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Lysium

July 21st, 2025 Recap
Reggie picks up a baffled and dissapointed Benji from the apartments. Benji lost the mayoral vote for the north. Benjis headspace is shown when Diablo as a joke tells Benji he got second at the Vespucci parking lot. Benji shoots Diablo who dies. The rest of Hades mostly stay silent waiting for Benji’s next move as this quiet Benji is not something Hades is use to. Council give Benji some brief updates and try to keep it positive.
Nino calls Benji to let him know that his table still has a seat to him as Nino is vying for a senator position. He also lets Benji know it doesn’t have to be a clean position but to take a few days to think it over.
Reggie takes Benji for a drive to figure out his head space and their next move. On the Del Perro Pier Benji and Reggie talk about the number of votes Benji was behind and what it would have taken for him to have won against junior.

While mulling over what the future could bring for Benji, Babylon was brought up. Reggie reminds Benji that he lost his mind fishing with him and doesn’t think Benji could survive knitting shirts. Reggie tells Benji that Hades will be there waiting for him and are terrified of what Benji plans to do next. Benji brings up how a lot of people don’t want to get out of their comfort zone and couldn’t see the potential of what him (Benji) being mayor could have brought more for Hades. While some of the members of Hades did campaign for Benji it was all cooked or half assed. Not having a campaign team in NA hurt Benjis chances of winning in his eyes.
Benji asks what is the future of the gang while talking to Reggie. Reggie says he is at the point where he is content with the people on the gang as long as they don’t die he is ok with it and his bar is set low. Reggie also says he made a mistake of trying to compare Hades to what they use to have.
While Reggie cleans up the Vespucci parking lot for any evidence that could link Benji back to Diablos death; Benji drives around before settling back at Vespucci parking lot and while overlooking the parking lot and Hades Benji contemplates on how to make the lemons in Hades lemonade. Benji thinks that the only way forward is to to go to square one and if he has the energy for it. However if he doesn’t want to be like Ray Romonav he can’t turn his back on the gang.

Ray Romonav calls Benji to gloat that he lost the mayoralship and Diablos death. Benji claims to not know about Diablos death but the conversation quickly changes on to how disappointed Benji is with the city of Los Santos and voting for a paper pusher. The banter continues and actually has Benji laughing.
After the phone call Benji’s inner monologue says that he is more upset that a paper pusher won. A brief phone call with Chico informs Benji that they have three new houses in the Barrio from Chico’s cousin who doesn’t wake up as much.
Benji continues his talk with Reggie about the future of Hades. Benji sees two possible options. Benji and Council go hard and are at every event and push to make the gang stronger but it will require full commitment from the higher ups. Or Benji can go to New Babylon and Hades is left in charge of Reggie. However; with how Reggie is now Hades would crumble. Reggie lets Benji know that he needs to wake up earlier if he wants to be part of things as by the time Benny wakes up everyone is settling down. Benji says it is wraps then if the gang doesn’t carry the same energy when Benji wakes up.
Reggie tells Benji that Hades is Benji and the gang reflects Benji. They are just waiting for Benji’s order and next move and they follow. Benji talks about the Barrio and potential satellite at the Barrio to make everyone push there before earning a spot to push at Vespucci. Chico and others think of a second grow house in the Barrio but Benji says no as it is too open and you have to pass a lot of other gangs. Benji gets a run down of how much money the gang owes. Not wanting to have debts floating around Benji uses his bank account to help pay off debts.
Benji has a conversation with Raul and Chico and lets Raul know that Diablo decided to make a joke in the wrong day and tripped and fell on a bullet when he was suppose to be blooded in today.

Jayden and Reggie ask why Benji is paying off debts and wondering if he is ending Hades. Benji calls a Council meeting( Jayden, Reggie, and Louis) asking if they think a purge in Hades is needed and who they would want to get rid of. The Council are in a consensus that everyone they have is good, lemons, but good. Benji lets the Council know that the run for mayoralship was to provide something new for Hades and now that it isn’t an option he is out of ideas on how to make it worthwhile to wake up and exciting for Hades. Ideas of becoming pirates and pulling people out of their routines. Reggie ultimately reminds Benji that he sets the tone for the gang. If he is in doom mode the gang picks up on that and follow suit. Benji is at the helm steering the ship and he is not a secondary passenger in this trip. After a passing idea of Jayden’s (purge everyone make them all hang rounds and see who sticks around) Benji calls everyone in Hades to the white roof.

Benji gives a speech to the gang on what his purpose of the mayorship was for Hades and how he knows things have become mundane. Benji says that the past two weeks has shown that Hades and himself have way more enemies and unexpected friends. Secondly, the New Babylon group have decided to forgo their old lives and start fresh. This made Benji contemplate as he was asked to join. It made Benji think about the state of Hades and what they are capable of. Benji feels there are some people in the group that make Hades stronger and some that make Hades weaker. Benji brings up Diablos death and says they didn’t lose anything except a funny guy and if he did the same to some of members in Hades he would feel the same. Instead of killing someone who is doing the bare minimum he will give everyone 24 hours to decide to leave without a bullet in their head. He can even give his recommendation to New Babylon if they want but after the 24 hours , Hades will try to survive differently. Everyone from top down will start to do things differently. Everyone will do shit together and if you feel like you don’t want to.. then that’s a problem. There will no longer be a lazy member. If you don’t like something then say something and fix it or come with a solution.
Hades will no longer be pressed by another gang. If he has to be a lone during war so be it. He will do it. If after this change if it still doesn’t feel like Hades is better together then Hades is done. Also no more selling in Vespucci parking lot. If Benji catches anyone selling in the parking lot they will be shot and ir removed from the panel.

Chico being concerned about being able to be part of everything as he is the holder of the Abyss and can’t be part of much. Benji assures him that no matter what Chico is part of his gang and will be in his next gang as well as long Chico chooses to be or doesn’t kill himself. Louis and Reggie start to banter and complains about eachother with Jayden sprinkled in there.
Smalls meets with Benji and lets him know that he is not leaving Hades and will work on being more useful to the gang.
The Council then brainstorm ways of making a casino using either bet, or laundry mat coins on a boat, Abyss, or the Barrio. Benji doesn’t like the Barrio but does like the Abyss as a casino as it is not being used as much anymore. Reggie brainstorms ways to make it more favorable for the house (Hades). Benji acknowledges that casinos have been done by other people but not in a large warehouse and it would bring something different to the gang. Benji warns that he does not want people doing event after event and getting burnt out. He wants the events to have a purpose like making money.
Benji has a meeting with Gabby and Dragon. Dragon lets Benji know that he has the roulette slot machine from Blarney’s. Benji appoints Dragon as the decorator for the Abyss.
Gabby and Benji have a talk right after about the election and the mindset of some of the people in the gang. Gabby was perplexed why some of the Hades members couldn’t be bothered to do the bare minimum with trying to get Benji Votes.

Benji meets with Party Hardy and his team in Vespucci. Party tells Benji that Junior is already trying to take back buildings from people in Blaine County. Party has a warehouse where his record studio is in and Junior is trying to take it back. They relent that it will be another three months of the same pencil pushers and Ninos show.
While on the way to the airport to try and do a wheely on a bike all the way to Trevor’s house for a personal challenge Benji has a conversation with Dragon on also having live music at the Abyss to make it more exciting as well.