Chapter 4: Kingdom Come

I staggered through the slit Athena had slashed through the fabric of reality. I almost fell over. It was a miracle I'd stayed on my feet, her shove felt more like a man's.

"Let's get rid of that thing." Said Athena. She touched the back of my straitjacket and it disappeared without a trace. "Hurry up." She commanded, walking ahead, striding confidently towards a beautiful pearl white temple-like building, with towering columns. I shuffled my feet, as my eyes shifted to take in the beauty of my surroundings. I was in a heaven like place, at least what I imagined as heaven as a child. The ground we walked on was made of fluffy clouds, they billowed up around us, like mountains of whip cream. The only structure in sight was the temple. The sky was not like the sky I was used to down on earth, instead of a light blue it was a sunshine gold, so bright my eyes stung unmercifully. I looked over my shoulder at the ground I'd already covered, expecting to see black stains on the white cloud floor from my filthy feet. This world was so separated from the one I knew, so beautiful. I felt like I was soiling it's purity, by just being there.

When we finally reached the temple, Athena and I climbed a set of marble steps into a large room with floors that looked like they were made from a solid slab of gold. Several men and women were gathered in the room, all of them beautiful, perfect in every way. They wore ancient Greek clothing, the men in their togas and the women in gauzy dresses that flowed like soft mist over their supple skin. At the very center of the room sat a man in a golden throne. His hair was a shock of platinum blond, almost pure white. It was cut short and a finely kept beard bristled along his upper lip and across his jaw. His eyes were a vibrant gold that pierced through me as if they were knives. "Athena, who is that with you?" He asked, his intense eyes locking with my own. I felt him seep his way through my skin to judge my very soul. I almost shivered in fright, but I fought against it. I didn't want to appear weak to him. If I really was a god, then I had nothing to fear from him.

"This is Nikolas Zarbos, father, the man we've been hearing rumors about." She said.

My eyes widened when she called him father. I now realized who exactly this man was. Zeus, the king of the gods himself.

Zeus smiled at me as he rose to his feet. "So this is the god who's been living amongst the mortals." He chuckled as he stepped confidently towards me. "Funny, he looks almost entirely human, his godly essence is weak, but it is definitely there. I can see the power in his eyes."

"He doesn't belong to you, I hope." Said a woman, cattily. I looked passed Zeus at a gorgeous woman who was leaning against the throne with her arms crossed over her chest. Copper hair wound itself around her head and fell down her back in a cascade. The dress she wore was white with gold trim about the sleeves. A golden belt was tied around her curvy hips. Her eyes were a pretty green, but there was a darkness too in her eyes, a hatred greater than I've ever seen in someone before, and I've seen a lot of hate.

"No, Hera, love, he's not mine. Tell me, who does he look like to you?" He asked her with a smirk.

Hera pushed off the throne and sashayed towards me. She was even prettier up close, but still her hateful eyes put me off more than a little bit. She grabbed me by the cheeks and turned my head this way and that, I was a little nervous that she'd accidentally snap my neck. "No. Can't be." She muttered. "He can't be his son."

"Why not? He looks just like him." Zeus' smirk grew and some white teeth peaked out between his lips. "You know…before he got that wife of his to cheer him up."

Hera finally released me and I delicately made sure that my jaw was still hinged correctly. "I just can't see Hades betraying Persephone like that. The man worships the ground she walks on."

"What about that whole Menthe episode?" Zeus reminded Hera of the nymph Hades had taken as a mistress for a time.

Hera rolled her eyes. "He learned from that mistake. He hasn't even looked at another woman since then, which is more than I can say for you, Zeus." She spat.

"Well you don't have to worry about your precious Hades' reputation. This boy is pure god." He said, chuckling at the glare he received from Hera. "And I believe I know who his mother is. Just look at his eyes."

Her eyes dance over my skin once more and a look of realization dawned on her face. "No." She gasped.

"Yes." Zeus laughed.

