AHHH 1989 TAYLORS VERSION IS COMING.
Anyways. How have you guys been???
ATHENA RUSSO:
"I have no idea why you're inviting yourself into my home," I say to Hades. He's followed me here like some creep.
I get out of the elevator, walk into my penthouse, and immediately go to the kitchen. I open the fridge take strawberries, wash them, and put them in a bowl.
I turn around and Hades is intensely watching me.
Okay...
Did he forget about what I said to him earlier? God. I'm going to have to remind him, aren't I?
"First of all," I start but then get interrupted by Ivan who randomly walks in with a lady.
"Boss, sorry to disturb you but—"
"It's fine, Ivan," I say, not looking away from Hades, who is keeping an expressionless face on, looking at me bored. "I'll see the wedding dresses now."
I walk into the living room and see a bunch of wedding dresses and a few more women.
They all look at each other when they see Hades. "Why is the fiancé here?" I hear one of them whisper.
Oh right. Normally my bridesmaids and mother would be here. It must be unusual to have the fiancé here.
I turn around and nearly bump into Hades. Why is he standing so close to me? I look up at him, annoyed for being too close to me. "You need to go," I tell him.
He looks around and then nods, "Okay. Come to me once you're done."
I'm about to say something but I stand there, watching him walk down the hallway. That... isn't what I meant. I shake my head and turn around.
"Alright, we can start now."
✮ ✮ ✮
"So where's your mother?" One of the ladies asks, zipping up my dress.
I stand in front of the mirror and look at the dress. "She passed away when I was a child," I answer, my voice calm and strong.
I know she was sweet and kind and beautiful. But I've never heard stories about her. No one talks about her or my father. Their death is only brought up instead.
My father won't walk me down the aisle. My mother isn't here to help me choose my dress. They're not here at all. They haven't been here for years.
So why am I starting to think about what would be happening with them here now? Why do I want them to be here with me now?
Pushing my selfish thoughts away, I turn around and I'm met with faces filled with pity. "I'm so sorry to hear that, dear. I'm sure they are watching you from above, happy for you," One of the ladies says.
I ignore her and say, "I don't like this one."
They all nod and rush to pick another dress for me. "Do you want to try this one?" They ask me.
I shake my head and look at Ivan. He nods, already knowing what to do. He looks at the dresses for me and picks one.
Ten minutes later I'm in the dress and I'm staring at myself in the mirror. It's an off-shoulder gown with diamonds in a beautiful design on it. It's so captivating to look at that I can't believe it's even on me.
Next thing I know I'm hearing a familiar voice shout from down the hall. The voice slowly comes closer and I see Hades dragging Noah to the elevator with a gun to Noah's head.
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. LET GO OF ME!"
What the hell...
They both stop and look at me and freeze. Noah's jaw drops and Hades stares at me.
"Explain yourselves," I demand, placing my hands on my hips.
Noah snaps out of his haze and points at Hades, "I was just in your room, and he starts questioning me and then threatening me, and then he starts dragging me, telling me the ways of how he's going to kill me in front of you."
Placing my hands on my hips, I angrily look at Hades who is still staring at me, frozen but slowly putting the gun away.
"Let go of him," I demand, taking a step forward. He stays frozen. What the hell is wrong with him? Has he gone deaf?
"You look really pretty by the way," Noah tells me, smiling, "And I think I'm not gay anymore."
Immediately, I walk toward him and grab his arm, "How the hell did you even get in here?!"
"Give me a twirl," Noah demands, crossing his arms. I clench my jaw and shake my head. "Please!" He begs, slowly going down on his knees.
I take a deep breath and slowly twirl around, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Hades thank you for marrying her, I never thought I would ever see this in my life," Noah says to Hades who is still staring at me frozen.
"Alright, everyone out. Especially you, Noah," I sigh, struggling to walk to my room in this massive dress.
"Do you need help getting out of your dress?" Ivan calls out.
"No, it's alright, I'll help her," Noah says.
"Fuck off. I'm her fiancé, I'll help her."
Oh so now he wants to talk? This fucking bastard. I'm not some damsel in distress.
I halt and turn around, glaring at all three of them. I take a step forward and they all take five steps back.
