“Dad?” Kurt asked, his voice coming out barely above a whisper. The ghost in front of him looked confused, turning around and taking in his surroundings. His body looked solid for the most part, Kurt was unable to see the wall on the opposite side of him, but light didn't seem to touch his form the same way it did when he glanced at Blaine, like he was being lit from some other source. “Dad?” he repeated, louder this time.

Burt turned and actually looked at Kurt for the first time and recognition flashed across his face, making him smile before something seemed to occur to him and he looked ready to cry. “Kurt?” Not bothering to respond, Kurt flung his arms around his dad, thankful that he was able to touch him, and tried to control his sobs. “How are you here? You can't be here. You're… you still look so young,” Burt was saying, his own voice sounding choked.

“Kurt's still alive,” Blaine offered when it became clear that Kurt wasn't capable of speech at the moment. “We came here to try and save you.”

Burt looked at him suspiciously over Kurt's shoulder. “And who are you supposed to be?”

Blaine hesitated, not sure which personality he should be introducing, and Kurt answered for him. “His name's Blaine. He helped me get here so we could… I was trying to convince Hades not to take you but I'm too late and I'm so sorry dad.”

“Do you know how long you've been here?” Blaine asked.

Burt shook his head and then readjusted his grip on Kurt's back when it became obvious that his son wasn't going to let go of him anytime soon. “Time doesn't… it doesn't work here. I was standing in a meadow and that's… I don't know how long I've been there.” He glanced at what he could see of Kurt's face again before adding, “I can't have been here very long though. You don't look older.”

“We saw you a week ago and you were still alive, so you haven't been here long,” Blaine explained, sounding awkward to Kurt's ears. “And you won't be going back to that meadow, I made sure of it.”

“And why would you do that? How would you do that?”

“I made a deal with Hades that turned out pretty well. Don't worry about it.”

“You made a deal with Hades for a complete stranger?”

Kurt looked up, though he kept a tight grip on his dad, to see Blaine shrug and look highly uncomfortable. “You deserve Elysium. It's… it's actually the very least I could do.”

Burt looked like he was going to ask more questions, but Kurt changed the subject. “I met Hephaestus, dad. I saw his forge! And he knew who you were. I was… I was supposed to be able to tell you all about it. I tried to get here sooner, I'm so sorry.” Kurt felt his eyes well up again and cursed himself.

“Whoa, hey bud, it's okay. You did everything you could. It's okay. It sounds like I'm getting an upgraded afterlife anyway. I should be thanking you!” Kurt just cried harder and Burt tightened his hug. “What's going to happen to you now?” he finally whispered, sounding as broken as Kurt felt.

“Hades is letting him leave, he'll be fine,” Blaine promised.

“What about after that? I won't be around to protect him and those people in that town…”

“I can help him move. A bigger city, maybe? Corinth or Delphi?”

“Kurt hates Apollo,” Burt protested. “He wouldn't be safe in a city sacred to him. Athens would be better, and it has theaters.”

Kurt managed to move to his dad's side in time to see Blaine's face fall before he nodded and forced a grin. “You're completely right. He'd be much happier in Athens.”

“If it's easier for you to visit me in Delphi I really do think I'd be happier there,” Kurt said with a glare. “Stop making decisions for me.”

“Kurt, just because you made a… a friend who lives there, it doesn't mean you should put yourself in danger like that.”

“I wouldn't be in danger—”

“I do not live in Delphi—”

Realizing Burt couldn't understand them if they were talking over each other, Kurt smiled at Blaine and took a deep breath. “I'll be safe, dad. I promise.”

Burt did not look convinced, “Bud, I love you more than anything but I really don't want to see you here for awhile. The further away you are from Apollo, the better.”

“Apollo is in love with him,” Blaine said flatly. “He'll be fine in Delphi.”

“You can't know that—”

“I know it, Kurt knows it. Apollo would actually do anything for him. We really don't have time to argue this.”

Kurt could feel his face going red, and Burt at least noticed that. “What do you mean, he'd do anything for him?”

Though he still refused to make eye contact with anyone, Kurt answered sheepishly, “Like making a deal with Hades to get my dad into Elysium.”

Burt looked back and forth between the two of them, expression unreadable. “You don't look like a god,” he eventually said. Blaine shrugged and explained, quickly, that he was in disguise and couldn't very well prove his claim, Burt was just going to have to take their word for it, and after Kurt assured him that Blaine was telling the truth, he seemed to grudgingly accept it. “And you'll… you'll look after Kurt?”

