THE VIPER SHOWS UP

Where am I? It's so dark. Am I dead? How strange; I don't feel cold or warm—nothing. Wait! I can see a light!

I ran to the blue light. A blue light? That's weird. Since when is the fire blue? The most important thing is that I've started to feel warmer. Quite a lot, indeed, not to mention that the light was coming from someone and not something. Wait, someone is emitting fire from his body? And also, that fire is blue? How unusual.

"I see that you have come, mortal." The person in front of me was talking to me, but his back was turned to me, and the only thing I could perceive was that he was an imposing and tall figure.

"Who are you?" Were the only words I could manage to say.

"Me?" The figure turned around, and I could see yellow eyes watching me. "I am your owner! Your soul is mine for all eternity."

Hades watched as the girl in the hospital bed stirred, as if something was hurting her. "Did she have some other wound he hadn't seen?" He thought, worried. Worried? What nonsense! But something about Hades made him have a certain soft spot for that mortal, and he didn't know why. From the moment he saw her, he already thought she was special, but he didn't understand why he helped her against the manticore, and he knew it was because he didn't want to see her die.

How stupid! Of course, he wanted her to die. But not in that way, but to suffer even more, to endure what he had suffered for all these years trapped in the vortex of souls, and yet he was concerned that she might be wounded.

When the other quarrymen saw what was happening, they rushed to take the girl's body to the hospital that Hippocrates had opened. The one who was more worried was the boy who had met her at the beginning of her shift. Which was something he did not like, especially since he was the one who had been in charge of carrying the girl to a cart. "Why do I act like this? What difference does it make if she's being carried by a mortal?" Until a thought crossed his mind—because you wanted to carry her yourself— that puzzled Hades.

He looked at his hand. He remembered how he had caressed Erianthe's bloodied face; even if it was bruised, he could still remember the warmth and softness of her skin. "Hades, you are losing your mind," he said to himself. His mission was to take revenge, but for that, he had to watch and wait to strike at the best moment. He has a feeling that it wouldn't take him long to put his whole plan into action.

"NO!" Erianthe woke up startled. She had had a nightmare. Thank goodness, she thought.

Hades got startled. What a scare that brat had given him! Apparently she was shaken by a nightmare, not because she was hurt. He felt relieved.

Erianthe smelled that sulfur smell again. She knew that someone was there in the room with her. The same "person" who had been following her from her house to the quarry. She even remembered that someone had saved her from the manticore. And that someone gave off the same smell.

"I know you're there," she said, taking the courage to speak to him. "You've been following me all day." Erianthe tried to sit up, but immediately had to lie down again. She felt as if she had been hit by a cart. "Ouch, where am I?"

Hades made the motion to help her, but restrained himself. "Wow, now he wants to talk to me. She knows I'm here. How does she know?" Hades thought. He wanted to have some fun, so why not?

"I have nothing else to do."

"Well, you must be bored to be killing time with me."

"Hahaha" Hades was amused that he just used the phrase "killing time", if he knew he was talking to the god of the dead. "To be honest, I was not bored at all. What an outstanding performance with that manticore!"

"You saved me, didn't you?"

"Me? Pfff, no. It was someone else who was passing by."

"Don't lie! It was you; you saved me, but why did you do it?"

Damn it, Hades, think of something believable, something like…

"Because otherwise I'd be bored if you got killed." BINGO! I'm such an idiot.

"Thank you," whispered Erianthe.

At that point, Hades was speechless. It was not often that he was speechless, and even less because of a mortal. He looked at her, and the girl had her gaze fixed on where he was trying to spot, with no luck, who owned that voice. He had already noticed her blue eyes. They were undoubtedly beautiful eyes, but what surprised him was the sincerity he saw in them.

Not only that, but he had never felt this way before. No one had ever thanked him, or at least it had been eons since they had done so. There she was, the daughter of his worst enemy, wounded and bruised on a hospital bed, totally helpless. And the only thing Hades did was smile and tell her.

"You're welcome."

