𝐕𝐈. 𝐍𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐄 ➵ 𝐏𝐉𝐎 𝐱 𝐇𝐏

000.

Hypnos and Morpheus resorted to barely giving anyone sleep— and when they did, it was always nightmares and nothingness. Because why should anyone else be able to sleep if they can't?

Persephone and Demeter cursed nature. Crops and flowers— there was a shortage of food because of them.

Artemis resorted to hunting down monsters after monsters, trying to track down Clytius— because how dare he?

Apollo refused to ride his chariot— the sun barely shining anymore considering all the storms and weather.

Then, there was Hades.

The god took the worst of it. He neglected everything. He spent the whole year scouring the ends of the earth and the Underworld for his daughter— even as far as visiting Nyx and Tartarus— but still, she was nowhere to be found.

His anger never diminished towards the magical folks— he lashed out on them by releasing the undead on them. Not to kill them, yet— but as a way to torture them. Without their magic— they were defenseless against anything.

The DOA's traffic was getting worse. With all the catastrophic events, came more deaths. And no one was there to manage them. Not to mention with Thanatos still chained— death became stranger and stranger everyday.

Hades couldn't let go of his daughter— no. If her soul was in the Underworld, at least he'd be able to keep her with him— maybe even let her go to Elysian and visit her everyday. But she wasn't there.

And even if she was dead, her body wasn't rotting away like it should. She laid in her chambers, as if she was only asleep. But her soul was nowhere to be found. All Hades had was her body— and he visited her every single day.

So did most of the gods.

But Hades— no. Hades would stay by her bedside, telling her bedtime stories just like he used to when she was only four, staring up at him with wide eyes full of love and adoration. He'd read to her lifeless body with tears streaming down his face, voice cracking over and over again. Then, he'd bid her goodnight— tuck her in and kiss her forehead, just like he always had when she was a child.

But this time— she wouldn't be able to tell him how much she loved him. She wouldn't be able to kiss his cheeks and smile up at him innocently, she wouldn't be able to sneak to his room and climb up on his bed.

He didn't have that. Not anymore.

And he needed that back. Whatever it cost.

And so he kept looking— relentlessly. Torturing souls after souls, monsters after monster, just for the slightest bit of information. He never gave up— he couldn't. He made a promise to himself and Lilith. That whatever happens— I'll always find you, princess.

And so the rest of his days were spent that way.

Safe Haven was no better.

The kids in Safe Haven no longer smiled or laughed, or played with each other— no. They started training, wanting to be able to fight whatever killed Lilith. They wanted revenge. Everyone started focusing on preparing for the upcoming war.

Safe Haven was becoming the one thing Lilith didn't want it to be.

But no one cared enough about that. All they knew was Lilith was gone. Someone took her away from them, and they were going to pay. Lilith wasn't there to protect them anymore, so they had to protect themselves.

Lilith's boys— none of them got better.

Cedric resorted to follow after Apollo— begging for more and more quests to distract himself. A lot of times, he nearly died. He became reckless with his own life, not caring whether he lived or died. All he cared about was that he needed something to distract himself from the hole in his chest— the never-ending pain he felt. He needed to distract himself.