Author Note

Welcome to my first story ever! This will be a slow burn, with an eventual Hades/OC [I think, we'll see where the story takes me!]

While I will use Greek Mythology characters and references, I am in no way going to follow the mythology perfectly, i.e. I will be taking creative liberties for the sake of my story.

The OC will be kind of be a female reader-insert [her name will never be revealed, so you can call her whatever you like!]

Feel free to leave a review - happy reading!

Update 4/19/18 - I realized I had the timing wrong; it has been changed to 2 days, 19 hours, 57 minutes in the title

Prologue

It's Cold Here?

Present Day: 2 Days, 19 Hours, 57 Minutes A.T.H, [After the Heist]

Drip.

Drip.

Drip

Water leaked from an unknown source, steadily falling onto the black marble table in front of her. Its constant, almost rhythmic, spilling drew her attention, distracting her. Goosebumps rose on her arm as she registered the chilliness of the air.

Strange - I was always told it would be hot here, she absentmindedly thought to herself as she rubbed her arms, attempting to warm herself. She could hear someone calling her name, but it seemed distant. It didn't matter. She stared at the drops of water on the table, her vision tunneling until that's all she saw, all she thought about. The voice became louder, more insistent. But she continued to stare at the water. Where was it coming from? Was the water cold too? She thought that this place would be more-

BAM!

She jumped at the sudden sound of a hand smacking the table in front of her.

"Where in the hell did you escape to in that head of yours? I called your name for a full minute. I nearly resorted to smacking you," the voice said, clearly annoyed.

Her eyes darted up to the other person in the room. Was he here when she walked in? She couldn't remember. Her eyes returned to the water drops, but she was now listening to the annoyed stranger.

"As I was saying," the man said, still put out at her ignoring him, "you have been charged with the highest treason in response to your crimes. Your punishment is to be enacted effective immediately. It has been deemed appropriate that, due to the severity of your crimes, you are to spend eternity in the P.O.T."

He seemed like he was expecting her to gasp in horror, beg for mercy, sob uncontrollably, or maybe do all three. But she didn't flinch. She didn't react whatsoever. The man leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

"You do not seem surprised," he stated. She shook her head. She realized for the first time that his voice held an accent. English? Irish? She wasn't sure.

"Why?"

She hesitated on her answer. Should she bother telling him? Maybe that would speed this process along. The truth, on the other hand, might prompt further inquiries and take more time. She decided against it.

"I knew what I was getting myself into," she replied quietly, vaguely. He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, of course you knew. Attempting what you did requires forethought. This was a well thought out plan. Your almost-heist, quite honestly, was impressive. There is just something that I cannot quite figure out."

He shifted, folding his arms onto the table. He leaned forward, his icy blue eyes boring into hers. She shifted in the stiff metal chair, uncomfortable under his gaze.

"With all of this planning, all of this well-crafted thievery, how is it that you managed to get caught?"

She blinked once. Twice. Three times.

"Well, I guess it wasn't as well thought out as it seemed," she answered. Her eyes sought out the the water, but the dripping had stopped. Damn, there went her distraction.

"Or maybe I'm unlucky," she quietly added as an afterthought.

The man sighed, slumping in his chair. She eyed him curiously. He almost seemed - discouraged? defeated?

"Well that," he whined, "is a huge disappointment."

Don't ask him.

Don't ask him.

Don't ask him.

She was itching to ask him what he meant, to explain further. But she didn't want to delay this any longer. She was running out of time.

But the way he said it….

Don't do it.

Don't do it.

Don't do it.

"Why is that a disappointment?" she blurted out.

Dammit.

"Not a disappointment. A huge disappointment. You," he groaned, lazily gesturing with his hand towards her, "were someone who was clever enough to slip past my brother's security and steal, almost successfully, his most precious belonging. You also made him look like a fool and royally pissed him off, which was an added bonus. Now that's someone worth keeping around. But if you really are not-"

"Your brother...?" she interrupted, without thinking. If she stole from his brother, that means this man had to be-

Her eyes widened in surprise and an icy shiver raced down her spine as she realized who her interrogator was. He sent her a look of confusion.

"Did I not introduce myself earlier? How rude of me!"

With a flourish, the man sprung from his chair. She held her breath as he grabbed her hand, bent low, and kissed her knuckles. He sent her a disarmingly charming smirk and an accompanying wink.

"The name is Hades. Brother of Zeus and Poseidon, King of the Underworld, and currently the god utterly fascinated by you," he professed, his eyes glittering with mischief.

"Welcome to Hell."