Chapter 18

 

 

 

I rushed and desperately threw out a new teleportation charm, but before it could hit the ground and explode, the creepy giant dude raised his hand and an invisible wave swirled in the room, engulfing and suspending the charm in midair. The space froze for a second and next, the man pulled the charm toward him. As his hand grabbed the small item he turned to me.

“Not so fast. I won’t eat you, darling. Don’t be intimidated by my looks.”

Yeah, you could have fooled me, I thought.

He continued, “I realize I haven’t properly presented myself to you. I’m Hades, the Lord of the Underworld and the dead. Nice to meet you, Aiyana.” Dark velvet flames sparkled in his eyes and his whole face glowed with pride, as if he’d announced something of utmost importance. No doubt he had a major duty, but so did other gods, what made him so special? It was obvious he was proud of his standing in the gods’ hierarchy and expected me to bow down to him, but I wouldn’t give him that pleasure. He wanted to talk? Okay, let him talk. I had a few more teleportation charms in my pockets, but if I tried to use them now, he’d crush and steal them, too. I had to wait and win myself some time; my best bet was to fool him.

Unnerved, I said, “You have my attention. What do you want from me?”

A wicked smile danced on his pale lips. “I like your straightforward manners. You don’t beat around the bush, and I appreciate that.”

As I arched my brows, still wondering what the hell he wanted to talk to me about, I recalled Leia’s advice. That was it! He was about to make me an offer. The thought sent icy chills deep into my core. I had to refuse him at all costs.

“You have probably figured out that this is my kingdom.” He absentmindedly pointed at the surrounding area.

“Yeah, and it sucks.”

He forced a smile, unfazed, and continued, “You’re a Nephilim, and a young one at that. Drogo Rothstein is a blood relative of yours, right?”

“What is this, an interrogation? I’d like to speak to my lawyer first.”

He ignored my reply and went on, “Several months ago I gave Drogo the Scroll of Lies, and that’s how the global plague started. Too bad you stole the parchment from him and handed it to the lesser gods.”

The lesser gods? So it was about that? Measuring who was mightier and more powerful? Leave it to the boys to waste everyone’s time on a dick-measuring contest!

“Sorry that I stopped the destruction you and Drogo aimed at. See, the world isn’t bad enough to be destroyed.”

He shook his head. “Tut-tut, you don’t understand, silly girl. It’s not about destruction, it’s about creating a new world.”

I rolled my eyes, trying hard to suppress a snicker. “And how would you benefit from this new world? Killing the lesser gods?”

“I’m the rightful god of Earth. I should be the one calling the shots, but the bastards imprisoned me here in this Underworld. If you join me in my quest to reclaim my throne, you can have a prominent place in my new kingdom.”

Funny, the last time I’d faced the psychopath Drogo Rothstein, he’d offered me the same thing—the only difference was he wasn’t the god of the dead. The same sales pitch, a different villain. Were all bad guys equally boring and predictable? “You better get in line. Drogo made me a similar offer.”

“Drogo’s a fool,” Hades snapped, half-hissing, pure venom oozing in his voice.

He hated Drogo? Odd that he was partnering with him, then.

“I’ll dispose of him pretty quickly,” he replied in response to my thoughts. Damn, I’d forgotten to block him from reading my mind—I quickly corrected my mistake. He continued, “but you, you, darling, have brains and are a rebel. Just like me. I respect that.” His lips curled into a smile and vomit welled up in my stomach.

“You intend to kill your partner in crime?” I asked, my voice coming out hoarse and weak, much to my distaste. “Why should I trust you?”

Logic had left the chat. If he thought I’d buy his lies, he had a very low opinion of me and my intelligence.

“I’m just telling you my plans in advance. See, you can trust me. I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“But Drogo just took my skull and all you need is—”

“Please, dear. Spare me the gibberish. We both know the skull you handed to that idiot wasn’t the real one.” A smile even wickeder than before shone on his face, intensifying his evil vibes. I could feel my legs and arms shaking from the pull and feel of the magic radiating off him like cell tower signals all over me.

