflowers. Trees heavy with golden fruit dotted the landscape, their leaves shimmering with an inner light that seemed to pulse in time with some unheard celestial melody. In the distance, mountains of pure white marble pierced the eternally twilight sky, their peaks wreathed in clouds that glowed with soft, ethereal light.

It was, in a word, breathtaking. And so far removed from the devastation Alex remembered that for a moment, he wondered if they'd somehow stumbled into the wrong afterlife altogether .

Zagreus, apparently reading the shock on Alex's face, cleared his throat. "We've been working on restoring it," he said, a hint of pride coloring his voice. "It's not quite back to its former glory, but... well, it's progress."

Alex turned to his son, unable to keep the incredulity from his voice. "Progress? Zag, this is... it's fucking incredible. How did you manage all this?"

Zagreus shrugged, but the pleased smile tugging at his lips betrayed his casual demeanor. "Lot of hard work, a bit of divine intervention, and more paperwork than I care to remember. Turns out, rebuilding paradise is slightly more complicated than redecorating the House of Hades."

Zac, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since they'd entered, finally found his voice. "This is what the afterlife looks like?" he asked, his eyes wide with wonder. "It's... wow. Just wow."

"It didn't always look like this," Alex said, his voice taking on a graver tone. "Once upon a time, Elysium was even more beautiful than this. A true paradise for heroic souls. But then... well, let's just say family drama has a way of escalating when gods are involved."

"The war," Zac said, comprehension dawning on his face. "You mean the war with Kronos?"

Alex nodded, memories of that cataclysmic conflict flashing through his mind. "The war spilled over into every corner of existence. Elysium was... collateral damage, I suppose you could say. The spirits here were displaced, scattered to the winds. And Elysium itself was left a smoldering ruin."

He paused, taking in the verdant landscape before them. "To see it like this again... I never thought I'd live to see the day. Dead to see the day? Whatever, you know what I mean."

Zagreus clapped a hand on Alex's shoulder, his touch grounding in a way Alex hadn't realized he needed. "Come on," he said. "The girls are waiting for us. And trust me, you do not want to keep those two waiting any longer than necessary. "

They made their way through the fields of Elysium, each step feeling lighter than the last. Alex couldn't help but marvel at the way the very air seemed to shimmer with contentment, as if the realm itself was basking in its renewed splendor.

They found Macaria and Melino? standing at the edge of a cliff, gazing out over a vista of rolling hills and winding rivers that seemed to glow with inner light. As Alex approached, he felt a complicated surge of emotions – love, pride, and a twinge of guilt for the time he'd spent away.

"Girls," he called out, his voice gruffer than he'd intended. "Looking good. I see you haven't managed to burn the place down in my absence. Yet."

Macaria turned first, her face lighting up with a smile that could put the sun to shame. "Father!" she exclaimed, launching herself at him with all the enthusiasm of a supernova.

Alex caught her, staggering slightly under the impact. Gods, when had she gotten so strong? "Oof. Easy there, starshine. I may be immortal, but I still like my ribs intact."

Melino? approached more sedately, but the warmth in her eyes belied her cool exterior. "Welcome back to the land of the mostly dead," she drawled, her form shimmering slightly at the edges. "Did you get lost on your way to the mortal realm, or did you just miss our sparkling personalities?"

Alex pulled her into a hug before she could protest, feeling her solid up against him despite her smoky appearance. "Missed you too, troublemaker," he murmured.

As they separated, Alex turned to Zac, who was watching the family reunion with a mixture of fascination and awkwardness. "Girls, this is Zac. He's family now. So play nice, alright? No turning him into a constellation or whatever your latest hobby is."

Macaria's eyes lit up with interest, pinning Zac with a gaze that was just a touch too intense to be comfortable. "Ooh, a little mortal tagalong! How delightful. Tell me, darling, how are you enjoying our humble abode? "

Before Zac could stammer out a response, Melino? cut in. "Ignore her," she said, her voice dry as the Sahara. "Mac thinks every mortal who stumbles into her realm is her new best friend. You're better off sticking with the living. Less chance of being accidentally immortalized as a tree or whatever."

"Okay, that's enough," Alex interjected, recognizing the signs of an impending divine squabble. "We didn't come here for a family therapy session. You said you found something about the disturbances?"

The playful atmosphere evaporated instantly, replaced by a tension that seemed to make the very air of Elysium vibrate. Macaria and Melino? exchanged a look that spoke volumes, centuries of sibling communication condensed into a single glance.

"We did," Macaria said, her usual exuberance tempered by an uncharacteristic seriousness. "But it might be easier if we show you."

Melino? nodded, then turned her attention to Cerberus, who had been contentedly sniffing at the ethereal grass. "Hey, big guy," she said, her voice softening in a way Alex had rarely heard. "Feel like giving us a ride for old times' sake?"

