The Immortal Heart

A/N: OK folks, get ready for the big reveal. The reason for Hades' recent malady is about to be discovered...


Chapter 13

Though the attacks of nausea had not gone away entirely, Hades found a way to keep them under control with the help of his sister’s medicine and a change in his dietary habits. Eating during the mornings was often no use, as he could rarely keep his food down, but the attacks were rare past noon, and the god managed to keep his already slight weight from dropping further.

In fact, Hades was confident that he was on the recovery until one night when he experienced a disturbing new symptom. Having gone to bed early, he awoke in the break of dawn entangled in his twisted and now also damp sheets, gasping for breath and sweating profusely. Not able to remember his dreams, the Olympian could not fathom the cause of his state, which was beyond worrisome. Finally able to free himself from the bedclothes, Hades staggered up from his bed, desperate to light a lamp and thus be able to look at his own reflection.

The sight that greeted him in the mirror only worked to enhance his fears. Regarding a visage, normally pale, that was so flushed it was practically glowing and also covered in a layer of sweat, made him appear as if he was either raving mad or dying. To confirm that he was actually looking at himself, Hades blinked, not expecting the feverish apparition to be gone when he opened his eyes, but hoping for it nonetheless.

He slowly backed away from the mirror, fearful of what the rest of him might look like. Though the skin of his body was not quite the same shade of red as his face, he was still sweating all over his form, and a quick glance at his chest made his heart constrict beneath his ribs. Hades could only watch in absolute dread at the almost transparent fluid which had evidently some time during the night come out of his nipples.

There was no question about it anymore; he needed to see Demeter, this instant.

This made no sense, he thought as he hurried down the hall in search of his sister, partly dressed in a robe which had been wrapped around his waist. Unless he was dying of some unknown, evil disease, his ailment made absolutely no sense.

She had better be feeling hospitable…

He immediately rapped on Demeter’s door the very moment it was in reach. Hades had no patience for waiting for her to answer, and so he pushed open the door when he heard no response, only to feel the door being pushed against him from the opposite side.

“Beg your pardon…!” he heard Demeter call out from within the room.

“Demeter, it’s me,” Hades responded, his voice practically pleading. “Please let me in…?”

“Hades??” Demeter finally took her weight off of the door and allowed her brother in. “I apologize. I assumed it was Hera barging in to interrupt us out of spite…”

“‘Us’?” Hades could not help but inquire. “Who else is… oh.” He stopped himself when he looked beyond his sister and saw none other than Hestia, unclothed and waving at him from Demeter’s bed. “What is she doing here?” the god found himself asking, though he felt idiotic the moment the words left his mouth.

“The same reason you visit Zeus’ bed,” Demeter answered plainly, though one hand rested on her hip, a gesture of slight impatience. Her eyes, however, were sympathetic as she looked at Hades’ flushed complexion and worried face. “What can I do for you, dear?”

“I…” The surprise of seeing Hestia in Demeter’s bed had momentarily made him forget about his plight. “I woke up… and I felt… strange.”

The goddess cocked her head to the side. “Strange how, brother? Are you feeling nauseated again?”

“No, I…” Hades felt uncomfortable discussing the nature of his problems, and even more so around Hestia. Looking down at his bare feet, he considered asking Demeter if she could accompany him outside, but Hestia interrupted him before he could even start on his sentence.

“I shall take my leave,” she said humbly and stood up from the bed to reach for her robes. “Our brother needs you, Demeter.”

“Hestia, I…” the younger goddess replied, her hand already out to stop her sister. “I did not mean you have to leave…”

Hestia offered both her siblings a weary smile. “It is fine,” she said. “I can continue my sleep in my own quarters, and you can hear our brother out in peace.”

She allowed her hand to rest on Hades’ shoulder for a few seconds; a gesture out of sympathy, and her hand felt wonderfully cool against his burning skin. Then Hestia was gone, and Hades tried in vain to continue describing his symptoms, his fear and agitation robbing him of his eloquence.

“Come, brother,” Demeter said, leading Hades to sit down in her bed. “Tell me what is wrong.”

“Well, I… I woke up, covered in sweat. I believe my fever is high, or at least it feels that way. And then…” He glanced down, realizing he was covering his chest with one arm. Hesitantly, he moved it out of the way to let Demeter see the peculiar state of his nipples. “Now my chest expels this disgusting fluid!”

Demeter’s eyes widened in a way which would have been comical had the situation not been so dire. She held his arms away from his chest and leaned in for a closer look. Muttering unintelligible words, she hurried away and took a piece of charcoal to a flimsy piece of parchment, scribbling down information.

