CHAPTER 3 - TARTARUS

I do not own Twilight, no copyright infringement intended.

Thanks to sheynondoah and SecretlySeverus for going over this chapter. Your comments make me very, very happy! Thanks, too, to Wolvescaneatme, a) for not kicking my ass over Chapter 15 Red Eyes, and b) pre-reading this story.

Newborns = violence and dark themes. Consider yourself warned!

82AD

The gods did not smile on me that day; they leered as I stood in their marble hall.

A number of unearthly figures lay about the room on soft beds. I felt entirely at their mercy, and a heavy fear descended on me as I tried to contemplate what such divine beings could possibly want with me.

Three goddesses, who lay on a couch together, hissed at me as soon as I walked in the room and their eyes devoured me hungrily. There was also Venus who had lured me here, and five other male gods who lounged on couches of their own. They were all so beautiful that I felt plain and unworthy standing before them. All except one had skin white enough to make the marble seem blushed, and although they all varied in appearance, they all had the same intense red eyes which were trained on me.

I was an intruder—a mortal among immortals. I fell to my knees before them, and one of the deities seated in the middle approached me.

"Lucius Demetrius Flavius, I am Aro. Welcome, welcome." His voice was pleasant, and I was not immediately struck down as I had first feared. I looked up cautiously. "Stand please—you are not required to kneel before us."

He came closer and although my entire body screamed danger, I allowed him to take my hand. For a moment he stared at me in silence, as if he was expecting me to say something. Then, unexpectedly, he burst into laughter.

"I am sure that you will greatly appreciate the gifts I am about to offer you." His eyes did not leave mine, but he then addressed the others. "He may not be refined, but if he is as you say he is, Eleazar, he will fit the role perfectly. A little mercenary but I can see benefits to his nature."

The god he referred to, who lay on the couch, spoke up. "He is certainly the best I have come across so far. His instinct is second to none."

Aro dropped my hand and turned to another of his seated companions, who smiled back at him. He took his hand as he had done mine, and after pausing for a while said, "Excellent," before turning to address me again.

"Demetrius, are you aware of what we are?" He eyed me with friendly menace.

I struggled to find the words, as before now I had never attempted to communicate with holy beings seriously, believing that I would be heard. Eventually, I managed to stutter one word, "Gods?"

Everyone in the room laughed at me, and I did not understand why.

"We are certainly not human, and we are from a world that you could not possibly understand as you are now. Your talents have been brought to our attention. We do not increase our numbers lightly, for we prefer to remain few, but our enemies are gathering against us. We have the advantages of intelligence and insight, yet we have much need of strength and tactical advantage if we are to achieve our aims and survive.

"We are willing to make you one of us, and to offer you all the advantages that our lifestyle entails. All we ask of you in return is unswerving loyalty for all eternity.

"You would be wealthy beyond your expectations, and the lifestyle you were accustomed to in Pompeii would be squalor in comparison. You like female entertainment—and the rest. Women will forever fall at your feet; you could have as many as you wished, as often as you wanted, so long as you follow our rules. Does this sound like an appealing life to you?"

I stood still while I processed what he had told me. I did not know how he knew so much about me, but I guessed the gods saw more than us mere mortals could contemplate. I looked around the room and wondered why I should say no to his offer. I could certainly see no downside, other than agreeing to acquiesce to his command for all time.

I was a slave. My life and death was always under the control of others.

"Just imagine, you would never have to sweat or burn under the sun ever again. You could indulge your thirst as often as it pleased you, and you could have it all forever, as we never age and we cannot be killed by the prick of a sword or spear. Forever frozen in peak condition. Imagine."

A free man, no, a free god. No more sand and slavery. Eternal life. All the self-indulgence I could stomach. I was convinced; he did not have to persuade me any longer.

"Yes, I want to live as you do."

"Excellent. I'm sure we will be glad to have you join us," he said, clapping his hands in delight.

I was unsure what I had done in that split second to anger him, but his countenance changed suddenly, and he rushed at me with a speed I did not know was possible. He handled my muscular body as if I were a child's plaything, and razor-sharp teeth bit through my skin.

I slumped to the floor, and he backed away slowly with madness in his eyes. I looked at him bewildered; he obviously wanted me for my brawn and for whatever talent he believed I had, yet he was infinitely stronger than me. I did not understand.

