Chapter Six
The Greek underworld was a complicated place.
And extremely crowded since slavery had been abolished and slaves were now allowed to own property and all sorts of fun stuff. Styx had significantly expanded, Inferi as well, and Hades had added extra security to his palace because the bastard adored his privacy like the evil mad scientist he was.
Hades's palace was carved into the side of a steep mountain range that separated this realm from the next. It had been adjusted since the year it was destroyed during the Titan's attack. Now the entrance had been lifted up so you had to walk along a stone bridge to get to the door, and it was heavily guarded by his black skeleton army, who were poised at the ready to attack anyone who would threaten their lord.
Spouts of water poured into the river Acheron that ran beneath the bridge and down a steep hill to create a waterfall that let out over jagged rocks before continuing on pass Charon's house about a mile down. The part of the palace that jutted from the mountain side was made of black masonry and blind-arcade arches that disappeared into a pair of towers that had been carved into two pointed peaks of the mountain with pointed-arch windows.
If this place didn't scream Gothic, I had no idea what did.
Because the palace was heavily protected by a barrier spell, teleportation inside was impossible, even for me. Since Hades had consumed the hearts of Cronus and Rhea, thus absorbing their powers and nearly driving himself off the deep end in the process, he now held enough power to ensure that not even another god could enter his home without going through the front door first.
Dorean and I walked across the bridge that was only dimly lit by two black skeleton statues holding lanterns. From the looks of them, they had once been part of their skeleton brethren, but must have pissed Hades off bad enough to turn them into statues.
I tucked that unfriendly piece of knowledge away just in case as I approached the doors.
The skeletons didn't attack when I opened the door, meaning Hades must have given them a list of who was allowed in and out of the palace. So I walked in with Dorean trailing along behind me.
We entered the foyer where several rows of tall columns made of snowflake obsidian held up the ceiling made in the classic Gothic rib vault style; though, it was mostly obscured by the Aurora Borealis that lit up the entire hallway all the way down. It was a streak of light, mostly green, but with shades of blue, pink, purple, and gold slicing through it here and there.
We made our way through the foyer across the black onyx floor, our movements causing the emerald green and black drapes on the wall to flutter lightly. They were the only things decorating the walls as we made our way down to the end of the hall where two hallways split off in either direction, but it was the door in front of us that we wanted.
A tall black point-arch door with stainless steel handles and images of bloody battles carved into the door, it made a very unpleasant sight. I opened the door and entered a long open throne room.
The place was massive made with black onyx floors and matching walls that faded to green near the ceiling that was heavily layered with the Aurora Borealis, and black tree branch designs stretched from one side of the room all the way over to where Hades's black sleek throne sat in front of a giant skull and cross bones design on the wall behind it with glowing blue hues spreading out from behind it to light up the dark wall.
A second later, the air rippled and sizzled, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. A second later, Hades materialized into the room, looking less than pleased to see me here.
Hades was ridiculously tall, towering even over me. He was lean and muscled with long straight black hair that he currently wore down over his shoulder, swept to the side. His luminescent blue eyes flickered dangerously, and he cocked his head, almost like a dog trying to comprehend my presence. He wore an elbow-length black leather jacket with a black t-shirt beneath it and matching jeans and boots. From the looks of it, he was on his way out somewhere.
"Hades," I greeted him cautiously, because his temper was as unpredictable as the weather, "Headin' out somewhere?" Hades narrowed those blue eyes on me, keeping his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"Key word there, Atlantean. Was." He replied, his thick Greek accent deepened by his baritone voice.
"Great," I said, ignoring his practically permanent scowl, "Because we need to talk."
"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the Atlanteans returning, would it? Because I really don't want to deal with those whiny pricks right now." Hades warned. I stared at him and he stared back before a sinister smirk broke across his lips.
"You honestly think with my powers that I couldn't hear their bitch-fit as they escaped the Source?"
"You knew they were alive." I deadpanned. His smug as shit grin told me everything I needed to know.
Seriously. Did everyone else know but me? This was just starting to get downright disgusting.
"I heard them the moment I ate Cronus's heart," Hades replied casually, placing a hand on his hip and shifting his weight to one foot, flashing me that shit-eating grin again, "Their moaning and sobbing about how painful it was to exist without actually existing. And then I heard their screaming and it sounds to me like maybe one of your little worshippers crawled out of some shit hole to bring them back. Wonder what brought that on. Must have been a really desperate son of a bitch to bring those whiners back." I glared at him.
"Yeah, let's insult my bloodline later. Right now, we have a really big problem."
