ONYX

Chapter Twenty-five

“We have to go.”

“What’s wrong?”

They were calling again.

Zeus and Poseidon were persistent, and Hades had a feeling that they would be knocking on the door to his realm next. The buzzing in his head wouldn’t stop. Gods were immune to common illnesses that plagued humans, but Hades endured the headache that hadn’t been normal to him. He had to do something and continuously ignoring his brothers’ calls wouldn’t fix the situation. “I have business to take care of.”

“When will I see you again?” Alessa asked before she realized.

She was thrown off by the misery that’d harbored her tone. She actually didn’t want him to leave. Time with him had become enjoyable and when he wasn’t near, she felt empty inside. It was a weird reaction to him especially since she didn’t know the man, yet somehow she did.

He’d lurked in the shadows all of her life. He never left her side. Hades longed for the very moment when she’d come to him with hope in her eyes aimed only at him. He needed her, and she needed him. “I will be back soon.”

Very soon, he wanted to add because time spent with his brothers was always short. He didn’t like to be surrounded by them for too long even though they were the strongest together. However, he treasured his space. He liked the darkness that loomed over the Underworld and the control that was exclusive to him.

In Olympus, his baby brother, Zeus, called all of the shots. “I’ll show you the way back.”

Alessa took his hand in hers and noticed how perfect their hands fit together. They retreated the same way they came, but Alessa’s attention was drawn the beauty of the sea. It resembled the waters of Evyon that surrounded the kingdom, but there were actual people floating with the current. They were dead, of course, and yet they appeared so alive. The souls were white, like the clouds and their faces were hard to read. She could make out limbs, and hair, but she couldn’t identify either of them. Where did they come from?

Alessa had never imagined a life after death as being as simple as a contract. These symbols and signatures along the wall represented a person, and Alessa briefly wondered if her mother was among those documented on the wall. There were more questions that Alessa wanted to answer, but that’d have to wait until a different time when Hades wasn’t eager to leave. He led the way, and before they were gone, Alessa decided to take one last look. She turned around to take in the eerie sight before her.

Across the way was the outstretched cavern just like this side but she made eye contact with the three-headed beast that waited on that side. "Can they hear us?”

"No, they are all docile." Hades answered over his shoulder. He slowed his steps, realizing quickly that he hadn’t properly told her where they were yet. He didn’t want to exchange precious time with her for unwanted time with his brothers. A few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. 

"What do they see, a body of water around them, a spot of light they can never reach?" She questioned.

She stepped towards the edge, looking down to see bodies floating about. She hadn’t noticed that there was a bridge with no rails on the opposite side.

"They see what their mind conjures. It could be the last memory they had before they did, a happy memory from their childhood, or they could be dreaming. I only allow mercy to those that are deemed good. The dark souls will remain living in their torment." It was a treat for him to instill fear in the souls that’d done wrong in the world of the living.

"Hades, why did you make that deal with my mother? Why did you curse me?" Alessa’s eyes met his, but she looked beyond his blue irises that matched her so that she could find truth.