Avoiding a Devil

Disclaimer: read chapter 1

Edit: 6/2019

Nattie sat up, immediately feeling the bump in the head and soreness down her back. It wasn't because of the fall from earlier, maybe a little. She didn't know what the hell happened but assumed this to be a dream. Gaining enough strength to move, she stood up and looked up in the horizon. She wasn't at home. Her house wasn't in sight.

Remember, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz? The line she told Toto when they made it in OZ? Nattie wasn't a fan of copy cats but made this moment an exception.

"I don't think I'm in Athens anymore."

Over the hills lived a village far away. Nattie was curious to see what was there; it might give her an indication to where she had forcefully located. A part of her hoped that this was just a dream, a very realistic nightmare.

Sliding down the hill, she followed down the narrow, dusty road, not having a clue to where it leads.

"Ugh! My feet are killing me!"

She felt like she had been walking for days. Her stomach was growling, even when she ate clams at home. Her throat dried up, craving water to drink. Her legs were about to give out any second; walking barefoot didn't seem to help. She needed a rock or log to sit, examining the damages to her arch. No doubt, Nattie gained a bruise from stepping on the pointy rock five minutes behind her.

Just when she was about to lose hope, Nattie lifted her head and saw a dark forest up ahead.

"Hell no," she knew under any circumstances, not to go inside a forbidden forest by herself. She wouldn't go in if Brandon went with her. Nattie and Papoulie had seen enough horror movies to know what happens to pretty, big breasted girls walking alone in a shady place. Every single one of them died. She refused to be on the list.

'There is no other way, is there?'

The small voice inside her head was right in some ways. The town was too far to walk any other way. She also learned from Red Riding Hood to stay on the path and do not stray. She would be following the rule as long as she hurried and avoided strange wolves.

The growl in the shadows forced Nattie to make her decision.

"Nope! Hell no!" She turned back around. "Not going in! Not going in! Not stupid!"

She hopped off the dusty path and onto the grass, giving her feet a brief reprieve. Her heart thumped loudly at the thought of getting eaten by wolves. Her pace quickened, running on the grass, far away from the forest. She was smiling on the inside, glad to have made an excellent logical choice.

Although she didn't get very far from the forest for she ran into something more dangerous.

"Ow!" Nattie collapsed onto the ground, instinctively holding her right foot. She examined the injury to see a bruise on her big toe mound. Nattie could've sworn the rock she stepped on lying on the road, not the grass — she flashback to when she stepped on it and throwing the rock elsewhere.

"Damn it! Stupid rocks! Fucked up dream!" Nattie banged her fist in frustration only for it to meet the pointy rock. "Ow!" She whipped back to kiss the wound, tasting the blood that started to well. "I thought dreams are supposed to be painless." That's when she realized that she did indeed felt pain on her foot. Which meant one thing - either she was sleepwalking or this was the reality. She wasn't a sleepwalker, so she had to go with option beta.

"Damn it," she groaned, falling back onto the dusty road, not caring if her hair got dirty. In frustration, she picked up the rock and threw it out, observing to where it landed this time, back into the forbidden forest where it belonged.

"Ow!"

Nattie blinked at the voice echoing inside the forest. It sounded human, normal even though it was familiar.

"Hello?" Nattie called out, raising herself slowly. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know someone was stupid enough to set foot in that death trap."

No reply uttered in the shadows. The girl blinked again, forcing herself to believe that she didn't imagine the voice. It wasn't a desperate attempt for companionship to escape this peculiar situation. To prove it, she called the voice again, standing up and approaching closer to the darkness.

"Hello?" She repeated. "Again, I'm sorry! Some people did say that I have bad aim. It's just luck, not intentional. I'm Greek American!" She held her hands up in surrender. "I come in peace." She moved closer to the forest. "You know you really shouldn't be in there that long. Do you know what crazies could do in there? It's a suicide waiting to happen."

Nattie stopped herself from crossing the borderline to the forest. She refused to believe that she didn't hear things.

"Come on, man! I know you're out there! Okay? So you face me and stop being a scaredy cat. Yeah?"