"Let me guess," Hades exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "Ah, you pussied out on telling daddy about your psychotic brother imprisoning them, so you lied and now they think the Greeks were the ones who turned on them and you're running around like a goddamn chicken with its head cut off because you literally have no fucking idea what you're doing. Do I have that right?" I scowled for a second when I felt a sharp pain in my temple and I cursed, trying to slam the block down on my mind, but Hades pushed harder and almost knocked me back as I gasped in pain and Dorean squeaked.
"Hades, stop it!" Dorean snapped. Hades pulled back, giving him a wicked smirk.
"Watch it, imp. You may not be a slave anymore, but I'm still a god."
"Doesn't mean you have to be mean." Dorean chided. Hades wrinkled his nose at that, as if he couldn't think of any other definition for the word "god". I clenched my teeth, wiping the blood from my nose caused by Hades's intrusion on my mind.
"Stop," I told Hades firmly, making him give me a droll stare, "This isn't a joke, Hades. This is serious. The Atlanteans have some kind of secret weapon they planned to use to wipe out the Greeks. If they get their full power back, they'll launch it on all of you and kill you." Hades smirked.
"And just what could that possibly be? From what I saw in your head, your family is too busy running around like toddlers in the Christmas aisle over how much the universe has changed since their time. I'm not worried about them at all."
"Just like you weren't worried about the Titans?" I challenged. Hades's eyes flashed and a pulse of power shot through the room, blowing my clothes back like a gust of wind. But before he could attack me for the smart comment, a new power entered the room and Lucifer materialized beside Hades.
Lucifer was a fallen archangel of the Judeo-Christian God, and his son. An angel in every sense of the word, Lucifer made an impressive sight, decked out all in white leather, with his blonde curly hair falling to his shoulders and his blue eyes flashing in warning for me to not antagonize Hades any further.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Hades demanded. Lucifer gave him a stern glare.
"You kept me waiting, so I figured you were playing another one of your games and I come here to find you attacking the Atlantean."
"Oh, please," Hades huffed, folding his arms over his chest and averting his eyes, "He started it." I glared at him. Lucifer, however, appeared amused by Hades's pout before he turned his stare on me.
"What's this about, Xenon?" He asked. I sighed in frustration and relayed the information to Lucifer, about the Atlanteans, about Callias. I hated giving so much of this away to complete strangers, but at this rate, the Atlanteans really were going to destroy the Greeks and we needed as much help as we could get.
"Acts of war have to be processed through Zeus," Hades said before Lucifer could put his two cents worth in, "And no offense, but I'm about as excited to visit him as I am visiting the dentist." Lucifer frowned, looking at him before turning his gaze to me.
"Unfortunately," Lucifer muttered, "Hades is correct, and I really rather not have Hades go to Olympus alone. If I step foot there, Zeus will see it as an act of war." Hades rolled his eyes at Lucifer's comment, as if anyone really believed that Lucifer had control over where Hades could go.
"Then I'll go with him," I replied, "Zeus still doesn't know about the Atlanteans and he won't know until I tell him."
"You honestly think thunder-fuck up there is gonna give a shit if the Atlanteans are back? He'll probably just brush it off," Hades retorted, putting his hands on his hips, "He'll say something along the lines of that is not my job in a sassy voice and then proceed to demand why I haven't attended a family reunion these past couple years and there's no way I'm telling him what I've been doing." Lucifer passed Hades a meaningful stare.
"Hades," I stressed, coming close to a breaking point, "This is important. This could mean the life and death of everyone with Greek blood, not just the gods, but the mortals too. And if that doesn't freak you out, then think about the fact that your children carry your blood. You think the Atlanteans will stop for one second to reconsider killing your kids?" Hades stiffened.
"Is that a threat?" He demanded.
"No," Lucifer said for me, looking grim with realization, "Hades, he's right. From what I've heard, the Atlanteans are extremely vengeful. We need to focus on this, even if it means approaching Zeus on the matter... as much as I hate to say it... At least take Xenon with you." Hades glared at him, folding his arms over his chest.
"How did this go from a date between us from a date with the Atlantean?" He demanded, offended by Lucifer's suggestion. Lucifer gave him a smile.
"Don't be like that, Hades. Once you come back, we'll continue as planned."
"Yeah, right," Hades muttered, then glared at me menacingly, "You're going to pay for this later. Leave the imp here. Zeus doesn't allow them on Olympus." I nodded and turned to Dorean, who smiled at me.
"You'll be okay, kitty," He assured, stepping forward to give my jacket lapels a tug to straighten them out, "And be nice. Maybe Zeus will listen if you are."
