Chapter 4

They arrived in the Underworld in just under three minutes, possibly less, with Belle counting every second. Belle still had her book with her, and she held onto it tightly. This was nothing like meeting the prince in her fairytale stories. However, she had to remember that you couldn't judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a god by his appearance. Hades was the complete opposite of the princes in her stories, though. And so far, a "heart of gold" did not seem to be one of his shining qualities. As if he had any good qualities to him at all. He instilled fear into the heart of anyone who saw him.

Belle looked around at what was to be her new home for all of eternity. Everything was so different. There were no colors except for black, blue, and dark grey. The foreboding castle was even worse. The grass was dried up and there was a large black gate surrounding the entire garden. The roses were black and wilted, but the sharp thorns remained. Had they simply grown that way, or had they been neglected?

Hades didn't seem like the type to garden and actually take care of something. The River Styx was even more dismal and foreboding. The river was dark blue and had thousands of souls drifting through it. Belle shivered slightly. Hopefully she wouldn't have to look at the dead souls too often, if ever. And to think that that could have been Papa, all alone in this frightening place with no one to take care of him. Suddenly, Hades spoke to her, snapping her out of her frightening visions of torture and pain.

"Well, you know my name, but I don't know yours. And why did you call me, "Lord"?" Hades remarked, although his tone didn't exactly express friendliness or kindness, only a casual curiosity, and a hint of bitterness.

"My name is Isabelle, but most people call me Belle. Or at least they used to. And to answer your second question, I just assumed that was how everyone addressed you. I didn't mean to offend you. Besides, I could never address someone as "Death" like everyone else does." The girl replied sadly, remembering the way things were.

Offend me? No one had ever been concerned about that before. To most people, saying any name was better than saying "Hades" directly. And no one had ever called him "lord" even though technically he was of nobility, but specifically he was actually a king. Hades realized that his questions were pointless now and he had no idea what to say next. The silence so far was killing him. He didn't think sympathy mattered at all at this point.

Due to his royal upbringing after the great Battle of the Olympians vs the Titans (also known as the Titanomachy), Hades knew several languages including Greek (obviously), Latin, and French. His mother had always given him and his ex-brothers the best of everything, including education. But Poseidon and Zeus had blown off most of the lessons. Maybe that could help him not seem so much like a monster, even though deep down he didn't deserve any kindness or compassion, least of all hers.

Looking at him, you wouldn't guess that he knew such a romantic language but being God of the Dead meant he was responsible for knowing as many languages as possible in order to talk to the souls from other countries or different parts Greece. Some were French immigrants, and anyone who was smart or educated knew Latin. If only I had my normal appearance back, then maybe she wouldn't be so frightened. Hades used to be handsome before his anger and ruthlessness got the better of him. But then again, maybe it wouldn't make any difference at all.

"I haven't been addressed like that in years. Just Hades is fine. I'll show you to your room now. Also, you are forbidden to enter the West Tower."

"What's in the West…?"

Belle didn't have a chance to finish her question before Hades whirled around and shouted, "It's forbidden!" His flames turned a bright orange before turning back to the blue.

Hades hadn't originally meant to shout at her, but maybe that would stop her from asking questions that were none of her concern. Besides, the awkward silence was starting to irritate him. He didn't care whether or not she liked her room, but he wanted to avert any more confusing emotions. He needed to get away, now.

The only problem was that Hades didn't understand what true love meant (or its purpose for that matter) and what it meant to risk your life in order to save someone you care about. Hades had never cared about anyone and he still wasn't sure why he wanted someone here at all. He couldn't care about someone else, not when there was so much to lose if he failed. He wasn't so sure if now was a good time to start.

However, something about this girl and the way she so willingly gave up her freedom to save her father demonstrated how deep a feeling of love and compassion could go. Could she ever love him the same way she loved her father, deeply and unconditionally, and not have any fear or hatred of him? And why did he want to believe that so much?

Hades was also very impressed with the knowledge that she appeared to possess, judging by the thick book that she had brought with her. Strangely enough, Meg had briefly mentioned having a book.

Another thought occurred to him: if she knew about Greek mythology, did she know about the Fates? Or were they not mentioned in books because of their powerful influence on the future? Certainly, they were key to the Underworld. They were the ones who cut mortals' threads of life, like Belle's father. They were also the reason Belle was here in the first place, but chances were that she didn't know that. How much did she know about him though? The thought that she could know most of his history already unnerved him.

