Alina stared at the ceiling above her. It was now 4 o'clock in the afternoon, 3 hours after the encounter in the garden with Atropos. And with Hades.
She replayed the events over and over in her head. Ever word Atropos said, every tone, every meaning behind them.
And then there was Hades. After he left her in the garden, she just stood there in shock, unable to move and inch, not even blink. To see him flip the switch.... her brain was scrambling to pick up the pieces of itself.
Still, even after hours of combing through every encounter she had with him, she still had no clue why he still cared that she live or die.
Hades was smart. She could see it behind his eyes; cold and calculating. Calculating every outcome of his carefully chosen words, and deciding which one will be the best profit. To not reveal what he did not wish the other to know, but just enough to get the desired outcome. He had shown vulnerability; the confidance in her on the balcony about Persephone, the small bits of empathy through the determination in his voice when assuring her not to give up. But why he fought for life, she still had no clue. Why did he care? Why care enough to risk pissing off the Fates? If Apollo- a purebred Olympian- warned her about them, they must hold enough power to get him to do so. And even Hades had mentioned that Atropos rivaled him at the beginning for his spot as ruler of the Underworld.
Her thoughts were cut off when a small British voice chimed, "miss? Are you ready yet?"
Alina sat up with a frown. "What?" She watched Bea walk into the room and then freeze when she saw Alina on the bed. Her hair was disheveled and she wore loose casual clothes.
"Alina!" Her voice was startled and angry to Alina's confusion. "Why aren't you dressed!?"
Bea ran to the closet and flung it open, rummaging for clothes and a pair of shoes. Once she got out, Alina was still on the bed with a puzzled look. "Oh gods. Don't tell me you didn't remember."
Oh. My. God. Alina's eyes flew wide open when she remembered. The meeting.
"Shit." She said.
She flew to the bathroom and sat down quickly as Bea followed behind to do her hair. Hastily, she managed to brush through it and pin it up in a braided crown atop her head. At the same time, Alina fixed up her face by covering the tired circles under her eyes and plopping on a dark rose color to her lips and cheeks. As good as it's gonna get.
Bea returned to the bathroom carrying a gown and shoes. The dress was marvelous; sleeveless, dark cherry silk with an open back.
"Bea you have amazing taste, but I really don't think showing this much skin in front of the Olympians is the best idea. Especially since I have never—met them all." Her voiced wavered. She was literally going to meet all the gods. Mother above, help me.
Bea chuckled. " Trust me, you're barely showing off skin in god standards. But you shouldn't be complimenting me for the outfits you wear."
"What do you mean."
Bea huffed with a small smile. "Well, I didn't pick out your dress, I never pick them out."
Alina wasn't following. She just gave Bea a look.
"Hades does."
Alina went rigid. "What?"
Hades picked out her dresses? For the ball? And for this? Her cheeks flushed at the thought. "Why?"
Bea laughed. "I don't know, you will have to ask him."
She rolled her eyes at yet another non-answer. Maybe she should just stop asking questions if nothing will ever come of it but annoyance.
Once she had slipped the dress on and gawked at the reflection in the mirror for a moment, they both made their way down the hall. After a series of turns down the expansive amount of hallways, Bea led Alina to a small foyer which led to a large wooden door, behind which she could hear hushed voices and muffled noises. Alina breathed out a shakily. Hades had not been seen or heard from since their... disagreement in the garden. The memory made her shudder, as she remembered what a restrained angry Hades looked like. God help whoever made him mad enough to loose said restraint. An uneasy feeling crept through her as the slowed to meet the ominous doors leading to her unknown fate... and the Olympians themselves.
Or will it just be emissaries in place of them? Surely they won't come down here. Or would they? What is that they will be discussing? Me? Why would the gods creating all existence come to dwell over little old me?
Bea didn't meet her eyes as she nodded towards the door and said, "Good luck, miss." And simply hurried away, leaving Alina alone in front of the door, and annoyed that Bea left her stranded.
The voices behind the door quieted, as if they sensed her presence. Seeing as there were no guards in sight to open the doors for her, she guessed that she was supposed to enter herself.
Into a room filled with gods. Help.
Hesitantly, she slowly put her hand on the handle, and almost yanked back at the electric spark she felt as she did. She could feel the energy behind the door. The hairs on her arm rose as she turned the knob and slowly, so slowly, opened it.
