Raising Hell

by S. K. Gregory

  “Well?” Clark said.

  I sighed. “I didn’t go there to upset anyone. I had no idea he would react like that.”

  “Why were you there?” he said, searching for a pen to write the report. He turned to grab one from the desk behind him and that’s when I saw it. A silver disk on his desk, next to his computer. It was covered in red stones and in the center, written in Ancient Greek, were the words God of War. Clark had it all along. He must have taken it off Robert when he was arrested.

  Before he could turn around, I snatched it, causing a shock to shoot up my fingers, and hid it in my pocket, my heart was beating wildly in my chest.

  “Are you okay?” Clark asked.

  “Yeah, fine. Is she going to press charges?”

  “I don’t think so. I think she just wants to make sure you don’t go back there.”

  “I won’t. I swear. Can I go?”

  “Eager to get away from me?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “So, we’re okay? After last night?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Because you know you can talk to me about anything.”

  “I do. Thanks.”

  I hurried out, my hand clutching my prize. I did it.

  *

  A Long Time Ago

  Hades

  He’s here. I stood my ground as the ceiling started to cave in. Persephone was safe, or she would be if she could get far enough away. I just needed to keep him busy.

  I rarely wielded a weapon, my reputation is such that I rarely need one, but now I held a staff in my hands ready to strike him down. The elusive God killer, able to appear out of nowhere and kill in the blink of an eye.

  Well this was my domain and he would not get by me. I watched the entrance, heart hammering in my chest. I have never felt mortal fear before, it is a strange sensation. The fear of losing Persephone however, is much worse.

  “Come on,” I whispered. “Show yourself.”

  I heard a noise behind me. Turning, I found myself alone. No, wait. The dust falling from above, a few feet in front of me, it only fell so far and stopped as though something was blocking it.

  He’s invisible.

  True invisibility was rare, as a God I had the ability to see through it, but I could not see him. This was a special kind of magic.

  I tried to act as though I wasn’t aware of his presence, to catch him by surprise.

  I lashed out with the staff, aiming for what I hoped was his face. The staff stopped dead, before being yanked from my grasp.

  Something struck me across the face, drawing blood. I backed away. “Show yourself! I want to see your face!”

  A giggle. He giggled!

  “Is this a joke to you? What you are doing is against the natural order. We were created to keep balance, by getting rid of us, you risk destroying the world.”

  “I’m not destroying it, I am saving it, from you, from your kind. You are a plague,” the voice said. He sounded young, no more than a teenager.

  “You may believe that, but you will soon see what happens to the world when we are gone.”

  “The world will survive, it will flourish in fact. You may have powers over the elements, the plant life, but you are not needed to keep them alive. When I cut you down, your power will return to the Earth where it belongs. Where it was stolen from.”

  “I do not deal with plants. I am Hades! God of the Underworld. It is my sacred duty to protect the dead, to ensure they are rewarded or punished for their actions on the Earth.”

  “You are not needed.”

  “Show me your face. You are going to kill me, at least let me see what you look like, what I have been chasing all this time.”

  “Yes, Hades, you have searched so long, but you were never looking in the right place.”

  I wondered what I should do. I could try and get to the surface or I could go deeper into the Underworld. I chose the latter.

  I took off running, feeling shame with every step. I was a God and I was running away. But I had a plan. If I couldn’t stop him, perhaps something he wasn’t expecting could.

  I entered the demon pit, knowing what I was doing was a huge risk, but if it stopped the God killer, I could find a way to restore order.

  “Demons, hear me now. I command you to rise up and take down the God killer. In return, you will earn your freedom.”

  There were stirrings in the pit, shapes forming in the smoke.

  “You speak the truth?” Chamos asked.

  “Yes, now do as I command.”

  I turned back to the entrance, wondering if he was here yet. I think he was.

  Behind me, the demons began to take solid form, rising up into the air, they hovered there, waiting to attack.

  “Wait for it,” I said.

  Chamos lowered himself in front of me, a black shadowy mass with yellow eyes. “I believe I owe you torture,” it said.

  I realized my mistake too late. The demons amassed on me, grabbing my limbs. I screamed as they ripped them free from my body. I could do nothing to stop them.

  What was left of my body fell to the floor, writhing in agony, a boy appeared before me. He was barely sixteen, with golden hair and the blackest eyes. In his hand, he held a long dagger, with a peacock’s eye set in the hilt.

  “No,” I whispered as I realized the truth.

  He leaned in close to me. “You know, don’t you? What I am?”

  “You were never supposed to be created,” I said.

  “I was. I am a necessary evil. All Gods must die.”

  He drove the dagger into my heart. My last conscious thought was of Persephone.

  16

  I spent the night staring at the amulet, trying to figure out how to use it. It was pulsing with energy, so much it practically vibrated in my hand.

  I slept for a while, my body was crying out for rest, but I only slept for a few hours.

