Heartwarming / Hades

Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

"Who's a good demon doggo!? It's you! And you, and you!"

In a story centered on the Greek Underworld of classical myth, there will be more than a few of these. Hades doesn't miss out on any of them.

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• Zagreus' bond with Cerberus. You can talk to him, and the interactions are no different than a pet owner lovingly chatting with their domestic dog, and you can even pet him! At the end of the Temple of Styx, Cerberus is the one boss Zagreus will absolutely refuse to fight, instead opting for another way out. That is a testament considering that he's let absolutely nothing stop him up 'til then, including other bosses who also weren't truly out to get him, like Megaera. Likewise, Cerberus will not fight Zagreus either, dutifully waiting for a bargaining chip even though Hades himself ordered him to stop Zagreus, making him the only character in the game who defies Hades' direct orders.
  • The only downside to petting Cerberus was that it was linked to the same button used to gift Nectar to allies, which means that if you were low on Nectar, you had to choose between losing one or foregoing petting Cerberus. As of the "Blood Price" update in June 2020, petting Cerberus is now assigned a different button, by popular request. Players love that dog as much as Zagreus does.
  • Whilst most of the lines for "defeating" Cerberus fall under the field of Funny, there's at least one that definitely counts as Heartwarming;
    CERBERUS IMPRESSED (NOT THAT HE DOUBTED YOU)
  • Once Persephone returns, Zagreus notes that he's never seen Cerberus so happy.
  • You can buy a painting of Cerberus to decorate the House with. Zooming in on the art (or looking at the full version uploaded online by artist Jen Zee) shows the three-headed hellhound adorably playing with baby Zagreus, Thanatos, and Megaera — which also means that the three have known each other all their lives.
• Zagreus' relationship with most of the staff in the House is very sweet. He treats them with respect and kindness, and some of them, like Dusa, return it in kind.
  • When Orpheus returns as the court musician, Zagreus does whatever he can to cheer the other person up. He even regales the musician with highly-exaggerated stories of his battles, because it lifts the other's mood which Orpheus immediately believes. This does come back to hilariously bite Zagreus later, but Orpheus is so ecstatic to spread the stories of Zagreus' battles to the world nonetheless. If you buy the lyre, Zagreus eventually gets good at it with enough practice and encouragement to the point that Orpheus himself says they have a second court musician.
• Nyx, in contrast to her usual characterizations in Greek Lore (that is to say, a terrifying primordial being that even the likes of Zeus wouldn't dare to cross), is portrayed here as an unceasingly personable, friendly, and caring mother who does nothing but think of her sons' and daughters' welfare and goes out of her way to look after them. Even after it comes out that Zagreus isn't her biological son, she admits that she will always care for him as one, as exemplified by the line that accompanies her keepsake when you complete her story.
  Through sense of duty, she raised you. From the dark of her heart, she loves you.
  • If the bond with Nyx is fully maxed out, Zagreus admits that while she isn't his mother by blood, she's as much his mother as Persephone, and that he loves her all the same. Nyx loves him all the same as well.
  • Some of her banter with Hades reveals her true power, indirectly confirming her terrifying reputation. She's kind and loving by choice, which is all the more poignant.
• Achilles serves as the absolute best confidant, having trained Zagreus personally, clearly looked out for him, and showed nothing but faith and confidence in him. He genuinely believes that Zagreus is right to pursue his quest and that if he fights hard enough, he'll complete it. Between him and Nyx, Zagreus' close environment is so overwhelmingly positive it easily makes up for Lord Hades' dickery.
• An early flashback establishes that, to help Zagreus find information on his mother, Hypnos put the entire House except Nyx to sleep with none the wiser as a favor to him.
• You can rank up bonds with more than a dozen NPCs. It's a fuzzy feeling, watching Zagreus get closer to everyone around him even as he tries his damnedest to leave their side.
• In a few cases, doing the above will allow you to start a sidequest. Two in particular involve passing messages between lovers who have been separated, and eventually reuniting them.
  • You can rekindle the relationship between Orpheus and Eurydice, who understandably both took it very hard when Orpheus failed his classical quest to retrieve Eurydice from the Underworld. She heals and forgives him of his failure, and he embraces music again and sings her song, "Good Riddance" to the House of Hades. Then you can annul Orpheus's contract so he can see her again, and when they reunite in person, they rekindle their love for one another.
