His Undoing

Waking Up

Her head pounded before she even opened her eyes, and each gulp made her ears hurt. She cracked her eyes open and was pleased that the room was dimly lit with natural gas lamps. She groaned in pain as she sat up, and a wave of nausea overcame her. She located a basin next to her bed and promptly vomited into it, the bitter taste of bile making her heave even more. The door opened and a woman rushed to her side, pulling her hair away from her face and gently rubbing her back.

"It's okay, let it out," the woman said gently.

She heaved and heaved until there was nothing left and collapsed onto the bed. The gracious woman took the basin from her and rushed into the en suite. A flush was heard and the woman reappeared with a fresh basin, setting it on the night stand again.

"Good to see you're up, dearie," the woman said with a hint of a Scottish accent. She smiled warmly down at the young woman, and handed her a glass of water. She helped the girl up into a sitting position and watched as she emptied the glass.

"If ya can keep er down, we can get gechya sometin more solid in yer system," she said.

The woman looked over at her and studied her features. This lady was beautiful, with long black hair, deep brown eyes, and an easy smile. She was voluptuous, with woman's curves and large breasts, but she dressed modestly in a simple t shirt and stylishly ripped jeans that hugged her body.

"I am Thanatos, dearie, but everyone calls me Nat. And I've been takin care a ya since ya got here. Have you a name?" The woman asked.

She shook her head, opening her mouth to speak, "I-I don't.." she broke off, clutching at her throat. Thanatos poured another glass of water from a carafe next to the bed. The girl gulped it down and Thanatos repeated the process.

After her third glass of water, she tried again, "I don't remember anything. I remember...I was on a beach. But the sun... And then I was here."

"You remember nothing of your time here?" Thanatos asked, a frown creasing her brow. The girl shook her head. "Aye. It is what it is... You've kept that water down for a good thirty minutes. Ya feel up for eatin?"

The girl nodded slowly, as if not really sure. Thanatos gave a warm smile. "Would ya like to eat here? Or go to the dinin hall?"

"Dining hall? That sounds...nice..?" The girl answered. She couldn't really picture what that would be like. Thanatos stood and headed to the foot of the bed. The girl followed suit, standing on shaky legs with her hand on the bed for support.

"I wasn't sure what size ye were but Nyx gave ye some clothes. Yer pretty close in size to her. I'll lechya get changed. Knock when yer ready," Thanatos smiled wide and left her to herself. Poor girl, she thought thought herself.

The young woman looked at the black clothes laid out in front of her. A black strapless top, tight black jeans, and black boots. I see a theme here, she thought to herself wryly. She dressed quickly, please that it all fit, and opened the door to see Thanatos whispering with another woman in the hallway, who turned and smiled at the sound of the door.

"Did it fit ya alright?" She asked brightly.

The woman smiled in return and simply nodded her head, looking at the other woman in the hallway. The other woman met her eyes with a smile. She was gorgeous, with bright blue eyes, dark hair, and skin that reminded her of moonlight.

"My clothes look better on you than me," she said with a bright smile.

"You must be Nyx, then?" The young woman asked.

Nyx smiled wide. "That I am. Are you ready to get some food? You must be hungry.."

The woman's stomach growled and she have a sheepish smile that resulted in laughs from the other women.

"Let's get on with it then," Thanatos said, leading the way. "The good news is, your room is centered between everything. So your chances of getting lost are very slim."

"So....where are we?" The girl asked.

The other women exchanged a look of unease.

Nyx took the dive, "We are in the realm of Hades. The Underworld. But the name is much scarier than this place actually is. It's quite beautiful here, really..." She trailed off at the girl's frightened expression.

"So I'm in Hell? What...why did I end up here? When did I die? How...did I..." the woman's eyebrows knit together with worry and her crystal eyes, the color of the ocean, filled with tears. Her fingernails changed colors, going from teal to purple and then to a deep blue that was almost black. 

Thanatos quickly wrapped her in a hug, "Shh shh poppet. You're not dead, dearie. You're a Goddess."

The young woman's eyes went wide and a memory floated through her mind, "You'll be a Goddess, Mara. The new Goddess of the Sea."

"Mara..." she whispered. Thanatos and Nyx exchanged a look and looked at the girl's nails. They were changing colors again.

"Mara? Is that your name?" Nyx asked, hopeful. The woman nodded.

"I am the Goddess of the Sea," she said with a bright smile, tears still plaguing her eyes. Her nails were back to a teal color with a sparkle to them. 

"What's up with your nails?" Nyx asked, watching as they changed colors again. 

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mara asked, looking at her nails. 

"They keep changing colors," Nat said.

Mara examined her fingernails, they were a calming color, the color of the ocean over a sand bar. "I hadn't really noticed. But this color calms me." 

 Nyx and Thanatos shared a look again, but this time it wasn't as happy. Mara pretended not to notice. Soon they were in a room packed with people, tables and chairs were sprawled throughout the large room with a buffet in the middle. Mara followed Nyx and Thanatos to the buffet and Thanatos handed her a plate. The smells of the room were delightful and Mara felt her mouth water. She watched as they loaded their plates and she followed suit. Pancakes, bacon, eggs Benedict, and peel n eat shrimp soon covered her plate. When she could fit no more, she followed the other two to an empty table.

"What are ya havin to drink?" Thanatos asked.

"Ooh mimosa, please. It is 10am after all," Nyx said.

"Uhm two?" Mara asked, uneasy. She had no idea what a mimosa was or why it had to be after a certain time to drink it.

Thanatos eyed her, "Why don't we just stick to juice for you? I'll be right back."

Mara inhaled deeply over her plate. The shrimp smelled divine. She peeled one and put it in her mouth.

"Mmm oh my god, this is so good," she said and shelled three more.

"Definitely a sea goddess," Nyx said, wrinkling her nose. "I can't stand fish of any kind. I prefer steak...rare or raw."

Mara wrinkled her nose in return. She cut into her eggs Benedict and took a bite. "Mmmm oh my this is delicious, too."

Nyx stifled a laugh, "Are you going to say that about everything? Do you remember any of your favorite foods?"

"Hmmm. I love...octopus, bass, urchin, shark, and all of this stuff," Mara pointed to her plate.

"Definitely a sea Goddess. If I didn't know any better, I would swear I were talking to Poseidon dressed as a female," Thanatos came back with drink and gave a snort.

"Poseidon?" Mara asked.

"Ah...yeah. He's actually the one who found ya, dearie. And brought ya here," Thanatos said carefully. Mara could tell there was more to it than that but didn't want to press the issue any longer. She felt safe and that's what mattered. The trio chattered happily, eating to their hearts' content.

"Oof. I don't think I could eat another bite," Mara said. She had three plates and two of them were nothing but shrimp.

"Shall we get ya back to yer room and showered then? We can have a tour later and see about gettin ya some clothes," Thanatos said happily. "No offense," she added, sneaking a glance at Nyx.

"None taken. Black doesn't suit a sea goddess. She needs a flow dress and some sunglasses," Nyx joked, laughing. "Perhaps we can talk Hades into a small clothing allowance for Mara."

"Already on it. Take her back and show her how to use the shower, then get her in some clean clothes for shopping. We will meet Charon to go to the Upperworld," Thanatos ordered and headed off with a determined look.