She waited for a response, then waited and waited. Nobody complied to Nattie's simple request to come out. She wasn't going to hurt anybody, yet. All she wanted was answers. If she weren't satisfied, then she would freak out and possibly take it out on the person by more rocks.

'Nattie Camden, you are officially gone bonkers.'

The girl didn't want to believe that she was crazy. Maybe the paranoia was taking its toll. Perhaps she did imagine the voice, hoping that someone she knew was with her. Maybe she did hit her head harder than she believed. Maybe she did have a concussion after all from the pole dancing incident.

With a huff, she finally gave up her belief and turned away.

"Gotcha!"

Before Nattie could fight or flight, she felt pairs of arms holding both her wrists. She writhed and struggled only for the kidnappers to release and relocate another place to stay. She tried to kick, but there was leg or groin to kick. It was as if the Invisible Man attacked her. Nattie commanded them to get off, knowing that no baddie wouldn't do such a thing.

"No way!" a voice snapped.

That voice. The same deep but scratchy voice, she heard from before. Nattie knew she wasn't hearing things.

"Yeah!" another voice agreed, it's high pitch with a slight stammer, "Hades doesn't tolerate trespassers or invaders who dare attack on his property."

"Especially by big pointy rocks!" the first voice added.

"Hades?!" Nattie cried in shock. "What the hell?! Who are you?!" She craned her head back to get a better lock at her kidnappers. It turned out they weren't humans. They were imps. One was a magenta imp, and the other demon was teal. She recognized the pair immediately.

"Wait! I know you two! You two are Hades's minions - Pain and Panic!"

"How...How did you..." Panic stuttered with a flattering smile, "How did you know that?"

"Who cares?!" Pain cried, "That's right, kid! We're Hades's trusted minions, and it's our job to make sure no one dares commit treason in the Underworld!"

"Underworld?" Nattie questioned in disbelief. "We are above ground!"

"Yeah, but you threw a rock in the forbidden forest!" Pain explained.

"The entrance to the Underworld is in there!" Panic added. "Which means it's part of our territory!"

"And you gave me a bump with your rock that you threw! Exhibit Alpha!" Pain held up the same annoying rock with his free hand. Nattie suppressed the need to curse that pebble that caused her so much grief.

"Can you not deny throwing this at me?"

Nattie opened her mouth to respond but didn't get a chance to plead her case.

"Of course you can't!" Panic cried. "I was there. Two witnesses against one! You committed treason against our boss by attacking us."

"And you are going to pay!" Pain nudged his head at the forest, cueing Panic to start flying, "for all eternity."

"But that was an accident!" Nattie snapped, leaning her weight back to bid herself some time, but alas, the imps proved to be stronger and faster than they looked. From all the dirty work Hades forced them to do, their biceps and wing strength must've improved an inch more than a naked eye could see.

"Ha!" Panic mockingly laughed at her. "Tell that to the judge."

For that, the imps stole Nattie away to the Underworld, where Hades lives. There were a plus side and downside to this situation. The upside was that she finally figured out her location. Nattie was trapped in the Hercules movie, this can't be happening. Better yet, she was about to face the devil himself on her first day to be unfairly tried and punished for eternity.

~000~000~000~

"Pain, Panic, you brought a mortal?" The skeleton man, whose name didn't click on the modern girl's head, scratched his boney skull in skepticism.

"Yes, we did, Charon," Pain said, "This mortal is a troublemaker!"

"Quit calling me mortal!" Nattie snapped, "I have a name!"

"Well, forgive us if we don't know your name, mortal!" Panic snapped.

Nattie opened her mouth to say something insulting but realized that Panic was right. Neither demon knew her name. If she was going to fry, they should know who they were up against.

"It's Nattie."

"As in Natalie?" Pain raised a brow.

"Um, sure."

"Oh, Hades isn't going to like this," Charon declared the obvious.

What exactly did Hades like other than phenomenal cosmic power? From what Nattie saw on TV, the big candlestick was never in a good mood, which was why she must bid farewell before they meet. She couldn't afford to lose the hair that she grew half her life.