Belle silently followed Hades down the long dark hallway, tears streaming down her face. But she turned away when he looked back at her. Maybe the goal of being the most powerful and feared deity wasn't the best ambition to strive for. If he was in the mood, he might introduce her to Pain and Panic. But they might seem even more frightening than he was, at least in appearance. For now, it would be better not to mention them to her. Even he had to admit, they weren't the most normal looking imps that existed, as if such creatures could be ever considered normal. As they approached Belle's room, Hades mentioned one last thing.

"You will join me for dinner tonight, that's not a request!" Hades shouted and slammed the door shut. Belle could cry all she wanted, nothing would ever change his mind about her. It didn't matter if she cried every day for the rest of her life, she wasn't his concern. It was her own fault that she was here. If she hadn't wanted to come here, she should have just let her father die. It was too late for any regrets. What's done was done. He needed a distraction, now. He couldn't keep letting this girl dominate his thoughts. She was his prisoner, nothing more. There was no chance of anything else.

Hades raced up to his room in the West Tower and nearly tore apart all the drawers for his magic mirror. After several minutes of searching, Hades finally found the mirror and wiped some of the dust off of the edges with his sleeve.

"Show me the girl!" He shouted, furious at her and wishing she hadn't made the deal at all. She reminded him too much of someone else and she was bringing out too many confusing emotions from within him. Hades would never let her turn out like Meg though. If she ever betrayed him, that would be the end of her, deal or no deal. He was done with being betrayed, no matter the consequences.

When the mirror focused on her, he noticed that she was still crying. He would have to send Pain and Panic in to fetch her for dinner. There would be no excuses for her being late.

"Pain! Panic!" Hades yelled, causing the two imps to come rushing to the tower and tripping over themselves on the way in. Hopefully, they wouldn't mess this job up like they had on everything else he told them to do.

"Yes, your horridness?" The two minions faithfully asked, hoping the boss was enlisting them for a new villainous scheme. But they were soon to be very disappointed.

"I need you two to bring the new girl to the dining room for dinner. Think you can handle that?"

"Of course, when we have ever messed up before?

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Hades glared at them.

"Uh, no. Not really, boss. Forget we asked. But don't you have anything else you want us to do? Something more important maybe?" Pain and Panic were confused at Hades' change in demands. But then again, maybe he thought that forcing the new girl to have dinner with them was torture on its own.

"No! Now get out of here before I roast you into the next century!" Hades began to make flames appear in his hands and his minions ran out of the tower, having no more questions for him and wanting to escape his wrath unscathed.

After at least an hour spent crying and pacing, Belle began to relax slightly and looked out the window at the darkness below. There was no light anywhere, except for dimly lit candles that led to a dark and thorny road. I wonder that road leads. Maybe I should go find out. Just then, there was a knock at her door. When Belle first looked out into the hallway, she didn't see anyone. Suddenly, there was a small tug on her dress. When Belle looked down and saw Pain and Panic, she immediately screamed. When Hades heard her, he immediately grew even angrier. Now what?

"Please don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."

"Unless of course the boss tells us too," Pain added, while Panic hit him in the ribs to shut him up. If she thought that Hades was going to hurt her, she would never come to dinner. And they needed her to save the boss's life. No matter what he said, the two of them knew that he wanted to escape the curse. If he died, the Underworld just wouldn't be the same and Hecate, a horrible witch, would have to take over. Hecate was worse than Hades and knew more about how to inflict torture and pain than anybody else in the world. Pain and Panic were still doubtful of the chances that this girl could actually care for Hades. No one had ever loved or slightly cared for Hades. The only girl who may have been slightly able to tolerate him was Meg. When the Fates cut her thread of life, at Hades' orders, Hercules had gone after her. That had been the first time the boss had ever ordered that a specific thread be cut. The two imps wondered how long Belle would last. She looked very similar to Meg. Just as if they could be sisters. But that was impossible, the way Meg had avoided talking about her family, they had just assumed that she didn't have one or didn't care very much about one.

"Who are you?" Belle asked, while also wondering what they were. But she was too polite to ask them that. Suddenly, she realized that these must be the imps Meg had so often mentioned. Apparently, they weren't very bright. That much was obvious, but they seemed decent enough.

"I'm Pain and this is Panic, we're Hades' minions," said the magenta imp.

"It's been a while since a girl was in the Underworld. No one has ever stayed as Lord Hades' guest." He held his hand, which oddly enough had three short little fingers on it, with long, slightly sharp claws attached. But he was much fatter than Panic, who was teal colored and much thinner.

"I'm not a guest. I'm only here because I made a deal with Hades and I promised to stay here forever. I'm his prisoner. I'm Belle, by the way."

