--------Third Person POV-------
Valerian's eyes accessed the demon prince, Zander Hellion, sitting in front of him munching onto the snacks splayed over the table carelessly.
Zander was very pleasing to the eyes, one could tell that with a single look. Afterall, the queen of the underworld was said to be a terrifying beauty and her son was but a spitting image of his mother. Those lean physique, high cheekbones, dark sooty lashes, everything screamed dark charms.
But his facial resemblance was where all the similarities between the queen and her son ended because Valerian could bet he hadn't seen another more infuriating man than Zander. Who spoke way too much for his liking. And wouldn't shut up for the love of everything holy.
"So what's the occasion, High King? Did someone steal your bride? I mean, I wouldn't be surprised. I heard she's a beauty. And if the dumb mortals of Troy could fight over the Helen for like ten years, then why not you? But fair warning, mother and I and our not-so-proud-to-have army of demons do not wish to be part of any stupid goat-killing war." The prince's stormy grey eyes sweeps to Valerian as he pops a nut into his mouth, "I really like this stuff. We don't get such delicacies in the underworld." He gestures to the different dry fruits served to him.
Flicking another nut in the air and plopping it into his mouth, "Oh, but we do get them outside Ancientriova. You know, outside the protection veil in the other two major supernatural kingdoms, Veneton and Iris. We have a stone castle hidden in Iris too and father and I have a fake identity there as a werewolf Alpha and his son, moi ofcourse. Basically, they don't have a damn clue about the existence of lycans, demons, sirens, ravens and technically all the ancients. So we had to make ourselves unknown there. Veneton is the vampire kingdom and Iris is the werewolf kingdom and we chose Iris because—"
He was cut off by Valerian who passed the prince a blank look, "We'd wanted to meet Queen Annabeth."
"Mother can't get out of Helvon. So she sent me, her favorite handsome son here." Zander pointed to himself.
"You're her only son." Valerian thought necessary to remind him.
"Why you gotta wound me like this?" Zander groaned, as if in pain.
Valerian was strongly reminded of Marilla being this same level of annoying. The two would make a match made in hell. Ironic, how Zander indeed is from Hell.
Ignoring all the annoyance, Valerian jumped to the issue at hand, "I need her help."
Zander quipped his head to the side, "That's what I'm here to listen to, genius."
Valerian's fist clenched with irk but he let out a long sigh knowing he had no other choice than to bare the infuriating presence for now. For his child.
"I need her to stop someone's death." Valerian started, "My child's death."
"You want her to do what?" Zander's eyes shone with hilarity glinting in them.
"To stop my child's death, Zander Hellion." The raven king repeats, crossing his arms over his chest.
The laughter in the demon prince's eyes flies out the window as he gives the king a shocked look, "You can't be serious."
"I am."
"Man, don't tell me you disturbed my dutiless life in Helvon to demand this absurdity." Zander lifted his arms in the air dramatically.
Valerian's stare in return was cold and straight making the prince gulp at the danger lurking in them. He was not scared of the king but he wasn't very fond of his ass being handed to Hades earlier than his time either.
Brushing aside his shock, Zander straightened in his seat and shook his head, "She can't do that."
"I'm not asking her to do it, Zander. I'm commanding her. As the High King." Valerian felt terrible to use his position to force someone into this but he had nothing else he could do.
Zander's eyes narrowed at the threat lacing in Valerian's tone, "Mother isn't afraid of you." But when he noticed the flicker of defeat in the king's eyes, "And she really can't do anything. She only owns the territory of Hell in the underworld where demons are sent for their serving sentence. She can't control life and death. We're the rulers of the underworld, not the God of underworld."
Valerian's eyes snapped to him at the last sentence, "Can the God of underworld stop the death then?"
Zander thought about it, "Well, since the grim reaper, Azriel, works under Hades, the God of underworld, I guess yes. If Hades tells his angel of death to not take a soul away, he'd do it. But-"
The prince's stops on his words when he notices the determination in the raven king's eyes, "You can't do that!" He laughs but seeing how Valerian's eyes doesn't even dim the least bit, Zander's eyes go wide, "You can't convince Hades! He's a greek God! He doesn't listen to anyone."
