Mary
At the heart of Hades' stands the Eternal Elegance casino, a lavish and mysterious establishment where mortals and immortals alike try their luck. The casino's opulent interiors are adorned with dark hues, ethereal lighting, and subtle nods to the mythological underworld. Games of chance are intertwined with the whims of fate, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.
Maureen
Plutus had a feeling that encouraging Persephone to go where she wanted might end up being a problem for him. He just wasn't sure when the ball would drop. When word would finally reach Demeter, when her wrath would hunt him down and attempt to swallow him up in guilt - guilt that he neither felt nor cared to interact with. He wasn't worried because he wasn't afraid of her, but he did anticipate a headache worse than any hangover. 

The best way deal with any possible interactions with his mother was by avoiding her completely which meant he needed to be all over the place and nowhere specific at the same time. It was easy for him since that was a normal day for him; he went from his house to his office, to the Dionysus's Vineyards and then all the way to the casino. The spots he picked weren't unusual, but moving around might have made him harder to track. 

He got all the way to the casino before his plan came to a halt at the Craps table. 

While Plutus had nothing to lose, he still enjoyed a good game of Craps. He was the best kind of gambler - one that paid up when he lost, but drained the dealer for all they had if he was on a roll. Most casinos hated him on principle, but he never cheated, and he never blessed nor cursed anyone while inside. Unless, of course, someone considered his very presence a blessing or a curse.

Dressed in black pants, a golden vest - not just in color but in material - and a gold crown shaped into a gold floral pattern in honor of Persephone, he had entered the Eternal Elegance Casino tipsy, and remained there as he sank further and further to the bottom of a bottle. He drank in support of his sister, wishing her the best with her undertaking of the Underworld. He drank in preparation for his mother's inevitable drama over the situation. But most of all, he drank because another piece of him had been chipped away, pushing him to grow colder. His apathy, which was reserved mostly for humanity and his own mother, was stretching even further and, while he didn't truly lose his sister - the only one he felt anything for - he knew he wouldn't see her for a while, or even as often as he used to. While it made him happy to see her free and doing what she wanted, deep down, he felt a twinge of sadness. 

He puffed another breath of smoke and leaned back in his chair as he watched the next roller take position and everyone finished placing bets. Plutus tossed a couple of hundred dollars on the field and lost it immediately as a seven was rolled. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, taking another, longer drag of his cigarette. 

He wished to himself and to the god of carnal love that it would be a long night of drinking, gambling, and smoking.
Megan
'She's not here, goddess. I'm afraid she's gone.' They were not words she wanted to hear, words that played on repeat within her mind. Now, as she stood outside of a damn casino the internal scream of anger was constantly building. She wanted to set it loose and watch as the world around her became wilted and desolate. Just one scream and the earth would wither under each step she took and leak out like an acid that couldn't be contained. She knew who had the audacity to take her daughter from her but she didn't understand what she had done to receive treatment such as this. She had only ever cared and loved Persepone, wanting her safety from the very thing Hades' was. 

Demeter's search for answers had led her here, standing in a dirty casino, in the proud domain of Hades. The son who never accepted her parenting, the disappointment that would never see the truth in his mothers love hiding within its walls. She hated every idea that Persephone had come to him instead of her. She didn't want to think or believe that it was actually her daughter's choice but she knew the spell Hades had cast upon the young girl's heart. She saw it the moment her grandchildren were born. The admiration in them being both a part of her and the one she had loved. She had seen the look before, seen it on her own face. Demeter shook her head and adjusted her hair, ridding herself of being haunted by the past. Now was not the time, she needed to find Persephone. 

Demeter pushed open the doors to the obsidian plated building and barged in. The place was barren, except for a few gamblers who had jumped from Demeter's robustious entrance. She had expected to see more but the doom and gloom of an impending end of the world seemed to have knocked some sense into the normal high rollers. She raked her eyes over the few that dared to make eye contact with her, their heads quickly snapping back to their thrills in fear of a goddesses wrath.