"You made a deal with him? What were you thinking?" Panic asked, shocked that someone else had made a deal with Hades. When would people start realizing how foolish that was?

"I only made the deal to save my father's life. I didn't have a choice. I couldn't just let him die."

"You care about your father that much?" Pain was now just as curious as Panic. The way she had sacrificed herself for someone she obviously loved dearly reminded them of Megara, who had been forced to stay here because of a similar situation. Those girls weren't related, were they? They hoped not. The last thing Hades needed was to have someone just like Meg back in the Underworld. He was still angry from the last time he saw Meg, two years ago.

"I would do anything for my father, and I know that he would do the same for me. But I'm sure you don't want to hear any more about me. What did Hades send you here for?" Belle asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"We're here to take you to dinner." Panic said and began to walk down the hallway, but he soon noticed Belle wasn't following him.

"I'm not going. I'm not hungry." Belle folded her arms and stayed in the center of the room. There was no way that she was going to have dinner with someone so cruel and heartless, not to mention her captor. And besides, Hades obviously did not even have the decency to ask nicely. Not that that would make a difference. Her answer would still be the same.

"But you have to come. If you don't, we're toast, literally!" Pain was beginning to get scared. Only Meg had dared to refuse Hades and that had been a disaster, as well as a whole week of scorching for them. Their hair had just finally grown back to the way it had been before Meg had started working for Hades.

"I'm sorry, but there is no way that I am going have dinner with a monster! He took me away from my father and my home and he is a fool if he thinks I am going to forget about that and have dinner with him as if nothing has happened."

Suddenly, Hades appeared in Belle's room, angrier than Pain or Panic had ever seen him. When the two imps saw him, they immediately started to cower in fear.

"A fool, am I? Well, at least I'm not an idiot. NO ONE refuses me, EVER. But if you won't eat with me, then you won't eat at all! Maybe next time you'll do what I say. You follow my orders now."

Hades began to storm out of the room when Belle answered back: "I follow no one's orders, Lord Hades. Especially not yours. Not now, not ever."

Hades stormed out of the room and grabbed Pain and Panic by the horns, and then he threw them to the ground right in front of Belle's door.

"I wish I had never made a deal with that girl. She is too much like my ex-minion Megara. She never followed the rules either. I don't understand why no one will respect that I AM IN CHARGE!" Hades yelled while flames burst from his hands and burnt most of the carpet in the hallway.

"We respect you, boss. She just doesn't understand how important you are," Pain said.

"Yeah," agreed Panic, "if she knew you were a king, she'd never say anything against you. Why don't you just tell her and then you can break your curse?"

"What makes you think it is that simple? And besides, if she "loved" me for that, it might not be "true love." Whatever that is anyway. Let me do things my way. And if you're not going to help, stay out of it!"

With that, Hades went back to the tower and slammed the door, causing the glass in the windows to crack.

"I ask nicely, but she refuses. What does she want me to do, beg?"

Hades grabbed the mirror once again, demanding to see Belle once again. But he saw someone else with her when the mirror revealed the image, his mother, Rhea.

"What is she doing with Belle? Probably telling her something awful about me. As if I need that now." Deep down, Hades knew that his mother would never intentionally complain about him, least of all to a stranger. But he wasn't sure what to think anymore. He couldn't trust anyone, especially not his own family. He had learned that a long time ago.

"Who are you?" Belle asked, frightened once again. How many deals had Hades made for servants and minions? Even though Pain and Panic had not said that they made a deal with Hades. If through a deal, though, how would creatures like them exist?

"I'm Rhea, Hades mother. He doesn't talk about me very much."

"Why are you here?" Belle was very confused. What was Hades' mother doing here? Why hadn't Hercules or Meg mentioned her? Did they not know she was even here?

"I'm here to convince you to give Hades a second chance. Why don't you just try to get to know him? He's not really as bad as he seems. Deep down, he has a good heart." Rhea knew she was defending him too much, especially after what he had just done, but Belle just had to fall in love with him. She couldn't imagine life without her son. He was the only one that was willing and able to take care of her, even though most of the time he couldn't stand her. But it was a tough love that she had grown used to.

"I don't want to get to know him! I don't want to have anything to do with him. Please just leave me alone."

"Alright, dear, if you insist. But I'm just a few doors down the hall if you need me. Things will turn out in the end, you'll see."

"Nothing could ever be right again. I've lost my father, my dreams, everything. And I'm trapped here with Hades for all of eternity. I can't imagine a worse fate than being forced to stay here with such a heartless monster."

