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Proof that the remaining 10% is worth failing to escape the Underworld for.

These are recommendations made by tropers for Hades fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

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General Fics

Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.

wear your crown by FaultyParagon (Alternate Link

)

Recommended by: Oecchi, lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Dusa's first gift to the infant Prince Zagreus is a makeshift crown of laurel, made on a whim. She will never regret that day.
Tags: Fluff

the real wares (the friends made along the way) by FaultyParagon (Alternate Link

)

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Charon sees many people on his travels, for the rivers of the Underworld shall carry him wherever the sales may be. He has never seen someone like Zagreus, though. A Charon character study; the first chapter is a joke regarding his status as The Unintelligible while the second chapter is the actual story.

Grounded by tsukinfaerii

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Thanatos had always known Death would be the last thing left when everything else had gone. He'd just thought he'd at least be big enough to reach the top of a table when it happened. Than's perception of Zagreus' birth. (Spoilers for the first clear.)

found a way to rise by renquise

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus gets amnesia from the River Lethe and navigates his way through endless paradise, all while the Underworld mounts an increasingly frantic search for him.

Here, Flowers May Bloom by YukiSkyes

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: In-progress
Synopsis: "I know this is going to sound strange but do we... know each other?" Zagreus blurted out. Too many deaths cause Zagreus's soul, and parts of his memories, to be scattered across the Underworld.

A Reason to Fight by Luck_Kazajian

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus is tired. More tired than an immortal ought to be. The constant insults, fighting, bleeding, and dying are taking their toll on the fiery prince. And this time, when he reaches the coliseum in Elysium, he just can't bring himself to face Theseus again. Despite the boons of the Olympians. Despite Charon's offerings. That's just...not enough. But maybe...maybe Death is?

Still, there is no escape by FieryGaze

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Finally, the reality starts to set in. Zagreus is never getting out no matter what he tries, and is resigned to his fate. But that doesn't mean a way will never be found. Post-game.

cast your blade down upon this sordid earth, then; see what it earns you. by Storm_Warning

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Hades looks at the blade, looks back at his son. Opens his mouth to speak. "Kill me, then," Zagreus spits at him. "I know you want to. Kill me."

God of the Dead, Father of the Never-Alive byishouldwritethatdown

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Every one of the Underworld's resources is diverted tonight (or today) and the dead will have to rule themselves for the time being, for their King first and foremost is a husband and, if all turns out well as Nyx can only hope it does, a father. A story of Zagreus's birth.

Failure Is For Champions by Chapeau_42

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The heroes of Elysium were warned in advance. There was a fiendish demon trying to escape the Underworld, and by order of Lord Hades himself, they were to stop it. Theseus learns a few things fighting Zagreus. The Champion and the Bull are there for each other.

The Betting Pool by SleepDeprivedFemale (Alternate Link

)

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Shades emerge from the Pool of Styx again. Thanatos gets roped into an illicit gambling ring. Hypnos asks for Asterius' autograph. Achilles is going broke. The Fury sisters have an awkward reunion. Hades has a normal one. The House gossips. Zagreus finally escapes the Underworld.

Time We Unseated the Champion by purplefury

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Patroclus and Achilles watch one of Zagreus' battles in Elysium. That's how it starts, at least. Soon they engage in the battle themselves.

Death's Embrace by stygius

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Thanatos develops a migraine from the brightness of the surface world. After bringing Zagreus back to the House of Hades, Hypnos offers to help alleviate the headache via magical Greek god of Sleep superpowers.

The Great Beyond by vinetini

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus makes a possibly stupid, definitely reckless deal with Chaos and has to leave his physical form behind to explore the chaotic realm beyond. His body washes up in the House of Hades, completely lifeless. Whoops.

Troublesome Son by Too_Many_Usernames

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: This is his domain. It ought to bend to his will alone; its residents reverent and untroubled. But Zagreus is trouble and irreverence personified. Or, Hades employs the disguise of a red shade to ensure that his son's escape attempts continue to fail.

