Queen Of Hell & Paradise (Immortal gods: Book 1)

Chapter 21- Harmless Puppy

Samantha

Hades and I are floating back to his palace when the sound of barking reaches my ears.

It sounds familiar, haven't I heard those barks before? When I woke up in the Underworld almost a week ago I remember the pungent smell that lingered in the air as well as the biting cold wind, in the back of my mind I remember having heard barking. Does Hades have a dog? I faintly remember reading an article on Hades and Persephone that mentioned one, but I can't be too sure. I was too consumed by my thoughts- afraid Hades was married.

"Do you have a dog?" I finally ask, listening for the growls I heard a minute ago.

"I do," he answers quietly, glancing in the direction of  the River Acheron.

"Can I see it?" I ask hopefully, noticing Hades' hesitance to answer.

If it were any other animal I wouldn't have asked to see it, I've seen my fair share of pets. But there's something about dogs that seems to grab my attention, maybe it's because I was never allowed to have one as a child. My parents thought they were messy and dirty- in fact, they'd say that if I ever got one it would ruin their expensive rugs and furniture. Whatever the reason is, if I have the chance to pet one, I always take it.

In front of me, Hades seems to think over my request.

"Alright," he sighs, "But we can not descend to see him, he may try to attack you. His job is to keep human life out the realm," he says matter-of-factly. He turns us around in the direction of the River Acheron, and the sounds of barking grow louder.

"What's his name?" I ask, close enough I can make out the thick fog that gathers above the river.

"Cerberus," Hades says, whistling. The sound of the padding of paws on soil follows Hades' whistle. It grows louder as Hades continues to coax his dog into view.

"Éla edó agóri!" he calls in his foreign language. I furrow my brows, confused with what he was saying. He speaks in the same language when we're teleporting from the Underworld to earth, I wonder what he's saying?

The ground begins to shake as the padding of paws becomes louder, making it feel like an earthquake is rumbling beneath the realm's foundations. Panting and hissing ring in the air in rhythm with the pace of Cerberus' running. Moments later, the padding resounds full force and then abruptly stops.

A dark figure emerges from the thick fog, its honey colored eyes light the way for it with their glow. A smile tugs up Hades' lips when the figure jumps out all of a sudden, whining and crying and hissing.

I feel my heart jump out its ribcage when the animal leaps forward, begging for Hades' attention. When he steps out from the shadows and into our field of view, I can see its terrifying form. I have to hold back a gasp when I take in its features. Its size is enormous, he looks like he belongs alongside the giant statues guarding the gates of Hades' palace!

His short, stubby fur is black all over with only one brown spot adorning its belly. He has three heads with giant, sharp teeth and four long, pointy fangs each. Slobber sludges its way down all three of its foamy mouths. He's wagging his tail furiously, drawing my attention to his back. His tail isn't like the tail of other dogs I've seen. An onyx snake with piercing cobalt eyes wiggles back and forth behind him, hissing and sticking out its tongue as it acts as Cerberus' hind end.

"That is not a dog," I say shakily, tightening my grip on Hades' cloak. I brave a glance back down to the hound sitting obediently at Hades' floating feet before quickly looking away, startled. I feel a chuckle reverberate through Hades' chest and I look up to see his amused face. He's silently laughing at my reaction to his dog's appearance, clearly entertained. I frown.