Tempting the Fates

Chapter 19

"Hades? It's Thanatos. Are you in there? It's urgent."

Hades pulled back, sighing. I watched as his eyelids snapped shut and his head dropped in frustration. He stood and looked down at me, an unspoken apology hanging between us. He stomped to the door, but instead of throwing it open wide, it creaked open slowly and he leaned a hand against the doorframe. 

"What's wrong, Than?" his voice sounded like the serious, flat-toned one I'd heard when I'd been presented to him.

Thanatos glanced over Hades' shoulder, only his eyes and above visible as he gazed at me. They were beautiful. I could have sworn his eyes narrowed at the sight of me, but a moment later he was focused back on my fiancé.

"That her?" he said a bit quieter.

"Yes. Come inside, I will introduce you." Hades stepped aside, and I finally got my first real view of the God of Death.

His blue eyes were nearly the same blue as Hades', but almost everything else about him was different. His skin was a deep brown, and his hair was cut closer to his head. He had well-groomed facial hair, a trimmed beard along the edge of his jaw. He wore a completely black suit- shirt, jacket, pants, shoes. He looked to be in his mid-forties, though I knew he was probably several thousand years old. His face was stiff as stone as he looked at me.

"Callie, this is Thanatos, the God of Death. Thanatos, this is Callie Prescott, my fiancée." Hades shut the door to his office and stood beside me. Thanatos held out his hand, and I shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you, Callie." His voice was deep, and smooth as silk. Even with the semi-pleasant tone of his voice, his face never cracked even a millimeter. He clasped his hands behind his back.

The formal god before me oozed wisdom and sophistication, but his incredible good looks somehow softened the sharp edges of his personality.

"Pleasure's mine, Thanatos." I tried to play it as professional as possible.

"You may call me Than if you prefer. I know my name is a bit of a mouthful." He paused and turned to Hades. "So, uh... we need to talk." Thanatos glanced at me, then back to Hades. "Alone."

My fiancé took my hand, surprising me. "It's alright, Than. We can trust her."

I glanced up to Hades and gave him an appreciative blush. The God of Death didn't seem completely convinced, but he sighed and began speaking with more passion than he had the entire conversation. "You need to come out to the Mourning Fields. There's been a... well, someone has left you a message."

Hades tensed, and any positive emotion he'd been showing disappeared in a single heartbeat. He looked down at me, and I could see the fear in his eyes. He squeezed my hand and nodded to Than.

"Alright, let's go." He pulled his hand away and started to follow Than out the door. I moved to follow him and he stopped, turning to face me. "No, Callie. You should stay here."

My cheeks burned again, but with embarrassment. "Hades, you said yourself that I was going to rule beside you. You said it would be a partnership." I whispered under my breath, though I was still sure Than could hear me. "This is going to be my kingdom, too, and it's only right that I go out there with you. Let me help how I can."

After a moment of internal deliberation, his shoulders slumped, and he sighed. "Alright, Callie. You're right, I did say that. Let's go."

I had to jog to keep up with the quick pace that the two gods kept as we left the palace. I raced down the black stone stairs, yanking the hem of my dress up to ensure I didn't fall in front of them. The two gods boarded the black chariot I had arrived in, and Hades pulled me on. The horses moved and nipped, excited for another journey. Hades positioned me right in front of him, and placed his arms on either side of me, holding the reigns. I gripped the edge of the chariot as he snapped the reigns and we took off.

We dashed along the ground for only a couple moments. Then Hades shouted out in Greek and the horses leapt into the air. The entire chariot rose, and we soared into the sky. I bit down a yelp as my stomach bobbed during the ascent. Hades moved the reigns to one hand and wrapped his free arm over my shoulder and chest like a seatbelt. I removed a hand from the chariot and held onto his strong forearm. His touch was not inappropriate- in fact, the grip he had on me felt protective. The nauseating sensations churning through my stomach subsided. I took a deep breath and looked around me.

The view from the sky was even more beautiful than I'd expected. While almost everything in the Underworld I had seen was dead, there was still a great deal of beauty in the kingdom. Gurgling blue-gray rivers intertwined and sprouted in every direction, and many miles away a field of golden grain sprouted, lush with life. Far to my left, I saw the huge mountain from my dream, but it was covered in tall white flowers. There was so much to take in, it was difficult to comprehend.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Hades shouted over the wind.

I could only nod. It took a moment for me to collect myself. The splendor of the landscape and the idea that I was going to be a ruler and protector of this place brought tears to my eyes. These lands, and the souls inhabiting them, were mine... ours. Side by side, Hades and I would protect them and lead them. I had been so sure all the big dreams I'd had for myself were over, but was so wrong. The destiny ahead of me was bigger than anything I'd dreamt of.

After a short while, Thanatos pointed toward a patch of earth that looked out of place. The ground around it was covered in scattered flower petals and short green stems, but in the center was a black patch. We flew closer, and I realized that the ground had been scorched. It didn't take long to figure out that the design had been intentional. Within the ashes, untouched pieces of ground spelled a message.

My knees felt weak. My hands started to sweat. My heart pounded faster, and my lungs hitched as I tried to catch my breath. Hades' arm gripped me tighter as we read the words burnt into the ground.

Traitor god
Your bride will die,
and so must you.