"Make me do something." He ordered.
"Like what?"
"Anything."
"Just like that?" She asked.
He huffed, "Ariel just do as I say."
"Yeesh, why are you so pissy today?" She asked, rolling her eyes.
"Because the war has started and you're joking around." The dark lord growled.
"I am not joking around, I just asked a simple question."
"Just do as I say!" He yelled, the wood in the fireplace catching fire.
Ariel gasped and took a step back.
She wrinkled her eyebrows and gritted her teeth. "Smack yourself." She ordered.
Hades rolled his eyes. "Try again."
"You think it'll work? You're like one of the two most powerful beings in the world. You really think I can compel you? I don't even think I could compel Adrien!"
"Ariel just breath and focus, look into my eyes and feel the power surge inside you. You have to want to compel me. Really want it. Believe you can and it'll work."
Ariel shut her eyes tight, and then grabbed Hades by his face suddenly nearing him to hers, she looked deep into his cold silvery eyes, "Tell me why you're pissed off today. Be honest."
Hades looked like he was struggling, he didn't want to answer that, he tried to fight her compulsion, but failed, his eyes widening, pupils dilating and constricting as he monotonously spoke, "I'm afraid we're near to freeing the Olympians, and that Selene will not grant me my wish to have a mate like you. I am the god of death, and love will make me unjustly and weak. She will deny me my wish... I-I don't want to be alone for eternity."
Ariel pulled away, staring at him, unblinking.
Hades, on the other hand, blinked getting pulled out of his daze, before staring at her his face holding so much hatred and embarrassment, she's never seen him like this.
His face hardened as he gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw, while Hermes turned to the window probably wishing he was not there.
In a flash, Hades stormed out of the office not even giving Ariel a chance to explain.
She turned to run after him but Hermes stopped her, "Let him be. He needs to cool down. Maybe after the night is over you could talk things through."
Ariel nodded before holding onto Hermes' hand so they could teleport.
~
3 more days to battle. That's all Ariel could think about. It's almost over. They just have to be strong for 72 more hours.
"Hades should be here soon." Hermes' voice sounded.
Ariel nodded as she swallowed dryly.
Hermes' had transported them in a woodsy realm.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"Not only can I transport us from place to place, I can also create a place with my mind."
Ariel looked around and took in the atmosphere.
They stood at the edge surrounded by numerous tall trees. The amount of green that covered the area almost suffocated her. The thickness of the forest was overwhelming.
In front of them was a clearing which led to a lake.
A disturbingly perfect glistening clear blue lake.
The earth suddenly shook.
"That'll be Hades, signaling the capture of the witch." Hermes stated before looking at Ariel sharply, "Stay here, be ready."
Ariel nodded and mimed her compulsive practices.
Thinking of exactly what she's going to say to the witch. She has to be convincing. Compelling. She had to do it right, or else.
The earth shook again, and in a flash, Hades was standing in front of her, "Do you know what you're going to say?"
Ariel nodded. "I'm going to make her our captive, ask her what their plan is, and where Michael is."
He nodded curtly, a cold glint in his eyes.
Hermes and a struggling witch followed closely. He popped shackles around her wrists and then he let her go.
The witch was tanned, she had piercing hazel eyes, and straight black hair.
"Nunca saldrás con esto." The witch sneered her eyes boring into Ariel's eyes. Though her tone was defying and filled with hatred, Ariel did not miss the strain in her voice nor the glint of fear that passed through her eyes.
She was the weak link.
Ariel blinked, ignoring the Spanish insults that spewed from the witch's mouth, then approached her.
She studied the shackles that circled her wrists. There were eclectic writings all over. The cuffs were spelled. She couldn't perform magic.
Ariel looked into the witch's eyes, "You will answer all our questions, you will help us fight, and you will tell me where my Beta Michael is." Ariel compelled.
But the witch's eyes did not change.
Ariel looked at her in confusion, as the tan woman tipped her head back and laughed.
"You can not compel me dearest Ari-elle," she said, the strong Spanish accent coating her every word.
"Vervain." Hades' voice growled. "The witches are ingesting vervain. Which means someone told them about your newly found abilities."
