Dark Shadows (#1 of Dark Shadows Series) |Old Version|

Chapter 20: Eyes Are Windows To The Soul

They say that eyes are windows into the soul. By looking into someone's eyes, you can see everything about them: their vices, virtues, goodness, darkness, their past and present. You see it all.

Before, when Hades looked into Katherine's eyes, he saw the pain from hidden wounds, the fear she hid: but he also saw something twinkle behind all that darkness. He didn't realize it at first, but now he realized it was adoration...for him.

Now...her blue eyes were dull, a complete void of nothing. Her eyes were often more black than blue, which scared the god. It would happen when he was too close to her, a mere touch from him now set off the voices in her head.

She would scream from the pain, clutching her head. Hades wanted to comfort her, hold her close, but he couldn't. He had already caused enough damage just being with her. Whoever caused the spell obviously hated Hades and was using Katherine to get to him.

A few weeks had gone by, and Katherine slowly got worse. With her soul weak and vulnerable, the darkness inside her changed its plan. She said it was constantly talking to her to get away from Hades, that she loved someone else. Having her own feelings be manipulated both hurt and angered Hades. Why would someone who was out to get him try to change Katherine's own emotions and thoughts?

There was only a week left in the month before the darkness completes it's job. Hades knew that his sister and neice was trying to find Hecate and whoever casted the spell. Athena believed that Hecate had done something and ran away to avoid justice. Hades didn't believe it.

Hecate would never do such a thing unless she had an absolute reason to. Her family was here in the Underworld in full protection: only someone powerful could threaten or possibly kill them.

Like the past few weeks, Hades left his duties to Hermes and Charos. When Hermes was busy, some of the minor gods in the Underworld helped to relieve their God of the Dead. Servants and nymphs stayed clear of the human and god, in fear of being possessed.

Namie helped as best she could. When Katherine would go into a "fit," Namie was there to calm her down. Sometimes it helped, other times not. If it was one if those days that it didn't, both her and Hades watched the one they loved suffer.

Right now, Namie was with Katherine to keep an eye on her. Hades sat in the garden, near Katherine's favorite flower. Ironically, she had no idea that that flower was Persephone's flower, one she personally planted.

That flower reminded Hades of the love he lost. Persephone brought so much joy, but she was so naive when it came to both love and being a goddess. Sure, she could make plants grow for a short time and interact with the souls, but she was so young. She was only nineteen, both in human and god.

Persephone never experienced hardship or pain. Katherine did. Katherine grew in her sisters shadow and broke when she saw the one person who loved her killed. Her parents abandoned her to deal with their own problems.

In many ways, Katherine was like Hades. In many ways.

Hades ran his hand through his hair, tugging it out of frustration.

It was his fault that Katherine was like this. If he had never brought her here, she would still be up in the world above.

He remembered back to that day, that day in the park.

It was raining, he remembered. The sky was gray and bleak, the wind cold. Hades rode in the sky above, invisible to the mortal eye. It was rare for him to be up on earth; he normally stayed out of Zeus' and Posideon's domain. But he was curious about something.

One of the souls, Namie was her name, had regained her memories and was in a panic about her younger sister Katherine. She begged and begged for the god to just check on her to see if she was safe. Hades refused: why would he go see if a mere human hadn't killed herself yet?

But nonetheless, if it kept the soul from pestering him, he agreed.

So here he was, flying over the city in search of the sister.

It wasn't hard to find her. The darkness that surrounded that girl, anyone could sense it. Hades could feel the sadness and pain from the girl. It was thick and heavy, clinging to the gray sky as if the bleakness was its last drop of water.

On some level, Hades saw himself in that girl's soul. According to the older sister, Katherine Bakers was known to be depressed due to her classmates bullying her or her parents never giving her the attention she needed. He could tell by the sister, Namie was Katherine's only friend and who cared.

Almost like how Persephone-at first-was the only who Hades had...

He shook his head. Persephone was dead. He would, soon too, fade out of his existence. Just a few more years.

Hades saw the young girl. She was sitting under a dead tree, ablivious to the world around her. She looked like she was crying, her body shaking as she sobbed, almost making the god pity her... Almost.

Hades spoke to the horses in a determined tone with his native tongue and pulled the chariot to the ground, still invisible to any human.

As he started to land, he saw that there was someone dressed in black standing behind Katherine. Instead of the depression that seemed to roll off her effortlessly, he sensed such an intense fear come from her, it nearly surprised him.

That man... Is that Namie Bakers murderer?

The man was holding a gun close to her back, yet Katherine never moved. It was as if she knew she was about to die and was content with it. The man raised the gun and hit Katherine in the head. Hades watched as Katherine fell to the ground unconscious. Hades could sense the satisfaction from the killer. He knew that if he didn't at least scare the man away, gods only know what he might do to her.

Making himself visible, Hades landes the chariot, the horses neaing and hitting the ground with their powerful hooves. It was enough to spook the man because he abandoned whatever plan he had and left.

Katherine laid on the cold ground, her clothes soaked. She wore a baggy hoodie and black pants, her long dark hair caked in mud.

He jumped out of the chariot and walked over to the girl. Up close, he observed that she looked attractive for a human. Though her and Namie looked very similar, almost like twins despite the age gap, Katherine looked...familiar. Her pale olive skin, small petite frame... She looked almost like...

Nonsense, Hades thought. There was no way this girl looked like his dead wife.

Picking her up bridal style, Hades gently placed her into the chariot and rode off to the Underworld.

Hades chuckled at the memory. Who knew that a lot would change since then. It felt like an eternity since they day. The god had fallen in love with a human.

Suddenly, a loud and blood curdling scream rang through the cavern. Any nymph in the garden stopped dead cold at the scream. Hades rushed into the castle to Katherine's room.

Kicking the doors open, Hades saw Katherine on the floor, screaming with Namie a little ways away, shaken with fear. Hades could see that Katherine's eyes were pitch black with no light in them.

Hades rushed to her side, not touching her even though he was itching to comfort her. Her screams rung in his ears, burning themselves into his memory. His heart broke as Katherine laud there, twisting and turning as if something was moving inside her.

He had never seen a possession like this. Who was doing this? If they wanted him, why did they target Katherine?

Hades hated himself in that moment. The one time since Persephone, the one moment that he thought he could love again, someone had took that away from him.

After a while, Katherine calmed down enough for Hades to carry her to her bed. Her body was scorching hot, sweat beading down her forehead. Hades laid her down the bed, not bothering to cover her up in the blankets.

How could something bring a mighty god, one of the first gods since the creation of him and his brothers and sisters, be brought to his knees?

Hades kissed her forehead, his lips tasting the salt on her forehead, and left without a word.