"Well, he isn't going to like it if we let a mortal come here and trample whatever and whenever she wants!" Pain snapped.

"All right! All right!" Charon sighed, gesturing them to take a seat in the boat. "Hop in."

Pain and Panic dragged the girl in the boat, despite her attempt to pull away. Instead, she slipped inside the carved sailboat face flat — another bump in the head - typical.

Charon pushed the oar against a rock and started rowing the boat under the orders of the pesky imps.

"You can let go now!" Nattie declared, struggling their hold. "There's nothing for me to jump on except for the water."

"No way!" Pain cried, "We're not going to let you jump in the water."

"Pain, you and I both know that this water is the River of Souls. The last thing I want is souls all over my personal space. I'm extremely claustrophobic."

Panic tapped his chin, considering if her truth was a lie or not. He stepped forward which the girl instinctively leaned back.

"Hm..." Panic concluded his analysis, "She's gotta point." He reluctantly released her, Pain as well. The girl shuffled back against the bow of the boat, offering the death glare that shook the boys up slightly. They should be scared of her, for she was only a few feet taller. Then again, the demons were capable of much worse but didn't know it for they were dumb.

"Hey, Nat, this could be worse," Pain attempted to reason her with a shrug.

"Worse?!" I roared, laughing in disbelief. "Are you kidding me, Pain? You two are taking me to Hades so that he could punish me for eternity. How much worse could it get?!"

"Hey, he might take it easy on you," Panic said, "He's always a softy to a pretty face."

The girl snorted, rolling her eyes, "Puh-lease. I'm far from pretty."

"You're right," Panic declared. "You're beautiful!"

Nattie blinked, taking back by the kind words. The only people capable of calling her those things was her family, but that's just what they were - family. No boy ever dreamt looking her way except looking through her. They knew better than to come near Nattie Camden. Her words were like daggers to a man's self-esteem. None of them were good enough for her and never will be. For someone or some imp to call her pretty, it brought a strange fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She instantly frowned, remembering her current situation. They were not best friends.

"I know it's not going to change the inevitable, so why don't you lay off the sweet talk?"

The imps talked amongst themselves. Nattie didn't pay them any mind as she buried her face into her knees. Her eyes glanced at the souls passing; none of them looked her way. The only way for that to happen was if she's the Lord of the Dead who could offer them a second chance to live like that's going to happen.

As she was staring in the water, something caught her eye that reflected her - it wasn't the imps or an unexpected guest. It was her, though something wasn't right about this picture. Her flesh wasn't the same back at home. It was more 2D - more animated. That's when she realized one thing...

"What the hell?!" Nattie cried, whipping her head back, resting her palms behind her.

"What?!" Charon asked with annoyance.

She ignored the boatman, staring at her reflection in horror. She was a cartoon. She turned into a freaking cartoon character! How the hell did that happen?!

The imps glared at each other in confusion, not entirely sure what was wrong from the girl. Though, they were kind enough to pull her away from the reflecting water.

"Watch it, Nat," Pain warned her, "Souls can drag you down and won't ever let you go."

"Yeah," Panic shivered, chattering his teeth, "they are cold and wet and clinging! It's weird!"

Nattie unwillingly felt a tingly chill down her spine at the thought of the dead pulling her down. It would be like the Grim Reaper grabbing hold of her wrist. It's disgusting.

Few agonizing minutes passed, they finally arrived on the other side of the river. Pain and Panic grabbed her arms on cue and dragged Nattie out of the boat.

"I can walk," Nattie grumpily suggested.

"We still don't trust you!" Pain snapped back. "You threw a rock at me! Right Panic?"

"Yeah," Panic agreed.

"It was an accident, and you know it!" Nattie's argument reached deaf ears as she was pulled up the stairs, not giving her a chance to catch a glimpse of Hades's skull palace up close and personal.

Three things to describe this place - gloomy, dark, and cold to the touch. Though the temperature was burning hot like Nattie was burning in hell, while the stones and water were freezing. This place needed a balanced temperature.