The Longest Con by Anonymous

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Sisyphus' reformation was a trick, and he takes advantage of Zagreus's kindness and tales of escaping the Underworld to chain him up in his place and make a break for it. Everyone mobilizes to help Zag and stop the escapee.

A Snowball's Chance in Hell by tsukinofaerii

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus, grandson of Lady Demeter, has a plan to end the long winter brought on by his grandmother's grief. All he has to do is break into the Underworld and free his mother. How hard could it be?

eidólon by xianbeis

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The prince of the Underworld dies and dies again. Death incarnate in all his power is helpless to pluck him from the wheel of fate, cannot with his nimble fingers carve him from the loom of time and tuck him safely within the folds of his chiton. Long post-game, most of the gods are gone, but Life and Death remain.

The Three Sisters by Froster 23

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: After the foolish prince tampered with a specific condition upon the Pact of Punishment, the Furies are unwillingly brought together in order to fulfill the terms created via the pact. While not on good terms, the Furies must find a way to work together on a professional level to put an end to Zagreus' attempts of escaping the underworld... and perhaps heal their broken bond.

Mortal Coil by spiderbirdo

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: An AU where Zagreus makes a deal with Chaos to become mortal so he has more time on the surface to find Persephone. Half of his immortal soul is ripped out, leaving his body a mess, and his mortal self has fuzzy memories of the Underworld and who he is.

Candelight's Glow by ghiblitears

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The first time Thanatos goes to collect a soul he is small, only a few millennia old, knee-high to the average shade. (A oneshot exploring Than's first time on the surface as a young Chthonic god.)

Titanic Implications by Stormtide Leviathan

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: In-progress
Synopsis: Zagreus had climbed to the surface countless times, and despite helping in his mother's return and settling the drama with the Olympians, he couldn't quite get rid of the curiosity. The small voice in the back of his head wondered what it was like to roam about in the mortal realm and even Olympus. One day, he got his chance.

Some Body To Work With by BurningFox6

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus decides to bestow a gift on their lovable little maid far greater than any nectar. Something she's been missing for quite some time now.

His Mother's Eye by BurningFox6

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Hades tried. But he was... never really a good father. How could he be, with that reminder of all he'd lost always looking at him? A peek at his relationship with the boy while he was growing up.

This is a minotaur by LumpyT3l3vision

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Hades reads to Zagreus but they are interrupted by the arrival of a recently dead Achilles. Zagreus plays with Cerberus and learns what a minotaur is.

Refractory Period by Lizard Pie

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Theseus tries to sort his feelings out on Naxos. He just can't escape the notion that he's made a horrible mistake. Maybe several mistakes.

Aftergrowth by charmrry

Recommended by: Oecchi
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When he folds to his knees the first time, cheek against the soft grasses of Athens, heart bleeding out of his chest, he also feels the press of something into his hand. Then, his mother’s words trickle slow, honey-like into his ears, as she says: "There’s too much fruit in this garden for me to eat alone. Share it with someone else you love, until you can share it with me."

River of Death by tarinumenesse

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Kore knew nothing of death, beyond it being a fate her father had suffered. Persephone knew death intimately, and the grief that came alongside it.

Death Insubstantial by Game_Changer

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: In-progress
Synopsis: This time, Thanatos is the one that disappears. An ordinary day/night in the House becomes anything but as Thanatos may have been seriously hurt or even killed. Zagreus and the other residents begin their search for answers, including from the Narrator.

There is No Escape by ishouldwritethatdown

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The only thing that truly separates the Lord of the Dead from a shade bound eternally to Tartarus is a crown. The power to change, to grow, is not one that comes naturally to him, and the harder he resists the bonds he forged to the Underworld, the tighter they become.

Aristos. Aristeia. Arete. by dread_thehalfhanded

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Megara gasps into the air, born into an eternal night, bursting from the red waters of the dark’s incorporeal womb. She drags air into her lungs, beats her limbs against the hungry tide, and swims for a dim shore. Around her, she hears splashing, gasping—and suddenly she is not alone. They are here, too. The story of the Furies' birth and recruitment into the House of Hades.

