Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
As expected of a game based on Greek mythology, which has been known to tell plenty of tragedies, Hades delivers.
- For all of their clear contempt against each another, Hades still seems to love Zagreus to some degree, but this only becomes apparent once he's defeated for the first time. Once he is no longer able to stop Zagreus from escaping, what little yelling he can muster makes him sound more emotionally hurt than angry, only to stop his son at the last second, asking Zagreus to give him a message for his mother should he find her.Hades: I... how... you... Go. Go, then. Go!! Get out of here, get out!!
Zagreus: I told you that I would, Father. And I'm going to. Good-bye.
Hades: ...Wait. Wait, just... if you... if you find her. If you somehow find her? Tell her something for me, tell her... Tell her Cerberus is doing very well.- There's also the fact that after talking with Persephone enough, she believes Hades no longer loves her, but in the fight before he got here, Hades tells Zagreus how he still deeply loved Persephone and was angered that Zagreus seems to think Hades treated her only as a prize to be won. With Achilles' assistance after Zagreus returns, he looks through his father's room for proof that he still loves his mother and finds a framed picture of her by his bedside that's covered in dust, indicating that he's held onto it for a very long time.
- While it doesn’t excuse him, there’s a bit of tragic understanding to be had with regards to Hades’ behavior towards Zagreus. Zagreus is both the reason Persephone left and a tangible, visible reminder of her at the same time: he's their son who died at birth, meaning there’s probably a pretty intense mixture of resentment, love, and the desire not to allow himself to grow attached lest he be hurt again if something else happened to Zagreus. Hades is still a massive jerk who never should have taken his misery out on his son, but there’s enough there to make his slow attempts at reconciliation after Persephone returns seem honest (especially considering he never demands that Zagreus meet him halfway or anything of the sort; he just flat out admits his behavior was uncalled for).
- When Zagreus introduces himself to Persephone for the first time, she reacts with extreme indignation and demands he gets out because she thought he was an imposter with the name she wanted to give to her child. Seems after all times past, Persephone understandably never got over Zagreus' stillborn birth.
- As funny as some of their banter is, especially later in the game and especially when Cerberus is involved, repeated interactions between Hades and Zagreus can end up rather miserable depending on your experience. The game doesn't shy away from depicting the experience of living in an abusive household, especially one where there are other people involved. Zagreus overhearing Nyx and Hades fighting, Hades making accusations against Achilles and Thanatos, or even Hades' petulant remarks when Zagreus pets Cerberus can all start to sting on repetition, especially when Zagreus reacts with despondency instead of banter.Zagreus: (overhearing Nyx and Hades arguing) They’re at it again... because of me.
- It’s especially hard to watch Zagreus mention — often, offhand, and with his usual smile — what a failure he feels like, outright saying that he’s always felt he’s incompetent and not much good at anything, while Achilles’ codex indicates that he found Zagreus an obedient student who learned quickly, as well as shockingly kind. It’s clear that despite his snark and bravado, Zag’s internalized a lot of the stuff his father said to him; which would have been uncalled for even if it wasn’t completely baseless.
- With that in mind, this conversation where Zagreus tells Dusa that he wishes she felt like somebody cared about her more often:Zagreus: I've never met anybody like you before. My father always told me not to smile quite as much, but... you're like me.
Dusa: What, because I smile, haha? Smiling's just a little something I like to do to deal with the day! ...Oh.
- Perhaps most unexpectedly, Chaos can evoke one. Despite being a primordial Eldritch Abomination from whom all of creation sprang eons ago, probably the most powerful being in the universe and having sat in the depths of the infinite darkness for eternity, and shunning any jovial or non-essential banter in favor of Deal with the Devil-flavored aid for Zagreus... they're not all that bad. Being alone for so long seems to have instilled in them a regret for not being a better parent to Nyx, and on top of that, if Zagreus visits them enough, this exchange will happen.note Chaos: I wonder, Son of Hades, if you should find the one called Persephone, will I never see you again?
Zagreus: I...can't know what to expect. If I'm able to, though, I will never return to the Underworld.
Chaos: I see... I will miss you, then.
Zagreus: I...will miss you too, Master Chaos. - Eurydice's and Orpheus's shared story is already inherently tearjerking because everyone knows why the two are separated. Before the game starts, Orpheus was imprisoned for being too broken to sing. When Zagreus first meets both of them, they appear set on staying apart. Orpheus seems fine with going through the rest of his existence in the Underworld mourning the loss of his lover and muse, understanding why she may never want to see him again. Eurydice on her end, is bitter at Orpheus for not heeding the warning to not look back and even gets a bit angry at Zagreus for trying to dig up more information on the two.
- Once Eurydice gives Zagerus the music for "Good Riddance", Orpheus will sing it, although as Zagreus notes to her later, his version sounds more melancholic. There's also the song "Lament of Orpheus" which is him reliving the memories of their tragic story which is likely to tug at heartstrings as he repeats "Don't look back".
- Thanatos' interaction with Zagreus when they first meet. He's the only one out of everyone else in the Underworld who seems to be genuinely heartbroken that Zagreus left without "so much as a goodbye". Not helped by the fact that out of everyone in the House, Thanatos was the only one who didn't know beforehand, and only found out about Zagreus' escape plans after returning from a long assignment. After dealing with the enemies, he will bitterly tell Zagreus goodbye since the latter wouldn't, and Thanatos then vanishes.
- It's later revealed that a big part of why he was so upset was that he only realized he had feelings for Zagreus once he found out secondhand that he was leaving. Thanatos was dealing with losing one of his closest friends, coming to terms with how he felt, and figuring Zagreus didn't feel the same all at once.
