THE DEAD'S CLUB

Erianthe had been in the underworld for a week and had already set up a routine: she would wake up, get dressed, go to the cafeterium, and make breakfast for both herself and Hades. She would eat with Pain and Panic, clean the same areas over and over again because of the dammed Lord of the Dead, have dinner with the little demons, and finally go to bed.

Since that first day's incident, Hercules' daughter has tried to avoid that lord of the underworld, and she's mostly succeeded—except when he had to accompany her to clean restricted areas. Fortunately, that week, her task was only to clean Hades' private baths.

If the public baths had amazed her, the god's private baths were truly spectacular: the bath area was carved into the rock with water cascading from above, creating the illusion of multiple waterfalls throughout the room. There was also a private massage area, and the pool itself was enormous, much like the employees' pool, with both an indoor and outdoor section offering views of the underworld. As in the public baths, everything was crafted from black marble, and the ceiling was covered in luminescent stalactites. They were indeed fit for a king.

Hercules' daughter was focused on her task, intent on scrubbing the bathroom floors until they gleamed and ignoring the god, who had created a makeshift office for himself with his powers. He seemed to be reading several scrolls and appeared "absorbed," yet she sensed he was watching her from time to time. She knew this because she felt his gaze on her, and she had caught his reflection in the marble, his eyes not on the documents but on her as she worked.

She tried to brush it off, but who was she kidding? It made her nervous that he was looking at her, especially since he seemed as though, he wanted to say something from time to time. He would clear his throat, as though he were about to speak, yet nothing ever came.

Hades was losing his mind. That damned mortal was avoiding him. Ever since he'd lost his temper on her first day, she had barely spoken to him and went out of her way to avoid being alone with him in the same room. He knew he'd gone too far, especially after finding out it was all a prank by his stupid subordinates, who had paid with several rounds of torture sessions.

An inner voice urged him to apologize. "No way. A god never apologizes, especially not the lord of the dead," he thought, watching her scrub the floors of the baths. The silence was torturing him, especially since he missed talking to her. At this admission, the king of the underworld shook his head: "What a ridiculous idea. That girl is here to be tormented for eternity, nothing more. The other day wasn't a big deal…"

The truth was, the girl worked hard, and the palace gleamed like it had in the past, and now even some little demons had been set to work on repairing that troublesome hole in the door of the throne room.

He looked at her, and, in truth, he was dying to talk to her, to know more about her, to learn her tastes—all of it. But it was only so he could then use it to blackmail her and have her wrapped around his finger, of course. "You're fooling yourself," that voice repeated over and over again.

He took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and:

"Lord Hades, sir, a new group has just arrived from Thebes. They're requesting you at the dock for new arrivals," Ajax reported.

Hades had to resist incinerating the skeleton right there, but he managed to keep his cool and nodded. "That bag of bones will pay for this. I'll order him to give me massages for an entire month," the god thought, until he realized that Ajax had mentioned a group from Thebes.

He looked at Eri, who had suddenly gone still, as if frozen in place. "Damn, I hope she doesn't start crying." But he watched as the girl turned, her expression completely neutral, not showing a hint of emotion. Still, in her eyes, he could see that those words had struck her.

"Oh! Eri, when you're finished with the lord's baths, could you also clean the employee baths?" Ajax asked, oblivious to the situation.

"Of course, no problem. Just give me a few minutes."

"Eri, go and clean the public baths," Hades interrupted her. It was better for him to be at the dock to greet the new souls.

She looked at the lord of the dead, surprised, as she hadn't yet finished cleaning his baths, but she knew better than to contradict him. She didn't want to see him flare up again. So, she simply nodded, gathered her things, and left with Ajax to the employee baths.

Hades disappeared and reappeared at the dock for new arrivals. The entire group bore signs of burns. Just like most of the recent arrivals from Thebes, "how odd," thought the god. "It is possible that they were being burned alive."

