Hades smiled with malicious glee. So far, so good. Hercules had extended his invitation to every eligible maiden, just as the Fates had foretold. Not that Hades had doubted. The Fates had yet to misread the future, but they were a couple of millennia past their prime and hey, better safe than sorry.

Now for phase two of his scheme. In a puff of some, Hades appeared outside of a building nestled between the clouds above Thebes. Its blue exterior blended seamlessly with the sky around it. Hades strode beneath an archway that read "Fairy Godmothers Inc. – Happy Endings since 700 BC" Hades snorted. These newfangled mythological beings were a running joke among the gods of Olympus. They were so full of themselves – thought they were so modern. Better in tune with the desires of the mortals. They fancied that they saw an opening in the wish fulfillment market and pounced, opening up branches in Sparta, Athens, and here in Thebes. Oh, they were all the rage now, having built up a wide client base quite rapidly, but it was a passing fad. Given a few more centuries their enterprise would crumble and collapse. Unemployment rates would soar within the fairy community. Hades wondered how many of them would be desperate enough to sell their souls. He might make a profit of this yet. But that was in the future. Right now one of these silly creatures could still be of use to him.

"Can I help you sir?" A petite secretary with a short blond pixie cut and a bubbly voice spoke up from behind her desk. Hades resisted the urge to set her flimsy pink wings ablaze. He plastered on a pained smile.

"I hope so."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No."

"Well, why don't we schedule one and – "

"That won't be necessary. I need to be seen today. Surely you could make an exception for the Lord of the Dead?"

The secretary started. "Oh! Why – why Lord Hades, I didn't realize…it's not often we get, um – we don't have anything open today…no, we're booked, um – " As she became more and more agitated, she began to hover out of her chair. "There's no protocol for this. Sorry, how bout I just, um….Let me call – uh…"

"Look, it's fine, you'll do." Hades growled, massaging his temple. He could feel a migraine coming on.

"What?"

"I said I'll just talk to you, I think you can help solve my dilemma!" Hades repeated through gritted teeth, the flame on his head burning taller and brighter.

"Oh, okay…what can I help you with?" She fell back into her chair and sat stiffly, unsure and uncomfortable with this sudden turn of events.

"How long does it generally take for a request to move through your system?"

"Um, at least a year. I think the average is three years. For especially difficult cases it can take up to ten."

"Years, wait…wouldn't some of those wishes become obsolete by the time they are processed?"

The secretary nodded more confidently. She had given this spiel hundreds of times. "yes, its true, by the time we sort through the requests many of the wishes are no longer applicable. Those are thrown out. The ones that remain are evaluated, and those we deem fit to be granted are answered in order of urgency. Would you like to hear more about the selection process? It's really quite fascinating."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure it is" Hades waved a dismissive hand "Look, what I need you to do is to check on the status of one of your client's requests."

"When was it filed?"

"Earlier today."

"Oooh, I'm sorry. As I said before, we won't be seeing it for quite some time."

"See, here's the thing. It has to be answered. Tonight. I need you to move her file to the top of the list."

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but we're simply not authorized – "

"Maybe I'm not making myself clear." The god's voice was quiet, his hair a mere flicker above his head. He snatched a pile of paperwork from the desk. "Let's see, who do we have here? Julia, Alexandria, Marcus…" he waved the stack in front of her nose. "I give the word, and all these people end up dead with just a snap of my fingers. And where does that leave you? Dozens of unsatisfied customers, and your quota of happy endings unfulfilled. So?"

She was too stunned to speak. Hades brought his thumb and forefinger together, ready to make good on his threat, when she shook herself and stammered. "I – I think that – that….something….can be arranged. What was the name of that client?"