And what she found was yet another space that she had not discovered on her own. A large fire warmed the palatial lounge which held a various assortment of seating areas around a large, disk-like table. A meeting room, if you will. And beheld within it, five deities staring her down like a chicken thrown into a dog pound.
She didn't bother to shut the door behind her as she took them all in with wide eyes. Five individuals sat casually lounging on the furniture around the table. They had been talking while she entered, and then simply stared at her piercingly while she walked in. To her left sat a lean, muscled middle aged man with dark brown hair streaked with natural red highlights. His face was sharp and angular, but held none of the softness that Hades beheld. His entire being looked as if it was carved in stone, built for a fight. A weapon; every feature of his body created as if it could be used to cut and slice his enemies into thin shards. Ares, she guessed. After reading everything she could about Greek mythology in the library, she had a good idea of who these people closely resembled.
The next was an older woman. Her features could be considered normal. She sported light brown hair but eyes that were as cold and hard as stone. Her stare held wisdom as well as cunning wit. Alina almost winced under her hard gaze. Hera.
She tore her eyes off of the woman to find that the next was Apollo. He was studying her with an unreadable expression.... one that made Alina remember their encounter in the hallway. Heat rose in her cheeks at the memory she was still debating on how to interpret. She averted her eyes quickly to the woman who was sitting close to him.
The resemblance was remarkable. Artemis. It had to have been his sister. Her kind, large brown eyes and upturned nose twinned Apollos'.
She tried not to gawk and fall to her knees at the sight of all the gods, but her senses were so utterly overwhelmed it seemed her entire body just locked up, unable to move or blink. The energy in the room sent goosebumps tingling her skin. Her head was pounding. Pounding because her ears were as well. And her eyes felt like melting. The feeling was as if she had been struck by lighting, then hit by a tsunami, and then hit by a truck. The power that radiated off of them was enough to feel like she hit a wall, but with five of them.... and being contained in a room with them.... Her body and mind couldn't even comprehend the oppression of the invisible power that dulled her senses and sent her ears ringing.
So she just stood, rigid, unmoving —-not walking any further than barely before the entrance.
Her eyes drifted to the last figure in the room, almost cloaked in the shadows next to the mantle place. Hades. He stood leaning against the wall with a glass of brown liquid in his hand. His eyes were weary as they took her in—almost reserved. He wore fitted black dress pants and a loose dress shirt almost matching the color of her wine red dress. It was unbuttoned enough to show a bit of his smooth, muscled chest. She swore he could have come out of a vogue magazine posing as a male model. His dark blue eyes seemed to sharpen on her as she observed him, making her heart beat stutter and she blinked, looking away for a moment.
Alina couldn't even begin to guess what he was feeling towards her right now. Is he mad at me for what happened in the garden? He hadn't come to apologize for his "little" outburst in the garden. Hadn't contacted her in anyway— well, besides sending her a scandalous dress to wear for the evening. She wondered if he did it to embarrass her. He probably knew she would be extremely uncomfortable meeting literal gods, but to top it off he just had to add a dress that showed an unnerving amount of skin.
Dick, she thought.
Someone cleared their throat. Her eyes tore away from Hades to look at the woman with the intense stare.
"Alina, I presume?" The woman asked with an equally intense tone.
Alina didn't move an inch but nodded her head slightly and said, "yes."
The woman nodded towards the empty lounge chair in front of her. "Please, sit. And we will begin the meeting."
It took an enormous amount of energy in every fiber of her muscles to walk forward slowly and sit down. Walking towards the group, deeper into the room, felt like she was pushing through a resistance band. Alina could feel Hades' eyes on her as she sat down slowly, trying not to let the struggle show on her face. She could feel her lungs tighten as if all the air was being slowly sucked out of the room.
"We won't hold you here for long," the woman said scanning her up and down, "I can tell we are already affecting you."
Alina didn't reply to that but simply gave a small smile of consideration and looked around expectantly. To be honest, she had no idea what the hell was going on. But she had gotten used to that since it seemed to happen so frequently.
After a few beats of silence, Alina cleared her throat, "I'm sorry, but why am I... here?"
"Because unfortunately you have been involved in a prophecy." The man she assumed to be Ares said with a bored tone.
Alina's brows furrowed as she looked around at the others quizzically. "Prophecy? What prophecy?"