That day felt especially long for the god of the dead. In the end, the group of new arrivals was larger than he'd expected, so, exhausted, he retreated to his private bath to relax. He could always calm down in those waters—or at least stop overthinking things, particularly about a certain orange-haired brat who kept popping up in his thoughts. He swam to the edge of the pool to admire the view of his kingdom. Furthermore, he conjured up a martini with a worm and started to drink. Peace was precisely what he needed.

"Eri! Come play with us, come on," he heard the familiar voice of Pain.

"Yeah, yeah, come with us! We know you draw really well, but put it aside for a bit and come on," Panic chimed in.

…1 hour earlier…

That day was equally long for Hercules' daughter. Ajax's words from that morning echoed in her head: the newly arrived souls from Thebes. How many more people have to die in Thebes? Eri wondered. She wanted to keep fighting, to go back home to her usual life where she could be with her family and friends, with the children of the revolution, but now she was trapped.

She had been sitting at a table in the cafeterium for a while, pushing the food on her plate around absentmindedly. Likewise, she didn't have much appetite, and her gaze was fixed on a single point on the table. Pain and Panic noticed she seemed down, so they approached her to talk.

"Eri! Don't you think you've mixed that salad enough?" Pain asked her.

Immediately, she stopped stirring her food and looked at the two little devils, who were watching her with concern. From what they knew of Meg's daughter, it was unusual to see her so downcast. In truth, she had surprised them. She was considerate, kind, and respectful, and honestly, she was fun and interesting to be around.

"Oh! Sorry, sometimes I'm a bit clueless! I got lost in thought." Eri tried to cover up.

The imps exchanged a skeptical glance, not entirely convinced by her excuse, but they didn't want to push her. However, they did try to cheer her up.

"You seem a bit stressed. It would be best if you took a bath later," suggested Pain.

"Yeah, we'll go too," added Panic.

Hearing this, Eri turned bright red. She usually takes her bath at the last minute to avoid anyone seeing her naked. Hades' two subordinates noticed her blushing and soon realized why. If they all went together, they'd see her completely naked.

"You know, we have a solution, so you won't feel shy about bathing with us," said Pain, making a black bathing suit appear.

"That's great! Thanks. This will definitely make it less embarrassing to bathe," Eri exclaimed.

"So, you're coming then?" Panic asked.

"Alright, fine. I'll join, but, just so you know, a bath isn't the most relaxing thing for me when I'm stressed."

"No? Then what helps you relax?"

"Drawing."

"Drawing?"

"Yes, I love drawing."

The two devils looked at Meg's daughter with an expression that said, What an odd girl, but they decided to give it a go and summoned a few scrolls and charcoal so she could draw.

"Draw something for us!" Pain requested.

Erianthe got to work and sketched portraits of both Pain and Panic. Hades' two minions were blown away when they saw the drawings; they were remarkably well-done. The girl was genuinely talented. They finished dinner and chatted for a bit before heading to the baths. The little devils promised not to peek while she soaped up. Then, just before getting into the pool, Eri put on her swimsuit, though she still felt like drawing—and she knew exactly what she wanted to capture: the view of the Underworld.

Luckily, she had a scrap of parchment left, though Panic assured her that she could always ask him for more drawing supplies whenever she needed them. So, she carefully took the parchment and charcoal and swam, holding everything cautiously above the water, over to the pool's edge, which fortunately had a wide enough ledge for her to draw. She was so focused on her sketch that she didn't notice that a certain Lord of the Dead was watching her.

Hades nearly choked when he spotted her, and not because he thought she was naked—he was actually relieved to see her wearing a swimsuit. Memo to me: ask those idiots where she got that swimsuit, he thought—but rather because he hadn't expected to find her here, especially while he was taking a relaxing bath to clear his mind of her.

From what he observed, the brat was drawing. He'd already noticed that she drew well—he'd seen a sketch in her room—but it also seemed she enjoyed art and architecture. She was fascinated with everything she saw in the underworld, even if it wasn't the typical art seen above ground.

His minions appeared to be trying to coax her into playing whatever game they were involved in, but she was so distracted that she didn't notice when one of them threw a ball at her. This hit her on the head. Caught off guard, she flinched, and, unfortunately, the parchment slipped from her grip and flew toward the River Styx.

