Sorry I skipped a week, or two… or three, but the whole "writing because I have to meet a deadline" isn't really working for me. I'll write often, weekly even, but updates won't necessarily be on Thursdays.

This chapter's pairing was suggested by: Lemariz. Thanks! :)

Summary: He sees her every time he looks into those eyes. Hades/Maria Di Angelo (with Nico on the side!)

The souls echoed their cries to him. They wailed and they whispered. He got the gist of what they were saying. This was a bad idea.

But he'd done it. He'd told her he was a god. It had been six months since they met, and frankly, he wanted her to know about him. This was as close to vulnerability as the lord of the Underworld got.

"Maria…?" He says softly, placing a hand on her shoulder to turn her around. "Look at me."

Maria Di Angelo drops her head, letting her thick black hair fall in front of her face. "How can I?" She whispers hoarsely, her italian accent coating her words, "I will not even know who I am looking at anymore."

He turns her around as gently as she can. "I am Hades. I am the lord of the Underworld, and I am the king of dead souls. One thing has not changed though; I still love you, Maria. I promise you that can never change."

"My Papa always told me that immortal beings existed, and I never believed him." Maria whispers, "A part of me always thought that maybe they did, but..." She trails off, sighing.

Maria meets his eyes, "I do not understand why you would stay here with me, for if what you speak is the truth, and you are a god, what interest would you have in a human such as myself."

He freezes, looking into her eyes. They are dark. They match his. She stares back at him, "Maria," Hades whispers, "there is nothing human about the way I feel about you."

The corners of her lips tug upward, and she holds his gaze, "Then we are together forever, yes?" She asks simply. He smiles, memorizing the shades for black and grey in her eyes that mesmerize him, "Yes."

He stares into the darkness of those eyes. He can see the sorrow, the love, and the burning passion he once knew. He tears his eyes away from his only son's, and the memories escape him instantly, the echoes of dead souls are the only things he still hears. "Nico," He says, catching the crack in his voice before his son could notice it, "leave."

Nico shuffles away, and Hades clenches his fists until his knuckles are far too white. Hades sees her every time he looks into eyes of his, and it kills him. "I'm sorry, Nico." He whispers to the room, completely empty, except for the souls that echo around him. He can never get rid of those souls.

Took forever I know. It's not Thursday, I know :/ But, hey? I updated. I got lot's more updates coming this week. My way of saying sorry, I guess :$ This chapter was... complicated. There was just SO MUCH I could've written about Hades and Maria! I'm not exactly happy with the way this one turned out, but I'm satisfied :)