Hera spoke again. "The oracle of Delphi sent word of a new prophecy she had received three nights ago. It was sent from the two sisters of Atropos; Clotho and Lahkesis. They prophesied that a mortal woman would be the one to put Atropos in her place. To defeat her attempts to gain control of Hades' thrown and power." Hera glanced over to Hades who was now standing a distance behind Alina, still in the shadows.
Alina mauled the words over. "So... you think I am the mortal woman?"
Hera tilted her head in thought. "We don't know. We have arranged this meeting to contemplate what we all interpret this prophecy as."
Hades had stepped out of the shadows to refill his glass of brandy and lean against the wall again. He then turned his attention to studying Alina. She shifted uncomfortably, as she remembered the unnerving amount of skin showing in her silk dress. He didn't even look at the others while they spoke, and it was an effort for Alina to not glance over at him.
It didn't help either that Ares was raking his eyes up and down her body like a lion with a piece of meat. A devious smile crossed his lips as he leaned back, draping himself over the couch. Artemis just sat quietly observing at her spot next to Apollo. She held a watchful manner; like a panther in the jungle, watching from the shadows.
Meanwhile, Apollo was studying her with a slight empathetic glint in his eyes, like he could feel her discomfort with the situation. Her head was still pounding from the sheer energy in the room.
"Personally, I don't think she's the girl." Ares drawled. "I mean, look at her. She probably weighs 100 pounds and never fought in her life. How is she suppose to take on Atropos? That bitch is craaazy."
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Always the feminist, Ares."
He grinned back at her. "That I am," he brought his gaze back to Alina, more specifically, her overexposed body. "No wonder Hades keeps you around like a pet."
Pet. The word Atropos had spat out that made Alina grind her teeth together and cause her already pounding head to pound even more. She was no one's pet. And she definitely isn't Hades'. Is that what gods think of mortals? Toys for their amusement and pleasure? Maybe that was why Hades had dressed her like this, she thought. Just so he could dress up his pet up for show?
But her eyes shifted to Hades subtly and found him glaring at Ares as shadows writhed around his shoulders and hands. They usually came out when he grew irritated, Alina found, so he obviously was bothered at something Ares had said.
"Be polite, son," Hera snapped at Ares, and then turned her attention to Alina. "Atropos has... abused her power over death and fate. She abuses her sisters as well. They are weaker than her and unable to stop her temper. She has talked over the years of a new order. One where once she gains enough power, humans will be mere slaves to her and the gods. Her power over mortals' destiny only goes to a certain extent, but with power over the Underworld, she could break through those boundaries and kill as many humans as she pleases in order to bring them to the Underworld, under her control."
Alina soaked up the information for a moment. "And your prophecy says I may be the person to stop Atropos, a powerful goddess of death?" Her tone was incredulous. Ares is damn right about one thing: she can't fight for shit. Like do they seriously consider her to be the mortal in the prophecy? "How do you know it's not any of the other humans on the planet? Why suspect me?"
"Because the prophecy also included the teeny tiny detail that the mortal is one that is "alive where death resides"," Apollo recalled.
In the Underworld, is what he meant. There can't possibly be another person in the Underworld at the moment who is alive, she knew, besides herself.
"I still don't think it's her," Ares stated. "I think we give her over to Atropos and she dies as Fate planned. With or without Atropos wanting to wage war, if you mess with fate, we all feel the consequences." Alina didn't want him to elaborate with consequences. But she also didn't want them to turn her over to Atropos for the slaughter-- or worse-- torture and then kill. Alina had the feeling Atropos wasn't the 'swift merciful death' type, not after hearing her plans to enslave mankind.
"No, she's not going anywhere." A stern voice came from the mantle place. Alina looked to Hades with a skeptical look. Why does he care? The thought yet again crossed her mind. She assumed because if she truly is prophesied to derail Atropos's plans, he wouldn't want her dead.
"We are not handing her over to Atropos," Apollo voiced as well. He was glaring at Ares while he just returned an uninterested shrug.
"Well, we don't know she is the one in the prophecy for certain," Hera said, to Alina's surprise. She had thought Hera would be more empathetic but she obviously wouldn't care if Alina lived or died. A small part of her sank. Hera continued, "if she isn't the one, then we are making the situation worse by interrupting her destiny."
Alina's hands went clammy at her words, and she pulled them into a fist. She didn't want to believe her destiny was to die.