Cerberus's tail wagged, all three of his heads perking up at the attention. Melino? knelt beside him, placing a hand on his central head. She began to murmur words in a language so old it made Alex's teeth ache, the air around them thickening with power.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a sound like thunder contained in a whisper, Cerberus began to glow. His form shimmered and stretched, growing larger and more imposing by the second. When the light faded, the cuddly canine companion was gone, replaced by a beast that could make titans tremble.

Cerberus stood before them in his true form, a mountain of muscle and sinew topped by three massive heads, each easily the size of a car. His fur gleamed like polished obsidian, and his eyes glowed with the fires of the deepest pits of Tartarus.

"Holy shit," Zac breathed, his eyes wide as saucers.

Before anyone could say anything else, all three of Cerberus's massive heads swung towards Zac. For a heart-stopping moment, Alex thought he might need to intervene. But then three enormous tongues lolled out, and Zac found himself on the receiving end of a triple hellhound face wash.

"Agh! Gross!" Zac sputtered, but he was laughing even as he tried to fend off the enthusiastic licking. "Is this what dog breath in the underworld smells like? Because yikes!"

Alex couldn't help but chuckle at the kid's reaction. It was easy to forget sometimes that Cerberus, for all his fearsome reputation, was still essentially a very large, very enthusiastic dog. With three heads. And the ability to tear souls apart. Okay, so maybe not that much like a regular dog.

"Alright, alright," Alex said, gently pushing Cerberus's central head away from Zac. "That's enough face-washing for one eternity. We've got work to do."

Macaria clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with an excitement that made Alex immediately wary. "Ooh, yes! Who's ready for a family field trip?"

Before Alex could voice his concerns about anything his daughter might consider a "field trip," Melino? was already moving towards Cerberus. "All aboard the hellhound express," she drawled, her form shimmering slightly as she effortlessly vaulted onto Cerberus's back.

For a moment, Alex was thrown back to countless memories of his children using Cerberus as their personal climbing frame and transport. It was... disconcerting, to say the least, to see them falling back into old patterns so easily.

"You can't be serious," he started to say, but Zagreus was already helping Zac up onto Cerberus's massive back.

"Come on, Father," Zagreus said, a grin splitting his face. " When's the last time you went for a ride on Cerberus? It'll be fun!"

Alex opened his mouth to protest further, but the words died in his throat as he saw the expectant looks on his children's faces. Even Zac, still slightly damp from Cerberus's enthusiastic greeting, looked excited at the prospect.

"Fine," Alex grumbled, approaching Cerberus. "But if anyone falls off and discorporates, I'm not filling out the paperwork."

With a grunt of effort that he'd never admit to, Alex hauled himself up onto Cerberus's back, settling in behind Zac. The kid was practically vibrating with excitement, his earlier trepidation apparently forgotten in the face of getting to ride a mythical three-headed dog.

"Hold on tight," Alex warned, just as Cerberus took off at a speed that seemed impossible for a creature of his size.

The forest of Elysium blurred around them as Cerberus bounded through the landscape. Trees with leaves of gold and silver whipped past, their branches laden with fruit that glowed with inner light. Streams of crystal-clear water that sang as they flowed over rocks of precious gems. It was beautiful in a way that defied mortal comprehension, and Alex found himself struck anew by the magic of this realm.

As they rode, Macaria filled them in on the situation, her voice carrying easily over the rush of wind. "We've been trying to get the shades back into Elysium," she explained. "At first, it was going well. The restoration was attracting souls like moths to flame."

"But?" Alex prompted, knowing there was more to the story.

Melino? picked up the thread, her voice tinged with frustration. "But then this... disturbance started. Now, potential shades are reluctant to come here. They can sense something's off, even if they don't know what it is."

Alex frowned, his mind racing with possibilities, each more troubling than the last. "And you have no idea what's causing it? "

The silence that followed was answer enough.

As they delved deeper into the heart of Elysium's forest, Alex began to notice subtle changes in their surroundings. The vibrant colors seemed to dim, the singing streams growing quieter until they were barely a whisper. The air itself felt heavier, pressing against his skin in a way that made it difficult to draw a full breath.

Finally, Cerberus came to a stop in a small clearing. As they dismounted, Alex could feel the wrongness emanating from this place. It was like a discordant note in the symphony of Elysium, subtle but impossible to ignore once you'd noticed it.

"There," Melino? said, pointing towards the center of the clearing.

At first, Alex couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. But as he focused, he began to make out a shimmer in the air, like heat haze on a summer day. Except this was Elysium, where the climate was eternally perfect.

"What the fuck is that?" he muttered, taking a step closer.

Macaria's hand on his arm stopped him. "Careful," she warned. "It's a rift. Small, but growing."