"I'm going to get out of this dress myself and when I come back out which will probably be about ten minutes, I want all of you gone. Do you understand?"
I turn around and walk away, not waiting to see their reaction and go into my room. I lock the door and huff, this dress is so big, I can barely even walk in it.
I feel like if I dreamed about my future wedding, I would have a dress like this for it so I guess I can't complain.
It takes me a few minutes to take the dress off but once it's off my shoulders slump and I sigh in relief.
As I change into a pair of jeans and a crop top, I remember the bowl of strawberries I left on the counter. My stomach rumbles and I quickly leave my room and grab the bowl of strawberries before turning around and looking into the living room.
Ivan, Hades, and Noah all sit down in my living room watching... some kid's show. Without noticing it, I watch them as I eat the strawberries, slightly intrigued and confused.
They don't notice me at all but I end up accidentally watching the show as well from the kitchen.
After a few minutes, I snap out of my haze place the bowl down, and walk up to them.
"What are you still doing here?" I ask, crossing my arms. They all look at me in shock as if they are a kid getting in trouble.
Ivan stands up and begins walking to the lift but I grab his arm and stop him, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
He freezes.
I look back at Noah and Hades. Noah slowly stands up, "You know what, I need to go... and walk my.. Fish?"
"Go walk your fish then," I say, rolling my eyes.
He walks away and then stops, "Wait I don't even have a fish."
I give him a disappointed look. Of course, I know he doesn't have a fish. Who the fuck walks their fish? That's the shittiest excuse I've ever heard.
I watch him, bored.
He sheepishly smiles, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah... um bye, guys!" Noah says before quickly leaving.
I then look at Hades who is on his phone, grinning. My eyebrows furrow, who the hell has got him smiling like that? Normally he smiles at me like that.
I snatch his phone and see what he's smiling at.
A picture.
Of me.
In the wedding dress, I just had on a few minutes ago. Noah is smiling in the picture watching me twirl around. I didn't even see him take this. How did I not notice?
I throw the phone back to him, a little creeped out. "Leave," I demand.
He stands up and nods, "Alright."
Hades walks over down the hallway and then comes back a few minutes later, with a familiar white kitten and dog.
Oh my god. I am going to kill Noah.
"I didn't know you had pets," Hades says, sitting back down on the couch, cradling Iris as Socks jumps onto the couch and lays next to him.
"I don't. Noah fucking snuck them in here," I mutter as I turn around and face Ivan, who looks at me with a hint of fear in his eyes.
"You can leave," I tell him.
Ivan's eyebrows furrow but he nods and leaves.
I sigh and sit on the island in the kitchen and eat my strawberries as I watch Hades. He pets Iris and Socks as he watches that weird kids' show.
I tilt my head and cross my legs.
He seems so relaxed and calm.
So comfortable.
He leans back on the couch, changing the show to the news.
I can't believe I'm going to marry this man and I don't mean it in a good way.
I don't want to marry him. I want him dead. So much. I want him gone. I want to slice his throat. Stab his chest repeatedly, rip his heart out. But I can't.
I won't forget him stealing my kill. I won't forget his arrogance. I won't forget how he thinks he's better than me. I won't forget the lies that he tries to cover up with an excuse.
We need to act like we're in love. How the hell can I do that when I hate him with every fiber in my body?
I've been too kind to him.
But why? What is wrong with me? Why am I watching him as he sits on my couch? Why am I still letting him stay here? Why haven't I dragged him out of my place?
I can't kill him. But I can torture him.
A dark smirk forms on my face as I imagine all the ways I could torture him.
I could tie him up to a wall, I could slice his arms, I could leave scars all over his body, bruises everywhere, send him to a hospital let him head, and then do it all again. I could do so much to him and I would enjoy every bit of it.
I can imagine verbally abusing, manipulating, and gaslighting him. I can imagine making him slowly lose his mind. Make him scared of me. Make him suffer for life.
I imagine myself sucking his blood off my fingers, laughing in his face as he begs me to stop and leave him alone for good.
"Hey, you good? You look like you're planning how to kill me."
I snap out of my fantasy and see him observing me, a blank expression on his face.
"I've already planned out a way to kill you," I answer, jumping off the island and putting the bowl in the sink.
