HADES

Trouble is calling

It was in between the long car rides, naughty remarks, and deep conversations that the two had forgotten the world that was after the prisoner to eat the lasting remains of life that he had left to experience. It was in those moments that Hades went back to his authentic self and not the cruel mafia son that his father had tried to raise. He found deep comfort in listening to the princess talk about anything and everything. The pure bliss he was experiencing was part of what had made him forget his responsibilities to his friend that was left behind to wait for him. Although he enjoyed every moment he spent with the princess, he was torn between loving or leaving her. He knew how his life was going to end and the mere thought of leaving her was starting to trouble him. Was he getting to ahead of himself or would she actually miss him? Maybe he was just overthinking their relationship and he was just a little fling to her that she would forget once she got married. It sounded and felt to harsh, but he had to swallow that bittersweet truth. He was a mere fling to the princess of East who was the heir of the whole Moretti empire. She would be a married woman soon and that would lead to a whole lot of-

"Is your ex-girlfriend actually named Jennie?" Celina asked, flipping her hair and looking at him with her head held high. She was arching her brow in fake confidence to not seem bothered by his earlier remark.

"Hmm" Hades mumbled, too busy with finding the roads that led them closer to finding James.

"What did she look like? Was she pretty?" She asked, looking at him sideways to which he smirked inwardly.

"Well, she is still pretty. She was my first love so naturally I think she is beautiful-"

"Whatever. My first love was a guy named Samuel and let me tell you, he was the finest man I had ever laid my eyes on. The melanin, the vibe, the culture- Ahhh I can swoon over that chocolate beauty every day" Celina gushed as she closed her eyes and thought about Samuel Kimathi, her Kenyan math teacher that she had a crush on when she was younger. Her father had paid for her to get extra classes and she had been reluctant until she had laid her eyes on him. His smile was to die for and-

"Sounds like a good fella. One I would invite to share my eyes candies for back in Italy" he told her without thinking and hissed immediately after she flicked his head.

"What? Is that a way of saying that you would invite him to a threesome?" she whispered the last word, as if someone was listening to them.

Hades laughed at her shocked expression and used one hand to gently hold her jaw and draw her in closer to his face as he tried to focus on the road. With his thumb caressing her jaw softly, he whispered to her "Don't tell me that you didn't expect someone like me to have had a threesome. I have told you this before, I am not a good man like those that take you out on fancy dates and kiss your cheek before dropping you home to your father".

"Yeah? What would you do if you did see my father?" Celina asked, again without thinking about her remark.

The question was not new for Hades who had thought about it before. It was natural that he had thought about being found one day and the consequences that he would have to face. It was heartbreaking how the boy had matured to be a man while hiding and running from the life he never wanted to be a part of to begin with. Even though it was the same question, it felt different now. Hades could vividly remember the moment he knew he was nearing the end:

It was a rainy day like all the others. While thunder was roaring outside his tiny house in the East, Hades was curled up on the couch in pain. His painful groans left his mouth in pants as he clutched his eyes closed. His vision was blurry, and he only opened his eyes to see his hand that was cold and pale. The pain was nothing new to him and he was sure it was the same as what he had experienced in the cage. He could remember the day when Lee had ordered the house doctor to check up on him in the basement where he was locked away like an animal in the cold. All alone and naked in a freezing basement, he had seen the terrified doctor walk in with guilt and sadness. With chattering teeth and blue lips, Hades had managed to greet him with a smile. Only to wince when his jaw pained from the bruise, he had caught talking back to one of the guards.

"Hello, son" the elderly man said as he tried blowing some warmth to his hands. "I heard that you were having some troubles with a headache-"

"I lied" Hades whispered lowly while trying to cover some of his dignity. Although he had been in the cage for a long time, he still felt humiliated at the thought of people seeing him naked. "I am perfectly fine. I thought they would spare me if I said that I was sick, but I was wrong". He chuckled to lighten the mood, the elderly man didn't respond.

"I won't let you die like this. I know that you coughed up blood too. There is not a lot of privacy when you are locked in the basement with these people coming to view you as an animal"

Hades looked up at the window in longing before shaking his head. "I have lost everyone that I had, myself included. Even if I escape, I am not sure if I can live with myself. I have stooped so low that I cant even bear looking at myself in the mirror. My mere reflection is a punishment to me and the women I have-" he stopped abruptly. The shame that he carried made him unable to speak of the sins he had performed.

"Do not talk about yourself in that manner. You did not rape those girls because you wanted to, but rather because you were forced to. You are also a victim in this, don't make the Lees tell you otherwise. Now lets take your blood test-"

"Just let me die here. Or better, just kill me yourself" Hades pleaded as he bowed down in desperation and sobbed loudly. The boys cries were muffled by himself as he tightly bit his hand so no one outside could hear him.

"I would kill myself" he said confidently, taking Celinas hand as kissing the back of it.

"Shut up!" Celina snapped back immediately. "Don't talk about death so casually" was the last thing she said before silence surrounded the couple who were both lost in their own thoughts. As Celina thought about her late father, Scar, she unknowingly clutched Hades hand tighter and this time, it was Hades who smiled shyly.

§

"10 million dollars?! It seems as if my revenge is getting sweeter by the day" Sebastian said, looking at the wanted poster in his fathers' hands. He could already smell the fortune he would have if he outed the prisoner to Moretti.

"It sure is. There is not a lot I can compare to 10 million dollars and you inheriting the Morettis fortune by marrying their heir" his father said, smiling from ear to ear.

The mention of Celina made Sebastian scoff. "If only she could stop sleeping with every man she sees, she would be something to look at"

His father nodded his head in agreement and asked "Where is your bride? I haven't seen her around. Or is she somewhere in the streets, kissing the same man that she is rumored to be with? Don't forget that nothing escapes the Morettis ears and-"

Realization dawned upon Sebastian at that moment. If Moretti was back home, it only meant that he would ask about his daughter. How could he tell them that he had seen her run off with the prisoner without saying anything? How could he tell his father that they could lose the girl AND the money? And more importantly, why had her father not asked about her yet?

§

"She is staying over at mines, Uncle. Mom is in Greece to visit her parents so I wanted her to stay with me. If that okay with you?" Grace asked over the phone, as her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

"Of course Grace. You should have told me about that earlier, I thought she was staying with Sebastian so I was worried" Moretti answered, his voice laced with politeness.

"Yeah, Sebastian was in the hospital so she had been worried. I will tell her that you called though" Graced lied again as she cringed at her own voice that went squeaky when she was nervous.

"Thank you and remember to stay safe. You know about the lost prisoner don't you? I don't want anything to happen to you girls"

Fuck