"Wait." I began, my eyebrows furrowing. "Are you saying that I'm Hades' son?" I scoffed. "You have to be joking."

"No joke." Zeus laughed. "I couldn't be happier about this really, I was beginning to think that my poor elder brother was sterile." His eyes glinted with amusement as he turned to return to his throne. "Speak of the devil." He took his seat just as a dark silver chariot, drawn by pitch black horses, burst through the cloud flood just outside the temple and halted abruptly to a stop.

Everyone, including me, turned to watch as a tall man, dressed in all black climbed out of the chariot and walked purposefully towards us. He stopped just as he got to the steps and looked back at the chariot. That was when I noticed the girl who still clung to it. She stared at me, her blue eyes wide and mouth agape, frozen. "Persephone, what are you doing? Come on." Ordered the man in black in a firm but kind voice. He waited for a moment, but she didn't budge so he went and took her hand. He practically dragged her to the temple.

The closer the pair got, the icier my blood became. I didn't need an introduction to know who the man in black was. His very aura said it all. While all the other gods shone with golden light, he was shrouded in a cloud of grey. His black hair was a little long and he brushed it back from his forehead. His pale skin made his ember-like eyes stand out even more. They were black, but there was a spark there, a fire. He was an intimidating figure, but it was the girl who's hand he grasped tightly, that I was most afraid of. I knew her face. I'd seen it countless times in my recurring dream. As I stared at her, I finally realized that my eyes were the same shade of blue as her own. Could she really be my birth mother? It seemed so absurd. She looked half my age.

"What is this about, brother? You know I should not leave my post, unless there is a crucial matter to attend to. Investigating a rumor hardly qualifies as…" He suddenly stopped speaking as his dark eyes fell on me. "Who is this?" He asked, obviously noticing the resemblance between us. I had noticed it as well. It was as if I were the living copy of this corpse before me, only our eyes were different.

"Hades, I'd like to introduce you to your son, Nikolas." Said Zeus, gesturing towards me.

"No, no you must be mistaken. I have no children." Said Hades, shaking his head in disbelief. "I've never slept with any mortal woman, you know this, Zeus."

"He isn't a demigod, Hades. He's a full blooded god." Hera chimed in, her deadly eyes bouncing between Hades and I.

"H-how can this be?" Hades stuttered, looking less like the king of the underworld and more like a man who'd just been blindsided.

Zeus snickered. "Why don't you ask your wife?"

Hades turned slowly and looked down at the young girl by his side. She visibly cringed under his gaze, drawing her arms close to her body. She could not meet his eyes. "What did you do?" Hades asked, in a horrified tone.

"I-I" Persephone had no answers. She burst into tears and ran passed all the gods, disappearing into another room.

Hades eyes narrowed as they drifted over to a red haired goddess in green. "You had something to do with this, didn't you, Demeter, you wretched old hag?" He hissed. "Not only do you have to keep my wife from me for half the year, but my own son too!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm just as shocked as you are." She snapped back.

Hades smirked bitterly. "Please, Persephone can't take a piss without you having to know about it." He turned on his heel and began to pace back and forth, looking like a panther who's cage was much too small.

"Tell him the truth, Demeter. We all know you had a hand in this. Don't you think Hades has the right to know why his son has been kept from him for thirty years?" Said Zeus. He leaned his cheek against his knuckles nonchalantly, the twinkle in his eyes told of how much of a kick he was getting out of all the drama.

Demeter let out a heavy sigh. "For what it is worth, I wanted her to keep the child."

"Right." Hades spat. "Keep him with you, perhaps."

Demeter shot him a glare but did not reply to his comment. "She didn't want you to know about him. She hid her early pregnancy from you, then gave birth to him when she was with me. As soon as he was born she turned him mortal and took him to a human woman to raise. I tried to talk her out of it, but her mind was set. She's become rebellious since she married you. She wouldn't listen to me."

"Why? Why would she want to hide him from me? I'm his father!" Hades demanded to know, his face crumpling with emotional pain.