“Your nipples are emitting fluid…” she echoed aloud. “Males tend to not produce anything like females do. Had I not known any better, I would immediately say you were pregnant.”

Hades sighed with aggravation. “Be serious.”

“Well, our mares have done the same when they were producing foals in the spring.”

Demeter was quite familiar with horses. Poseidon had decided nearly from the moment that the Olympians had discovered a nearby herd that he would attempt to tame horses, and his sister had been equally captivated by the animals to help him on occasion.

“Many animals begin to produce fluids in their teats when they expect to reproduce, so that they may be prepared to provide milk for their young,” Demeter said, partly to inform Hades, but also to speak her thoughts aloud, trying to put all of the pieces together of this seemingly impossible to decipher puzzle.

“That is quite educating,” Hades said, “but it does not help the situation at hand.” He did not mean to sound rude, but he was anxious to find out what could truly be the origin of his illness.

“Please be patient with me, brother,” Demeter said with a sigh. “We have only lived in this world for so many years, and Gaia’s size is so very great. We discover new creatures, plants and even sicknesses everyday… but what we do know is that you experience nausea and vomiting, you possibly run a fever, your nipples expel fluid like a foaling mare, and…” she trailed off, staring at her brother. The preoccupied look on her face was rather unnerving to Hades.

“Well??” he asked.

“Hades…” she finally said. “How long has your stomach remained bloated like that?”

“My stomach… is bloated?” Hades asked, looking down at said part of himself and realizing that his sister was right. His stomach stood out in a peculiar way, as if he had just recently eaten a very large portion of food.

“Oh, I don’t know…” he then said in response to Demeter’s question. “I have not really given it much consideration…”

His sister’s eyes narrowed suspiciously and Hades would have given anything to know what she was thinking in that moment.

“Hades, please take off your clothes and let me have a closer look at you,” she requested, impatiently almost pressing him down onto his back as she peeled the single layer of robes from his form. Hades complied, albeit reluctantly, and allowed Demeter to touch his belly as well as his chest in her exploration of his changing body.

Why would my stomach be swollen? Hades thought. I have not eaten enough to put on weight, and yet the girth of my belly has clearly expanded. How can this be?

The god cried out when his sibling unexpectedly pinched one of his nipples and he was almost tempted to swat at her hand. Since when were his nipples that sensitive, anyway? Zeus often paid attention to them in bed, and his youngest brother could be quite harsh, yet his touch was hardly ever painful.

Demeter only hummed to herself, as if confirming her suspicions, and moved on to his stomach. She began by gently feeling it, palpating certain regions and even going as far as pressing her ear against the small swell. Hades wanted to ask if she was expecting something to answer her within, but he knew that she was serious and this was not the time for witty remarks.

The goddess, once done with her examination, sat Hades up and regarded him with the utmost seriousness. “My brother…” she said, “I can hardly believe this myself, but it is the only explanation I can think of.”

“What?” Hades asked, his fear peaking again. “What have you found out?”

Demeter took a deep breath before answering. “You are carrying life within you. Hades, you are with child. You are going to have a baby.”

“Sister, please be serious! I cannot be with child. I am male!”

“I AM being serious,” Demeter argued, her expression stern. “I would not jest about something like this. I knew there could be no other explanation, as ludicrous as it sounded, and so I searched for signs of life. Poseidon and I have done so in the past when the horses have mated, and the presence of a foal brings a very distinct sensation.”

“I can’t, do you hear me??” Hades snapped, utterly confounded. “It makes no sense!”

“We are gods,” Demeter replied, surprisingly patient despite her brother’s stubbornness. “We are capable of many things.”

“That may be true, but why would I be able to conceive a child now, of all times?” Hades asked. “Zeus has taken me to bed countless times now, as well as you and our sisters and…”

“I can explain that,” Demeter interrupted, though she looked hardly ready to explain anything. “We are still at risk to be attacked by Cronos and his ilk. Our sisters and I agreed this was not the right time to be having children. We have been taking serums of my own design to prevent us from being able to conceive. I can only hope it does not leave us barren permanently.”

Hades stared at his sister, saddened by the explanation, but knowing it was a logical choice. He sat still, considering both his sisters’ plight and the diagnosis of his present illness.

“This still makes no sense… how can I conceive? I am a god and am not equipped with the right parts to create life within me.”