“I will do everything I can to make sure he stays safe and as happy as he can be without you.”

“You would try and raise me from the Underworld,” Kurt muttered.

Burt laughed, though the sound was wet. “Kurt, I don't care if I'm at the forge or in the Fields of Punishment. You're my kid and I will always do everything I can for you.”

“I'm sorry I made everything so… difficult for us,” Kurt whispered.

“If you weren't difficult, you wouldn't be my son. I'm proud of you, Kurt. And you don't have to apologize to me for anything, I've loved you since they first handed you to me and nothing you do could ever change that.”

“I don't want to leave you.”

“You're not staying here,” Burt and Blaine both said, before turning to look at each other in what Kurt thought was appreciation.

Burt's form was slowly but surely fading out of sight and he felt less solid even as he hugged Kurt as tightly as he could. “I love you, dad.”

“I love you too, Kurt. And I want you to promise me that you won't do something stupid and end up here for awhile.”

Kurt smiled in spite of himself. “Sometimes I think you know me too well.”

“That doesn't sound like a promise.”

“I promise I won't do something stupid and end up here for awhile,” Kurt said solemnly.  

“And please try not to be completely miserable. I'll be fine here, but I need you to live your life.”

Kurt looked over at Blaine, who was examining a plant and pretending that he couldn't hear everything they were saying. He touched one of the leaves and it melted, causing him to flinch back and then take a few steps away. “I don't think I'll be completely miserable.”

Burt glanced at what Kurt was looking at and snorted out a laugh. “He seems fairly entertaining.”

“And as overprotective as you are.”

“He can also hear what you're saying,” Blaine said. He looked at Burt and frowned. “We don't have much more time, Kurt, and it's really not… healthy for a living mortal to spend too much time here. Are you ready to go?”

Kurt looked at his father and shook his head, “No. Never.” He was pulled into one last hug and a kiss was pressed to the top of his head, hard enough for him to feel it even with this lack of solidity.

“I love you, bud. Take care of yourself.”

“I love you too. And I'll… I'll try. Goodbye dad.”

Before he could answer, Burt vanished. Nothing left to show he was standing there except for the crumpled and sobbing figure of his son.

~

The daylight was almost blinding when they finally made it out of the Underworld. Blaine had wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist and supported most of his weight throughout the return journey, though the whole thing seemed fuzzy in Kurt's mind. Given, everything seemed slightly fuzzy still. He wasn't sure how long he'd spent crying on the floor of Sebastian's sitting room before Blaine bodily dragged him out of there.

It's not safe for you to be here, Kurt and I'm so sorry were the only phrases he could remember, though he was fairly sure there'd been an entire conversation. He did remember a ferry ride, Blaine talking Charon into helping them out of the Underworld, but the details weren't coming to him.

They were at a different entrance than the one they'd entered through, the scenery unfamiliar. Trying to focus on any one particular detail was too difficult; his eyes were refusing to take in any details. He wondered if he'd cried too much for them to work anymore, then realized that the thought was stupid and he was possibly delirious. Blaine had forced him to drink some water that he'd pulled out of his quiver, but he wasn't sure how much it had really helped.

“Blaine?” In another circumstance he probably would've been amused at how quickly Blaine moved to accommodate him. Immediately getting in front of him, grabbing his face and babbling questions about what he could do. Not what he wanted, Kurt noticed, probably because Blaine already knew that he couldn't give that. “I don't know what to do,” he said, trying really very hard not to start crying again.

Blaine pulled his head down, kissing his forehead before wrapping him up in a hug that Kurt collapsed into. “We'll get you home, pack up your things, and then once we're out of that town, I can transport us to Delphi. I'll get you a house near my temple, and nobody will think it's strange that I'm spending so much time there.”

Kurt nodded against Blaine's shoulder, “That sounds nice.”

“It is! And eventually you'll realize that I'm the greatest thing ever—” Kurt laughed weakly and Blaine squeezed him “—and you'll fall madly in love with me, and… something about an ever after. I don't remember. Or know yet. One of the two.”

“You're ridiculous.”

“You'll love me anyway.”

“Do I have to?” Kurt asked, pretending to whine.

“Yes. It's been decreed. Kurts and Blaines for centuries to come shall love each other. It's practically a law.”

“But you keep breaking laws.”

“This one's more important, so I'll break the other laws for it.”

“How romantic.”