"Damn! My drawing, it was almost finished," Eri yelled, spinning around to glare daggers at the two little devils, looking for the culprit who had thrown the ball.

"Sorry, Eri!"

"We didn't mean for you to lose the drawing like that. This is your fault, Pain!"

"Me? It was you, Panic!"

Their squabble made Erianthe giggle. Those two reminded her of her little brother, but she thought, Oh, I'll teach them a lesson. She slipped underwater silently and let them continue arguing. Pain and Panic kept blaming each other, oblivious to the fact that someone was sneaking up on them from below.

"Huh? Where'd Eri go?" asked Pain, noticing she'd disappeared from the pool.

"Do you think she jumped into the River Styx for her drawing?" Panic replied nervously.

Hades' minions had no idea what to do, but if she'd actually dived into the abyss, for what they've done, would she really do that? they wondered, their minds already anticipating a punishment from their boss that would last through eternity.

Suddenly, Erianthe appeared behind the little devils, her hair down over her face, and shouted, "I'm the monster of the public baths!"

She put on her deepest, most guttural voice and grabbed both devils by their tails, saying, "If you scare me again, I'll drown you in the pool like Nemeris!"

Hades was watching from the upper pool, and he had to suppress a laugh when he saw Pain and Panic's faces as Eri appeared behind them. A monster, huh? She's far too cute to be a monster, the god thought to himself.

"Nemeris? Who's that?"

"There's a forest near Thebes that's best avoided—not just because of the monsters that live there, but because they say spirits haunt it. And one of those spirits lives in the lake. They say the spirit is that of a beautiful woman who calls to you by name, and then…"

"And then what happens?"

"She drags you to the bottom of the lake to drown you!"

"No way. Could it be a mermaid?"

"Who knows, but many have died in that forest, especially near that lake."

"That's creepy! You mortals believe in such strange, spooky things," said Pain.

"Maybe, but they're ancient legends, passed down through generations. Blame the mortals who started the rumors."

"And blame the mortals who believe them."

"Touché," Eri admitted, as she herself did believe in such things.

"Now I don't feel like playing anymore; should we call it a day?"

"It's probably for the best; we have work tomorrow," Eri agreed, heading over to retrieve the charcoal she had left at the pool's edge, thankful it hadn't fallen in.

"Erianthe…"

She froze. Someone was calling her. "Who's there?" she wondered, looking around. Pain and Panic were busy leaving the pool, talking among themselves, and there was no one else in sight.

"Erianthe…"

She heard the voice again. This time, she realized it was coming from the river Styx. Suddenly nervous, she picked up the charcoal and hurried away, not wanting to be alone.

Hades watched, concerned, noticing the way her face had turned pale, as if she'd seen or heard something unsettling. "I'll need to keep an eye on her; she might have heard one of the souls," thought the lord of the underworld, knowing from experience how deceitful many of the souls in his realm could be.

Though she'd been in the Underworld for a week and had already established a routine, ever since that day at the pool, Eri couldn't stop hearing her name at night. She felt like she was losing her mind. "Who keeps calling me?" she wondered, both intrigued and terrified. "And why?" After several nights of poor sleep, Hercules' daughter decided she had to find out who it was.

She was scared, especially since she wasn't armed, only in her pajamas. She couldn't defend herself if she had to, but even so, she doubted she could stand up to any resident of the Styx.

"Erianthe…"

At first, it was barely a whisper.

"Erianthe!"

Then it grew louder.

"ERIANTHE!"

She reached the place, one of the banks of the river, a broad, smooth estuary. There, she could hear the voice clearly calling her name, but no one was there—no sign of a soul.

Just at the edge of the shore, she noticed something: it looked like a scroll. "Could it be?" she thought, her heart racing. She moved closer and saw it—the drawing she had lost the other day. It was there, practically untouched. She bent down to pick it up when, suddenly, a hand reached out from the river. A soul was grabbing her wrist.

