Iris

Chapter 25- Iris

My whole body was in indescribable pain. Especially my legs. Thanatos sliced my Achilles tendons, but for some reason the one in my left leg hurt more than my right. Maybe because he poured acid from the hounds right on the muscle of my left leg and not on my right. Oh well.

I heard Michael's footsteps behind me. He didn't ask any questions which I was grateful for. It's not like I could answer them anyways. I had to thank him for saving me. Well, I really had to thank all of them, but Michael deserves a special thanks.

I turned into the next door not knowing what was inside. I turned out to be a library. A big beautiful library. I had a small personal library in the underworld. It was one of the few things I loved down there. Maybe I could retrieve my belongings from down there.

Michael finally entered shutting the door behind him and leaning against it. That's not enough. I walked up and locked the door behind him. That's when it hit.

He smelled really good. He smelled like after rain and spices. I stood there leaning towards him like a creep with my eyes closed taking deep breaths. I opened my eyes and found that he was doing the same thing I was. I wondered what he smelled. Blood? Tears? If pain had a smell I'm sure I would reek of it.

What are we? Dogs?

We both moved back at the same time. Both of us stood there, waiting for the other to speak. Even though only one of us can actually do that.

"Iris?" his voice was deep and raspy. I looked into his mismatched eyes. The blue one was almost the same color as mine. The green one looked like oak leaves in the summer. His black hair was up in a bun. Stray hairs here and there. They looked so soft. Before I even realized what was happening I reached up on my tippy toes and curled one tendril around my finger. Dear god his hair is so soft. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, leaning into my hand. His cheek lay against my palm. The contact caused a burst of heat and electricity through my whole body. His hand came up and held mine to his face. He moved his head and kissed my palm. He kissed my frigging palm. I felt my heartbeat jerk up to an embarrassing speed. I felt tingles all over my body. I wanted him to touch places those tingles were.

I'd really like it if he put his mouth on other places too.

Wait- what? Sexy thoughts of Michael were so not allowed.

I gently tugged my hand away and turned around to the couch and sat. He walked to the desk and grabbed a notepad and pens and handed them to me. He was chewing the inside of his cheek and he had his poker face on. The one I saw when we first met in the underworld.

"How did you leave? Write it on the paper please." I had a feeling he didn't say please to many people, so did what I was asked. He sat next to me so he could read my answers. The smell of him hit me again.

Thanatos was pretending to be one of the guards. He took me. He read it and nodded his head.

"Did anyone else see him?"

Dionysus was with me when Thanatos came saying that I was needed elsewhere. He scowled. Lines embedding themselves into his forehead.

"You didn't recognize Thanatos?"

I've really never had to be around him. I've only met him a few times and usually that was for a short period of time.

The times Hades made me torture souls were the only times I actually was around Thanatos. Saying it was my duty as the princess of the underworld. I've done horrible things. I felt my stomach churn in disgust.

"We saw broken glass everywhere and the halls were destroyed. There was a lot of blood and some stray feathers. You fought against him?"

I nodded. He pursed his lips.

"Did you know you weren't going to be able to get away?"

I nodded again.

"How did you enter the underworld? We always have angels near the gates in case one gets taken."

We crashed.

"Crashed? Can you elaborate?" He looked pissed. He already knew the answer.

My hands shook as I wrote. He pushed me off the edge of Olympus. One of my wings was broken in the hall so I couldn't fly away. He flew us into the ground and we flew through the layers of earth until we hit the underworld.

After a few moments of silence I got worried. I looked at him. His face was tight with anger. He didn't hide it. His pupils were the size of pinpoints; his eye colors darkened with fierce anger. For a minute I was terrified of him. I looked away from him. It was a few more minutes before he spoke again.

"How did you attack him?"

Not the question I anticipated. After I recognized who he was I tried to think of a plan to get away. He didn't seem as though he was paying attention, and I knew I only had a limited amount of time. I punched him in the throat and snapped his arm. I messed up and paused and he kicked me down.

I felt a tear slide down my face. Remembering how it started was the worst part of it all. All I could think about was what I could have done differently. Where I went wrong. What I could have done better.

Hades's words echoed in my mind "look at you! You are weak!" All I saw was him laughing in my face. Telling me he told me so. Then I saw him standing behind while Thanatos slit my throat. He looked me in the eyes while I bled out. I wasn't in Olympus anymore. I was back in the underworld. I felt Thanatos's hands gripping my hair. Whispering how deep he was going to cut and how much he will enjoy it. I felt him grasp my chin and pull my face up. I fought. I fought as hard as I could. Can this kill me? Can this please be it? I can't do this anymore. Please kill me now! I felt myself fighting off the hands that held me down. I vomited in fear. Spewing what little contents were in my stomach all over myself and Thanatos. He was covered in my blood and vomit. He smiled. Then I felt the blade of Thanatos's knife press into my neck.

"Iris! Come back to me! Please come back. He isn't here. You're going to be okay." I felt strong arms rocking me and I held on to them tight. "Zeus! Get in here now!" I felt Michael's words resonate throughout the room. Shaking me too my core. "You're going to be okay. I promise. I will kill them all for you. I will destroy them. I will hurt them worse than they did to you. I promise you I will kill them. I vow to you lubirea mea. They will never touch you again." I cried into his shirt. I think I felt him sob. I knew at that moment, at that exact moment, that I might love him.