Chapter 6

Hi, the name's Hades

No-one dared to say a word. They couldn't believe the ritual had actually worked. All of them stared at the woman in the purple dress, until finally Kida took a step forward and spoke.

"My name is Kida. Are you the one who is supposed to lead us to the Underworld?"

The woman gave Kida the once-over, and she seemed to decide she liked her since a smile appeared on her face. "That's me. I'm Megara, by the way. You can call me Meg."

Sinbad seemed ready to introduce himself too, but Meg didn't even spare a look at him. She turned around, motioning them to follow her. Kida grinned at Sinbad's devastated look and whispered something that no-one else could hear to Milo. Milo was baffled for a second, but then he nodded.

"Shall we go then?" Kida didn't wait for an answer before she walked through the gates to the other side.

The rest of them followed her example, Jim staring at Sinbad's back in front of him. He was really confused at this point. Sinbad had just protected him out of sheer responsibility, so why was his mind repeating that moment over and over in his head? And why had Sinbad been so jumpy after that? A few days earlier he had practically flirted with him in front of everyone.

The Underworld was different from what everyone had imagined. It was like a dark and spooky, enormous cave, and there was this certain kind of atmosphere surrounding it, but there were no bodies screaming or people being tortured. At least not in this part of it.

The gates closed behind them with a loud thump. There was no turning back now.

"What brings you here anyway?" Meg asked and slowed her steps so she could walk beside Kida. Her hand brushed against hers. "It's not like people are dying to come to the Underworld. Pun intended."

Kida chuckled, fiddling with her hair. "We are actually here to look for something. Maybe you've heard of a map – it looks like a half sphere."

Something flickered in Meg's eyes, but it was gone in a split second. "Sorry, I don't know anything about a map. You should ask Hades. I can take you to him."

"That would be nice," Kida nodded. They walked in silence for a while until she gathered her courage to ask the question that had been bothering her since she had laid her eyes on Meg. "I don't mean to sound rude or cliché, but why does a woman like you work in a place like this?"

Meg laughed dryly, not meeting Kida's eyes. "It's a long story, but let's just say that I owe Hades."

Sinbad, who had been observing their interaction, elbowed Jim slightly and whispered: "Is it just me or is there something going on between Kida and the lady in purple?"

Jim ignored the shivers Sinbad's voice sent down his spine and stared at the two women. "I thought she liked that Milo guy." Both of them turned to look at Milo, who was admiring his surroundings and writing something down onto a notepad. "Or maybe they're just friends after all." He shrugged his shoulders. It was none of his concern.

"You're no fun, Jim," Sinbad sighed. He grinned when Jim rolled his eyes.

They stopped in front of something that looked like a river, but after taking a closer look they realized the river actually consisted of thousands of pale souls. Meg led them to a black boat, which started moving on its own when everyone had hopped on.

Jim eyed warily the dead souls floating only centimeters away from him, and when one of them tried to grab his hand, he flinched away in disgust. He felt bad for them, yes, but he didn't want them to drag him with them either.

Everyone seemed to have the same thought as they stayed as far from the edges of the boat as possible. Only Meg seemed disinterested in the souls, and she kicked them away every time they tried to touch her like it was a normal day for her. It probably was.

"Try not to stare at him. He's not very keen on visitors," Meg said. Everyone looked around to see who she was referring to.

Something moved in the darkness of the cave next to them, and a big dog – almost the size of a house if not even bigger – lunged forward, barking and growling. It had three heads with sharp teeth and red eyes, and all of the heads looked hungry. Fortunately it was too far from them to actually eat them, but the river of souls flowed right next to it.

"That's one hell of a watchdog," Sinbad whistled.

The dog continued growling until Meg threw a piece of meat to it. The three heads started fighting over the meat, and they became distracted enough to let the boat pass.

"He's here to prevent the souls from leaving, if you were wondering," Meg explained.

