"... Wow. Really? That's kind of sad. I bet a lot of shades want to help make things better, they just... can't interface with this system."

"That's part of the issue, yes."

"Mm. Well. I suppose I start with offering to help with the flooding of Asphodel, and go from there. Is there paperwork I need to do in order to do that? Because I bet Lord Hades will not appreciate it if I just go and do it without explicit permission and everything in perfect order."

"Yes. Although Nyx would be your best bet at figuring it out, I believe she is the only one who will remember about any specific pieces of paperwork other than Lord Hades himself."

"Okay. I'll ask her for help. I like her, she's been very nice."

He nods, and folds his arms to stare at the Styx again.

He's a very cute god of death. She doesn't tell him this, because he seems easily embarrassed, but it's true.

Companionable leaning! As a small little starscape blob. She absolutely does not see what he sees in the Styx at all. She can pick out some shades floating in it, but. It's not nearly as interesting as people watching or something. Mostly she works on figuring out a hairstyle. Some of the mortals she saw when she was tagging along with Thanatos had various non-Nyx hairstyles, maybe she can borrow from one of those. Though she didn't pay much attention to the construction of them, so, hmm.

"Take me with you next time you head off to work, please? I want to get hairstyle and fashion ideas. ... And also steal people from you, but. I mean. I can multitask."

"...sure. And speaking of, I should be getting back to work."

"Works for me," she says, brightly.

"Ready?"

The little bundle of starscape nestles comfortably on his shoulder.

"Ready!"

Guh-dong.

Back to the war, back to feeling Athena's and Ares's influences making this all much messier and bloodier than it needed to be.

She hates it! It's terrible. She wants to overthrow the gods a little.

Mostly she's not going to interfere and focus on playing music again, because yet another god adding in power to draw this out sounds like it'll make things worse, not better. Still, she has more power to work with for this stint as death's shoulder buddy, so she can in fact save people. Mostly the ones that are likely to actually survive the day and uninvolved in the thick of the fighting, instead of the ones that are in the middle of it. The medical tent can have many of her blessings! The men there are unlikely to immediately jump back into battle. Also civilians that get caught in the crossfire, she will save the hell out of any civilians.

Thanatos fusses a bit the first time she does this, watching her target's lifeline get extended before his eyes with his breath held. After nothing bad seems to happen for a second or two he relaxes and goes on with the rest of his... unit of time.

Excellent! Then she's free to gleefully steal some people from him. When it won't make this war immediately worse.

There's one... who looks quite beat up.

    "L-Lord Thanatos," he says, looking up from his death bed. "I'm gone, then?"

"Not quite. It's not as bad as it looks." He inclines his head to let Yvette at the boy. Covered in blood almost head to toe, and already lost a lot... He would die, without help. But his wounds are bandaged and not as deep as they look, and his lost blood can always be... replenished.

Oh, uh. Yeah she probably owes this guy some kind of explanation, considering he's literally seen death himself. A lot of the others weren't conscious for this and couldn't ask questions.

"Hey," she says, and she properly materializes her Chthonic form (with hair up) beside him as she gets to work. "This is just a brief meeting with him. Take it as a reason to live life to the fullest, yeah?"

    "M-my Lady? Who...?"

"Think of this as a second chance. And maybe get away from the Olympians' playground."

    "My Lord?"

"The war. Done, you'll live. Do your best to see that it's a long while before you see Lord Thanatos again, hm?"

    "I-I—...yes. Thank you."

Thanatos nods and turns around. Guh-dong.

She gives the almost-dead man a little smile, then fades into starscape and follows after Thanatos. Onwards!

A timeless period passes, as it does. It's never clear how long it goes for. But the god of death himself must have some sense of it, for eventually he stops and says, "...I am going to go check on Zagreus."

She's getting more used to this. It's still absolutely terrible and heartwrenching, but it helps a lot to save people.

But yes, she will not turn down a break. It's kind of astonishing that he can handle this so well, since he has to watch each and every mortal die.

"Sounds good. Take me with you? I did say I'd help you next time you got into a contest with him."

"Sure. ...I do throw the fights, half the time."

"Really? Why?"