A warm smile came to Erianthe's face, a smile as bright as the sun, even brighter than the sun that Apollo carried in his chariot. It was a smile she would not mind seeing every day, but what the hell was happening to him? Bloody mortal…

Hades didn't even have time to curse how terribly cute that brat was when the door to the room opened and the chubby little man from the quarry appeared.

"Well, well, number 38. How lucky you were! You survived the attack by that monster. I'm glad you're okay, especially because a faithful worker like you would be a terrible loss," he said with a false smile. It was obvious that he was only there out of interest.

"Mr. Pancras shouldn't have bothered to come, I…"Eri was nervous; it wasn't good news that this short man was there. That was something Hades noticed. He looked at him with a sense of disdain, especially since he had interrupted his conversation with the brat.

"Young lady, don't worry, as I wasn't going to come," and he moved closer to Eri's stretcher. "We have to talk about something crucial: the hospital expenses and the hours you were absent today." Erianthe's eyes went wide; of course, the presence of the quarry supervisor was not good news. He wasn't worried about her; he was worried about the money.

"Sir, I apologize. I will compensate for the hours I missed today."

"My dear, I already know that. These hours are valuable. I was counting on you to make them up, but the medical expenses are beyond my means. I have to discount them from this month's pay."

"But…"

"SILENCE! There are no buts about it! And, don't be rude, or you would rather have been left bleeding to death in an alley!"

"No, but, you can't do that! Without money, my family." Erianthe was on the verge of tears; without money, she wouldn't have anything to feed her family. Although every month she saved something for emergencies, it seemed that this was going to be one of them.

"Of course I can. I am your boss! That number on your wrist is proof that you work for me. I can decide your destiny in the quarry. For this insolence, you should be fired."

"Well, well, Pancras. Don't be like that. You're scaring her, aren't you, honey? Besides, you know she has another option, don't you?" Everyone in the room was silent, since that voice came from outside, and it was a woman's voice.

A tall, slender woman entered, with long black hair and eyes as blue as sapphires. Hades saw that she was a stunning woman, but there was something about her that he did not like. He looked at Erianthe who was sitting on the bed. She became pale, and he could discern from her demeanor that this woman had frightened her. He didn't like to see her like that. He would rather see that smile from a few minutes ago. A smile that could light up even the underworld.

"My dear, don't listen to this grumpy," she said with a sweet voice, trying to charm Eri.

The chubby man looked at the woman with complete adoration.

"My lady, excuse me. I was just going to tell her the other choice. Girl, get out of bed and allow me to look at you."

Eri looked at him without understanding why he wanted her to get up, but she could not refuse. That man was the right hand of the king of Thebes. It was better to do what he asked without contradicting him, so she got up with some difficulty, since her whole body hurt and the wounds were very recent.

Once she stood up, Eri noticed that she was wearing a rather thin white robe. It was not transparent, but it covered just enough, exposing several areas of her body, such as her legs, arms, and some of her chest. That made Erianthe blush. She felt like a piece of meat because of the way he looked.

Hades was losing his temper. He had never been a very patient god. He wouldn't deny that, but he didn't like how the chubby man was looking at Eri. Likewise, he was devouring her with his eyes, and although he couldn't deny that the girl had a good body, that situation was disgusting. "I want to burn that guy," thought Hades.

"Excellent, yes. You're just what the king was looking for," smiled Pancras. "Right milady?"

"You are right, Pancras, but let me talk to her alone about her other option. Would you mind waiting for me outside?"

"As you wish," he said, bowed, and left the room.

"Well, well, how insensitive he is. It's better this way, isn't it? Let's have a girl talk, shall we?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Eri ducking her head and without looking at her eyes, since there was something in her look that intimidated her.

"I don't know if you know who I am, my dear"

"You are the king's high priestess, aren't you?"

"Yes! Very well. How clever you are! My name is Finn, and you are the firstborn of Hercules and Megara, or am I mistaken?" said the priestess with a satisfied smile when she saw Eri's shocked and terrified face.

"How do you know who I am?"

"I am a priestess and an oracle. I'm perfectly aware of who you are and what your name is, Erianthe. By the way, what a beautiful name! It means as sweet as flowers. Who gave it to you? Don't tell me, your father, right?"