The boat stopped in front of an opening, where green, grim light was coming out. They jumped off the boat onto a piece of land, glad to have managed to pass the river of souls safely. They could still hear the three-headed dog growling, so they quickly moved through the opening in case the dog decided to follow them.

They were met with a high stairway leading up. The chilly air had become somewhat humid on this side of the cave, making their clothes stick uncomfortably to their skin. The humid air made also the stairs slippery, and Jim had to stop Milo from falling a couple of times.

"One would think the Underworld was flaming hot, but apparently it isn't," Sinbad stated, trying to get some air between his shirt. "I'd take the flaming hot anytime instead of this feverish air."

"Oh, believe me, Tough guy; you don't want to be here when it gets hot," Meg snorted with mockery in her voice. "Although if you really want to test your luck, all you have to do is make Hades lose his temper. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Tough guy..?" Jim grinned at Sinbad's new nickname, and he earned a shove from Sinbad.

"Shut up, Hawkins."

"Make me." Jim didn't mean for it to sound like a suggestion; it just kind of slipped out of his mouth. He became aware of the meaning behind his words when he noticed Sinbad's gaze dropping to his lips and his mouth opening slightly. "Not that I would actually, you know, want to." Sinbad's gaze jumped back up to Jim's eyes, and then he turned awkwardly away like he had been caught stealing something.

Well that was weird, Jim thought to himself. The previous Sinbad would have totally done something to make him uncomfortable. He felt relieved, but at the same time there was this some sort of disappointment growing inside him. Was Sinbad feeling guilty because he still loved Marina? Okay, Jim couldn't be hundred percent sure if the person Sinbad had met earlier today had been her, but it was quite obvious. And why the hell did it bother him so much?

The stairs ended to a door, and Meg opened it with a lazy kick. She told everyone to wait there as she walked in, closing the door behind her. They could hear a fierce conversation starting in the next room:

"Meg, my beautiful little flower, how many times have I told you to KNOCK?"

"I already lost count. There are people who are here to see you."

The person who Meg was talking to went silent for a while, and then everyone could practically hear the grin in his voice as he said: "Excellent. Bring them in."

"Gu-guys, wait – is this really a good idea? I have a bad feeling about this," Milo whispered, clutching his notepad. "The stories in the books I've read don't exactly describe Hades as a god with good deeds."

"Maybe you should have mentioned that before we came here," Jim whispered back. He agreed with Milo; Hades would probably want something in return if he had the map. He just hoped it wouldn't be anything too bad.

"It's going to be fine," Kida reassured.

The door slammed open, and Hades himself stood there before them. His hair was as blue as in the paintings in the temple, and he was wearing a long black robe. They grayness of his skin could easily compare with dead people.

"Welcome to my little lair, brave ones. Come on in, come on in, don't stand out there in the cold!" Hades motioned them to come in, and he stared at them with hunger in his eyes as they walked past him. Sinbad stepped between him and Jim, eyeing the god warily. Hades seemed to notice it too, and his unsettling grin only widened. He closed the door.

"I have been expecting you. Worms?" The god offered them a bowl full of wiggling worms. Everyone's face told him the answer. "More for me, then." He slurped one in his mouth and sat down on a black simplified throne.

"How did you know we would come?" Sinbad asked. He was less intimidated by the god than he would have first imagined. It was probably because of the hair.

"I have my resources," Hades smiled, leaning back on the throne. "Sinbad, my favorite man. How's Eris doing? Heard you were pretty close with her the last time I checked."

"If by close you mean her nearly killing me, then yes, I guess she's doing fine," Sinbad smiled politely. He glanced around the room they were in: there weren't any furniture besides the throne and a round table, and the walls were decorated with black skulls and odd-looking statues.

"Right, right," the god didn't even seem to listen as he sipped a drink that had appeared in his hand. "And Jim! I'm so glad you decided to visit me before your time. You look just like your father."

Jim's face turned pale, and he clenched his fists.