Demeter's eyes narrowed and her lips curved into a triumphant smirk. "Maybe she's not as happy with your marriage as you'd like to believe."

At this, Hades' face fell. His expression became placid and he backed away from her without a word. He covered his mouth and turned away, his dark eyes dulled in thought.

"Enough squabbling. What are we going to do with him now that he's here?" Asked Hera.

"I'm going to take him home, of course." Said Hades. "I'll undo Persephone's spell and teach him everything that he will need to know to be a god of the underworld."

"Wait, I never said that I wanted to be a god." I protested. "I only came here to get out of the asylum. That's it."

"You are a god, Nikolas. You cannot change that. Forget the mortal world. The underworld is where you belong." Said Hades.

"I can't just forget. I have people there that I care about."

Hades' eyes darkened even further until no light reflected in their depths. "You will get to see them again, one day. All mortals come to my realm eventually."

I grit my teeth at that. "I have no desire whatsoever to go to the world of the dead."

"I can see that you are overwhelmed." Said Hades. He walked over to me and laid a cold hand on my shoulder. "But whether you like it or not, the world of the dead is your true home. You might as well accept it." He motioned towards the chariot. "At least come with me for now and we will discuss the matter of you staying later." He turned and looked towards a busty, blond goddess in a gauzy white dress that was so thin, she might as well have not been wearing it. "Aphrodite, go fetch Persephone for me. We're leaving."

Aphrodite nodded and rushed into the room Persephone had disappeared to. We waited several minutes until the two women finally reappeared. Aphrodite led the smaller girl to Hades and put her tiny hand in his larger one. I still couldn't get over how young my birth mother looked. She was a perpetual teenager, looking no more than fifteen or sixteen. She still looked scared. She didn't look back up at Hades. She bit her lip nervously and fidgeted with her pale blue skirt with her free hand. "I'm sorry, Hades." She squeaked.

"We will discuss this later." Hades boomed in his deep rich voice. He didn't sound overly violent, but he was definitely angry. I noticed Persephone flinch slightly.

I went with them to the chariot. Hades put Persephone at the front and stood behind her, holding the reins of the black horses at either side of her. I stood behind him. "I suggest that you hold on and hold your breath." He warned. I gripped onto the sides of the chariot and took a deep breath.

With a snap of reigns, the horses sped off. We soared through the air, then plunged downward, punching through the cloud floor, as if it weren't solid enough to walk on. Perhaps it never was. I understood then why he told me to hold my breath. We plunged at so great a speed that if I hadn't I would have suffocated. The air would have been punched out of me by the wind alone.

We fell from the heavens and before I knew it were inches away from crashing into the solid earth. I wanted to scream, but I bit my tongue and continued to hold in my breath. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the death I was sure was coming.

My skin began to tickle, like there were many fingers touching me. Then a frigid cold began to radiate up from my toes. I opened my eyes hesitantly and I saw that we had simply fazed through the ground as if it were not there. And now we were flying over a bleak, cold landscape, all dark and grey like Hades himself. Below us flowed the River Styx, the souls of the dead on one side and an enormous gate on the other with a huge three headed dog chained at it's opening. Hades sat the chariot down just outside the gate and all three of us stepped out onto the dead land. I finally let go of the breath I was holding. I took in the air slowly. It smelled of water and cold earth. At least it didn't smell like rotting flesh, like I had always believed.

"Hey, Hades, who's the kid with the cult haircut?" Asked a male voice. I turned around and gawked at a talking skeleton who was steering a boat along the shore of the river. A ripped burial shroud draped across his bones. There were yellow lights in his eye sockets that looked funny to me and as he drew nearer to the shore I realized that they weren't lights, but coins.

"This is Nikolas. He's my son, apparently." Said Hades, glancing irritably at Persephone. The girl shivered and looked down at the ground.

"Is that so? Persephone, you really are a sly one, huh? Pulling the wool over our eyes like that." The skeleton chuckled. "Congrats, my man." He curled his bony finger at me. "Come here, boy. Let me introduce myself."

