Aphrodite's Sphere**Edited**

chapter 33

I clenched the edges of the round blackish wooden table, whose form resembled that of a tree trunk. The massive roots were still clearly visible but they penetrated into the hard concrete ground enough to keep the huge table immobilized.
I tried digging my heels deeper into the ground, as if to prevent myself from jumping and strangling the smirking figure at the end of the table.
"Let's get this over with. Shall we?" His calm tone and gentleman act disgusted me to an extent that could never be described.
"As if I have a choice." I mumbled...still desperately trying to hold my anger inside. But it was as useless as trying to cool an erupting volcano.
"Stop nagging and let's get over with this." He said, clearly annoyed by my impoliteness.
"I don't know where the sphere is." I truthfully blurted out. "I never got a vision, so I don't particularly know where it is." I stated. The coolness and neutrality of my voice surprised me.
"Then who knows?!" He shouted, the chair from underneath him flying against the wall.
"Use your little brain. I am like a puzzle, that is made of two pieces. You need both pieces to make out the complete scene, don't you?" I tried to act calm and play with his nerves as best as I could. Silently praying that the plan I had in mind would work.
"Your soul." He whispered, and rested his weight on his palms, as he slowly leaned closer to the table.
"Exactly, I need my other half in order to activate the map. You see at first I thought that the other half held it, but I later realized that you need both halves of a key to open a door." I said.
" So you need to become one with your soul again?" He asked. Clearly still a little confused.
"I am not sure yet...all I know is that I need a quiet room and a few hours with my soul." I confessed. It killed me to act so coolly, as if I was truly switching to his side.
"Okay...but I find myself in need to warn you." His glare became deeper and the aura surrounding him even eerier than before. "I don't know why you have suddenly become so fine and willing to be by my side, but if you ever try to defy me...you will regret it."
For a second I felt my mask fall, revealing all the intentions that I have, but I managed to immediately rebuild it, and continued my Oscar worth performance.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, I am just having a change of heart, besides what good does it do to be on the losing team?" I said, in the most credible voice I could.
Standing up I tried to look as natural as possible, not wanting to reveal to him how scared and horrified I was.
"You should go and prepare yourself, in a few hours we will try your theory...and by the river of Stynx if..."
"I know..." I said. I was tired of hearing his threads because every time he threw those at me a tortured version of Dion's face would invade every possible thought I could hold.
***
Closing my eyes I slowly leaned against the window pane and took a second to recalculate my plan. I was still not sure if I would be able to pull it off, or he will see right through my lie, but some risks have to be taken.
Suddenly the front door burst open and a tall man with pale skin and shaggy hair entered the room.
"Master Hades summons you to the main hall." His voice was low but just as mysterious and were as everything that existed in this godforsaken place.
With a short nod, I took a deep breath and dared follow him. Hoping that something good could happen.
Walking through the dark hallway, I strong feeling of Déjà Vu hit me. I felt the same way as I did a week ago. The same way I felt when I was escorted to my first day of interrogation, or in other words to my first day of torture.
***The sound of my own footsteps made my stomach tighten even more. Because every step I took, guided me even closer to the scary unknown that was to come. Afraid of the methods that they would use to gain the information they needed, I took a deep breath. And wore the best neutral mask I could possible manage.
"Here we are." I did not even notice that we now stopped and stood in front of a huge wooden door. Skulls and other bones of the same color as the wood arose from the deep center of the wooden material.
Inside waited a pale looking demon.

"I told you we'll meet again!" smirked Jeroen and smirked with mischievousness, as if promising the excruciating pain that was to come.Because nothing good could happen when a gigantic being like him tries to pull information out of you by force. His wicked smile made a chill run down through my body, and nevertheless summoned all my power to keep my face neutral and my feet from running as fast as they could.***

I gulped and prepared myself for an unknown experience once again. I did not what will await me, or what I was to see, and this made goose bumps arise on every inch of my body.
"You are finally here." He sounded exactly like the blue haired Hades in those Disney movies, full of fake enthusiasm and annoying grins.
I chose not to answer afraid that my voice would betray me and give away every hidden feeling within me.
"You have two hours to figure this thing out..." He stated, his voice now serious and dangerous. "If you can't do that by then, I will have to take matters into my own hands and interfere." With a last deathly glare he left the room that held so much painful memories.
That room was where numerous torture methods were used on me. From burning my flesh to beating me until I would swear I would soon enough give my last breath.
However, those sinful acts were all executed by a demon, Hades has only graced us with his presence the day before, when he was smart enough to realize my weakness.
"We don't have much time left... So let's get to work." I took of the leather jacket that I was wearing and tied my ponytail tighter. Feeling hot enough in just the thin black shirt and jeans I was wearing.
"This thing is not working." I sighed and hit the wall beside me as hard as I could. Hoping that the anger and anxiousness would fade and allow me to concentrate properly.
An hour has surely passed and none of our attempts to bond and complete the 'puzzle' were fruitful.
And the pressure and fear caused by Hades previous words were starting to get to me.
"Just concentrate." My ghost's voice encouraged.
"Okay, let's try this again, shall we?" Rubbing my hands I sat on the floor and crossed my legs. "Come here and hold my hand." I suggested, and she did exactly as told. After closing my eyes, I tried as hard as I can to concentrate. Shutting the outer world completely, and putting away all my feeling in a box, that was to be locked and placed away, deep inside of me.
I imagined blue strings that erupted from deep within me, and that street he'd out of my fingers and entangled with other silver threads emerging from the other body beside me.
Something inside me suddenly felt different, a feeling of being complete for the first time seemed to penetrate and settle in every cell of my body. As if a long forgotten piece of me was rediscovered.
But that feeling of happiness and pleasure was soon gone, and my head soon felt as if it was going to explode. As if a hammer was suddenly attacking my skull from the inside, viciously trying to break it into tiny pieces.
Images flew everywhere before my eyes. Chaotically attacking me. They flew and circled me as the pain and pressure that has settled inside my head seemed to increase. And just as suddenly as it began it faded. Leaving me into complete unconsciousness.