"Stop this, Zeus!" Hera cried, before shrieking and darting out the way of a falling rock. "This has all gone too far!"

"Too far?!" Zeus thundered. "I'll show you too far!" Ganymede caught the crack in his voice right before the man threw himself at them both, not caring who he grabbed or what he did with whoever landed under his hands. His red eyes flared, as the waters of the Lethe jeered him on. Something in the sound caught Ganymede's attention. Beneath the chittering sounds of beetle's wings was a mad, new jabbering of terror.

The shadows of Zeus' fury lashed across the walls, but Hera was right. This had gone too far. He could hear it in the agony in Zeus' roaring, in his lost heartbreak echoing from the chamber walls.

He threw himself over Hades again as more, heavier slabs crashed below them into the Styx, and as he did, he remembered the Oracle's prophecy. As he clamped his eyes shut against the forces shaking around them, he remembered; 'you will be called to answer for those you leave behind'.

"Hey, quick question," Ganymede asked, peeking open one eye. "Can you make a call for me?"

Hades let out the sound of a deflating bellows and lifted one heavy claw to rub the bridge of his nose "What, now? I dunno how many minutes I've got left this month."

"Hades!" he hissed.

"Fine-fine-" With a weak flick of his hand, what little power he could summon pulled together a small, black iron hand-mirror. Ganymede yanked it to his chest, in case the glint of light from the reflective surface caught Zeus' attention. There was so much noise.

He didn't need to specify the recipient - the magic mirror knew what he wanted. The opulent front room of Hercules' manor flashed to life, and young man's shocked face appeared in front of his own.

"What?! You?! This mirror just appeared in my - what's going on?!"

"Heyyy, Herc. Sorry about before." Ganymed knew how pallid, sunken and untrustworthy he looked in the red light of the waterfall. "But you gotta get to the Underworld on the double."

"For the last time!" Hercules began his reply, only for the vantage point to swing as Phil snatched the mirror. The old satyr's face filled the screen as he finished the thought for him;

"You ain't turning this kid against his own father! Now will you creeps butt outta his life and-!"

"This isn't about that anymore!" Ganymede's eyes darted up to the carnage going on above him. It would be so easy to show them what was happening and prove that he had always been right - that they had been narrow-minded jerks who'd kicked him at rock bottom, that he had been trying to do good, in good faith, and that absolutely everything he did had been justified - but then he risked the very thing he was trying to convince Hercules to do.

Maybe Hercules was a better man than he had ever been, and maybe he would see the violence in Zeus' fists and still see something worth saving, but could he gamble a soul on a 'maybe'? His eyes fell to the god beside him. The ceiling shook, he ducked closer against him, and his chest burned when a blue hand came to rest over his only arm.

Hades had promised those creatures a god. They had taken their payment, and though Zeus had accepted the whispers in his ear every step of the way, there was really only one difference between him and Hades of any substance. Hades had, in the end, found someone to pull him back from the edge.

He would not be the one to save Zeus, he was damn sure of that, but he could still line up the shot. His attention snapped back.

"His dad's about to go down!" he barked at Phil, "and if you wanna save whatever's left of him, he's gonna need Hercules!"

The mirror swung again as Hercules pulled it out of Phil's hands, and suddenly he and Ganymede were staring into each others' eyes. Hercules' wide-eyed look sharpened as he judged the sincerity in Ganymede's expression, and he glared straight back, urging him to believe in that sincerity, if nothing else.

Hercules nodded.

"Fine. I'm coming."

Hermes wheeled to the ground in a burst of grey feathers, spinning from the impact of a solid set of knuckles, with a black eye beneath his shattered glasses. Through ringing ears he heard Hera cry out in panic, then through blurry vision saw her spin on her heel and face the two war chariots coming in to flank them. He heard the husky roar from her throat;

"Don't you dare come closer! I'll see you both flogged for it!" The messenger of the gods struggled to his feet and tried to shout at Zeus.

"Get a hold of yourself, man!" He had to fight the roaring of the Lethe to make himself heard. "You've totally flipped out and you're taking all of Olympus down with you!" Zeus' shadow fell over him as he sucked in another breath. "This whole place is falling apart and you're gonna be trapped down here too!"

"Hermes!" Ganymede called over the water as the ceiling crumbled above them. With a flinch of his wings, Hermes forced his attention away from the great danger bearing down on him.

Ganymede braced his single arm over Hades' front as rocks trickled down over their heads. "You gotta get those guys outta here!" He jerked his head towards Zeus' goons.

"What about you?!"

"Our ride's coming!" Ganymede braced again as the chunks fell from the walls. Hades' arm tightened around him and a weak fireball whumfed past his ear. A slab of rock shattered above their heads. Hades jerked his head around at the same time as Ganymede and they both barked, "Go!"

Hermes moved on a dime and raced for Hera. With a cry of pain and outrage, Zeus launched a thunderbolt - Hermes ducked, but it hadn't been aimed at him. Hera's chariot shattered into a million pieces, and her peacocks finally took panicked flight.

"Ho boy," Hermes muttered to himself as the little wings on his heels began to pound against the air. His shackles were heavy enough, but to carry Hera as well - it would be a miracle to make it off the ground with her, let alone make it all the way back to the shattered remains of the Skull.