I was surprised by how un-freaked out I was by the living corpse, but then again I was used to dead people talking to me by now. As soon as I was close enough, the skeleton grabbed my hand and shook it until my arm felt like it was going to pop out of socket. "Welcome to the Underworld, Prince. Name's Charon, the Ferryman." He pointed to the other side of the Styx where a crowd of spirits gathered. "I take the spirits from point A." He rotated his wrist and pointed towards the gate. "To point B." He tapped his finger at the ridge of bone around his left eye socket. "All for a price of course. No coins, no ride." The three headed dog began to yap like an overgrown Chihuahua. "And the mutt is Cerberus. Don't be afraid of him. He may look mean, but he's just a big old lapdog. He's here to make sure nobody gets out."

"Don't you mean "make sure people don't get in?" I asked.

"No." Charon shook his skull. "I meant what I said. Think about it, the more people get in, the more souls we have and the stronger the Underworld becomes. Lot's of people have gotten in here before their time, but rarely have they ever left." He chuckled. "It's good that you are here, boy. There's so many souls pouring in here everyday, we can hardly keep up. It'll be nice to have some more help around here."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be working right now, instead of yapping your jaw off?" Hades growled.

"Yea, sorry boss." Charon waved at me as he pushed off the bank with his pole. "Back to work. See ya, Prince."

Charon rode away in his boat and the three of us went on through the gate. We entered Hades' twisted castle. It looked like it was made of black rock, and it rose into a peak like the point of a mountain. The inside was fairly well decorated, although gothic is not my style. Dark, velvet fabrics draped over the windows that overlooked the river. Silver candelabras lit the room in a dim, fiery light. In the dim light, there was the faintest sparkle all across the walls and I saw that the stone castle was in fact imbedded with jewels. Sometimes people forget that Hades is not only the ruler of the underworld, but the god of wealth as well.

We passed a painting of "Dante's Inferno" and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud. The real Underworld couldn't be farther from what that man envisioned. Dante had imagined great pits of fire and eternal pain. The Underworld was in fact a very dark and cold place, and though the souls who could not pay Charon's fee were tormented with unrest for eternity, most of those that did experienced a afterlife of relative nothingness. Of course there were exceptions. People who pissed Hades off did not do well in the afterlife. They were all thrown into Tartarus, the one place in the Underworld that fits Dante's description of Hell. I recalled one myth in particular about a guy named Sisyphus who tried to cheat death by tricking Persephone into letting him go back to earth to yell at his wife for not following through with his final wishes. However, death, above all things cannot be cheated. When Hades found out about the trick he went to Sisyphus' house and dragged him back down to the underworld and sent him to Tartarus, where he was doomed to push a giant boulder up a hill every day, only to watch it role back down again every night. Hades' since of justice was actually kind of funny when you thought about it.

"You can stay in here, for the time being." Said Hades. He opened up a door and I walked into a large bedroom. I nearly cried when I saw the wide king sized bed. "I'll come talk to you in a bit about our arrangement." He clasped a large hand on Persephon's shoulder. She looked up at him sheepishly. "First, I have to have a little talk with your mother."

"Are there any conditions? I can't eat anything right? I don't want to bind myself here because I ate a chicken wing." I asked, smirking a little at the thought of a cursed barbeque wing. I bet it would be spicy.

"Despite your mother's meddling, you are my son, and as such, you are already bound here at some level. I'm sure you were able to see spirits back on earth, am I right?"

I nodded. Then a sudden realization shot a sharp pain through my stomach.

"Wait…" I shot a glare at him. "Did you trick me? Am I not going to be able to return to earth now that I'm here?" I demanded, my body trembling with rage.

Hades smirked and I saw where I got that expression from. "Don't worry. I'll explain everything to you later."

With that, He and Persephone went back out to the hall and closed the door behind them. I picked up a vase and hurled it at the door, smashing it to bits. "Fuck you, Hades!" I screamed as I collapsed onto the bed and hurled myself into unconsciousness.