Alex squinted at the distortion. Now that he knew what to look for, he could see it more clearly. A tear in the very fabric of reality, barely the size of his hand, but pulsing with an energy that made his teeth ache.

"A rift to where?" he asked, though he had a sinking feeling he already knew the answer.

"Tartarus," Melino? confirmed, her usual nonchalance replaced by grim seriousness. "We've put a concealment spell on it to prevent it from growing too quickly, but it's not enough. Demons still manage to slip through from time to time."

Alex felt a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the perpetual cool of the Underworld. A rift between Elysium and Tartarus? That was the kind of cosmic fuck-up that could unravel the very foundations of the afterlife.

"How?" he demanded. "How is this even possible? "

His daughters exchanged a look that spoke volumes. It was Macaria who finally answered. "We're not entirely sure, but... some of the shades have reported seeing Morvain lurking around. And he's not alone. There's another man with him, someone they don't recognize."

"Morvain and Sven," Alex growled, the names tasting like ash in his mouth. Of course those two would be involved. When had they ever encountered a problem that didn't have Morvain's fingerprints all over it?

He took a step closer to the rift, ignoring Macaria's sound of protest. Now that he was nearer, he could feel the malevolent energy radiating from it. The pull of Tartarus, that place of eternal torment, reached out to him like a long-lost friend. Or maybe a clingy ex who couldn't take a hint.

"What do you need from me?" Alex asked, turning back to his children. "There has to be a reason you brought me here, beyond just showing me this clusterfuck."

Melino? nodded, producing an ornate dagger from... somewhere. Alex decided not to question where she'd been keeping it. Some things, a father was better off not knowing.

"We need your blood," she said simply. "To complete the containment spell. It needs the power of the ruler of the Underworld to truly take hold."

"I'm not the ruler anymore," Alex pointed out, even as he reached for the dagger. "In case you forgot, I kind of retired from the whole 'Lord of the Dead' gig."

Zagreus stepped forward, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "You'll always be the true ruler of the Underworld, Father. No matter who sits on the throne."

The simple statement, delivered with such certainty, hit Alex like a physical blow. He looked at his children – Zagreus, Macaria, Melino? – and saw in their eyes a faith in him that he wasn't entirely sure he deserved.

"Alright," he said gruffly, taking the dagger from Melino?. " Let's do this before I come to my senses and remember why mixing blood and magic is generally a bad idea."

Without hesitation, he sliced his palm, barely feeling the sting as ichor – the golden blood of the gods – welled up from the cut. Macaria and Melino? positioned themselves on either side of him, their voices rising in an incantation that seemed to make the very air vibrate.

A circle of light formed beneath their feet, intricate symbols pulsing with power. Alex let his blood drip into the center, watching as it was absorbed into the glowing lines of the spell.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a sound like reality itself sighing in relief, a wave of energy pulsed outward from the circle. Alex felt it wash over him, cool and refreshing, before it slammed into the rift.

The tear in reality shuddered, its edges becoming more defined as the concealment spell took hold. The malevolent energy emanating from it didn't disappear entirely, but it was muted, contained.

As the glow of the spell faded, Alex flexed his hand, watching as the cut on his palm knitted itself closed. "Will it hold?" he asked, nodding towards the now barely-visible rift.

Melino? shrugged, but there was a tension in her shoulders that belied her casual demeanor. "For now. But if Morvain and his new friend are involved..."

"It's only a matter of time before they try something else," Alex finished, nodding grimly.

Zac, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole ordeal, finally spoke up. "So, what happens now? Do you need to stay here and, I don't know, guard the rift or something?"

Alex turned to Zagreus, raising an eyebrow in silent question. His son shook his head. "We can handle things here for now, Father. The concealment spell should buy us some time to figure out our next move."

"Are you sure?" Alex pressed, torn between his duty to the Underworld and his life in the mortal realm. "Because if you need me here..."

"We've got this," Macaria assured him, her smile bright but with an edge of steel beneath it. "But if things start going sideways – well, more sideways – we'll call. Promise."

Alex looked at each of his children in turn, seeing in their faces a strength and determination that made his chest swell with pride. They'd grown so much, taken on responsibilities he'd never imagined they'd have to bear. And here they were, holding the Underworld together in his absence.

"Alright," he said finally. "But the second anything changes, the moment you even think things might be going to shit, you call me. Understood? I don't care if I'm in the middle of a concert or fighting off another invasion of Norse gods. You call, I'll be here."

The promise seemed to ease some of the tension from his children's shoulders. They nodded, a silent understanding passing between them.

With a wave of his hand that felt almost rusty from disuse, Alex opened a portal back to the mortal realm. The shimmering doorway hung in the air, a stark contrast to the ethereal beauty of Elysium. As they stepped through, Alex felt the familiar disorientation of realm-hopping, like missing a step on a staircase but multiplied by about a thousand.

