Beautiful Cries

Chapter Twenty-Six: Roses in the Water

"Do you have any idea where she could be?" Damari asked anxiously, tapping his foot repeatedly on the floor as Hades paced back and forth behind him; his wife having gone to tend to her dying friend's needs.

"No, young sailor, but I do know the whereabouts of one of her daughters." The winged goddess replied, standing in the shadows so as not to reveal her face in the large hall.

Inhaling slowly, Damari nodded and struggled to contain his frustration. "Which daughter, Iris?"

"Rhode, daughter of Poseidon and wife of Helios."

Chewing on the bottom of his lip, Damari snapped his fingers and looked back at the goddess who was willing to serve as their messenger.

"Is there any way that we could transport her here?"

Hades moved next to Iris and put an arm lightly on her shoulder, ignoring Damari's question and speaking to her instead. "It is all right to bring her, but please make haste, we do not know how much time she has left till the Fates decide."

Iris bowed low, the gentle sweep of her magnificent wings creating a small breeze of wind as she lifted into the air.

"I shall tell her what has happened and perhaps she may alert Amphitrite of what has occurred. If not, she will have to complete the task herself if you are to have any hope."

"I'd do anything to save Alena." Damari uttered as the goddess rose higher, "Please just convince Rhode to come, more than just one life is at stake here."

"That's a load of rubbish filled nonsense." Jesenia sighed, rolling her eyes lazily as she blew tiny hairs out of her face.

Oh what I wouldn't do to rip the hair out of her miserable little head, Damari thought, smothering the desire to harm her and instead looking at a rather annoyed looking Minos who was busy sharpening the point of his already honed blade.

"Aren't you going to do something with her?"

Minos lifted his gaze briefly to Damari before looking at Jesenia and smirking. "Oh, this one will be dealing with something real fiery, real soon. Believe me, we just thought she'd like to see someone special before her imminent demis- I mean departure." he coughed, his inconspicuous laughter making his shoulders shake.

"Very funny." Jesenia sneered, pulling at the adamantine bindings on her wrists before sighing and tugging at them again in angst. "I have an idea, how about we allow the undesirable miscreant of a siren die and we all forget this ever happened and go about our business as it was."

"Fat chance, sweetheart." Minos chuckled, his fingers now trailing over the blade in playful thought. "Now, how about you stop struggling against one of the most durable metals known to the gods and quite your whining. I have to listen to Thanatos all of the time so there is only so much one can take every century."

"I heard that."

Minos threw his hands into the air, his dramatics not going unnoticed by his brother whose jaded gaze met Minos' with uninhibited rage.

"Oh lighten up, brother," Minos bantered, throwing an arm around Thanatos stiff and tall frame, " you'd think someone had died with the way you act all the time."

Hades pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a puff of air before walking over to Minos and smacking him in the back of the head.

"Do learn to kindly shut up when you aren't needed, Minos."

Looking over at Damari, Minos shrugged and rubbed the back of his skull with a frown. "My apologies, but honestly, you're all acting like a bunch of nymphs who've been chased down by the wrong satyr, and I would know. So, I suggest putting all your bothersome acts together and actually helping the siren before she does die on death's threshold."