Lock Me Up in Tartarus by Erlkonig (Alternate Link

)

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: "Thanatos has been banished to Tartarus," Hades announced furiously. Zagreus flared up in a rage. "You really banished him? How dare you?" Hades drew a large hand over his face, exasperated. "No, you fool. The Pact banished him!" (Angst for undying Underworld gods who cannot be killed in a way that matters.)

Sometimes people are not murderers by JungTaco

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zag wants to befriend Tisiphone, and though it's a rocky road, he succeeds.

Red, Like Blood by ttacticianmagician

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A story of how the Red Shade became Zagreus's first fan and encouraged him to keep trying in Elysium.

The Past, in Brushstrokes by surprisepink

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Asterius is invited to the House of Hades to celebrate Zagreus' birthday, and there he finds Theseus' portrait.

When Roots Tangle by ishouldwritethatdown

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: As Persephone and Zagreus make up for lost time, he learns more about her past as Queen of Hades and she reflects on various visitors to the Underworld. Not many have the privilege to "visit" the realm of the dead and live to tell about it, but the ones who do certainly make an impression.

Void by Viscariafields

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Hera, believing Zagreus to be the son of Zeus, attacks him and leaves him lifeless and seemingly unable to wake. As the House of Hades prepares to defend itself, its inhabitants grapple with the possibility of losing Zagreus for good.

wasting beats of this heart of mine by Arget Cross

Recommended by: somnicordia
Status: In-progress
Synopsis: "You sound like a mortal." She said, with the faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes. Zagreus chortled too, but then fell silent. Nyx gave him a knowing look. "What is it, my child?"

"You said the curse is tied into my godhood, right? What if..." The words tasted unnatural in his mouth, a blasphemy before they could even take shape in the air. Zagreus coughed them out regardless. "What if I could shed my divinity? What if I became a mortal?"

—Or, despite being a god, Zagreus keeps running out of time. A "Zagreus Becomes Mortal" AU.

Torn 'Twixt Love and Duty by Red Berin

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The story of Zagreus's birth, Persephone's grief and decision to leave, and how Nyx convinced her daughters to spare Zagreus.

In Need of a Teacher

by MsWriterPerson

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A Hades II inspired fic focusing on Melinoe, how she became Hecate's student, and her relationship with Zagreus.

by OneUniqueWriter

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When a skirmish in Elysium reminds Thanatos of being captured by Sisyphus, Zagreus helps him deal with the trauma involved.

hook, line, and sinker

by mellohirust

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus and Hades finally go on that father-son fishing trip, and while it doesn't go as well as it could, increments of progress are better than none at all.

The Shape of You by ThereAndGone

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When a shade is bribed to attack Zagreus, rendering him an empty shell, Thanatos takes on a quest to become mortal in search of answers and a potential cure.

First of the Friends by fatedwyvernlord

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A Hades II pre-canon fic where young Melinoe befriends Meg, which gives her an edge when playing with her brother.

Crack/Humor Fics

What's a God to a Goose? by elseifstars

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: It's a beautiful day in Elysium and you are a horrible goose. Crossover with Untitled Goose Game.

it's done on a diamond, and for fun by friendly_ficus

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: In-progress
Synopsis: Zagreus comes back from a season-ending injury with a vengeance. This is his year, it has to be. The Minor League Baseball AU nobody asked for.

Who Broke It? by t3h maniac

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The Lord and Master's favourite drinking vessel has been destroyed, and the God of the Dead wishes to know who the one responsible was. Unfortunately none of the denizens of the House of Hades are going to be much help.

Moo & You by surprisepink

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: “Do you,” Theseus says slowly, “Not know what a cow is?” Asterius snorts, and shakes his head. Realizing his friend doesn't know of his heritage, Theseus and Asterius set out to find and explain the concept of a cow.

in flagrante delicto by jonphaedrus

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: “What. Are you doing to the king’s car.” Modern AU where Zagreus, Thanatos, Patroclus, and Dionysus team up to trash the biggest eyesore in the neighborhood, Theseus's prized car.