"That's cute."
I don't respond and think about how I haven't killed anyone in days. I'm quite surprised with myself for not craving the need to kill anyone other than Hades.
I haven't got that dark taunting voice in the back of my head in these last few days as well.
Sighing, I turn around and see Socks sitting in front of me. I make sure Hades isn't watching when I quickly pet him.
I don't know why Noah left his pets here but I think I'm okay with it.
Anyway, I need to kick Hades out before I start acting out my fantasies about torturing him.
"Hades, you need to leave now," I say, looking at him carefully.
He doesn't respond.
My hand slowly forms into a fist and I take a deep breath. I walk over to him, crossing my arms.
As I stand in front of him, blocking his view of the TV. He looks up at me and leans back on the couch.
"Yeah?" He says, taking Iris off his lap and placing her on the floor and she runs off somewhere.
I look back at him, "You need to leave."
"And why should I?"
"Because I want you to?"
Before I know it, he leans forward, grabs my hips, and pulls me onto his lap. My whole body stills as I stare down at him with wide eyes.
"I don't care what you want," he says, his voice cold and empty, "Because of your reckless actions, you're being hunted down as we speak. You are not safe."
I glare at him, trying to get off his lap but he holds me down, his grip on my hips is tight and impenetrable.
"You took your revenge too far, you've crossed lines and people don't like that," he whispers in my ear, making me feel like I'm in trouble.
"You think I don't know that? I'm a hundred steps ahead of everyone and you," I snap, glaring at him.
He chuckles, "If you are, you would know Ubel König is preparing your death."
I tilt my head. Ubel König. His name keeps popping up occasionally. I place my hands on his shoulder and lean in closer to him.
"If he's such a problem, kill him."
He slowly smirks, "I want you to kill him."
I raise an eyebrow, "Why do you think that?"
He leans in close, our faces only a few inches apart. "Because I want you to prove to me that you're good as you act like you are."
"Watching me get my revenge wasn't enough for you?"
He shakes his head, "No. You looked like a show-off."
A show-off? Who does he think he is?
"Says the one who stole me killed in front of everyone."
He tilts his head, looking deeply into my eyes, "You were too slow, that's why."
Slow? I was trained to be the best. I am the best. And this man dares to practically tell me I'm not.
The worst thing about it is that he's right. I was too slow, and I was being a show-off but it was only meant for Yavok.
I clench my jaw and stay silent.
His smirk grows bigger, "Cat got your tongue?"
I try to get off his lap but he holds me in place and glances at my lips. "You will never be good enough for this type of world, Athena. You're still lacking in many things that you think you're best at," he whispers, looking back into my eyes.
"Oh yeah?" I mumble, my lips brushing on his cheek.
He stiffens beneath me.
"Say it again. Tell me how I'm not good enough, Hades. Tell me how shit I am at what I do best. Go on."
He breathes heavily as I slide my hand down his chest.
"Tell me Hades," I say, my voice harsh and demanding.
He watches me, still not responding.
"You can't repeat it because you watch me constantly, don't you?" I whisper in his ear. "You like watching me, don't you?"
My hand is right above his bulge, my fingers graze the waistband of his sweatpants. He watches me, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"You watch me all the time to see if I'll mess up although I never do... seems a bit obsessive, wouldn't you agree?"
Instead of responding, Hades continues to hold our eye contact. He slowly smiles, but it isn't a kind one.
It's a dark, wicked, sinister smile.
"I'm capable of so much more than you've seen," I pause, leaning back, my hands on his shoulders, "And you know that."
I get off his lap and walk away to my room. I look back and Hades is standing at the end of the hallway, staring at me.
The lights are off so when I see his creepy ass smile still on his face, a shiver rolls down my spine as I watch him.
He turns around and walks over to the elevator, he doesn't look back as he gets in it even when the doors shut.
Even though he's gone now I can still feel him.
And I touched him, I need to go wash my hands. Wait. He touched me. He laid his dirty hands on my beautiful body. Fucking disgusting hitch.
I immediately run into my bathroom, take my clothes get in the shower, and scrub my body until my skin turns red.
I get out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel and sit down and sigh in relief.
I'm finally clean.