  • You can do the same for Achilles and Patroclus, who very clearly love each other endlessly. When they each get word that Zagreus is in contact with the other, they admit so much that their desire to see each other again is very evident. When you reunite them and enter the chamber they're in, you can hear a part of a conversation they're having, and Achilles calls Patroclus "Pat". They thank Zagreus for letting them reunite again, and Patroclus is noticeably happier than The Eeyore state he's been sporting most of his encounters. And if anyone wondered why Zagreus' most loyal supporter, Achilles, had never given him a Companion item, it's because it comes from Achilles and Patroclus together rather than Achilles alone. The Companion itself summons them side by side to aid Zagreus in a fight.
  • Even before you start the sidequest involving him, ranking up Achilles' affection meter will have him state that while Zagreus is sweet, his heart belongs to someone else.
  • Additionally, reuniting the lovers (and freeing Sisyphus) are all accomplished by finding the pacts...which Zagreus does by asking Nyx where they are and Nyx doesn't hesitate to tell him their exact locations. Once changed or lifted she'll voice her approval but she's especially happy for Achilles, who she is clearly quite fond of. Even Hades, despite grumbling about each changed contract once, doesn't lift a finger to do anything about it ever again.
• Artemis is usually endearingly awkward though always caring toward Zagreus. When she talks about Callisto however, she becomes eager and nearly giggly, downright gushing; you can hear the smile in her voice when she talks about how Callisto is her best friend and she can't wait to introduce Zagreus to her, how she's told her all about him... the casual intimacy and happiness is a noticeable contrast from her usual struggle to relax around people.
  • It's entirely possible and valid to read Artemis and Callisto's relationship as Platonic Life-Partners. However, get her affection meter high enough, talk to her often enough, and you get a warm offhand remark about "My Callisto".
• For all of Theseus' bragging and posturing, he's not all that bad a dude. Asterius openly values him as a friend because Theseus went out of his way to find him and bring him to Elysium to serve as a heroic warrior, something he didn't have to do, and something that most would find odd anyway given that Theseus was his killer.
  • While Theseus is very annoying and arrogant, it’s strongly implied that he is putting on a persona for the fans in the arena. Quite a few of his taunts are clearly meant to play to the fans to give them a good show, and he tends to be far more upset when Zagreus first takes down Asterius than if he himself is defeated first.
  • After winning against him often enough, even Asterius will get annoyed with his constant bragging, to the point of standing up to him in defence of Zagreus. Theseus is legitimately devastated because he thinks Zagreus managed to break their bond of friendship. The fights between this and Asterius assuring him that is not the case are the only ones in which he proclaims at the start that Zagreus will beat them, since they no longer share their bond and teamwork.
  • Asterius is the method by which Zagreus learns how to unlock the hidden aspect of his fists. When asked why he is going through with the process, Asterius makes it very clear that he’s personally inspired by what he saw of Enkidu's relationship with Gilgamesh.
• From the very beginning and in every fight afterward, no matter how much you win or lose in the fight against Theseus and Asterius, there’s always a single red shade in the audience of blue shades that's cheering for you instead, complete with their own small banner of Zagreus. And whenever you win, you can cheer with 'em when you come close.
  Zagreus: We sure showed them, didn't we, my good shade?
  Shade: *grinning*
• There's a lot of interaction with Thanatos that often threads the line between being heartwarming and a tear-jerker.
  • If you wear Thanatos' keepsake and end up taking damage during a fight, Zagreus might apologetically say "Sorry, Than."
    • If you wear the keepsake and run into Thanatos, he'll make note of it, and offer to clear the room by himself while you stand back so that you won't suffer damage for that room and the keepsake can increase your attack.
  • Zagreus will sometimes ask "Death approaches?" before Thanatos appears. There's also the fact that whenever he hears the bell toll, he seems to immediately perk up knowing Thanatos is nearby.
  • Thanatos' first encounter tells the players a lot on the past between the two characters. The fact that out of everyone else in the game, it's Thanatos who tells Zagreus how hurt he felt that Zagreus was attempting to escape the Underworld, and didn't even tell him goodbye. The way the two argue almost makes Thanatos come across as a jilted lover. He then leaves in a huff, but further encounters show that he does care for Zagreus, and he also helps him in what little ways he can.
  • Another conversation has him gently begging Zagreus to come home willingly and to stop what would be him inevitably and painfully returning back to the house. Zagreus understands the reason for Thanatos' words, but tells him that he has to go to the surface so he can see his mother.