“I didn’t believe even for a moment that you’d bring the real skull. Here’s what I intend to do, and you can join me if you wish to be on the winner’s side.” He winked at me and went on, “I’ll launch a new plague. This time it’d be deadlier than the one from last year. I intend to make supernaturals get infected, too. Why discriminate? Everybody deserves the same shitty fate, not only poor humans.”

“Oh, you’re such a humanitarian! So generous and loving,” I mocked him, bile rising against the back of my throat. If he did start a plague that could affect us, too, all hell would break loose. I had to stop this lunatic at all costs.

He gifted me a deranged smile and said, “The last plague was just a rehearsal for the real fun, babe. Now join my society, the Brotherhood of the Dragon. Or… you can keep sticking your head in the sand, helping those useless gods. The choice is yours.”

I pretended I was pondering his offer. Instead, I had to fool him, some way. Any way. I couldn’t see a chance to throw the teleportation charm on the ground without him noticing. “What would your ‘new kingdom’ be? And what’s my place in it?” I asked him. I was winning some time.

“Oh, I see you’re warming up to the idea.” A smile lit up his face. “I intend to cull the overall population. We can’t benefit from stupid, weak, or brainwashed supernaturals, let alone humans. They waste too many resources and drag us down into their misery and stupidity. We need some population control.”

I rolled my eyes as he mentioned “brainwashed”—look who was talking! And how dare he decide who was worthy of living, and who—not. He sounded like an evil Nazi scientist working at a concentration camp. I suppressed my rage and asked, trying to keep my tone neutral, “And I fit into your idea of a perfect specimen? What makes me so special?”

“You fooled and beat Drogo at his own game in his most protected castle, didn’t you? You’re worthier than the old prick. You have a place in my ranks.”

Now that he put it that way, he was right, and yet…

“Do you accept my offer? Yes or no? I have no spare time, girl.” His voice grew impatient.

I hurriedly asked, “What about Drogo? When do you intend to kill him?”

“That depends on your answer,” he drawled. “I know what you’re doing. Stop buying yourself time and answer me.” His voice turned icy-cold and shivers ran across my skin.

“If you’d taken the time to get to know me, you’d know my answer right away. I’d never accept an offer from a degenerate like you or Drogo. In the end, you two are just the same piece of shit. I find it funny that you despise him, because you’re the same.”

Hades’ eyes gleamed, sparkling with pure malice, and he drew a step closer to me, his breath smelling of rotten worms. I summoned my magic and as the power surged through my blood, my wings fluttered, white and dignified in this forsaken place. I finished my statement, saying, “But this is the thing about the dark side. It always seeks destruction, even of itself. Darkness cannot sustain life. It needs light to keep living. You’re nothing without us angels and gods. You’re a filthy parasite.” I spat the last words in his pale face.

I’d barely uttered the last word when he did what I’d expected him to do. He rose in the air, towering above me, a black halo shimmering above his head. As he stared at me, his look alone powerful enough to slaughter me, he blasted a wave of blackish energy at me. Soot and poison wafted in the air, flying right at my face. I spread my wings and the shining fiery feathers took the majority of the blast, yet specks of dust and some unknown dark substance fell, raining down on my clothes and face. Fire scorched my flesh and I had to block the spread of this poison onto my body. Thank fates, none of this poison fell on the guys I had to save. I cast a barrier over them and prayed they’d stay out of danger. Raphael and the others would kill Hades if he harmed Loki, Michael, or Enki. Speak of the devil, I’d barely managed to cast this protective wall when Hades hurled a new blast toward me. This time I jumped in the air, dodging his magic, and flew toward him. The ceiling of this cave was high so we had space to fight. And I was at an advantage since he was bigger and slower, and I could fly and improvise more. I aimed a fiery blast at him, throwing it right at his face. It caught him by surprise, but his massive body took my magic as if I’d merely slapped his cheek. He hurled a few consecutive blasts at me, rage and steam seething from his nostrils, his face reddened and twisted in a grimace. This time I couldn’t dodge his attacks. I barely managed to summon a protective wall after the first blast charred my wings, sending searing pain down my limbs. This way, I could block his next blasts. Hades’ eyes grew larger, the malice in them mounting as his strikes were absorbed by the protective wall before they could hurt me. But it couldn’t take his hits for indefinite time.