The gold of Plutus' vest stood out against the black and red of the casino around him. She never understood his embodiment of the sin in which he called forth from humans. The greed written in the gold crown he wore upon his head. While she didn't care for its continuity, she dared to think that part of his wardrobe called to the lineage that sprung from her. The floral print was beautiful, a homage, and if he were to dull the shine, which she would never do, he would find the color of wheat that was his mother. A smile fled from her lips as quick as it was summoned. She had muted herself so that her children could flourish.

Demeter walked over and sat down next to him, waving at the dealer to let him know she wouldn't be long. 

"Where is she, Plutus?" She did not waste any time in small talk, knowing he would just berate her anyways.
Maureen
"Heeeere she comes." The words were said under contemptuous breath, only audible to the dealer who looked alarmingly toward the door. Many necks craned in the same direction, carrying widened eyes and nervous smiles. Those smart enough to read the room took their winnings and left while those who continued to look through the bottom of a glass remained with their false confidence and clumsy hands. 

Only Plutus couldn't be bothered to flinch or wince. Facing away from the door, he didn't even glance to confirm who glared fire into his back. He could feel it. The burn of her anger, the heat of betrayal - or what he assumed she would claim as betrayal. Their definitions certainly differed on that account. 

Each step in his direction took the spine out of those sitting at his table. One player abandoned his money to take refuge at the bar across the casino. Another gathered what little he had left and went to cash out. The only two left aside from Plutus was the dealer and the roller who seemed to drunk to know who was approaching. 

When she sat next to him, he still didn't look at her, choosing to watch the dice being rolled only to roll his eyes at seeing another seven. "Looks like my luck is running out."
 
Demeter wasn't particularly threatening to look at. She was beautiful and disarming, and those who worshipped her had many good reasons to do so. But her resting bitch face was on par with Scarlett O'Hara, and seasoning it with actual anger made it spicy enough for mortals to be afraid of a goddess of the harvest.

"Put one hundred down for me on the ten," He said to the dealer who still seemed frozen by Demeter's presence. When he didn't first comply, Plutus passed his own version of RBF the man's way which seemed to jumpstart the game. 

"My dearest mother," He said, his tone full of the sarcasm he was known for. "Not even a "Hello" Or a "How are you doing" For your only son? How hurtful." He finished off his wine and raised it up to motion for the server to give him another one. "I'm afraid I don't know what "She" You are talking about."
Megan
The craps table was not her favorite, the rolling of dice showing her diminished luck. Luck she had spent on two children who seemingly hated her. All she wanted was to protect, love, and care for them; but all she got in return was abandonment. Abandonment for what? Love that wasn't true, that wasn't requited? Money, partying, and gambling? These once beautiful, sweet, and innocent children of hers quickly became like the environment in which she tried to keep them. 

Demeter waved her hand in the air, dismissing the formalities yet again. He stated he wanted a hello but she knew it was just his way of combating the question. She did not want to give him a reason to plunge yet another knife into her still-beating heart. She knew her son far better than he wanted to admit.

"Do not act as if you are clueless," She raised an eyebrow at him before throwing up her hand at the server for a glass herself. 'Sauvignon.' She mouthed before the server nodded his head before quickly scurrying off. She would need a drink after this conversation. "I do hope Hades had the decency to use his son's gifts for these wines." She mumbled before looking back at Plutus'. She reached forward and moved a piece of his hair out of his eyes before adjusting his crown. She knew he liked his disheveled look, at least what she presumed to be disheveled, but she would straighten it as much as she could while in his presence. 

"You and your sister have been speaking more recently and something tells me she would talk to you before she would me." She rolled her eyes as if it were a hindrance or a personal jab at her. Her once beautiful and ever-trusting daughter sought her for everything. Especially advise. Now, her baby girl ran away and told her nothing. Running into the arms of Hades who just sat and watched as he threw a hypothetical middle finger in Demeter's direction. 

She leaned back against the black velvet chair and draped her arm across the side as she watched him place yet another b

Et. He stated his luck was running out but it seemed as if it was another statement directed at her.
Maureen
"Oh, mother, I would never," He said as he finished off another glass of wine and set the empty cup on a passing tray. "*She* Is just such a broad term. Are you talking about my secretary? The barista I blessed this morning? Be specific." 

