[Jaden Wolf]

Hades | Persephone

Hades really could not stand people. He wasn't sure how this whole thing was going to work out, living on an island with a bunch of other people he'd never met. They all were reincarnations of gods, but Hades didn't particularly feel like that should mean that he had to be cooperative with them. Plus, he didn't think they would take well to his...gifts. They all had powers, sure, but the others didn't attract ghosts, raise undead things from the earth, and kill lower life forms like plants just by being near.

He wanted to be with his sister. Bellatrix wasn't any more bonded with him by nature than the rest of his family, thanks to the whole reincarnation business, but twins just couldn't help but feel like they should be bonded. Bellatrix was the only person he didn't mind the company of, and the only one who actually seemed to like being around him. Their other brother and sister avoided him generally. Their parents...didn't count.

He set down the last box and looked around the room. He'd been given a large home along this wide path spiralling up the hill. There were two other houses like his, and then a series of slightly smaller ones at the bottom of the hill, and finally a couple more plus some extra buildings scattered around the island. Apparently, much to his chagrin, there was someone else living here too. Mya had failed to mention this.

[Jaden Wolf]

The only reason he knew someone else lived here was that there was a bunch of random stuff scattered around the house entrance. Really random stuff. An umbrella, a couple of rocks, a hammer, a pot of now-dead flowers (which was his fault), some books, and a small statue of a duck, to name the most obvious among them. It was the kind of situation that only a very strange person would do in their own house. There were also a bunch of flowers around the living areas (most of which were dead now too).

A rather large flower, which he suspected was possibly sentient from the way it was moving, sat outside one bedroom wing. He poked his head into the other and since it looked un-lived-in, he figured it was his. There was a walk-in closet on one side, connected to an en-suite. On the other was a room with a bunch of empty shelving, a desk, and a plushy looking chair. This made him considerably happy. In fact, the entire layout and decor of the room just felt very...him - right down to the colour on the walls. Mya must have decorated specifically for him.

Dragging in the boxes, he unpacked rather quickly. Hades didn't have many clothes, leaving most of his closet bare. The bulk of his stuff was books, which he spaced out on his shelves to make them look less sparse. At this point, he stepped over to the large window and looked out over the rather beautiful view of the island fields and woods. He figured the house on the other side had an ocean view, and the one at the top had more of a view of sky and the other houses below. After all, he could tell at a glance that they were supposed to be Poseidon's and Zeus's - both uninhabited right now. Mya only told him that there was one other god here - Hephaestus - and a handful of goddesses. Now with him, there were 6 of them on the island. Mya herself didn't count, of course. She had a small temple-like home by the dock for the boat to the Beach, keeping herself well out of the way of the rest of them.

[Jaden Wolf]

Grabbing a well worn book from the shelf, he made is way back through the house. It was a sprawling single-floor plan that seemed more modern architecture with greek-influenced designs. The place was mostly in darker tones, but the patterns and pictures on the walls, floor, and ceiling were in brighter colours. Then, of course, were the flowers. It was a sharp contrast, but was somehow visually appealing. The dark colours were more his style, so he wasn't sure why Mya had all this colour here to begin with.

Heading out the door, he made his way down the hill towards the woods. From his room he had noticed a clearing with a single tree on a hill. He couldn't say for sure from up there, but it might make the perfect reading spot. If he was going to be living here supposedly for the rest of his life, he was going to have to find a good reading spot. That, and make sure everyone knew to leave him well enough alone.

Aside from the main street, there weren't really any paths around. In one or two places were tiny trails from small game but with so few inhabitants, there was no reason for nature not to grow as it liked. Nonetheless, he didn't have much difficulty finding the clearing. When he got there, he found it covered in flowers. He sighed. There were enough flowers in his house, thanks. He made his way up to the lone tree, leaving a black trail of dead and shrivelled stalks in his wake.

[Jaden Wolf]

Hades was particularly careful to make a straight line so as to cause minimal damage to his potential 'spot'. At the top of the hill, he turned and looked around. His house was too high up to be hidden by the wood, but he was glad to see the other houses weren't really visible. Around every side of the tree the view was otherwise the same - field of flowers, woods, sky. Actually, he squinted at one side and realized there was a small brook just inside the wood's edge.

Finally, he turned his attention downward, ignoring the dead stalks around the tree's base as he focused deeper. As far as he could sense, there were no dead spirits or bones or anything of the like here. He'd never be able to relax and enjoy the space if there were dead things around. Their tendency to swarm around him was very annoying.

Satisfied, he settled down against the tree and leaned his head back against the wood. The leaves above him rustled in the breeze, the clouds drifting by peacefully above them. A flicker of sunlight was playing across his face, and he squinted his eyes lazily against it. It was probably weird for a god of death to like nature, but there was just something so pleasant about sitting out under the shade of a tree on a sunny day. He didn't get much of a chance to do this back in the Beach.

[Jaden Wolf]

He appreciated the sun and breeze for a while, but eventually turned his attention to his book. He flipped it open, the pages parting easily as they do when the binding is worn down. One of these days he should get it repaired, lest he start losing pages.

He lounged there, absorbed in his book as the sunlight peeked at it through the branches. He didn't notice the black trails along the tree, or through the flower beds. Death radiated from him without his knowing, creeping along as it slowly decayed every living thing. The tree's branches began to wither, the leaves falling down onto dead grass.

The summer scene slowly passed into a snowless winter.

[Jaden Wolf]

"U-um, hello," came a soft voice, startling Hades. Pulling his attention away from the book, he looked around for the speaker. It wasn't difficult, as there was a girl leaning around the side of the tree to peer at him.

She looked about his age, hair falling in waves around her shoulders - platinum blonde streaked with soft blue. They matched her eyes and the accented edges of her greek-looking clothes. Honestly, her clothes alone made her look like she stepped out of some ancient greek painting.

[Jaden Wolf]

She looked hesitant but curious, at least at first glance. Once Hades had taken in her appearance, he noted a slight worry across her brow. It wasn't that he was good at reading people, this girl was just very expressive.

"Sorry to bother you," she said quietly, and Hades realized he'd been staring. He cleared his throat, glancing down at the book in his lap awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah hi," he replied belatedly. "It's fine I was just-" he gestured with the book while internally groaning about not shooing her away immediately.

[Jaden Wolf]

"Oh," she said softly. After a brief pause, she added, "is it good?"

Hades blinked. It seemed odd, that this girl who came out of nowhere was now trying to make small talk. "Sure?" His reply was unintentional, and he immediately frowned.

"Uh, can I help you with something?" he asked bluntly. It occurred to him that this girl could only be another goddess and he really wanted nothing to do with any of them.