Apex Predator

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

I sit on the ground a meditate and focus on Alaina's friends:

The five humans walk further into the dark caves. They run into each other as the tunnels are lit with dim light. Some of them are pretty beaten up. Quinn has three large slashes across his face and red is smeared all over from him trying to wipe blood away. He is bruised and red runs down his arm from a deep gash. Sy is covered with bruises to such an extent that I can see dark purple creeping up from the collar of his shirt. I can see bright red through the large slashes of Zayx's plain black t-shirt. The girls seem relatively unhurt.

They converse over how their fights go and how I helped them focus. I smile slightly to myself on how well I have tolerated the ignorance of these five. Normally I would have torn at least one of them to shreds by now. They argue lightly over what to do now and just as they decide to go the wrong way, a bright light shines from the end of a tunnel. That is the way Lucifer wants them to go. It most likely isn't a good idea but if they go any other way Lucifer will command Hades to release Cerberus.

Before they continue walking, they notice my image.

"Xeon," Quinn says, waving his hand through me. "Why aren't you here, here?"

"I swear if you continue doing that you'll be the next ghost here," I threaten and he steps away. I'm a little... caught up. You'll have to go one without me so you don't piss Him off. We can figure this out later." They nod. They walk into the light and find themselves in a dining room that looks like it came out of the finest castle. All accept the 'delicacies' on the table. An array of eyeballs, appendages and limbs, intestines, and hearts are set out on the table on fine, silver tableware. Their faces contort into looks of disgust as they scan the table.

It doesn't take them long to spot the small flame flickering from the other side of the chair. They walk forward to see what is in the chair. There they see a muscular man wearing large black robes sitting casually. His hair is flickering fire that matches the yellow-orange color of his animal-like eyes. They don't know this, but this is Hades.

"Please," a child-like voice says from the other end of the table. "You're going to be here for an eternity so you may as well sit." Without question, the five sit in the chair provided on both ends of the table. They squirm uncomfortably and exchange worried looks, sometimes stealing glances at the two hellish being accompanying them. Lucifer sits at the opposite end of the table with his knees crossed. His chair is altered so his small form can reach the tall table. His messy black hair falls lazily into his dark red eyes. The evil eyes with pupils like a cat's make the sleek black tuxedo the small boy wears look out of place. The five stare at him in shock.

"You all look surprised," Lucifer says playfully. "Not what you imagined?"

"No," Zayx says skeptically. "A ten-year-old child is not what I had in mind when I pictured the devil."

"Let me guess," Lucifer says. "Horns," black horns sprout from the boy's head, "some red skin action," his skin turns red. "More demonic, right?" Lucifer turns into a terrifying demon for a moment and then changes back to his innocent ten-year-old form.

"Yea," Zayx says timidly. "Where are the flames. It's not even hot here.

"Look kid," Lucifer retorts. "You're little bible stories, those are just stories. Those Jesus-following nut-jobs had no idea what they were talking about. Very few people have been to heaven or hell and gotten back."

"They can't all be Hercules," Hades says. His voice rings with tortured authority. A dictator who doesn't want to be a dictator. An executioner who enjoys his job but doesn't want to.