Chapter 11: Dave

(The sun has almost set; the sky is smeared with brilliant shades of red and orange. Dave is leading the way to the castle with Hades right behind him. Hekate and Charon follow them but fall behind a little)

Hekate:....Why are we falling behind?

Charon: Haven't you learnt anything at all? It's time for exposition

Hekate: *Claps* Yay! goody! {Insert grumpy cat face}

Charon: Who else is going to explain Dave to the reader?

Hekate: Can't we do a cool flashback instead of a boring monologue explaining stuff?

Charon: Fine! I'll talk to Author-chan about it.

***** Cool flashback sequence *****

(The sun is setting. A cool looking dude who looks like a cool cowboy (Think Clint Eastwood in 'the good the bad and the ugly') is coolly looking into the cool blue sea. He sighs coolly; and tips his cool cowboy hat with his cool revolver as he stares coolly into the sun as it sets. Begin narration in a cooooool voice)

Cool voice narrator: Life ain't easy for an incubus here in the wild-west.

Hekate: Hold on we're the narrators! (To Author-chan) And you think old westerns are cool?! Just how old are you?!

Charon: I think we successfully butchered cool. Also don't stare into the sun kids.

Hekate: Ya! Don't have a staring contest with the sun cos the sun WILL win. TRUST ME, burnt retinae are not fun to re-grow!

Charon: I guess we're sticking with exposition then. Exposition away.

Hekate: Alright *huff*, let's start at the beginning. Dave was from the countryside and had recently moved to the capital city after being drafted in the army, he was still in his teens then. He was born with some incubus ancestry but he did not show any signs of having inherited any powers. The court sorcerer used a few of the new recruits as guinea pigs and Dave was one of them; and the only one who made it out of the ritual with powers, the rest were either (briefly) traumatized or (mildly) injured or both. He used the dark arts to unlock Dave's powers, but since he wasn't born with this power, he wasn't as powerful as an actual incubus, and since he wasn't exactly an incubus (Since his powers lacked in both range and intensity to be considered an incubus) he could be made part of a human army but was told to keep the experiment a secret if he valued his and his families lives. The sorcerer watched over his "experiment" for a few months and then lost interest. Little did he anticipate that Dave's powers would intensify when he hit adulthood. His growing speed, agility and strength made him rise quickly among the army ranks, and people started getting suspicious of him…. and attracted to him. He had no clue of how to keep his powers hidden, especially his ability to have people wanting in his pants. So he came to me and I taught him about his nature and how to use his powers. Of course in exchange I wanted him to keep an eye on this sorcerer guy. He's pretty good if he can unlock dormant power, but here's the thing, if the sorcerer had been wrong about Dave's ancestry or if Dave had been weaker of if the sorcerer had been weaker or his technique incorrect, Dave would not have survived. I know this type. I know that some people will go to any length for power, and the dark arts have perhaps the most intoxicating kind of it. Knowledge and learning is one thing, but I had to make sure that his experiments didn't cross a line. So I asked Dave to keep an eye on him and used my powers to make sure that no one in the Kingdome knows or remembers that Dave is an incubus. But this doesn't mean they are not still affected by his powers during full and new moons when they're at its peak, and he could still be discovered.

Charon: Oh look, I think we're here.

Hekate: I'm not sure what's making me happier, the end of walking or the end of exposition.

***** Meanwhile *****

(The underworld, Persephone is having tea with Thanatos and Hypnos in the beautiful garden surrounding their mansion)

Persephone: This place is so beautiful! Why isn't more written about it? I mean, most people barely know anything about this place on Olympus or earth. I visited the ocean realm when I was younger and that was great too! And it's not talked about a lot either.

Thanatos: Most creatures are incapable of visiting other realms lady Persephone; exploration into other realms is rare, even for us. I myself have hardly explored Olympus, as I rarely visit it, but am surprised and awestruck by its beauty every time I do.

Persephone: {Great I've been lady zoned}

Hypnos: Besides, aren't most creatures happy to accept the reality they are presented with. And even if other alternate realities were presented to them, they will still view those realities with the lens of the familiar. We are all, to some extent guilty of it.