"Naughty, nice, or somewhere in between," Hades ranted, making Dorean give a droll stare, "It doesn't matter to Zeus. He'll still shove something up your ass over it." I cringed inwardly. He was speaking from experience. The moment that thought crossed my mind, Hades's eyes locked on me. I mentally cursed at having let that small thought cross my mind, because now Hades looked even more pissed than he did before, but he said nothing as Dorean gave me a kiss goodbye. We left Lucifer and Dorean in the throne room of Hades's palace before teleporting to Olympus, just outside Zeus's temple.
If Hades's outfit wasn't already black, it would've changed to such to signal that a member of the underworld had come to Olympus. It was a curse on all those living there so that Zeus and the other gods could easily identify intruders on their heavenly paradise.
Hades raked Zeus's temple with a sneer befitting his attitude. Zeus's large statue of himself holding a god bolt over the Titan Cronus sat at the center of the wide steps that led up to Zeus's classic Doric order style temple. It was the largest temple and made entirely of white marble with symbols of lightning bolts carved into the front of the roof. Despite the heavenly aura surrounding it, there was a particular darkness around it that I'm sure Hades could feel to the core of his soul.
"Let's get this over with." He muttered to me. I nodded.
"With pleasure." I agreed. We made our way up the steps and into the open space of the temple inside. Certain areas were blocked off by walls, indicating the many rooms that lined the inside of the temple. But our main concern was the large throne room that was closed off from the rest of the temple with a pair of gigantic doors carved with images of Zeus's greatest battles.
Yeah, greatest battles, I thought sarcastically. His battle to control his libido.
Hades smirked as he listened to my thoughts and I cut him a glare.
"Do me a favor, stop reading my thoughts while we do this. I can't concentrate if I have to worry about what I'm thinking." I warned him. Hades gave me an innocent stare.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He answered. I rolled my eyes before we stopped in front of the doors. I could feel the anxiety wafting off Hades in waves as he stared at the door handle as if he were waiting for it to bite his head off. Hades must have heard my concern and cut me a glare before he shoved the doors open and entered the room.
The throne room was incredible large and luxurious with a dozen designated thrones that were thankfully not occupied by the other Olympian gods, most of whom were products of Zeus's infidelity. Tall white marble Doric columns were situated between each throne to hold up the peaked ceiling, and two on either side of Zeus's throne, which sat at the head of the room. A large foreboding piece of marble with gold and blue pillows.
No one was in the room at first. But the moment we stepped inside, the air crackled with a fierce power that blasted through the room, blowing our clothes and hair. Hades just stood there, arms folded over his chest, with a bored look on his face as Zeus materialized into the room.
Despite all of Zeus's negative personality traits, the god was extremely handsome with a long Greek nose, high-cheek bones, a strong jaw, and narrowed blue eyes that seemed to flash like lightning in the sky at the sight of us. He wore a silk gray suit with a dark blue button up shirt that was partially done, his wavy blonde hair swept back from his face.
"Well, well," Zeus said in a mocking tone, "It's about time you came back to me, Hades. Although, I don't care much for your extra baggage." His eyes went to me with a glare and I glared back at him.
"We didn't come here to chat," Hades sneered at him, "We came to save the pantheon. You know, that thing you sit on like a fat kid sits on people on the playground." Zeus's expression warned Hades to keep pushing him. Not wanting to get in the middle of another Greek sibling fight, I cleared my throat to get their attention.
"As nice as it is to see your wonderful godliness, Zeus, we came here with news. The Atlanteans are back." I said. Zeus stared at me in silence for a split second before laughing.
"That's impossible," He laughed, making me roll my eyes, "They were killed and sucked back into the Source." Hades smirked.
"Actually, no, bro. They were imprisoned and a loyal servant of theirs busted them out. And just so you know, the Atlanteans have the same amount of power as the Titans do, maybe even more. You remember how fun it was to have your ass whooped by Cronus? Think of Atlan laying the smack down on you. It'll be ten times more fun." He explained matter-of-factly. That sobered Zeus instantly and Zeus glared at him, then glared at me.
"Then I assume by coming here with a pantheon backing you, you're declaring war." He sneered. I shook my head.
"I actually came to warn you," I said, watching him scoff, "I'm serious. While you're not one of my favorite Greeks, Hades and company are. I'm doing this to protect them and all the Greek mortals who'll be effected by the Atlanteans's attack." Hades looked surprised at the disclosure of my feelings for him and his sons. His eyes slid back over to Zeus, who twitched.
"Am I truly to believe that you just came here out of the goodness of your heart?" He demanded in disbelief. I arched a brow at him.