Another roll of the dice. Another loss. Plutus's head dropped back, heavy with annoyance, and when he lifted it back up, his crown was crooked, his hair disheveled. He was about to fix it all himself, but Demeter dared to put her hands on him before he could stop her. His back straightened as she tucked his hair back and adjusted his crown, frozen until realization struck him and he shoved her hands back. 

"*Don't* Touch me," He said, pointing an angry finger at her like he was scolding a child. "Your hands reek of desperation and I can't stand it." Every longing expression on her face, every attempt at a gentle touch begged him for attention. Begged him for love that he no longer felt for her or for anyone else. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was someone who approached him with outstretched hands hoping for a handout. 

He threw another hundred on the table, but his chips scattered across the entire Craps mat, making a mess. It didn't take him long to regain his composure, but his shoulders were still stiff. His voice lost its sharpness, but didn't soften for her benefit. 

"We have spoken more than just recently," He said, rolling his eyes at her assumption that the world revolved around her and no one else. "You don't need to know about every conversation we have. I thought you might have learned by now that hovering has done you no favors."

Another loss. Plutus's nose scrunched up as she shoved the rest of his chips onto the board, going all in. His night of gambling was ruined with bad luck, so betting everything was the only way to get out of there sooner. 

"Either way, I am not telling you where she is," He said, golden eyes meeting hers with sincere, unwavering sternness. "Go waste your time somewhere else."
Megan
"Your secretary is the last person I would be talking about," Just speaking of the vial woman caused a bad taste on her tongue. She wasn't quiet in her distaste either, she had let the woman know as soon as she met her that she had no cares for her hussy transgressions with Plutus. It didn't help that the secretary felt some obligation and freedom to call her Demi, a nickname she had detested her entire life. She rolled her eyes in slight annoyance just at the thought of her. 

The dice bounced against the velvet surface but Demeter's eyes did not leave her son. His retorts and small jabs bounced off her as if she were wearing armor, used to the way he spoke to her as if she were the scum on the bottom of a worn shoe. Yet what he couldn't see was her protection over him despite the way he acted towards her. The subtle way she checked to see if he was okay and that he was doing well. The reason in which she straightened his crown. 

She knew her son was in there somewhere, behind the cold exterior that he had grown over the course of the last few decades. His unwavering misguidance and the blindness to the truth of the matters. Her hand balled in a fist just thinking of the party in which was guilty of causing his loyalty to flip; another one of her stupid brothers that thought they had a right to everything. 

She flinched slightly when his chips scattered across the mat. She didn't always set out to cause him anger but somehow she always did. She leaned forward and reached out a hand with thoughts to comfort him but she knew it would only cause him to stir even more, his anger resulting from her and her actions in the first place.

"I don't expect to know your every conversation. I would like to know that my children are safe so that I may not have to fret for their wellbeing." She knew she could be overbearing. The inability to let her children stray too far for fear of losing them completely had good intentions. She sighed. "I just want to know if she is safe or as safe as she can be." 

The waiter came back with the glasses, his hands slightly shaking as he held the tray towards them both. Demeter wasn't sure who his reaction was towards as she knew she was threatening but Plutus had his own way to cause fear. She took the glass and smiled at the server, showing a cordial front. "Besides, even if you truly did not know of her location I would never be wasting my time talking to you."
Maureen
"I'll be sure to tell Alexis how much you miss her," He said, a smirk darkening across his lips. Demeter's feelings for his secretary wasn't a secret, but neither was Plutus's desire to keep her on just because of how much it pissed his mother off. He often shared his grim satisfaction with Alexis as they did obscene things in his office, and they would laugh together until their mouths or hands were too busy to do anything else. 

There was still some residual stiffness in his body after she touched him. Those that didn't know him well - and there were many - wouldn't notice much of a change. The God of Wealth always had good posture, after all. It frustrated him to no end that his mother was one of the few who would know exactly how her touch affected him. How the feeling crawled under his skin and made him more tense than he would ever admit out loud. 

When she reached for him again, he was ready and recoiled in time to avoid it. "Are you *Deaf*?" He sneered. 

The server returned with the drinks, and Plutus snatched his own and downed it in its entirety before the man could escape. He offered the tray again so that Plutus could set his empty glass back down, but instead, the god carelessly tossed it over his shoulder and let it shatter to the floor somewhere behind him. There were gasps, turning heads, and quiet conversation, but most people turned away to pretend to mind their own business. 

