Chapter 6:

"Here's where your part comes in," he said as he landed the chariot neatly on the outside of, what I assumed to be, the High Court. The entire area was surrounded in beautiful Grecian structures like those I'd only read about. Everything in perfect harmony with the objects or people it was around. I looked at him curiously, then remembered his deal, and that I was owned by him. I felt a bitter taste in my mouth from the remembrance, freedom was something I'd taken for granted before.

"Aislinn, since you are my slave, you must remember that you need to agree with everything I say, and you are not to speak unless I tell you to, is that understood?" he said, his tone growing a bit colder than it had been the entire way here.

"Yes sir," I said, using submissive language that would help me stay in more character. He nodded curtly and I noticed there were darker circles around his eyes, his hair was just as unruly, but his clothes looked truly dark and haunting, near him it felt like all the joy and happiness was gone from life, I shuddered. His true look of a God of the Underworld.

I gulped and followed in behind him.

It took everything I had to not faint right then on the spot. In every direction I looked I could see the Gods and Goddesses I had been studying for years. In the corner I could see a woman who looked to be Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. She was beautiful, pale, silver haired with a bow around her back. She had a soft smile; I could almost feel her kindness coming just from that. There was a laugh around them and an arm wrapped around her. It was a man, his hair as gold as the morning sun, his body sculpted to perfection (a particular trait I'd noticed among most of the Gods as I looked around, women included).

'He must be Apollo,' I thought to myself, making sure to keep right near Hades as he approached a larger looking throne. There was a man atop, his hair long and brilliantly yellow, each time he moved there were sparks jumping all around the locks. He was a larger muscled man, talking to a women on his right, she was so regal looking I didn't even have to think to recognize I was looking at Zeus and Lady Hera. I gulped silently and tried to remind self to breathe. Surely this was all a dream right? I'd wake up, no one would have died, I'd be back with Seth, going to school like any other day… right?

I bit the inside of my lip nervously as Hades drew me closer to him, trying to ignore the stares we were getting.

There was a small hush as we stood in front of Zeus, I hoped he would notice us soon. The tension from the observers was really becoming uncomfortable. I was so close to Hades, I could feel his fire starting to rise in irritation, and quickly tried to think of something. Placing my hand over my mouth, I pretended to be choking on the smell of something and coughed a few times. It worked and Zeus turned to look at us. My hand stayed there, too awestruck to lower it.

His lightning flickered in, what I would guess, irritation. Royalty was all I could think of, the gods, the court, the throne, the buildings, even the sound of their voices. It was the tone that was passed down through the ages, kings and queens to their offspring. The leading quality that was bred into their genetics, if they even had DNA.

Zues hardly glanced at me before glaring at his brother. Family feuds, prevalent even in the Gods. Internally I rolled my eyes in sarcasm, but on the outside, I was concentrating on not wetting myself from the way Zeus looked at us. He didn't look upon me too fondly, in fact I thought I could almost feel his lightning working its way into my nerves, shocking them individually.

"Hades," he said filled with anger.

Hades didn't even react, as if his brother were nothing more than a pesky fly buzzing around.

"Hello Zeus, how've things been?" Hades asked with a smirk, his evil beginning to radiate off him in waves; I shivered involuntarily.

"Hades, you have no right to be here. You were banished from Olympus if you remember correctly," he said, infuriated to see his brother here again. I blinked and remembered when Hades had tried to take over Olympus before, and what his punishment had been. Hades shrugged and took a step towards Zeus.

"Yes, yes, don't think I could have forgotten that. However," he paused and I felt Hades' smoke wrap around my wrists and my mouth. What was he thinking? There was nothing saying I was going to be bound. I tried to struggle against it when it simply tightened. My eyes widened when Hades walked towards me running a finger down my face, but not releasing the bonds.

"you fail to see who this girl is, and if you can't see openly, she's mine. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but from what the prophecy says, I'm pretty sure you don't want me harming her," Hades said adding a chuckle in. I got the feeling if he was going to hurt me in front of everyone, he wouldn't hesitate in the slightest. Water welled up behind my eyes, but I forced myself to calm down. I wasn't going to cry, not in front of all of Olympus and especially in front of Hades.

'It's all part of the role,' I thought to myself, 'He wouldn't have treated me like the way he had earlier if he really was just going to kill me,' I kept repeating to myself, trying to convince myself of what I was thinking.

Zeus walked a little closer, but stopped when Hades held a dagger made of bone up against my throat.

"Her eyes," Zeus practically gasped. It was so quiet. Hades' chuckle came again.

