Son of Hades

The Literal Downfall of Akari

         Two days after our Judgement, Castiel orders our very first “get-to-know-you” session. We've been in the Underworld for nearly seventeen days, and Akari has yet to eat anything. She's very frail looking and I can see her bones through her translucent yellowing skin. She looks pale and can hardly bear to stand without the help of her servant. Her servant isn't allowed in our mediated room and she stumbles sickly to her seat.

           “Come on, we should at least sneak her in a chicken wing or something.”

          I lean over to whisper back: “Sure, but where are you going to hide them?”

          Harley looks down at her chest and we both begin to laugh.

           Jasmine and Ivana come in with Castiel, with his arms around both girls he still manages to sneak me a smile and wink at Harley who blushes in return. Some girls have it all: the beauty, brains and betrayal. I wonder how Ivana would feel if she knew what I knew. I wonder what Castiel would say.

           Castiel hasn't paid Akari much attention, at least from what I've seen. We haven't much seen her since she first refused to eat. Hades lingers by the door and Persephone is absent entirely today.

             “Hello ladies and welcome back,” Castiel greets us all once Jasmine and Ivana take their places on either side of him. “Today I'd like to get to know a little secret about each of you. I want each of you to know each other as well as I soon will. We'll begin with three easy questions, and we will play an old classical game of truth or dare. I want you to all introduce yourselves again, tell us your age and birthday, where from the world you came from, and I want you to tell me your most favorite thing about the world above. We'll start with you, beautiful.” he looks over at Ivana. 

         Ivana doesn't blush like Harley or I would have. There's already pink in her cheeks and pride in her eyes. ”My name is Ivana Nilov. My birthday is June 16TH; and I was twenty-two years old and I was from Moscow, Russia. My most favorite thing in the world above were the beaches. The sand was so soft as it would sink into your toes, being under the sun and listening to the waves of the ocean crash down. Every summer my family and I would make a weekend trip to the Carribean, and every summer I would never want to leave.”

          “I've heard the Carribean is beautiful, but I've never seen the world above and I've never felt the sun shine so high above. Be grateful you got to experience that; and hold your memories close, Ivana. Thank you for sharing.”

          Castiel's never seen the world above?

           I notice Xavier walking into the room to watch over us all. He's standing next to Hades, and Hades in turn greets him with a small smile of respect. But my servant won't even look at me. Excitement touches the surface of my skin, and I try to forget about stopping at his room this morning.

            Serafina is sitting next to Ivana with a smirk on her lips. “My name is Serafina Rose. I was twenty-one years old and my birthday was December 9TH. I just turned twenty, and I was from Fresno California. The thing I will miss the most would be shopping sprees, lavish vacations, meeting extravagant people and flying high in airplanes.”

             “Being in the Underworld is like a mini-vacation in itself. You'll never get bored and if you do, well, we can always fix that. This time of year around the holidays everybody who's anybody is either visiting or dying to get down here.” I don't miss Castiel glancing over at Akari — slightly annoyed — and then in a sarcastic ass tone thanks his “dear Sera” for sharing. 

          I was next and I can immediately feel the heat creep up into my cheeks. I never was used to being the center of attention. It feels as though an imaginary spotlight is beaming down. I try not to look over at Xavier. “My name is Ariel Caverly,” As if they didn't already fucking know. “I was twenty one, and my birthday was March 13TH. Pisces gang that originated from London,” nobody caught my joke except for Harley, who simply smiles. “I think what I'll miss the most are thunderstorms; the sheets of rain that pound against the Earth. I used to stand outside and watch them sometimes. My cat would sit beside me outside as I read a new book and took my morning tea.”