Plans and Preparations

An Important Invitation

"I still can't believe we're doing this." Pain said as Hades drove his chariot through cloudy, snowy skies.

"Yeah, Boss. It's super cold up here. And you already invited all of your friends. Isn't that enough?" Panic asked.

"No! I don't want Maleficent to feel alone at our wedding!" Hades argued. "I'm inviting any and all dark fairies left in the world to the celebration and there's nothing you can say or do to stop me!"

The pair of imps stayed quiet, knowing they couldn't talk their boss out of anything he had his mind and heart set on. Hades felt he was lucky he found that spell that could find anything in the world, and now with his Ember in his possession again, he was able to actually use even more magic and cast more spells than he could before. He thoroughly scanned the heavens, but then something caught his eye; it looked like the silhouette of a turret... of a castle perhaps. He took a quick look at his Ember and it was gradually glowing brighter and brighter as they got closer; this must be the place. He whipped the reins.

"Go, Gotham! Come on, boy! You got this!" He shouted as Gotham gained more speed.

The chariot practically shot through the sky like a bullet towards the structure. As they got closer, Hades and his minions realized they were heading towards a single giant tower in the middle of a pine forest. He landed the chariot at the foot of the tower and climbed out as it continued to snow; he was glad the snow and cold didn't affect him too much. He checked his Ember and saw that it was glowing almost as bright as a supernova. He circled the tower, looking for a door and an entrance of some kind, but found none. There was only one window at the very top. With no other options, Hades used the misshapen bricks of the tower to help him climb up to the top. He may not be as physically strong as Hercules or Zeus or most of the elder Titans, but he was still much stronger than most mortal men. Then, as he was about halfway up, he paused when he heard the unmistakable sound of someone humming. As he climbed higher, the humming grew louder until at last he reached the window. Just as his hands reached the windowsill, his foot slipped, causing him to shout in surprise and dangle from his perch. The humming stopped and there was a cry of fright from inside the tower room.

"What was that? Who's out there?" An unfamiliar voice asked in fear; the voice sounded high-pitched and female and she spoke with an accent, either Romanian or Russian. "Stay back! I have... a heavy-duty broom and I'm not afraid to use it!"

"Uh, not to be rude or anything, but I don't think I could move right now even if I wanted to. So I'm pretty sure you're safe." Hades replied, trying to remain calm.

"Then, what do you want? And how did you find this place?" The voice asked.

"Would you mind interrogating me INSIDE the tower, please? I'm already a little preoccupied right now, in case you're having a slow day."

The stranger inside walked over to the balcony entrance and stuck her head out to examine the unwanted guest. Her eyes widened when she saw that he was hanging onto the windowsill for dear life.

"Oh. You really are stuck, aren't you? Well, maybe this will teach you not to go poking your nose into other people's business then, hmm?" She asked with a smirk.

Hades sighed and rolled his eyes. "Look, whoever you are; if you can just throw me a rope or something, I'm pretty sure I can pull myself up."

"Okay, fine. Just gimme a minute. Don't move a muscle." The stranger said.

"Not like I have much choice." The Lord of the Dead said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

The mysterious stranger disappeared from the window momentarily before she tossed down a long braided scarf to him; Hades took a hold of the strange scarf and let go of the window. He rubbed his hand along the fabric, realizing how smooth and soft it felt. He paused and cried out in surprise as the scarf faltered a bit; he clung to it, hoping not to fall.