LEARNING HOW TO BE A CINDERELLA
Erianthe woke up. For a moment, she thought she was at home and that her mother was waiting downstairs in the kitchen with breakfast. She opened her eyes, ready to jump up and go cut wood, but stopped when her gaze focused on the ceiling.
It hadn't been a nightmare. She really was in the underworld.
She sat up in bed; she should have known. This place was so different from her home: dark and cold, but at the same time, spacious and comfortable. Although it needed a good dusting, like the rest of Hades' palace, the room had everything. Even though the decor was minimal, the furniture was of exquisite quality, just like the mattress. Not even the mattress she had back in the village had been this comfortable! But it was missing something significant: her family.
She had only been away from home for a day, but she missed them terribly. She couldn't stop thinking about how they must have reacted to her note. How her mother must have been so angry she cried out of sheer frustration, and how her little brother likely broke down in tears. She just hoped her mother wouldn't rush off to Thebes searching for Patroclus to find out where she was or why she had left. Luckily, she knew her mother was careful.
What hurt her the most was the thought that, if her mother found out she had sold her soul to Hades—the same god her mother had once sold her soul to—she'd be even more furious. But more than that, she'd probably be disappointed, right? Disappointed in her behavior? And not just her—her father too?
A few tears slid down her cheeks. Thinking about them hurt so much. She would never see them again.
"Eri, snap out of it! You have to be strong and own up to your decisions and their consequences," she thought, shaking herself out of it. She couldn't stay there all day; that would only make things worse.
She didn't know what time it was, so she thought the best thing to do was check if the baths were open to freshen up quickly, then grab something to eat at the cafeterium. Luckily, the baths weren't far from her room, so she grabbed a clean tunic and headed to the hot springs.
Thankfully, they were already open. There was no one there, and just like in the cafeterium yesterday, a skeleton was managing the entrance.
"Welcome! You're up early. Everyone's still sleeping. Is this your first time?" Eri nodded in response. "Perfect, well, these baths are mixed, but if by any chance you prefer bathing alone, this time or the last hour of the day are best. Barely a soul shows up, hahaha—get it?"
Eri tried to laugh at the bad joke, but she figured she'd need to get along with her new companions, so she'd have to get used to that kind of humor.
"I see you appreciate a good joke, I like that. By the way, my name is Ajax."
"Erianthe, nice to meet you."
"Such a beautiful name! Well, Erianthe, here's a towel. Head straight ahead, and you'll find the changing rooms. Leave your things in one of the lockers there, then come out to the baths with your towel."
"Thanks, Ajax. That's very kind of you," she replied warmly.
"Don't mention it. Enjoy the view!" Eri looked at him, waiting for another joke, but seeing the skeleton return to other tasks, she walked in, still puzzled by his comment about the view. "View? What view?" She wasn't sure what he meant.
Inside the changing room, she saw numerous lockers. She didn't love the idea of mixed baths, but she guessed there weren't many women down here, so she had no choice but to adapt and use the baths during quieter times.
She undressed and wrapped herself in the towel before heading into the bathing area. To her surprise, it was a spacious, warm, and well-lit area. She looked up and noticed lights seemingly coming from the rocks—were those worms? Whatever they were, they cast an ethereal glow, almost like magic.
Like the throne room, everything was made of polished black marble. It was stunning. Water flowed from various fountains, there were benches, and even oils and soap were provided. Honestly, it wasn't bad at all. The King of the Underworld seemed to take good care of his employees.
What she hadn't expected was to see a partially roofed pool. "So that's what he meant by the view," Eri thought, as part of the pool extended out onto a sort of balcony.
Curious, Eri quickly showered. A smile crept across her face—it had been years since she had bathed in hot water, and it was so relaxing! Once she was clean, she jumped into the pool.
"By the gods! This… this is amazing." Megara's daughter was thrilled—a pool of hot water was a real luxury. She swam to the exterior part of the pool, and what she saw left her speechless: she could see part of the River Styx, and… were those the Elysian Fields? Yes, from there she could see the Underworld from above, as she was in the highest part of the palace. It was a spectacular view, at least for her.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone getting into the water. "Damn, I don't want anyone to see me naked," Eri thought. However, that was going to be inevitable since the baths were mixed. She turned to see who it was, but there was no one—she was alone.
"Weird, I could've sworn I heard someone enter the water," she thought, only to be interrupted by the sound of splashing, but it wasn't her or anyone else in the pool. "Wait, what?" She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the other pool, located above the employees' one. And there, in all his splendor, was the god of the dead, standing at the edge of the pool, gazing at the view.
Eri didn't move a muscle. She wasn't about to let the god of the dead see her like this. Luckily, it seemed like he hadn't noticed she was in the employees' pool. "I guess he doesn't care if others are bathing," she thought, only to then realize Hades was, in fact, naked, though she could only see his well-toned torso and biceps. "What? Did I just think about what I think I did? No way. Well, yes. Damn! I just thought Hades had well-toned biceps." Erianthe mentally scolded herself and likely turned as red as a tomato. She decided to get out of the pool before Hades noticed her.
