gwenchan

Fandom: Hades
Characters: Zagreus
Prompt: Power Gives you Wings

“Hey, cuz!”

Hermes’ voice reaches Zagreus so ringing that the barrier of fog and shadows that constantly wraps the Underworld barely muffles it.

“Today I have a novelty for you, something super-duper special. Or the usual stuff, if you prefer. Though, between you and me, that would be a grave error. But the choice in the end it’s yours. Who am I to judge? Now, sorry, gotta go, these messages won’t deliver themselves alone. Bye”

As it often happens, he’s gone before Zagreus can properly thank him. He’ll do it next time. Since they forged their bond, Hermes has been extremely generous with his boons and help, so much so that the latest escape attempts had been almost - almost - a breeze.

“And well, of course, I’m going to try the novelty,” he mutters to himself, circling around the glowing orb of light levitating before him. It stings as soon as Zagreus touches it, from the tip of his fingers to in between his shoulder blades, a jolt that has him thinking more of a boon from Uncle Zeus, the lord of lightings And just as quickly it’s gone.

In its wake, something that’s pulling the skin at Zagreus’ back, tickling slightly.

“What the - oh.”

He turns his head over his shoulder and, despite all the marvels he already encountered in his journeys, his mouth falls agape.

Wings. Sprouting from his back. Quite big and of the feathery kind, not the leather membrane of Meg and her sisters’.

“Well, thank you Hermes! This will surely come in handy.”

***

The wings, as it soon turns out, do not come in handy. Absolutely not.

All the contrary, instead. As Zagreus soon discovers, they’re too big and they keep smashing against the numerous pillars and traps that fill Tartarus. Also, they are the absolute worst in close-range combat.

Given how Zagreus has gone for brandishing Stygius today, that is definitely a problem

By the time he reaches the border, he has already exhausted one of his Death Defiance.

“Murderer" Tysiphone welcomes him, cracking her whip.

He must have lost more blood than expected because it sounds very concerned “Please, take those off. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

And embarrass himself he does, his movements those slow and goofy of a newby, snatching victory only at a breath from dying again.

He still doesn’t purge Hermes’ boon at the fountain. Surely, flying will be more useful in the lavic Asphodelus meadows, maybe against those witches and their damned glowing orbs of energy when he happens to trespass in their circle.

Or this would be the plan if he actually had time to figure out the whole dynamic of flying. He could manage, as long as he’s alone practising in a room after it has been cleared from all the wretches, but truth is he’d … well, a good further amount of training.

"And those?" Eurydices says when he walks in her little corner, more scorched, battered and bruised than he'd like to admit. She’s tending to some kind of stew, fish probably, and it smells delicious.

"These?" He shrugs, feathers ruffling with the movement, "A gift from Lord Hermes' generosity. “

The nymph raises an eyebrow at him.

"Alright,” Zagreus huffs, as the wings barely avoid smashing against one of Eurydices’ shelves. “I still have to understand how they work.”

She gives him a sympathetic look. “Well, I’m sure you’ll manage. And since you are here, please, have a taste. It’s not too salty, is it?”

Zagreus sips from the spoon of soup Eurydices offers him, sloshing the liquid a moment in his mouth before swallowing it

“Not sure what you mean by salty. But in my modest opinion, it tastes amazing.”

Bending to adjust the flame, the nymph makes an approving sound.

“Nice. Orphy’s going to come for dinner. I guessed he may enjoy something different.”

“I’m certain he’ll do.”

Lernie is as ferocious and hissing as ever, with its numerous heads not taking well Zagreus’ wings, which they keep trying to bite or smash till he manages to get a very hard-won upper hand.

***

Thanatos reaches Zagreus half-way through Elysium. Zagreus would like to say he has got better with his feathery appendices, but the look Death gives him is mostly of pity.

“Why didn’t you purge them?” Thanatos asks once their little challenge is over, a crushing defeat for the Prince of the Underworld.

“What can I say, Than. Sometimes boons take a little longer to work.”

“Maybe. But this is clearly only a nuisance. Zag, you don’t need wings to win.”

Zagreus huffs. “I just keep thinking they may come in handy later. You know, against my father.”

He doesn’t want to purge a boon only to regret it in the moment of need. But he and Thanatos are on different pages today.
“You risk not even reaching the surface if you continue like this. In any case, I must go. Good luck, Zag. See you at home.”

Patroclus, too, once Zagreus crosses into his glade can’t help but comment on the wings. It’s more laconic, though, a quiet acceptance the prince is old and experienced enough to take his own decision and the consequences. Even if dire ones.

“Ever thought about having wings, sir?” Zagreus asks, deciding he can stretch his little pause a bit more. Patroclus snorts his laugh.

“Why would I, stranger? Last person to have wings didn’t end well. Now, onto your quest you go.”

For Dedalus it did, the prince mutters on his way out. But Dedalus, his treacherous mind provides soon after, didn’t have a flock of enemies to slay.

In the arena, King Theseus loudly laughs in his face. “Those tricks won’t help you, hellspawn”

He’s right. By now Zagreus has abandoned the idea of flying to return to his usual dashing style. And dash he must, more and more, when the Bull realises how graspable the wings are.

It’s only thanks to Lady Artemis’ bolt Zagreus doesn’t end his escape there, with Asterius holding him fast with those arms as big as trunks, a perfect target for Theseus’ javelin.

But he hasn’t died yet. Outside the temple of Styx, The Pool Purging awaits, inviting.

Zagreus ignores it.

In retrospect, he shouldn’t have. But, it’s the path he choose for this run and he’d rather embrace it fully

“What’s this? Another devilry of my dear relatives? Looks like it didn’t help you.”

Hades, Zagreu’s father, Supreme lord of the Deaths and the Underworld, can’t hide his amusement when Zagreus walks - limps - to him. Half-curled on his back, the wings look like the pillows in the lounger room after a particularly vivacious encounter with Cerberus’ teeth.

“I’ll send you home, boy,” his father warns, lifting Gigaros.

He keeps his word.