Remnant Of The Gods

Chapter 35

Almost as soon as we were out of sight of the figures he has transformed back into his wolf form and I was left without any form of talking companionship. It wasn't for several hours that Demetrious was able to turn back to face me again. I still didn't know if it was because he was so focused on moving or if it was because of what had happened on the lake.

I didn't think he was betraying Hades by helping me was he? Or if he did anything outside of his duties mean that he was 'betraying the plane'. Unless of course he had wanted to say that he was going to betray me. He could, I suppose and it would be stupid of me to think that after exisiting for hundreds of years that I would matter to him more than his life, his position, his duty, hells his purpose for gods sake.

My mind buzzed while we walked the narrow frozen river turned into a pathway through, what seemed like a forest. I was shaking my head at the impossibility of the area surrounding us. The impossibility of forests and ice, of anything other than a desolate wasteland with torture devices making up the landscape of Hades. When I stood by a particularly large tree and looked up, scoffing at the impossible height Demetrious turned around to follow my gaze, huffing out a laugh, raising his lip in a smile that caught on his now human teeth.

"You should realise by now to expect the unexpected." He said lightly.

"I guess so..." I said, trailing off and returning to our hidden path along the river. "But I suppose that goes for anything down here".

The double meaning of my words hung in the air uncomfortably until I continued, "Where do we go from here?"

The river looked the same in front of us as it did before we had reached the caverns, just now with giant impossibly tall trees instead of rocky mountains.

"We continue, we are nearly at the-" He tossed his head from side to side as if choosing his words carefully, "-at the particular entrance that many, including myself, are meant to go through."

It was still strange to me to watch him talk and be a human, his movements were still edgy and almost feral as he continually swivelled his head, twitched his ears and sent his inhuman eyes roving every way possible. While staring at him I frowned.

"Why couldn't you just always be human?" I asked softly, trying to find what it was that drew my attention every time he changed.

"Should you even need to ask that question?" Demetrious said, walking ahead whilst turning to give me a quirking eyebrow.

"Of course," I pulled face, wasn't it obvious? "If you could do it before we even met why didn't you? It would have saved me from looking like I was talking to myself for one, or the fact that humans are better company than demon hounds." I threw my hands in the air in frustration, why wouldn't being a human be better?

"Humans are the lowest possible form in all the three planes. They are to us, what rats are to you. I wonder if you would fancy being a rat for the sake of your rat friends happiness." He continued, walking and talking while I ground my teeth.

"It depends how much of a friend I was to the rat." I sniffed and I heard a low chuckle from in front of me as I kicked the rocks beneath my feet. The sound flipped my stomach as he had never actually laughed before. Snorted yes, but never chuckled.

"Well, imagine then a human bringing the rat into its home and transforming into a rat while trying to guide it through his home. The rat would consider it unnatural to be like that in his home"

"You said he that time," I pointed out, "I thought this was just hypothetical." I smiled, as he turned and caught my gaze as his glowing eyes danced playfully. Laughing at his expression and the absurdity of the comparison, he soon joined in with a signature snort. "I believe you would make a very handsome rat." I added, "even as disgusting as rats may seem to you."