Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears. My mouth felt dry. My eyes refused to open as my eyelids felt too heavy to lift. I could hear voices around me.
"Cassia." Someone shook me gently. "Open your eyes, darling. Cassia, can you hear me?"
I dipped my chin to nod, but the movement was much too small to be noticed.
"Cassia."
There was a soft pillow under my head. Where was I? I had to open my eyes.
It took great effort to get my eyelids to lift, but slowly, I came to see my surroundings, though my vision was blurry and disoriented.
"She's waking up, Alexios! Cassia, darling, look at me." My gaze fell upon my mother. She smiled and took my hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrible," I croaked.
"Drink some water." Father approached the other side of the bed I was on and brought a glass of water to my lips. Slowly sitting up, I drank every drop to soothe my dry mouth and throat.
"What happened?" I asked. "Where are we?"
Mother looked around the chambers we were in. "In the Underworld, it seems. I still don't know how we got here. One moment I was dancing with your father in a dream, and the next I heard an angry roar of a dragon, waking me and everyone else in that strange ballroom. We found you lying on the ground in the hall, beside a whining black dragon. You looked so pale."
"I think I was bitten by a venomous snake," I said, checking on my leg, which was throbbing in pain. The area of the bite was now wrapped in a bandage.
"We took care of it for now," father told me. I could see worry in his eyes as he regarded my bandaged leg. "It wasn't a deep bite, but it left a strange black circle around it. We found healers amongst the people here, but they all said that they'd never seen anything like your bite before."
"It's a mess out there!" Aunt Athena announced as she walked into the room, the yelling outside muffled once she shut the door. "People are panicking and causing chaos in the palace. Our speeches didn't do much to calm them, but Lily is still trying to get them to listen." Her eyes softened when she saw me. "Cassia, you're awake! Are you feeling all right? Do you feel any dizziness?" She cupped my face in her hands, moving it from side to side to examine me.
I groaned. "Now I do."
"Sorry." She let go of my face, then enveloped me in a gentle embrace. "We need to get you out of here and let Hecate see your leg. I didn't like the look of that bite. The venom seems to be laced with sorcery."
We suddenly heard thunder outside, the booming sound making my already painful headache feel even worse. I groaned once more and clutched my head. "What was that?"
Father and Aunt Athena left to investigate. Before the door was fully shut, I heard a very familiar voice call out Hades's name.
I grimaced when another boom of thunder attacked my eardrums. "It's Zeus, isn't it?"
"It seems so." Mother frowned, smoothing a hand over my head. "Darling, are you all right?"
"Not at all," I said weakly, shutting my eyes. "I can't...handle this... Too much...pain."
"Hades!" Zeus's yelling was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness.
~~~
I opened my eyes, coughing. I blinked and there were suddenly people standing before me. Four pairs of eyes stared back at me with relief.
Hecate smiled when I met her gaze. "You should be feeling better now. I removed the serpent's curse from you. Is the pain completely gone?"
I nodded, sitting up and throwing off the covers I was under. The bandage on my leg was gone along with the bite mark. There wasn't a single trace of it left on my smooth skin. "Thank you, Hecate. I don't feel any pain anymore." I frowned. "Did you say it was a curse?"
Her lips thinned in distaste. "Yes, and it's a punishable offence. Hades has no right to practice such sorcery, and the fact that he'd used the serpent's curse on you with intent to harm--"
"He'll pay for it. He has to." Eros tightened his jaw in anger, his honey eyes blazing. "I'll make sure he does."
"You know how protective father is over Hades and Poseidon. I doubt he will give him a just punishment," Persephone sighed, standing beside Eros. She smiled at me. "I'm glad you made it back safe."
I forced a pleasant smile in return, just like mother taught me to do when speaking with ladies of the court I'd disliked. "Yes, well-- umph!"
I was tackled back onto the bed with a flying Lena.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she sniffled. "We were all so worried when you were gone, and when they brought you here, unconscious, talking about some kind of curse? I wanted to fling that Zeus lookalike off the highest balcony in Olympus."
I laughed, wrapping my arms around her waist and squeezing, glad to see my best friend again.
"Wait, Hades is here?" I asked, frowning. "Are the people of Asterin safely returned to their homes? What about Avyssos?"
