Well, here is the second chapter. It took me some time to finish it and I hope that I haven't made to many mistakes. Like always I would appreciate it if you would leave a review and hope that you will enjoy this chapter.
Anyway, I wrote a disclaimer in the first chapter and I wont be writing one again.
If you have any suggestions to how I could make this story better please write me.
Rating for this chapter: T
Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert
Have fun.
Edited on the 18th of June 2016
Chapter 2
Pristine Glass
"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair."
― Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven
My life continued happily for the next three years. It even had a special routine.
My siblings and I slept a lot of more during the day, so that we wouldn't be sleepy when night came. When we didn't sleep we spend time with our mother or played childish games with each other. One might think that they would have bored me, but it was the exact opposite. Thank the gods for the baby brain.
Anyway, our father came to visit us almost each night. We didn't do much during those visits. To be honest, I could not imagine Hades playing baby games with us.
However, sometimes he would tell us interesting stories, other times he would be completely silent.
Those times he didn't look human. His eyes were darker than ever, with a red tinge to them. The shadows seemed to be swallowing him. During those nights he would look out of the window, the anger rolled out of him in waves.
It was also during those times, that I saw my father for what he truly was. A god.
I also realized that Bianca, Nico and I were probably his exceptions. We were the only ones whom he treated so nicely. With such care and gentleness.
And when I saw him angered, felt his power violently thrashing under his skin, I was glad to be his exception.
In my previous life, I did not think that I would have been ready to accept a person like Hades so easily. But my moral compass changed a lot since then.
I do not know which of my experiences changed me so much. Could it have been my death? Surely, but that wasn't the only factor. Being reborn into a family in which half of it was fated to die and knowing the future of the other half, changed people. But in this new life I also saw how cruel humans could truly be.
It wasn't the best decade for Italy. It still hadn't recovered from The Great Depression, many people had a really bad life. Let's not forget that in less then five years World War II would break out. I could only hope that by then our father would have taken us somewhere far, far away. Somewhere safe.
On another note, I remember the time when our mother had taken us to a market one day. It was about two months ago, back then there was no one who could have watched us, so Maria had to take us with her. Normally, there was Eva, our maid-Yes we had a maid. My mother did not want her but my father insisted.-, who took care of the groceries or stayed with us when mother had business to take care of, but two days before she had to leave because she was with child. It was getting to hard for her to take care of us and her replacement was not coming for the next two days.
And so our mother took us out for the first time in our lives.
Venice was beautiful.
There were many canals, watery graves and boats. We squeezed through alleyways that were crumbling into ruin and oozing with authenticity. I could see Venice's palaces, churches, and other buildings, supported by thousands of wooden pilings that dated back hundreds of years. The luminous spectacle of ornate marbled palaces, bell towers, and domes reflected in the sparkling waters. The houses that lined the streets and canals of the city ranged from the poorest blocks to the great palaces.
With all the streets and alleys I was amazed that my mother did not get lost. She was holding Nico's and my hands, Bianca was holding my other one, and leading us down the streets. If I had been by myself, I wouldn't have been able to find anything.
There were many people out there, who were just like us going to the market. The weather was just beginning to cool down and everyone wanted to be finished with their shopping as fast as they could.
As I watched the buildings, the lack of true electricity and the clothes the people wore, I felt lost.
The woman wore hats and long conservative dresses-which could also be described as prude compared to what woman in the twenty-first century wore, or is it would wear?-and the men also had hats and suits.
I did not belong here.
It was back then that I realized that I wasn't just in another world or universe, but also in another time. Thinking that made me strangely nostalgic.
Would I ever be able to use a computer again? Drive a car? Phone someone with a cellphone?
Would I live long enough to witness the 21st century?
I would have most likely continued dwelling on those thoughts if it weren't for my mother, who snapped me out of them. She was tugging us down a street, weaving expertly through the masses of people.
Can you imagine my shock at seeing through the mist for the first time? It was when we were walking along one water canal, that I saw three water nymphs. They must have been the prettiest woman I had ever seen.