  Mid- morning, I headed for the store. Gavin was in class today, so I didn’t have to worry about him bugging me. I had the Elixir and I had the relic. Now what? I spent hours going through every file Harris had. None of them told me anything I didn’t already know.

  Eris said I had to know where the God had fallen. Hades had to be in the Underworld, but what about my mother?

  The last time I spoke to her, she was heading off on a secret assignment from Zeus.

  “Why do you have to leave? There has been so much unrest lately. Hades won’t tell me anything.”

  Mother smiled at me, brushing her fingers along my cheek. “You have always been a curious one. Since the day you were born, you always liked to figure things out. Have you thought about what we talked about?”

  I sighed, walking to the edge of the cliff we stood upon. It looked out on rolling green hills. “I’m not ready for a child, Mother.”

  “A child would be the making of you.”

  “I do not need a child to define me.”

  Demeter chuckled. “No, you do not. You are a Goddess in your own right. But you have so much love to give. What is so wrong with wanting a child?”

  I closed my eyes, feeling the tears form. She didn’t know. No one knew, only Hades. I could never tell her about Makaria, the child I lost.

  “Tell me about your journey,” I said, changing the subject. “Where will you go?”

  “It is a secret. I would be going against Zeus himself if I told you.”

  I pulled a face. “What could he possibly want you to do?”

  Demeter raised an eyebrow. “I am capable of more than you know, Daughter. Do not mistake me for a feeble old woman.”

  I laughed, causing a cluster of flowers to bloom at my feet.

  “That’s what you should focus on. Bringing beauty to the world. I know you dwell in darkness, child, but there is always light in the world.” She took my hand in hers. I had no idea of what was to come.

  I sat in the quiet store, silent tears falling. I quickly wiped them away. There really wasn’t a choice. I could never
find my mother, but I had a shot at finding Hades. I could fly to Greece and search for the entrance to the Underworld. It might take time, but I could find him. I had time.

  It was late, I should go home and rest. I could look at the amulet with fresh eyes in the morning. I would also need to start packing, if I was going to Greece, I wouldn’t be returning to Bedford.

  As I pulled up to the house, I could hear Cerberus howling.

  Leaping out of the car, I hurried toward the garage to find that the stag was back.

  “Shoo!” I barked, clapping my hands at it.

  It glanced my way then disappeared back into the trees. Stupid stag. I should let Cerberus out. Once it had been chased by a hellhound, it would think twice about coming back here.

  I managed to settle him down, deciding to let him out in the morning. I wasn’t cruel.

  As I was lying in bed, drifting off to sleep, I remembered that I had left the amulet and the flask in the car. I went to throw back the bedclothes, but pain flared in my side.

  It can wait until morning. The car is locked, it will be fine.

  *

  I woke up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat. Feeling sick, I stumbled to the bathroom and fell to the floor. Stomach heaving, I threw up on the floor.

  “Urgh,” I said, reaching for the light.

  I discovered a pool of black goo on the floor.

  “What the hell?”

  I raised my shirt to find black tendrils emerging from under the bandage. I pulled it off to find that the wound had turned black around the edges.

  “That’s not good,” I said. That damn bolt.

  I made my way down to the kitchen, rummaging in the cupboards for ingredients. There was a salve my mother had taught me to make. I could use it to keep the wound clean and hopefully kill infection. I doubted this was a simple infection though. Athena was a master at concocting poisons. That’s probably why the bolt was so efficient at killing, it didn’t only wound a person, it poisoned them. I was lucky it only nicked me, or I’d be dead already.

  I dumped the ingredients into my mortar and started mixing. When I was done, I spread the dark green sludge on the wound, wincing as it came into contact with it. I covered it with a large bandage, swallowed some painkillers and went back to bed. It would be just my luck that I would come this far only to be killed by an infection.

  I managed to sleep for a few hours before morning. The salve seemed to be doing the trick, I felt slightly better, but I would need to visit someone to get the wound checked. It wasn’t a doctor kind of problem, but I knew a few healers who dealt in exotic toxins and their cures.

  I needed to focus on the amulet right now. Which reminded me it was still in the car.

  Pulling on a robe, I headed outside to retrieve it. Cerberus heard me and started to bark.

  “It’s okay, boy. I’ll let you out in a minute.”

  I unlocked the car and opened the passenger door to find that the amulet and the flask were gone.

  “No. No, no, no.” I leaned in to check the floor in case they had fallen off, but they weren’t there either.

  I stepped back, trying to think. The car was definitely locked, no one had broken into it. Did I bring them home? Maybe I left them at the store? I was pretty tired last night, it’s possible I just left without them. Yes, that had to be it.

  I got behind the wheel, ready to go to the store, then I remembered I was in my pyjamas.

  “Right, clothes.”

