"Well, let's see, then," says Zagreus, looking around—and who's there on the side but Charon himself!

H̤̙̫̬̪̰̰ͣ̄ͦ̆̾͂͐͐r̨̦̳͙͓͇̞̜̞͌́͆̋͐r̸̨̥͉̻̫̼̥͒̐ͪ̄ͧͮͅr̫̦͉̠ͬ̄̉̒ͦg̡̤̭͉̻̪̠̲̜͚̊̃ͩͬ̈ę̴̫͙͚̳̤͇͛̑͞e̮̲̥̥̫̺̋̽͡e̸̤ͯͦ̏ͧ̊͝e̵̠̤̳̝͉̐ͪ͛͘eͣ͒ͦ͏̛̭̜ẻͬ̒ͣ̐͏͎͕e͚͕͛̆̄̎͝͞ê̒ͭ̐̇͏͍͙͎͇̹͈͖͇h̵̴̰͔ͧ̓͛͋ͯ̈͛ͪh͙͉̼̹ͧ̒͋͆̅h̹̲͎̥̜̻̄̏̏͛͠h͙̗ͨͮ͜h̦͈̙̳ͤͦ̄͗h̦̝̤̤̳ͥ̎ͦ̀̉̌ḫ̶͇̝͙͉̻͚̽ͬ͞h̲͔̎͗ͫ̊͑̔́͆́͢͞.͖̜͍̦̲̣̦͌̆

"Hello! I suppose it was both much easier for you to get here, since there wasn't a pair of champions in your way, and that Zagreus is enough of a big spender to be worth all of the trouble."

Ṫ̶̥͔̲̙̰̠̼͇͕̆̈͠k̋̑̂ͨ̌̚҉̥̩̩͎k͉̱͇͎̪̞̅́́͢h̨͚͓̩̦̓̑̅̈͆̓͜h̷̴̨̤̪̲͎͕̒̈́̆h̷̸͍̖̠̪͐ͅ ̖͍̺ͮ͠ḧ̞ͧ́͠s̟̘͕͍͔̟̥̐̃͞a̛͒͆ͩ҉̞̰h̼̜̭ͭ̂͐͂͆̓̂ͣ̾͘͟͠h͇̳͒ͫ̂̍̋̇͂̎͢h̶͖͚̦͕̳͚͔̘̠̀̄̏ͥͧ̔h̡̺̮̯͒̎ͪ͑̈̐͛ͫh̼̪̻͋ͬ͂ͭ͊͑͑̃͛͘ḧ̫̣̪͔ͨͦ́̇͠h̨͎̺͉̝ͥ̅̉ͦͣ̏̃͗.̨̨̥ͥ̃͐͋́̂ͮ́

"Oh, well, fair enough. Though uh, isn't Zagreus defying the House of Hades by... running off? There's no conflict of interest against the greater whole, there?"

Questioning look?

S̟̙͍͉̿̔̈͐̊ͬ̈́ͧ̅ḣ̴͖̫̱̯̘̬͇ͧ̔̐̐ͧ͢͡ͅh̬͖̞͙̗̝̟͙ͩ̽͋̇ͯ̾͌̂h̗͔̯̼͔̬͈̩̾̈͑̆̕h̸̗̤͓̯̼͊͆̐̒͘ẖͦ̈́͌ͥ̂ͅy͖͓ͧ̓̉͊̉̿̚̚ȇ̾͊ͥͯ̚͏̡̖͖͈̩̩̝k̵̡̖̥̹ͭ̂̆͑̌ͅ ̷̟̹͈̩ͤͩͮ̂̊͛̅̓ͩ́r̷̞̠̳͑̔́r̡̬̩̣͕͌ͩ̈̈͗ͪ̍h̲̣͐̌̐̾ͫ̌͛̀͜h͈̖̲̻̤̬̗̣͗͊̽ͯ̅͞a̴̸̯̟͎̦͍̣͌͟a̡̧̱̖͍͔̜̟ͫ͊͗͑̋͂ͩ̓͛a̰͓̼̦̙̪̦͆͋ͪͥ͛̈̒ͦ͝ä̧̳̱̖̤̙́̾͆̋ͩͣ͗̇͞͞h̗̪͖͙̣̰̗͉̔̓̉h̯͇̟̣̼̼̅ͤ̿͂ͧ͊̏́k̥̖̼̃̃̃͒̽̐͆ͨ̀͘͜k̢̛̤͈̣̘͋ͦͥ͢k̩̖͉̼̘͍͖̞̀͐̄̆̕k̡̥̣̹̣͚̩̩̱͆ͤͤ̎̂̾̀.̥̮̯͇̍̃̐͌ͭ̚͡

“He said that he’s here out of loyalty to the House of Hades, and that you’re the prince, so here he is. I asked about conflicts of interest, and he says that Hades is not necessarily correct about what the House’s interests are. Then basically that he thinks you’re right. And, well, I agree, Charon, but I hope it won’t get you in hot water with Hades himself.”