"Yes, everyone's been rescued from the Underworld, including the dragon," Lena said. "Zeus came down to force Hades to surrender, threatening him with something Persephone told him. We'll hear it all at the Hearing. We were actually just on our way there, but came to check on you. Since you're awake now, do you want to come?"
"If you get off of me, I will."
She snorted, lifting herself off, then suddenly tackled me down again.
"That Persephone girl," she whispered. "I don't like her much."
"Me neither," I whispered back.
"Don't smear her face with cake though," she joked, snickering quietly to herself. Out loud, she said, "I'm so happy you're back!" She got off me and stood, flinging me up to my feet right after. "Let's go see Hades get his punishment!"
Persephone clung to Eros as if her life depended on it. She looked genuinely nervous as we made our way to the meeting hall where the Hearing would take place. Though I wasn't happy that she chose Eros as her protector, I couldn't help but pity her for everything she's been through.
Eros kept throwing glances in my direction, but I didn't want him to see the petty jealousy in my eyes, so I kept my gaze forward, letting Lena lead me with her arm hooked with mine.
When we arrived to the Hearing, we took our seats in the front row of the audience. There was a single throne on a podium in the centre where Zeus was sat, and the single seat in front of it was occupied by Hades. Many other Gods were also present, sitting in the audience that surrounded the two brothers.
"You've all asked for a Hearing, and I of course listened to your requests," Zeus started. "We've here to discuss the offences Hades has incurred and decide on his punishment."
Murmurs erupted among the audience.
"Silence!" Zeus demanded. He cleared his throat. "Now, let us hear Hades's side of the story first. Hades?" He gestured for his brother to speak.
Hades stood from his seat and faced the audience. Not a single ounce of remorse was shown on his face. His gaze locked with Persephone's, who clung even tighter to Eros.
"I did it all out of love," the God of the Underworld announced, breaking eye contact with his obsession and looking around at the audience. "Haven't you ever done something desperate out of pure love? I'm certain you have. I know a lot of you who have." His tone took on a threatening edge at that last statement.
"You're all here blaming me for allegedly abducting Persephone, who I know is very loved here in this bright palace in the clouds." He gestured to Olympus. "But I love her more than any one of you here, and I got permission to take her to my kingdom."
"Permission?!" Demeter rose from her seat, voice incredulous. "You abducted my daughter against her own will! Permission from her imbecile father is nothing! The only permission that mattered was hers, and she did not give it to you!"
Zeus shifted uncomfortably in his throne, but stayed silent.
Hades shrugged. "She would have grown to love me. I swore to myself to never lay a hand on her until she did, and I've kept my word. If only you hadn't interfered with our growing relationship, Persephone would have realized her affections for me." His gaze softened when he looked at Persephone again. "We were destined to be together."
"You lunatic! You were never destined to be together," Demeter seethed. "Don't you dare look at her!"
"But we are destined." Hades turned to Zeus. "Tell them what you told me."
Zeus cleared his throat. "Yes...the Fates have told me so!"
The audience erupted into murmurs again.
"We never said such a thing!" "Yes, never!" "I don't remember it either." "He is lying to protect his brother!" "How dare he use us so shamelessly?" "Speak up then!" "No, you speak up!" "Why should I?" "You're the oldest!" "By a minute!" "A minute is a long time for some." "I agree." "Me too. The oldest speaks." "You ugly hags!"
I turned around when I heard those familiar voices I'd heard through the glass sphere, only to come face to face with three old hags sitting behind me. They stopped their bickering when they saw me, grinning at me in unison.
"Hello, child!" the one in the middle greeted me. "Did you free the dragon?"
Her sisters pinched her. "Don't stall! Speak up before they move on to other things!"
"We never said such a thing!" The oldest hag announced loudly, causing the audience to go completely silent. All three Fates rose from their seats. "Remind me Zeus, when did we ever discuss this?"
Eyes wide in surprise, Zeus was at a loss for words. "I thought...I thought you'd mentioned it once."
"You lied to me?" Hades asked his brother, suddenly losing all the confidence he just had minutes ago. "Persephone and I weren't destined?"
Zeus sighed loudly, sitting back in his throne, defeated. "You'd told me you were in love for the first time in your life. For the fist time, you smiled with joy. I truly thought Persephone would grow to love you if I let you be alone together, and if she didn't return your affections within a year, I planned to bring her back here and tell you everything. I'm sorry, Hades."
