Lords of the Underworld [malexmale]

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Six

"Hades?"

Ugh, what?

"Hades?"

"What?!" I snarled, then hissed through clenched my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut as I awoke from the deepest sleep I'd ever had. My head was still pounding, eyelids heavy with that annoying headache behind them, spreading down to my back. It took me several moments to realize I was laying on a bed. I blinked my eyes open slowly, staring up at a scorched white ceiling. I frowned slowly in confusion before I realized I was laying in one of the hospital beds that I had ordered for the hospital I had built in Styx.

We were in Styx. In my hospital-- or rather, what was left of it, because it looked like the place had been ransacked and mostly ruined. A lump threatened to form in my throat at the thought of all that hardwork being ruined, most likely by citizens who had tried to flee the realm to no avail. They were probably amongst the bodies piled up outside my palace.

I blinked a few more times, turning my head to see I was hooked up to an IV, an oxygen mask pressed over my face. I was cleaned off and completely healed, completely charged with power. Instead of wearing my uniform, I was wearing a black tank top and sweatpants. And sitting beside the bed was Lucifer, concern brewing in those celestial blue eyes that coaxed me to wake up. Even though I'd snarled at him.

"Lucifer?" I muttered, baffled by his presence. I was used to waking up alone after getting my ass handed to me. Not that I was the only one that suffered. Rhea was dead. My mother was dead. I'd ripped her heart out and ate it. I removed her from the Source. Her soul had went to Tartarus and would no longer be able to escape. There would be no physical body on earth strong enough to contain her.

My mother was dead.

I waited to feel some kind of guilt, maybe a little sorrow. Hell, even joy. But I only felt emptiness. I didn't particularly care. But I could feel the power of the Source, her powers, coursing through my veins. My stomach churned at the thought of carrying something more than her genes, but it didn't matter. I'd get over that like I got over the fact that she was a treacherous bitch.

I blinked a few more times, scanning the room. A small nightstand with my goggles and mask sitting on it, my uniform all cleaned and draped over a nearby chair. A door to a nice bathroom with a large tub and shower. I looked back at Lucifer to see him relieved that I was awake now. He scooted closer, reaching out and taking my hand in his. I frowned at that, confused, watching him stroke his thumb across my knuckles.

"What are you doing?" I grunted, moving to pull my hand away, but Lucifer squeezed my hand, refusing to let go, making me frown further.

"Hades, you scared the crap out of me," He told me suddenly angry, making me arch a brow, "I had no idea what was happening to you. You scared Ambrosius to death too."

"What happened?" I asked, frowning.

"You tell us," Lucifer exclaimed, standing up now and leaning on the side of the bed as I withdrew my hand from him to rub my knuckles, "One minute, Ambrosius says you were killing Rhea, the next you were... you were eating her heart. Then you began to act strangely-- well, more or so than usual. And when the palace collapsed, you were screaming your head off until you fainted."

"I fainted," I repeated in agony, reaching up to cup my head, "Oh god, that's an ego crusher."

"Hades, what happened?" Lucifer demanded. I hesitated. I didn't want to tell anyone what I had figured out. If I did, the other gods would start killing each other off until there was no one left. All gods wanted to be the only god. It was only natural to have power and want more. Although, if it meant having my head explode, I'd rather not. Except I didn't have a choice. If I didn't take their powers into me, it would tip the balance and destroy everything. The power needed to continue to exist, but there was nothing in the natural laws that said where that power had to be stored, so long as it was a living god. And while it was a pain in the ass, the only place I could think of was inside myself.