Hades approached the pair, and the witch visibly shook as she eyed Hades warily.
He fisted her hair and yanked it back so that she could look up at him as he neared his face to her dangerously close.
She whimpered, tears starting to gather in her eyes as she tried, but failed, to conceal her fear, "If you're here to fight me, come on, give it your best." She spat, tears of frustration slipping down her cheeks.
Hades shook his head, "I'm not here to fight you. This is an execution. Now tell me, how exactly would you like to die?"
Hermes growled, "Stop Hades. We cannot kill her. Then we lose our leverage. Calm down."
Hades sneered at her, "Fine! Then I will make it my cause to end any shred of happiness you'll ever find in this life, and if you get out of this battle alive, which is unlikely, I will hunt you down, kill you and everyone you've ever met and in the after-life, when you think you've found peace, I will find you and make it my mission to torture you myself. How do you like being eaten by Cerberus over and over again for an eternity?" He growled.
The witch stuttered and doubled over falling to her knees, "N-No, please. Please."
Ariel was stunned. Hades was frightening. No wonder why everyone feared him. She didn't understand why everyone gave her strange looks when she talked to him freely. It was because he was scary but he wasn't like that with her. Or with her brother.
"H-Hades. That's enough," she breathed shakily, placing a hand on his arm.
He looked down at his arm, at the place where she touched him and took in a deep breath before giving her a small nod. Their exchange was silent, barely noticeable. But he backed away letting go of the grip he had on the witch's hair.
Ariel thought calculatingly. Compulsion is a gift given to her like vampires, so if she can't compel her because of the vervain, then she can siren her.
She hummed, to test for the witch's attention.
As soon as she hummed the witch's eyes dazed looking at her.
She sang some more, louder, and the witch got up off her knees from the dirt and took a step forward to approach Ariel.
"You're going to let Hades in your head so that he can know all your plans," Ariel spoke, softly, her voice sweet with a ring.
The witch nodded, her eyes looking dreamy as they fluttered shut.
Hades approached her cautiously, placing his hands on both sides of her head as he closed his eyes.
Ariel kept singing.
Opening his silvery eyes, he looked at Ariel and gave her a nod.
"Where's Michael?" She asked softly, trying to keep her voice melodious so that the witch would stay in trance.
"He has betrayed you. He's working with us, pretending to be kidnapped." The tan woman answered softly in a daze.
Ariel's heart broke. Shattered into a million pieces. Years of friendship, gone in a blink of an eye.
Ariel stopped singing and looked at the witch, stunned for a few seconds.
The witch snapped out of it. And stared right back at Ariel.
Ariel's hands trembled, her eyes watered.
She looked at Hades through teary eyes, unspoken words being exchanged.
In one swift move Hades grabbed the witch, she screamed and struggled to get out of his grip, and he teleported them.
Hermes approached Ariel, extending his hand.
She placed her hand in his, and he squeezed it reassuringly, "We'll fix this..." he whispered softly. His brown eyes softening.
The tears that gathered in her eyes slipped onto her cheeks, as she buried her face in the messenger's chest as she sobbed hysterically.
"T-Take me h-home to Aries, please. Please..." she cried as she trembled.
Her best friend betrayed her.
She could practically feel the knife plunge into her back as it ripped through her heart and stab into her chest.
Hermes held onto the weeping girl, tightening his grip around her to keep her on her feet, as he teleported them back home.
~
Hades had taken the witch to the underworld.
He couldn't handle seeing Ariel cry.
They were his newly found family.
He would do anything for them.
He never thought he would care again.
The witch thrashed against the lord's grip but he held her tighter with each struggle.
As soon as they reached the underworld, she saw where he was taking her, and she screamed and begged for mercy. Her voice fell onto deaf ears as he plunged her deep into the Styx River. Her screams died out as the souls pulled her deeper into a life of eternal misery.
They had no use for her anymore. He read her mind.
All of it.
From the day she was born, till the moment she died.
Everything. He had it all engraved into his mind.
And he knew what to do next.
Michael.
~
Ariel
It broke me.
It broke me inside to know that my best friend would do this to me.
He betrayed me.
