Protection from the Shadows

Prince of Darkness

The palace was just as I remembered it; dark, condescending, and smelling oddly and ironically of pomegranates. I stepped out of the shadows to see Hades and a woman arguing. The lady was wearing a green chiton with gold lacing. She had flowing black hair that seemed the perfect length and shade to complement her. She must be a goddess, I thought. I could see Persephone in a hallway not far away doing her best not to bust out laughing at the shades of purple that Hades' face was making. He looked like he had smeered blood and pomegranate juice all over his face. I had to stop myself from laughing at that thought. Stupid ADHD.

"I don't need your help, Hades! The situation is well under control!" The woman was waving her arms around as she yelled at the god of the Underworld. She either didn't know that fact, or she didn't care.

"Obviously you do! That old man, Chiron, the dead, even Zeus for Chaos's sake have asked me for help on this matter! You just don't like the fact that Nico is the only one willing, capable and available to complete the task!" My father was getting angrier by the second, and it appeared that in a few seconds, if there was no interference, we might be one goddess short and one fruit gained.

I stepped out of the shadows that were previously guarding me from the sight of the immortals that were too caught up in their argument to notice my presence. "You have a mission for me father?" I asked after I bowed to him.

Hades took a moment to gather his senses and grab onto them before he spoke again, "Yes, I do, son. I need you to go with Lady Hecate to her toy world and help her sort through some mess. It's in Europe and you will need to be undercover. This is the world of mortals with magic. Wizards, they call themselves. There is a school where they learn, and there are important people there. You will need to do as Hecate says, understood? No mess-ups."

I let that settle in for a moment. A world of wizards. A school where they learn. Important people are there. Well, I suppose it's not the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me. I have been too close to dandelions and corn plants. But that's a story for another day. I straightened myself up and looked my father dead in the eyes.

"I accept the quest."

"Good. Hecate will fill you in on details. But before you go, I need to give you something," he said.

He turned to Lady Hecate, "Will you please excuse us just a moment, and please take Persephone with you. I do believe she is just outside the door."

Hecate turned to face me for just a second before she left, but I saw something I couldn't easily forget in that one brief second of clarity. I saw fire. It was in her eyes. The eyes that burned a hellfire green on black. They read, "You mess with me, and I can garantee that you won't live to see tomorrow." It was beautiful and threatening at the same time. She left the room, grabbed Persephone's arm, and kept walking. Not once did she look back.

I turned to my dad. He stepped off of his throne that seemed to radiate death and despair from every bone that made up its structure. His cloak billowed around him as he walked towards me, the faces of souls woven in the fabric shifting and screaming in their silent prison. He stopped in front of me and hesitated. He looked like he was going to do something, but then decided he wouldn't, and he took a small step back.

"This is yours, now, son. You are my sole heir and I want people to know." He held out his hand. A small ring of darkness reached up from the ground and formed in his palm. It left an obsidian circlet with rubies on it. I reached out to take it, but he stopped me.

"Kneel, son of Hades, savior of Olympus," He said. I did, and I bowed my head as the circlet was placed on my head.

"Rise, Ghost King, son of Hades, savior of Olympus and Prince of Darkness."

I stood, and as I did, I felt power rush in me from all around the room in the shadows. I felt an invisible wind rush up from under me and blow the hair away from my face. It was incredible-the feeling of power that I got. I looked around at the shadows, seeing only the defined edges of each and how they melded and mixed together. I saw each in their own intensity and shade. I looked at my father. He looked different. He had this light around him that was almost the opposite of light. It was dark, like shadows, and seemed to suck all the light around it into its clutches.

I was excited and terrified at the same time. I heard a voice in my head speak in a quiet almost raspy voice, "Follow the shadows to Hecate. Follow the pull, and let it guide you. Grow sensitive to this feeling and know it when it comes."

I saw the shadows shift into something like a path, and I felt them pull at me, more insistant with each second I stood still. I took a few wobbly steps, but then found my rhythem and kept walking. I walked into the shadows still not believing everything that just happened in the last five minutes.

I wonder if I ever will.