Darkiplier Smuts IX

Into Hades III

The swim was quiet. Really quiet. Hades hardly spoke a word to me. "Look...I'm sorry about what happened...but it wasn't me." She looked at me. "I still don't believe you, and I don't even know why I got in here with you." I should just shut up. "I'll show you. Get ready, we're jumping out on those rocks and heading straight for the mountains." "The mountains?" "You don't know where they are?" She gave me a blank look. I paused. "Just imagine the tallest, sharpest rocks against a blood red sky...that should get you there." "We're teleporting?" "You don't know how?" She looked away. "I'll take you." She shied away.  "We have to." She pulled herself out of the water and sat on the rock, her wet body glistened at me. I sunk down into the water and thought of something disgusting. I exhaled sharply and just tried not to look at her. I pulled myself out and looked up. City...and behind it, the mountains. "Grab me." I said. She placed her hand loosely on my shoulder. "Tighter...it gets kinda windy." She sank her nails into my shoulder. I know she did it on purpose. I took us straight to the clearing I killed Abraxas in. When she opened her eyes I swear I saw a smile. "Fun, isn't it?" Her smile faded and she said nothing. "Alright. Wait here." I searched the area until I found what I was looking for. There wasn't anything of him left except tattered, bloody clothes. I picked them up and swallowed hard at the smell of advanced decomp. I laid everything at her feet. "Ew what is that? It smells disgusting." "They belong to someone called Abraxas. This is where I killed him." I stared at her hard. She looked at me for a long time without speaking. "Killed? Please, fear demons don't die." "This one did. It's quite a story. I think you should listen." She seemed hesitant, so I made up her mind for her and started talking. She listened intently, but didn't seem too convinced. "You're quite a storyteller." she said. "But not a very convincing one. How am I supposed to believe that? It seems so far-fetched." Tough crowd. The stream. The one I washed my hands in after I crushed that fucker's head in. Maybe... "Follow me. If this doesn't work, I don't know what will." I led her to the stream, small fish with razor sharp teeth swam feverishly up and down it. I searched the area until I came across what I was looking for. "Here." I said, reaching in and picking up a large piece of skull. She backed away, looking at the skull, then back at me. "It's true. He needed to die. What he did to you is just another reason why. I'm not surprised he did that. He's got a bit of a reputation...well, he had one..." She just stared at me before turning around and putting her head down a bit. "All those years of loathing you and it wasn't even you." I stood. "You didn't know that." I said softly. "Forgive me." she said. "Done." I replied. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Let's never talk about this again." "Let's go home. You can hang out with me for awhile if you want." She looked back at me. "I'll text my human...she's how I get down here and back up." "Don't bother her. I'll take you." I picked her up, she's as light as a feather to me. I took us back to LA and set her down on my couch. She was dead silent and I stayed quiet along with her. "I miss my caregivers, Arioch." she said. I looked at her and winced thinking about what I'd ever do if Lilith went AWOL. I realized I had to help her. "When's the last time you saw them? What was happening?" I sat next to her and pulled her against me. She took a deep breath. "Abraxas came through. He said that he'd be a king soon, and you were in charge of finding his slaves...and that you said they'd be perfect. They declined, and that's when the fires started. He destroyed everything...so everyone took off, and I got lost in the madness. They didn't come back for me." She trailed off. "So he got to them." I said. "I don't know." "Believe me, he got to them. Why else wouldn't they come back?" She was quiet. "Why would he target them though?" I wasn't so sure of that. Could've been because the Isle of Death is secluded enough for him to get away with doing whatever. Could be because he saw them somewhere. "So your caregivers were fearies, huh?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah." she replied. "Yours?" "Blood. Like me." "I bet they're nice." "Oh, they'd love you. Trust me." We were silent. "I bet I can find them." I said. "You think so?" She asked, sounding a bit hopeful. "I bet I can. I have a hunch that I know where they are." I rose. "Where?" she asked, sounding frantic. "Look, you've been absent from the demon realm for a long time. Do you remember how things work down there?" She looked ashamed. "Not exactly." "Fear demons and blood demons. We live together, clearly...but...we do different things. Fear demons have a king or queen, they're in charge of sending up fear demons, and their ruler...they can take fear demons and make them into servants...or imprison them for failing. Abraxas was never really one to be fair or logical. I'm sure he imprisoned them." Hades looked a bit intimidated. "Come with me." I said, practically dragging her. "I'm gonna take you to meet his widow. She's a trip, you'll hate her as much as everyone else." "Someone actually fell in love with that monster?" "Apparently so." I said, sending us hurtling back into the demon realm. "If I can get Xibalba to talk, I can get some answers." I said, assuring