Four hours later, Dianthus lifted his head drowsily, looking around with squinted eyes as if recalibrating, getting his bearings after waking up in an unfamiliar place.
"How long was I out for?" he asked Atticus, who was nearing the end of his book.
Atticus closed his book, his finger wedged in between, marking the page he had got up to.
"Four or so hours," he responded.
Groaning softly and holding his head, Dianthus ambled over to the closet, picking out clothes before taking a shower. Atticus turned his attention back to his book, until Dianthus emerged from the shower.
"Come on, we're going to go somewhere," he said, still sounding moderately tired.
Atticus watched Dianthus out of the corner of his eye, noticing him pinching the bridge of his nose, scrunching up his nose slightly.
"If you're not feeling well, we don't have to go anywhere," Atticus offered.
"I'm alright," he smiled. "You haven't been out all week, and I feel like a bad host."
Atticus laughed and stood up, "Alright, let's go."
~
Making their way to the Emporiko, proceeding to the 9th floor, the duo reached two mahogany doors. Opening the doors, they walked inside, and Atticus beheld an unexpected sight; the most breathtaking library he had ever seen. They were currently standing on a jet mahogany staircase with black rails, that winded down to the bottom floor. Surrounding the library, there were numerous soaring arches, all filled with shelves stocked with chromatic books. Peering through the arches, Atticus could see even more shelves, creating a never-ending arrangement of books. The floor was also a dark mahogany wood, causing their footsteps to echo throughout the expanse that was the library. A skeleton librarian greeted them with a bow and handed Dianthus a sheet of paper. Atticus peeked at the sheet, discovering it was map, entailing where the different sections for each genre began and stopped.
"Where would you like to go?" Dianthus asked.
Atticus quickly scanned the map, "Here," he pointed at the Greek history section, assuming that it must be the equivalent of Greek mythology.
The pair strolled to the section, Atticus staring in awe at the towering shelves.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Dianthus breathed. Atticus looked over at him and saw he was similarily admiring the arches. "You know, Hades based it off a library in the human world. I don't know much about your world, but I do know it's split into seven continents. I think this library is based off one in Asia."
"Really?" Atticus said. He didn't know something as beautiful as this could be made in the human world.
"Mhmm, humans are amazing sometimes." Dianthus mused.
The foreign way in which Dianthus spoke that sentence, prompted Atticus to ask a question he had been wondering for a while, phrasing it as best he could.
"Can I ask... what are you?" Atticus said, biting his tongue as soon as the unfeeling question left his mouth.
Dianthus averted his gaze, seeming to contemplate his response, before answering.
"I'm half demon, half angel," he revealed in a low voice, as if it was a deadly secret.
"Huh," Atticus said, fascinated. Was it common for demons and angels to bear children?
Atticus was about to ask but Dianthus quickly announced, "We're here,", as if trying to stay as far away from the topic as possible. Atticus decided not to ask, though he was eager to know, so he stored the question at the back of his mind for later.
~
The next 20 minutes were spent choosing a book for Atticus, and, with Dianthus' help, he left the library with two books: 'the Trojan War' and 'Heroes'. As they were walking back to the apartment, Dianthus carrying the books in a black tote bag, Atticus asked him questions about the Underworld, edging closer and closer to the question he truly wanted to ask.
"What do the demons do here?"
"Well, it depends on rankings. The lowest rank demons work to maintain Tartarus, middle ones tend to the Fields of Asphodel and guard the River Styx, and the highest ones, like me, help Hades run things here." Dianthus explained.
"So, what are the skeletons then?"
"People who were sent to Tartarus. Hades turned into slaves to work numerous jobs around here. That's why they don't talk. They were stripped of the right to." Dianthus informed.
"Okay. Do angels ever come here?" Atticus asked, innocently.
Dianthus threw an irritated glance at Atticus, "No." he paused. "My mum and dad were a special case."
Atticus bit the insides of his cheeks, knowing he shouldn't ask anymore, but his curiosity got the better of him.
"So... how were you born then?" Atticus said.
"You're relentless, you know that?" Dianthus sighed but continued. "21 years ago, the gods were having a gathering in Elysium, and Hades bought two of his best demons to assist him, one of which was my dad. Zeus took two angels with him as well, one of which was my mum. There was an after party... and yeah, you get the rest." Dianthus concluded.
"Interesting, so then did you inherit both of their powers?" Atticus assumed.
"No, I didn't get any," Dianthus said.
"But... when we first met, didn't you made that chair and table appear out of thin air?" Atticus said, recalling their first encounter.
Dianthus laughed, "No, that was Hades helping me get a good first impression."
"Well, it definitely worked." Atticus stated, remembering how much the trick caught him by surprise.
"That's good to know," Dianthus said, reaching in his pocket for the key to the apartment. "What would you like for dinner?"
"Hmm... spaghetti," Atticus decided.
Dianthus chuckled, "You liked it that much?"
Atticus nodded, sheepishly.
"Alright, spaghetti it is"
YOU ARE READING
The Prey of Truth
Aventura"You're in the Underworld, Atticus. Enjoy your time here. It's going to be an... interesting ride for both of us." When Atticus falls off a cliff, he unexpectedly wakes up in the Underworld, greeted by a strange man with bubblegum pink hair, Dianthu...
