Crossroads of Two Worlds

33- Breathe

When you wake up on a train, and the guy across from you that wasn't there before is actually a god, and is playing solitaire, it is a bit of a shock. Even for someone like me. Much more of a shock when it's the god of the underworld. He did not need to introduce himself for me to know who he was. It was made pretty clear after you realized that fact that he was cloaked in black, with equally black eyes that seemed to have no certain depth. Hades spoke to me without even looking up from his game.

"I don't know why mortals don't play this game more often! Except for the fact that it's rather difficult to involve multiple people."

I shrugged, "That's what happens when you play a game invented for lonely people."

He didn't smile. Not even a hint of one.

Tough crowd. Maybe he felt that solitaire deserved better than to be made fun of. Who knows?

I sat up straighter in my seat and cleared my throat, "What is your reason for coming here to see me? And aren't you worried that someone will see you?"

A frown, "No one can see me."

"Yes they-"

"Not in your dreams they can't, not in your head."

I scoffed, "I'm not dreaming. As far as I know you have to be asleep to dream and I just woke up."

"No, you just fell asleep."

"What?"

"Nevermind that!" He forcefully waved my questions away, "Let's get down to business."

"Like the song from Mulan?"

He ignored me and leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees, also clad in black, "You're looking for the wrong thing. You are going to the right place, but what you want to capture is no demon."

Not a demon? Well shoot.

"Then what is it? Almighty, all-knowing god?"

He paused, probably irritated with my sarcasm, "Ever heard of grim reapers?"

I nodded, suddenly getting quite worried.

"Well, they're not grim reapers."

I sighed, internally groaning at the fact that no god, ever, could seem to just get to the point and get it over with. What was with that?

He continued, "Similar concept though. They're basically... my servants."

"They're yours!?"

He scolded me with just a glare, "Yes but they've been... I don't really know how to say it, infected."

"Infected?"

"Yes! That's what I said! Anyway, what they usually do for me is go collect those who have died. I used to do it myself, but it gets tiring, so these guys were hired to do it for me. But somehow, and for some reason unknown to me, they're collecting people before they die! That's why they all explode."

I shook my head, "Is there any way to cure them? If they're yours, can't you go get them?"

"No, I can't get them! Ugh, stop arguing! And no, I don't know of any cure. They've not been back to see me for too long. Get them back. You will feel it when you are near to them. "

He started to fade, his solitaire game with him, and I began yelling, "Hey! Hey, I'm not your slave!"

He was gone. I felt my vision start to fill with white light, signaling that I was about to wake up into the real world.

Great.

Now I had to go tell Adrian and Maya that our plans had changed. To what, I didn't know.