I smiled, glowing at his reply. Bless his heart.

He was so soft-hearted that he won’t even point out the ridiculousness of my weather forecast. “I am here on some important business.”

He didn’t even looked up again to drawl out a “Really?”

Probably wondering what the latest trouble is, I am going to get him in.

I glowered on him deeply offended. “Hey, I don’t always come here just to pass time. I work too, you know?”

He looked up from his work and regarded me as if he was weighing on my claim. Several moments passed in silence.

I gasped. “Hey, THAT was a rhetorical question!!! And even if it wasn’t, you didn’t need to take that much time to answer it.”

He looked up, chagrined and had the grace to softly speak, “Sorry…” He then, got up to stand and formally bow down to welcome me, respectfully.

I smiled down on him, secretly pleased at his monosyllabic reply and formal, archaic ways. It was sooooo like him.

I went to him and hugged him in greeting. Because I may be old, but I am a kinda mushy person.

After a while, he hugged me back, drawing comforting circles on my back. Unlike John, Hades was a closet affectionate person.

But his reputation might tell you otherwise. He might be a serious, non-partying and possibly the only person that I know who still followed the archaic formal mannerisms. But for the people he loved and cared about… he would die for them. And is a Cutesy Teddy Bear to them.

Yeah, I would have also set people straight about the misinterpretation regarding Hades. But maybe he felt that such an reputation will ultimately help him manage the Underworld better. So, I won’t be the one to refute him.

He IS the Lord of the Underworld and he knows the best.

And it really worked. Because people are, shitloads scared of him.

I step back and hand the surfboard that I exclusively bought for him. He automatically reached out to take it and started to inspect it. It was a bright yellow like sunshine with glitter letters marking out the words

“Inside me, there’s a thin person struggling to get out, but I can usually sedate him with four or five cupcakes.”

He looked up and raised an eyebrow in question.