“It is. Would it be considered taking advantage of your emotional state if I kissed you right now?”

“Probably. You could do it anyway.” Blaine grinned and pecked Kurt lightly on the lips before attempting to pull back. Kurt, however, was not satisfied with that and grabbed the back of Blaine's neck and pulled him back in for a real kiss. Kurt knew that all of the crying he had done that day had left his lips chapped and probably not as pleasant as Blaine's felt against his, but he couldn't bring himself to feel self conscious about it, not when Blaine's lips were moving so gently against his. Something in his brain clicked and his entire body felt warm. His stomach was doing something completely foreign to him, though not unpleasant and he finally got it. This was why there was such a big deal about soulmates, because there couldn't possibly be a better feeling.

Blaine broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against Kurt's and breathing rather hard. Kurt felt oddly smug by the reaction. “Olympus, you are perfect.”

 “I disagree,” Kurt said, surprised at the sound of his voice. Maybe Blaine wasn't the only one not getting enough air. “We should practice more.” Blaine let out a strangled sounding groan and kissed him again. One of his hands cupped Kurt's cheek while the other grabbed his hip and pulled him closer. Kurt, in turn, wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and hummed happily. Blaine licked across his lower lip and Kurt was about to open his mouth in response when someone coughed. Loudly and pointedly.

Kurt let go of Blaine so he could turn and see who was watching them, then wished he hadn't. As soon as Blaine caught sight of who was standing there, the color drained from his face at an alarming rate and he shifted so he was blocking Kurt from view as much as possible. It wasn't a very effective gesture, as the man was considerably taller than the two of them, and Kurt could see him very clearly. Ten feet tall, at least, with a really ridiculous looking beard and curly, light brown hair. A bright yellow light surrounded him and the air cackled anytime he moved.

“Father,” Blaine said, and Kurt felt his stomach drop.

“Apollo,” Zeus responded, raising an eyebrow. “Is there any particular reason why you're with a mortal outside the Underworld?”

Blaine, to his credit, didn't miss a beat. “I was, well. “Visiting” is a… polite word…” he grinned sheepishly.

Zeus chuckled, “Harassing Hades again, Apollo?”

“Yes, actually. Mostly I wanted to play with Cerberus, but, well… no point in wasting an opportunity, right?”

Zeus nodded, but then looked stern, “And how does this mortal fit into the equation? I do hope you didn't take him from the Underworld.”

“Oh, no. He was taking a walk nearby and, well. He's very pretty, you know?” Zeus didn't look entirely convinced, and was looking at Kurt a little too closely, so Blaine changed the subject. “What are you doing here, father?”

“I had legitimate business with Hades. An affair of mine went… badly. I wanted to ensure the person responsible was punished.”

“Husband get home?” Blaine asked lightly.

Zeus let out a deep sigh and actually looked upset. Kurt might have been convinced to feel sorry for him if his stomach wasn't rebelling at the sight of him. His mother had been an affair that “ended badly”. “She was so gorgeous, Apollo! Red hair and big… eyes. I'm sure they had a color, but it escapes me. It had taken me weeks to seduce her, and she was still resistant!”

“That's such a shame,” Blaine said with mock sympathy. He shifted his weight again, and Kurt realized he was trying to get him even more out of sight.

“I know! Blasted woman. When I finally get somewhere with her, what happens? Her husband shows up! He tries to demand I leave his house and starts threatening me! Can you imagine? He's a doctor and he thinks he could inflict pain on me!”

“The nerve of some people.”

“Exactly! So I produced some lightning. Nothing deadly, but enough to get my point across.”

“How generous of you, giving him a warning.”

“I was in a giving mood. So the woman… what was her name…? It's not important. She starts begging me to let him go! Says she'll give me what I want if I don't hurt her husband. And I can't help but get a bit jealous.”

 “Completely understandable.” Kurt wondered if Zeus really wasn't picking up on the sarcasm of Blaine's statements, or was just so used to hearing the other gods agree with him that he stopped caring if they meant it or not.

“I spend all this time wooing her, and what does she do? Act like being my lover would be a chore! All for some mortal man that she's married to!”

“So you killed them?”

“Don't be ridiculous, Apollo, I still slept with her, made him watch, then I killed them.”

“My mistake.”

“So I'm going to tell Minos that I want them sent to the Fields.”

“That'll teach them.”

 “I certainly hope so.”

“Well, I'll just leave you to that, shall I? You don't want them to end up in the Meadows before you can talk to Minos.”

