Chapter 1

2809 Words
Hades groaned as the constant ringing of his cell phone dragged him from the peaceful sleep he had been immersed in. Slowly, he wriggled his arm out from under the dainty frame of his snoring wife, doing his best not to wake her while admiring her ability to sleep through anything. With an irritated sigh, he shifted his legs off the edge of the bed and swiped to answer the source of his annoyance. “What?” He quietly growled, not bothering to hide the extent of his frustration in his voice. “G… Good morning, your highness. This is Zoe of guard shack seven one three in maximum security. There has been an emergency. It’s of the utmost importance.” “What could possibly be an emergency at this time of night? Can it not wait until tomorrow?” The nervous nymph paused briefly, thinking her words out carefully before finally answering. “Sir, the boss would like to speak with you about it herself.” Hades took a deep breath with the realization there was no getting out of it. “I’ll be there soon.” He sat his phone down after hanging up and turned to be met by the groggy emerald gaze of his wife peering at him. With a warm smile, he leaned down to place a soft kiss gently on her lips. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” An amused giggle escaped her. “I could easily ask you the same thing. Besides, it’s hard to sleep when my favorite pillow moved.” Her gaze flickered briefly to his phone, before moving back to his. “What was that about?” “Apparently the nymphs have an emergency they require my presence for, and it can’t wait until tomorrow.” Her eyes rolled as Hades stood and walked to his closet to get his suit on to head out. “Did Hecate set another nymph on fire? She really does need to take those anger management classes.” Hades stifled a laugh. “I’m honestly not sure, ‘Seph. But if she needs anger management after one incident, I am fairly sure our entire pantheon would need to be signed up right beside her.” He leaned down to get a goodbye kiss and winked with a flirtatious smile. “I shouldn’t be gone long. When I return, I look forward to becoming your pillow again.” Hades straightened himself and adjusted his tie, as Persephone settled back into the comforter, slowly dozing off once more with a smile lingering on her lips. “I eagerly await your return.” Hades walked downstairs, scanning the living room until he found a large furry black mass lounging beside the couch. He whistled, causing three pairs of displeased eyes to stare in his direction. “Ready for work?” Cerberus stared Hades down for a moment, before grudgingly getting up and heading towards him, looking as annoyed at being awoken as his master had been. He leaned to give him a scratch under the chin. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to be doing this right now either. With a snap of his fingers, Hades summoned a large portal and the two of them trudged through the olive flames to Tartarus. With adamant determination to get this ended quickly, he threw open the doors to the entrance, and strolled down the marble hallway until reaching the door to the head of security’s office. With a huff Cerberus looked up at his master. “Why exactly am I here?” The sound of Cerberus’ voice filled Hades’ mind, causing him to turn his head to his companion with a smug expression highlighting his features. “Because, if I must be here, you do too. You have just as much responsibility for keeping order here as I do.” Cerberus puffed out a sigh. “Fine. Will this be over quickly? I would rather enjoy getting back to my nap.” Hades began to reply before pausing briefly, and replayed the call in his head, wondering if he had been too quick to dismiss the situation as simple. In all the years he had been running the Underworld, there had never been a moment in which he hadn’t been directly given the details regarding any situation pertaining to it, much less Tartarus. “I’m not entirely sure. Something tells me that it’s not going to be as simple as it usually is, old friend.” An eerie feeling crept over him. His brows furrowed and his gaze moved from Cerberus to the door, before reaching for the knob. Whatever was behind that door was going to change everything, he could feel it. “Shall we?” They were greeted by the sight of a nymph sitting at a desk with her feet propped upon it, fiddling in agitation with a Rubik’s Cube, completely oblivious to their presence. Hades raised his eyebrows and looked at Cerberus, who simply offered a slight shrug, before turning his attention back to her and clearing his throat. The startled nymph casually looked in their direction. Her eyes widened, startled at the realization of who was watching her, as she jumped and nearly fell out of her desk, causing a stack of papers to go flying everywhere. Quickly, she stood and smoothed out her uniform and tried to pick up the papers, before offering a polite but terrified smile. “G…Good Morning, your majesty. You came sooner than expected. What can