Micah

Chapter 2

The Underworld - 78 BC

Swords clashed in the cool night air and the souls of the damned wailed in the distance. A spray of dirt plumed towards the sky, and Micah staggered backwards, hunched over and coughing violently. His sparring partner, Xifomáchos, stopped his blade midway through its arc and was by Micah's side in an instant.

"Are you well, Archontas?" He asked, making Micah grimace. He wasn't a fan of honorifics, so being called Archontas made him vastly uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Hades insisted upon it, so every subject in his kingdom was required to obey.

Hades had taken Micah's sarcasm quite literally and had tried hard to turn Micah into a god, but with no powers, nor desire to rule, Micah found it really quite tedious. He'd spent two hundred years in his father's kingdom, learning about humans, gods, seelies, and vampires. He had honed his sword skills and was better than any living human. He knew how to paint, how to weave, sculpt, write, and sing. He'd done everything a human could ever hope for, but none of it was ever enough, for he was plagued by a yearning to be by his sister's side. To ride the stars of Seelie, and dance through the fields of Earth. Micah would give anything, do anything, just to be with her again. And still, his father denied his sole request.

"It's this place, it's poison to me. There's no life or light here and Seelie's are made to be under the wide-open heavens with dirt between their toes. My father won't listen, and every day, I am in pain." Micah explained, still hunched. His sword lay abandoned on the floor, and his hands were on his knees, supporting him. He looked at Xifomáchos out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge a reaction, but the old eidolon kept his face neutral, conveying no emotion at all. This didn't surprise Micah. In the two centuries that he'd known Xifomáchos, Micah had barely seen his expression change at all. Maybe that's why he liked the Eidolon so much.

"Go and rest, eat some pomegranate, I must speak with your father." Xifomáchos instructed. He picked up Micah's sword and pressed the pommel into his hand, and then disappeared silently as if he'd never been there at all.

Micah did half of what he was told, returning to his chambers, and relaxing into the hot bath that never seemed to cool, but he did not eat the pomegranate. Truth be told, it would make him feel better. It was the only thing in the Underworld, aside from himself, that was still living. Everything else was either dead or beyond the mortal realm entirely. The reason for not eating it was because, after 200-odd years, he was so absolutely sick and tired of them that he could barely stand the smell or even the sight of the cursed things.

At some point, he drifted off into an uneasy sleep, full of visions of Serena that he couldn't be sure were just dreams. He saw her clad in an elegant black dress, blood streaming down her arms. By her feet, Micah's body lay. It was torn open along the sternum, ribs cracked open to reveal the delicate organs within. It was jarring for Micah, seeing his own body like this, but what was even more jarring was the sight of his heart still pulsing as Serena Sunk her teeth into it. The heart stopped, Micah's body transformed into that of a harmless nymph, and real Micah awoke suddenly, his chest burning almost as much as the scar on his neck, and tears in his eyes.

Hades was standing at the end of the bed, watching Micah quizzically. The eccentric god hadn't calmed any over the years, and he was wearing a dramatic emerald robe with golden trim. Micah made no effort to hide his scornful look.

"You were yelling." Hades pointed out, rather plainly. He seemed confused, wondering why on earth Micah would decide to just yell for no apparent reason. Gods were so ridiculous. Micah would like nothing more than to consider the dream he had just witnessed in further detail, but instead, he was forced to interact with his father and explain why one might yell in their sleep.

"I was having a strange dream," Micah explained, getting up from his bed and moving to pour some water from his jug.

"Gods don't have dreams." Hades said wistfully as if he really expected Micah to care. Micah took his time drinking the water. His chest was still sore, heart still racing. He rubbed his free hand over it, trying to ease the ache, but wasn't met with much success.

"Well thankfully, I am not a god." Hades looked offended at this, he really couldn't understand why anyone would not want to be a god. "Anyway, did you just come in here to watch me sleep, or do you have a purpose?"

The question, thankfully, was enough to break Hades of whatever strange mood had gripped him. He spread his hands wide, and a smile followed suit.

"Xifomáchos came to me. He said you're ill and insisted on you being allowed to visit Earth. Yelled that you need to be allowed to visit Earth. It was rather amusing." Micah couldn't help but crack the smallest of smiles at this. He was touched that the Eidolon would do that for him, Micah hadn't realised that he actually cared. That, and the mental image of Xifomáchos having anything other than a completely neutral expression was shocking and hilarious. Micah didn't speak aloud, but after a small chuckle from the both of them, he indicated for Hades to continue.

"I have decided to permit small visits to Earth, but you must take Xifomáchos with you as your guide. You are to listen to him and do as instructed." It was absolute bullshit, but it was more than Micah had dared hope for. He wasn't sure what had been said to convince Hades, but he also wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. All he did was mumble his thanks and strap on his sword that lay propped against the wall.

"One other thing, Micah." Hades sounded serious. Micah turned to him, disappointment already growing. He just knew he was about to have this ripped from him in some way. His one freedom, gone. He met Hades' eyes, the same bright green as his own, and set his jaw, almost like he was expecting to take a physical hit.

"Don't hide things like illness from me again. It isn't something that I relate to, but that doesn't mean I completely don't understand. I wish for you to be sound of mind, spirit, and body." Micah bobbed his head but otherwise didn't respond. He never knew quite what to say when Hades actually decided to try and parent him. He wasn't used to anyone trying to parent him.