"Are we there yet? Zeus whined evidently in disagreement with the humane motion of walking.
"Only a little more okay." I smile in encouragement knowing full well that my plans would fail if he were to teleport us.
When upon reaching the scared grounds of the deserted temple I exclaimed under his narrowed gaze.
"Ah I am so thirty." I wipe the sweat from my forehead and rummage through the contents in the small sling bag I took along.
"You have got to be kidding me." I facepalm.
"What is it?" He asks, his stormy orbs letting down their guard.
"I forgot my bottle."
He took little of my misery and simply suggested. "I can make it rain."
"No!"
He looks down at me wide eyed and I realise the need to explain my outburst.
"I will get soaked. So no rain."
"Then I will.."
I held up my hand. "Don't. I remember there was well around here you don't have to use your powers. "
Seeing that I was being persistent he gives in. "Okay. It's easier my way though."
"Come on slow pokes." I tease and he takes it as a challenge for he was then found fifty meters apart from where he previously stood.
"Whose slow now?"
"That's not fair." I stomp my feet.
"You don't have to remind me." He says and points at himself. "I know that I my beauty may seem unfair to your mortal eyes."
I rolled my eyes.
"Did you just roll your eyes?" he called out.
"Nope." I shake my head and proceed but in a blink he blocks my path.
"You did." With a flick on my forehead he disappears again.
"ahhhhhh. That hurts." I massage the stinging skin.
"Did it hurt?" A voice asks and I find him leaning back onto an eroded pillar.
With a war cry I ran towards him to extract revenge and he takes off as I neared. Running between and over rubbles, I realise this guy could be on par with Olympic athletes.
"okay time out, time out. I forgive you." I pant and slump down to the ground.
"You are so slow." He teases coming closer.
And as I stick out my tongue he smiles but suddenly becomes alert. "Something seems off here." he looks around on guard expecting danger to lurk in the shadows of these ancient ruins.
I realise that I had to act quickly. "Hey, I found the well." I pointed.
And as he turns to take a look, I push him making him stumble a few steps back.
And if you were to look at it in slow motion he turns back in a split second as he falls to look me directly in the eyes and I mouth.
"Please."
Hearing the water splash I sigh in relief and jump in soon after. Falling through the portal, I land safely on someone soft.
And that certain someone being the one of the three main Gods of Olympus who I deliberately pushed into a well.
But unlike all thr cliché moments and jokes we shared in our brief encounter, we did not fall facing the other to stare into each eye to eye.
Instead the King of Olympus lay with face buried in dirt while the lazy mortal magically sat over him crossed-legged and safe.
"Get off." Zeus grumbled and being sadistic human I am, I played deaf.
Upon realizing that I had no plans on getting off he raised himself by the elbow making me fall back.
As he dusted himself off, I laughed and it grew louder when he poked his tongue at me.
When realization dawned he admitted the inevitable to himself. "You are growing on me."
"That's my speciality captain." I smile and leave first through the exit. The echoes of his footsteps suddenly stops and I turn around to find him awestruck.
One could say he was more surprised than me on my first visit for he had always believed this place to be different from what beheld this moment.
"You have never come to the underworld before?" I ask.
"Once before to the palace, a very long time ago." His voice turns to a whisper.
"It ain't that bad right?"
"Yep." He admits but adds. "Not this part."
A flurry of emotionsare depicted in his eyes and for a moment looks human with guilt.
"Raise you to the gates." I say and takes a head start.
But in mere seconds he caught up and maintained my speed to blind me with a grin.
"Don't use your powers." I screamed over the wind.
"I am not using them." He declares already overtaking with those freakishly long legs of his.
"show off." I mumble.
" I can hear you." That wolf eared god winks.
While Zeus stopped at the gates, I ran forward with a bright smirk forming on my lips to William who held out his hands in welcome.
"I freaking missed you." I yell and he pulls back laughing.
And in a surprise attack squeeze me tighter to scream in my ear like I did in his. "Me too."
We simultaneously turn when Zeus coughs, clearly not liking being avoided. This gesture also startled alive the few dozen soldiers who had been frozen by shock.
In sync they bowed deeply to the King of Olympus who stood pouting like a kindergartner.
Letting me down Will slowly walked over to his father and as they stood together one could notice the stricking similarity in appearance and age.
One dead and the other immortal.
Will extends his hand to give his father
......a high five?
"I see you have met Elie." Will state chuckling.
"You were right, she is something else." The two goes on to discuss all my bad habits ranging from violent teenager to grumpy grandma.
" I am still here you know." I grumble and they finally turn back.
Leaning on Will I ask in curiosity. " You said you have only come to the Underworld once then how come you get to meet Will."
"When he comes to the surface or Olympus to deliver a message I meet up with him." Zeus explains.
"That sucks. I was prepared to watch a melodrama unfold as the father and son meet after such a long time. I even hoped to watch Will cry, now its all a dream." I sigh and almost bite down on my tongue as I receive a smack on the head.
Giving him a toothy grin return I casually ask. "Anyway where's Hades?"
Will notices how Zeus turns stiff by the mere uttering of his Lord's name, but cautiously replies. "He is in the judgment Hall."
"The judgement hall? I have never went there. Can you take us? Please Will."
To this, his sapphire eyes narrow focusing on mine as he tries to figure out what exactly I was up to.
"okay." Will said after a few seconds probably concluding that it was no harm.
"Shall we." I smile up at Zeus ready for a disagreement, but he gave me a forced smile which made mine wider.
Zeus trailed behind while Will walked by me.
"What are you scheming my dear?" His hands reach to my hair in habit.
"Scheming? Me? Don't make up such audacious assumptions."
"Yeah right."
"What were you discussing with that man a few min ago looking all serious. Is something up?" I change the topic and his hand falls to his side.
"No-thing." His assurance only gave rise to suspicion.
"How's Greene?" I ask tapping my feet with impatience.
"He is back home with his family." Simple, planned and calculated was Will' reply but from the smile he had on I knew he was safe even though it hid secrets.
"That's awesome." I say continuing forward.
"But?" Will encouraged knowing I wasn't done, and on que I started.
"I didn't get to say goodbye." I crossed my arms suddenly mad at Greene for leaving. "I didn't even get to know why he kidnapped me and why come to the Underworld in the first place."
I stood huffing and puffing. "Forget all that. I don't even know his name! Ah and that fool keeps calling me bunny though am sure he remember my name."
"This is so not fair, I had so many punches to throw when he was fully recovered. But he just..leaves."
By not one but two idiots.
"Why are you laughing??" I yell completely annoyed by the pair of giggling girls.
"Your expression. " Said one.
"Everything." said the other.
Not bothering to glance back I walked away only to stop when Will loudly announced. "That's the wrong way."
With my head still head high, I turned on my heel and ran in the opposite end of the corridor which only amused them further.
Hearing the joyous laughter of the father son duo, I roll my eyes.
"Like father like son." I mumble visualising the frowning god in my mind.
"Wait up Elie." Will calls trying to catch up but I pay him nor his dad any heed.
"I will buy you coffee." It was the words of a God who knew he had already won.
My pace immediately slowed and caught up in no time.
You are too simple minded!! I scold myself and nearly bite of Zeus' fingers as pulls my cheeks.
I kept my mind fully set on leading him to the Judgment hall.
To his loving brother.
And as if seeing through my evil grin, Will gently pats Zeus' shoulder offering his dad words of condolence.
"May you have a peaceful afterlife"