I help you with?” “I was called about an emergency. It sounded urgent, so naturally I would arrive as quickly as possible.” Hades looked over her clustered desk, before leaning down to pick up the cube from the ground, offering it to her. An icy chill ran down her spine as their eyes met, as she quickly grabbed it from him. “I need to speak with your boss.” The nymph shifted, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. “I… I’m sorry sir, she’s in a meeting with the others. I can’t let you in just yet.” A dark aura began to emit from Hades as he stared down the nymph. The atmosphere grew heavier as his irritation with the situation grew ever more present. “Do I look like I am in the mood to wait?” The words flowed through his slightly snarled expression in a growl-like manner. The nymph trembled as she tried to shake her head but was frozen in shock and fear. He sat there in silence; his eyes locked on hers as his eyes narrowed. “Darling, I would deeply appreciate it if you stopped terrifying my secretary. It’s becoming awfully inconvenient to keep trying to find replacements when they quit because they’re terrified of you.” A rich female voice cut the silence. He peered over to see a woman leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and smiling mischievously at him. “Hello Hecate.” The goddess of Magic had always been a rather impressive sight, and tonight was no different. She was only a few inches taller than Persephone, her head barely reaching his collar bone. Her medium-length hair fell to her shoulders in delicate waves of black and red, emphasizing her eyes that danced with a golden red coloration. Her sun-kissed skin shimmered with flecks of gold, and her body was emphasized by the chic black dress that clung to her figure with two slits that rose to her thighs. Hades shifted towards her as she made her way to him. He leaned to gently place a kiss on each of her cheeks before raising an eyebrow questioningly. “What’s with the dress?” Hecate sighed and rolled her eyes. “I was on a date before this mess.” “A date? With whom?” Her eyes narrowed slightly at him. “That’s for me to know, and you never to find out.” She regained her usual cool composure and gestured with her hand for the poor trembling nymph to go back to her desk, before heading into her office with Hades and Cerberus behind her. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin.” Hades sat in an empty chair at the long rectangular business table, nodding in acknowledgment to the two other figures already seated patiently, before turning his attention to the projection being displayed. “Your highness, as you’ve been alerted, there has been a situation in our high security section of Tartarus.” Hecate began, using a laser pointer to emphasize a small portion of cells on a map of Tartarus. Hades let out a slight sigh. “I’m aware there has been a situation, but I have yet to become aware of what it is, much less how serious it could be.” A sense of unease filled the room and, for the first time, Hades watched fear flash across Hecate’s face. A cold feeling of unease washed over him as silence filled the room. A soft, calm, feminine voice chimed in. “You didn’t feel it, your majesty?” Hades looked over at Nyx, as her glowing white gaze stared at him through the dark black veil she wore over her face and a terrifyingly tranquil smile lingered on her lips. His brows furrowed deeply as he met her gaze. “I will take that expression as a no.” “What happened?” He sternly asked. “No more being vague, no more games. What is this situation?” “There was an escape, boss.” Thanatos hesitantly answered, causing Hades’ fiery gaze to turn to him. “That’s impossible. We haven’t had any escape in the underworld, much less Tartarus. The closest was Orpheus and Theseus, but even they ended up back here.” His words were more like a growl as they escaped his lips. “And I suppose you were involved?” Thanatos shrunk back in his seat, shaking his head profusely. Hecate speedily moved to stand in front of him in a defensive posture, forcing the angry god’s stare at her. “He has been cleared. No one in this room was involved. I know it’s difficult, but you need to calm down. Do you think Persephone would enjoy knowing her husband is lashing out before he has the facts?” Hecate’s words cut him, and she knew it. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm him down. His thoughts turned to his wife. He thought of her emerald eyes staring up at him with all the warmth of spring in the mortal realm. He thought of the way her small stature fit perfectly against him as they laid together, and the perfect shape of her curves as his fingers roamed them. He thought about the disappointed expression on her face the last time she had seen him lose his temper. He couldn’t become the monster that she had worked so hard to prevent him from becoming. With a final exhale, he opened his eyes. “Was it a titan? One of the kings? Bundy? Dahmer?” He quietly asked, keeping his eyes fixed forward to avoid the others’ gazes. “No sir.” “Then who?” “It was Medusa, your majesty.” The words flowed smoothly from Nyx, as she calmly watched him. His fist clenched as his body stiffened, but his calm expression remained the same. “Do we have any indication as to how?” Hecate shook her head. “No. Our first thought, like yours, was that Thanatos had something to do with it. But his logs were on point, and he had an alibi that checked out. I have sent some of my best people to further investigate the situation.” With a nod, Hades released an exasperated sigh. “Does Olympus know?” “Luckily, no. The only people aware are those currently in this room, and the nymph who was on roving patrol.” “Good. I intend for it to stay that way until we can find her. The last thing I need is the Council of Gods on my back for this. Until then, Hecate, continue your investigation and let me know if you find anything irregular.” “Yes sir.” With a slight nod and bow, she touched his shoulder in reassurance before making her exit. “Thanatos, speak to Charon to see if he has noticed anything. Also, since you are the only one of us who can go to Olympus without being gawked at, I’d like you to go there as well to investigate if any of them had anything to do with this. I want it done swiftly and tactfully, understood?” “I will not disappoint boss.” Thanatos slid out of his seat, obviously eager to escape the room, before respectfully bowing and speed walking out of the room. Hades, Cerberus, and Nyx remained there briefly in the silence before Hades took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair. “It’s not like you to stare, Nyx.” She let out a slight chuckle. “I can’t help it. You have become quite different than you used to be, your highness.” He raised an eyebrow curiously looking in her direction. “How so? And please, you of all people need to stop with the formalities. Use my name. Anyone who scares the f**k out of my brother deserves that much.” She let out a slight chuckle. “A fair statement indeed, although in reality, Zeus isn’t that hard to scare.” Hades couldn’t help but smile a bit at her remark. “You’ve become a lot calmer than you once were, especially towards my son. I suppose I have that lovely bride of yours to thank for that. I remember a time when Olympus believed you as the next Kronos. Much has changed. Take the Underworld, for instance. There was a time this place was looked at with disgust and fear. Now it’s practically a bustling city. But...” She paused, looking at him thoughtfully. “But what?” “I can’t help feeling there’s still something missing in you.” She grew quiet, looking at him thoughtfully, before shaking her head. “Ignore me, I’m simply rambling. Anyways,” She slowly got up, offering a slight bow, “I’m sure you have a lot to attend to with Medusa’s escape, so I shall leave you to it.” She’s not wrong, you know. Hades rolled his eyes at Cerberus’ sudden intrusion. Right now, her words are the least of my problems. Ah, yes. What are we going to do about the snake hag? Hades stood up stretching, before summoning a portal home and walking through. You already know what we must do. We need to find her before she does any damage. Get some rest. I need you at peak performance for this. Hades opened the doors to his home and strode to his couch before plopping down upon it and closing his eyes. How could this have happened? Who released this monster? How was he going to find her? A borderline impossible task was laid at his feet, and once again he was the one who had to complete it. Thousands of thoughts rushed through his mind before the sensation of someone straddling his lap pulled him back to reality. He opened his eyes to see Persephone staring at him with concern. “Rough day I take it?” She gently wiped away a strand of his midnight black hair that had come out of place and found its way over his eyes. He placed his hand lovingly over hers, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. “No worse than any others, I suppose.” “What happened?” She c****d her head slightly to the side curiously as Hades shook his head. “I don’t want to focus on that right now.” His arms smoothly slid around her waist as he lifted his hips to grind into hers. A surprised gasp escaped her lips as she fell forward, catching herself with her hands on each side of his head. “I’d rather focus on you like this.” “Your Majesty,” she purred out, “If you’re trying to avoid this conversation, it’s only slightly working.” “Only slightly?” Hades’ ice-blue eyes darkened slightly as a seductive smirk lit his lips and he held her dainty frame tightly to him and stood up. “I suppose we should turn that maybe into a completely distracted.” Hades began carrying her towards their bedroom. He knew he would have to tell her. He knew she would understand. His hunt would start for Medusa tomorrow, but for tonight, Persephone was his prey.
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