"It's ironic that you would say "fate" Belle. But never mind that, you'll find out later, I'm sure." Being close friends with The Fates, Rhea knew about Hades' curse and why Belle was really here, and it wasn't just because of a deal.

When Rhea left Belle's room, the image on the mirror faded and Hades could see himself reflected in the glass once again.

"How could I be such a fool to think that she could ever save me? She'll never see me as anything but a cruel monster. It's hopeless. She sees me the same way everyone else does: as a heartless villain." Hades left his room in the tower and walked off towards the River Styx, needed some time to just get away and think. The Fates were right; he had no chance. Belle's heart would never be his, and he was doomed to be alone forever. But perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. After all, the world was better off without him, right?

Belle quietly left her room and snuck past the sleeping Pain and Panic, who were supposed to be watching her. She walked down the hallway and towards the path that led towards the River Styx and the mysterious tower she had seen when she first arrived.

Why is Hades so angry at me? I haven't done anything to him, only Hercules and Meg ever crossed him, and besides, I'm sure he doesn't know that they're my family. I am trying not to be frightened of him, but what am I supposed to think with him acting the way he does? Why is his mother so desperate for me to give him another chance? He doesn't deserve one. Belle briefly considered going back to her room, but she decided to keep walking. Maybe she could find out why her captor was so irritable, so that she could avoid his wrath. That was one thing Hercules, and all the books that she had read agreed on about him.

Finally, she reached the end of the dimly lit path, when she turned around and saw Pain and Panic racing towards her.

"Thank the gods we found you. We can't let you go up there. The boss would kill us if he found out." Panic was out of breath and trembling with fear.

"Why, what's up there?" Belle asked curiously.

"Nothing, there's nothing at all that's interesting in the West Tower." Panic caught himself and put his claws over his mouth.

"Nice going," remarked Pain sarcastically. Panic shrank away in embarrassment.

"So that's the West Tower. I wonder what Hades is hiding up there." Belle continued looking in the direction of the staircase.

"Hiding? The boss is hiding nothing." Panic said quickly.

"Well, then it wouldn't be forbidden." Belle retorted, and continued to go up the stairs.

"Wouldn't you rather see the garden or the throne room?"

"Maybe some other time." Belle continued to take a few more steps up the stairs.

"Or the library?" Panic added.

Belle turned around and looked at them.

"You have a library?"

"With books. Thousands of books. Books on every subject and in several different languages. More books than you could ever read in a lifetime."

"Well, alright." Belle began to follow Pain and Panic back to the dark castle, but her curiosity was beginning to overwhelm her. She turned back towards the tower and walked up the steps. She just had to find out what Hades was hiding. What if he was going to do something dangerous?

When she got to the top of the stairs, she entered a foreboding room with broken furniture, mirrors, and paintings. One painting made her stop and stare. A man with thick, black hair and a soft, gentle gaze looked back at her. The man had expressive eyes and a similar facial expression to Hades, but this man couldn't possibly be the same as the god she had just met. This man had normal skin and a powerful build, as well as the most amazing blue eyes. Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around so that she was staring directly at Hades. Now she could see why he was known for his temper. But when had he entered the room? She'd never heard him come in.

"What are you doing here?" Hades yelled, his hand still on her shoulder, his iron grip preventing her from trying to escape.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm." Belle had never seen Hades like this and she was even more frightened than when she first met him.

"Get out!" Hades yelled and pulled back his hand to release one of his flames. Belle screamed and tried to run out of the room, but as she pulled her hand away, his sharp nails scraped her, very seriously injuring her arm. Finally, Belle managed to escape his grip and raced down the steps towards the River Styx, grabbing her blue cape on the way down.

Hades looked at the blood on his hand and dropped down to his knees. Despite his original intent of only confronting her, things had gotten out of hand very quickly, and he had still hurt her. Why could he never be assertive without force? She would never forgive him now. But he could save her. The Furies who guarded the River Styx were sure to kill any living mortal who passed by, and if he didn't go after her, she might become a different type of permanent resident.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Rhea began to race after Belle. What had Hades done? That reckless son of hers could never control his temper. Then, Rhea noticed Belle's injured arm. She knew she shouldn't be surprised that Hades had caused that injury, but she hadn't wanted to believe that he was really capable of hurting someone. He had changed so much he was almost unrecognizable anymore. What had happened to the son who had cared for her?

"Promise or no promise, I can't stay here another minute! Hades nearly killed me!"