“Not so fast. I want to know why you're in disguise. I haven't sensed you in… awhile.”

“I was hiding from Artemis. She's mad at me for… existing, I think. You know how she gets.” Zeus nodded his agreement, but still didn't look convinced. Kurt tried to shrink down behind Blaine a bit more. “And I've been around. I spent a few days with Poseidon and just now I had to tamp down on my powers so Hades didn't notice me. Plus, you've been very busy, father. I know how you like to give your full attention to your affairs.”

“That is true. And I have been trying to keep my whereabouts secret from Hera.”

“Completely understandable.”

“I just hate feeling like I'm neglecting my children. I haven't spoken to Athena in days.”

“I had talked to Ares a few days ago and he said—”

“Ares never says anything worth hearing.”

“Right…” Blaine sounded highly uncomfortable and Kurt felt the urge to hug him. With all the other crap that had happened in his life he had never once doubted that his parents loved him. “Well I should be going. I had some, uh, plans for this evening.” Kurt felt his face heat up and the implication but was relieved when Zeus just nodded his understanding with another chuckle and turned to leave.

Blaine grew to his full height, his body starting to glow again, and he reached out a hand to Kurt, hopefully to transport them directly to Delphi and be far, far away from Zeus.

“Oh! Apollo, one more thi—”

Everyone froze and the surrounding air cackled ominously. “You. Boy. You look very familiar.” Kurt felt his heart stop and the aura around Blaine flickered anxiously. You look just like your mother sometimes, his dad used to say to him. It's like I'm looking right at her.

“I don't believe we've ever met, Lord Zeus.”

“No, I do believe we have. You were much younger, of course, and I was visiting your mother.” How it was possible that he could remember something that happened almost ten years ago but couldn't remember the eye color or name of the women he'd just spent weeks with, Kurt wasn't sure.

“I think I'd remember meeting a god.”

“You didn't see me, I made sure of it. And then I do believe that you attacked a temple and Apollo here was forbidden to be anywhere near you.”

Kurt wasn't sure what to say to that, and wondered if denying it would make things better or worse. Apollo, it seemed, didn't have that problem. “If I recall correctly, it was the mother and unborn child we had to stay away from for the sake of your prophecy. Why shouldn't I be allowed to spend time with him?”

“Because I told you not to!” Zeus responded, sounding indignant that someone would dare question him.

“He's my soulmate and you want me to ignore that?!”

“I want you to do as you are told, Apollo! You've already been warned against this, and if it wasn't for your mother and sister begging for mercy, you would've already been punished!” The two gods were screaming at each other, their auras getting bright enough that Kurt's eyes ached anytime he glanced at them, and was forced to look away.

“So you can have as many affairs and children as you like even though your wife makes life miserable for everyone else every time, but I can't be around the one person that would actually matter to me?!”

“He's a mortal, he won't even matter in a few years—”

“I love him. And I understand that you've never loved anyone so you might not be able to comprehend this, but you telling me I couldn't be near him was worse than whatever punishment you could've thought up. And I actually thought that once you realized he was my soulmate you'd see how unfair you were being!”

“I always knew he was your soulmate,” Zeus spat out and Apollo froze. “I heard you mention it to Artemis that you thought you found someone who might be your soulmate, and I went to investigate. He could have been a threat, after all. And guess who I found? His mother.”

“You knew?” Apollo breathed out. “You knew and you still did this to me?”

“He was a mortal, he didn't actually matter.”

“He matters to me! You take whatever mortal you want and you couldn't leave one to me?”

“You're overreacting to this. If he was really that important, you would have found him again. If not, it doesn't matter.”

“I'm not overreacting, you're just evil! If it was Athena who found her soulmate, you would have moved mountains to get them for her! But you actually forbid me to go near mine?!”

“I'm done talking about this, Apollo.”

“Why? Because you know I'm right? You're worse than Cronus!”

“That's enough,” Zeus bellowed. “You've disobeyed me and then disrespected me, and you're done. You'll be sent to Tartarus for the rest of your existence and you can see how bad Cronus really is.”

“You can't!” Kurt yelled, startling himself and the gods fighting in front of him. Zeus looked furious at being interrupted, so Kurt pressed on. “You need Apollo. Sunlight and prophecy are things that suit you, you can't send that away. And… it's my fault that he disobeyed you. I convinced him. It wasn't his fault.”

“Is that so?” Zeus asked, still looking murderous but at least humoring Kurt.

