THE DARKNESS SEEKS THE LIGHT

Warning: This chapter contains scenes of nudity and attempted of rape.

The sun had disappeared over the horizon, and although the Underworld was always cloaked in darkness, its residents knew it was night on the surface. Hades waited at the dock, impatient, his brow furrowed as he looked out over the River Styx. Charon observed him from his boat, feeling similarly uneasy; the girl had not returned. And what's more important, she had agreed with the Lord of the Underworld to be down on time.

"Where is she?" murmured Hades, his dark gaze reflecting more than just simple concern. A foreboding feeling was growing in his chest, intensifying with every passing second.

Pain and Panic were also at the dock, exchanging nervous glances. They knew Erianthe had promised to return by dusk, and now they feared something terrible had happened to her on the surface.

"Maybe she just got distracted looking at the stars…" Panic ventured, trying to downplay the situation, though his tone betrayed that he didn't believe it himself.

Hades shot him a fierce look, causing the little demon to shrink back in fear. The idea that something might have happened to Erianthe in the world of the living was gaining strength, and a primal instinct—one he hadn't felt in ages—was pushing him to take action.

"Damn mortal, she probably took the opportunity to escape," an inner voice told him. Hades took a deep breath. Erianthe wasn't like that… "What do you know? You trusted her, and look, she hasn't shown up. She's betrayed you. Like everyone else…"

No, no, she… She hasn't betrayed me. Hades refused to believe it.

"Charon, get ready. I'm going to look for her myself," he said finally, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The boatman nodded, and Hades boarded the boat with an air of determination. Pain and Panic, though terrified, hurried to follow him. With a swift motion, Charon began to row, cutting across the dark waters of the river. Hades was resolved to recover what had been lost on the surface.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Erianthe was beginning to regain consciousness. Her head throbbed, and she felt a sharp pain in her back from the blow. Opening her eyes, she saw she was in a cart with her hands tied. Next to her was the wolf, watching her. She looked at it with sadness and concern, as she had no idea where these traffickers were taking them.

Suddenly, the cart came to a stop, and she heard one of the men shout, "We camp here." She listened as one of the men got down from the cart and began setting up camp, while the third man came to the back of the cart and saw that her eyes were open.

"Well, look who decided to wake up," said the man, who was tall and muscular, looking at her with a lecherous grin. He eyed her up and down, analyzing every curve. Erianthe struggled against the ropes. "It's useless, girl; you won't be able to escape. Besides, I see you're a gorgeous girl. We'll get a good price for you in the slave market."

"She is pretty! Hey, before we sell her, maybe we should be sure and check her out properly, don't you think?" added the man setting up the camp. Unlike his companion, he was short and skinny.

"Get her off the cart," said the third man.

"Yes, boss." The two men grabbed the girl, one by the legs and the other by the shoulders, and pulled her out of the back of the cart.

"Let go of me!" Eri yelled as the men dragged her, one of them taking the opportunity to grope her breasts. Behind her, she could hear the wolf growling at the men who were taking her away.

"Silence!" The third man, the one they called boss, was very intimidating. He radiated an air of ruthlessness and looked at Erianthe with distaste. They had already lit a fire, and from what Eri could see, they were by a lake. "If you don't stay still, I swear it'll be the last thing you do. Got it?"

Eri was terrified; this man didn't mess around. But she made a very foolish mistake by giving him a defiant look, and he struck her with his fist across the face.

"Ah!" the girl cried out in pain. She felt a sharp pain in her right cheek, and her mouth tasted of iron—he had split her lip.

"So, you think you're brave? Guys, have you not expressed your desire to taste her? Go ahead, do whatever you want with her," the man said with a malicious smile.

Meanwhile, up on the surface, Hades, along with the imps, searched the area for any clue about the girl's whereabouts. Deep down, the god imagined that at any moment she might appear from behind a bush, smiling and apologizing, maybe saying she had fallen asleep or that she couldn't find her way back.

"She's gone. She's escaped. Admit it—no one wants to return to the underworld," that voice told him. No, she's not like that, he repeated to himself, convincing himself that Eri wasn't like the others.

"Boss! We found her bag," yelled Pain. He hurried to where they had found her belongings; they were scattered on the ground, and undoubtedly, they knew something had happened to Hercules' daughter. She would never have left her art supplies lying around, especially not in the middle of the forest.