"Enough!" Kida stepped forward just as Sinbad was about to do the same. She didn't know why Jim had gotten pale at the mention of his father, and it wasn't her business either, but she knew the god was trying to manipulate them; trying to get something to hold over them. "If you were expecting us, you also know why we're here."

Hades' eyes narrowed at Kida's commanding tone, and the cocktail glass in his hand shattered. His eyes met with Meg's, who was leaning against a wall with crossed arms, and Meg shook his head slightly. Hades seemed to regain his cool, and his gaze went back to Kida. "Kida, the sweet pirate princess. Getting straight down to business, huh?" Hades got up and started circling them. "Of course I know why you're here. And I'm willing to give you what you want."

"Really?" Kida was honestly surprised. She had thought it would take more to persuade him.

"There's just this teensy-weensy, tiny little detail in this deal." The god started grinning. "You have to find it from a labyrinth! Doesn't sound too bad, right? I know, I know, I'm the most generous god there is."

"What's the catch?" Sinbad asked suspiciously. The god's offering sounded too good to be true.

"Oh, no, there's no catch. Although," the god stopped behind Jim, lowering his hand on his shoulder and leaning closer, "the game wouldn't be fun without a little bit excitement, am I right?"

"What are you – ?" A horrible feeling washed over Jim.

Hades snapped his fingers, and Jim disappeared. Sinbad stared at the place where he had been standing just a second ago, and soon his shock turned into anger.

"What the fuck did you do to him?" He grabbed the smug-looking god's collar.

"Relax, Space boy is fine. For now at least."

"What do you mean? Where is he?"

Hades rolled his eyes and moved his hand once like he was casting a spell. An image of Jim tied up with a rope in a closed room appeared on one of the walls, and Sinbad and the others sighed in relief. At least he wasn't in immediate danger.

"You know, the longer you wait the faster he's going to die." Hades smiled, freeing himself from Sinbad's grip. "The room gets hotter and hotter every minute until he's done for."

"No!" Sinbad turned to look at Jim again, but the image vanished.

The god snapped his fingers again, and this time they all were in a different place: in front of an opening of a labyrinth.

"Alright, listen. There are two paths. One leads to the map and the other leads to Jim. I can't tell you which one is which because where's the fun in that?" Hades chuckled. "The rules are simple: die or live. Easy to remember, huh?"

Sinbad wanted to punch him, but there were more important matters now than beating the devil out of the devil himself. He couldn't forgive himself if something happened to Jim. He had been the one to pull him into this mess; he was going to be the one to make sure he would get back alive.

"Sinbad, we have to split up," Kida marched up to him with determination on her face and Milo trailing behind her. "I can't let Milo go alone, so he and I will go together. Let's hope we'll find Jim before he's…"

Sinbad nodded. He didn't need to hear the rest. Before he rushed into the labyrinth he sent a glare at Hades, and Hades answered with raising his eyebrows amusedly. The god watched the three of them go on their own separate ways, and when they were out of earshot, he turned to Meg, who had been quiet the whole time.

"Good job bringing them to me, sunshine! You have earned your freedom soon enough. We'll just have to wait a little bit longer until the boy dies and Sinbad sells his soul to save him and takes your place. It brings back memories, doesn't it? The way you sold yourself to me to save your boyfriend."

Hades' words made Meg bite her lip and close her eyes in pain. She didn't want to be reminded of it again.

"Ex-boyfriend. And it was a mistake for which I have been paying for over thousand years," she answered, turning away. Hades laughed.

"Worry not, my darling. You saw the way Sinbad looked at Jim. It won't even be a question if he sells his soul or not. I'll even get two extra souls since there's no way the woman and Specky are going to make it."

Meg tried to smile. Isn't this what she wanted the most? Freedom?

Somehow she still felt empty inside.

A/N: The chapter's finally out! I have been struggling with a writer's block and being insecure about my writing style, and sometimes I feel like this story is too fast-paced for my own liking, but yeah. Anyway. What do you think about Hades? He's so far the funniest character to write about. :D I was personally excited about adding him (and Meg) into this story.

Comments are always appreciated!