MAKARIA
"Everyone back to their dorms!" Gloria yelled. "Not you, Makaria." She added when she saw me retrieving.
"Come with me."
The sudden urge in her voice almost convinced me that she wasn't the killer, but hey, I was a demon, I didn't have the power to see people's intentions.
Gloria took me to her office. With determination, she closed the door and locked it. I was very close telling her that it was a bad choice, but she surprised me when she uttered the next words.
"Makaria, you need to find the killer." With a heavy sigh, she continued. "I have been trying to find evidence, but it was impossible. The killer is getting help from somewhere, but I don't know from who or where."
My gut told me that Hades was in this, but I would never say it out loud. I had to make sure before I take a step.
Gloria reminded me of my mother. Persephone was so good at hiding things, even from her loved ones. No one would even get a feeling that she was going through anything. Melinoe and I were oblivious to the fact that Hades was cheating on her or that she was sometimes beaten up by him. I remember telling her to run away, but she didn't listen.
It was only now that I knew she only stayed for us.
Well, that was until she met Theseus.
"Who do you think it is?" I asked. It was a stupid question, but I remember one demon, who used to teach me when I was younger told me once that, "Always ask, no matter how stupid your question was."
"I am not certain, but it was definitely not one of the students."
"How come?" I looked at her in an accusing gaze.
She avoided looking at me and got nervous. "I am not supposed to say this, but Zeus wanted me to keep a tracker on all students. I injected all students in the past."
"Are you sure that all the students, have it?"
"I do."
"Then it must be one of the teachers." I replied, the weather getting hotter all of a sudden.
"We have more than 40 teachers, and none have a tracker on them."
I didn't have a choice but to trust Gloria. She looked genuine, though any killer could do that. Act nice and then kill you when you're not looking.
"I'll see what I can do." I said and turned around to leave, but Gloria grabbed my arm and stopped me.
"Makara." She hesitated. "I heard that you're looking into the curse of the third land."
I'm going to kill you, Ares.
"So?" I replied coldly.
"Did your mother contact you?"
What the fuck?
"No, why?" The lie rolled off my tongue easily.
She sighed. "I have seen her recently, but she disappeared. I tried to find her, but I looked everywhere. She is the key to the curse, Makaria."
"What do you mean?"
"When I saw her, she wanted a place to hide. Of course, I agreed, but since she was a witch, I asked something in return. When I told her about the curse and Rosalie, she told me that she came from the same bloodline."
All the signs were in front of me, but I was too blind to see them. The black rose reaching my room, the note, the disappearance of my mother. All of it.
"So, you're saying that curse will be broken if I find my mother?"
"Yes, we just need to find her."
"What do you want me to do, Gloria?" I asked in my formal, soldier voice.
"Go back to hell, retrieve something of hers, and we could find her if we performed a spell."
"With what witch?" I asked.
"Helen, a student."
"I don't like her."
"You don't have to. Do you want to find your mother and remove the curse of these innocent students?"
"You know that I don't really have feelings of empathy, right?" I tilted my head as I looked at her.
"You do, just like your mother."
"I am a demon!" I exclaimed.
"Your father brainwashed you! You do not have to be evil to be a demon! Gosh, my lover was a demon."
"What?"
"Yes! Your father killed him because he loved an angel."
"Hades."
"What?" She asked in confusion.
"It's Hades, not my father." I replied. I never called him father. "What was his name?"
She had a pained expression on her face, telling me that I opened old wounds.
"Edmond James."
I looked at her as if she grew four heads.
Great, another someone's lover or family I had killed.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing." I smiled. "I will go back to hell and steal something of my mother's, but I need help."
"Why?"
"My father keeps her stuff in his room, and it is impossible to go in unnoticed by him."
"Okay, what do you need?"
"Ares. I need Ares with me."
"But he can't leave or enter hell."
I smirked. "Oh, he can if he's with me."
* * *
We had an off day because of the student who was killed. Ares, Penelope, Alexander, Hector, Maia, and I sat in the gardens outside enjoying the lovely weather. Maia and Hector were playing rock, paper, scissors, while the rest of us tried to find clues as to who could have been the killed, especially since I took Theseus out of the equation.
"I still think it's Gloria." Penelope whispered, not wanting the rest to hear.
I thought it was Gloria too, until she mentioned my mother, but I didn't tell any of them about what Gloria told me. I didn't want to give them hope that if I found my mother, she could lift the curse, and everything will be perfect because it might not.
"What do you think, Aria?" Ares asked, startling me with that hideous nickname.
