Myth [h.s au]

Chapter 3

"So, do we have a deal?" Hades inquired, clasping his hands behind his back.

The captivating goddess of the moon standing in front of Hades was a picture of serenity. Even after she heard what she thought was a ridiculous proposition, she managed to hold on to her wits and even offered him a smile. Only it wasn't friendly or warm, it was forced and business-like. It was all a mask to hide what she truly felt; uneasiness, caution... fear.

The image of the sleeping girl laying in one of the chambers Hades had shown her kept spinning in Selene's head, the speck of panic she was feeling becoming larger with each passing moment. This is what she had been fearing for all these years yet she knew it was inevitable. The question was, will she be able to stop the tragedy from happening? She tried to reach out to the young girl through her mind, but Thalia had been put under some sort of sleeping curse, preventing the goddess from doing so. She should have known the cunning god of death was going to do that.

The first thing Hades did when he asked her to come to him was make her swear an oath upon the river Styx that everything discussed between them today stays a secret. Selene knew whatever the reason for his request to see her was, it had to be serious, so she agreed. Part of her regretted that now, she wished she was as cunning as him and found a way to avoid it, but it was too late now.

"Either you help me or I keep the girl here with me. I get so bored around here, it's marvellous to finally have some kind of entertainment." He sighed dramatically.

"You have no right to keep her here," Selene said, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, but I do." He grinned, dimples carving into his cheeks. "She ate here. And you know what happens when mortals eat in my realm."  It was a well-known fact that eating food in the Underworld means you cannot leave; it's a way to become enslaved there forever. And it was actually one of the few Greek myths that were correct.

"Tick tock." Hades made a gesture to show her to hurry up, pursing his lips.

She knew her options were limited. "This is difficult for me. You mustn't do this, you don't understand what's at stake here, Hades."

"Oh, really? It's difficult for you? You are not even here!" He yelled and created a fireball on top of his palm then angrily threw it at her, watching as it passed right through her and dissipated into thin air. "And why is that? Because you cannot be here, no one can! They know they would get trapped here like me! Now, help me fix it and you can have the girl."

"I cannot let you out, only Zeus can do that."

"I am certain you can find a loophole if you try hard enough." He glanced at his nails carelessly then back at her. "It's not that you lack motivation, now do you?"

Anger boiled inside her, but Selene still remained calm on the outside. She feared what Hades might do if she refuses to help him and she feared what Zeus might do if she doesn't. "I need time to consider-"