Son of Hades (Redo)

Proposals & Answers

Castiel swears and swears and swears again, kicking black rock at his feet. He's pissed off, and I'm stunned into silence. Xavier is screaming and sobbing, leaned over the hole and I want to rush over and untie him while everyone is distracted. I want to save him.

          Castiel is trembling with rage. I don't think I understand what's happening. But deep in my soul, I know. I know. They've disappeared. They're gone. They hid the watches, and have planned to this exact moment. I resist the urge to drop to my knees. Instead, Harley is leaning close over the edge of Tartarus. There's a strange wind passing through the Underworld, and the portal overhead closes.

          Castiel screams. And screams. And screams. "No! Nooo! No!" He wails, screams, cries. The wind picks up, and Castiel drops to his knees.

         I move to comfort him. I put my hand on his back. But Castiel's rage is taking over, the same rage he had when his hands were at my throat. He turns. He hits me, and the force of it knocks me to the ground. I exhale. Slowly. Realizing what he's done. Again.

          I have almost no time to react.

          I could see Harley untying Xavier. Xavier was screaming at her. He was screaming my name.

            Xavier stumbled. Fell. He takes Harley with him. I see her fall in.

           I scream. I scream.

           I run at the hole, and almost scream louder when I see Xavier dangling by one hand on the rocks. His tears cloud his vision. "Ariel," he cries. "Ariel, help. Help me. Please." Tear streaked. Afraid. Adrenaline runs through me.

          I can't get Xavier up by myself. I'll end up dropping him, and I'll never forgive myself. I can't lose him. My face is stinging from where Castiel hit me. If I drop him, there will be no return. I will follow after him. We won't disappear like Jasmine and Oscar. The two of us will be gone forever in our own nightmare.

          This new unnatural wind kisses my cheeks, blows my hair back. I grab onto Xavier's hand. The sky overhead swirls, with blue and white and green. I'm crying. Tears are running down my face. "I won't let you go!"

           Xavier's other hand is on the rock, and his legs are dangling. He struggles to get up. I scream at the guards for help but they wait on the Prince's orders.

           The Prince is staring wordlessly at the sky. He's crying, too. He's on his knees, and his hand is bleeding. The hand that hit me. . . Castiel opens his arms as if he'll ascend into Olympus. Yeah, right. His eyes shine, and the sky swirls but nothing happens.

         Meanwhile, I'm struggling to get Xavier back up to safety. My feet are ground to the dark dirt. I can't pull him up by myself. He's too heavy. "Castiel!"

           Castiel glances back over at me. He sprints towards the edge, and at first I'm afraid that he'll push the both of us in. But he doesn't. He grabs onto Xavier's other hand, and I'm really afraid that Castiel will push him in again when Xavier thinks he's safe. When I think he's safe.

          But he doesn't.

          Castiel helps me. He helps Xavier.

           Xavier collapses back onto land. His face is covered in dirt, and tears and Castiel collapses on the opposite side of Xavier. We're all breathing hard, and my arms hurt. My stomach churns. Harley is really gone. That bitch.

         "I thought I lost you," Xavier murmurs. He sniffles.

         I reach out and touch his face, knowing this reunion may very well piss off Castiel. Knowing very well that I might regret this later. But right now, we needed these few minutes to ourselves. "You'll never lose me."