One had auburn hair, which almost seemed like fire, the other two had black hair that was as dark as the night sky. Their eyes were a deep ocean blue and their skin almost as pale as mine.
But it wasn't their unnatural beauty which identified them as something supernatural, no, it were the scales running along their skin. Some were on their arms and a few even near their eyes. Their hands were almost claw like. At one angle I might have even seen a pair of gills.
I was so shocked at seeing them, that a small gasp escaped my lips. My mothers attention immediately went to were I was looking at. Sadly, she couldn't see them, but my siblings did. After they squinted their eyes at the place where the nymphs were residing, delighted gasps escaped them.
Our mother did not seem as delighted after we told her about the pretty fish woman. She dragged us away from the water.
This wasn't the last supernatural we saw that day. For example there had been a four-armed merchant at the market. Maria bought pretty apples at his stand. I hoped they weren't poisonous.
After buying some meat for dinner we headed home. It was only when the door closed that I noticed how tense my mother had been all the time. She probably knew of the dangers the outside world held for us. Water nymphs were the least of our worries.
Now, two months later, I was glad that our mother took us with her. Who knew for how long we would have been kept in the house, without the possibility to see Venice, if she hadn't.
Our father hadn't been happy with her decision and assigned a fury to watch over us. She only left when our father was there, otherwise she always stayed near our home and warded monsters off.
Another unexpected thing that happened in the last three years was that our connection extended to our father. You know, the one we three shared and that bonded us impossibly close together.
Now, the four of us were like constant presences in each others minds. I could always feel them in my head. Our father, if he concentrated on it, could feel our emotions very clearly. We couldn't feel his like he did ours, but we still were very sensitive to what he was feeling. The best way to explain this was that for example we knew that he was angry but we couldn't feel his anger.
It would be too dangerous for us, at such a young age, to be exposed to the full emotions of a god. Before we realized what was happening between us, Hades once accidentally exposed us to his feelings. It was only for a few seconds, but it had a really bad effect on us. We became sick and wouldn't wake up for a few days.
After that Hades had a tight grip on his emotions.
Anyhow, this talk about emotions wasn't held without a reason. Because right now, the moment Hades entered the room, I knew that something was wrong. He looked like he always did, dark hair, eyes and clothes. An impassive look on his face. He behaved as if everything was all right.
Unfortunately, his emotions said a completely other thing. Nothing was all right.
Yet, he continued to act normal. Hades continued to walk towards our bed, his lips, like always when he looked at us, were curved slightly.
''Little ones.'' His voice was soft and silent, but he did not need to talk louder. I doubt that anyone dared to ever ignore him. Those who did had long ceased to exist.
Small whimpers escaped our lips as we looked at him. Hades sat down on the bed and his eyes softened ever so slightly. ''So young, yet so sensitive to my emotions.''
''Papa? What happening?'' My voice shook slightly, when I asked him this question. Before he could answer it, Nico interrupted him. ''Something wrong, Papa?"'
''Everything is fine, my children.'' Hades sounded more like he tried to convince himself, rather than us. He picked me up and laid me down on his chest, then Bianca and Nico snuggled into his sides.
''I will tell you a story.'' He paused. ''It is a very special one so you need to listen intently. Do you understand?''
We nodded our heads.
Father's expression was somber when he started telling us his story. ''Once upon a time a foolish man tried to steal from a god. It was no jewel or relic that he sought, but the god's wife herself. And so he entered his realm without permission.''
''Are you talking about you, papa?" Nico asked curiously.
I cocked my head to the right. ''About Par...Per...Persephone?''
The god looked a little surprised at our questions, as if he did not expect us to know. After all, we were only three years old and had still a few problems with our speech. Our knowledge about his wife must have been quiet surprising to hear. He probably thought that we did not understand what we were talking about.
How wrong he was. Bianca was a lot of smarter than your average child and I was mentally older than I looked.
