Hades' Knight

An unexpected Interrogator

Paolini River

Two hours later

Xavier’s P.O.V

As I landed on a bank next to the gushing Paolini River, I caught Elena up to speed about my friendship with Hans, or former friendship. “We knew each other while we were mortals. Back then he was not in the military, but was an enthusiast. He also happened to be a master strategist, being a grandmaster in both chess and Go. One day he told me that he had been requested to go on an important assignment that he couldn’t tell me about. That was a year ago. I haven’t heard from him until I received a message from him the other morning, which I was unable to listen to.”

“So, let me clear things up. If he is working for Poseidon as his general, then Zeus and his armies stand no chance. Is that what you’re saying?” I could tell by the tone in Elena’s voice that she doubted me.

“Let’s just put it this way,” I said. “Zeus may have the power, Hades the muscle, but Poseidon and Hans have the brains – and in any war, the smartest is the one who will always be victorious.”

I knew by the Elena’s silence that she knew I was talking sense. As we walked along the river bank a sudden scream from behind caught me off-guard. I turned to see Elena’s body wrapped in a giant tentacle. “Xavier do something!” She screamed.

I stood there and chuckled to myself and replied calmly, “Do not fight it. It will take you to Poseidon’s lair where we will meet Hans.”

“But, I’ll drown!” She cried.

“You’ll only drown if you believe you’re going to drown!”

“Ha ha, very funny wise guy!” I watched as Elena was dragged underwater by the huge tentacle. Less than a second after she went down, I was lifted into the air by another tentacle. My vision became a sickly black as I went under and my lungs became stretched as all oxygen was sucked from my body. I was still being pulled down when my lungs could not bear any more punishment. I sucked in a large gulp of not water, but air. That’s when I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a large compression chamber of some sort that was draining all the water out through the sides. My enjoyment of fresh air didn’t last long as two sea-like creatures stormed towards me, pointing their fork-like spears at my face. I held up my hands and allowed them to take me into the heart of Poseidon’s lair. 

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Paolini River Underwater Interrogation Chamber

Five minutes later

Hans’ P.O.V

“Now, tell me again who you are?” I kindly asked the prisoner strapped to a chair that was surrounded by a still body of water. I walked over the water and kneeled before his face. His old vibrant green eyes were now just a dull smear on his face. There was not a single scar on his body, nor was there any sign of an injury, but that was the best kind of interrogation technique. To injure the mind, not the body.

He struggled to raise his head to look me directly in my eyes, but when he did he spat in my face, “I’ve told you. I am a simple farmer, a mortal that’s all. I swear it!”

I gently tapped his cheek and gave a loud laugh that consumed the whole room. I looked him dead in the eyes and whispered, “If you think you are going to take me for a fool, you are only fooling yourself.” I walked back over the water and sat in my simple iron chair across from him. “Let’s try this again shall we?” I said as I gazed directly into the prisoner’s eyes. After a long pause of staring into the eyes of my prisoner, he let out a terrifying cry and pleaded for me to stop. 

“Stop what?” I asked him. “Do you not like people looking into your eyes? Looking into your mind?” I stared deeper into his eyes and his pleas grew louder. “Yes…I see now. You work for Artemis, don’t you?”

“No! No…please st..stop.” He choked.

“Stop what?” I replied sternly. “I am not the one who is lying!” I suddenly sprang to my feet and the body of water that calmly sat around the prisoner jumped into the air like a waterfall travelling upstream. The torrent of water consumed the prisoner until a sharp knock at the door caused me to lower my attention on the prisoner. The water fell back into its small bed and the prisoner shook violently against his restraints as water dripped from his body. “Let’s continue this another day shall we?” I walked towards the door and answered it to an ugly fish-like man creature. I was about to ‘teach him a lesson’ as they say, but before I could, he told me that there were two new prisoners that I would want to see immediately. I hurried down the long, wet corridor to Cell #765 where the two new and unexpected guests had arrived. 

When I reached the cell, I gazed at the lock and it snapped open. When I entered the room, I was caught completely off guard as the two prisoners sat on the muddy bench opposite me, gazed up at me with pleading eyes. “Xavier…” I managed to choke and rushed towards him to release him of his restraints.