Once Upon A Wonderland~ Killian Jones

How to Betray a God

Word count: 1437

"No!" I shouted instantly, looking at Hades horrified. "I can't! I won't. I'm not doing any of your dirty work for you ever again!"

His expression turned dark and sickly sweet. "My dear, dear, Megara," he said darkly, holding up the golden glow of my soul to my eyes. "You'll do all of my dirty work if that's what I decide."

My chest lurched forward. The heart monitor started to beep frantically, getting faster and faster, as a sharp pain started to throb just below my sternum. I groaned, pressing my hand to my chest. "Hades- stop-" I gasped.

"This is what happens when you don't cooperate, Meg! I simply have to do things the hard way." He grinned maliciously, squeezing my soul in his spindly fingers.

I cried out, the pain becoming sharp pangs digging deep into my chest, pulling me forward.

Kill Killian Jones, A voice whispered in my head.

"No!" I yelled defiantly, clutching my chest. "I won't-"

KILL THE NEW HERCULES.

"C'mon, Meg... just say you'll do it. Then, all of this can end!" Hades chuckled.

The pain ripped at my throat, sending tongues of fire down into my belly, and a scream tore the words from my throat- "FINE! I'LL DO IT!" I sobbed. The pain instantly receded into nothingness. I flopped back against the pillow, sweat beading my brow. "I'll do it. You don't have to force me."

"Excellent!" Hades smiled. "I knew you'd come around. And remember, I need you to do it like you did last time. Gain his trust. It's so much easier to drag someone to the underworld when they're not resisting!"

Hate burned in my belly where pain had once been. I wished I had the power to slap his grin right off his stupid face. I wish I had the power to do something, anything against Hades.

A thought occurred to me. Maybe I did have power to do something.

Because I agreed to kill Killian of my own volition, Hades had limited access to my actions, thoughts, and whereabouts. When Hades was controlling my soul directly, he knew exactly what I was thinking and doing- but when he coerced me into doing something, as he usually did to save his power, he didn't know what I was planning. He could only appear to me and speak to me in my mind. Now that Hades didn't know my thoughts... maybe I could come up with a plan to save Killian.

"You know what, I'm not liking these... contraptions. You can't catch a pirate in those!" Hades interrupted my thoughts suddenly.

I snorted. "Well, then, you shouldn't have rigged my car to explode."

Hades frowned, his blue hair blending red towards the base in his annoyance. "Now, why on Earth would I do something like that? I need you whole and healthy for this mission, my dear Meg."

"Wait, you didn't do that to my car?" I frowned. "I just assumed you-"

"I don't care what happened to your car!" Hades snapped, his hair flaming more orange. He took a deep breath, then smiled his horribly false smile again. "I need you to do what I told you to do." Hades waved a hand, and my neck brace and sling disappeared. My tremor disappeared and the pain I hadn't noticed along my spine lifted. My arm, which I'd kept limp since the explosion, felt strong. My whole body felt full of energy.

"What... what did you do?" I asked in astonishment, raising my hands to survey my fully functioning limbs.

"I healed you."

I jumped out of bed and walked past Hades. I looked at my limbs in wonder and laughed.

"You're welcome!" Hades put his hands on his hips with an expectant look on his face.