As soon as we got home, I untangled myself from Hermes' grip and sprinted to the bedroom. I slammed the door as I heard Aries' voice grow loud downstairs while he conversed with Hermes about what happened. I locked the door, needing some privacy.
Pain wracked my whole body and I limply sank to the cold floor. I tucked my knees to my chest and pressed my face to my knees.
I wrapped my arms around my tucked knees and succumbed to my tears.
It also broke me to know that he was feeling so much pain, and he couldn't tell anyone, so he decided to act upon it. That he felt that the only people that could avenge him or help him would be our enemies. That's sad. It's so sad. And it's our fault.
He was supposed to be able to tell Elizabeth or me anything, we grew up together but suddenly it was as if I didn't know him at all.
It was partly our fault because we haven't been good friends to him lately. We haven't been there for him.
I've been caught up with Aries and the pack and Liz with her new mate.
But that couldn't possibly justify his actions. It simply can't! He can't just do something like this and expect me to forgive him! He told them our plan, he told them about me, about my strengths, my weaknesses. He was working against us! He pretended to be kidnapped so that I would go and find him so that I would walk straight into a trap. He risked everybody's safety. My safety.
He didn't care about us. He didn't care about anyone.
He didn't care about me.
He didn't care anymore.
But what do I do now?
If I tell Aries, he'll kill him.
Hell, I wanted to kill him. But I couldn't.
How could someone be so spiteful? How could he be so bipolar? He loved Elizabeth and I, way more than we wanted. But now he was plotting against us? He wanted to kill Aries for what happened to his mate. I knew that, but I thought that when he would calm down, he'd understand that Aries didn't actually kill her. That she was just too weak to win a fight, granted Aries was cruel for letting them spar to death but she didn't have to spar. You'd have to volunteer to spar to death. Others just fought to practice for combat.
With much effort, I staggered back up to my feet as I dragged myself to the bathroom.
With the back of my hand, I wiped the tears sliding down my cheeks and turned on the faucet. Looking at my reflection through the mirror I studied my distraught face. My lower lip trembled and my dewy eyes began to fill once more.
I sniffled and placed my hands under the cold rushing water, filling them up before splashing my face.
I turned the faucet off and pulled at the grey towel hanging on the side.
I wiped my face dry with the towel, but the tears started to coke me once more and so I sobbed, hard. I sobbed my lungs out and my eyes dry.
He hated me. He hated all of us.
He was gone. We lost him. Liz was right.
After all these years of us loving each other unconditionally, faithfully, and unwaveringly. Michael was gone.
Pulling in a breath, I blanked the memories that threatened to play through my head, because I couldn't handle any more pain or tears. I didn't want to remember anymore.
A knock on the room's door drew my attention.
I reeled my body towards the door and unlocked it before yanking it open.
"H-Hades..." I whispered in surprise, "W-what are you doing here?" I asked, dewy-eyed.
Hades pressed his lips into a tight thin line. "He's here."
"W-Who's here?"
"Michael."
"Why?" I whispered my voice straining.
"I brought him here, after I found out where they were keeping him. I thought you'd want to confront him. I asked Aries not to touch him, that he was your responsibility and that you'd like to decide his fate." He said firmly, his eyes hard, cold, and calculating.
He was still upset with me for the stunt I pulled earlier.
I nodded, "You told Aries?"
It was his turn to nod.
He turned to leave but I found myself reaching out for him before he could.
"Wait... Hades, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry... earlier."
Hades swallowed thickly, before looking at me intensely.
The edge of his lips tugged before he gave me a curt nod. He headed towards the stairs and I followed him.
"So does that mean that you're going to follow me around like a lost puppy?" He asked with a smirk.
I couldn't help the smile that broke onto my lips. "Yeah, probably."
Hades sighed, stopping midway down the stairs as he looked back at me. "Don't ever cry like that again." He ordered, his playful nature diminishing in a split second.
I nodded.
"Hades are we friends? Am I a friend to you?"
Hades' body stiffened and for a moment I regretted asking.
He took a step back up the stair. And I looked up at him nervously.
"More than just friends." He said softly, "We're family... For life."