Originally I wasn't going to post this chapter so soon, but the creative bug bit me hard. I had some of this chapter already written up, but I decided to write some bits that would help set up the chapter.

Enjoy!

Ten Cents and Sunshine soon started planning on how they would confront the grim reaper. However, they weren't getting far in their efforts to solve the mystery. For a start, they couldn't figure out what exactly he looked like. And why he was going out so late at night. Despite their struggle, the other Star Tugs were very supportive, as the rumors were getting quite… ridiculous.

One evening, Ten Cents steamed up to Hercules to ask him for advice. The ocean tug was very experienced when it came to situations of all types, and how he approached these problems made him respected. "Hey." Ten Cents greeted, smiling for a second before frowning.

"Good evening." Hercules said, looking down at the switcher with a small smile on his face. "Is something on your mind old chap? You look like you're lost in thought about something."

"It's just that me and Sunshine are getting nowhere when it comes to figuring out who the Grim Reaper is." Ten Cents replied, letting out a heavy sigh. "We all get the same description, but we can't piece together who is who. The fog is not helping us one bit. It's as if he doesn't want to show himself."

"If that's the case, then why are you still pursuing him then?" Hercules asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to see you or Sunshine get hurt or worse, killed. I've heard stories of vessels who did something similar to what you two did, and it ended badly."

"Badly?" Ten Cents gasped. Were they sunk? Or did something more sinister happen to them? Either way, this information was very troubling.

"Yes. They didn't get sent to a watery grave, but received horrific wounds. I wish to go no further with this conversation, these rumors are absurd as is." The ocean tug huffed, tensing up. After a minute, he calmed down and whispered, "Forgive me, but I sometimes go too far with fussing over the safety of you and the others. Take a break from finding the grim reaper if it's stressing you out."

Ten Cents nodded, and thanked Hercules for his advice before leaving. However, he had a question that was weighing on his mind. Of all the tugs, why was Hercules being dismissive about the whole thing? Why was he in denial? A scenario played through his head, but he cringed at how horrible the situation would have ended.

Little did Ten Cents know that Hercules' words would soon come to pass, and in a way that no one was expecting.

It was near the end of September, and Ten Cents was sent up to go collect Geir, a whaling vessel who had just arrived from Norway. With foreign ships such as this one, both vessels would have to be quarantined to prevent illnesses from infecting the Bigg City populace. The crew not only had the risk of carrying illnesses, ships also had the risk of carrying diseases that caused a variety of effects from endless rust to suddenly bleeding oil from all parts in their body. Improper quarantine could have disastrous effects, as poor Zorran found out.

Once Geir's lines were secured and the proper flags were hoisted up, Ten Cents pulled him into the quarantine bay. Along the way, he couldn't help but notice how sickly and pale Geir was. He figured it was due to age, as a lot of ships looked this way before they were retired and scrapped.

The two vessels soon arrived at the quarantine bay, and a Coast Guard vessel was there to greet them. "Welcome to Bigg City- Oh my!" He jumped back, noticing how sickly the whaling vessel was.

It took a minute for the Coast Guard vessel to regain his composure before saying, "It appears Geir here has a case of the plague. We will have to place him in solitary confinement until the illness passes or he passes. Deceased vessels can still operate, but their spirits remain until their bodies are broken up for scrap. It's a fate worse than death to be honest."

Ten Cents cringed at the thought, wondering what would happen if he had the plague. He knew Zorran had to have plague rust scraped off regularly or else it would kill him. If this happened to him, it would have been disastrous. "I might have to be placed in solitary confinement too. He has microbonic plague, and I don't want to go the same way he does." He sighed in defeat and said. The decision was difficult, but it was for the best.

"Good! I'll notify Captain Starr right away!" The Coast Guard vessel smiled and escorted Ten Cents to a separate pier before heading to the quarantine bay's main office.

That evening, Captain Starr gathered his remaining tugs and said with tears in his eyes, "Ten Cents escorted a whaling ship to quarantine earlier today, and the ship has plague. Ten Cents will be placed in quarantine in case he has it too." The tugs were shocked. All, except for Hercules.

"Why are you not afraid?" Sunshine whispered, clearly worried for his friend. "I've seen plagued ships so many times I've become used to it." Hercules replied with a frown. "However, I am very concerned for Ten Cents."

Once Captain Starr left for home, everyone was silent. However, the mood became depressing as Warrior started bawling, prompting Big Mac and Top Hat to try and comfort him. OJ tried to keep calm, but eventually he too started to sob.

Hercules chose to remain silent, allowing his comrades to weep and wail. He looked on towards the sea, wondering how Ten Cents was faring.

Ten Cents was now in an isolated shed within the quarantine bay itself, far away from the contact of others. Although it had been a few hours since he was placed in quarantine, he had become miserable and wished that quarantine would end. He looked at a stray health poster on the wall, praying for some relief.

A few days after Ten Cents was quarantined, Hercules was out near Dender Rocks. He had spent the afternoon with Lillie, and saw her off as she started her shift. Once she was out of his line of sight, he sighed and tried his best to suppress his tears. Although he was being kept busy with doing contract work, Ten Cents was still on his mind. If Ten Cents did indeed contract the plague and die, the ocean tug would regret not spending enough time with him.

After few minutes of thinking, he decided to go visit the quarantine bay. It would be risky, yes, but the circumstances left him with no other choice. With a sigh, he let out a few puffs of smoke and set off for the quarantine bay. As the ocean tug sailed on towards his destination, the area became extremely foggy. No one would be able to properly navigate the fog without using bright lights, yet Hercules knew where exactly to turn.

Hercules soon spotted the quarantine bay, and slowed down as to not draw attention from the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard vessels who were patrolling this spot were forced to anchor down, as their lights were not bright enough for this kind of fog. As they remained in their positions, he quietly slipped inside and closed his eyes.

Ten Cents was trying his best to not cry when a voice pierced the air. It was soft and gentle, hoping to ease the switcher's nervousness. "Hush little one, don't you cry." The voice whispered, and only the switcher could hear it.

Ten Cents looked around nervously, wondering who uttered those words. A few tears welled up, and he asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"My name is Hades." The voice purred, and a large tug emerged from the fog. His features were hidden, making him appear as if he were a ghost. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"How can you slip through? I mean, how come you're not sick?" Ten Cents asked, tears rolling down his face. It was pointless to suppress his tears at this point.

"Illness has lost its effect on me." Hades calmly replied, inching closer to the shed. He quickly noticed that the door was slightly ajar, and stopped moving. "Hush my little angel. It will get better soon." He whispered, letting out a few puffs of smoke.

The smoke snaked through the door and around the switcher's face, gently wiping his tears. Ten Cents was bewildered, but started calming down at the touch. For some reason, the smoke felt like human hands. "Why are you here then?" He asked, his sniffling becoming less and less frequent. "Are you an angel?"

"No, far from that to be exact. However, I won't hesitate to provide you comfort in such a trying time." Hades sighed, the smoke dissipating as he spoke. Once Ten Cents stopped crying, he noticed that Hades had vanished. He got uneasy for a second, but he quietly and quickly went to sleep.

As Ten Cents was fast asleep, he had a nagging feeling come to him. For whatever reason, Hades' voice reminded him of a tug he knew very well, but he couldn't exactly remember who…

This is the LAST chapter I will be writing for a bit. I will be able to write up ideas during my little trip, but organising said ideas is a different story.

Now to the question... who exactly is Hades?