"Just because you're an asshole doesn't mean I am. I give a shit about the Greeks. The only reason I fought them in the first place was because my father ordered me to. Like your children would do for you."
"And how am I to be assured that this isn't some kind of trap?"
"How could it possibly be a trap? I came here, a lone Atlantean, with a Greek god and now I'm in the heart of their pantheon. Alone. If anything, I'm the one who's in most danger here. Especially if my pantheon finds out I'm doing this."
"So you'd side with us in a war." Zeus concluded. I threw my hands up in exasperation and Hades actually gave me a sympathetic stare.
"I never said Zeus was smart. He only has two things on his mind. His cock and war." He informed. Zeus curled his lip at him.
"If I were you, I'd keep that big whore mouth of yours shut, Hades, before I put it to better use." He threatened. Even though Hades was technically far more powerful than Zeus now, there was still a glint of fear deep in Hades's eyes. I narrowed my eyes on Zeus and took a step toward him, making his attention snap to me.
"Don't threaten him for telling the truth," I said in a low voice, watching Zeus's eyes darken, "There will be no war. I'm warning you to keep on your guard. I'm asking you to try and consider a peace treaty with the Atlanteans, and to prove that you guys weren't the ones who locked them up, like they seem to think." Zeus's expression twisted in disgust.
"A treaty? Excuse me, do you have any fucking idea who you're speaking to? I'm the King of the Greek pantheon."
"Congrats, want a cookie?" Hades said mockingly. Zeus took a step toward him, but I got between them and I felt Hades's glare practically drilling holes in my back. It was an instinct I couldn't help, one that I was sure Hades would be furious over later on.
"Zeus," I said, beginning to lose my patience, "This is a serious situation. The only way you can stop a war with the Atlanteans is to call a meeting with Atlan and discuss a peace treaty together, convince them that you weren't the ones who imprisoned them."
"Are you seriously suggesting I get down on my knees for that bastard?"
"I'm suggesting you find some humility before it kills you and your entire pantheon. You won't have to worry about Titans or Hades or god forbid one of your kids kicking you in the nuts. You'll be in the same dark prison my family was forced to endure for over ten thousand years. Now I want you to think about that. Would you rather be Zeus, King of the gods, who saved his pantheon again or would you rather be Zeus, the pathetic shit who caused a once great pantheon to fall because he was too much of a whiny brat to settle for a peace treaty?" I demanded. Zeus narrowed his eyes on me.
"You talk a lot of shit, Atlantean."
"I'm trying to help," I told him seriously, "A peace treaty could save both our pantheons, and your worshippers, and those of Greek blood. The Atlanteans mean business. We both know that during the last war with them, the Atlanteans came dangerously close to killing you all off. And when I say all, I mean all. They'll kill anyone with Greek blood running through their veins." Zeus clenched his teeth so hard, a tic throbbed in his jaw. He stepped away from us, moving to pace around his throne room.
Defend me like that again, and a war between our pantheons will be the least of your problems. Hades threatened in my head, giving me a sharp headache. I cast him a withering glare, but his glare met mine intensely, so I looked away at Zeus, who finally turned back to us.
"Let me discuss this with the other gods. In the mean time, keep the Atlantean threat on the down-low and don't let them know that we know of them. Think you can do that?" He asked me. I nodded. Zeus relaxed at that, but only slightly before he met Hades's eyes over my shoulder.
"Why don't you stick around, Hades? It's been a while since we visited." He added with a cruel smirk that curved the corner of his lips. Hades tensed.
"Yeah, I have a thing to get to. Aw, too bad, so sad." With that, Hades vanished from Olympus. Zeus scoffed.
"The coward." He sneered. I glared at him.
"He's not a coward." It was all I said before teleporting back to Hades's throne room. If I had stayed there any longer, I'd be the stupid idiot to start a war with the Greeks by attacking their king. Zeus's callous personality never ceased to amaze me. To think that someone that cold could exist, much less be a god, made my stomach churn. Even worse, he wasn't the only god with such an acerbic personality.
I appeared in Hades's throne room to see that Lucifer and Hades weren't present, but Dorean was leaning against the wall. He perked up when I came in.
"Where are Lucifer and Hades?" I asked. Dorean raised an eyebrow.
"Do you really have to ask that?" He replied. I gave him a small smile. I had done what I could for now, and Hades was obviously perturbed over his visit to Olympus, so I left him alone to rest with Lucifer. I took Dorean's hand and we teleported from Hades to the Atlantean realm, right in our living room. Dorean kept his hand in mine, studying my fingers before looking up at me.
