Death's Hold

Chapter Sixteen

"What indeed," Hades said. He was no longer smiling. "Do you think you are any different from your father? From any other human? Are you telling me there's no situation you would have been born into or been unfortunate enough to experience that wouldn't make you just like your father, worse even?"

Hades shook his head slowly. "Oh dear oh dear. You think too highly of yourself mortal. You, humans, are all the same. The only difference is the different situations you face. You will all end up here when you die, such is life after death."

Zara was angry enough not to be afraid. "Then I want none of it!"

Death's grip left her palm in a flash and was on her shoulder, shaking her hard enough to make her teeth chatter even more. His fingers dug in.

"Shut up if you do not know what to say!"

Zara turned to him, the look of betrayal on her face mixing with her tears. Her voice was broken. "I can't end up in the same place as him. I can't. I can not-"

"Well if that will be all," Hades said, lifting his pitchfork till it nearly brushed the ceiling.

Death forced himself to look away from Zara. "No, it is not! Please the original reason we came here was for you to bring back Zion's soul. We beg of you Hades. Please."

"I can't," Hades said shortly.

Zara felt herself swaying on both feet. If Death didn't have a firm hold on her, she'd have surely collapsed in a heap.

"Can't or won't?" she mumbled.

"Both mortal."

"Both?" Zara blinked and then winced in pain. Death's grip on her shoulder had increased all of a sudden. His fingers felt like iron pincers. Freezing, cold iron pincers. He was the one now shaking.

She turned to him in concern. "Enes?"

Hades' mouth dropped in shock as did the hand holding the pitchfork in the air. "You told her your name Death? Really?" Hades was grinning now, a maniacal grin that stretched from ear to ear and made his face look horrifying as well as a work of art.

"Death what relationship do you have with this mortal whose brother you killed?"

Zara blinked but she went on looking steadily at Death, her brows still knitted in concern. He had always been sick looking but now he resembled a corpse, his entire face ashy, his eyes wide and eyeballs flitting every which way. Looking at everything except her.

Zara's brows slowly unknitted.

"Enes..."

Hades began cackling. He threw back his head and let out a whoop. His entire being shook as he laughed and laughed, his grip on his horn loosening so that it fell to the floor with a crash.

He pointed at Zara, tears of mirth rolling down his cheeks. "You idiot! Who else would have killed your brother if not Death? It's in his name for hells sake! Mortals are so stupid by the gods."

Zara kept staring at her Death, Hades' words banging in her head like a hammer.

"Look at me Enes," she whispered.

Death didn't look at her.

"Even if I wanted to give you back your brother's soul, I can't because he has no more years left to live. Why you ask? Because Death took the rest of his years and added it to his lifespan. The only way he can do that is if he takes the life of the mortal, it's that simple. Nothing can be done."

"I don't understand..."

"Was this your bit of fun Death? To paint Hades as the bad guy as usual. I mean everyone does, I'm used to it. Mortals hate me but I'm not the one who kills them, you do. Every single mortal who ever died before their time did so because you took their life. You. Not me, you." Hade's voice was intentionally couldn't care less.

"You kill her brother and act the hero, promising to help her face the evil Hades in his hellish home and bring the baby back to life right?"

Hades grinned. Zara swayed again. Death closed his eyes.

"I can picture it now. Her knight in shining armor. She must have been so grateful. Grateful to her brother's killer. Life is funny. Death not so much. My only question is why though? You aren't welcome here so why waste all our time playing such a sick game?"

There was utter silence after Hades had spoken. All eyes in the room were trained on Death who still had his eyes closed, freezing sweat standing out in large drops on his face. The neck of his shirt was drooping even more, exposing his too-prominent collarbones.

This was Death. The Death. Why else did he have that name? Why else? Zara felt the cold horror engulfing her body. She so badly wanted to leave his grip but she couldn't move. She couldn't think. She could only feel.

She felt pain. Sharp, acute stabs. She didn't need him to tell her. She didn't even need to look at his face. She knew. Maybe she had known all along.

That was the worst part.

Death finally spoke, each word coming out disjointed. "It was not a game. I felt guilty so I wanted to help. I wanted to help Zara. I could not bring myself to tell her but I knew it would all come out once we got here. I knew it would end here so I brought her here. I-"

"Rubbish!" Hades shouted. "Utter rubbish! I was the one who created you! I made you to be worse than me, having no feelings or emotions whatsoever. It's one of the reasons you are so cold. You can't feel anything human so do not spout lies about feeling guilty. You have never experienced it and you never will."

Death shook his head, a ghost of a smile on his face. "Do you want to know something Hades?"

Hades' face was suddenly so terrible looking that Zara felt her bowels unclench in fear and hot urine slide down her legs. The purple flames that stood in the center of his eyes flared up till his irises were literally on fire.

"Zara has not only made me feel guilty, but she has also made me feel warm too. Boiling hot even." Death smiled properly at last. "It felt really damn good."

Hades lunged for his horn which had rolled several feet away from him when he'd dropped it. Zara gasped in shock at the sudden movement then gasped again when Hades straightened and brought the horn to his lips. He was taller than she thought. At least fourteen feet. Her neck already hurt looking up at him.

"You both die today," Hades said calmly before blowing the horn.
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dun dun dunnn. thoughts on the chapter ? ;)
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