Aerith always believed she was an ordinary mortal-clumsy, geeky, and completely out of place in the world. But on the eve of her 18th birthday, she discovers a shocking truth: she's no ordinary girl, but the long-lost daughter of the Fates, destined...
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The Gates to Tartarus The Underworld
- Aerith -
So, I was just getting used to the whole "Queen of the Underworld" gig when we arrived at what looked like... a giant mountain? Nope. Not a mountain. As we got closer, I realized it was an enormous rock.
Hades jumped down from the chariot like it was no big deal, all graceful and broody, and then offered his hand to help me down. When he lifted me off the chariot, his hands lingered on my waist a little longer than necessary, and let me tell you—he definitely did it on purpose. My skin practically lit up like a Christmas tree as every inch of me brushed against him. I tried to keep it cool, but my heart was doing its best impression of a drum solo.
As I was silently cursing him for making me feel all tingly, I focused on the giant rock. "This is the gate to Tartarus," Hades whispered, his breath warm against my cheek. And there it was—cue the shivers. I was about two seconds away from combusting on the spot.
"A gate?" I squinted at the rock. "This doesn't look like a gate. It looks like... a boulder. A giant, menacing boulder."
He smirked—of course he did—and with a dramatic flick of his cloak (because clearly, everything he does has to be dramatic), he raised his hands. Suddenly, the ground shook, and I instinctively grabbed onto his arm. Earthquake, much?
Then, like something straight out of an epic movie, the giant rock began to split in half. The ground rumbled beneath us, but Hades kept a protective arm around my waist as he summoned some kind of magical shield to keep us steady. Because, you know, that's totally normal here. Within moments, the rock had parted, revealing a massive chasm below.
"Oh," I muttered, peering into the darkness. The fires and the wails from below made it look and sound very much like... well, Hell. "Now I get why people call this place hell."
Hades pulled me closer. "Do not be afraid," he whispered. And before I could process what was happening, he jumped—yes, jumped—into the pit, dragging me with him.
Naturally, I screamed. Why didn't he warn me?! We were falling, falling, and I was pretty sure I'd left my stomach somewhere up near the rock gate. But just as quickly as it started, we landed. Solid ground. And, shocker, I didn't throw up. Barely.
"Warn me next time!" I croaked, trying to get my heart rate back to normal.
"Apologies, my queen," he said, but the amusement in his voice didn't sound all that apologetic.
