Sorry I haven't uploaded anything in awhile(at least for this story especially). I've been working on this story, sloooooowly. The document had been sitting in my computer for a loooong time. I started writing more original stuff, and didn't have much inspiration for this one. When suddenly WHAM! INSPIRATION MOFO! lol. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though it may seem like I may never come back to a story ever again, you never know. One day, randomly, I might just get the urge.
TO KILL!
lawlz. jk. I'll shut up now.
Oppa DISCLAIMER Style! *proceeds to awkwardly shuffle like a dinosaur on crack while trying to imitate psy's horse riding dance moves*
Recap Time! Oh boy!
"I didn't get the giants okay! It didn't work! When he wasn't attracted to me he tried to kill me! Then this weird necklace that you gave me started acting up and now I'm here!"
Hades just stood there and stared at her for a while.
Meg was huffing with the force of her outburst and crossed her arms. She was feeling light headed, but she didn't want him to know that. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her so weak. When a few moments went by in silence she began to get confused. Why isn't he yelling? Or just doing…something? She looked up at him to see his face. She was startled to see that he was….smiling?
Meg furrowed her brows and stared at her master warily. Something just wasn't right with that smile. It didn't set right within her stomach.
"What?" she asked cautiously.
He smiled so that his sharp, pincer-like teeth gleamed in the moonlight. "So, there is something in this world that doesn't grovel at your charms and persuasions."
Meg rolled her eyes, but didn't let her guard down around that mock of smile that graced his demonic features.
"Soooo, you're not mad at me? I mean, what about the giants?" she queried. "I thought they were crucial to your plans?"
Hades held up a hand to stop her questions. He gave a nonchalant shrug to her befuddlement, the smoke that assembled his tunic rolled from his frame at the gesture.
"All in due time Nut Meg. A good ruler of the world always has a plan B. And there's a plan C after B, and so on" he said.
Meg couldn't believe what she was hearing. It made sense, but he had made such a big deal about this that she assumed he would shishkabob her and feed her to his minions if she failed. And then bring her back to life and do it all over again. This smiling Hades was actually kind of creeping her out a little bit.
Before she could ask any more questions though Hades swept across the room to the other side.
"Since you're awake you might wanna get cleaned up. No offense babe, but you reek." And with those last parting words Hades left her room.
"Ugh!" Meg threw her pillow at the door. "Men!"
Standing up on wobbly legs Meg went to draw her bath. In the Underworld things don't function the same way they do on Earth. Often times things just sort of happened with no one really knowing why or how they happened. Baths for one were always filled with hot water. No servants were required. Convenient, but kind of spooky when you thought about it. Meg, however, was used to such things by now. Food was another thing. Sometimes Hades got Pain or Panic to make his food, even Meg a couple times just for his own kicks, but usually the food was always there, perfectly steaming and ready to be eaten. As a god Hades didn't really need to eat, but he liked to indulge himself in it every day. Meg squirmed as she thought about the sorts of things he ate. "Eeesh. Worms and eyeballs for breakfast. Sounds lovely." She reached her destination quickly. Checking to make sure no one was around the dark haired maiden stripped off what was left of her purple dress and threw it into the corner. That would have to be burned. There was no saving it unfortunately. Meg lowered her unclothed body into the steaming water. Closing her eyes she let out a contented sigh.
"Man I really needed this." She said to herself in the echoing room. Meg had her own bath, or at least, she assumed it was hers since no one else came in here. She'd be thoroughly creeped out if Pain or Panic tried to take a bath with her. She'd punch the lights out of those dirty little demons if they ever tried. Worse, though would be if the big god of the underworld himself came in here. He's her master, so it's not like she could just punch him into submission. Plus, he's a god, so you know, there's that too. Wait…..'Why am I even thinking about him trying to take a bath with me? That's just weird!'
Meg shook her head vigorously, sending water droplets and soapy bubbles into the air, and decided to just not think for a while. She grabbed the sponge and scrubbed herself clean, getting all the gritty slobber and slime off of her rosy skin. The mundane act of washing, and soaking was making her feel better already. She sighed contentedly and sunk down into the therapeutic water.
After about two hours of soaking and washing Meg was finally clean. She emerged from the bath feeling much better than she had before. She was wrapped in a white towel that clung to her damp body, the hem of which rested about mid-thigh.