Over the river, up to the stair, and through the halls, Nattie lost track of what which way to go. So much for escaping. Minutes later, her view changed into the throne room - Hades' throne room. It had everything she visioned in the movie. The place was dead empty that only contained a big chair fit for a king, a small chessboard filled with figurines. Everything fit into place, except for one thing. It's missing the Underworld king himself - Hades.

"I guess he's not here, Pain," Panic declared the obvious. They dragged her to a nearby chair. Pain got out a pair of shackles. Where he got those so quick, she'll never know. Then again, this was a cartoon movie.

"If you boys wanted to roleplay, you should've said so," she grumbled.

Neither responded or asked the meaning to her words. Maybe they were too innocent to know the birds and the bees joke. It was a G rated movie after all that could easily change to PG-13 quick.

Pain snapped the shackles around her wrist by a single click.

"That way you won't escape, while we get Hades," Pain explained.

"Yeah, wait here," Panic ordered. "The boss will deal with you soon!" The boys laughed wickedly on cue, though it was evil in Nattie's opinion. They sounded like two bullies that couldn't find anything better to do than pick on the weakling. Nattie didn't pay mind as she watched them stomp out of the room. Once they were gone, she inwardly smirked, reaching for a bobby pin that's stuck a loose strand of her ponytail.

"Boys, you are idiots for leaving a beautiful, but intelligent girl here unguarded."

She squatted down, picking the lock on the shackles. Her brother, Johnny, taught her how to pick locks when she visited him in college. He would always be locked out of his room all the time. That's why she bought him a lock picking kit as a birthday present. She didn't know all the steps, but it was best to hurry before the demons bring their master. Her heart was racing as she started to hear muffled voices.

"Come on! Come on!" she muttered in frustration, her hands started to shake.

As if the goddess of luck was on her side or a miracle happened, there was that familiar click she longed to hear. Her eyes grew wide as she examined the cuffs, now unlocked. She triumphantly smiled, "All right! Time for my escape." She ditched the chair and ran away for dear life. She hoped it wasn't too late for the boat ride.

...

"All right, boys. This better be good."

Hades the God of Death who had flaming blue hair, blue-gray skin, shark-like teeth, and yellow eyes, dressed in a dull black chiton with a skull pin attached and a grey T-Shirt underneath. The James Woods voice never faded from the god's pipes. If only Nattie could meet him in better circumstance, better yet meet the celebrity instead of the cartoon.

The god followed the imps to the throne room, annoyed as usual. He was in the middle of his twenty-four-hour duty, sorting the souls out by section - ones who died of natural causes, others by murder, and the rare ones were still questionable. One of them had an icicle for a skirt covered in infected claw marks. He could've sworn that polar bears had bigger nails.

"You're going to love this, boss!" Pain said.

"Yeah, we brought a mortal."

Hades paused, raising a brow at his imps in disbelief, "Uh... Excuse me?"

The imps nodded, feeling proud of their accomplishment.

"Y-Yeah. A mortal, your flamefullness," Panic explained. "Tried to overthrow you!"

"Attacked us!" Pain added, showing off the bump to his head underneath his horned scalp.

"She's clearly for Team Zeus, boss, which is why we brought her in to receive eternal punishment! Make her face the wrath of Hades!"

"You try to find another target for my flame practice, boys?" The imps didn't respond to the accusation right away. "Whatever, don't answer that. I'm going to pretend that this punk is a threat - I can pretend he is Hecate for all I care." Hades looked around the area to find the mortal. "So where is this anti-moi?"

"Ta-da! Right there!" They presented the chair with cuffs proudly, not realizing that the prisoner escaped.

Hades swiftly looked at the chair before turning the imps to face it. The demons widened their eyes at the chair in disbelief. Nat was gone.

"Again, boys! Where is he?" Hades pressed.

"B-B-But!" Pain said, scratching his head.

"She was right there!" Panic cried, gesturing the chair. "We got her cuffed and everything!"

Hades made a laugh, "So... Let me get this straight..."

The imps gulped, knowing what's about to come.

"You brought a mortal down here - a live one, I might add, unguarded, and he is now roaming around my domain, right NOW!" He flared up in yellow for a brief moment, but the anger still raised in his voice.