And then he heard it—the plea of a mortal calling out to him, the god of the dead. He heard Erianthe's cry, begging him for help.

A few moments earlier…

Erianthe felt those men begin to touch and undress her. She didn't want to cry, but she was desperate; she didn't want to lose her virginity this way and didn't want to be raped. She tried to fight back. Not only that, but she tried to kick them with her legs, which weren't tied, tried to resist, but it only made them hit her harder.

She thought of her family and her friends, and strangely, when she thought of them, she thought of him—she thought of Hades. "Hades, he'll be furious," she thought, and then it struck her: "If you invoke the gods with prayers or pleas, they will appear." She had nothing to lose by trying.

"Hades! Lord of the dead, I beg you. Help me! Your servant implores you!" Erianthe shouted with all her strength.

"What's this lunatic doing?" one of the men asked.

"Hahaha. She's lost her mind; she's already praying to the Lord of the Underworld," mocked another man.

Erianthe heard them laughing and mocking her as they tore her tunic, pulling down the top and exposing her chest.

"No! No!"

"Come on, pretty one! Just stay still!"

She couldn't hold back any longer. Eri began to sob, and in a faint voice, she murmured, "Please, Hades. Help me."

Suddenly, there was a noise, a faint whisper that seemed to echo in the air. The traffickers looked up, confused, but before they could react, a dark figure emerged from the trees, like a menacing shadow.

It was Hades.

The god of the dead observed the scene. Two men were on top of his subordinate, who had tears in her eyes, a split lip, and was half-naked, while the third man stood nearby, watching.

Erianthe was crying, bound, bloody, and exposed, surrounded by three men in the middle of the forest. Hades had to control himself to keep from exploding with the fury he felt, but it was clear to everyone present, judging by their expressions, that he was enraged.

His presence filled the air with a palpable aura of danger, and the men felt a chill run down their spines. The god's gaze was as cold as ice.

"How dare you lay a hand on my subordinate?" he said in a voice laced with barely contained fury. Though he didn't shout, his words vibrated with an overwhelming and threatening power.

The two men who had been on top of Erianthe scrambled to their feet, terrified, because standing before them was the god of the dead himself. The third man, the leader, grabbed the girl by the arm.

"You want her? Then let's make a deal. You let us leave without any trouble, and we'll give you the girl. Otherwise, I'll slit her throat." The man pulled out a knife and pressed it against Eri's neck. "You wouldn't want this beauty ending up dead in your realm, would you? It's such a shame we can't sell her. We could have made a lot of money, but it seems this little toy already has an owner."

"How dare you try to bargain with a god, mortal?" Hades was on the verge of incinerating him; he was furious. They had intended to sell Eri as a slave, and he wanted to kill them right there. But he saw the fear in the girl's eyes. He decided to act rationally, though it wasn't his style. "Fine, go. Give me the girl."

"Wait, Hades, the wolf… it needs to be freed," Erianthe said in a faint voice. The god noticed a caged animal on the cart. Then he understood: the girl wanted to help that animal. Is she serious? He thought.

"I told you more than once to return by sunset," he said, his tone firm, though there was something more than reproach in his eyes.

Erianthe nodded, ashamed.

"I'm sorry… I saw that wolf trapped, and I couldn't help but try to free it," she said, looking at the animal, still caged.

Then, the god started to act. His patience was wearing thin. With a mere snap of his fingers, the surrounding trees began to tremble, and the ground beneath them cracked, releasing a dark smoke that wrapped around the men like chains.

At that moment, Pain and Panic appeared, helping to free Erianthe from the ropes that bound her hands. The girl watched as Hades, with a simple gesture of his right hand, tightened the smoky chains around the men, causing them to writhe in pain. Hades glanced at the wolf for a moment, silent, and made a gesture with his other hand. The lock on the cage snapped open instantly.

Before the wolf could escape, one of the men struck the cart. They had wedged a rock under one of the wheels to keep it still, and with that hit, the rock dislodged, sending the cart tumbling into the lake along with the cage and the wolf.

"No!" Eri screamed, not hesitating to dive into the lake to help the animal out of the cage.

"Eri! No!" the little demons shouted as she plunged into the water to save the wolf.

"Boss! Erianthe is in the lake!" Panic yelled.

