Aphrodite's Sphere**Edited**

chapter 32

I winced as the wave of pain traveled from my ribs and toward all my body parts, like a plague ready to eradicate everything that dared crossed its path. The loud thunder-like sound that erupted once my body made contact with the wall, still echoed vividly inside my ears.

Through the sweaty strands of hair, that now covered my bruised and cut face; I could see Hades impatient face. He was clearly getting annoyed with the way I handled pain, and refused to speak. I gritted my teeth and tried to bare the pain that shot through my sore muscles and cells, once I tried to stand up. I had to rest my hand against the wall that was by now stained with my blood, in order to stop my legs from crumbling and collapsing against the hard concrete.

"Speak you stupid girl." Hades growled, like a ferocious animal ready to attack it's pray.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw the translucent version of me. Her eyes just as lifeless as in my dreams. However, whenever the map was mentioned, a hint of some feeling, apart from emptiness, was visible in her hallow eyes, even if it was for just a mere second.
She shook her head slightly, as if encouraging me to keep my mouth shut, to protect our secret whatever the cost.
"I would better burn alive, and then help a useless and dirty snail like y..." A rough hand hit my cheek with a powerful blow, which sent me right against the wall again.

"Well since you don't really seem to comprehend properly the concept of eternal pain and fear..." he said a sly grin appearing on his disgusting features. His finger then snapped and after uttering a few foreign words under his breath, a ball of fire was thrown into the far corner of the room. "Maybe you will try to understand their meaning for the sake of the ones you love."

"Leave.Them.Alone" my voice never held such hatred, and my emotions never burned with such a violent fire. I looked him straight in the eye, afraid to take even the slightest glance at the two figures in the dark corner opposite to me, scared to meet two pair of hallow and empty eyes, instead of my parents loving glances.

"Then tell me everything you know about the whereabouts of the sphere."

"Never." I hissed trying to pretend that I was still hardly griping on the thought of never telling him where the map is.

"You see," he said and then started circling the two specters that stood there speechless, as if unaware of the current situation. "These two figures are simply the projection of you parents. In reality their souls are not yet here. They are still enjoying the afterlife that they deserve. The happy afterlife." he placed a hand on my mother's face, and that act alone made me want to grip and tear him to pieces. "And you are the only one who can decide their fate from now on. You can make the right decision, and thus ensuring their happy afterlife to go on. However, if you dare defy me again, and refuse to spill those precious information, I vow on the river of Stinks itself, that your parents will suffer so greatly that you will hear their screams even in the pit of the oceans, or the kingdom of Olympus. But I am sure, you wouldn't want to hurt them, after you were the one who killed them." his voice and glance both held the hint of victory, as if he knew he hit my soft spot.

Deep down I already knew I had made up my mind. But my conscious mind could not wrap itself around it. A wave of pain hit me, making me close my eyes to hide the tears that threatened to show. I was already too tiered, both mentally and physically. And the fact that his words were both true and logic made me even more confused. Trapping me in a vortex of mixed feelings and thoughts, until I would dare to choose between the world and my world.

I dared take a glance at the hovering image of my ghost that was silently pleading me to keep my mouth shut and protect the sphere whatever the cost or price. However, the image of my parents lingered in my mind, playing with my emotions and my sense of logic.

Sighing, I made my decision, and silently apologized to everyone who believed in me, yet still silently daring to pray that my team could find a way and sort the mess I was to create.

"You win." I said in defeat, and watched as the other half of my soul crumble and fell on the ground, defeated by disappointment.