What Lies Between ✔

Hopes of Patricide

Hydra: part 2

***

To crawl back to my father without having destroyed any Seekers at all after what had already been an unsuccessful night was just too much to take... but it had to be done.

Refilled with only a pitiable portion of the energy I once had, I opened another portal, this time to my realm.

I jumped through it, the pain the portal to hell gave me intensifying that which was in my side. Once again, I plotted my revenge on the Seekers, especially Thorne Seraphim.

I landed a bit steadier on the Underworld dock, but still stumbled back when my feet hit the marshy ground. I hissed an aggravated sigh as I limped towards Charon's awaiting dingy.

"Miss Hydra!" he exclaimed in his throaty voice, flinty eyes widening at my slashed side, "You've been injured!"

I wrapped my arms around myself, hugging the too-loose pink blouse closer about me. Already red was blossoming through its thin material from my leaking side. My teeth were jittering from the burning cold running through my body, caused by the pure silver. "I'm fine," I managed to say. "Take me across to see my Father."

"You know it is always my pleasure to escort a Demoness as renowned as yourself across to the Dark Lands," he flattered.

The experience I had gone through just moments before left the forgotten pain fresh in my mind. I wasn't in the mood for flattery, as out of character as that was for me. I was only so renowned because I was my Father's damn dog. "Just take me across," I ordered briskly.

"Yes ma'am." He bowed his head respectfully as I hopped into the boat with as much normality as I could muster in my now freezing pain.

The chilling pain was causing me to shiver uncontrollably. Was I going into shock? I immediately blocked that thought from my mind. I had to stop thinking as if I were some incapable being. I could survive this.

I was one of the only beings privileged enough not to be charged a pretty coin for Charon's ferry services across any of the seven rivers of the Underworld. I chose to enter through Styx because it was where the wrathful and sullen spirits drowned in the murky river for all eternity. I loved to watch them fight each other, as they reached fora surface they would never break. Not once was I charged for the pleasure. This was probably only because I was Father's main errand runner. It was not because of all the skill I had learned on my own,or the strength I was naturally gifted with. It was because Father probably asked it of Charon.

I dug my nails into the wood of the boat's bow seat at the degrading thought.

The silver was eating away at the energy I had just built. I was beginning to become as irritable as I was weak.

I made no effort to hold up a conversation with the Ferry Man as we bumped along the murk that was the Styx. His eyes kept shifting to my side, which even covered with my arm didn't conceal the blood from his sight. Father would surely notice as well. Great. But it did need to be healed, so I would have to let him know that not only had I failed twice already in just a few short hours, but I had gotten life-stakingly hurt in the process of said failure. Plus he would have to heal me for a second time... ugh.

When we reached the bank leading up to the gates of the Underworld, I didn't spare Charon a goodbye as I normally would have. I trekked up to the gates right beside Cerberus, ignoring Angel who ran up to lick my hand.

"Let me through." I didn't look at my brother, not wanting to see the glee in his eyes when he noticed my injury.

He would know it was silver. They would all know. Demons could smell the infected blood a mile away rotting from the precious metal.