Hades plopped back onto his seat, seeming to lose strength to hold himself up.
"And what about me, father?" Persephone suddenly stood, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling with hurt. "Did you not think of how I would feel when you let uncle imprison me in the Underworld for an entire year against my will?"
"Imprison is a strong word..." Zeus said, having the decency to look guilty.
"Persephone, please forgive them both. Hades did what he did out of love for you, and your father simply pitied his brother and wanted to give him a chance at love. Love is a beautiful thing, you know?" Poseidon stood up.
Hecate rolled her eyes. "Should I remind everyone here of the atrocities that your love had caused in the past?"
Without another word, Poseidon sat back down.
Demeter looked so angry, that she didn't need to speak any words to express her complete and utter hatred for the brothers. Her eyes spoke volumes.
Aphrodite stood up to speak. "You keep calling it love, but is it really? If you did love Persephone, you wouldn't have let her suffer. If you truly loved her, you wouldn't have imprisoned her -- and no, imprison is not a strong word, Zeus. It's the truth. You would have let her come to you if she chose to, and let her go if she didn't. You would have let her live freely in Olympus, as she wished. You knew she's most happy under sunlight, with nature surrounding her, and yet you had no problem dragging her into the darkest place in this world? Hades, what you feel isn't love. It's an obsession."
Zeus glanced at a silent Hades, then cleared his throat. "Thank you, Aphrodite, for your opinion." He clapped his hands once. "Now, we've heard all we needed to hear. We must decide on --"
"We didn't hear all we needed to hear!" I protested, standing up.
"I told you she had it in her." "No, you didn't!" "Did too!" "Pfft. Anyone can challenge Zeus at meetings and state their opinion. It's nothing special." "Yes, but she interrupted him. No one interrupts Zeus." "He does hate that." "These Hearings are always so fun to attend." "I agree." "Me too."
The God of Thunder pursed his lips, then motioned for me to speak.
"We haven't brought up his other crimes. He's abducted thousands of people -- living souls -- and forced them to dance in hell to appease his lov-- obsession's wishes, not to mention the poor women he'd abducted to entertain her."
Grandfather stood up. "That's right. He's also used sorcery to harm my granddaughter."
Gasps sounded in the audience and murmurs picked up again.
"I did no such thing!" Hades protested.
"I saw it with my own two eyes," Hecate confirmed. "Cassia had a bite on her leg. A serpent's bite. And it had a black ring of sorcery around it -- a curse to poison her body and soul."
"Can you prove it?" Zeus asked, craning his neck to look at my leg, which was covered with the fabric of my dress. "Can you show us this black ring of sorcery?"
"I can't," I said, frowning. "It's gone now."
"I had to heal the wound and reverse the curse," Hecate explained. "But I assure you, I'd witnessed it and so have many others."
"And by others, you mean...?" Zeus raised a brow.
"Her family," Hecate said. "I'd convinced them to go to Asterin to calm their people, but they can all testify as witnesses when they return."
"Of course her family will lie for her. How can we trust their testimony?" he challenged.
"Then trust mine," the Goddess of Magic responded.
"Didn't you gift the girl with her powers when she was born?" he scratched his beard. "Clearly, you favour her and will undoubtedly take her side."
"I saw the bite too!" Eros announced angrily.
"As did I!" Lena joined.
"You're in love with her." Zeus pointed at Eros. "And you're her close friend and family." He pointed at Lena. "Hardly very reliable witnesses."
"I saw it too!" Persephone called out, standing. "I'm not her family, nor am I her friend."
Zeus shook his head. "She helped you escape the Underworld and you share your distaste for Hades. You all do. Not reliable."
"The healers from Asterin!" I said, remembering what my father told me when we were in the Underworld. "They said they'd never seen a strange bite like mine."
"If they'd never seen it...how would they know there was sorcery involved?"
Frustrated, I gritted my teeth. "They might not know if there was sorcery involved, but they could describe it in detail. The black ring--"
Zeus interrupted me with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That's enough. I will not believe any eye witnesses. Unless you have real evidence that Hades has used sorcery to harm you or anyone else, he will not be charged with that offence." He sat straighter in his throne, satisfied with his statement. "Now, for those abductions...as Aphrodite has put it, Hades became victim to obsession. Clearly, he wasn't in his right mind when he committed all these acts. I could assign him a punishment, or we could simply forgive and forget. Everyone is safely back in Asterin. Persephone is back in Olympus. Cassia is alive and well. There were no deaths, were there? No. All turned out well, and we should be celebrating that."
