Styx: The River of Hate [malexmale]

Chapter Nine

"Who are you?" I demanded in irritation, wiping the back of my mouth and flinging the water to the marble floor. The man leaned on the column for a moment longer before pushing off, his arms still neatly folded over his chest.

"I should be asking you that. You're the one desecrating my father's temple." He replied, stepping forward a bit before he pausing to study me from head to toe. I narrowed my eyes at him, growling low in my throat as a threat, but he didn't seem to care for it as he cocked his head.

"Do you want to die that badly?" He asked dryly.

"I cannot die," I spat angrily, "But if you want to try, feel free. I really don't give a shit." The man studied me, hardly looking surprised by my reaction. And suddenly, he vanished in a split second. I gasped.

He was a god, or at least, a demigod, I knew instantly as I looked around quickly for him. I heard him clear his throat from behind me, making me whirl around to see him sitting at the base of the statue of Hades, one leg folded over the other. He rested his elbow on one knee, his cheek against his open palm, red eyes hooded with an enigmatic stare.

"You're not Greek... Are you Persian?" He asked. He hardly sounded interested, though. I snorted.

"Don't insult me." I responded coldly. The man scrunched his nose up in distaste.

"Fine then, are you an ass or a horse?" He asked instead. I sneered at him in annoyance. Who was this man? No, god. Some kind of god. He was a son of Hades. That made him important. Yet, through all my bitterness, I felt nothing for him, save for a vague sense of physical attraction. I had never been particularly attracted to a man before. Most of the male beings in my pantheon were relatives and while my father and mother were also brother and sister, I found most of my male counterparts to be revolting-- and I had no taste for the male humans that worshipped me.

My job was to whisper in their ears, stir up their hatred and vengeance, mostly during battle. I was there whenever man decided to throw fists at each other, clang their swords together, or shove shields. That was their only use.

"You're rude," The god said at last, standing up and making me roll my eyes at something that was too familiar, "Why are you here anyway if you are not part of this world? Or rather, why are you here if you do not want to respect my father? Have you any idea who Hades is?"

"Oh, I know who he is," I sneered in disgust, "And nor do I care. All you Greeks are the same with your cocky and childish antics. I'm here because I have no choice. And I've already asked for their help, but they do not hear me."

"Maybe you're asking wrong." The god replied flatly, though, he didn't seem to believe his own words, making me scowl.

"I offered my first scrap of food to them after I was banished, but they didn't take it or listen to me. And they're the ones who put me into this mess in the first place. If it wasn't for your pantheon's selfishness, I wouldn't be here right now." I snapped angrily. Something flickered in those deep red eyes as he narrowed them. For a moment, I had expected him to retaliate and get angry with me.

No, instead, he laughed bitterly, folding those arms over his chest again.

"They are a bunch of sick twisted little bastards, aren't they? Beg them as much as you want and they won't help you. Why would they? Doesn't matter what you did for them, they're not grateful. They expect you to be grateful." He answered to my surprise. I frowned, studying the god before me. I could feel the hatred and bitterness radiating off him in waves. It was any wonder it took me so long to feel it.

"And what have the gods done to you that you hate them for so much? Did they give you the wrong chalice of ale?" I asked sarcastically. The god barked a laugh and disappeared before reappearing behind me, making me whip around and almost fall back into the pool before I caught myself. The smile had vanished from those pretty petal soft lips.