"If I've to fight a beast to keep the light in my wife's eyes intact, I'll do it. What's convincing a God then?" Valerian's words remained firm.
"You'll change the child's destiny if you do this. The fates will be angry, princeling." Dulcamara says from where she'd been sitting on the far end of the study, observing the two men in silence like a ghost until now.
"I don't care as long as my child lives." The king then turns to the demon prince, "Take me to Hades."
"Holy macaroons, are you nuts? I'm not taking you anywhere. Hades will kill me." Zander raised his hands in bafflement, "Keep me out of your family drama, please. I treasure my life. The world would be a barren land without my handsome face existing here."
"Zander, my wife will lose her happiness if she loses the child. I don't have any other option. Help me." Valerian's voice was a plea of desperacy.
He felt like slipping off the ice whenever he thought of holding one of the little one's tiny body in his arms, dead. It made his insides churn with pain.
Kaitlyn's happy face when talking about the children in her womb was all he could remember. He didn't want that glow from her eyes to die. He'd do anything to keep her smiling forever. And he didn't want to lose one of the two he was about to meet either. In the past few months, he'd grown so close to them that even the thought had his heart breaking for himself and Kaitlyn.
After everything that happened with Keith and the war, they'd been hanging onto this string of happiness. He couldn't bare to loose it.
Zander's eyes softened ever so much as he noticed the love and pain in Valerian's eyes for his wife. In the back of his mind, Zander was reminded of the woman he loved with all his might. The woman he was going to marry. He knew himself that he'd do anything for her happiness too. And if Laira and him were to have a child, he'd do anything to save the child as well.
"Fine," The demon prince let out a sigh, "I'll leave you at Hades' castle and then you decide what you want to do. I'll have no part in it. Since that moment onwards, you never met me and I never met you."
Valerian nodded his head in understanding, "Deal."
Somewhere in a corner, Dulcamara sighed. She knew what Valerian was about to do wasn't right but even she didn't want the princeling she watched grow in front of her eyes to face the trauma of loosing another person.
Surely, Valerian should be spared doing atleast one thing that wasn't fair by nature. Afterall, who was fair in this world?
* * *
Smoky mist surrounded them making it almost impossible to navigate their path through the stony land underneath their feet. Valerian followed Zander silently who seemed to be able to see clearly through the mist. He was a demon afterall, born here.
Hades' castle was situated in the deepest parts of the underworld. A narrow stony bridge led them to the grey palace at the other end. Valerian didn't bother peeking down to see what laid beneath the bridge.
The silence surrounding the area was deafening, much like everything in the underworld. Valerian hadn't visited this part of the land ever before but even he could say, he preferred Helvon's flaming weather filled with chattering inky eyed demons serving for their sins far more then the dense and gloomy air of Hades' territory.
After what felt like hours of walking along the stony path, they finally halted in front of the tall, rusty grey walls of the castle. The connical top of the building seemed to touch the skies.
"My work is done here. Remember what I said? I don't know you and you don't know me hence forth." Zander reminded dutifully, "I know my ethereal face is hard to forget but you can always pretend."
Valerian had huge the urge to roll his eyes. The man's confidence had no boundaries. But then Zander knew his effect well on others and seemed to goad in it. Who was he to complain?Zander had also helped him to get here, so he owed the prince atleast his promise.
"Farewell." Valerian's tone remained blank as ever.
Zander shrugged, "Farewell, High King."
And then he was gone, dissapearing into a smoke of darkness leaving Valerian all to himself.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the heavy doors of the castle since no one stood guard and knocking didn't seem very much the wise decision.
The raven king was met by a dimly lit living room. There were chandeliers on the grey coloured walls but their light was so dull, Valerian could see his shadow clearly on the silvery tiles of the floor.
His sharp green eyes looked around searching for the throne room where Zander had said he'd find Hades.