Erianthe was totally petrified. She didn't know what to do, but what she did know was that she wanted to get out of that room, away from that woman. Hades could feel Erianthe's discomfort and wanted to get her out of there, but he could not. Something told him that woman was dangerous, and he didn't like the way she was talking to Eri.

"Well, I'm going to tell you the choice you have, Erianthe. I have foreseen you're 15, but you're just about to be 16, so that's good news!"

"Why do you say that?"

"You're perfect. You're the kind of girl the king is looking for. He'll pay you very well; however, you'll only be able to enter as soon as you turn 16."

"What?" At this point, Eri was confused, and it wasn't because of the blow she had received on the head, but because she didn't understand anything.

"Yes, my dear, when you turn 16, you can enter the king's court and be one of his courtesans! Isn't that wonderful?" Finn exclaimed.

"But I don't want to be a courtesan, I... I'm fine working in the quarry; really, I'm good at it."

"Eri, Eri, may I call you, Eri? There are no buts or excuses. The girls who enter the court are invited to serve in the palace to fulfill all the wishes of his majesty. The best part is that you and your family will not be lacking anything. Besides, do you think you have a choice? Do you think you can decide about your future? Your destiny was decided from the moment the war started, from the moment your father left to fight at the battlefront."

For Erianthe that moment hurt her so much. It hurt her to remember that day. The High Priestess was aware that she had succeeded. From her pocket, she took out a small crystal ball. She whispered a few words, and it began to glow, but the most incredible thing was that the image of a little girl appeared—her image nine years ago when the war was declared.

"You've always been such a cute little girl, Erianthe." The image showed her in a field of flowers, picking a few flowers and making a crown out of them, something her mother had taught her.

"Daddy! Look, I already have a made crown!" and suddenly in the crystal ball appeared her father, Hercules, just as she remembered him.

Erianthe could no longer stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. It was so hard to remember that day again, but more so to see her father and not be able to hug him. Hades watched as that oracle was manipulating the brat's feelings; "that was what he had to do", but he couldn't bear to see her cry.

"My little flower, what a beautiful crown! Who is it for?" The picture showed a happy Hercules bending down to see his daughter's handiwork.

"For you!" And she put it on her father's head, crowning him like a king.

"It's perfect, sweetie." At that moment, drums were heard, and as soldiers approached the hero and informed him that he was recruited to fight, Hercules, without a hint of hesitation, replied that it was an honor to go to fight on the battlefield.

"Stop it, please," Eri begged.

"Oh, come on, girl. Can't you handle the past, can't you?"

Finally, the crystal ball showed how Eri said goodbye to her father and how her last memory was watching him leave.

"You don't have the right to look into my past."

"Haha! Don't make me laugh. I'm an oracle; I can see everything about you, and I see that you won't be able to run away from your destiny."

"I'd rather go fight on the battlefield."

"You? A woman? You are a dumbass. Women can't fight, and, as you know it, your only option to survive is to spread your legs. Thank the gods for your pretty face. It will open doors for you to a better future. Believe me, it's your only option. When do you turn 16? And don't lie; I want to see if you are honest."

"In 6 months, on March 20th."

"That's great! When spring starts, and we don't have to wait long. I hope to see you by then, or else." Finn's face changed completely. "You'll wish you'd never been born, brat." The oracle's eyes opened, and it was like looking at a viper.

Erianthe wanted to scream. She felt as if she were going to suffocate. She had gotten herself into a big mess.

"Come on, don't make that face, but don't expect your father to come and save you. Besides, I have to say that you are not only beautiful; you have a pure heart as your soul." Eri looked at her and could see a cruel smile creeping on her face. "Be careful, daughter of Hercules, or someone will eat you up."

And with that, the high priestess left the room, leaving Erianthe kneeling on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Yay! Another chapter has been translated. You will see that the chapters are longer, so you will have so much fun and time reading them.

I hope you like the story, and how it is developing the plot. I love the interaction between Hades and Erianthe. Also, I would like to remind you that English is not my mother tongue, so if you see any mistakes, please don't hesitate to tell me.

Thank you for your support and for reading. Don't forget to leave your comments/reviews, and to follow or like the story.