The Runaway Rebels- Book 1

Chapter Six: Revelations

As I landed, I felt a stone cold floor beneath my face while the other two Goddesses landed gracefully on their feet.

"Pandora! What were you thinking?! You know what my sister would do to you if you come back defeated! They'll kill you!" exclaimed Ace, concern wiping through her voice.

"This wasn't me! I can't teleport. They must've spotted us!" Pandora responded fearfully.

I got up and as Dawn helped me to move to the side of the corridor, she turned to Ace and spoke with a look of confusion on her face, the words of Ace and Pandora running through her mind in confusion.

"Sister? What?" Dawn asked.

At her question, Ace's eyes closed, her face scrunching up as she realised what she'd said, mouthing curses.

Eventually, the Goddess spoke slowly as Pandora watched, distracted for a moment,

"Well, it's a complicated family as you'll know, but basically, I have a sister, well technically a half-sister and a brother-in-law and..." Ace turned back to Pandora, who gave her a flicker of a smile that quickly changed to a frown almost out of instinct,

"A niece," Ace finished, letting out an indeterminate sigh as she finished.

Dawn stuttered a little as she spoke, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "B-but that means your siblings are-"

"Hades and Hel, yeah, and that's only two of them." Ace said, cutting across Dawn, with a slight laugh.

For the slightest second, I thought I saw Ace nod at Pandora, but, a second later, an angry outburst from The Goddess of Darkness made me certain I must've been mistaken,

"Y-you may be related to me, Ace, but you're not family!!!"

Then, before anyone could respond, a new voice broke through the eerily lit corridor, a female one this time, pompous and arrogant,

"Pandora, what is taking you so long?! This is ridiculous. Not only do you get yourself beaten by two barely competent fools, but you drag around a piece of Mortal filth and won't even finish her off!"

At Hel's words, Pandora bowed her head a little, many expressions shooting through her eyes, her face contorting with emotion. On the other hand, a feeling of extreme indignance grew in me at what Hel had said, prompting me to speak up angrily,

"Hey! What right do YOU have to call ME filth?" I exclaimed, taking a step forward even as my core shook with the weight of a sudden jolt of anxiety.

As I finished, Ace grimaced and slapped her hand against her face. In conjunction with this, Dawn turned around just in time to see me lifted in the air by dark vines that wrapped around my chest. My breathing constricted, partly from the fear hammering down on my chest and partially from the real trap of the vines around me.

"Hades drop her! She has nothing to do this!" Ace growled through the grimace.

"Oh, I'd be more worried about yourself, sister-in-law!" Hades' dark voice spoke again, the sound still rasping with that ever-present malicious tone.

THUMP!

The sound echoed ominously through the corridor.

THUMP!

And again.

As I saw what had just come round the corridor, a gasp escaped my clasped stomach, fear clouding each one of my senses.

There, at the end of the twisting corridor, stood a great, black dog with 3 menacing heads. Each head equipped with fiery red eyes, razor-sharp teeth and claws, and large spiky collars around their huge necks.