As his feet moved taking one step after another, Valerian paused when he felt a shadow following him. Turning around, he found a tall figure standing a few feet away wearing a black hood that covered his entire form saving his carved face.
The charcoal eyes of the figure sweeped to Valerian, "The raven king, why are you here?" The voice was masculine and deep and it echoed along the dreary hallway.
"I want to meet Hades." Valerian said in a blank tone, his voice and eyes giving away no emotion.
"Master doesn't wish to meet anyone." The man retorted, considerably calm and collected.
"I want to. Tell him and he can decide." Valerian stood his ground.
The hooded figure of the man silently observed Valerian for a few minutes before he nodded his head.
"You shall follow me then." The man turned around not bothering to spare a glance.
As Valerian followed the man, his eyes settled on the long silver scythe the hooded figure held over his shoulder.
'Azriel. The Angel of Death. The grim reaper. It's him.' His eyes widened as he processed the knowledge.
But before he could react more to it, the figure stopped in front of a huge iron double door with carvings of strange creatures over it.
Pushing open the door, the grim reaper led Valerian in. It was a throne room.
"Wait here, I'll inform master of your arrival." Azriel said in that smoky deep voice again.
Not knowing what to do, Valerian nodded taking in the equally dim lighting hall with a black throne chair atop the raised podium.
* * *
It wasn't long before Hades walked in through the silver double doors like a storm arriving on a sunny day.
His confident heavy steps echoed the silent throne room. Brushing away the long midnight strands falling over his forhead out of his eyes, Hades' dark dream-like gaze settled on Valerian.
Walking upto him, "The raven king! What a surprise!" Hades' voice was cheery very unlike his reaper who exuded a cold and dark aura.
"Hades." Valerian addressed, "The God of Underworld."
The God's lips pulled into a lop-sided grin, his chocolate brown eyes glinting under the dim light, "The one and only." He bowed his head in a dramatic way.
"There should be a solid reason you're here. Now no one wants to be a guest to the underworld before their time comes." Hades' mischievious smile was infectious.
Valerian was surprised. He hadn't expected the God to be so....frank. He didn't even know what he'd expected but that was the least of his concern now. He indeed was here for a solid reason.
"I want you to stop my child's death." Valerian's voice was stern, like a true king.
Hades' brow raised a fraction, "Well well, what a demand you've got there."
"You're the God of the underworld and the angel of death, Him—" Valerian's eyes shifted to Azriel silently standing like a shadow a step behind his master, "—He'll only listen to you."
"You're right, yes. Azriel is a loyal man. Although very bold of you to request such a thing from me. But I'm guessing if you're so determined, there must be something you have to offer in return too." The God of the Underworld grinned nonchalantly, "What is it you've got for me?"
Zander had warned Valerian not to try to trick Hades. The God was way too clever to be deceived. And now Valerian understood why. Hades' gaze alone despite the nonchalance and humor in them, held a great mystery as if he knew way more then he let out.
"Anything. I'll give you anything in return of my child's life." Valerian's was desperate. He'd do anything to keep the baby alive. Keep Kate happy.
Hades' tilted his head to the side in wonder before letting out a laugh, "You think I can't have anything I want myself?"
"Still-"
"Go back, Kingston." The God turned on his heel, "Don't hope for the impossible."
Valerian's heart sunk in his chest at the words. No. He couldn't go back without having his word that Azriel wouldn't take his child's soul away.
But before he could object, before he could even let out a word, he saw Hades' flick his fingers and the next thing Valerian knew, he was back in front of the entrance of Helvon, out of the underworld.
Valerian sunk to his knees on the forest ground as a stray tear ran down his cheek.
What was he going to do now? Was their child going to die?
Your views on Zander?
Views on Hades?
Do you think Hades will do something to save the dying twin?
Even though we all the answer to the last one, what's the pain in asking😂
I'd hoped to put the twins' birth in this chapter itself, but it's long enough as it is and there's also something about Mellisa I wanted to reveal so yeah, I shifted it to the next chapter. It'll be the last chapter and then the epilogue *wipes tears*