Pain and Panic were shaking with fear, instinctively bowed before their greatness, begging for forgiveness, "Forgive us, Hades!"

"Yes!" Panic cried, "We are nothing, but your worms." They transformed into slimy, small worms.

"Worthless worms!" They cried in unison.

"Here's an idea, instead of groveling, why not start digging until you find him!" Hades suggested, his skin turning orange.

"Um, boss," Pain was going to correct the gender of the perp.

"NOW!" Hades flared up.

The imps didn't need to be told twice.

"Right away, your red-fullness!" Panic cried as he was running as fast as he could.

"We're on it, boss!" Pain cried following Panic.

~000~000~000~

Meanwhile, Nattie was lost, wandering in halls, not sure how to get out of this place. She was hoping if she could go through random halls, it might reach the stairs to the riverboat, but it would seem, she wasn't going to get there anytime soon.

"I'm sure she's somewhere here!"

Nattie perked at Panic's voice echoing in the halls. She panicked, didn't know where to hide until she spotted a little, black door, nearby. She didn't hesitate to go inside.

Pressing her ear against the door, she was listening in on the boys' conversation.

"You see her?" Pain asked.

"No, oh, Hades is going to kill us when we don't find her!"

"You mean if-"

"Don't say that word! The boss is going to kill us either way! That's it; we're doomed! No doubt about it!"

"Would you calm down, Panic? It's not like he hadn't fried us before."

Panic paused, considering that logic. "True. True."

Nattie held her breath as the pacing stopped, and the voices loudly uttered behind the door. They are right outside.

"Say you don't think she is in there, do you? Inside Hades room?"

Pain scoffed, "Nah. She is a damsel in distress; they always run, not hide and think. She could be calling for help by now."

Nattie fought the urge to strangle the imp's neck. If she weren't the gazelle to a cheetah's prey, she would've given them a reason to run and cry for help.

"I don't hear anything," Panic concluded.

"Shut up and keep going!"

The pace resumed until it became faint. The imps were gone. Nattie took a breath to reprieve. To stay on the safe side, she counted down to sixty to be sure they were truly gone.

In the meantime, she took a moment around the black and blue room. Glimpsing to her right, she noticed the king sized bed filled with black satin sheets, tempting her to jump on it and snuggle against the fluffy pillows. Another rule in her house that Nattie wanted to break was to jump on her bed. To her left was a desk filled with scrolls and a scribbled canvas of somebody. She couldn't quite make out who it was for the lines were soft and faint. Curiosity took hold as she opened each scroll on Hades's desk. Nothing significant about them - just information on monsters and titans. His own personal blacklist to use for his hostile takeover plan. How original. Just like this dull place. The room wouldn't look too bad if there were windows, an air conditioner, curtains, and most importantly, light.

Before she turned away, something caught her eye under the desk - another scroll. When she opened it, she was thankful to have found it. It was the map around the Underworld - all its secret passages, tunnels, and stairs. This map was the city of gold in Nattie's mind. It would be stupid not to use it. Besides, Hades has been king of the Underworld for many years; surely, he didn't need it.

She hurried towards the door but stopped at sight of the doorknob, turning slowly.

She mouthed out curses, quickly placing a hand over her mouth and nose. Someone was coming in. What was she going to do? Where could she hide? Her first and only option was the bed. She didn't hesitate to crouch down and roll under it in time for the door to slam open.

"I cannot believe those idiots. Bringing a mortal here so he could run away as he pleases!"

Nattie's hand remained over her face, widening her eyes at the familiar smoke around the hem of the dark chiton. She didn't need to hear the suave of James Woods to know who just entered his bedroom.

"All I ask is for competent help, and what does Zeus give me? Incompetents! Ugh!"

Nattie couldn't help but jump at the sudden flare-up in the room. Her head slammed against the board of the bed above her. She let out a muffled cry; thankfully, her hand remained in place. She hoped and prayed that Hades didn't hear the noise over his temper tantrum.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Hades was drawn to his own self-pity to pay attention to anything.

"You know what? Fine. Never mind. They did well. They did the deed. A more reason not to kill them."