- Later conversations have Thanatos, in his own way, begging Zagreus to come home willingly as he tells the prince how good he had it here in the Underworld. While Zagreus understands why Thanatos doesn't want him to go, his home will never be the same because he needs to see his mother Persephone and that Thanatos always had Nyx with him, so he wouldn't understand what he's feeling.
- The initial ending where Zagreus finally finds Persephone and gets his answers. As it turns out, the Three Fates had decreed that Hades would never sire a heir, and when Hades and Persephone defied them by conceiving Zagreus, they retaliated by making Zagreus stillborn. Heartbroken, and knowing that the Olympian Gods would punish her if they discovered she had defied the Fates, Persephone chose to flee the Underworld forever, unaware that Nyx had saved Zagreus' life.
- And made worse when the two realized that Zagreus can't stay on the surface for long as he starts to slowly die, and he quietly begs for more time with his mother. As each conversation with them goes, he always regrets not having enough time to speak with her.
- Achilles writes the entries in the game's codex, but can't bring himself to speak of his lost love Patroclus:...Forgive me. It is not my place to say much of him, now.
May his name yet live. May his soul bask forever in the glory of Elysium.
No more. Fear is for the weak. Fear is for the weak. Fear is for the weak. Fear is for the weak.
No more! I cannot risk it all. I cannot risk it all! I cannot risk it all, can I? I have risked everything
already, have I not? Then, why not risk it all again? Am I to risk it all? Why should I? For my ownsake, at his own expense? Doubtless he drank from the Lethe already, and forgot. Would I have done the same?
Would I do the same? Ah, life's final cruelty! That we still feel! - When you first mention Patroclus to Achilles, we get this reaction from him...Zagreus: Did you know a "Patroclus", sir?
Achilles: WHAT!? I-I mean yes...I knew Patroclus...did he...(clearly trying to choke back tears) Is he alright? - If Zagreus equips the Myrmidon Bracer and talks to Patroclus, it may prompt this conversation between the two.Patroclus: What is that on your wrist, there, stranger? Let me see, is that... a bracer of the myrmidons. But, then...
Zagreus: Wait, this? How did you know? It's just a keepsake from a friend.
Patroclus: A keepsake? From a friend...? You tell your friend, then, that Patroclus waits for him, and that he holds no grudge, should he return to him. - When picking up boons from Demeter, she will occasionally talk about her daughter Persephone, how much she misses her and doesn't know where she went. It's due to Persephone's disappearance that she has coated the land above in an Endless Winter; even if this is a Misplaced Retribution towards mortals, it's clear that Persephone's disappearance has affected her badly.
- The seventh clear has Persephone demand Zagreus to never visit again for her sake and his own, bitterly telling her son that she's sure the feelings Hades had for her are long gone while she prefers to stay in Greece. Zagreus becomes determined to find proof that his father loves her still, and eventually does when he returns home. And when Persephone asks if he can't be content that she's safe, he retorts that he can't because family has to work to solve their problems, not run from them.
- Raise your bond with Aphrodite high enough and she'll mention that she's married, but that her husband is always busy with his work. Unlike the usual presentation of her marriage to Hephaestus, she actually sounds hurt that he doesn't make time for her.
- If Zagreus dies consistently enough, he may have a conversation with Dusa where she expresses concern as to why he always looks sad climbing out of the Pool of Styx. He admits that he's having a harder time escaping than anticipated, and Dusa is utterly shocked to hear that he's struggling, just like her. She proclaims he's stronger than Achilles, more cunning than Hades, and faster than Hermes. Zagreus retorts by admitting that he is struggling and the stories she heard of him weren't true.
- Initially, Hypnos's mother Nyx refuses to talk to him, finding him embarrassing, and Thanatos only berates him for his poor work ethic. His bond can only be maxed out during the post-game, after which Hades, Nyx and Thanatos praise his newfound focus and apologize for berating him, which is equally tearjerking in its own way.
- What set the foundation for Hypnos to improve his work ethic? A conversation with his brother about his poor work and Hypnos's subsequent fear that Thanatos doesn't like him anymore. Hypnos just adores his brother, which in itself is a bit of a tearjerker given Thanatos's cold treatment of him, and he sounds quite distressed at the thought of Thanatos not wanting anything to do with him anymore.
- Raising your bond with Dusa high enough will eventually result in Nyx firing her for going above her station and making no improvements to her work, which makes Zagreus furious until they're able to come to an understanding. What really makes it sad is that while she's gone, you can't use her Chthonic Companion in battle if you have it. Meg is extremely upset about it as well, since Dusa is her best friend, and she didn't even get to say goodbye to her. Meg outright demands Zagreus "fix this" as quickly as possible.
- While not dwelled on much, it's clear the Titanomachy wears heavily on Hades and his other relatives, Demeter in particular, to the point where Hades says her father was worse than Cronus and Hades himself.Hades: She hated her father. Though understandably, as he was worse even than mine. Even than yours.
- Hades has an ominous one-liner at the end of the Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer, upon getting to know the story, what seemed like an insult against his son morphs into a bitter and cruel reminder that Zagreus is not the only one trapped in the Underworld.Hades: Death is your only family...Death, and I.
- Within a similar vein, the "There Is No Escape" each time you die, while initially seeming like a taunt to the player, ultimately proves itself to be a simple statement of grim truth. For Zagreus, there really is no escape; by the Fates' design, he is eternally barred from the world of the living.
- While most of the shade quotes (alongside their cause of death) is funny, there is at least one that is just sad:Shade: Have you seen my son? I've looked everywhere!
Cause of Death: Heart Attack