What? Damn it! How can she be so impulsive? The god was busy torturing the mortals, who were on the verge of passing out from the pain. "I'll deal with them later," he thought, and with a snap of his fingers, he sent them to Tartarus, where they would rot in a cell for eternity.

Hades approached the lake and watched as something surfaced, hoping it was the brat. He was ready to give her a monumental scolding, but what emerged from the lake was the wolf. At that moment, the god's heart almost stopped. Where is she? The wolf howled, signaling to him that something was wrong.

He snapped his fingers again, but nothing happened. What? Don't tell me! My powers? Have I lost my powers again? There was no time; he dove into the lake to find her. The lake wasn't very deep, so he submerged and swam toward the bottom.

There, he saw her. Unconscious, part of her tunic had gotten snagged on the cage door. Damn, girl. How do you throw yourself in to save someone and then can't save yourself?" the god thought irritably. He tore the fabric of her tunic that was caught, grabbed her, and swam toward the surface. Once out, he swam to the shore, and the demons helped him lay her down on the ground.

"Sir, she's not breathing," Pain said, worried.

The Lord of the Dead quickly climbed out of the lake and kneeled beside the girl to help her. "Damn, of all the times to lose my powers," he thought. He was about to begin resuscitation when he noticed the young woman's partial nudity. Hades, this is not the time—act! And he began to revive her.

Come on, wake up! The god used his last option, mouth-to-mouth.

She felt her body heavy. She opened her eyes and saw that everything around her was water; she was slowly sinking, yet she wasn't drowning. In fact, she felt calm and at peace.

Suddenly, she heard a voice. At first, she didn't recognize it, but soon she realized it was her father's voice.

"Eri, darling, what are you doing?"

"Dad…" She felt so exhausted.

"Come on, sweetheart, wake up. They're waiting for you."

"Dad…"

"Wake up, Eri, please." This time, it wasn't her father's voice. It was someone else's—Hades? "Wake up!"

"Cough! Cough!" Erianthe was disoriented. "What happened?"

"You're far too impulsive, Erianthe." Hades' voice was gentle, but there was an unmistakable hint of affection and concern in it.

"I'm sorry, Hades," she whispered, and then hugged the god who had once again saved her life. "Thank you for coming to find me."

"There's no need to thank me, but next time, don't rush in and don't act alone, all right?" He returned her embrace. The god and the mortal stayed like that for a moment, until one of the imps spoke up.

"Eri, you're going to catch a cold dressed like that."

Erianthe looked down and saw that her tunic was torn all over, exposing her, especially around her chest. Embarrassed, she hugged herself, trying to cover as much as she could.

Seeing that the poor girl was redder than he got when he was angry, Hades decided to give her some clothing. Since he couldn't use his powers, he decided to give her some of his attire. He always wore a chiton, with a toga fastened by his skull brooch, over it.

He removed his toga and wrapped it around the girl to ease her embarrassment at being so exposed. Erianthe was surprised and looked at the god, who now stood with only his chiton.

"Is that better?" he asked her. Eri could only nod, though she was now dressed. She still felt shy about looking directly at the god. Why do I get so nervous? she wondered.

Suddenly, the demons shrieked in fear and hid behind the lord of the dead. The wolf was approaching them. As Erianthe had already noticed, this wolf was enormous, but being Meg's daughter, that didn't frighten her. She tried to stand, but Hades was still holding her in his arms.

"I'll be fine. Let me get up," the girl assured him.

"The last time you said, I'll be fine, you promised to return to the Underworld by sunset and to avoid getting captured by slave traders," the god replied with irony.

"Please, trust me."

Hades sighed and allowed her to get up, knowing he could trust her. "In the end, she didn't leave. She didn't betray me," the god thought.

With difficulty, Erianthe rose from his lap and walked over to where the wolf was. Now that she looked closer, there was something strange about it. Aside from being an enormous creature, its fur was entirely black, and its eyes were red. The wolf watched as the girl approached.

"I'm glad you're all right. You're free now!" Eri smiled, daring to stroke the head of the massive creature. "It's as big as a horse; you could actually ride it," she thought.

Hades looked on warily, aware that it was no ordinary wolf.

"Eri, be careful. You should know, that wolf is a being that appears in forests where there are wandering souls, to prevent those souls from causing havoc in the world of the living. They're like guardians. I'm surprised those men managed to capture one."

"Wandering souls?"