I was lifted; disorientated, bleeding and confused; a wave of agony hit my body, and that became the only sensation I could process. I was carried by the blonde god and his dark companion away from the light marble room, down a hallway and thrown into a dark cell. I tried to crawl on my hands and knees but the pain was too intense.

I could not see flames, though I felt as if I had crawled into the centre of a fire and was now burning alive. I squealed and curled into a ball, hoping the invisible fire would consume me quickly, but it did not. Eventually, I quietened my noises of agony, apart from the occasional moan, as I realised that sounds did not reduce my pain.

I writhed, praying that my torture would cease and someone would put an end to my misery. When it did not stop but intensified, I realised that I had angered the gods for daring to respond the way I had, and I now burned in Tartarus for my sins.

It was then that I heard that I was not alone, for someone else was wailing and bellowing in the next cell. I could hear him thrashing in the far corner. When he was not roaring with agony that I recognised as my own, then he muttered to himself—constantly. I could not hear his words, but the noise alerted me to his proximity at all times.

It was a small comfort to know that I was not alone in my punishment, but the company itself soon became another device of ceaseless torture. By now his voice was so loud it intruded in my own head, and I began to hear many others in the distance. In this burning pit, I was surrounded by wailing, regretful sinners; I could not hear their lamentations, just a wall of noise. It too, drove me to desperation.

For the first time, I said my prayers with meaning, and I begged the gods for forgiveness for every evil act I had committed during my time on earth. They must have been feeling merciful for I began to feel the coldness of death creeping into my furthest extremities, so I prayed harder to speed their assistance along.

The fire slowly retreated, as first my hands and feet, then my shins and forearms became devoid of life. My biceps and my thighs followed, then my loins, shoulders and stomach. The fire became more concentrated in my chest, and I stilled as heat hotter than the sun scorched the very centre of my vitality.

My heart hammered with such intensity that I was certain at any moment it would fail on me, and I would finally, thankfully, be dead. I willed myself towards that moment with every fibre of my being.

With three last heavy thuds, my heart gave up and my cold, dead body relaxed in relief. To my surprise, I was still aware and no darkness consumed me.

I took in my surroundings; I saw everything in intense detail. Running my fingers over the floor, I sensed a million imperfections in the stone beneath my fingers with wonder, before getting up on my knees and looking for more of the afterlife to explore.

I listened and heard the scratching of mice beyond the walls, and I could still hear a chorus of humming voices in all directions. My head spun as they whirred around my consciousness, and I put my hands over my face as the motion sickened me. They did not sound like the lamentations of sinners. Yet now I no longer cried about my own wrong deeds, they still assaulted my mind.

I took a deep breath, and that's when I smelled it for the first time. Molten lava flowed down my throat, and it felt as if I had never tasted moisture since the moment I had arrived on earth.

I was thirsty. I was also in the house of the gods, and beyond the walls was the most divine ambrosia never known to man. Without a second thought, I got to my feet in an instant and went in search of the source.

I thought the door would be locked, but it simply collapsed open and shattered with one push of my hand. I almost wondered why a prison would be so easy to escape from, before the aroma dominated my thoughts once more.

Wondering which direction to search in first, I heard a wordless voice in the throes of ecstasy over my shoulder. There was another cell door; the smell flowed through the cracks and lured me inside.

I approached and pushed this door, again, it fell down with a crash, and I stepped inside.

A large, monstrous shape was crouched on the floor over the bloodied body of a young girl. I recoiled, before I realised that the heavenly smell was coming from her.

A reaction bubbled up inside me and I lurched forward with a hiss. I did not know what I would do once I reached them, but I propelled myself forward with mercurial speed.

Before I could get in touching distance of the girl, the monster devouring her turned and flung an arm at me. It knocked me against the wall of the cell with force that caused a number of stones to crumble. I righted myself and a noise that sounded more animal than human escaped my mouth.

I attacked again, and the monster dropped his prey to meet me halfway across the room. I scrambled to get around him, but he was so large and fast that it was impossible.

He hissed like a snake as his hands found my neck, and he threw me into the wall that had separated our cells. It gave way as my body connected, and I flew through the air until the next wall stopped me with a loud crack.

