Hades Titans {BOOK 2}

X. Beastly

The skies were dull. Grey and black. Raindrops were knocking on my window for the second day in a row. Clawing at the walls of my home, drowning any other noise outside or inside of the house. It was the first time I had felt so much peace. The colour of the Underworld had returned to black, the colour the mundane proclaimed it to be in their fairy tales. Tales of the Underworld were written on a grey, dark, rainy day. Darkness brought fear out of the mundane. A ridiculous fear and weakness. Much like being afraid of the tiny, little eight-legged creatures in their homes. Ant sized crawlies. Fragile little babies were murdered every day because of the irrational mundane fear. Their fears would evaporate at the sight of my babies. I had plenty of them to share. 10 feet tall beasts that would tower over any human. Fear deserving beasts. Not ant-sized bugs. Unfortunately, it was illegal for my babies to walk on the free land of any kind. Even Tarus. They were deemed only good enough for war. My poor babies. But if war was my only way of showing off my beauties, then war I shall provide.

Scy my pride and joy. She had grown beyond my expectations. Her size was beyond any other beast I had ever owned. I had lost count. Twenty, maybe even thirty feet tall. Beyond any man, I had ever seen. Beyond any building, I had built. She was smart. She knew she couldn't survive in her form. She was much too large to be undiscovered. A large monster in the sea was bound to be found out. She had evolved into a beautiful, little cottonmouth. She had found her own place to hide, only appearing to me on request. She knew better than to show herself to anyone but me. Her turquoise, silky skin was translucent under the depths of Nick's sea. She was safe there with hundreds of other cottonmouths. If only some of my men had the brains of my beautiful monstress.

Bell, my baby always by my side. Bell quickly became my favourite. I had nurtured her from near-death to the beautiful, gold haired beast she was. I found her in a black plastic bag, outside the dungeons. Somebody had left her behind to die. She was my pride and joy. I had managed to keep Bell by my side. Her form was well known to the mundane and to the gods. She had two other forms. One known to the mundane as a goat. I didn't blend well into Tarus with her in that form. But most knew better than to laugh in my face. If they hadn't, they know now. Her other form made her a sister to Scy. A beautiful, silver head mamba. They both had hot tempers and it never took more than a minute for Bell to return to her beastly form in an attempt to overpower her sister. I'm sure she's glad Scy never turned to her true form in return. The fight would have been long over, and I would be a beast down. But Scy was smarter than that.

My precious Erin's. They were still small but had accomplished more than some of my two-hundred-year-old soldiers. They had tiny little bodies, but sharp as blade claws and razor-sharp teeth. Their grip was unshakable and once caught, it was unlikely you were going to get away. Being small and still growing into their full forms, my little Erin's had no self-control. Bringing me murderers and thieves anytime I let them out for some air. Causing me trouble.

Despite the rumours, I never found that I was as cruel as they had pegged me. A murderer. Torturing innocent nymphs and kidnapping goddesses. Except for that one time, I had never done such a thing. I tortured thieves. My baby Erin's kidnapped, liars and murderers. I had never tortured an innocent or kidnapped a goddess. I was generous. A gentleman. I didn't like liars much, nor thieves. Was I to be shamed for punishing them or thanked? Everyone deserved a second chance. Sometimes even a third chance. Existing was a precious gift and I wasn't one to just rid of that gift from every sinful tourist that brushed past me.

There was hardly a time the Black soldiers approached me. They knew better. I knew I wouldn't be able to live my quiet life if they knew about my beasties. I'd kept them to myself. I wasn't one for costing peace unless it was needed. And this time, it was needed.

We had been hiding and suffering for much too long. It was time for the titans to collect what belonged to us. The gods had ruled for much too long. They had taken half of my men. Once Star failed me, I had reached my breaking point. I wasn't asking for much. One innocent life to keep the gates open for us. One little life out of billions. Why did that little life have to fall right into Hayden's lap? There was no plan of war. It was all games. But upon finding out that that puny human was the only human I couldn't have, well, I had to have her.

I placed the pen onto the paper and the words poured out of me like a river. I felt generous. Though my patience was wearing thin, I had infinite time. I was in no rush to collect what was due to me. To all of us titans. But it was coming.

I spent years in Tarus. Chained to the grounds, holding the sky from falling. Taming Hayden's beasts. Being whipped to no avail. Starved and punished for every sound my stomach made while pleading for food. My family, friends all murdered right in front of me. My sisters and brothers cut into pieces and served to us as food. Forced to consume my own siblings. Those are the tales that need to be told. The rumours of horror that need to spread about Hayden, not me. I am the devil for punishing the sinners of the Underworld, while the devil himself is praised for cutting up titans into pieces and feeding them to their families.

Slowly but surely, I was coming to collect what I needed, what I deserved. It was my time to sit on that mighty throne and rule the Underworld. I was starting small. The Underworld was bound to last me a fair few years and once I grow tired of the same dull scenery, I will happily climb up to Olympus and take that too. Throw Rory off his almighty throne and wear his crown. Condemn the gods to Tarus and torture them as they did us. There was only one thing I needed to begin my journey to greatness. Evelyn Lockwood. 

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Teo's P.O.V. in case you couldn't tell. <3