By the Queen's Decree by galoots

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When Persephone asks if Hades has ever hugged their son, the Ruler of the Dead takes the question a bit too seriously and attempts to remedy the situation. Cue the Underworld's most stilted and awkward hug to ever exist.

Trust fall by AliaMael

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus never slows down, right? He doesn't sit, doesn't sleep...In truth, Zagreus is very good at ignoring his exhaustion. Until he's not anymore. Everyone is there to catch him, though.

This Means War by Luddleston

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: In order to avoid having to spend the summer with his father, Zagreus volunteers at the summer camp his mother runs, and quickly discovers that the two halves of the camp aren't just locked in a friendly competition. It's an all-out battle. Or: the Trojan War, but summer camp.

A Thankless Task by DoveHeart

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: In-progress
Synopsis: Hades is just trying to do his job, but the House's residents make it difficult. A series of short scenes from the House of Hades.

The Sleepy Prince of the Underworld by MsThunderFrost

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A fill for the "Zagreus falls asleep anywhere" prompt, including encounters with Charon, Theseus and Asterius, Hypnos, Achilles and Patroclus, Hades, and Thanatos.

cerberus the big red dog by SamCyberCat

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: It's a lovely non-descript time of day (or night) in the underworld and you are a chaotic three-headed dog. Cerberus realises that there's literally a walking pile of bones out in the courtyard and decides to chase Skelly half way across Tartarus trying to get them. No skeletons are harmed in the making of this fanfic, but one boulder is attacked.

Incomplete Codex of Encountered Surface Denizens by Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld by reptilianraven

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus makes his own codex of creatures that live on the surface, some being more accurate than others.

Zagreus, God of Home Decorating by ConceptuallyAvian

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: In-progress
Synopsis: The more he returns to the House of Hades with gems in tow, the more Zagreus realizes his true calling...interior design.

Shipping Fics

Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

hurry me down to Death and His embrace by juurensha

Recommended by: Oecchi
Status: Complete
Synopsis: To Zagreus' dismay (although not surprise), the brainstorming session was not going well. To be fair to his fellow frat brothers, they had barely any idea how to woo someone completely unaffiliated with Greek life, much less Thanatos, Zagreus' childhood best friend and triple English literature, philosophy, and history major who had recently transferred to their university and absolutely hated Zagreus’ guts for running off to such a faraway university and leaving him behind.
Pairings: Thanatos/Zagreus, background Achilles/Patroclus and Asterius/Theseus
Tags: Alternate Universe Fic

are you tired, because you've been running through the labyrinth of my heart for so long by juurensha

Recommended by: Oecchi
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Asterius wasn’t sure why his half-sister’s ex kept coming to his gym and tagging him in workout pictures afterwards, but he wasn’t complaining; it helped him keep track of their shared workouts. It was a little weird that these pictures were all of Theseus shirtless and sweaty, but that was how good workouts usually ended.
Pairing: Asterius/Theseus
Tags: Alternate Universe Fic
Note: This fic takes place in the same universe as hurry me down to Death and his embrace.

Home is not where you live (but who cares when you're gone) by Sevi007

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Ages upon ages, the two gods had been searching in vain. In the end, what they had been looking for could could not be found above, below or in between - for it has never been a place, but a person.
Pairing: Hades/Persephone

Ambrosia by tadok0ro

Recommended by: Oecchi
Status: Complete
Synopsis: "Horrible," Asterius manages between coughs. "Horrible?" "That stuff. Tastes horrible." Or: Theseus realizes Asterius can't enjoy Ambrosia and takes it upon himself to remedy that.
Pairing: Asterius/Theseus
Tags: Pre-Canon

stay down, supine, stay down by sungazer

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: After making it past Hades once, Zagreus has consistently failed after that, and Thanatos is forced to wrestle with his increasing anger and complex feelings.
Pairing: Zagreus/Thanatos