  Thanatos: Listen to me. I don't know how else to put this, but I want you to come home. Voluntarily. It's not just you swept up in all this nonsense now. And I know you didn't ask for me to get involved, but what did you expect?
  • Some of the conversations that Thanatos and Zagreus share can be very sweet when he appears during some runs.
  Zagreus: See you at home?
  Thanatos: See you at home.
  • Thanatos is also clearly happy (in his usual stoic manner) when he hears that Zagreus will stay in the Underworld. He even asks again in a follow-up conversation to make sure.
• Getting the affection meters on Megaera and Thanatos high enough will result in them coming out of their brooding, sulky shells and becoming quite friendly, or even falling in love with Zagreus. Just seeing them smile is nothing short of shocking and quite heartwarming.
  • You can romance both Megaera and Thanatos at the same time, and neither of them minds. It's implied that they're both pretty good friends. In fact, a piece of dialogue during the scene with Thanatos in Zagreus' room (if you have romanced both Meg and Than) informs us that Megaera actually encouraged Thanatos to pursue the relationship. Even more heartwarming when taking into context how reserved and uptight Thanatos is.
    Thanatos: Tsch. I've known Megaera longer than you. Who do you think talked me into this?
• Meg and Dusa have a surprisingly sweet friendship as the two can be seen gossiping at the lounge, exchanging stories or cheering the other up. When Dusa asks if Meg would want her sisters here at the House, Meg brushes them off and tells Dusa that she's more of a sister to her than her actual sisters.
• As portrayed in most Greek myths, Artemis is fairly detached and aloof — until someone brings up Achilles. Apparently, she’s a big fan of him, and may even have a crush on him! It's quite possibly the most adorable thing in the world to hear her talk about him. In the epilogue, she finally gets to meet him, and when she mentions it later, her character portrait gets excited sparkles.
  • Especially sweet (and extremely funny) considering how Artemis was one of the most prominent defenders of Troy.
• When using Poseidon's Greater Call, he sounds very protective of Zagreus. There are moments when he'll yell at whoever he's fighting to leave his nephew alone.
• In general, the Olympian Pantheon tends to be very kind to Zagreus. In spite of being a pantheon renowned for pettiness and debauchery, they all welcome Zagreus with open arms, and are all too eager to see him join them upon Mount Olympus. Even during the "Trials of the Gods" when normally spurning a God would result in an everlasting grudge, they are just as quick to forgive him. Even though they decided to help Zagreus mostly to spite Hades (with the exception of Athena) out of said aforementioned pettiness, it's still a lot nicer way to do so than in the original mythology, and they also accept Zagreus as one of their own without hesitation.
  • Athena is the one who called the rest of the Olympians to help, having resolved that it was the right thing to do to help Zagreus, rather than because she could garner any favor or glory through it. Athena will also often try to dissuade Zagreus from gifting her bottles of nectar because she doesn't want him to think of their relationship as transactional. She's more concerned about his well-being than actually getting "rewarded" for helping him.
  • Zeus and Poseidon immediately take to Zagreus and resolve to be his resident Cool Uncle, albeit a bit amusing to watch in action. Poseidon's Papa Wolf behavior can easily crack a smile.
    • When Athena told the Olympians about Zagreus' plight, Poseidon was the first to jump to the call. He may be goofy, but when one of his precious nieces or nephews need help, damn it all, he's going to give it!
  • Artemis, famously moody and aloof, nonetheless tries to befriend Zagreus in her own way, assuring him that You Are Not Alone and achieving Cool Big Sis status very quickly.
  • Dionysus starts out perfectly pleasant to Zagreus and treats him like a best bro.
  • Ares and Aphrodite, perhaps the Olympians most renowned for their spite, nonetheless still befriend Zagreus with all of their respect.
  • Demeter's is perhaps the fuzziest of all. She's downright icy, as anyone would expect her to be, but she will nonetheless take to Zagreus when appeased with nectar, opening up to him about her troubles and coming to see Zagreus as her "little sprout". And once she learns that he’s her grandson, she's absolutely overjoyed.
• At one point Chaos brings up how Zagreus is cloaked in a shadow that's remarkably difficult to track even for them. Once they establish that it’s present because of Nyx, Chaos looks back on a time where they would invite Nyx to try and hide from them and they would go looking for her. That's right, Chaos used to play hide and seek with their daughter.
  • At some point, Chaos abandoned Nyx and now they are not on talking terms… Well, "were", until you reconcile them.