Meanwhile, the god was completely lost in his thoughts, paying no attention to the employees' bath below. Another night without sleeping well—but that was nothing new. Not only were the recent memories of the vortex haunting him, but also ancient memories from eons ago.
A good bath always relaxed him, easing the tension in his muscles. He would ask Ajax for a good massage later. "Yeah, I need one, like, right now," Hades thought, eyes closed. Just then, he felt it—someone was watching him. On impulse, he looked around but didn't see anyone. "Of course, this is my private area." Then it occurred to him that perhaps one of his subordinates had gotten up early and was in the bath below.
He glanced down and noticed someone had just submerged in the water. He couldn't see clearly who it was since they swam under the covered section, but he caught a glimpse of a small orange head emerging from the water and heading toward the pool's exit. "Erianthe? Was she bathing?" The thought of it made the god of the dead blush. "What the hell? I'm not a teenager—why should I care if she was bathing?" He tried to distract himself with other thoughts, but without much success. "Damn brat."
Erianthe quickly got out of the pool, grabbed her towel, and rushed to the changing room. She dressed in her clean tunic and headed straight for the public bath exit. Ajax wasn't around, so she made her way back to her room.
Once inside, she took a deep breath. Her heart was racing. She didn't understand why she had gotten so worked up or why her heart was beating so fast. It wasn't the first time she'd seen a man's torso. She'd seen her friends before and never felt uncomfortable. "Of course, because you're comfortable with your friends," Eri thought. But with the god, she had no relationship with him, though from now on, she would be his subordinate for the rest of her life.
Gradually, she calmed down. She walked over to the vanity and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, so she found a comb and brushed through her mane. It had been a long time since she'd done that, partly due to a lack of time, and also because her last comb had broken from the tangles in her hair.
Once she finished, she checked herself again. Her hair had grown, but she wasn't going to tie it up yet, as it was still quite damp. She decided to let it air dry, though she could no longer dry it under the sun like she used to. Maybe she could ask Pain and Panic for advice on what to do down here.
Before heading to the cafeterium, she gave herself one last look in the mirror and had to admit that her new tunic was stunning. It was a dark blue color that almost looked black, with golden details. She couldn't resist smiling at the sight of herself dressed like this. She felt like a girl again and not a wreck, even though her situation hadn't exactly improved—she was now trapped in the Underworld.
When she arrived at the cafeterium, it was almost empty, save for two little demons and the cook. She went straight to the pantry they had shown her the day before and grabbed several pieces of fruit, some cereal, and—feta cheese? She could make something delicious with the cheese! Not only that, but she had the ingredients to make pita bread, and it was still quite early.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but when she finished cooking, she noticed Pain and Panic entering, searching for breakfast.
"Good morning, Eri!" greeted Pain. "I see you're an early riser. We went to wake you, but you weren't there."
"Good morning," she replied with a smile. "I couldn't sleep, so I took the chance to freshen up and make myself some breakfast."
"Smells great, can we try some?" Panic asked, practically drooling over Eri's food.
"Of course," she said, offering them feta cheese rolls, along with some fruit salad mixed with cereal, honey, and a touch of cinnamon. The little demons' eyes widened in surprise at how good it all tasted.
"This is delicious! We never eat stuff like this; the cook usually makes us food for the dead, nothing fresh."
"Thanks, guys. I can cook something for you anytime," Eri said with a smile. The two demons were thrilled with her—she was kind, respectful, and didn't treat them poorly. She was very different from her mother. Now, they felt a little bad about the prank they had planned for her.
"Well, Eri, ready for your first day of work?" Pain asked.
"Mmm, yeah, I think so. Should I be?" Eri sensed something was off. "Where do I start?"
"You'll begin by cleaning the throne room, mainly getting rid of all the rubble and dusting everything off."
"Uh-huh, okay."
"Yeah, but first, you have to take the boss his breakfast," Panic added.
"What?"
"Yep, the boss likes having his breakfast brought to him. He loves a bowl of worms and a fig smoothie."
"Right, anything else?" Eri wrote down her new boss's order.
"Oh! Why don't you bring him something you made? I'm sure he'll like it." The demons exchanged glances, knowing full well how much Hades hated having his routine, especially his breakfast, changed.
"Alright, I'll get it ready now," she said, heading off to the kitchen. Meanwhile, the two demons chuckled to themselves—messing with the newbies was always fun, and Eri was no exception.
Eri prepared the breakfast. The cook had told her how Hades liked his worms, so she didn't question it, since she had no idea how to prepare them anyway. What disgusted her the most was that they were still alive. "Ugh," she thought, watching the worms squirm in the bowl.