"And what if she is and then you kill her right before Atropos succeeds at her attempt to overtake the Underworld?" Artemis chimed in.
"And what's to say she will? And even if she does, the entirety of Olympus will bring down their wrath upon her. Also, she can't get past Hades--- it's impossible." Ares countered.
Impossible. Ares thought that Hades' defeat was impossible, to Alina's curiosity. She wondered how much power Hades possessed truly. The small amount she had been shown was enough to send a shot of fear through her. Just remembering the experience in the garden made her shudder.
Hera simply nodded in agreement.
Apollo said sternly, "there is too much of a risk if we abandon her. If she is the girl in the prophecy, we risk losing an advantage over Atropos."
"Again," Ares drawled, "you lack faith in our abilities. With or without the girl, we will defeat Atropos should she try to push our boundaries."
Alina hadn't even noticed the darkening of the room around her since she had just been surveying the bantering gods with a stiff spine and wide eyes. It seemed that the other gods did not as well. Hades was now glaring at Ares with a murderous glint in his dark blue eyes. Alina swore she saw them shift quickly to that haunting red she saw in the garden, but it was so fast she could not be certain. If the energy in the room had been oppressive before, Alina could feel it triple by the smoldering power that seemed to emanate from Hades.
"She will not come to any harm." His voice was low and lethal. "Alina is under my protection."
Her heart was beating at a pace that matched that of a hummingbird. She couldn't tell if it was because the whole situation was that overwhelming or because Hades looked like he might just kill everyone in the room. Or maybe it was because a deep part of herself became flooded with a strange, comforting feeling from his words; he was going to protect her. Part of herself hated that she was so dependent on Hades for getting out of this whole mess, but the logical side of herself knew that she couldn't fight this alone. She was human; she knew she couldn't go against a god or goddess.
The other gods shifted uncomfortably at his words as if a small bit of fear sifted through them. Even Ares shrunk back a bit on his couch. Alina watched with a growing curiosity.
He hadn't even threatened them, but his words held an authority like no other. The others were looking at him as if he was a different species, a different breed of being, but somehow also one of their own.
How powerful is Hades if these gods are actually scared by his words alone?
Artemis spoke finally, clearing her throat. "Then we shall wait until further developments arise. Should it be determined that Alina is truly the one prophesied to defeat Atropos at her own game and Atropos makes a move for the Underworld, we will decide later on how we shall approach this. There is nothing to do know but see who makes the first move."
She thankfully didn't touch on the topic of Alina not being the one in the prophecy. Alina didn't want to think about them just handing her over to Atropos, or mercifully killing her themselves.
The others seemed to be mauling over the offer in their heads as Alina held her breath and sat cross-legged and stiff in her chair. Hera looked over to Hades and nodded, before vanishing in a blink of an eye along with Ares. Alina let out a shaky breath as the weight of their' energy lifted.
She stood up suddenly and the remaining Artemis, Apollo, and Hades looked at her. Alina blinked, trying to clear her flustered mind, still feeling mentally drained by sitting in the room for that long.
"I..I need some fresh air." She mumbled, before turning around and vanishing out the door.
When she got out of the room, she shut the door behind her and tried to control her erratic breathing and heart rate. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the cool, wooden door.
If she truly is the person destined to defeat Atropos, how was she suppose to do it? She wasn't a goddess, nor did she possess magical abilities! Hades said he would protect her, and part of her trusted his words, but how long could she run from her supposed destiny of death? She wasn't sure even he could stop it, no matter how powerful Hades was. The other gods seemed frightened enough by the idea of meddling in my Fate and the consequences that would come from it. What consequences?
"Are you alright?" A voice came from beside her. She jumped slightly and her eyes flew open to see who was beside her. She met a pair of dark blue eyes observing her, as if for any signs of distress.
She blinked for a moment, and then breathed. "Yes, I am...just a lot to think about." Her voice came out barely more than a whisper. "Are Apollo and Artemis still in there?" She glanced over towards the doors of the meeting room.
"Yes," he said shortly.
She remembered how Hades had snapped at her in the garden earlier. She wondered if he was still mad at her, but his melodic voice seemed to ease that worry. His eyes weren't red and the energy he emitted wasn't as threatening as it was.
"I'm sorry that the meeting was uncomfortable for you. I know it is hard for mortals to be in such close proximity to that much power." Hades kept his watchful gaze on her, as if she might break at any moment.