Persephone: That makes sense. But I always thought it was odd that the underworld was portrayed as gloomy. (To Thanatos) Oh, and just, Persephone is fine. {Ya I don't think he's into me, but I still prefer Persephone, lady makes me seem stuck up}

Thanatos: *smiles* Leaving the familiar is always difficult, and profiting from fear is not rare, especially on earth. It is as simple as that.

Hypnos: And I'm sure you've noticed, most people who enter this realm never return back to their own.

Persephone: That I have (A small laugh escapes her lips). But still doesn't explain why so little is written about the other realms on Olympus though.

Hypnos: People on Olympus can easily visit the Underworld, so there is no need to keep records of what it looks like. Although, Lady Athena might have a description of it, and other realms written down somewhere.

Persephone: I tried asking her about other realms; she just asked me to explore them myself. I think she didn't want to spoil this for me. *looks at the magnificent landscape in front of her*

Thanatos: Could be. Would you like some more tea?

*a comfortable silence as they all sip tea*

(A nearby fluffy creature, that looks as fluffy and cuddly as a cat but with bat wings on its back, walks up to Persephone, hops on her lap and decides to take a nap)

Hypnos: I think the underworld likes you.

Persephone: Strangely enough, I felt that too. I don't mind this place, it's quite nice.

Hypnos: You could of course choose to stay here, it's quite comfortable if I say so myself. You can use your powers here then. And maybe take on a title too.

Thanatos: I think you'd fit right in if you do decide to stay.

Persephone: It's a lovely place, and I know it's very rare for the underworld to accept someone; but I have duties in earth realm and it could become difficult to perform them if I choose to live here. I'll have to think about this a bit.

Thanatos: That is perfectly reasonable *Smiles*.

Hypnos: Even if you choose not to stay, you are always welcome to visit. Maybe you could stay here temporarily till you figure it out?

Persephone: That's a good idea; but shouldn't we let the lord of the realm know about this?

Hypnos: I'm sure Hades would be delighted to have you here. *sips tea*

Thanatos: Would you like some more cake or shortbread?

Persephone: No, thank you. But I would like to know more about the lord of this realm, what is he like?

Thanatos: Hades?

Hypnos: Who else brother? (Sarcastically)

Thanatos: Well, he's a good friend; he has a decent sense of humor and a lot of patience.

Hypnos: His best friend is Hekate, of course he has a good sense of humor and a lot of patience; it's a survival strategy.

Thanatos: *chuckles* That is true. He also loves animals, especially dogs.

Persephone: I love dogs too! Does he have one? Can I see it?

Thanatos: As a matter of fact, he does. It's a hellhound called Cerberus.

Hypnos: Come to think of it, the reason he went to earth realm was to bring Cerberus back right?

Thanatos: Yes; Him, Hekate and Charon. They've been there for two days now I believe.

Persephone: Did Cerberus run away? (Concern and a little alarm in her voice)

Thanatos: Not as much run way as went off to explore, natural curiosity of a pup.

Persephone: {Oh, it's just a pup, that makes sense} But two days?

Thanatos: Knowing them this could take longer.

Hypnos: I was about to go look for them myself actually, would either of you care to join me?

Thanatos: I can't. I have work to get back to.

Persephone: I wouldn't mind *gets up* {He did help me out by sending me here. I want to help him, even if it is as simple as helping him find his pup}

Hypnos: That's great; we should start looking were you last "saw" them. I think I have a pretty good idea where it is from your description earlier. let me open up a portal for us.

Persephone: Actually would you mind if I opened a portal of my own, I'm trying to practice since I'm not very good at it yet. {I wonder if my powers will even work here since I'm only staying temporarily}

Hypnos: Not at all.

Persephone: Well, see you there. *opens a bright green portal to her side and steps in*

Thanatos: You forgot to mention that her powers may glitch since she's not a permanent resident yet.

Hypnos: It shouldn't matter; she'll still end up in a five kilo-meter radius of the location. Guess I'm off too. *opens a deep indigo portal to his front and walks in*

Charon: Done with another chapter.

Hekate: I just hope there's no more exposition.

Charon: Why do you hate exposition again?

Hekate: Nope, that would count as exposition.