What brought Nattie's brows together that despite the flames, the room wasn't on fire. She could only smell the tobacco. No doubt, Hades smokes in his office. His place, his rules. Nattie wished her mother allowed her to have control of her room, including the choice of paint. Nattie always hated red.

The girl perked at ruffle paper. Hades must be going through his desk, but it stopped abruptly with a quiet set of words.

"Son of a witch."

Nattie held her breath, mentally preparing for the worst. He knew someone was here and had stolen something from him.

"Pain! Panic!" Hades roared, gliding towards the door. "You find that mortal? If not, you are going to suffer worse than him!" The door slammed shut, indicating that he was gone.

Nattie reduced her count to thirty seconds, not wanting to chance the wait for escape. She needed to get out of here. Thanks to the map in her hand, she'll escape much faster and not get caught in the flame.

When she crawled out from the bed, she concluded that the furniture remained untouched by the fire. Hades must have had a lot of tantrums here, so he enchanted it to be fireproof. The god needed to take an anger management class. She was glad to not be in the imps' shoes, the idea of Hades frying them on her account almost made her feel sorry for them... for about two seconds. After all, they did kidnap her. She wouldn't be holding her breath for so long if it wasn't for them. Soon, they will learn that karma was a bitch.

Luckily, she didn't have any more run-ins with Hades, the imps, or flying harpies. She followed the map to the River Styx; the boat and its ferryman remained in place.

"Sir, get me out of here!" Nattie demanded.

"Are you dead?" he asked.

"No."

"Have a boat pass?"

"No!"

"Got any drachmas?"

"Um..." Nattie stuffed her hands in the pockets to find any coin of some kind. Her heart leaped for joy when she indeed felt a round metal object inside. She pulled it out for the boatman.

"Here," Nattie handed Charon a coin with a golden star border and an owl in its center - one euro.

Charon examined the coin. If he had a face, he would've been skeptical, so did the silence.

"Come on!" Nattie begged.

"Why does this coin date say 2002?"

"Does it matter? It's a coin, isn't it?"

Charon could see, even when he didn't have eyes, that this girl wasn't from here. The revealing clothes and barefoot showed as much. Where did she come from? He didn't know or care. She provided a payment that's all he required.

"Hop in."

Nattie huffed with relief, jumping inside the boat, causing it to shake slightly. She ignored the skeleton's demand to take it easy. She couldn't do that. The king of the Underworld was after her.

"Get me out of here and fast!"

With a heavy sigh, Charon started rowing.

~000~000~000~

Hades was sitting on his chair, tapping his fingers on the arm, staring down at his help. The imps were still begging and pleading for forgiveness.

"We're sorry, boss," Pain continued bowing down for his boss.

"Yes, it won't happen again, your angry-ness," Panic offered false reassurance.

Hades sighed, running a hand through his face, "Oy, well that's comforting, because thanks to you two idiots, the mortal escaped. NO ONE!" He turned red, "escapes the Underworld unless I tell them to leave! Do you know how many times that happened?"

"Um... none," Panic said quietly.

"Exactly! I usually maim them or torture them until there's nothing left of them! We can't let one mortal escape! I got a reputation to uphold!" He saw that his minions were shaking with fear. It was time to cool his jets before he 'accidentally' annihilated the help. Coming back to blue, he took a deep breath, "All right, fine, I'm cool. I'm fine."

"So, what are you going to do, boss?" Pain asked, shaking in fear with his buddy.

"Easy, boys. I am not gonna let that creep get away. I will find him and take care of him personally."

His fist clenched of all the possibilities.

"You're sure about that, Hades?" an elderly woman voice asked.

Hades stood up from his seat and turned his head toward his chessboard. He saw three older women with no eyes wearing black.

"Ah... The Fates." He smiled and teleported next to them, "Welcome. What brings you here in my domain?"

"We've come to warn that there will be a change in your future," Lachesis, the tall sister, declared with a huff.

Hades blinked, "I'm sorry. Change? There's going to be a change in my future?" He beckoned a hand, ushering the women to share. "Tell me! I'm all ears!"

