And perhaps he has heard them, because the towering man with a long beard and laurels similar to Zagreus's on his head yells "BOY!" from behind his desk all the way across the hall. Despite the distance, his voice is loud and reverberating enough to literally shake the walls.

"And that's our cue," sighs Zagreus, starting towards his father with resignation in his step.

Oh nooooooo social anxietyyyyy her one true weaknesssss aaaaaaa. Can she melt into a puddle on the floor and pretend she doesn't exist? No? Probably not? Probably that would just be embarrassing to do to this person that she doesn't need or want the respect of, but nonetheless has a very loud shouty voice that makes him scarier than he should be? Whine.

She nonetheless follows after Zagreus. ... While floating. Because that seems to be the done thing here, and walking while dealing with social anxiety sounds hard.

"Good luck!" calls Hypnos after them with a small wave.

Before Hades has time to say anything Zagreus preempts him by saying, "Hello, Father, fancy seeing you here. And not, it seems, Cerberus. Is he still guarding the gate? I feel guilty about that."

"What," Hades replies, "have you brought into my halls?"

"Why, Father, only myself. I cannot carry any belongings other than my clothes when I die, as you should be aware of by now."

"Do not play these games with me, boy."

"It's fine," she murmurs to Zagreus. "Hello, Lord Hades." Would you rather I have stayed up there and tried to escape entirely? she doesn't ask, but definitely thinks. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she adds, even though it isn't.

"Oh, it talks."

"She," corrects Zagreus, "was personally invited here by Lord Chaos."

... Wow, what the fuck. She knew his dad was an asshole, but wow.

She is actually too upset to come up with any kind of snappy reply. Yvette's never been called an it before, she has no idea what to do with it.

"Your dalliances with titans do you no favours, boy." It's kind of incredible how he always manages to make that word sound more insulting than any actual insults. He turns his attention to Yvette. "Well, then. Who are you and what are you doing in my domain?"

(By now the shades that typically mill about, plus the ones that have come to petition, have all stopped whatever they're doing to watch in fascination.)

Surely this isn't the first time Zagreus has brought a girl home. No, don't say that out loud, that would make this worse. Probably.

"Yvette Lane, and..." being yelled at and insulted for no reason is also not a good answer. "... Zagreus is my friend, I wanted to make sure he was okay."

"My domain is all of the Underworld. What are you doing here?" he repeats.

"Were you not paying attention, father? I just said. She is Lord Chaos's guest, from another world. A visitor, if you will. We should show her hospitality."

"Chaos chose to leave the world eons ago. What they wish to do wherever it is they dwell is their problem; they have no rights here. I certainly did not invite her."

"Would that the designs of Chaos waited for invitation, but you know as well as I, Hades, that they are beyond such things," says a beautiful woman in deep purple who looks like the night itself.

Hades turns his enormous head to look at the woman and frowns. "The rules of this realm are not to be flaunted, not by them, not by anyone," he says, but his voice sounds... tenser. He is definitely speaking to an equal... or more... now.

"And none have been broken. Look upon this young goddess before you, brought into this existence by Chaos and drinking of the waters of Phlegethon, giving aid to the Prince of the Underworld and following him to the House of Hades over stepping outside of its borders. Do you think she is like to an Olympian, intruding upon a kingdom that is not her own?"

(... Wait, did she eat the pomegranate by drinking the fire river. Shit, she kind of did, didn't she. Uh. ... At least it's helping the night goddess argue for her Underworld citizenship??? At least that's what she thinks is happening??)

"Goddess? This creature is not a goddess. She is as different from you or I as Chaos themself is."

"So said the Titans of their children, and yet deities they were regardless."

"Well, what is she a goddess of, then?"

"What am I?"