'Hmmm, so my dress was completely ruined from Cerberus….what am I going to wear now?' she thought as she walked back to her room. It was a good five minute walk, the place was so huge.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice how the other demons stared at her. Usually there were always some sorts of awful shadow creatures, demons, or undead lurking about. Hades liked to keep his place free of all the moaning lost souls, but somehow a few always managed to squeak by. Not that they really knew what they were doing mind you. They were dead.
Meg was broken out of her thoughts by the moaning coming from over her shoulder. She suddenly realized that she was being followed. A mass of faceless lost souls seemed to have taken a liking to her. Fear shot through her body. If they got too rowdy, bad things could happen. Meg wasn't entirely sure what bad things, but she wasn't curious enough to find out.
Picking up the pace a bit, she rounded the corner. 'Just a few more hallways…' she thought anxiously. The souls were coming closer…faster…
She could feel the icy breath of their malicious emotions on her skin. Goosebumps burst along her cooled flesh. She gripped her towel tighter in her hands. There were too many. How did so many get in here? It's not like Hades doesn't have some sort of guards or wards set up in case….
One inky, black hand shot out from the roiling mass of damnation. Meg let out a high pitched scream. It clutched the damp fabric of her towel. "Aaaaaah!" Twisting away she pulled as hard as she could and stumbled forward. She fell on the cold, dark floor with sudden bruising force. There was no time to get up and run. They were almost on top of her when suddenly they were engulfed in blue flames. Their deep pockets of eyes and mouths grew impossibly large before all Meg could see was blue.
The most gut wrenching screams pierced her ears as their bodies were reduced to nothing but ash in the matter of a minute. Meg's heart was racing as she stared, wide eyed at the space in front of her that they used to occupy.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'm going to have to have a talk with Asphodel about this."
Meg looked up. Looming above her was Hades, himself, hand aglow with bright, blue fire. Nonchalantly blowing out his hand and wiping it on his toga he glanced down at Meg as if just noticing she was there.
"Oh, hello. Look, babe I know I'm a god and all, but really enough with the prostrating."
Meg opened and closed her mouth a few times, making a marvelous impression of a fish. Hades raised an eyebrow. "Oookay have it your way. But please, if we're going to do this I'd rather have it be in my room. On my bed." He leered at her towel-clad form. It was freezing in the underworld, and since Meg had just come from a bath her body clearly betrayed her through the thin material.
Scrambling so that she wasn't laid out on the floor like an invitation Meg quickly stood up with one hand crossed over her chest and the other pulling the hem down in hopes of covering more skin. It was a vain attempt, one that brought a dry smirk to the god's dark lips.
"W-what are you doing here? And how did those guys get in here?" Meg demanded hotly.
Hades let out a long sigh. "Well, firstly, you're welcome, and secondly as I said before I'm going to have to have a little chat with our keeper of the wandering spirits about that."
Meg furrowed her brow, and queried, "The keeper of the wandering spirits? I thought that was you?"
Hades rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh please doll, I'm THE god of the underworld. I can't deal with every brain dead guy who gets offed because of his own stupidity. I don't know if you've noticed, but I have underlings, like Pain and Panic to take care of crap like that for me."
"But Pain and Panic live here….in the castle?"
"Look, babe, as much fun as this is explaining all this to yah I really got better things to do. So I'll be brief. This place is divided into sections. Kind of like districts. The restless spirits of fallen heroes have their own district. Just like the common souls, the Mysteries, the souls without memories, etc, etc. And each district has its own caretaker, or commander, or what-have-you." Hades seemed very exasperated at the end of his explanation.
Meg tilted her head to one side. "Sooo….what do you do then, if everybody else is taking care of their own district?"
A muscle was jumping in Hade's blue jaw. He seemed to be clenching and unclenching his teeth. His patience seemed to be thinning.
"I am the almighty overlord. I do as I damn well please, little cherub. Now if you don't mind. I'd like to have a meeting in the forecourt, and you are required to be there. Don't keep me waiting."
And with that Hades swirled past Meg, black toga robes billowing with smoky tendrils. Meg found herself staring, dazed as she was with this new information. Shaking her head, and suddenly realizing that she was ice cold, she quickly ran the rest of the way to her room.
Sorry for the shortness. I mean, for me, this is a pretty good size, but considering the amount of time that passed since the last update the few who actually follow this story are probably severely PISSED at me. And for that I say...PICKLES. In a most apologetic way.
Please review and tell me how I did! Any plot bunnies of your own that you want to share with me? I JUST MIGHT USE THEM IN THE NEXT CHAP. If it fits in with the story of course. ^^ Thank you!~