The goddess

Chapter 3

I sit there dazed by what this guy Hades has told me, then I start to laugh and I laugh so hard there are tears running down my face until I wipe my eyes to see he looks quite serious and he isn't joke. In a small voice I say "You're joking - right?" As feel the full weight of his stare and it lingers in the air he says simply "No - I have been known to make a joke, laugh occasionally but I assure you my dear I am deathly serious" I swallow visibly as lots of things run through my head, I grew up with an Aunt after my mum died during childbirth, there were a lot of complications during my birth, was that to do with this soul I have? I stare into space my mind running so fast I am having problems keeping up. Hades clears his throat and I start suddenly attempting to get out of the bed when I realise I had been in the shower, I look apprehensively under the sheets to see that the towel is nowhere to be seen, and I am dressed in a gold coloured dress, I catch Hades' eye and he turns his head and a blush creeps up his face, "My niece, she erm...." he trails off clearly embarrassed. I smile at the gesture that a giant of a man can be so embarrassed about clothing. "It's okay, thank you" as I swing my legs round to get off the bed he offers me an open hand and I take it, I don't feel scared just weird inside. Hades pulls me to my feet with absolutely no effort whatsoever, as I survey the room I speak "So what's going to happen to me now?" He looks at me his clear eyes pinning me to the spot, "Well first we need to do some tests, although we can see the soul in your eyes we need to be 100% certain, don't worry they won't hurt." He took the words from my mouth. As I step off the island where the bed is my legs feel a little wobbly but I don't know if that's from lying in bed for so long or just because I am in a strange new place. He moves towards the door keeping hold of my hand and opens it for me and bows slightly as I pass throughout seasoned gesture I come to the conclusion that Hades is a gentleman through and through . I enter a corridor and it is the utmost of elegance and must have cost a fortune to build there is gold inlay on the walls and running from floor to ceiling the most intricate and ornate scroll work I have ever seen. He leads me down the corridor then down some beautiful stone steps to what looks like a heavy marble door, he opens it with ease and in the gentlemanly fashion I have come to know he guides me through his hand on the small of my back, feeling his warmth it shoots all the  way up and down my spine. Like little sparks of electricity I flinch slightly at his touch. As I enter the room I notice a couple of people in there and immediately wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. The three other people in the room stand and walk over to me. The first is an amazingly handsome guy, well dressed looking like he has just stepped out of a supermodel photo shoot, midnight blue hair in perfect place a gold locket round his neck under his open collared shirt. I stare transfixed in his red wine coloured eyes. He smiles and in a very light tone says "Hi you must be Iona, nice to meet you, my name is Cup- Er Logan" he shakes my hand enthusiastically and I give him a small smile. He lifts his hands to his neck and take off the gold necklace with heart locker he had been wearing, and places it into the palm of my hand. I look at the necklace bewildered and he says in a very lifting voice "This necklace belonged to your mother the original Aphrodite, thereby because she is no longer with us it is automatically yours by default." He lifts his hand in a salute and directs his gaze towards Hades, "Sir, I believe I have fulfilled my obligation to you may I return to the human realm?" Hades, who had been closer to me than I first thought, moves in front of me and then blocks my view of the guy called Logan and he says in a baritone voice "Thank you for your service you know your way to the door?" I don't see anything else except for this mountain of a man- correction- God in front of me.  I see Logan close the door giving me a thumbs up and mouthing "Good Luck" as he leaves. The next moment Hades has turned to me and taken the necklace out of my hand and placed it around my neck, his fingers gently ghost across my neck sending shivers down my spine, I think I may just melt right here. "T-Thank y-you" I awkwardly stutter (Nice, Iona real nice he's going to think you are some sort of blithering idiot) I start to blush at this thought when I realise Hades is staring deep into my eyes, I look back to see reflected in them but me. The man called Zeus clears his threat and separates Hades from my gaze. He grins at me and tries to hug me I pull away he makes me feel uncomfortable. Zeus says over his shoulder to Hades "Do we have everything we need for the tests and the ritual?" My head starts to throb and I feel like I am getting a fever the current scene before me starts to spin and I find it hard to keep my balance, I put my hands out to stop myself from hitting whatever is in front of me as my world suddenly goes black all I can hear is Hades muffled voice.