dear_mun | Canon is Olimpos

(There is desperation in how the mouse tries to burrow, but Hades does not seem moved to intervene.)

T'is a natural thing. (Even if his pet should fall dead, that is the natural order of things.) What ails you?

[ What could ail the sky?

Zeus lingers just beyond the shadow, where dusk is made. His thoughts had gone to the dark as of late. The realm that wasn't his own.

And here his shadow appears. ]

(Mouse abandoned to find what hole he may, Hades holds out his hands to his younger brother, coaxing.)

Dark dreams deserve comfort.

[ Zeus has no trepidation as mortal animals might about his counterpart. Hades lifts his palms and Zeus comes as a bird to a familiar perch. His hand is light when his fingertips brush against Hades own.

He had been reminded of pain, recently. ]

(His fingers curl, gently, carefully, and he draws Zeus nearer, paying no mind to how his shadows scatter and lose their form in the light.)

Immunity to pain does not exist. Allow me to share the sting.

[ It doesn't harm him, the memory. He faces it with a kind of nostalgia, a reminder of a time he felt mortality and the slow decay of his body. How fleeting life was for a human. The knowledge of a thing and it's practical application were entirely different. He hadn'the fully understood that at the time.

Zeus does little to stop his light from greedily reaching after the shadow. He blinks slowly at his brother.]

(Amusement and a wisdom as deep as the darkest caverns of the Underworld flare in Hades's eyes. Dipping forward, he gently brushes the downy feathers away from those fathomless eyes gazing back at him. No, gazing through him.

Such perfection.)

Decay is sweet. (His hand drops to touch Zeus's leg - the one that was broken.) Tears...pain...are fleeting. I would have tasted your tears.

[ The gods have a fascination with it. maybe because beyond Hades, none of them could come close to it. Zeus knows an existence in his light inevitably ends with Hades- but there's a reason decay belongs to the Underworld and not under the sky.

The king's lashes sweep low. His hand falls to rest delicately on Hades own, but he makes no move to push him away.

As with all rot, his tears, too, would have belonged to Hades, wouldn't they? ]

(His hand turns at the soft touch and he presses their palms together.)

In their memory... (The dark god's lips ghost over Zeus's cheeks, smiling against his skin.) Salty and sweet, like raindrops on the sea. How many did you shed?

(There is a sense of something heavier - distinctly unhappy - in his tone. He or she who broke his brother's leg will have a disturbing Afterlife.)

[ It would be impossible for Zeus not to notice. He has ever been observant. He is aware of the deepening of Hades' darkness in relation to past slights to Zeus' body, just as he is aware that Poseidon might not appreciate such a metaphor.

Hades comes in close and the twilight sharpens between them. Zeus is dangerous on his own. Were the pair of them to stray this close on their own plane, the world would not survive.

It isn't admonishment that has Zeus turn his face toward Hades, chasing after his words for the ones he doesn't say.

He knows his brother's greed and selfishness for what it is. This place has made him brazen. ]

(Poseidon's temper has never concerned him. For good or ill, Hades has always been painfully detached from the "expected". His long years of observation have taught him to expect the opposite, in fact.

Only the bravest of stars will have trouble piercing this twilight. Hades's shadows are darker than ever and his smile is cruel.)

I will know them. (An eternity of broken bones seems an adequate punishment.) I feel no mercy.

[ Zeus has room for mercy, just as he has room for cruelty. He is justice. Impartial. Sure. Zeus has no place to call upon what Hades might do in his Underworld. That dark realm is his brother's.

But were their positions reversed...

Zeus turns his face and touches his lips against the sharp corner of Hades' smile. ]

(Justice is for the sky. Hades doesn't mind getting his hands dirty. There is a certain satisfaction in seeing a punishment carried out.

Especially for him.

The touch softens him and he draws the younger god into his arms, mixing light and dark until it is a confusing, dazzling glow in the pitch black.)

I would not have you see them. (Death can be...encouraged. When the time is right.)

[ Zeus sees little of mortals once they've crossed into those dark depths.

But he will see it when it happens. He sees everything. He can be impartial because he witnesses the worst and the best. He has had eons to watch how Hades works, even if he has not been able to come this close to him.

Zeus flattens his palm against Hades' sternum. His feathers stretch, at ease in his cradle of shadow. ]

(He does not confine him - nor does he leave Zeus comfortless. Death's embrace can be gentle and merciful, after all, and there is nought that his younger brother could do to earn his ire.)

Then I shall give you a vision worthy of your sight. (Those beautiful eyes that see all and keep the balance.)

[ Zeus has no reason not to believe him. Gods can't lie. If Hades can say it, then it's true.

He blinks slowly at his brother, his blue eyes fathomless, as deep as any ocean. Hades hasn't felt mortality, the way Zeus has known it. The breaking of bone was different when felt than when heard.

Pain had been an interesting experience. ]

I could feel it. The possibility has existed from the beginning. (He would be a curious mortal; one who likely frequented the darkest realms of the Earth.) Finding me would be a challenge for the sky.

[ A shadow passes.

It might be teasing as much as it's a truth but Zeus' delicate grip curls. His fingers scrape against Hades skin, grip the black of his fur. ]

(The sensation is sharp and he exhales, the light in his eyes dimming. To be beyond Zeus's reach would be a first, yet he too can acknowledge that it would only serve to irritate.)

Ah do not rumble. (His fur vanishes - as do his horns and his peculiar ears. What sits before Zeus is a pale, nude mortal man with inky black hair that trails down his back.) Many would still see a beast.

[ Even without his godly form, Zeus sees only his brother. His fingers uncurl as the fur disappears, but Zeus flattens his palms against Hades' naked skin.

Zeus does not see a beast. But mortals fear death.

It isn't his body. It would be his missing presence. ]

(His heart beats excitedly against Zeus's palm - who doesn't enjoy a hint of danger once in awhile? Stretching out his legs, he brings his brother's hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles.)

Poseidon would do an admirable job, would he not?

[ He would have Poseidon, it's true- but what is light without it's dark? Justice without its perceived evil?

To Zeus, his brothers are each his own. The loss of Hades...

The King'size eyes grow heavy, the blue of a tempest. His free hand lifts to smooth the pale skin of Hades' human cheek. ]

(They cannot help but be two parts of a whole. Hades would mourn the loss of light as much as Zeus would mourn the loss of shadow. Perhaps they should have been twins? Yet it makes sense for Poseidon to stand between them.

Such is how the Earth is made.)

Your shrines would be well-attended. (By a longing elder brother.) I should see your sculptures rectified.

[ Without Poseidon there would be no Earth, and Zeus does find such curiousity in it. Its a small consolation, that Hades would favor his temples.

How mankind would approach such a creature. They can be so foolish.

Zeus would long for his shadow in turn. As a mortal he would be beyond Zeus. ]

(Laying his back on the cold, hard earth, his eyes glow - two pinpricks in the dark - and he ushers Zeus to rest with him.)

I am not beyond you. (His attention is caught by footsteps down one of the many tunnels.) None of them are.

Canon is Olimpos

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