• More so than any of the rest of the family, Artemis alone expresses genuine worry for Zagreus' well-being. Not merely for his success or failure, not the jocular cheering-on of the gods or Aphrodite's spectator-sport attitude or even Athena's calmly concerned guidance; Artemis just… worries about him, for his own sake, because he's a kid who's dying over and over again in a desperate bid for his freedom.
  Artemis: [in tones of genuine fear] You're not alone. You're not alone down there, okay?
  • Artemis is considered an Ineffectual Loner by the other Olympian Gods, but she takes pride in mentioning how the nymphs, particularly Callisto, are her best friends. Should Zagreus build up his bond with Artemis, she will also admit that she considers him one of her close friends, even if they technically have a long-distance relationship due to their circumstances.
• Zagreus finally getting to meet his birth mother, Persephone. At first, their meeting is rocky due to her not believing he’s her son. But after realizing that he's telling the truth (his name and his smoldering feet), she accepts him warmly. Unfortunately, Zagreus can't survive long in the living world, and while he has to return back to the Underworld, he promises to come back to see Persephone, and she tells him to tell Hades that she demands that Zagreus be able to do so. Nyx, after hearing the news and despite being his adopted mother, is equally happy about their reunion and encourages Zagreus to make most of whatever time he has with Persephone, "as mortals do."
• The ending: Persephone decides to return to Hades, and makes him and Zagreus reconcile. Later, Zagreus even feeds a cover story about what happened with her to Olympians to end this overly long family dispute for good. Overall, the happiest ending in Supergiant's games so far.
  • The story of the game is almost always written around the gameplay. On the last visit to Persephone, Hades just lets Zagreus go, overriding the non-trivial gameplay mechanic of having a Final Boss to fight for that run. Hades' decision is such a key detail that the gameplay is changed to serve the story.
• After Persephone makes them reconcile, Hades and Zagreus' relationship improves significantly. They still snark at each other and Hades still scolds Zagreus, but their exchanges are noticeably warmer and much more reminiscent of a healthy father-son relationship. Hades will even warmly greet Zagreus from time to time when he returns to the House. He also starts making a concentrated effort to call Zagreus by his name instead of "boy".
• Once she learns of her relation to Zagreus, Demeter becomes downright doting towards him, proudly referring to him as her grandson and telling him just how happy she is that she can have a relationship with him.
• Hypnos is a huge fan of Asterius and even asks Zagreus if he could ask for his autograph the next time they meet. You can actually ask the bull warrior for one and despite Asterius's insistence that it's not to be given to the god of sleep, you give it to Hypnos anyway to his sheer delight.
• All of the keepsakes get special notes when a bond is maxed out, with a special note about the type of bond the character shares with Zagreus and most of them are completely adorable:
  • Black Shawl
    From Nyx; you share an Eternal Bond
    Through sense of duty, she raised you. From the dark of her heart, she loves you.
  • Pierced Butterfly
    From Thanatos; you share an Undying Bond
    With whom should Death belong, if not with Blood, with Life?
  • Owl Pendant
    From Athena; you share a Knowing Bond
    She anticipated almost every detail, save for the kinship she would feel.
  • Cosmic Egg
    From Primordial Chaos; you share an Infinite Bond
    Even the Origin of All Things seeks to know whimsy and surprise.
  • Chthonic Coin Purse
    From Hypnos; you share a Dreamlike Bond
    His wakeful cheer is genuine, whenever you are there. He dreams, until such time.
  • Harpy Feather Duster
    From Dusa; you share an Immaculate Bond
    She lifts you up without effort. You give her courage to fly.
  • Lucky Tooth
    From Skelly; you share an Unbreakable Bond
    A true and loyal friend shall always stand up for you. Even stand up to you.
  • Conch Shell
    From Poseidon; you share an Unshakable Bond
    He would turn the very tides and sunder the earth for you.
  • Broken Spearpoint
    From Patroclus; you share an Enlightened Bond
    He passed bitterly from mortal life, but with you, rose above it all.
  • Sigil of the Dead
    From Hades; you share an Intractable Bond
    The feared and distant Underworld King knows that his hardest work is still ahead of him.
• How you get the Sigil of the Dead. After beating the story mode, Zagreus can gift his father some ambrosia and states to just take it despite Hades' dislike for it, saying they can try and start fresh with their relationship. While Hades does take it (begrudgingly), he gives his sigil to his son in return, nonchalantly telling Zag to dispose of it. Even Zagreus is speechless by this gesture.
  Zagreus: Father, I don't know what to say...