"Belle, wait! The furies won't let you leave! They will kill anyone who attempts to leave the Underworld!" Rhea shouted after her, but Belle was already halfway to the River Styx, where the furies were always looking for people trying to escape, and were ready to attack.

While Hades started down the stairs to go after Belle he heard her scream again and he nearly stopped in his tracks. The Furies. I won't let them hurt her! If she dies, there will definitely not be a second chance for me! Belle would be hurt even worse now; he would be lucky if he could get there in time to save her. When he finally got to her, Belle lay unconscious, but still breathing. As he got closer, she began to open her eyes.

"Belle?" This time his voice was soft, gentle almost, but still frightening. Belle tried to stand so she could get away, but soon discovered that her leg was broken from the previous attack of the furies. Suddenly, one of the Furies swooped down again, ready for another attack.

This time Hades stood protectively in front of her and the long, sharp talons of the harpy scraped him, and he stumbled backwards. Gods didn't necessarily bleed, but one vicious injury, sometimes even a subtle one, was enough to weaken them. Hades immediately raised his voice to command the vile creatures. They would never disobey him, not if they wanted to live to see another day.

"Furies, As Master and Lord of the Underworld, I command that you leave at once!"

The Furies fled immediately, but not before they had injured Hades, causing him to scorch their wings with his terrible flames. Hades watched them fly away and then, as gently as he could, he lifted Belle into his arms and carried her back to her room, just as her eyes began to close.

When Belle woke up the next morning, she saw Hades asleep in the chair next to her bed and Rhea standing next to him. For once he seemed so gentle, instead of being the frightening and horrific Lord of the Underworld. Almost as if he knew she was staring at him, Hades woke up and his eyes slowly flicked open and for just one moment, they were a dark shade of blue, just like in the painting and he had dark, black hair. When he opened them fully, the eyes changed back to a bold yellow and his skin and hair became blue again. She had probably just been hallucinating after the horror of last night.

"Thank the gods you're alive, dear. I was worried that Furies had already killed you before Hades could get to you." Rhea exclaimed, relieved that Belle was alright and glad that Hades had done something decent for once, still shooting Hades a cold glare. But Hades wasn't paying any attention to her. He was completely focused on Belle now. When he thought that he had lost her last night, he felt something stir within him. Something that wasn't hate.

"I'm glad you're alright, Belle. At first, I thought that I was too late." Hades' voice was soft and gentle, just like it had been for that brief moment last night when he rescued her. Belle continued to look him in the eyes, longer this time. She could see that he was sincere in expressing relief that she was alright, and was immediately surprised. From what Hercules and Meg had said about him, it seemed like he lived for pain and torture of others. She never would have guessed that he actually cared about her. She didn't think that he was capable of such a sensitive emotion. It just didn't make sense. But last night hadn't made any sense either. Maybe he just didn't want his prisoner to meet an early death.

Belle wanted nothing more than to be able to trust him and to no longer have to fear him, but she still wasn't sure what his true intentions were. Maybe this was just a ruse and Hades was trying to find her weakness. Meg had said that that had been the first thing he wanted to know about her. But Meg could have been wrong about him, after all, with all her sarcasm, Meg wasn't exactly the nicest person there was. If only she knew what kind of man Hades was, if he was one at all. But if not a man, what was he? Demon seemed close, but not quite right either.

Rhea noticed the way that Belle and Hades were staring at each other and decided that she should leave the two alone. For once, they weren't fighting, but the peaceful moment wouldn't last very long. As if Hades had heard Rhea's thoughts, he immediately snapped out of his reverie and said snidely to Belle,

"Just don't try to escape again. I wouldn't want to have to chase after you."

"Well then, next time don't bother. I'm sure I could have handled everything on my own!" Belle retorted, suddenly furious with him. If he didn't want to save her, he should have just left her there.

"Fine! Next time, I won't bother, sweetheart, and I'll just leave you to the Harpies, who are even worse than the Furies you met. You won't even last an hour with them!" Hades stormed out of the room and started back towards his own room. Rhea sighed sadly and went to go back to her own room.

"Fine!" Belle yelled back at him and slammed the door, then winced with pain when she felt the strain on her arm from last night's injury. With that, Hades went back to his own room in the tower and slammed the door. Suddenly, he felt a jolt of pain as well. He had never treated his cut from last night, thinking only about Belle's injuries. Once again, he had been a fool. Thinking that last night would cause Belle to see him in a better way. Being a hero obviously only works for Jerkules. Of course, she still hates me. I'm the one that gave her those injuries! But why am I hurt? It's never happened before. I am really starting to hate this curse.