Still, I could not give up on whatever it was that lured me, and I poised to strike once more.

As I rushed forward, the giant was prepared as a blow connected with my chest and I crumpled to the ground with a noise that echoed throughout the room. Looking up, a brief flash of recognition hit me as I stared into the eyes of the being that was about to end me.

His skin was pale as death and his eyes glowed red, but the features were that of Titus Volumnius Felix, the gladiator. This time there was no thumb twist on which my life balanced. Familiar death approached me with a smile, before it drew back its fist and connected with my face.

Suddenly, it was black, and there was nothing.

~X~

All nine vampires of the Volturi rushed down to the dungeon, where the two new additions had been undergoing the change.

The large one had awoken first, and he'd been given a human on which to feed. It seemed that the other had soon followed, and had smelled the blood. Filled with newborn rage and lust, without the sense to be patient and wait for a human of his own, he had attempted to take the other's prey.

What had followed was a complete destruction of two of the cells, and now the potential tracker's headless body lay on a pile of rubble, while the other went on a destructive frenzy once his victim was drained.

"This was a mistake, to have made such violent and uncontrollable newborns. They cannot be civilized and even if we manage to keep their loyalty, they behave like the very monsters we wish to prevent," Sulpicia hissed. The raging giant newborn punching holes through stone with his fists seemed to illustrate her point.

The vampires of the Volturi were dignified and old; the head rush of being new long forgotten. They had gathered together with the intention of raising themselves above blood-drinking monsters, taking an interest in philosophy and the arts, and attempting to advance vampire-kind.

It was not a vision shared by the self-proclaimed vampire royalty, who did not care for subtlety and were quite happy to allow vampires to kill as freely and brutally as they wished.

"If we cannot fortify ourselves, then we will surely perish at the hands of the Romanians," Marcus argued.

"Patience, patience," Aro surveyed the scene. "If they can do this to each other, imagine what they will do to our enemies. We will no longer be a group of refined beings, subject to the rule of other vampires. We could create our own laws. With intelligence as a glove over our new found fists, imagine what we could achieve."

"A newborn army? We would never be able to keep them secret, and we would not be able to live in such close proximity to our food source. They would undo everything we have worked for so far," Caius hissed in disgust.

"No, not a newborn army. Just a small collection of hand-picked, talented vampires." Aro persuaded the others, while the giant continued to roar in his cell. "If we are the best and most skilled—if we can inspire fear—then it need never come to blows. What we need is a deterrent. We already have unsurpassed strength..."

"And if the tracker is as good as Eleazar believes he will be..." Marcus agreed. "They will be loyal to us, once they have more resistance to blood."

One by one, the vampires came around to the idea.

"We will take them away from humans, until such a time as they are less volatile. Then we will educate them, and get them to enforce our rules as law for all vampires," Athenodora agreed.

"But how do we get them out of here without causing a massacre, brother?" Didyme tried to will a happy mood towards the newborn monster, but he was impervious in his violence.

Caius stepped forward. "Hortensia, bring a human—we will need a distraction. I will try for the head, the rest of you will try and remove his limbs and hold him down. Then, Hortensia, you will keep the newborns away from us, in the mountains to the North and away from any settlements. Stay with them until they have more control."

"But who will bring our food to us, if Hortensia is in the mountains with these brutes?" Sulpicia panicked.

"Ah, my dear." Aro drifted over to her and caressed her face. "We must condescend to do it the old fashioned way for a while. But do not worry, it won't be forever. In a decade or so, I'm sure they will be quite ready to return." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

It was settled. They would keep the newborns, and a new age would begin.

~X~

There was a noise, like stone cracking, and suddenly the blackness disappeared. My vision returned and I growled as I looked around. I was no longer in the rubble-filled cell; I was in a dark cave, with rougher walls and the sound of dripping water.

I heard someone behind me. Jumping with a hiss, I then crouched in a defensive position away from the noise.

I had moved with impossible speed and it temporarily distracted me, before I nervously looked around the dark cave. To my surprise, I could see with perfect clarity. And I was not alone.

It was the goddess, and she held Titus Volumnius Felix's stone head in her hands. The heavenly-smelling girl had gone, and my throat burned with an intensity that consumed me.

I growled and prepared to pounce until Venus held her hand up and spoke. "I am putting you both back together again, now that you are safely out of the way of civilization."