"That mortal," the middle fate named Clotho began, "She has not been expected. You see she is not from here, she is from a different dimension."

Did Hades hear that right?

"She?" Hades raised a brow.

"That's what we've been trying to tell, boss!" Pain cried. "The mortal we captured was a-" His words were cut off from Hades's fire zap. The imps burnt to crisp.

"Anyway," Hades said as if he wasn't interrupted, "this mortal... will she be the one who's gonna stand in my way for the uprising? Do I have to kill her, too? She stole a scroll from me!" He narrowed his eyes at the imps at that last thought. The rascals cowered behind the chessboard, averting their master's intense gaze.

"Hm..." Atropos, the short sister with an eyeball in her socket, tapped her chin then shrugged, "I'm afraid I can't say."

"What?!" Hades burst into flames. The Fates seemed unfazed by the outburst. Meanwhile, the imps ducked and held on to each other for dear life, hoping that they won't get hit. "What do you mean you can't say?! You're the Fates! You're supposed to know! Wasn't that in your job description?"

"Calm yourself, Hades!" Lachesis cried.

Hades took a deep breath until he turned back to blue, "I'm sorry. I'm fine. I'm fine. So, is there anything you can tell me about her?"

"This mortal's a wild card. She can help you or hurt you. It's up to her to decide that fate," Atropos explained.

"The woman's from another dimension, trying to find the way home," Lachesis said.

"But she can't find the way anytime soon," Clotho said with a giggle, "She's stuck here for a while. She knows everything there is to know. She knows what's going to happen today, and even when your hostile takeover begins."

Hades's eyes grew wide in shock, "So, she's like you ladies? She's some kind of Fate?"

"Not necessarily," Atropos answered, "She will twist and turn the future. But will it be good or bad? That we cannot answer. For there shall be no prophecy until she makes a choice."

"So, now we have a question for you, Hades," Lachesis said, "Are you going to use her or not? It's up to you to decide that, but choose wisely."

And for that the Fates swirled into their only eyeball. It blinked and disappeared.

Hades was standing there in shock, until...

"WHAT?!" He burst into flames for a brief moment, then turned back to blue, "I'm fine... I'm fine."

He turned to his minions who remained behind the chessboard. "Pain," he said dangerously that made Pain shook with fear. "Panic!" Same reaction to the other imp. The two were forced from their hiding place to face the master with questions.

"This mortal you captured. Does she have a name?"

"Um... N-Nattie, boss," Pain said.

"S-Short for Natalie," Panic added.

"Natalie, huh?" Hades shrugged, pursing his lips. "Okay, got it. Now," he clasped his hands together that could easily be mistaken for lightning, "what does our dear sweet Nat-a-lie look like?"

"Well," Pain began, "S-She's tall, d-dark, pretty, and uh - dress weird-"

"Dress weird? I mean a specific description, you idiots!" Hades snapped. He sighed, snapping his fingers. "C'mon! Details! Give me details!"

"Sorry!" Panic cried, "Well... she has dark brown, curly hair; big brown eyes."

"Wow! That sure is helpful. Don't you realize that most girls have that description!"

"B-But, Boss," Pain raised his hand, "She doesn't wear a toga like the other mortals." He turned to his buddy, "Do you think the Greek dress code will change in the future?"

"How should I know?" Panic asked. "I'm not from the future!"

"Enough!" Hades snapped, causing another round of flames. Panic had to blow off Panic's hair that got caught in the crossfire. "Boys, get me the monster catalog. I'm gonna need an extra set of hands on finding this mortal.

"Uh, boss, don't you want us to catch her and bring her here?"

"No! She might be the key to help me rule the cosmos! I'm not going to let you two, go and screw it up! I'll handle her myself!" He looked at them to see that they remained standing like a gorgon's statue, "What are you waiting for?! GO! GO, get the catalog!"

Pain and Panic saluted, and rushed out of the throne room, "Yes, oh, angry one!"

Hades sighed, looking through the skull window, "You can run and hide, Nattie, but you can't escape from me - the Lord of the Dead." He chuckled wickedly.