Demeter shook her head, unable to surmise a possible answer. They both remained silent as they thought, hoping for some kind of enlightenment to present itself. Suddenly Demeter looked at Hades, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise.

“Zeus took you to bed when you were in female form,” she said, hands raised to her face as though still in disbelief.

Hades’ dispute came to an abrupt halt at the notion, and he stared, taken aback, at the far wall as he considered his sister’s reason.

“It was…” he said, looking as though he might faint. “My child was conceived… when I had the body of a goddess… oh, no. It only makes sense…”

“Worry not, brother,” Demeter said, cupping Hades’ cheek. “There is still time to rectify this.”

“Rectify what?” the god asked, frowning confusedly.

“Your condition, of course. You are a male, and your body is not made for bearing a child to term. I will give you something to end the life growing inside you. Mistletoe should work. If ingested in small amounts, it should not be dangerous for you. It will make you feel slightly sick, but…”

Hades stared at his sister in appalled disbelief and shook his head vigorously. “Demeter, no! I don’t want to take anything that will expel the new life within me. I want to keep my baby. This is Zeus’ child, and I want to have it!”

“Dearest,” Demeter said in hushed tones, “Zeus will never have to know. He doesn’t know that I give my sisters and myself something to prevent us from conceiving, because if he knew, he would forbid it.”

“I still don’t want to take mistletoe,” Hades said. “Zeus turned me into a goddess so that I could give him a child. Do you not see? I have to have this child, sister, it is my only chance.”

Demeter was still filled with doubt. Hades, though with child, was still a god and lacked the parts required to birth a child. Bearing the baby to term might prove fatal, and Demeter was not willing to risk her brother’s life for something that should never have happened in the first place.

“Hades, listen to me. Your child may be unlucky. It might not develop properly and if it doesn’t, it could kill you. Do you really want to take that risk?”

“It won’t be unlucky, sister,” Hades insisted. “I will take good care of myself so that my baby will be healthy. Please, have faith in me…?”

The goddess was still very hesitant, but looking into her brother’s pleading eyes made her resolve crumble. Hades truly wanted this child, and he was certainly right about one thing; this was his one and only chance to give Zeus an heir. What right did she have to deny him that?

“Damn you,” she said with a surrendering sigh, and when she looked back at Hades, she was smiling. “Zeus has been watching you like a hawk,” she stated. “You should be the one to tell him.”

Hades smiled at the thought, but he was also nervous. What if Zeus reacted the same way as Demeter had? He was still an unpredictable individual and might have changed his mind concerning an heir the moment he had returned Hades to a male form.

“Do you need to rest?” he heard Demeter ask him, breaking him from his daydreaming. “You look as though you might need it.”

Hades gave a small chuckle, still somewhat lost in his thoughts.”I’m feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment.”

He stared at his lap as the same thoughts circled over and over in his head, and his vision inevitably went to his stomach. It was hardly impressive now, and he could not help but wonder how it would look in another few weeks time. How long would he have to wait before he would bring this… new life into the world? And Zeus… what would he think?

One of his hands instinctively flattened against his stomach, and the notion that there was offspring within was surreal. Of all the Olympians, he would be the first to bring a new generation into the family.

“Hades…?” Demeter addressed him, wondering if he was even paying attention to her.

“Are you… quite certain I am with child?” he asked.

Demeter smiled, putting her hand over his and pressing. Hades almost gasped when he suddenly felt an indescribable sensation coursing through his arm. Something was definitely within him, and he was almost certain that he could feel an odd sort of thrumming, something like a heartbeat.

“Positive,” his sister replied.

Though Hades was still flushed and also sweating, most of it was now due to excitement over the miracle of his impossible pregnancy. He smiled, stroking his belly with pure reverence. Demeter’s hand remained entwined with his, and though not as ecstatic as her brother, the goddess could not help but be happy for her brother, despite her doubts concerning his decision.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t tell Zeus just yet,” she suggested. “It might be best not to mention it to anyone; they’ll find out soon enough.”

Hades looked at her as though she were nothing short of mad. “Of course I shall tell Zeus!” he exclaimed. “It is his seed that grows inside me, and I know he will be just as happy about it as I am.”

“Perhaps I should be with you then, just in case he has any questions,” Demeter proposed. “He might find it difficult to believe unless I can give him proof of your pregnancy.”

In truth, Demeter was not worried about Zeus’ reaction as much as she worried about Hera’s. Their oldest sister had always been reluctant to take the serum that prevented conception, as there was nothing she wanted more than conceiving a child for Zeus. The news of someone else – the brother she loathed – doing it in her place would not sit well with Hera at all, and Demeter was almost afraid of what she might do.