"Oh. Thanks for the vote of confidence, mate!"

K̶̼̹̪͖͕̯͍͖ͮͥ͒̇͊̚ͅh͍̭̰̭̞̼̿͊͌̂ͪ̄͛̚h̴̰̱̦̘͎ͧ̏̅͞h͓̦͖̰ͩ̚͞h̵̢̼̖̘͈ͥ̔͛̂͠ŗ̢͖̺͎̩̪͉̮͍ͫ͛̂.̜͖̘͆̓̀͆̓ͯ̕.͖̬̟̟̆̊͒͒͊ͬ.̯̖͉ͮ͊̆̆ͤ̔̿̇ͭ?̓̔͟҉̹̭͓̰ ̘̓̃͛ͭͦ̕R̷̯̟̯͚̈͋a̖̻̅͆̉͡k̷ͧ̇̌͒̀͐̃ͫ̚҉͎͚͙̙̰̫̼h̑̓̎͆̏̊̎̍҉̡̮̟̲͙̹̳̰ͅt̪͉̹̝ͭ͗̾͌̉ͫ̅͒ḁ͙̙̲̳̫̘͙ͮ͗̈́̂̇̌̅̍̾s̨̯͔̻̼̪͍̥ͬ̓̽̌ͤ͂͛̚͜s̛͉̥̀̈ͥ͋̿̒ͫṡ̤͞s̛̜̍̄͛͑͢͞s̈́̃̈҉̙͉̳̬͡.̙͕͚̹̫ͣ̐ͥͫ̽ͬͮ̿̚͜

“Oh, fine. He was implying that he thought you were right, but did not actually outright say it. Just that you might be.”

"Well, I'm still thankful. Let's see what we have, here, then," says Zagreus, looking over at the wares on offer. "Hmm, bit pricey, here, isn't it? Sure you can't give a friend a discount?"

K̗͈̪͇̥̥̠̠̓͂̆̓̇̋̓́̕h̶̲͖̞̱͓̟͉͗̅ͩ̍ͭ͢͜a̍̉͊͊̅̇̇͊͜͏̬̘ẖ̟̘̝̮͖̘̻̿͊̒̕h̤̬̣̮͉̳̤̃ͦ̓͌̆͞h͖͓̀̓͌͆͊͌͠͡h̥͖̲ͯ̆̌̚̚͢t̤͚̘͖͇͓̑͡ä͕̬͂h͗̇ͦ̌͏̫̫̼̼̳̪̥̟̘.ͨ̏҉̵̱̜̮̥̹̞

Giggle.

“In his words, he is loyal, not stupid. So that would be a no.”

"Shame. Maybe I'll find some more obols wherever those Satyr rats are."

“Maybe,” says Yvette, a little dubiously.

"We've been finding them in very unlikely places haven't we?"

"True. I suppose you'd know better than I. It's just a little strange for pests to have money on them. Unless we're ransacking your father's things again?"

"We are definitely ransacking some things," he agrees.

"Oh, then that makes perfect sense. Bought everything you want, shall we go?"

"Bought nothing as I'm short on coin, so yes indeed!"

"Well, you could have had even more coin tucked away in that robe of yours, how am I supposed to know! If I were royalty trying to run away from home, I would have all of the money on me I could reasonably carry, and lots of jewelry to pawn besides."

"Charon doesn't accept gems, just obols, but they are not allowed anywhere in my father's House. Or used. And I lose them all when I die. Sooooo."

"Oh, I see. So you only get spending money by ransacking. What a terrible incentive structure. ... Well? Are you just going to stand there, Zagreus? I'm still a shoulder decoration, I can grow legs and walk but I can't really walk for you."

He blinks slowly and looks around. "I have no idea where to go, actually."