She finished making the fig smoothie with a special touch and added some of what she had made for herself. She decided to give it a personal touch, like how her mother used to leave her little notes saying Good morning when she packed her lunch for school. "Maybe that'll help him be less grumpy," Eri thought, figuring it's always good to make a good impression on the first day.
"Oh! We almost forgot," Pain said. "You have to knock on the door, go in, and there's a small table by the door where you can leave the breakfast. Knock, set it down, and leave, okay?"
"Right, but I'm not supposed to enter his quarters, technically."
"Bringing him breakfast is the one exception."
"Fine. Any other ridiculous instructions?" Eri was getting tired of all the rules.
"Nope, that's all. Once you've left the tray, head to the throne room—we'll be waiting for you there."
With that, she headed to the god's chambers to deliver his breakfast. Each step made her more nervous, especially after this morning's encounter, but she couldn't let a pair of muscular biceps rattle her.
When she reached the door, she froze for what felt like an eternity, though it was probably only a few seconds. Taking a deep breath, she knocked. She stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, but she could make out a huge bed. In truth, the room was sparsely decorated, but everything was luxurious and elegant—nothing too extravagant. She noticed a tapestry depicting a stunningly beautiful woman.
Suddenly, she heard a noise. Following the instructions of the two little demons, she quickly set the breakfast on the small table, closed the door, and hurried out. Five minutes later, she was in the throne room.
There stood Pain and Panic, waiting for Eri, and they explained what she needed to do with the debris when they suddenly heard the god storm into the throne room, furious.
"Who was the fool that entered my chambers and left the breakfast?!" Hades roared in anger. Normally, he wouldn't have been so upset, but today his mood was particularly foul. He hadn't slept, and the pool incident from that morning had only worsened it. He didn't want to be disturbed, especially not in his quarters.
"Sir, we didn't—" the god's two lackeys stammered.
"It was me." Erianthe cut them off. For a brief moment, Hades calmed down at the sight of her, but he quickly grew angry again.
"Eri, Eri, Eri. It's your first day, and you've already made me angry." Although he tried to sound calm, the red flames flickering around him betrayed his temper.
"I thought it would be a nice gesture…" she replied.
"You thought? Well, you thought wrong, dear, because one of the main rules around here is that you never enter my chambers, EVER!" Hades shouted, his fury growing. The imps grabbed Eri by the arm and hid under the table as the god scorched part of the throne room in his rage.
Once they sensed that Hades had calmed down, they crawled out of their hiding spot. Pain and Panic were used to this, but Eri was left shocked and nearly terrified. She looked around at the destruction Hades had caused. "Great, cleaning the underworld will be a real nightmare," she thought, seeing the charred remains of the room. At that moment, she realized that if it hadn't been for the two little imps, she probably would have been burned by those flames.
Eri glanced at Hades. He was breathing deeply, trying to fully calm down. She didn't know when she had started trembling, but she wasn't about to let that idiot see her cry out of fear.
The god noticed how frightened she was. It didn't bother him; after all, that's who he was—strict about his rules. He didn't care if he had almost made her cry. "Yeah, right," said a small voice in Hades' head.
"Look, sweetheart, don't ever come near my chambers again, got it? And from tomorrow onwards, you're making my breakfast every day. I want everything you made today to be the same, but ask the cook where to leave it. And today, I want this throne room to be spotless. I don't care how long it takes, but get it done. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," she answered weakly.
"Good, well, what are you waiting for? Get to work!" he ordered. And with that, he left the room, not without hearing the soft sobs of his subordinate as he did. It made him feel a pang in his chest. He paused and took a deep breath—no mortal was going to soften him.
For Erianthe, the day felt endless. She didn't even stop for lunch. After Pain and Panic apologized for the prank they had pulled, she assured them she didn't hold it against them, but she spent the day avoiding everyone, especially the king of the Underworld.
By the time her shift was over, she barely made it to the baths before they closed. She decided that this late hour was the best time to bathe without anyone around, especially after a long day spent covered in sweat, soot, and dust. Once she was clean, she returned to her room, though she barely remembered how she even made it to bed. The next thing she knew, she woke up between the sheets the following morning.
During that day, the god of the dead couldn't shake the image of the girl's tearful face, even as he spent the whole day signing paperwork from over a decade ago. "Maybe I was too harsh," he thought, but he knew he had to be tough if he wanted respect.
The next morning, he realized he had indeed been too harsh when his breakfast arrived—with no good morning note. At that moment, Hades knew that another person had come to hate him—or worse, that he was seen as a heartless monster.
Hello everyone!
Finally, I have managed to translate all the chapters into English of the ones I had originally written in Spanish.
Do you like Hades and Erianthe interactions? I love them!
I hope you are liking the story. And you can leave your comments. I'd like to know your opinion, and if not, leave your likes.
Thank you for reading.