Hades. "Who?" "Just follow me, try to keep up." I led her beyond the city, across the Plains of Despair, through the foothills and finally into the Kingdom of Fear. "This is it." I said. Hades caught up with me, taken aback by the size of the place. "Don't worry. The current ruler is friendly...especially to me." I winked. I led her inside and we bypassed the randoms walking around inside. "Change your mind about being my king?" I turned to see Andromeda. I gave her a hint of a smile. "You've still got to work on me a bit there." I replied. She smiled. "Oh I'll see what I can do." she winked. "What brings you here?" "Where did Abraxas throw demons he hated?" Andromeda looked confused. "Same place you were when we met." I was skeptical. "There has to be other places." "I don't know about that, Arioch. Look around if you want to. There's a lot of secrets in this place." "And Xibalba is where?" "Down in the dungeon where she belongs. Pretty sure she's in her cage." Hades looked at me fearfully. "She belongs in a cage." I said. "Who is this?" Andromeda asked, and I swear she almost sounded jealous. "This is Hades, my new friend. I'm here trying to help her." She squeaked out a hello. "Hi...I wish I could help you two, but I've gotta get back to work. Good luck on...whatever it is you're doing." I thanked her and disappeared. "You know where everything is." Hades said. "I've paid my dues here, girl. Alright, this is it. If you see someone who looks like a skull faced whore, give me a shout." She raised an eyebrow at me and then went in the opposite direction of me. A few minutes of flipping over chairs and checking cages later, I found her. "Well hey there, little miss my husband got his ass stomped in. How's it going?" She hissed at me. "That well, huh?" I rattled her cage. "You and I are going to go for a little walk." "Not a chance." "Xibalba, you're my best friend. I came all the way down here to visit you and take you for a walk." "Cut the shit, Arioch what the fuck do you really want? Haven't I suffered enough?" "You? Oh god, no. No, no, no. I need you to answer a few questions." She laughed manically. "Why the hell would I do that?" "I'll torture you if you don't." She seemed fearful. "Come on, it'll be painless, and maybe I'll even pay you a compliment." She stared into my eyes. "I hate you." she growled, leaping at me. I backed away and narrowly avoided getting clawed. "Chill." I said, calmly. "Where did Abraxas take prisoners?" "Look around you, Arioch. Even you can't be that stupid." "Where else?" "I don't know." I didn't believe her. "Where?" She hesitated. "I will slit that throat of yours all the way across." "Teleport down. That's all I can say. He hid the ones he hated the most down there." I smiled. "Good girl." I found Hades and we traveled down to a place I'd never seen. "This is new." I said. I saw demons looking desperate to be freed. "Why are they here?" Hades asked. "I dunno...something ain't right though. Look for your caregivers. I wanna ask a few questions." I approached a random cage. "What are you doing in here?" "Suffering eternally." "Why?" "Prince Abraxas." Prince? Jesus Christ, they've been here awhile. He died a fucking king. "I'll free you." "Are you insane? He'll put you in here with us." "I doubt that." I replied. "I'll come back for you, but first..why are you all here?" "We found disfavor." I wrinkled my nose. "I'll be back." I said, walking off to find Hades. "Any luck?" I asked. "Not yet." she said, sounding dejected. "Don't quit just yet, there's a lot here that we haven't explored." I walked off searching in cages before realizing I had no idea what the hell they looked like. I sighed, frustrated. "Come over here!" I turned and followed her voice to see her standing in front of one cage. She gave me a look of troubled excitement. "Stay with them. I'll be back." I disappeared to find Andromeda. I explained the entire situation and she shook her head. "Should've known." she said, giving me a set of keys. "Do everyone a favor and let them all go. I don't do prisoners and I don't do slaves." She didn't have to tell me twice. I freed Hades' caregivers and everyone else. It came to my attention that Hades wasn't following me anymore. I turned to see her reuniting with her caregivers. I watched from a distance before turning and starting to walk away. It's better this way. She doesn't need me anymore. I cleared my name, I brought her back to her caregivers, that's all anyone needed. "Arioch, wait." I turned around just in time for her to launch herself into my arms and plant a deep kiss on my lips. It took a bit for the shock to wear off, but once it did, I kissed her deeper and time stood still as we stood there, interconnected. She broke the kiss and looked up at me. "Stay with me?" she asked. I sighed deeply, and cupped her face. "I can't." I said. "But why? We can live in the city, it'll be fun..." "It sounds like a good time, but...I live with people now." She seemed hurt. "Come and see me." I said. "Anytime you want." "Don't go." she pleaded. "I have to. I won't be gone long, you'll see." She hugged me tightly. "I'll miss you every second you're gone." "Then I guess I'll have to come back tomorrow. Spend the weekend with you or something." I winked and she blushed. "I hope you mean that." she replied. "I do." I said. "I'll be seeing you soon." I said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. I trailed my hands down her body. "I can't wait."I said, disappearing.