Okay, I kinda stole an idea from Rick Riordan, but I promise it won't be exactly like his idea. On a more positive note I finished the second chapter before I thought I would. I'm going to try to post a chapter for this story every Saturday. Maybe if I give myself a week long dead line I'll actually be able to finish this story.
"Lets make a deal, Hades," Meg started pacing around the room. "I'll help you get your revenge on Hercules if you'll do something for me."
"What?" Hades asked suspiciously.
"Swear on the River Styx first that you'll do what I ask you."
Hades smirked as she tried to trap him into a promise before she even asked it. "Meg darling, I can't promise you anything until you tell me what you want."
"Because you might not be inclined to give it to me?" Meg asked with some bitterness.
Hades started drifting around the room all the while keeping his eyes on hers. "No, because it might not be within my power to give to you. What do you want in exchange for taking down Wonder Breath?"
"I want you to raise my children from the dead."
Hades winced and turned away to glare at his minions. They cowered behind the chairs. The only furniture big enough to hide most of their bodies from Hades' view. "Now you see Meg, I knew you were going to ask something like that."
"Are you saying you won't give me my children back?" Meg balled her tiny hands into fists. Hades briefly wondered if she would hit him.
"More like I can't," Hades said dryly. "Haven't you ever heard of Asclepius?" Meg shook her head. "He was Apollo's child and very gifted in healing people. In fact he was so good he raised Hippolytus from the dead. Well, naturally that upset a few gods and Zeus struck him down with lightning." He decided to keep back the fact that he was the one who made Zeus kill the boy. No sense telling her that. He knew that if Meg had her children back she probably wouldn't be want to help him. "So, ya see I would be angering Zeus and he's already pissed off with me."
Meg lowered her head and sat down on a stool close to the hearth. Hades eyes narrowed as he quickly calculated his options. His lips pulled back into a grin as he wondered just how far Meg was willing to go to see her children. He drifted closer to her. "Meg, since you left my employment I have had no one to perform the jobs you did." He waved a hand at Pain and Panic who were still cowering behind the chairs. "There is only so much my minions and myself can do and—"
"What do you want?" Meg asked brusquely.
Hades hid his smile. "If you sell your soul back to me I will give you what you want most in the entire Cosmos," he couldn't help repeating the lines he had said to her three years ago. He leaned closer. "I'll make sure that you can see your children in the Underworld. They'll be ghosts of course, but—"
Once again he was interrupted by Meg flinging her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Hades!"
Startled, Hades pushed her away. "Watch the hair!" He snapped and smoothed out his blue flame. Once he got everything under control he held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"
Meg started to take his hand and hesitated. "You promise I will be able to see my children everyday and you won't ever take them away from me?"
"Yes, yes," Hades rolled his eyes impatiently.
"Swear it in the River Styx."
"Okay, I swear on the River Styx that I will never take your children away from you and if I do you can have your soul back yada, yada, yada. Deal?"
Meg shook his hand and she immediately felt weak as she bound her soul to Hades. The rational part of her couldn't believe that she had just sold her soul to him again. Was she sick in the head? But if this was the only way to see her children, dead or alive, it would be worth it.
Hades let go of her hand. "Now about Hercules. It might take some time to find out where he is. That is your job."
"What do you mean?" Meg asked puzzled. "He should be at our—" she choked up a little. "His home."
"Not anymore, babe. Zeus informed me that he has hidden Hercules and his new wife somewhere safe. They won't trust me, but they have no reason not to trust you. So, you have to rub some elbows on Olympus to find out where they put him."
"You're not going to kill him are?" Meg asked hesitantly.
Hades stared at her and groaned. "Oh don't tell me you still have feelings for Wonder Breath? Even after all he has done to you?"
"People do crazy things when they are in love," Meg said glaring at him.
Hades smirked. "Oh he went crazy all right, but it wasn't because of love."
"I don't want you to kill him."
Hades rolled his eyes. "Fine," he lied. "I won't kill him, just hurt him in the most painful way possible."
"Swear it!" Meg demanded. Oh no, she was no going to trap him again.
"Find out where he is," Hades demanded. "And when you do you can come to the Underworld and see your precious children." With those final instructions he teleported himself and his minions back to the Underworld.
"Do you think she will do it?" Pain asked timidly.
Hades smirked. "Of course. I have her children, but just to be safe I want you two to keep an eye on her. Just because I have her soul doesn't mean she won't double cross me." He stared at them as they continued to wait for more instructions.
"GO!" he shouted. Pain and Panic tumbled over each other to get out of the throne room. Once they were gone Hades relaxed on his throne and smiled. Everything was going better than he had anticipated. When Hercules is found he would have to make sure to thank him for killing Meg's children. No way would he have been able to get her soul back if he didn't have something she wanted.
Hades twirled his fingers and a wine glass with White Wine appeared in his hand. He took a sip. Ah, yes that hit the spot. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble that shook the palace. He dropped the glass and it vanished before it could hit the floor. An eye appeared in the middle of the room and then the three Fates came out of the eye. The small fat one plopped the eye back into her empty socket.
"Well, hello ladies," Hades said steepling his fingers. "To what do I owe this wonderful visit?"
"A prophecy we have for you, Lord Hades," said the tallest Fate as she took the eye from the fat one.
"A prophecy?" Hades leaned forward. "Does it have anything to do with my revenge on Hercules?"
The third Fate grabbed the eye and popped it in one of her empty eye sockets. "We do not foretell prophecies of revenge. Now listen closely." She took the eye and held it up in the air and they began to walk in circles around the eye that transformed into a looking glass in the future.
Hera's rage caused the madness
Throwing all into sadness.
"Could we skip the rhyming verse thing?" Hades asked impatiently. The Fates ignored him and continued to chant.
Her actions a chain did start
Only the Lord of the Dead is able to thwart.
Beware the Earth as it shifts in her sleep
Things unseen stir in the deep.
"All right," Hades leaned forward. "I think I'm liking this prophecy, but what exactly am I supposed to stop?"
A caution to this tale, they continued. Hades froze remembering the last time they said that.
Unless the Lord of the Dead and the one who saved Olympus do not work together
To god and mortal alike will be bad weather.
With that the Fates and their eyeball disappeared. Hades ran the last line in his head. Unless the Lord of the Dead and the one who saved Olympus do not work together to god and mortal alike will be bad weather.
The one who saved Olympus. Hercules! "WHAT!" Hades shouted. Red and blue flames exploded everywhere.
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