I had fallen asleep for all of five seconds when I was woken up by the sound of a blaring siren sounding. What the hell? I didn’t think the underworld had fire drills, because that would seem silly considering it was full of fire. I shot up and glanced outside of my door, seeing reapers running amuck like crazy people. What was happening? I saw Zed approaching me, looking worried.
“Hey, what is going on?” I asked him, not certain what to make of the scene.
“There’s a crack,” Zed said. “There’s an outbreak of souls pouring into earth. Tortured souls are piling into the human realm by the thousands.”
“What? How is that possible? What does that mean?”
“It means that someone ripped open the dimensional wall from the inside, someone who knows the secrets of the gods. All reapers but a select few are ordered to go the bottom level for repair help.”
“I guess I am going down,” I said, my nose turning up. I was not in the mood to visit the pit of hell today.
“No, Macy,” Zed said. “That’s why I am here. You’re going to a special meeting with Hades. He’s putting you on a special taskforce to collect the souls.”
“Why me? I mean, I am not exactly reaper of the year,” I said. “I’m a novice at best.”
“Because Michael Conway is one of the souls that escaped, and you know him,” Zed said. “And believe it or not, you have something Hades values more than good fighting abilities or speed.”
“What is that?” I asked.
“He trusts you Macy,” Zed said. “You’re the only innocent soul in the underworld right now. And that is important.”
“Ok,” I said. “Let’s go see Hades and save earth from whatever angry souls will do.”
“I knew I could count on you Macy,” Zed said.
We silently walked to Hades’ chambers. It was an entirely different circumstance than the last time, and I knew I should feel safe. Still, even the sight of that doorway made me feel dirty. I walked in and noticed all of the other reapers. There were probably about ten of us, including Zed, Jericho, Augustine, and a few others I didn’t recognize. I sat down in a chair, trying not to feel nervous. But to be honest, my head was still spinning with the idea of evil souls escaping into earth. Even worse was the thought of a reunion with a pissed off Michael Conway, ready to take his revenge. Hades walked in, our eyes meeting briefly. He looked away, as if the sight of me embarrassed him.
“Hello everyone,” Hades said. “Thank you for coming. You are the best of the best, and your hard work and dedication to the reaper code has brought you here.”
“Except for Macy,” a female reaper said. “We all know how she got here. Sleeping her way to the top of the underworld.”
“Weren’t you a courtesan back in your day?” Jericho retorted. The girl shut up really quick.
“Enough,” Hades said. “Zed is going to explain the situation in a moment. First, I need to have a private word with Macy. Everyone else, sit tight.”
“Is this really the time for romance,” the courtesan asked.
Hades turned, his eyes turning bright red. I stood up, hoping to prevent further conflict.
“It will be quick,” I said. “And don’t ever question Hades again, dear. It’s not prudent.”
Hades just looked at me, confused as to why I had stood up for him. The confusion seemed to quell his anger, which was probably for the best. The reaper was a bitch, but she didn’t deserve to have her face burned off. We turned and went into the hallway, my pulse racing. What did he want with me?
YOU ARE READING
Bows and Eros
Teen FictionWhen sixteen year old Macy wakes up in purgatory, she knows something isn't right. She was supposed to survive the surgery and live a long happy life. But when she meets an odd man named Zed, who is a reaper for the underworld, she learns she died e...
