Midas was impatient and paced the black marble floor of the court.
Time passed differently in the Underworld. What in the upper world could be considered days or weeks, seemed mere moments here. He heard that Hades and Peresphone had gone into the bedchamber and they still hadn’t come out yet.
Whatever could they be doing in there? It wasn’t as if Hades was going to be fathering any kids on Peresephone any time soon. Or was he? That thought made him pause in his pacing. He shook his head, No, they were past their prime, all of the gods were.
Peresephone did to Hades what no one else could do – make him smile. Yet, there wasn’t much to smile about, not here.
Finally, the door to the court opened, and Hades and Persephone stepped inside. Hades smiling with his queen beside him, also smiling. When Hades smiled, it was sometimes a scary thing – in this, it was genuine.
“My Lord,” said King Midas, bowing low.
The smile turned into a sneer. “Yes, Midas?”
Midas ignored it. Hades never liked him, but maybe this would change his mind. Maybe he could return to the upper world – without his curse – to sup and drink at the new world’s restaurants. “My Lord, I have some news for you.”
“Yes?”
“The Grey Cat – he has escaped.”
Hades looked to his queen. “I know,” he said, and smiled again, looking into her eyes.
“What are you –”
“Nothing. I am going to do nothing.” He turned back to face Midas. “Do you think that I do not know what goes on in my own realm, mighty king?”
“No, no, of course I don’t, my Lord–”
“I am happy right now. Happy with my wife, who loves me dearly. I will have the Grey Cat at his death.”
“But he is dead.”
“I have spoken to the Fates.” This, from Persephone, who barely ever spoke. Midas bowed his head and listened to the queen. “The Grey Cat shall have a new life from the old. A new thread is woven from the old.”
Midas shook his head from side to side. “This is not–”
“Dare you question me, Midas?” Hades thundered, and the cavern shook with his anger.
“No! No, my Lord, I–”
“What I do with the residents of my realm are mine to decide. If I choose to bring Hercules back to life, as I chose to bring Zagreus back, then I will choose. You will not question – not you, not Posideon, not Zeus.”
Persephone put a hand to Hades’ arm, and Hades closed his eyes. “Begone, Midas.”
Midas left thinking, That could have gone better.