The Mythos Trials

Chapter Four

It was morning.

Considering there was nothing to mark the passage of time in Hades' realm, Phenex might have questioned how he knew this, if not for his centuries in the Spectrum. Time was even more difficult to gauge there; though the realm observed time's passage on Earth and other worlds, the Spectrum itself wasn't subject to its laws.

Phenex yawned and lowered his feet to the floor, wincing slightly at the cold tiles beneath his arches. After Hades had left them to their own devices, the first thing he'd done was divest himself of his Geminus attire, eager to get out of the stiff-collared shirt and waistcoat. The frock coat hadn't been too bad, he supposed, having worn his fair share when they'd been at the height of fashion. Be that as it may, they suited Forneus much better, lending to his air of gentlemanly propriety in a way that they never could for him.

Making his way toward the left side of the room, past two armchairs, a throw rug, and table with a crystal vase full of narcissus sitting on top of it, he set to work cleaning himself up. The washbasin tap stuck slightly when he turned it, emitting a sharp squeak that made him grit his teeth. Once he'd managed to turn it all the way, however, it filled the basin with warm, soapy water, the heady scent of orchids filling his nostrils.

Not exactly my first choice, but it'll have to do. Taking hold of the cloth sitting on the basin's edge, he began vigorously scrubbing his face, relishing the coolness of the water against his neck and shoulders. Once he was sufficiently freshened up, he began to dress.

He didn't know who had retrieved his clothes from Gwen's satchel or when, but he was grateful. After setting the hem of his Geminus slacks on fire on no fewer than six occasions, it came as something of a relief to finally have his old duds back.

He had just exited his room, leather jacket settling over his shoulders like a second skin, when a familiar figure stepped into the corridor.

"Kamish?" Phenex stepped forward, unable to mask his surprise upon seeing the jittery operative. "What are you doing here?"

Kamish retreated a step until his gaze found Phenex's, midnight blue eyes wide with wonder. The hard-brimmed cap on his head slipped slightly so that it sat at a jaunty angle on his short, silvery hair. His usual black and grey combat fatigues made him seem a shadow in the dark corridor, though the gold circlet around his neck shone like a beacon.

"P-Phenex," Kamish managed, his stutter coming out a squeak. "Master Hades said you were here, but after all that's happened...well, I scarcely believed it." He took a tentative step forward, then another.

Phenex closed the distance between them, grasping the other's hand with his own. After so many days of uncertainty, it was good to see a familiar face—even if the owner of said familiar face irritated him with his timidity from time to time.

"It's good to see you, Kamish. Is Mathis here, too?" Phenex peered down the corridor, half expecting to see the Third Unit commander striding toward him from the grand hall.

"No, only me. Sorry." Kamish shifted awkwardly, his combat boots scuffing the stone floor. "I-I think the commander got out...but if he did, he must have wound up elsewhere. I haven't been able to find anyone else from the unit, either."

Phenex intended to say something reassuring when a door opened behind them, Forneus emerging into the hall.

"Kamish?" He echoed Phenex's earlier surprise, eyes glinting with warm recognition. He strode forward, clasping hands with the shorter operative. "So you made it out as well. We were beginning to fear we were the only ones. Well, us, Asclepius, and Lyka at any rate."

"Commander Asclepius is here, too?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Forneus shook his head. "He and Lyka opted to remain in Geminus to aid Thoth in his attempts to contact anyone lost in the other realms."