"Ah!" Eri screamed, quickly jerking back to keep herself from being dragged into the river.

Meanwhile, in the lord of the dead's quarters, Hades awoke with a start. Something was disturbing the souls, and… had he heard a scream?

Back at the River Styx's edge, Eri couldn't believe it—there was a soul at the shore, staring at her.

"Are you Erianthe? The artist behind this drawing?" the soul asked.

"Uh… me? Yes, but how—?"

"You signed the drawing, kid," replied the soul.

"Damn, that's right. I signed the stupid thing," she thought, glancing at it and spotting her name at the bottom.

"Hey! Help me out, would you?" The soul was almost out of the river but needed a final pull to free himself. Eri hesitated. She was strictly forbidden from freeing souls from the river, especially after her earlier encounter upon arriving in the Underworld. Still, something told her he wasn't dangerous.

She stepped forward and held out her hand. A deep chill shot through her as she felt the soul's touch, but she pulled until he was fully out.

"Thank you! You're very kind. Finally, I can stretch my legs. My name's Dorien—at least, it was while I was alive."

"N-nice to meet you, Dorien."

"You have a lot of talent, Erianthe! I was thrilled when I saw your drawing; you captured the essence of the underworld perfectly."

"Really? You think so?"

"Of course. I'm a musician and patron of the arts—or I was, anyway. I know talent when I see it, and you, young lady, are bursting with it!"

Erianthe was thrilled—finally, someone was praising her drawings! Even if it was a dead man, it gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, she could one day fulfill her dream. No, she reminded herself, that was impossible. She was trapped in the Underworld, and above ground, there was still a war raging.

"Thank you for your kind words, but now I work here, cleaning. My art is only a hobby…"

"No, no, no. I refuse to let your art stay just a hobby! Don't you have dreams?"

"Of course I do, but I have to accept my fate. Dreams are beautiful, but they're not always realistic with the world around us. We're still at war, Dorien."

"And you're just going to give up? I may not be alive anymore, but I never stopped chasing my dreams, and neither did my band. Right, fellas? What do you say? Let's rock this place!"

The soul helped bring up more souls, and before long, Eri was surrounded by spirits. "Hades is going to kill me," she thought.

Dorien, along with his band, began to sing a song:

Life is never easy, baby,

You never know what might come your way.

But giving up isn't an option.

I lived my life to the fullest,

looking forward,

never looking back.

The souls began to dance and sing along with the band.

Everyone is in pursuit of happiness.

Though not everything that glitters is gold,

don't worry.

You gave it a shot. It'll be alright.

Tell me about your dreams,

tell me what makes you happy.

It doesn't matter if you fall,

just get back up again.

Come on, girl.

You only live once!

Don't let your dreams slip away.

Now the souls were encouraging her to dance and sing along, and truly, Eri felt free and happy to let herself go this way. "How long had it been since she last danced and sang?"

What no one noticed was that a certain lord of the dead had arrived at the scene, angry to see souls had escaped the river and were in the middle of a huge party. "Who released the souls?" And there she was. He saw Erianthe dancing and singing, smiling and shining.

Everyone is in pursuit of happiness.

Though not everything that glitters is gold,

don't worry.

You gave it a shot. It'll be alright.

My dream is easy.

But I'd love to create

Beautiful artworks.

And share them with the world!

"That's the way to sing it, baby! Never stop shining, Erianthe!" exclaimed Dorien.

Hades stood there, stunned. The little brat had caused all of this, and while her dance was captivating and her voice enchanting, she had crossed the line and broken one of the Underworld's golden rules: never let souls out of the River Styx.

"ERIANTHE!"

The daughter of Hercules turned to see the god. "Oh no, Hades," she thought. And there, in front of her, stood the god of the dead, furious beyond measure.

Hello everyone!

Here's another new chapter! This is the longest chapter that I've written of this story. Also, this chapter was difficult to write because I didn't know how to develop the relationship between Hades and Erianthe at this point, but I think I could solve it nicely and include some of Erianthe's development.

What do you think? Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you for reading!