"I endured." She lowered her gaze to the floor. "It was more uncomfortable in this scrap of a dress," she said with a huff of annoyance.
She wasn't looking at him but it felt as if he was smirking at her. "I am sorry you felt that way."
"And why did you choose this dress for tonight? Or any of the dresses I have worn here? Bea told me you have been my stylist this whole time. Who knew the King of the Dead was also a fashionista?"
Alina glanced up at him through lowered brows and was surprised to see him suppressing a smile. His midnight eyes twinkled as a wisp of pitch black hair shifted over his brow. Every time she looked at him, her breath hitched. Handsome didn't cover Hades; he was ridiculously good looking. It was hard not to stutter while speaking or keep her heart from beating wildly while his attention was on her.
"I chose the dress because I knew you would look like this." His velvety voice was low and quiet.
His eyes drifted from her face to was chest and waist. Goosebumps crept onto her skin in response. Was that flirting? No, it can't be. Alina pushed the thought into a deep, deep place in her mind. Don't try to flatter yourself, she chided.
"Cold and overexposed?" She responded callously. His indifferent expression didn't waver but his eyes glinted with amusement.
"That's one way to see it," he said, and then paused, thinking for a moment. "You think too little of yourself, Alina. You look beautiful."
Alina tried not to let that comment flatter her. "What was the reason you dressed me in this?" She challenged, "was it to entertain the guests? Does every god keep a human for a pet?"
The words left out of her mouth before she could keep them in. After she realized the snap of her tone and the accusation she had just said, her cheeks turned a deep crimson. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just insulted a god.. good job.
His response was less then she expected however, only his eyes turned a dark shade of blue as the amused glint went out like a candle.
"Do you think me a man of such wickedness?"
Alina looked at her feet. Her cheeks were still red with regret for her words. "I would not know. I have not known you long enough."
He exhaled as he lifted a hand under her chin to bring her gaze to his. A familiar tingling sensation from his touch almost made her shiver, or maybe it was just the fact his cold touch was so delicate on her skin. He was standing so close to her she could feel his warm, minty breath on her face. She could not tell if it was his radiating power or his closeness that made her light-headed.
He looked deeply into her eyes as he said, "I won't let any harm come to you in the Underworld. We will find a way around your fate. But you have to trust me." The sincerity in his voice and the almost pleading look in his eyes made Alina's clenching chest ease just a bit.
But something still didn't add up for Alina which left a small hole for questionability. "Why?"
Hades' dark brows furrowed for a moment as if he was contemplating his next words.
"Because death does not deserve you."
Alina searched his eyes for any sort of lie behind them, but she found none. He wholeheartedly meant what he said; he would protect her in the Underworld.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as Hades dropped his hand from her chin. A small part of her was disappointed when he did; the tingling she got on her skin when a god touched her was strangely relaxing. It was like a cat purring on your chest; the warm vibrations easing you.
She blinked a few times before clearing her throat quietly. "Thank you...for your protection."
It was strange to know that the god of the Underworld, or any god for that matter, had taken enough of a liking to her that he vowed to serve her protection. What does he see in me? Alina couldn't even begin to guess.
Hades nodded and gave a small genuine smile, which was even more shocking to Alina then the words he spoke before. Only a handful of times had she seen him took anything close to happy or amused. This small act of emotion, she found, eased her worries even more than his statement of protection did.
"I should get to bed," Alina said quietly, "It's getting late." The clock on the nearby wall was close to striking 11 pm when she glanced at it over her shoulder. Not very late, but she was finding this conversation with Hades too overwhelming and needed an escape to let her mind breathe. She also needed to run over every event that happened today; the garden, Atropos, the prophecy, Hera, the other gods... there was a lot, and she desperately needed some alone time.
Hades gave a curt nod before saying, "One last thing: Don't trust my fellow immortals. I might have respect for humans, but I can't say that my family or acquaintances share the same beliefs. Arrogance and ignorance run deep in the Olympians and most do not value mortals as any more than entertainment or scum"
Alina shivered at his words. "Like Ares?"
Hades tilted his head in thought. "Among others, yes."
A silence proceded his words. Alina nodded again and glanced around uncomfortably.
"Well, I will get going now." She said and gave a small smile.
"Goodnight, Alina."
And he vanished.