• The methods by which you max out certain bonds. For most of the NPCs, your bond with them is based on Zagreus' own compassion and determined, selfless acts of kindness. Many of the Olympians' bonds, on the other hand, are contingent on performing certain feats of skill, luck, or a combination of the two. Some of them, however, stand out:
  • Aphrodite's bond depends entirely on your treatment of others; Zagreus has to max out affinity with all three "romance" options. Whether you actually romance anyone is irrelevant; you can choose to remain friends and still achieve the bond. What matters is when Zagreus demonstrates respectful, considerate courtship, kindness in rejection, and emotional honesty, Aphrodite's relationship with him becomes considerably warmer and more sincere. As a counterpoint to the popular portrayal of her as self-centered and hypersensitive to perceived slights, at the end the day, Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love.
  • Similarly, Dionysus' bond is contingent on Zagreus being consistently generous and kind. Form real friendships, give away as much Nectar as you can get your hands on, hand out bottles of priceless ambrosia to the people you care about when you could just as easily hoard it for yourself, or trade it for Diamonds or Titan Blood that Zagreus could use to buy things that would make him personally stronger, and the god of wine and merriment will find in you a kindred spirit.
  • Artemis' bond may be one of the sweetest. Alone among the gods, she asks nothing of you. All it takes for Artemis to love you like her own is for Zagreus to… treat her with kindness. Seek out her company, listen to her when she speaks, and let her open up to you at her own pace without pressuring for more than she's ready to give yet. It's hard for the Goddess of the Hunt to let her guard down, and especially for the troubled loner of Olympus to trust so sincerely that she's willing to gush about her partner—depending on exactly how much of Greek mythology is canon in this universe, telling a strange god about Callisto at all may have required immense faith in Zagreus' character. All you have to do to earn her affection is to make her feel safe.
• After maxing out Thanatos' bond and spending time together in Zagreus' chambers, Thanatos will be questioned by Hades as to why he seems to be falling behind on his duties, noting that he's never late or behind on anything. Thanatos makes up an excuse about the ongoing war above taxing him more than usual, which prompts Hades to sternly tell him not to overexert himself, that his hard work is commendable and that even gods need to take a break sometimes, completely understanding the (admittedly fake) explanation.
• The resolution of Hypnos' subplot is full of heartwarming moments. Thanatos apologizes to Hypnos for being harsh and dismissive towards him, and helps him find a way to improve his work ethics. As a result, Hypnos gets commended for his productivity both by Hades and Nyx, and finally gets chosen as the featured servant of the house. And when you give Hypnos the final bottle of ambrosia...
  Zagreus: One more forbidden exchange, Hypnos. Sometimes when I'm out there and about to die, I catch myself thinking...well, at least Hypnos will share one of his insights about why it is I utterly failed. So here! For all your generous advice.
  Hypnos: Aww, I...feel like I am going to cry, I mean, all my advice is free! You really didn't have to do this. But I sure am glad you did! Even if it is highly illegal! I...I...I...!
  Zagreus: You what, Hypnos? You what?
  Hypnos: ...I think you could be my best friend! Have you...tried being my best friend?
• Once Persephone returns to the underworld and Zagreus starts breaking out in an official capacity, he and Hades start treating their duels on the surface like bonding moments. Hades actually addresses him as "Son" or by his name, will even commend him when he's doing well, and lightly scold him if he thinks he isn't putting his all into it.
  • There is also the whole moment when Hades, upon being reunited with Persephone, acknowledges that he was wrong and Zagreus was right, and gives his son a Heartfelt Apology:
    Hades: Zagreus. I know there have been... times when I've let my mood reflect on you. I've showed very little patience. Questioned your judgement, often, when my own was flawed. Thus, I apologize to you, my son. I have no excuses. And I ask no forgiveness.
• Post-Game, Hades may mention that he's been leaking information on the chaos that Zagreus wreaks in Tartarus to the mortal realm, and that because of it, many mortals are conducting themselves a bit better for fear of winding up in Tartarus. Not only does he commend Zagreus for his hard work, he actually sounds proud of his son.
• On a similar note, it's possible post-game for Zagreus to end up on the Featured Houseservant board. When he goes to needle his father about it as usual, Hades points out (in typically gruff fashion) that he's the one who decides whose picture goes up, elaborating that several other members of the House have repeatedly vouched for him. Zagreus is taken aback, but admits that for all he always thought of the board as a joke, seeing his own face on it felt good.