"You're doing what you can, kitty," He told me gently, reaching up to smooth the frown off my face, "Don't worry. I know you can stop this. You've done harder things before. Like babysit Ambrosius." I laughed at that.
Ambrosius was the second youngest son of Hades, and while his other son, Theo, was known as being the biggest baby of the lot, Ambrosius was a close second considering how difficult his teenage years were. It'd been hell trying to rein that kid in. Despite Hades's harsh upbringing, Ambrosius still had a streak of rebelliousness in him that was still present today. I almost felt sorry for Thorn having to deal with it, but given Ambrosius's genetic make-up, I'm not surprised he's a little wild.
Ambrosius was also the son of Cerberus's lover, Blaine, a male faerie. Blaine was probably the most irritating pain in the ass I've ever had the misfortune of knowing. Though, it was understandable considering all he's been through. It was a miracle he was even sane half the time. Having been sold into slavery the moment he was born, severely abused by all his masters, including Cerberus himself, Blaine had come a long way from the wild animal he had been.
Not that he was tame now. Just happier compared to how he used to be. And since he'd given birth to twins a couple years ago, Keros and Holly, Blaine had gotten much more tolerable since then. At least, around his children. Around anyone else, he was awful.
"Want me to make some lunch?" Dorean asked, patting my arm. I nodded. He smiled and gave me a kiss before heading to the kitchen. I followed him for a moment when I felt an eerie prickling on the back of my neck. I turned to scan the living room with a frown.
"Did you feel that?" I asked. Dorean paused, setting a sauce pan out on the stove.
"Feel what?" He asked. I looked around cautiously.
"I don't know. Something feels off." I muttered, moving back into the living room to scan what little shadows were left after Dorean had done his spring cleaning. Dorean moved to stand beside me and we both stared into the living room. I could feel his unease at my warning and I felt bad for worrying him, but I didn't want him to put his guard down if there really was someone in the room with us.
A second later, the air rippled and we both snapped around just in time to see Mictlantecuhtli appear in our kitchen.
"Mic, what are you doing here?" I asked, perplexed. I could've sworn I put the barrier back up. Mictlantecuhtli gave me a grim stare.
"I would have called via video, but this was an important message I felt needed to be delivered in person and seeing as your barrier has dropped, I felt it appropriate to come now." He explained. I frowned.
"Were you here before?" I asked. Mictlan frowned.
"No," He said, making me cock my head before shaking it as he began to speak, "I found out what cult summoned your pantheon." My eyes widened at that.
"Yeah?" I asked. Mictlan nodded and conjured a brown file folder, handing it over to me. I took the folder and slid a small packet of papers out. Across the front, the name of the organization was Desdios. I felt my jaw go slack at the name. So it had been the desidos. They were still around. It was a miracle they hadn't all gone down with the rest of the Atlantean pantheon during their imprisonment.
"It's an Atlantean class of demons," Mictlantecuhtli explained, "But I am assuming you already know of them. Their current leader is a desdios named Desiderius. He sent a spy in to fetch the cube." I flipped a page and Desiderius's face appeared there along with a small profile page about him, but not much. The guy was almost a ghost. If it hadn't of been for his photo, I wouldn't have known who he was.
"Desiderius," I murmured, then grimaced, "I know this guy." Mictlan arched a brow.
"Yes?"
"Yes," I replied, "He worked for my father. I thought he'd died."
"Apparently not," Mictlantecuhtli said, "He's still around and leading a cult of Atlantean worshippers. I'm surprised they haven't moved here yet."
"They probably aren't sure if it's safe for not. The gods are pissed about their imprisonment and are jumping all over the Greeks about it." I explained. Mictlan grimaced.
"As much as I would love to help you, Xenon, I must think of my own people. I think I've had enough of the Greek drama for one millennia." He said. I nodded, tucking the files back into the folder and shaking Mictlan's hand.
"This is enough, Mic. Thank you, and best of luck on your own issues." I added. Mictlantecuhtli inclined his head to me before vanishing from his spot in our kitchen. Dorean breathed out a sigh.
"At least we know who summoned them." He said. I nodded grimly.
"I'll have to contact this guy." I told him. No sooner had the words left my mouth did I feel a cold tingle go up and down my spine, and I cursed under my breath.
"Which'll have to wait because I'm being summoned." I muttered. Dorean smiled and took the folder from me.
"Go ahead. I'll be right here. I'll look at the files and contact Adrian, to see if maybe he knows where the cult is located." He explained. I smiled in relief.
"I don't know what I'd do without you." I said. Dorean gave me a sheepish smile.
"Probably starve to death."
"True." I agreed. Dorean grinned and I gave him a kiss on the head before I teleported to where I was being summoned.