Hope for the Underworld

2

Hades was surprised to find the mortal on the floor, her cheek resting on cool marble, her whole body curled protectively on itself, and he winced at the thought of her obvious discomfort.

He allowed himself a moment to observe her as she slept; she was tall and slender, her body toned and well defined, but with pleasing curves. Her long auburn hair partially obscured her face, but he noted a small button nose and full lips, clearly made for smiling. She was a pretty thing and he sighed with annoyance, trying to guess whose scheme it was to place her in his path.

The sound he made must have disturbed her, and she awoke with a start. Then she noticed him, standing a few feet away, just looking at her prone form with curiosity. Unnerved by his unflinching gaze, she scrambled to her knees and moved a little further away from him. Yet, she noted that his face was more relaxed, and his eyes seemed to look at her without his previous hostility.

A muscle on his cheek twitched, but he quickly brought himself under control. 'What are you doing there?' he asked with total incomprehension.

'I fell asleep', she grumbled grumpily; her whole body stiff and aching after a night on the hard floor.

'Come.' He stepped closer and reached down, taking hold of her arm. She winced in pain, and he froze, unsure if he had hurt her unintentionally. 'What was that?' he inquired, slightly put off, dropping her arm.

'Nothing.' She shrugged.

'You will tell me.' He looked at her with strange intensity and she found herself compelled to answer.

'Just bruises.'

'Show me.' Again, no raised voice, just an overwhelming need to comply.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing two sets of bruises, where his guards had been holding her the previous day.

His whole body vibrated with barely suppressed rage, and fury rolled out of him, like a wave, with such force it made her stumble back and away from him, breathless and utterly terrified.

'They will pay for that,' he growled menacingly through his clenched teeth.

But in some inexplicable way, this raw demonstration of power reassured her that he did not wish her harm. 'I wasn't exactly cooperating,' she spoke quietly, trying to diffuse the situation. 'And they are not used to handling humans, I assume?' As she looked at Hades, the angry red glow slowly faded from his eyes.

'Allow me.' He stepped closer again and in a very gentle gesture laid his palms over the bruises, barely touching her skin. He closed his eyes in concentration, and she felt a sensation of warmth flowing from his hands.

It felt strangely intimate, and she had to quickly look away, dazed by a sudden desire to touch his face. She allowed her gaze to settle instead on a gold bangle encircling his left wrist. It was formed by an unfinished circle, with both ends decorated with animal heads. When she looked closer, she recognised a wolf or maybe a big dog. It was of an outstanding craftsmanship and, as he had no other visible jewellery, she guessed this piece must be important to him.

She was brought back to the moment when he exhaled slowly and stepped away; her bruises still visible, but now the dull ache was gone. 'Thank you.' She was flooded with gratitude and allowed herself to look into his eyes again; they seemed to glow with soft kindness and his beauty simply took her breath away.

He only responded with a slightly embarrassed smile, which gave his face an amazing, unearthly glow. But then he caught her staring and cleared his throat self-consciously. 'Why wouldn't you want me to punish the guards for the pain they caused you?' he asked curiously, changing the subject; a thoughtful expression fleeting on his face.

'Just doing their duty...' she trailed off under his serious scrutiny.

He kept looking at her, as if studying her, for a very long time. She didn't dare to return his gaze and remained silent, with her head lowered, not knowing what to do with herself.

Eventually, he spoke again. 'Please, accept my sincere apology for this.' He indicated the empty room; his voice kind once more. 'We are not used to hosting living beings. I will take care of it,' he promised. 'Now, you must eat.' He gestured towards the door that magically materialised behind him.

'Eat?' She seemed surprised, as if that idea had not occurred to her.

'As long as you remain my... guest, I will do my best to provide for all your human needs.' He led her into a room across the hallway, where a big table had been piled with all kinds of food; bread, meat, fruit, and anything else one may desire. 'Please, eat.'

She hesitated briefly, remembering suddenly that eating stuff in the Underworld wasn't perhaps the best idea.

'It is all human food, so you don't have to worry,' he added, as if able to read her mind.

She sat down and reluctantly reached for a bit of bread, still not entirely convinced. He, however, remained standing by the door, gazing at her pensively.

'Are you going to just watch me?' she quizzed, unexplainably irritated by his manner.

'You wish me to join you?' His eyes appraised her coolly, but he seemed surprised.

'You do eat, right? Or do you just thrive on ambrosia?' There was a hint of sarcasm in her remark.

His mouth twitched in amusement, which once more lit up his face. 'Ambrosia becomes quite boring after a while,' he stage-whispered, as if confessing to a state secret. He approached the table and took a seat opposite her. 'I like human food,' he admitted with a smile. Then, he reached for something and for the first time she took notice of his hands. They were severely bruised, with barely scabbed wounds on his knuckles. She couldn't stop staring and he quickly snatched them back. A question hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she managed to swallow it back.

'I must return to my duties.' He rose hastily to his feet; his face drawn and closed once more. 'Your chamber,' he pointed to the room across the hall, 'should be ready now. If you require anything else, just speak it aloud and my servants will take care of everything.' He turned to leave.

'Wait!' She rushed after him. 'First of all, thank you.' Her smile was a little weak, but his face softened in response. 'I really appreciate all this, but... what am I to do here?'

'You may do as you please. There are only a few places you should not go, but the servants will stop you, so do not worry about it.' He clearly did not understand her meaning.

'But what am I to do?' she repeated insistently.

He could offer no response to that and just turned away.