25. Poison
1541 Words
“Who is Hades?” I asked him.
He gave me an incredulous look. “You’re joking, right? lord of the underworld, Pluto, brother of Zeus...ring a bell?”
“I think so...” I remember Selene mentioning him once. “How can I find him?”
“You can’t technically find him, but you can be granted passage to his world. There is a way to meet him, but only if you’re ready to follow it through till the end.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why don’t you go find him?”
“Cause, my sweet... you are the one who desires to save your mate. As for me, I am fine with where I am.” He shrugged, a mocking smirk on his face.
“Bastard. Tell me how it’s done.”
He seemed taken aback by my demand. “You think you can handle it?”
“I know I can. I have faced Selene, I can face Hades.”
He threw his head back laughing. “You wanna compare the two? Don’t be ridiculous. Selene is child’s play compared to Hades. When a mortal seeks a meeting with Hades, just one single mistake and they will be lost forever.”
“I am ready to meet him.”
He stared at me as though I was mad. When he realized he could not convince me otherwise, his shoulders dropped in defeat. “Fine, I'll help you. But get me off this chair first.”
“Not so fast.” I went over to my jacket and took a syringe and needle. I affixed the needle to the syringe, which was already filled with a liquid. I walked back to him and injected the colorless liquid into his neck.
In less than a minute, the effect began to show. His skin turned light purple, and he started to choke. “W-What is that?”
“Extract from the Rafflesia arnoldii plant, also known as the Devil’s flower. It is poisonous for humans but has a much more catastrophic effect on werewolves. After 24 hours without an antidote, you are dead.”
His eyes widened in shock. “The f**k is wrong with you?! You’re endangering Jace’s body!”
“No, I am reminding you about the urgency and seriousness of this matter. If you don’t help me or Jace—if you lie to me—then, you’ll suffer the same fate as us.”
He looked up at me with eyes full of pain and internal conflict. “Fine,” He said through gritted teeth. “First, you have to die.”
“Excuse me?”
He groaned in pain as the veins on his neck popped out. “Th-That is the only way you can meet Hades. He lords over the underworld and the dead souls. What do you expect?”
“How sure are you that it will work?”
He nodded assuringly. “Oh, it will work. You are the last of your kind, Hades will be pleased.”
The last part creeped me out, but so did everything else. “Okay, but I do not trust you. I want to have people I can trust in the room before we start.”
He gave a phony smile. “The more, the merrier.” The sarcasm in his voice was impossible to hide.
***
I called Ross and Rowena to the room. Aside from Jace, they are the only ones I trust enough to keep close at a time like this. But first, I needed to divulge the whole truth to Rowena, which proved more challenging than I thought it would. I don’t blame her though, it took me a long time to wrap my head around the mere possibility.
Good thing she finally got it on the third attempt of explaining. She and Ross were ready to help.
I made Kaiah describe the entire process to them so that they could understand it. And according to Kaiah’s explanation, I had to die by ingesting a particular type of poison, so that my soul would journey to the Underworld and meet Hades.
Ross pulled me aside and spoke to me in a low voice. “Are you sure you can trust this guy?”
“I have no choice, he is the only one who knows how we can end this.”
Worry lines appeared on his forehead. “I highly doubt that. I’m sure if we keep searching, we can find another witch to perform the switch back.”
I rubbed my temples frustratedly. “It’s only the witch that is responsible for the spell that can break it. With Medina gone, this is our only option.”
He looked away, shaking his head in disagreement.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Please, Ross, I need your help. Jace needs our help.”
Rowena came up to me and whispered, “Is that really Alpha Kaiah sitting there?”
“Oh my god, Ro... I thought you understood everything I said before.”
She scratched her head confused. “I did...I just always found Alpha Kaiah to be scary. Knowing he’s in this very room freaks me out big time.”
Ross placed a hand on her arm. “Don’t let the bastard scare you, I’m here with you.”
Rowena stood silent as they both made eye contact. “Thank you.”
I watched their exchange, feeling awkward for even standing there. I cleared my throat to get their attention. “Ross, tell me you’re fully on board with this. And Ro, tell me you understand at least half of it.”
They both nodded affirmatively. Ross spoke up. “Just know that I won’t take it lightly if that bastard tries to double-cross you.”
The three of us turned around and returned our attention to Alpha Kaiah who was tied to the chair. He watched us through hooded eyes. “Done chitchatting? The next time you try to gossip about me, remember that werewolves can hear virtually anything within a mile radius, that includes everything you were all whispering back there.”
Ross replied. “Good. Then you must have heard my last statement.”
“Hmm.” Kaiah looked at me. “Time of the essence, Seer.”
My heart skipped a thousand beats as his words sunk in. I went to sit down on the edge of the mattress. I could feel sweat gathering on my forehead as I went over the process in my head.
Just then, I felt a gentle pat on my back and looked up to see Rowena.
“How are you feeling?” She asked.
“Scared.”
“That is totally normal, I would be too.” She said.
My heart became filled with worries. “What about Jace? I mean, the real Jace. I can’t leave him there in the clinic all alone.”
“Relax, you know the nurses are my friends... I asked them to keep an eye on him and to make sure no one enters without our knowledge.”
“Thank you, Ro.”
“Could you two be done with the pep talk already?” Kaiah’s annoying voice came from where he was tied to. His lips were becoming chapped, and his face had turned pale. The devil’s flower I injected in him was now in full effect.
He is right, it is now or never...
***
Rowena held up a vial, its contents gleaming like liquid darkness. The poison, rumored to be brewed from the deadliest Underworld flora, would ensure my soul's journey to the land of the dead.
Her expression had ‘worry’ written all over it. “Are you sure you want to do this, Luna? Cause if this poison stays in your system for more than fifteen hours, there is no going back.”
I nodded. “I am sure.”
Her words did scare me, but she was right. Although the poison would kill me instantly, I still had a shot at life if the antidote was administered within 15 hours. That means I have only 15 hours to get everything done with Hades. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come.
Ross bowed his head. “Luna, I hope you are successful on your quest.”
“I hope so too. Thank you, Ross.”
Kaiah rolled his eyes. “Let’s cut to the chase already, I’m dying here.”
“Shut your mouth!”
I snatched the vial from Rowena’s hand and downed the bitter liquid in one go. Then, I lay on the bed, waiting.
The pain crept up my stomach wall. From small burning pain into unbearable agony. I grabbed my tummy as I screamed uncontrollably. It felt like a thousand knives piercing my internal organs at once, and there was nothing I could do but accept it—embrace it.
Pain coursed through my veins, blurring my vision. I could feel my life force ebbing, my soul tearing free from its mortal shackles.
Soon, my breathing turned to heavy gasps, and then, it ceased.
Everything went dark~^~————————
- Writer