"That's right Zeusy, and since I saved her, she's mine by law, or did you forget your own words?" Hades said, his voice mocking his brother. Zeus tried to step closer.

"Ah ah ah, that's plenty close Zeus," Hades said and held the knife against my skin.

" Hades, can't we talk this over civilly without you taking the girl hostage? You know what she means to us!" Zeus bellowed. His anger rising higher and higher to the point lightning bolts were crackling across the room.

My breathing sped up in fear. I didn't think Hades was acting this out anymore. His hand was tight against my neck, and I could feel the sharpness of the bone plenty well. Frantically, I looked over to where I had seen Artemis earlier, my eyes locking with hers almost immediately, begging, pleading for her to help me. Her face was full of sadness and when she looked as if she were going to do something, Apollo's arm stopped her. I looked up at him, he looked just as sad as she did. But knew they couldn't beat Hades, not even together.

"Hades, we all know you don't intend to hurt her." Zeus said with a smirk, trying to call his bluff. I shivered as Hades' body temperature then felt as cold as the souls of his Underworld. He pulled my arm out from behind me, and showed the long, deep cuts that adorned it.

'But I got those from the bus.' I thought for a moment, 'Although Zeus wouldn't know that.'

I squirmed uncomfortably as Hades' nails dug into a wound, then yelped in pain when he pushed hard enough to draw blood. A few tears escaped my eyes, though my head was pulled back enough I doubt anyone other than Hades could see. I saw his face and his smile, pulled tight; the Devil's Smile.

Zeus didn't move, trying to calm down. Not a thing could be heard except for maybe my own breathing.

"What do you want Hades?" Zeus asked, surrendering to his brother, his teeth still grinding. Without looking I could tell Hades was grinning like the Cheshire Cat of Alice in Wonderland.

"You know what I want, and just because I'm so generous, I'll give you one week to decide if you want to give it up," Hades said and the gray ashen smoke began swirling around us both. It grew thicker and thicker until I couldn't see anything. I could hear thunder rumbling like a jet engine, Zeus' voice blasting my eardrums.

"HADES!"

I felt a huge rush very suddenly, and tumbled forward, landing on cold marble.

My head was spinning so I didn't move up off of the frozen floor. I didn't hear Hades, and at this point didn't care where he was.

There were hot tears streaming down my cheeks; the whole shock of where I was finally kicking in. I was trapped in the Underworld, having to serve the Lord of Darkness, who was using me for some intricate plot he'd set up against his brother.

My classmates had all perished in a real bus accident, I really had been looking at Maddy's dead soul. Each scream, each plea echoed in my ears as I remembered what had happened that day, when the rain was falling and the engine was on fire.

I sobbed and pulled myself together in a tight ball on the floor, not caring whether someone saw me or not. I was in a place with the dead, no one here for me, and worst of all, my brother believed I was dead. I felt the sob shake through me when I began thinking about Seth. How was he taking it? Was he coping or distraught? I would never get to see his next swim meet, or see him in general. No more of his jokes, or his help. My face felt warm and flushed, I wanted to go home. I picked myself up to my knees, my stomach rolling in agony. Seth's face flashed through my head, I wanted to see him more than anything. I was a prisoner to Hades, and who knew how long he was going to keep me. I sobbed again, my stomach lurching, my head spinning, and my world felt as if it had just split in front of me. Distantly, I heard footsteps hurrying over to me; an arm came around my shoulder, pulling me up.

"Aislinn," Hades' voice came, softly. I opened my eyes, and in seeing him, fumbled out of his grasp until I was standing a few feet away. The tears still rolling down my face, I backed away as he tried to step closer.

"Aislinn, please," he said, reaching his arm out to me.

I shook my head, my fist shaking at my side. Everything coming into place as to why he'd saved me, why'd he'd been so kind to me at first, my role finally making sense in all this.

"Y-you used me!" I screamed trying to breathe.

"Aislinn, I was never going to hurt you," he said his eyes trying to plead with me. I almost believed the words he was saying when I remembered the smirk he had as he dug his nails into my already wounded arm.

"Liar!" I yelled again, anger at full tilt in me, "You're lying to me! I-I know what y-you had been thinking!" I stuttered, gasping for breath.

"Aislinn please, calm down," he said inching his way closer.

"You weren't going to hesitate if you wanted to hurt me! You wanted me to trust you! That's why you saved me! So you could use me against the Court! " I screamed again, falling onto my knees, my stomach clenching violently. My gut was retching as I cried.

"You're a liar!... you're..a.. liar," my voice was faltering, the room was moving in too many circles.

I didn't say another thing. I braced myself against the marble, and threw up.