“No it's not,” Apollo said, stepping between the two of them.

“Silence, Apollo. I'm done listening to you.”

“You never started listening to me!”

Zeus snapped his fingers and Apollo's mouth was sealed shut.  “Continue, mortal.”

“I'm not important to anyone but him. I don't even have any skills, I'm completely useless. But Apollo? He's… he's the greatest thing ever. And I don't imagine that Artemis or Poseidon will be very pleased if he was sent to Tartarus.” Plus, Kurt thought as he forced bile down, without Blaine I really don't have anything. There's no way I'll be able to afford moving to Delphi, and without dad around those townspeople will lynch me.

“Get to the point.”

“Kill me instead. It'd be a much worse punishment for him than Tartarus, and you can still use him.”

“So that he can break into the Underworld and visit you in Elysium? No.”

Kurt shook his head rapidly, “He made a deal with Hades, and he's not allowed back in the Underworld for… for quite awhile. He'd have forgotten me by then.”

“And how exactly do you know that?” Zeus asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.

“Apollo told me. He's… actually willing to do a lot for me. Telling me inane stories about Hades included.”

 Zeus looked unconvinced and suddenly turned towards the rock face that held the relatively secret entrance to the Underworld. “HADES! I SUMMON YOU,” he bellowed, the ground shaking with the force of his voice.

 A black mist began to seep from the ground, slowly taking the form of a tall and lanky god, a disgruntled look on his rodent-like face. “Zeus, what a… surprise.”

“Do you know this mortal?” he asked, pointing an accusing finger at Kurt.

Hades made a big show of looking him up and down before answering, “I've never seen him before. Why?”

“Has he ever been a resident of the Underworld? I think that Apollo might have taken him from there.”

Looking quite put upon, Hades stretched an arm out and the same black mist began to circle Kurt's body. It didn't feel like… anything, really, so Kurt managed to fight the urge to panic. “No, he's never been in the Underworld.” Kurt was honestly shocked that Hades was lying for him, but considering what he'd said about hating Zeus, he supposed it did make sense.

“Well that's about to change. I want him sent to the Fields of Punishment. Find something extremely painful for him to spend eternity dealing with.”

“Is there a reason for this?” Hades asked, face impassive. “It's easier to pick a punishment if I know the crime.”

“He's taking Apollo's place. He seduced a god into disobeying me.”

“Quite the crime, I'll make sure to find something fitting.”

“See to it. I'll be down soon for inspection.”

Hades let out a dark sounding laugh, “I do believe that you're not allowed in my domain without permission, brother mine. Just because you're in charge of Olympus does not mean that you have power in the Underworld. You wanted the sky, you got it. I'll punish this mortal, but do not presume to tell me how to run my kingdom.”

Zeus's face turned red, but he let out a snarled “fine” and didn't start a fight. Hades summoned the black smoke again, and used it to drag Kurt over to his side, clearly wanting to get back home as quickly as possible. “Wait!” Kurt suddenly said, realizing something. “You have to swear on the River Styx not to punish Apollo for this if I go with Hades.”

Now Zeus looked truly furious, but it was Hades who spoke up. “You'd best do that, Zeus. If you just kill him out of hand, he'll be in Elysium and this whole… arrangement will be quite meaningless.”

Glaring hatefully at Kurt, Zeus managed to say, “I swear on the River Styx that if you go to the Underworld with Hades, I will not punish Apollo.”

Finally managing to break the spell Zeus put on him, Blaine spoke up. “You can't do this. You promised your dad you wouldn't do anything stupid and get yourself killed!”

Kurt glanced at Hades for permission, which was granted with a nod, and walked over to Blaine, who shrank back down to human size, though he kept his godly aura, and Kurt threw his arms around him. “Saving you isn't stupid,” he whispered.

“I'd be fine in Tartarus, and Artemis would eventually find a way to get me back,” Blaine hissed back even as he clung to Kurt.

“You can't know for sure. And you've done so much for me and my dad; I can do something for you too.”  

“I love you,” Blaine said, sounding so broken about it that Kurt felt his eyes prickle even if he was fairly sure he wasn't physically capable of crying anymore.

“It's about time I did something to earn that,” Kurt responded before kissing Blaine hard before he could argue.

“This is nauseating to watch,” Hades said, sounding more bored than sick. “Let's go.” he snapped his fingers, and Kurt was pulled away from Blaine by an invisible force and the world went dark.