They emerged into the cool night air of their penthouse parking lot, the abrupt transition from the timeless twilight of Elysium to the dark New York night leaving Alex momentarily dizzy. The smell of exhaust and the distant wail of sirens replaced the sweet, otherworldly scents of the afterlife. It was jarring, to say the least.

"Well," Alex said, running a hand through his hair, "that was... a thing."

Zac stumbled slightly as he regained his balance, looking a bit green around the gills. "Is it always like that? The whole... whoosh-bam-different-world thing? "

Alex clapped a hand on the kid's shoulder, steadying him. "You get used to it. Eventually. Maybe. Actually, no, you never really get used to it, but you do stop wanting to puke every time."

As they made their way to the elevator, Alex found his mind racing, trying to process everything they'd seen and learned in the Underworld. The rift, Morvain and Sven's involvement, the precarious balance of the afterlife... it was a lot to take in, even for someone who'd spent millennia dealing with divine bullshit.

The elevator ride up to the penthouse was silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Alex could practically hear the gears turning in Zac's head as the kid tried to make sense of his first trip to the Underworld. He made a mental note to check in with him later, make sure he was handling everything okay.

As the elevator doors slid open on their floor, Alex was hit with a wave of mouthwatering aromas. The smell of garlic, herbs, and something rich and savory wafted through the air, making his stomach growl embarrassingly loudly.

"Looks like Eryx is home," he said, unable to keep the smile from his voice. No matter what cosmic crises they were facing, coming home to Eryx always felt like... well, like coming home.

They stepped into the penthouse, and Alex felt some of the tension he'd been carrying since their trip to the Underworld begin to ease. The sight of Eryx in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up and a dishtowel slung over his shoulder, was so wonderfully normal that it almost made Alex forget about rifts and demons and impending apocalypses. Almost.

"Hey, babe," Alex called out, kicking off his shoes and padding towards the kitchen. "Whatever you're cooking smells amazing. Please tell me there's enough for a couple of inter-dimensional travelers and one slightly traumatized teenager."

Eryx looked up from the stove, his face breaking into a warm smile that never failed to make Alex's heart skip a beat. Even after all this time, even after facing down gods and monsters and the literal forces of the cosmos, that smile still had the power to knock him sideways.

"Welcome back," Eryx said, leaning in for a quick kiss as Alex reached him. "And don't worry, I always cook for an army. You never know when we might have to feed a pantheon or two."

As Alex settled against the kitchen counter, watching Eryx stir something that smelled divine (and he would know), he felt the last of his Underworld tension begin to melt away. This was his real domain now – not the grand halls of Hades, but this kitchen, this home, this life he'd built with Eryx.

"So," Eryx said casually, though Alex could hear the underlying current of concern in his voice, "slow day at headquarters today. What about you? How was your field trip to the land of the mostly dead?"

Alex snorted. "Slow day, my ass. You were probably just too busy planning world domination or whatever it is you do when I'm not around to keep you out of trouble."

Eryx's innocent look wouldn't have fooled a blind cyclops. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a perfectly respectable music s star slash sometimes-vessel-of-Apollo. World domination is strictly a weekend hobby."

Despite the levity, Alex could see the question in Eryx's eyes. He sighed, knowing he couldn't – wouldn't – keep what they'd discovered from his partner. "It was... complicated," he admitted. "The Underworld's in a bit of a state. There's a rift opening up between Elysium and Tartarus, and our old pals Morvain and Sven seem to be behind it."

Eryx's hand stilled on the spoon he'd been using to stir, his expression growing serious. "That not good. How bad are we talking? On a scale of 'minor inconvenience' to 'reality-unraveling catastrophe'?"

"Somewhere between 'major divine headache' and 'potential collapse of the afterlife as we know it'," Alex said grimly. "So, you know, just another Tuesday for us."

Eryx nodded, resuming his stirring with a thoughtful expression. " And let me guess – you're feeling guilty about not being there to handle it personally, conflicted about your responsibilities here versus there, and generally carrying the weight of two worlds on your shoulders?"

Sometimes, Alex reflected, it was both wonderful and terrifying to be known so well. "Am I that transparent?"

"Only to me," Eryx said with a soft smile. "And maybe Cerberus. That dog always could read you like a book."

Alex laughed, some of the heaviness lifting from his chest. "Yeah, well, he's had a few millennia of practice. Speaking of which, you should have seen Zac's face when Cerberus transformed into his full size. I thought the kid's eyes were going to pop out of his head."

As if summoned by his name, Zac wandered into the kitchen, looking slightly dazed but no worse for wear after his Underworld adventure. "Is that food I smell? Because I'm pretty sure interdimensional travel burns like, a million calories."

Eryx grinned, already reaching for an extra plate. "Plenty to go around. Why don't you two get cleaned up and tell me all about your adventures in the land of the dead over dinner?"