HADES (Ruby Rose fanfic)

ONE (Ruby POV)

"Ruby! Ruby, please... a picture..."

"Ruby! An autograph!"

"Oh my God! Hell Bitch touched me..."

"Ruby, we love you..."

"You look beautiful tonight, Ruby."

"Thank you, I love you too." My cheeks are sore because I've kept this fake grin on my face for hours, my high heeled boots are killing me and I feel I'm about to lose my temper while flashes from phones blind me again and again. A cold wind whips through the street powered by my negative energy and Eaco moves his muscled arms with great care, pushing my fans away gently so I can walk from my car to the hotel door. It seems incredible that such a giant man with dark hair and the appearance of a kind brute could be my own nephew... I heave a sigh of relief when I reach the lobby but my smile stays on, you never know when you're going to find one of those voracious paparazzi... they're everywhere. "Mmmm... this place smells heavenly."

In the middle of the floor covered in golden marble, under a chandelier made of Murano crystal, there's a round table with a surface of polished wood where beautiful flowers are on display inside silver and crystal vases of various sizes. The arrangement composition is amazing, colours harmonize perfectly and the scents complement each other without being overwhelming. In an unprecedented display of innovation, the responsible for this colourful explosion has picked out flowers that nobody in his right mind would imagined together and yet, the final look is spectacular, modern and pleasing to the eye: the purple amaranth... immortality, the white flowering dogwood... love fighting against adversity, the pink shades of the cyclamen... timid hope, a touch of colour from the yellow wallflower... I love you but you don't know it... A high-pitched voice interrupts my train of thought.

"Welcome. We've followed your instructions to the letter and floor 53 is closed exclusively for you. The wide windows of the presidential suite are covered with dark curtains and dinner will be ready on your table the moment you ask for it. Whatever your desires, I'm sure we can satisfy them."

Mina shakes the hotel manager's hand blinding him with a dashing smile that makes the poor man blink in surprise while she walks away from me so I don't have to hear his pointless jabber. Only few can resist the charm of her green eyes, her bright blonde hair and her wonderful gift for choosing the right word, despite deep inside her she has intellect and a fine solid character not visible to the naked eye. She's the perfect manager to run the career of an artist successfully, diplomatic but stubborn, the very same qualities that turned her into a beloved king of Crete... it's a pity that her grandson Minos didn't inherit some of the good qualities of his grandparent and he became a tyrant finally. Radamantis looks amused at her sister while we walk to the hotel elevator, the beauty with bronze-coloured skin and dark hair reflects in every mirror with golden frame but she ignores the looks of appreciation and open smiles that men are showing as she walks by them. Her unquestionable integrity has turned her into the terrors of paparazzi and gossip columnists: they know that the one who spreads fake news about me will be automatically excluded from my press conferences. Luckily for them I'm the centre of a lot of scandals and they earn good money at my expense, they don't need to make up new stories.

"I'd love to know how she does it, seriously..."

"Subtlety Rada, that's what you lack. You're too direct..."

"I don't like wasting my time, I'm a very busy woman..." she answers winking at me. She's right, judging the souls of the dead that arrive to the Erebus coming from Eastern countries takes a lot of time, same happens to Eaco who's in charge of judging the western people's souls. It's easier for Mina since she only needs to check and confirm the sentences, however sometimes she disagrees with her sister and stepbrother and it's my turn to work as a peacemaker between my nieces and my nephew before the screams of their argument shake the foundations of my dark palace. My manager gets rid of the hotel director finally and walks into the elevator while I close my eyes and lean my head back on the mirror behind me, I'm tired... Goddess or not goddess, jet lag is a bitch that kicks your butt hard and a Japan-New York trip is enough to knock me out.