Son of Hades

Ideas of Revenge

I couldn't help but think about when Harley and Xavier were ordered to kiss on that bridge. "And miss my chance for a little Underworld gossip? No way. Besides if Jasmine tries sending you to the fields or the dungeons, I'd lose my mind without you."

"Cute and clingy, I like it." Xavier says, "just don't be too . . . overbearing. Castiel is going to be in one of his very sensitive moods."

"Overbearing? Whatever do you mean?" I raise an eyebrow, dressing in my undergarments and black dress.

Xavier smiles. "You know what I mean," he says. I like the way he watches me dress. I like the way his eyes graze over my body like that. He comes over still smiling, still disheveled looking with his dress shirt unbuttoned and his belt off. He slowly walks over to me, gives me a kiss on the forehead . . . I bite my lip, and grab onto his belt, helping him fasten it close. "That kiss on the bridge with her meant nothing to me, Ariel," Xavier keeps his voice low and his gray-green eyes search mine as he brings one hand up to caress my cheek. "I meant that when I said it. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. You're not in competition when you're with me. You're my one and only."

"Your other half. Do I complete you?" I bring my hand up to my forehead, trying to be dramatic and resisting the urge to fall back onto the bed. Mom always said I'd be good at something. Who knew it was acting?

Xavier leans forward to kiss me, "I love you, Ariel. Now come on, before Castiel gets himself into anymore trouble."

We hurry along from my room and towards Castiel's. Harley didn't say what was wrong, but she wasn't outside when we walked out into the corridor. Xavier and I cast a cautious look towards one another; this couldn't mean anything good.

Castiel's room door is still slightly ajar, and I see him inside. Asking Alexandra is blasting from the stereo, and I can hear every loud crash echo and shatter as he shouts from inside, not audible over the music. I don't see Harley nearby which sets me slightly on edge. I wait by the door as Xavier knocks, turning down the music as he goes in. "Cas, what the fuck are you doing? Are you purposely trying to wake up Jasmine and get us all in trouble?"

I can hear the madness crack in his voice. "Doesn't she know what she's done?" he screamed. "She damned you to punishment. She doesn't know how bad the fields really are. You'll never come back. You won't come back and it'll be all her fault. Ariel can still change her choice."

"I will bear my punishment and you will too," Xavier snaps and then his voice softens. "I know you don't want to do this, brother. But palace life must run smoothly until we can figure out a way out of this." He's always the voice of reason. I look away, down towards the floor and try to avoid the pain in their voices.

Its wrong to eavesdrop. This should be their moment. Castiel sees me just as I pass the door. I turn away down the corridor to seek advice from two people that couldn't speak or move or do anything: Hades and Persephone. The God and Goddess are being kept in Hades office, which is no longer guarded and no longer locked.

I remember where it is from Castiel's badly drawn out map. Its double-doored and matte black with a skull that hisses open; its eyes turn white as the door clicks open and mysteriously open by themselves.

The ceiling is high and cavernous and my voice echoes here. Hades has a large curved black desk stacked with paperwork on a slightly raised platform. There is a large curved window with a front row view of the lake of fire - a large blackout curtain hides the lake - leaving the room in almost complete darkness. The left wall is full of gray filing cabinets marked DEATH FILES and a small wall of books. There's a fireplace that's long-since been put out and a hand-painted portrait of Hades and Persephone.

Hades and Persephone are being kept in the center of the room in glowing, golden glass coffins without a lid. There are two black stools between them and I take one to slightly face Persephone.

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that Persephone was dead. She looks so still with her arms crossed over her chest, and she was ironically put into or was wearing the same Greek white dress we had upon arrival here in the Underworld. Where was her mother? Her mom could fix this. I don't know what I expected by coming to see them, but it wasn't comfort.

I still feel uneasy with the foggy memories of what happened in Persephone's office. The only light comes from their glowing golden coffins. It feels wrong to be here, too. I know they wouldn't want me here. Tears have built behind my eyes, and my hands are shaking as I talk to Persephone. "I love your sons," My voice is cracking in pain. "But we're all lost without you, and I don't know what to do. Jasmine wants to marry Castiel; she wants to send Xavier to the fields. I can't let him go. I won't let her take him, too. But I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do, and I need your help." The tears spill over. "I should have told you that Jasmine was trying to blackmail me before it was too late. But I'll make this right. I promise."

I don't know what I expected. I didn't expect any kind of a response. It felt nice to be around Persephone, my boyfriend's mother, because she always told us what to do and offered her generous but harsh words of wisdom. She and Hades compliment each other. "Make her forget . . . "

All the breath leaves my body, and the air around me feels suddenly cold. I slowly look up to see a glowing golden Persephone despite the Goddess laying dormant in the coffin. This one looks like a ghost. I can't help but stare at her, choking back a sob. "W-what? Is this real? How - "

"Astral projection," she quickly explains. "It's like a dream within a dream, and this form is very difficult for me to maintain, so please listen close and carefully, Ariel. If you make things right here in the Underworld, Hades and I will allow and bless the union between you and Xavier and we will also allow you to become a Princess. But what I'm asking you to do is going to be risky and very dangerous. I need you to make Jasmine forget . . . "

My mouth feels dry. I stand up. "F-forget what?"

I don't like the smile on Persephone's lips. "Everything," she says. "I give you my permission to steal drachmas from the throne room; take as many as you need to bribe Charon. Call on him from my office. There's a phone - of sorts - hidden behind the bar. Dial 0 to request a ride; like Uber Underworld style. I'll need you to carefully leave the palace with a canister from the kitchen. Fill it from the River of Lethe - forgetfulness - and Jasmine will never remember even wanting to be a Queen. That should undo our curse, but just incase it doesn't, dial into 597 and you'll reach my mother. She'll know what to do. Utilize whatever you find in my study or my husband's. Remember: a house divided against itself will always fall."

Persephone flickers in and out of existence and with one final scream and then she was gone. That strange golden glow returns to the room, and it was almost like . . . like I imagined it.

Despite the earlier onslaught of tears, I regain my composure and quickly move along the wall of cabinets marked DEATH FILES. A lump of guilt forms in my throat, and the cabinets open easily. There were so many this would take hours to sort through. I need three files from the cabinets, and then I'll return to Xavier.

I find Oscar's first then mine and then Jasmine's. Quickly shutting the cabinets, I think about searching Hades desk but decide against it. Shoving the files up my shirt, I try to leave Hades' office without notice.

Shutting the door, I turn around slowly to see Oscar was standing right right behind me. I don't like the little shit grin look he has on his face. "Jasmine won't like this one bit," he shakes his head. "Will she?"

Fear slowly churns through my insides. "Why are you doing this?" I demand, trying not to raise my voice. "She's marrying Castiel when she can finally be with you," I shake my head. "the pussy can't be that great."

Oscar's face turns red in anger. He has me cornered near the door to Hades office; he puts his fist through the wall right beside my head and I flinch. "Don't try to use me like a chess piece," he says. His breath smells like cigarettes and hie eyes are bloodshot. "I'm no one's pawn."

Despite the cold gripping fear, the edges of my lips curl up in a smile. "I never said you were."