''Did your mother teach you about her?'' The way he spoke was strained and full of suspicions. Through the years I had learned that my father was highly paranoid. It did not help that the relationship between my parents was getting worse with each day. Hades probably thought that Maria tried to make us go against him.
Sometimes I wondered if mother regretted meeting our father. If she perhaps regretted having us.
''Yes. Mamma has been teaching us about methologie.'' Bianca stated proudly, batting her lashes. I giggled slightly at her mistake. My siblings could be so cute.
''Mythology, Bianca, mythology.'' Our father corrected her and relaxed a little. Now that he knew that our mother did not try to make us hate him, he seemed relieved. But that did not mean that he wouldn't start watching our interactions with her intently. Did that make him into a stalker? Probably.
''Anyway, let's continue. Shall we?'' We only nodded our heads vigorously. ''The man's name was Pirithous. After having pledged to carry off a daughter of Zeus, he choose Persephone as his aim. Together with Theseus he entered the Underworld. I, of course, knew what he was planing to do and took great offense from it. Both men traveled for a long time and had to cross many hardships. When they stopped to rest, they found themselves unable to stand up from a rock as they saw the Furies appear before them. Furies I personally send to them.
Another hero, Heracles, managed to free Theseus, but the crime Pirithous has committed against me was to great. The crime of wanting the wife of one of the great gods as his own bride. And so the earth shook when he attempted to liberate Pirithous, denying his freedom. He was cursed to forever stay in the Underworld, paying for his sin. Some say he lingers there up to today."
Bianca pouted a little. ''That was not a happy story, papa.''
''Not all stories are happy, Bianca. But why don't you tell me what you have learned from that story.'' The god suggested, his tone was light but there was something dark in his eyes.
Nico was the first to answer. Out of us three siblings, he was the most bubbly one. ''Not to steal from a god?''
Bianca was the next. ''Not to rest in the Underworld.''
Hades looked pointedly at me. I did not quiet know what he wanted to hear from us, but it seemed to me as if it was something important. ''Not to anger you?''
It was obvious that none of our answers were right, mine even made him slightly uncomfortable. ''Stealing from a god is something I wouldn't recommend to anyone. It is unwise. You three are my children, which means that there are different rules applying to the Underworld for you than for others. Lastly, I would appreciate it if you would not anger me, but even then I would never harm you.''
He looked as if he considered what he should say next. If I didn't know better, I would say that he looked a little unsure of himself. ''No. What this tale was meant to teach you is that gods are selfish and cruel. We do not like to share.'' He gave us a pointed look. ''We do not like being crossed. And those who dare go against us will be heavily punished. If we claim something as ours, it is not to be touched by others. Whether it seems guarded or not. We always watch what is ours.''
It felt as if he tried to give us a message. Tried to make us understand something. I just did not know what. It were his next words that made everything clear.
''Even if I am not here, I will always protect you. If you ever need my help, the only thing you need to do is pray.''
Bianca and Nico looked confused, but for me his words started to slowly sink in. ''What you mean, papa? '' My twin began. ''Why wouldn't you be here?''
Hades slowly put me on the bed and started to stand up. It looked as if his actions physically pained him. ''All will be understood in due time.''
With small steps he moved backwards, the shadows swallowing him. Soon Hades was no more.
He left. Our father was gone and he wasn't coming back.
And so we screamed bloody murder.
A few minutes later Maria came into our room. No matter what she tried to do, mother just couldn't calm us down. She did not understand what was happening. She never would.
I did not know what made me cry and panic like this. Were it the emotions of my sibling, which so clearly vibrated through my mind? Was it the knowledge of the future that lay before us without our father? Or maybe it was me already missing my him?
After all, I was too old-at least mentally-to be acting like this.
But even as I kept telling myself that, I could not stop the tears from falling and the cries from escaping my lips. Neither could my sibling.
Poor Maria.
The woman tried everything to calm us down. She gave us something to eat and drink. Asked if something was hurting us or if we were feeling sick.
She never got an answer.
