Thanatos : The Red Dawn

(39)Ruby Camaraderie

"I knew Aurora had to be introduced into this world eventually, but the mere thought scared my senses numb..."

Ruby Camaraderie

Hades sat at the head of his long dining table in the centre of the wide ballroom. It was dark and musky, and candles bathed the room in an ominous setting. To his right sat a familiar figure, hunched over a piece of parchment, his long grey beard almost touching the table. Another tall figure stood next to Hades, a large hand on the table and his other hand on his hip. I walked in with an air of purpose and elegance.

Two heads looked up and smiled; Hades only lifted his eyes to give me a nod of his head in acknowledgement.

"My lords."

"Thanatos! Welcome, old friend!" Zeus bellowed from his seat as he extended his hand to me. I grinned in response.

Poseidon walked towards me with a mischievous glint in his eye; "Well, well... Where have you been, friend?"

Of all the gods, Poseidon and I got along the best. We were very alike in many ways- we both preferred the same wine, women and revelry and we were around the same age- the only difference between us was that Poseidon was unmistakably more good-natured than I normally was.

He was kind and devoted, and he was good spirited, whereas me- well, I'm sure you know by now what I was like...

I grasped his hand in mine and he stepped forward to hug me; clapping his hand against my back in an affectionate manner. He was a good friend and a close confidant.

The other two brothers only watched in silent contemplation as we exchanged pleasantries.

Zeus was the eldest and Poseidon was the youngest among the three brothers. They had three sisters; Hera, who married Zeus (I'd feel sorry for her, but she's a bitter old bat), Demeter, Hades' wife- Persephone's mother, and Hestia, who removed herself from the pantheon and now resides in the woods somewhere in Greece. She wasn't the sociable type; and among my favourite for that exact reason.

"Zeus tells me you have a new plaything... When can I meet her?" Poseidon says with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Oh, no... She's quite the spitfire. I'd rather keep her away from you- you'll only become smitten and then I'd have to kill you."

We laughed and he shook his head at me with that familiar schoolboy grin; "My, my... It's nice to share, you know?"

"Hmm... Not this one, I'm afraid."

I shuddered to think bringing Aurora into this room right now. I honestly had no worry introducing her to Hades or Poseidon. Hades was a faithful husband- he loved his wife and felt no need to be with another, and even though Poseidon joked around and teased, he would never do anything that might hurt our friendship. If I told him to stay away from Aurora, he would abide by my wishes, but then there was Zeus.