He dodged a second thunderbolt that had indeed been meant for him, then dove for Hera. She turned to face him and held out her arms as if urging him home, and he grabbed a hold of her wrists. "Alley-oop!" He launched them both into the air.

Ganymede and Hades watched them both vanish with a wince. Hades muttered, "I respect the confidence at least." Ganymede nodded, biting his lip.

Gravity yanked Hermes and his precious cargo straight down despite how hard he tried, but as the water rushed up to swallow them, he found inside of him a second (or third, or fourth) wind. The surface of the water split at the force of the beating of his wings, they hovered suspended in midair as the strength in his heels matched the strength of gravity, and then they rose. He didn't dare lose momentum - they shot for the sky, and then shot for the exit.

"We'll see you on the other side!" he called over his shoulder, "Don't worry, man!"

"What are you waiting for, you fools?!" Zeus boomed as he flung one final thunderbolt over his shoulder towards that streak of blue, "After them!"

Ganymede squeezed himself against Hades, bracing against the chaos. The smell of cold granite lay still around them. What little fire still lapped around them barely had heat enough to burn, but he would rather be here, with him, than anywhere else.

"Sounds like you've come up with something," came Hades' exhausted voice. Their yellow eyes met.

"Call it a Hail Mary."

The sounds around them faded and a heavy sandal stepped into view. Their eyes rose slowly upwards as the red-eyed, black-shadowed figure of Zeus loomed over them. Feeling the tension in the boy's limbs, Hades muttered through his teeth, "Just don't lock up, kay?" Ganymede watched Zeus' every movement as he rose slowly from the ground, and gave the shortest nod of his head.

Then he moved like a thief across Hades' body and circled Zeus as the king of the gods thumped his knuckles into his palm.

"You know what, you little brat?" he said, no humour left, "I've decided that if I'm going to destroy only one person here today, it's going to be you."

Ganymede sneered back at him, clenching his one fist. "Come try it, asshole."

Zeus roared and charged, and Ganymede ran from his outstretched hands with all the grace of a bucket falling down a flight of stairs. Scrambling on all threes, then throwing himself up onto two, he dodged and banked over the dirt as Zeus gave chase.

He was slower than Zeus - most mortals were - and an iron-clad hand slammed shut around his wrist. He snapped around and twisted, slid between the god's feet to double-back on himself, wrenching off his hand like a lizard shedding a tail. Mad with fury, Zeus rounded on him with a bellow of wordless, animal rage, as he threw the hand aside.

"I'll take you apart piece by piece!"

Anger swelled up inside of Ganymede again, filling his remaining limbs with fresh heat, and as he looked into the eyes of Zeus, determination hit him all over again. Words screeched from his chest, and he didn't care at all if they were a show of weakness. They weren't - Zeus ought to have been ashamed to hear them. "YOU ALREADY DID!"

The sound of water rushing suddenly beneath him caught his attention. Under their feet the Styx seemed to be draining away from them, and was sinking down inch by inch.

Hermes banked wide to avoid the falling rocks, followed at his heel by the buzzing of dragonflies' wings. Hera clung to his side and as boulders crashed into the receding waters below, she became keenly aware of the long drop below her and the way it might affect her newfound mortality.

"What's happening?!" she shouted, tugging her cloak over her head with a free hand.

"No clue!" Hermes gripped her tighter as the tunnel gave way. "But I think we're about to find out!"

The monolothic figure of the Great Skull stretched wide in front of them, and Hermes threw on the breaks as both gave out a cry of awe, shock and confusion.

The chamber was filled wiith light, the air sang with voices none of them recognised. The skull's smashed eyes glowed gold and the door - that gigantic, circular portal in the roof of the cavern - overflowed with light. They couldn't see through it, it shone too brightly, but ahead of them the spirits and the river split in half, separating for the first time since the very beginning, and the spirits of the Styx flowed up towards the light faster and easier than if they had been invited into Olympus itself. The gods had scattered.

They stared as the pale, miserable spirits rejoiced and an army of the joyful dead flew up and through the doorway in an endless torrent. The chasm thrummed, spun and came to life as the Underworld threw itself with desperate love towards the light.

Hera stared, her veil falling limp around her face, but Hermes suddenly threw them in a midair circle and let out a cry of delight.

"I know who that is!" he cried, and though his hands were shackled, he reached around her to yank the horn from his belt. Letting out another shout of concern, she clung harder around his shoulders.

"Who?!"

Hermes filled his lungs, remembering the song he had played to the universe. The notes started low as he found his breath, then they soared; clean, proud, grateful, and easy to hear even over the singing and the endless rushing of water.

Then he lowered it and waited with wide eyes and a wider grin. The air still filled with that same music, but then the response came.

Trumpets grander than the biggest parade ever thrown in Zeus' name hailed back at him, repeating the tune he had played but far louder, far richer, and even more welcoming, as if the galaxies he had seen above his head had thrown open their own arms to him finally. He couldn't bear to hesitate, even with a passenger.

"Come on!" he turned breathlessly to her, "I've been wanting to show you this since forever!" Hera let out a whoop of shock as Hermes slung her into his arms and cut through the air on grey and fluttering wings.