Title: The Prodigal Son Returns 5/?
Author: Kate R.
Disclaimer: Own nothing and no one used herein.
Ethan looked at Giles as they stood on the balcony and nodded. He figured he should tell him. If for no other reason then it might help the emotional wound.
"I was I think 6. Everyone had been fighting. For two days they fought with me in the middle---"
Olympus, 35 years ago
"He's my son!" Strife yelled. Ethan sat in the corner watching them fight. It was over him as always and he sighed. He was hungry. This had been going on for more than a day and no one had thought to feed him. Sighing, he got up and walked to Uncle Ares. Everyone else had yelled at him when he tried to ask for something.
Appearing next to his uncle on the battlefield, he froze as he saw a man with a knife swinging at him.
"SHIT!" Ares swore as he saw Ethan. Grabbing the child, the moved them from the battlefield to his tent. He looked down at the little boy whose lip was trembling.
"Ethan?" he asked. Ethan looked up his uncle with tears pooling in his eyes. He knew Uncle Ares was too busy.
"I'm hungry," he whispered. "But everyone is fighting and they yell at me when I try to ask for something. I thought maybe---"
"Oh, little one," Ares whispered. "Come here. I'll take you to someone who can get you some food. I'm sorry I can't baby but I have to watch this war."
"I know Uncle Ares," Ethan sighed. His lisp had cleared up a few months ago, which, led to the fighting getting worse. "I just you might have time for me."
"I'll do you one better baby," Ares said. "I'll take you where you can have a whole meal."
Ares gathered little Ethan into his arms and flashed them down to the throne room in Asphodel where Hades was judging souls. He put it on hold when he saw Ethan sitting in Ares arms.
"What is it Ares?" Hades asked. Ares shifted Ethan a bit and looked Hades in the eyes.
"They've forgotten him," Ares answered. "He's hungry and they yell at him when he asks for food. I'd feed him but I have the war on the borders I can't turn my back on."
Hades looked into his son/nephew's eyes and then held his arms out for Ethan. The little boy went to him willingly.
"We'll see about this neglect Ares," Hades told him. He knew Ares was indeed too weighed down right now to be able to take on more things but the rest of the House of Aggression should have been watching the child. "Come on Ethan. Lets go see what I have for Little Gods to eat."
"I Just want a little," Ethan, said upset that he was interrupting his grandpa's work.
"Nonsense little one," Hades said as he shifted Ethan a bit. "I have plenty of food and I need to stop for a break anyway. Now, what would you like?"
Ethan looked at Hades surprised he was being asked and not told. Hades looked in to his eyes and saw it. He gently carried Ethan to a table and sat him down. He then thought up a meal he hoped Ethan would like and watched as the hungry child dug into it. He felt his anger rise even more. The poor boy was that hungry.
"Are you tired little one?" Hades asked. Ethan nodded slumping towards the tabletop and Hades lifted him into hi arms again. He carried Ethan to his own bedroom and laid him down.
"I'll be back soon little one," Hades said as he conjured a soft toy for Ethan to hold on to. Ethan wrapped himself around the toy and snuggled into the blanket Hades covered him with. He was asleep in a matter of minutes leaving Hades free to go and deal with this family of his. He flashed up to Olympus and appeared in the middle of the fight Ethan had been in the middle of and growled. This was it. The last straw.
"SILENCE!!!" He bellowed. Everyone froze. He looked at them, each and every one of them and his fury rose by notches.
"I have had it with you all," he snarled. "For 6 years, all you have done is fight over a small boy who just wants to be loved. You fought so badly this time you yelled at him when he asked for food. That is the end of it. I will be raising Ethan from now on, and you all may just deal with it. If you can't pay enough attention to the child to feed him, you don't deserve him. Good day."
Hades vanished back to Asphodel in a flash of black lightning leaving everyone to stare in gape-mouthed shock. Hades had never, in all the time they had known him, come to Olympus unless it was for a meeting or something that required his presence. This was a new one. The two main antagonists of the fight stared at each other at a loss. Hades had spoken. Ethan was his now. ---
Present Day:
So, I stayed with Hades after that," Ethan finished telling Giles. "I lived in Asphodel until I was 14. They still fought over me and then I left. Ran right into you. I love my grandfather though. So I will do my damndest to heal him before we leave."
"What if they wont let you leave Eth?" Giles asked. Ethan chuckled.
"They don't get a choice in my life anymore. Only Hades has any influence over where I am. Well, him and Grandma."
Giles nodded and they went back into the temple where Cupid was staring at the wall in shock. Ethan looked at him coldly as he returned to Strife's room where he now found Angel and Spike working on Hades as well as everyone guarding Strife. Ethan smiled. Soon, it would be time. Soon, he could place the true King on the throne.