Zephyr
"HADES!" I roared into the eerily quiet dark castle "PERSEPHONE!!"
I hastened my steps through the Castle, my emotions warring inside of me to the point that every step I took resulted in flames rearing up and licking both the floor and walls around me.
Wild vines slithered down from the ceiling, their edges bursting into flames as I by passed them.
With a flick of my wrist, I threw Hades office door open.
I scanned my eyes around his office but the ruthless God wasn't in here.
In fact, he and Persephone were nowhere to be found.
My roar of anger and pain was too loud for them to ignore.
I put a hand to the wall and clenched my fist, watching as Hell's Nightshade emerge from within its closed depths.
"Find Hades and Persephone" I hissed as more Nightshade emerged from my fist "I don't care how you do it or if they're busy. I want then brought to me immediately."
The Nightshade engulfed the whole office and spread throughout the castle, going from one corner to next and then from room to room.
When the different branches of Nightshade congregated and tried to access a familiar area of the Castle, I knew that they found the missing Monarchs.
I entered Persephone's garden and paused at the scene in front of me.
To say that it was in disarray was an understatement.
It was utterly and entirely destroyed.
All of Persephone's flowers were burnt to a crisp, residual blue flames lingering on the more durable and fire-resistant plants.
Her garden of newly blooming Lotus flowers were dug up and missing, and the special dirt that they cultivated in was completely ruined and posioned.
The whole garden which was once peaceful and bright was now dark and gloomy.
How Ironic.
I walked deeper into the garden and from the corner of my eye, I noticed something hanging from the top of Persephone's Japanese Maple tree.
I made my way toward the tree and paused underneath it, trying to get a better look at what was suspended in the branches.
The trunk, which was once healthy and strong, was now decaying and paper thin and looked like it was ten seconds away from disintegrating into dust.
My eyes followed the trail of decay, noting the still flaming Blue flames that were licking at the top of the Maple leaves.
Which was probably why I didn't see him at first.
Like a scene from the Crucifixion of Jesus, was Hades himself.
He was battered and bloodied, the blue flames licking at his skin.
From the way he wasn't moving or trying to free himself, I could tell that he was unconscious.
He wasn't dead...yet...that was for sure.
I paused at the sight, surprised at seeing him in such a state.
While it was difficult injuring a God, and even harder killing one... it wasn't totally impossible.
What was impossible was to make a God like Hades, one of the Original Three, look like he was on death's door.
There was an internal battle in me as I watched him hang there.
To save or to not save.
That was the big question of the day.
Hades was a lying and deceiving bastard but... he was also my father...Unfortunately. I would have left him up there to rot if Serenity's face hadn't popped up in mind at that exact moment, giving me a disapproving face at my decision.
With gritted teeth and a flick of my wrist, I shrunk the Japanese Maple down to the size of a bonsai tree.
Hades crashed face first to the floor, his body sprawling out onto his stomach.
He made not move to get up so I nudged him with the tip of my shoe.
His skin sizzled at my touch.
Still No Movement.
"He'll live" I concluded after I finished looking over his visible surface wounds "Now let's find the Queen."
I lifted my hand and more Nightshade slithered in from the entrance of Persephone's garden.
They spread out through the whole garden and it soon looked like there was more nightshade than Persephone's dead exotic flowers.
When they stopped at a spot beneath where the Japanese Maple once lied, I frowned.
He wouldn't have...
I snorted at my doubt.
Of course he would have.
I knelt down and placed my hands on the ground, closing my eyes as I did so.
I listened to the earth, noting the usual hum of the organisms as well the steady beat of the earths core.
What I found confirmed my suspicions.
In addition to the usually hum of the earth was a slow but faint thump of a heartbeat.
I stood and let out a sarcastic laugh.
He buried her.
My piece of shit brother buried our...my...mother alive.
Unlike with Hades, I raised my hand and immediately the earth beneath my boots began fracturing in two as I brought Persephone's body to the surface.
When her head poked out through the damp scorched earth, I knelt down and felt for a pulse.
She was clearly breathing and like Hades, was unconscious too.
Shadow appeared at my side, growling down at the broken Monarchy.
I glared at him "Glad that you finally decided to grace us with your presence."
Shadow growled and nudged Persephone's limp hand, questioning how Cerberus could have done this with powers he couldn't possibly have acquired without all of us knowing.
"Fetch the brothers" I ordered him "They need to know about these recent developments."