Her voice stopped me in my tracks. Confused, I cocked my head as I listened for other voices in local proximity, and found nothing close by. I could hear the other god's voices, but they were far, far in the distance. I roared, and the sound reverberating in me reminded me of my thirst.

"Oh, do be quiet, Demetrius. We grew tired of the noise, so we've moved you here until you both settle down and stop tearing the building and each other apart."

Hissing again, I stared with all the ill will I could muster. She did not seem to react as she rejoined Felix's head to his body. I heard the strange cracking noise again and suddenly Felix was reanimated. He stared right at me and then bellowed.

He made to charge, but Venus grabbed an arm and removed it from his body. His dismemberment stopped him in his tracks, and he turned to look at her in surprise.

"I'm taking this with me—to keep you out of trouble. Now stay here and I will return with some humans for you both to drink. If I think either of you have left the cave, I will come back with nothing. Do you understand?"

We growled and mumbled, but she knew how to drive a bargain. The thirst was still the only thing we understood. Stay here, she will return with whatever it was that we craved. It would be difficult, but I would try.

The goddess left, and it was just Felix and myself again. He paced and I remained still in my crouched position. He broke the silence first.

"I cannot stand this. I can't wait, I have to go find...more." He moved to leave the cave, but before he could exit I spoke up.

"There's no-one near enough. It will be quicker if you wait for her." I did not change my position.

Felix turned around and looked at me. "You!" He exhaled through gritted teeth and marched back inside the cave. "How do you know there is no-one around?"

Now that he was in closer proximity I stood up, yet he still towered over me.

"I can hear their voices. Can you not hear them?" I cocked my head again in confusion while I narrowed my eyes. Surely he could hear the soft mumbles in all directions? Gods and goddesses were much louder than the other voices, and despite the cave walls I knew that Aro was south-west of where we were. Venus was quickly moving further and further east, where the closest gentle mumblings seemed concentrated.

Felix looked at me confused. "Voices? What voices?" He stood and glared at me for a moment. "You lie. You want them for yourself, so you are trying to trick me."

This time there was no female demon to stop his lunge for me, but he tried to swing at me with an arm that was no longer there. His eyes sought out the grey crystal stump, and I made the most of his distraction to drive the bottom of my foot into his stomach and send him flying across the cave.

As he crashed against stone, the walls shuddered and there was the echoing noise of falling rock far in the distance. I smiled victoriously.

"Wait, she will return," I barked.

The mountainous man stared at me with unadulterated hate, and I bristled with irritation. I hoped she would return soon, as I wasn't sure how much longer I could contain myself in his company. Checking on her position again, she was closer to the hum of many low, wordless voices, so I waited in perfect stillness, while Felix began pacing again.

I counted the passing of time by the numbers of drips I heard. I liked the rhythmic sound, as it reminded me of a pulse, and was pleased when I heard that the goddess was returning. With her there was a slowly amplifying chatter. She would be back soon, I consoled myself.

Felix was still pacing, and it annoyed me. I looked at him. "Stop. She is almost here."

It was the wrong thing to say, as suddenly he made a dash for the entrance of the cave.

I did not want her to turn around and take whatever it was she knew I needed away again, so I leaped towards him and sent him tumbling face down towards the floor. He flipped over quickly and turned round to swipe at me.

He narrowly missed my head once, and then twice, but I continued to dance out of the way of his grip. With only one arm to swing with, he was much easier to avoid. He continued to attack me, and I became frustrated.

Only one hundred more drips and the voices and the thudding noise I now heard would be here. I had to keep him out of my way until I got there first.

I kicked him hard in the groin, and there was a sickening crack. Felix paused for a second while he quickly assessed the damage, but then looked back at me in shock as my arms wound around his head. I pulled and twisted.

His decapitated stone body was suddenly still, and tipped sideways to the floor. I laughed out loud as I looked down at the expression of agony frozen upon his face, and walked to the opposite end of the cave, placing his head on the floor. It stared at me blankly.

I smirked as I looked forward to the prospect of soothing the burn, and taking more than my fair share until Venus could put Felix back together again. I patted the hair on his head and sat down next to it, counting number of drips until the goddess arrived.

TRANSLATIONS:

Tartarus – Roman 'Hell'