• After Persephone returns, Zagreus can freely enter Hades' chambers. On one of the walls hangs a portrait of the family, with Zagreus even making note that Cerberus seems so happy now. Even sweeter? Hades' bed now has two pillows on it.
• The staff members' reactions to Zagreus after he becomes an employee for the House is also very sweet.
  • Dusa congratulates him and tells him now they'll finally be able to do co-worker things together. Even though Zagreus points out they've already been doing those activities before Persephone even returned, she cheerfully tells him it wasn't the same.
  • Thanatos may greet Zagreus in an encounter with a smile and telling him he's happy they're now working alongside one another.
  • Zag will even talk to his father on the matter, with the former thinking it meant nothing growing up and just used by Hades to spite his son. Hades in return says he's more than willing to promote hard work, and then congratulates Zagreus formally.
• Dusa may ask why Zagreus has a surface accent (that is, why he speaks with a British accent like Hades and the Olympians instead of an American accent like most of the Underworld's residents). He'll explain that Hades insisted on teaching him to speak himself, so he speaks like the Olympians do. Several flashback dialogues also make it clear that Hades was involved in other aspects of his son's education, including being his first spear instructor before hiring Achilles. While it doesn't make up for his impatience and verbal abuse, Hades did try to have an active role in his son's upbringing.
  • Crossing over with Funny, there's a flashback of Hades encouraging Zagreus to swear by 'Blood and Darkness'. Rather than sounding angry or condescending, he's very calm and nonchalant about the whole thing, so either he noticed Zagreus was frustrated and was searching for a word to vent it, or caught Zagreus about to swear and was just showing that he didn't mind.
  • In yet another flashback, Hades is once again berating Zagreus. But this time, he's berating Zagreus for seeing him (Hades) as a goal to aspire to, telling his son that he should strive to be better than Hades.
• After battling Tisiphone enough, Zagreus helps teach her his name over subsequent meetings and sounds genuinely happy when she's able to say it.
• It takes quite a lot of fights to get there, but over time, even Theseus admits to developing a grudging respect for Zagreus, not that he'd admit it outright. For his part, Zag returns it and says he wouldn't come all this way to destroy just anyone.
• If you battle Alecto after beating Tisiphone in a previous run, she may say no one messes with her sister but her.
• Turning on the music player when Orpheus is nearby may have him comment on your musical tastes. If you turn on "Good Riddance," he'll say "This makes me think of her."
• If Theseus kills you after you kill Asterius, among his usual posturing comments are "Vengeance is mine, dear Asterius!" and "That was for Asterius."
• Dusa and Zagreus's relationship is quite sweet. If her relationship is maxed out and Dusa turns down his romantic feelings, Zagreus is nothing but respectful about it, assuring her his affection was never conditional in that regard, and that he's genuinely happy just to have her friendship in whatever form she's comfortable.
• A number of the upgrades that you can make through the House Contractor is done explicitly to improve the comfort of other denizens such as expanding the lounge to reduce Dusa's workload, buying a chair for Hypnos to rest on, a mirror to give Achilles more to view outside of his post, and bed rest & toys for Cerberus. While Hades grumbles about these needless purchases, the others are always appreciative.
• In the post-game, once Zagreus has sufficiently built up his bonds with the Olympians, Persephone decides to throw a banquet in the underworld and invite them to finally explain the truth and end the feud between the two realms. Zagreus even has the option to invite Chaos, and should he, Chaos is flattered but politely turns him down since they don't believe it's possible for them to make a physical appearance.
• One conversation Athena can have with Zagreus is mentioning that Ares has grown closer to Nyx, and she muses that while she and her brother disagree about so many things, they both are fond of Nyx.
• After the events of the epilogue, Persephone is forced to spend time with her side on the family on Olympus and leaves. When she returns as promised, Zagreus is relieved and tells Hades about his fears that, despite the promise, she might not return. For once, Hades' response sounds understanding and encouraging rather than berating.
  Hades: I shared in that particular concern, and yes... it is good the Queen has once again returned. And she shall have to depart again before we know it, so cherish your time with her, boy!
  Zagreus: Zagreus.
  Hades: (Beat) ...Zagreus.
• After you get Persephone back Hades will still make his old snarky commentary from time to time. One ends up being warmer.
  Hades: That hydra had a family!
  Zagreus: So do I.
• A bit of Heartwarming in Hindsight: the announcement of Hades 2 confirms that despite the issues Persephone and Hades might've needed to work through following their reunion, the fruit of their reconciliation was another child.

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