"Aria?" I questioned, lifting my brow.
"It's my new nickname for you."
"Don't you dare call me that again. It's Makaria or queen Makaria. Here, I gave you two options."
He chuckled and said, "Damn, you really are self-centered."
"Makaria, who do you think it is?"
"I am not so sure anymore." I replied as my gaze fell on one of the students. The feeling of a death near occupied my heart. Hector was no longer in danger I suppose as if the killer heard that we were trying to keep our eyes on the victim and decided to change his target.
This scrawny boy, who looked not older than 15, walked across the field to his group of friends. He was a werewolf, so it would be Alexander and Ares' job to protect him.
"Alexander, what is that boy's name?"
"Donny, why?"
I sighed and closed my eyes.
"I sense his death."
***
Ares insisted on walking me back to my dorm. He was acting weird, and I didn't like it. I wanted the old Ares back; the rude, obnoxious half-Angel.
I wanted to scold him so bad for telling Gloria about the curse of the third land, but I knew he did it for a reason. Part of me wanted to ask, but I was naturally not a curious person.
"Do you...do you miss your home?"
I liked how he didn't say the word hell.
"You can say hell, it's okay." I chuckled.
"Why would I when it is not a literal hell for you? It's your home."
Okay, shut up, Ares. This is getting out of hand.
"Of course, I do. I miss it so much, but not because I miss the place."
"Then what?" he asked, curiously, tilting his head.
I stopped walking and turned to him. "I miss torturing souls."
His eyes widened at my revelation, but nevertheless, smiled.
"I figured you'd say that."
"No, you didn't." I grinned. "You thought I changed, didn't you?"
"Guilty."
We kept walking in silence until we reached my door.
What do people say when a guy walks them to their dorm or house? I don't fucking know.
"Tomorrow, 5pm at the library. Okay?" He said as if it was a date.
"We'll see." I replied with a sigh.
He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. He looked nervous as if he was about to ask me an uncomfortable question.
"Do you...I mean I know he is your ex, but do you still have feelings for him?" he asked, avoiding eye contact.
He was referring to Eros, poor thing. If only he knew what I did to Eros when I discovered what he did.
"Maybe, why?" I wanted to test him.
Part of being a demon was to tease and play tricks. I loved playing tricks.
His face visibly changed, and a hard look replaced his once nervous and cheerful one. He glared at the floor and sighed heavily.
"Just kidding. I will kill him if I see him again." As soon as the words flew out of my mouth, Ares relaxed and nodded.
"Okay."
"But you didn't answer me. Why are you asking?" I said, taking a few steps forward.
I could see the wheels turning in his head. He regretted playing nicely and immediately frowned. "I don't want another person coming here and scaring the students."
"Don't worry, I won't let it happen again." I gave him a lazy smile and opened the door to my room.
"And Makaria," Ares stopped me before closing the door.
I turned to look at him only to find him eyeing me from head to toe.
"Red is your color."
***
At night, I decided to go to Ares' room and tell him about the mission to hell. Weirdly, I only trusted him, and I only wanted him to come down with me to the underworld.
The hallways were dimmed and quiet. It was always like this, but I felt a slight change in the atmosphere as I took a turn to Ares' room.
His room stood in front of George and Hector's. It was very quiet, and I found it eerie.
I knocked on Ares' door and waited for him to open. After a few seconds, before I had the chance to knock again, the door flew open to a shirtless Ares.
He looked very surprised to see me. He was just out of the shower seeing that water dripping from his hair as he combed the towel through it.
"Aria? What are you doing here?" he asked gently.
Him, being gentle and nice was very unnatural.
"I need to speak with you." I confidently said.
"Umm...okay, sure, come in." he opened the door wider.
I walked inside with long strides as if it was my room. I didn't care that he was taking a shower, and I wasn't even shy.
I sat on the bed while I waited for him to finish. Thankfully, Alexander, who was glued to Ares 24/7, was not there.
When Ares was back fully clothed, he sat beside me as he waited for me to open my mouth.
"So, I didn't want to say anything in front of Alexander and Penelope, but Gloria told me more yesterday. I know you told her about us investigating, but I won't kick your ass about it, yet. She told me that my mother could be the key to ending the curse because she was from the same bloodline of Rosalie."
He scratched the back of his neck nervously, not liking that he was caught.
"Sorry about that. I trust Gloria, that's why. She's like a mother to me—" he nervously said. "What is it that we have to do?"
I sighed, already knowing that he wasn't going to like it.
"We need to go to hell."
***