"Souls that are trapped in this world, wandering aimlessly. But they're dangerous because there's still something binding them to the world of the living."

"Good explanation, Lord of the Dead," came an unexpected voice from the lake.

Everyone was startled by the voice. From the water emerged a beautiful woman with dark hair and green eyes. She looked directly at Erianthe, who didn't understand who she was. A nymph? She wondered.

"So, you managed to survive, young one. I thought you might die—such a pity! You would have made a fine resident of these woods," said the woman.

"Resident of these woods?"

"This forest is home to numerous wandering souls, child. Those who carry guilt, regret in their hearts… and you… Your heart is full of it," she said maliciously.

Hades didn't like what was happening. He stood and placed himself between the spirit and Erianthe. The wolf also growled at the woman, stepping protectively in front of her.

"How sweet! You like this girl enough to protect her and save her life? I only appeared to give her some advice, I swear. I won't do her any harm."

"What do you want to tell me?" Erianthe asked.

"If you continue to carry that weight in your heart, Erianthe, daughter of Hercules and Megara, you will end up as a wandering soul, and your spirit will never find rest in the Underworld," the woman warned her.

"What do you mean?" Erianthe asked, frightened.

"That night still weighs heavily on your heart. You blame yourself for their deaths, your grandparents', and that young man's—yeah, especially that boy, Lysander."

It had been a long time since she'd heard anyone speak his name—Lysander. She couldn't hold back the tears that began to slide uncontrollably down her cheeks. Thinking of him always brought her great pain.

"What hurts you the most is that he sacrificed himself for you, isn't it?"

Hades watched Erianthe closely. He had never seen her like this before—with that pain in her eyes and those tears. It was a sight he didn't like. He wanted to see her smile, yet here she was, trembling and crying.

"Enough," they heard Erianthe whisper in a faint voice.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to remember it? Don't you want to hear it?" With that last taunt, Erianthe looked at her confused, until she saw the water in the lake shift and transform—into him.

Standing before them was a young man, handsome, dark-haired, with a gentle, kind face, smiling at Erianthe. "He looks exactly as I remembered him," thought the girl. She saw him and didn't hesitate to walk toward him, toward Lysander.

"Lysander…"

"Erianthe, my Eri. Live and be happy! Promise me you'll always give the world that beautiful smile of yours."

"Lysander…"

"Erianthe, I love you." And before she could reach him, the figure of the young man vanished.

"Lysander! No!" she cried out, her voice breaking. Her pain was almost tangible.

Hades held her to try to comfort her.

"If you don't forgive yourself, girl, if you don't heal, you'll never find peace. Remember that."

"Leave her alone, Nemeris," the god of the dead warned threateningly.

"Well, well! So, you know who I am. It is quite an honor coming from the Lord of the Underworld. But understand this: your beloved subordinate will have to heal her heart eventually; otherwise, one day she'll join this club."

From among the trees, specters started to emerge—souls that had been trapped. The wolf positioned itself between the girl and the souls, howling to drive them away, including Nemeris, who sank back into the water, but not before giving the god and the daughter of Hercules a malicious smile.

"Eri, can you hear me?" Hades asked, worried.

Erianthe didn't respond; she was in shock, reliving Lysander's final words from that night.

Seeing that the girl wasn't reacting, Hades decided to lift her up and carry her. He still had enough energy to transport them back to the gates of the underworld with Erianthe in his arms.

"Guys! Go prepare my private bath, get a change of clothes for Erianthe, and tell Giles to prepare something to eat—something suitable for the living," he ordered his minions, who vanished to carry out his instructions, though not without giving a worried glance at their companion.

Just before disappearing, Hades noticed that the wolf bowed in a gesture of respect, then disappeared into the shadows of the forest, likely searching for the recently disturbed souls.

"Let's go home, Erianthe," the god whispered to the girl, vanishing with her into the darkness of the night.

Hello everyone!

Finally, another chapter for this story.

The relationship between Hades and Erianthe is becoming more and more complex. Gradually, the two are beginning to trust each other. On the other hand, Hades is no longer treating Eri as a simple brat, and Eri begins to see Hades differently.

I hope you are liking this new development. And that you are enjoying the story as much as I am. And, by tomorrow, I hope to translate one more chapter into English.

You know, leave me some comments to let me know what you think, so we can comment on the story and what points you think could be improved.

Thanks for reading!