“There is one more thing I wonder about, sister…” Hades said, smiling shyly. “During my pregnancy, will Zeus and I be able to… make love as usual without harming the child?”

Demeter scratched her head as she contemplated the idea. “I cannot be certain,” she admitted. “As much as I have studied our horses, there is still much to learn, especially since an Olympian bearing a child is not quite the same as a horse bearing a foal. But as far as I am aware…” She managed a small smile. “There should be no risk, as long as Zeus minds himself and treats you a little more gently than as usual. After all,” she added with a wink, “you’re in delicate condition now.”

*

Zeus awoke shortly after dawn and his first thought was to visit Hades’ living quarters and ask how the elder god was doing. However, he entered Hades’ quarters to find it unoccupied. Out of instinct, the Olympian leader went directly to Demeter’s chamber, as their brother often sought her help in recent times due to his illness. Zeus was anxious to find out what was wrong with Hades now, and could only hope that a solution to his illness would soon present itself.

“Demeter?” he called out as he opened the door. “Is Hades with you?”

“He is here,” Demeter called back, hiding the annoyance in her voice. She would have preferred that her youngest brother knock before entering his siblings’ rooms, but he would likely not develop such polite behavior anytime soon.

“Is he alright?” Zeus asked, and the worry rang clear in his voice.

“He is perfectly alright, brother,” she reassured him with a smile. “Speaking of which, he has something important to tell you.”

The following moment, Hades entered the room, having occupied himself by taking a bath in his sister’s bathing pool. He was still using a towel to dry his long hair but immediately stopped his actions when he spotted Zeus. A smiled danced on his face, and as if on a whim, he hurried over to embrace his brother.

Surprised but in no way offended at his older sibling’s strange behavior, Zeus hesitantly returned the hug and then held Hades at arm’s length, looking into his eyes. “What is this?” he inquired.

Hades chewed nervously on his bottom lip, suddenly feeling really insecure. Up until this point, he had been positive that Zeus would take the news with happiness, but suddenly he wasn’t sure anymore. What if the Olympian leader would think this was a badly chosen time to extend their family and demanded that Hades get rid of their offspring?

Hand going to the growing swell of his abdomen, Hades found himself unable to meet Zeus’ gaze. The youngest god, meanwhile, only regarded his brother with great curiosity, patiently waiting for an explanation.

“Zeus,” Hades said, then inhaled deeply. “…there is something… I only found out myself a short while ago.”

“What do you speak of, brother?”

“I refused to believe it could be possible… but Demeter says there is no mistaking it. We have finally uncovered the secret of my longtime illness.”

“Is that so?” Zeus wondered, Hades’ behavior making it difficult to tell whether he should be relieved or even more concerned. “Have you found a remedy?”

“None is needed,” the older god said, smiling again. “The cause of my state is not an illness. I am expecting your child, Zeus.”

Zeus initially acted as though he had not heard Hades at all. When the news finally settled in his brain, the leader’s brow furrowed and he stared at his brother in utter confusion, which then became a numbed shock.

“Well, how…” he began, but stopped. He clearly wanted to say something, but he had no idea what to say. “… Are you certain?”

Demeter could not hold back a small burst of laughter. “We are quite certain. The symptoms all made sense, so I looked for the presence of life and it is true: your seed grows in his belly.”

Hades glanced up at his brother with an expression which read “now do you believe me?” Zeus blinked, still trying to process the idea in his mind. “… but you’re…”

“Yes, Zeus, I know,” Hades said, knowing what his brother’s reasoning was. “We have reasoned that the child was conceived when I was in female form.”

“The child…” Zeus echoed, in a daze. Demeter was tempted to ask him if he needed to lie down after such shocking news. “Our child,” Zeus corrected himself, considering the concept. He looked at Hades, whose expression read of an anxious need to know how the lead Olympian felt about the news. Hand reaching forward and cupping his older brother’s cheek, Zeus finally gave a genuine, pleased smile.

“Our child,” he repeated, grinning. Hades nodded, absolutely beaming.

“May I?” Zeus asked, hand out, and his brother took his big hand and placed it over a stomach which did not quite look like anything impressive thus far. One hand easily covering the subtle, small bulge, his grin widened when he felt a peculiar presence beneath the flesh. Zeus gave Hades’ cheek a long, affectionate kiss, and the older god felt truly happy in that moment. He was able to give his brother and leader something wonderful, and he felt proud of himself for it.


TBC...