“You want to play, huh, little girl? Let’s play, then! But be prepared to lose.” His mouth snapped the words like a nutcracker—nuts.

Not so fast, asshole, I thought, but said nothing. Hades’ massive and ethereal body burst wider, growing even bigger if that was possible. His head bumped into the ceiling, hitting it; he cackled as his eyes focused on me from above. A new blast, bigger and burning in a crimson color, shot up from his outstretched hand, flying straight at me. It exploded against my barrier and the shimmering protective wall shook under his violent attack. The magical potency of the wall fizzled and I knew I had to get out from behind it if I wanted to stay alive. I flew up, flipping with my wings, and left the weakened magical barrier. I swirled left and right as his strikes at me grew more urgent and frequent, desperation brewing in every move of his, his eyes gleaming creepier and creepier by the second. I managed to escape all the blasts he was throwing my way. His irritation reached an all-time high and he showered me with a multitude of curses. I ignored his slurs, preferring them over his attacks. The realization dawned on me that I couldn’t beat his strength or magic. Damn, girl, think of something! Durga’s statement that we should beat the dark side by trickery rang in my ears. That was it! I could trick him and gain myself time to use the teleportation charm and escape his underground kingdom, as he called it. To me, it was a crossbreed between a prison and a hell. As I dodged a few more blasts from Mr. Dead And Pissed-Off King, my feathers swept the ceiling of this giant cave-like space. An idea formed in my mind as my plan fleshed out before my eyes. Perhaps I had to tire him out and thus win myself enough time to teleport home? A dark cloud of magic swished past, dangerously close to my right ear, and I turned in the opposite direction, but kept close to the ceiling. In his arrogance, he’d become slower and heavier, and couldn’t beat me. A new blast thundered behind my back, but I pushed forward, keeping to the ceiling area, flying to and fro. The cave-like room took a few more of his blasts, painting the air in different shades of green, crimson, and black when the collapse kicked in. A cracking sound snapped, and a thunder boomed in the space. The ground shook as the earth below where the lake lay tore apart, an ominous gap creasing in the hard soil. Hades was so blind in his rage that he kept shooting his deadly black clouds of poison left and right despite the demolition. One of his blasts caught my left wing, scorching a dozen of my feathers, but I tried my best to ignore the pain, and kept flying in all directions. A louder thunder followed, striking the area, and this time everything shook. I flapped with my wings with a newly found vigor toward the ground as stones, sand, and even gravel started raining down in large chunks. Hades’ scream of fury boomed in the air, but it was too late. The space was already crumbling down. I landed near the guys, who looked shaken. Their eyes gaped in bewilderment at the chaos unfolding in front of us as more chunks of stone and earth were falling down. I lifted the barrier I’d placed over them. Hades aimed at us, his hands outstretched, but just before he could shoot, a large chunk of stone crashed onto his left arm. His crimson-greenish magical ball shot from his fingers, but went astray, missing us by inches. Thank magic! My hands shaking, I threw the teleportation charm on the ground and wrapped my arms around all three guys. Their warm body heat somehow soothed my anxiety, slowing down my palpitating heart.

“You’ll face me, you won’t get away with this!” Hades shouted, manically waving his hands. “I’ll start the new plague and you’re all going to die. Stupid bitch—!” Another large stone the size of a chair hit him, plunging his massive body into the greenish lake. Going back where you came from, I thought with a smirk.

It was high time to change his tune. Hades had gotten too boring with all his predictions of gloom, doom, and plagues. No thank you very much.

This time it took the charm longer to shatter. I’d started to worry if the charms could function in here at all. But when a sparkling cloud of yellow-green magic appeared, shimmering in the air around us, my confidence returned. The cloud grew in size, its edges sizzling with a fiery vortex of shiny glyphs.

Goodbye, Mr. Creepy. At least for now. I had no doubt in my mind that he’d never give up; he’d waited for so long. But at least I’d be safe as long as the magic took me through the ether into the void.