The Answer by solisaureus

Recommended by: Oecchi
Status: Complete
Synopsis: While Zagreus is struggling to come up with an answer for Thanatos, he asks Achilles when he first knew that he was in love with his closest friend. (This takes place in the setting of Hades with the video game iterations of Achilles and Patroclus, but the background is drawn heavily from what is portrayed in The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.)
Pairings: Thanatos/Zagreus, Achilles/Patroclus

(Mort)ified by ver_ironica

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus confesses his feelings for Thanatos to Mort, unaware that owners of Cthonic Companions can hear what's being said to them.
Pairing: Zagreus/Thanatos

Paradise Surrendered by MuseOfWriting

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The House of Hades is a strange place for those who can remember the surface. It is a lonely place for those who remember who and what they have lost. It is a silent place, full of lost hopes. Still. Even in loneliness and silence, something like friendship can take shape.
Pairing: Achilles/Patroclus, background Orpheus/Eurydice

Growing Pains by AceQueenKing

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Hades thinks Persephone is perfect, except for one thing: she only comes up to his mid-thigh. The ins and outs of navigating a new relationship.
Pairing: Hades/Persephone

Bloodroot by surprisepink

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Eurydice always did like to find companionship in unexpected places. Set before Eurydice and Orpheus are reunited.
Pairing: Eurydice/Tisiphone, past Orpheus/Eurydice

Pomegranate Seeds by missmungoe

Recommend by Tsukiyo, lalalei2001
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: Returning to the House of Hades is only a journey by riverboat. Coming home...takes a little longer.
Pairing: Hades/Persephone

Pride and Blood by missmungoe

Recommeded by: Oecchi
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The House of Hades sees something of a renovation, including the Prince’s relationship with his father, although the House Contractor can’t take credit for the last one.
Pairing: Hades/Persephone

The Diary of Achilles by NobodyHasBlindedMe

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: In-progress
Synopsis: Achilles wrote the Codex to detail the lives and characteristics of gods, chthonics, monsters, and realms. But in the Codex, he is hesitant to tell his own tales but he does write them down. What starts as recommended therapy turns into something more. Herein is the diary of the greatest of Greeks: his life and glory in his own hand.
Pairing: Achilles/Patroclus

reach out and grasp by toushindai (WallofIllusion)

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Megaera knows well her place in the Underworld. She understands the shape of her responsibilities, the walls of her limits, how she fits within them. But things always shift when someone else gets involved—even Thanatos, who is as dutiful as she. So add Zagreus to the mix, and things really get complicated.
Pairings: Megaera/Thanatos, Megaera/Zagreus, Thanatos/Zagreus, Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus

A Thousand Reunions by arysthaeniru

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Eurydice is still adjusting to this new Orpheus, with his matted hair, and soulful expression. Good thing she has an eternity to figure it out.
Pairing: Orpheus/Eurydice

Midnight Ocean by Konigsberg

Recommended by: StrawberryFireball
Status: In-Progress
Synopsis: Raised by his mother far away from both Olympus and the Underworld, a strange series of events leads Zagreus to meeting a faceless, nameless Chthonic god.
Pairing: Zagreus/Thanatos

Dark Fics

in flashbacks and echoes by trixstar

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zagreus is cursed by Hades to forget every time he dies in his traversals, which takes an increasingly harsh toll on his mental state, relationships, and general well-being.

Divine Punishment by spacesix

Recommended by: lalalei2001
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Lord Hades is getting tired of his son's constant attempts to escape, and even more so of the boy's friends not stopping him and bringing him home like they were tasked with doing. There are reasons for Zagreus being kept here against his will.

Crossover Fics

The Times That Zagreus Got Killed By A Very Angry Man Who Was Also His Cousin by EarthScorpion

Recommend by: Gordhanx
Status: Ongoing
Crossover with: God of War
Synopsis: Zagreus' escape attempts out of the Underworld take a sudden turn when he runs into a very angry, brutal cousin of his, who keeps killing him at every turn. Looks like some family issues are easier to resolve than others.
Comments: A really fun and enjoyable read, featuring Zagreus running into and getting continuously killed by Kratos during his travels. The writing feels right out of the games themselves and the way the author manages to merge the continuity of Hades with GOW, is very well done.

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