Hours later, too tired to cry any more, we fell asleep.
Only to continue our 'tantrum' or 'panic attack' the next day. We did not eat, we did not drink, we only cried. I don't know what we tried to accomplish with that. Later I would find out that we were unconsciously reaching out to our father.
Hades was not a happy god.
For the last three days he has been feeling the rising panic of his children. Through his life he had had many children. Yet none mattered as much as those three. He did not know when it happened, but in only three years they had become the center of his world. His only true weakness.
And that was something he could not allow himself to have. His brothers already started to notice that something was happening and he could not let them find out about his three children. It would be their end.
He could not let that happen.
The children were better off without him. Safer, at least.
For some time they could continue living normally among the humans. Without mortal dangers. The fury he had send to them should keep most monsters away and the other gods would not concern themselves with the mere appearance of a fury.
Sometimes, he wondered if the fates had something to do with his current situation. Having two children with the same mortal woman was quiet uncommon for him, but three, that was untold.
Besides it seemed a lot like something they would do.
But for now that did not matter, what mattered were his children, who were currently in panic. The emotions he was getting from them were quiet intense, there was fear, sorrow and above all else longing.
It took all of his self control to not go to them, just one last time. Which would change into another visit and continue like this.
But gods did not like being denied what they perceived as rightfully theirs and the threat of his brothers denied him his children. That made him very angry.
An angry god meant nothing good. Especially for mortals.
The grip on his powers loosened and he knew that there were earthquakes all over the world. He had to control himself or Hollywood, where the entrance to his domain lay, would soon cease to exist. He quiet liked it there.
The next three days Hades, the God of the Dead, perceived as the biggest torture he ever had to go through. This statement, coming from him, said a lot.
Anyway, three days after leaving his children-he did not abandon them-the fates must have taken pity on him.
It was after those three days that a prayer reached him. During this century it was rare for people to pray to him. Not many people prayed to him in the ancient times, now even less.
But it was not the prayer itself that saved him, no, it was the person who was asking him for help.
Maria di Angelo
For once happy that his wife wasn't there to ask questions about his plans, he left the Underworld with a valid excuse to visit his mortal children.
Maybe it was their mortality that drew him in? But just as the thought formed in his head, he put it away. He had already had mortal children before. Their mortality didn't matter in that regard.
It took him mere seconds to arrive in front of the di Angelo house. Out of courtesy he knocked on the door.
A few minutes passed till he heard footsteps nearing the door. There was also the sound of glass shattering on the floor. He heard someone curse silently in Italian.
Maria. He thought and when the door opened his suspicions were confirmed.
The woman did not look like she normally did. She had dark rings under her eyes and her clothes were crinkled and worn out. Maria was pale and stressed.
He did not even need to ask what was going on, because the moment the door opened he instantly heard the children crying.
''Thank the gods that you are here, mio caro.'' One of her hands went through her open hair. ''The children, they wont stop crying. They aren't eating or drinking anything. I know that I shouldn't call you here without a reason, but I do not know what to do. And the neighbors are threatening to call the police.''
Hades just nodded his head. ''I will go see them now.''
It was mere moments later that he entered the children's room. Things were thrown all around the room, the curtains were shut close and in the middle of the room, on the bed, his three children lay crying.
When he saw them in this state, he instantly let his aura cover them like a blanket.
One moment they were crying, the next they were quiet, looking straight at him. Big black eyes wide as plates.
His oldest, Bianca, crawled forward on the bed. ''Papa? Is that you?''
Her voice was raw from all the crying, her eyes red rimmed and tear streaks were running down her cheeks. Her siblings did not look any better.
Once again he nodded his head. ''Bianca.'' Then he looked at the two younger children behind her, they were watching him with wide, black eyes. ''Nico. Nora."
He saw them launch themselves at him, as if their life depended on it. Their small hands clutched in his clothing.''Shh..It is fine. I am here now.''
Nora looked at him, her lips quivering. ''You not leaving?'' It was a question and a statement at the same time.
''Never.''