"Called it! He takes his brothers' side no matter what. Now give me my golden coins." "Bloody hell! I had hope." "I told you to stop pining for these imbeciles, you old hag." "Oh, shut up! Here, take your coins. What do you need them for anyway?" "Nothing. I like how shiny they are." "Maybe buy yourself a new set of teeth."
A dragon roared behind us, and everyone turned to the large, open balcony. Avyssos locked eyes with me and chirped, motioning for me to approach him.
I stood and went to the giant creature, letting him push a book in my direction, the same book that I'd taken from the secret chamber in the Underworld. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his thick, scaly neck -- or as far as I could wrap them. "Thank you, Avyssos. We'll take our enemy down, I promise."
He nuzzled against me in response, then flew away into the bright and vast sky above. I almost forgot where I was as I happily watched him spread his wings wide, free to fly as he wished. When I remembered my surroundings, I turned around.
"This book right here," I announced as I walked up to the centre of the meeting space, between Hades and Zeus, "contains some of the terrible secrets that Hades -- and perhaps Zeus -- kept hidden from the rest of the world. It's one of many from the secret chamber I'd discovered while I was down in the Underworld. Now, Zeus, would you consider this real evidence or is it also not reliable enough for you? Just by looking at its cover, one could tell that it was created by the Fates themselves."
Hades tensed, but didn't protest or make any moves to snatch it from my hands this time. He still seemed to be grieving over the lie his brother had told him about his destined love.
While the audience was distracted with their own heated chatter, Zeus wordlessly glanced at the Fates for some kind of a confirmation. When the three hags nodded, he sighed, then motioned for me to approach his throne. "Come up here for a moment, granddaughter of Helios. I'd like to take a look at that book."
Wary of his intentions, I slowly approached and begrudgingly handed him the evidence of his brother's crimes.
"You really know how to rile a God up," he said quietly enough for only us to hear, as he aimlessly flipped through the blank pages of the book. We both knew that ink would only appear if a question was asked. "If the secrets are revealed, it wouldn't only hurt Hades. There are many Gods who are mentioned in them -- your grandfather included."
At my surprised reaction, he chuckled. "Oh yes, Helios has lived for a very long time, and he too has made his fair share of mistakes. Terrible ones. You should ask him, if he's willing to tell." He raised a white brow. "Do you really want to reveal them to everyone after all these years?"
"I..." Of course I didn't want that, but I also couldn't just leave it all covered up. Hades had to pay for what he did. And grandfather...
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and didn't like the nervous tick of his jaw.
"See?" Zeus said. "You're hesitating. Everyone condemns me for protecting my brothers, but they don't see anything wrong with protecting their own family, no matter what they've done. I'd had all secrets buried in the Underworld and I intend to keep them buried forever -- dead and forgotten. And it isn't only your grandfather that will be criticized. Many Gods are mentioned in these books, including Aphrodite and Ares. I know Eros isn't on great terms with them at the moment, but they're still his parents, and he would care."
Doubt started filling my heart with every word he spoke. I was so certain of my decision seconds ago. So certain that I pushed Hades and Zeus into a corner. But I should have known better than to get overly confident with the Gods. This wasn't the justice court of Asterin kingdoms where more than one person judged the truth and made decisions. This was Olympus. And Zeus ruled it.
"Would you rather start another uproar amongst the Gods, or would you rather let everyone move on in peace? The worst punishment for Hades is to take away his one and only beloved, and you've helped that happen. Just look at him. He's already suffering."
Hades indeed looked utterly miserable. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were red with unshed tears. The great Ruler of the Underworld brought to his knees, and all it took was heartbreak.
"How do I know he won't go on a rampage out of spite?" I asked.
Zeus raised his brows. "He wouldn't do that. But if he does, he will be punished. If there are unjust casualties, he will be punished." He met my doubtful gaze, then smiled, knowing that no matter what I said, things would go his way in the end. "So, what do you say? Are we in agreement?"
***
Who run the world? Zeus. (Just kidding)
Hope you're having a good week!
See you in the next chapter :)