Son of Hades

The Literal Downfall of Akari

          “Your cat actually liked the rain?” Castiel asks.

           “He did. He would always try to jump in the shower with me so I would always have to shower with the door closed.” I try to smile but can't. “I took everything for granted.”

           Castiel glances over at Hades and Xavier standing by the doorway, then back at me. “I have something to show you after our hour is up,” his features are kind and sweet. “thank you for sharing.” he looks over at Harley with pink in his cheeks. “And my courageous sweetheart. I want you first to tell everyone how you came to your unfortunate end, if you're comfortable speaking of it.”

           Harley looks uncomfortable but she talks about it anyway. “My name is Harley Chambers, and I was twenty one. I was from Sarasota, Florida, until I sacrificed myself to save a child, a grocery store clerk and a grocery store. I had severe OCD so things always had to be done a certain way at a certain time. Every Sunday evening I would go shopping at my local grocery store and stop at Walmart. But this time . . . this time Walmart shut down as I was nearing the front of the line, and they got robbed. The robbers charged in with large guns, and they made us all surrender our cellphones so that we couldn't contact the police. There were six of them that secured the store, and hostages were taken . . . one cashier didn't empty the money into the sack fast enough, and they shot her. I can still hear the gunshot echo in my ears, and the girl hiding by me peed on the floor. They were threatening to kill a little boy next, who couldn't be any older than twelve and his mother was on the floor begging. I crawled up behind them to save the boy, knocking the kid from the man's grip. The boy got away but I remember seeing hatred in the man's brown eyes, and he brought the gun up to my head and he shot me. The last words I ever heard were ‘goodnight bitch’, and I distracted them long enough until the police charged in. I was dead by then, but I saved more hostages from dying because I sacrificed myself. I don't miss anything from the world above, because my life was fulfilled and happy. I am where I need to be.”

          “Every inch a Queen,” Castiel compliments her. “thank you for your sacrifice and thank you for sharing; that's something that none of us will ever be able to understand. The purpose of these get togethers is to relieve tension between you all, so you can get to know each other. I want you all to be friends, not enemies.” He gazes over at Jasmine, Akari paying close attention because Castiel skipped over her.

          Jasmine was twenty-three — older than all of us — and from a very small unnamable country in the middle east. “I don't miss anything or anyone in the land of the living because this is a new beginning for me. A tragic life met a tragic end.”

           Castiel thanks Jasmine, his arm resting around her. “As some of you may have realized, our dearest Akari has been skipped. I wanted her to have center stage, because we have a surprise for her if she still refuses our hospitality.”

          Akari looks beaten down and sad. “my name was Akari Inoue, I was nineteen years old and I was from Kyoto, Japan. I miss everything about the land of the living. You wouldn't understand because you were never able to visit the world above. I had a wonderful family, and a wonderful life,” There are tears in her eyes as she speaks. “It was simple but it was mine. I miss my mother, and her cooking and her comforting embrace.”

         “What were some of your favorite dishes that she made?” Castiel asks. He takes his arm away from Jasmine, leaning forward to stare at Akari with such intensity that it was making me uncomfortable.

          “Okonomiyaki and chicken tempura. No chef in the Underworld can imitate her cooking. You won't be able to break me, or convince me otherwise.” Akari is still staying strong, and that's something that I have to give her credit for. “Look at you all, sitting so loyally by the akuma's side. Sinners! All of you. All of you deserve your six month prison sentence here.”

         She was yelling in Japanese, but Castiel simply looks amused as she finishes in a huff. Castiel becomes his Princely self, and I can see the arrogance in his eyes as he smiles. “Oh my dear koibito, you haven't seen anything devilish quite yet. Have you? Well, you're about to . . . ” Castiel whistles, and in come two professional head chefs of the Underworld, both grinning as they come into the room and into the center of the circle. “I'm going to give you this one last chance, Miss Inoue, to give us the respect we deserve for taking you in and giving you a future here. Take a bite, won't you? Appease us.”

         Akari looks at her favorite Japanese dishes, her eyes wide and her mouth betraying disgust and wonder and everything in-between. “How was this made?” she whispers. “It smells . . . ” she shakes her head, shoving the plates back away from her. “No. I still won't eat it, akuma.”

           “That's where you're wrong.” Castiel says.

           Akari was restrained by Oscar and Kyle as they enter the room, as though they've been listening in all along. They hold her down as she struggled onto the floor. She tried to fend them off, she really did, kicking and punching and screaming. “No!” she screams. There were tears coming from her eyes, and part of me wanted to step up and help her. But I stay put. “Disqualify me. I'm done . . . ” she sobs. “I don't want to be part of this competition any longer. P-please Castiel, show me mercy. Please!”

          “You're done when I say you're done,” Castiel says cruelly as he stands up over her. “If you want an akuma then kiobito, you've got one. You all still don't seem to understand loyalty and your duties, so we're going to be doing things the hard way here.”

           I don't miss the way that he looks over at Jasmine as though she's his secret now too. Oscar is entirely muscle and so is Kyle, so forcing Akari to eat was no issue. The chefs shove the food into her open mouth. She tries to spit it out but they won't let her. She's sobbing and fighting, but she's too weak. “Disqualify me!”

           “Consider yourself the first example,” Castiel beams down at her. “You're leaving my palace with a broken jaw. Be glad that's your only punishment, because further expulsions from my competition will prove to be more painful than this.”

           They broke her jaw when they opened her mouth, and there was blood coming from her teeth and swelling face.

           Xavier has to leave the room. Harley holds onto my hand.

          An older Japanese woman was brought into the room, a woman who looked so similar to Akari that it made my nonsexist heart hurt. She screams loudly as she sees her nineteen year old daughter bleeding on the marble black floor. Oscar, Kyle and the two chefs immediately back out of the circle. The woman crouches by Akari, embracing her and screaming at Castiel with tears blurring her eyes.

         “M-mom?” Akari couldn't speak.

         “Your mother killed herself after your untimely death,” Castiel explains. “We were going to bring her here for you as a surprise, if you were our chosen Queen. But you are not and never will be. You lack respect and everything in-between. You're dismissed from my competition, and you both will be going to the fields of punishment. Thank you for your participation.”

           Akari is shouting curse words and attempting lame apologies, but she and her mother are dragged away and out of the room.

            The OBEY poster from Xavier's room flashes before my eyes. “Anyone else want to follow her?” Castiel asks. He doesn't expect any of us to answer, because seconds later he replies: “Good. Great. Grand! Actually, it is Scorpio season. And due to recent birthdays coming up, I believe we should still celebrate Harley's this Friday.”