"Your children are adults and can take care of themselves," He said, drumming his fingers on the edge of the table as he waited for the next roll. "They haven't needed your protection in a long time." His eyes snapped toward hers, locking with them. He wanted to make it clear that he was no longer just referring to Persephone.

The roll was thrown. The dice showed twelve. Plutus didn't react despite having won his weight in money after pushing all he had out in the field. He just motioned to the dealer to cash him out as he stood up to leave. Would Demeter follow him or stay put? He didn't know and found himself annoyed with both possibilities. 

"That is something else we disagree on, dear mother," He said. "Because you're certainly wasting mine."
Megan
If the pain of his flench at her touch did not hurt her enough, the words expressing how much he did not appreciate her motherly instincts felt as if they were thrown in her face with a facilitated effort. She could handle the anger and rebellious outbursts that had plagued their relationship, but something about his disgruntled reaction chipped at the piece of her heart reserved for her son. 

Demeter lifts the glass to her lips and takes a long sip before setting the glass on the side table. If she were a worse goddess, one who could not keep her intrusive thoughts to herself like her son, she may have dumped the glass of wine on the table if not only to garner more of his attention. Instead, she simply watched as he grew even more angry at the lack of luck, downing his own glass and throwing it over his shoulder. She didn't look at the glass but instead stared at the side of her son's head. 

"Do you not have any manners anymore?" The tone came out far more cruel than she meant, the motherly tone a digression in the normality she had learned to address her children. "My children are still my children no matter what age they think they are grown. Obviously, you are no adult if you act in this foolish manner. No wonder no one cares for you apart from me and your sister." Her eyes did not leave his as she spoke. The anger was there, always there, lingering under the surface and Plutus was just the person to unleash it upon. A son whose ego stood in front of everything and everyone.

After a deep breath, she collected herself. Taking the last sip of her wine and standing. She would go, like he wanted. He was not giving her any answers tonight and he would not accept the truth she threw back at him. She pulled her jacket over her shoulders and looked up at her son. It had been decades, millenia since he had outgrown her but there was something bittersweet about the thought of it now. His features were so stark in comparison to Iasion "Do not leave because of me. I will go... As it seems I am never welcome when it comes to you." 

Before he could say another word or look at her with hatred yet again, she stepped from the table and walked away.
Maureen
Plutus almost laughed at Demeter's gripes about his manners. It almost felt *Motherly* Of her to criticize him in such a way, though he could have easily turned it right back onto her by saying she was the one who raised him, and therefore, weren't his actions a result of her parenting? He held his tongue, though. Not out of respect for her, but out of respect for himself and his own sanity. He wanted to leave, and if he allowed himself to keep talking to her, his mood would suffer more than it already had. 

He drew the line, though, at the harsh truths being spat in his face. He clenched his jaw and spun around with fire in his golden eyes. His tone didn't quite match his eyes; it was full of snark without the anger, but there were still an edge to it that many wouldn't notice. "Funny you decide to act the "Caring mother" Role *After* Your children can't stand the sight of you." His harsh words bore no guilt in his thoughts; if she wanted drag him through the mud, he would pull her along for the ride. "If I needed someone to care for me, I would have suffered through your presence for much longer than I did."

While her demeanor seemed to calm, his remained rigid. His posture was straight, as always, and he towered over her. Looking down on her was easy, as he felt no love for the woman who gave birth to him. The woman who watched his father die at the hands of his own brother and still dared to side with Poseidon who had maintained Dardanus's loyalty. The woman who took his freedom away by clinging to him, suffocating him in overprotectiveness until the only way he could truly breathe was to break away and distance himself. The woman who forgot about him soon after having another child. The woman who called herself his mother but had long forgotten what that meant.

"The truth, *Dear mother,* Is that Persephone finally figured out what I have known for so long." He looked Demeter up and down as if to emphasize his point. "And it looks like she made the right decision to get as far away from you as she could." 

As Demeter left him there, he hoped those words sank in to her core. He hoped she felt them in her bones and realized that her presence in his life was no longer needed, so if she ever had the urge to seek him out again, she might think twice about doing so.