  Racing back inside, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater, swearing as I sent fresh pain through my side. Shoving my feet into a pair of boots, I hurried down to the car.

  “Please be there, please be there,” I kept repeating to myself. I parked the car half on the kerb as I rushed to open the store door.

  “You can’t park like that,” a man scowled at me.

  “They can give me a ticket,” I snapped, fumbling with the keys. I finally got the key inserted and hurried inside, flicking the light switch as I went.

  The counter was empty. I searched under it, on the floor, in the back, but they were gone.

  I slammed my fists onto the counter. “No! This can’t be happening.”

  I was so close. I couldn’t lose this chance, not now.

  Okay, breathe. Somebody took them. Who?

  Gavin? He was supposed to be at college, but he could have stopped by earlier and took them. Or put them somewhere. I pulled out my phone, then realized I didn’t have his number.

  Shit. Okay, who else? Clark? He must have realized the amulet was missing. He could have come to the house, saw it in the car and took it. He was a cop, he could probably get into a car no problem. But why take the flask? Was he involved in Eris’ scheme? What if he had been lying this whole time?

  Angry, I swiped my arm at some pots sitting on the counter, sending them crashing to the floor. If Clark had taken them I would beat the truth out of him, if I had to. No one was getting in my way.

  Leaving my car, I jogged over to the station. As I went to go in, I almost ran into Clark as he was coming out.

  “I need to talk to you,” I said.

  “It’s going to have to wait, there’s an emergency over at Robert Jones’s place.”

  I hesitated. “What kind of emergency?”

  “He attacked the mailman and now he’s holding Debra hostage. The mailman managed to get away and he called it in.”

  I jumped into the passenger seat of his cruiser. “I’m coming with you.”

  “No, I can’t bring you to a hostage situation.”

  “He went nuts when I visited him. It’s my fault. I’m coming. Now drive.”

  I wanted to ask him about the amulet, but I also wanted to see what was happening at Robert’s place. He wanted the amulet too. Maybe he was who I was after.

  “Stay in the car,” Clark ordered when we arrived.

  “Yeah, that will happen,” I said, getting out of the car.

  “Persephone, this isn’t a joke, he is dangerous.”

  “So am I.”

  We approached the house. There was shouting coming from inside and a moment later, Robert came crashing out the door. Or rather through the door, he didn’t bother opening it before he walked through it. He stopped, breathing hard, I could see the veins standing out on his neck. He had dressed in a shirt and jeans and around his neck, hung the amulet.

  He turned to look at me and an evil grin spread across his face, one I recognized.

  “Ares.”

  *

  A Long Time Ago

  Chamos

  Freedom.

  Chamos was free from his prison, back on Earth. Hades was gone. A wicked smile spread across his face. All gone.

  Pulling him apart had felt good, but it wasn’t enough. Now that the euphoria had subsided, he wanted more. But he had watched the God killer finish him off.

  Forget him. Time to play with the mortals again.

  He crossed the fields, searching for prey, something to excite him.

  There. Up ahead, he could see a woman walking on the road. He came up behind her, wondering if he should possess her, or wait for another to possess so he could play with her. She was young, with flowing black locks. He could practically taste her flesh.

  She stopped walking, turning to look back at the road behind her.

  Persephone. Chamos almost exploded with anticipation and delight. The Queen herself, out here alone. And what was this? She was mortal. Or close anyway. Definitely not a God anymore.

  This is going to be fun.

  17

  “Police, put your hands up and get on your knees,” Clark yelled, pointing his gun at Robert. Or what used to be Robert.

  “I don’t think that’s going to work,” I said.

  “Get back in the car,” he snapped.

  I ignored him and took a step toward Ares. “Hey, asshole, long time no see.”

  “Persephone,” he said, his voice deep and rumbling. “Still a dark beauty after all this time. It
seems Hades failed to tell us about your escape.”

  “What are you doing?” Clark asked.

  “He thinks he’s Ares, I’m just playing along,” I said.

  “Don’t get too close.”

  That was my motto in life. “So tell me Ares, I’m dying to know. How did you do it? The amulet?”

  “It’s a failsafe my father created. We knew the Gods would fall, but others would survive. Talismans like the amulet were created to attract our spirits to a willing host.”

  “Oh, I thought it had the power to resurrect you as you once were.”

  He cocked his head in mock sympathy. “Aw, did you want your beloved husband back? Only the devoted can house a God. They drink the Elixir, say the right words and we get to hijack their bodies. It would never work for Hades.”

  “Why? If I knew where he fell…”

  “Proximity is important, my body fell a few miles from here. But Hades didn’t have a body in the end.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When the God killer attacked, he fled deeper into the underworld, into the demons lair. He thought he could release them and save himself, instead they turned on him, tore him apart. The God killer finished him off.”

  “Oh my God,” I whispered. Hades…

  Ares took a step toward me.

  “Back up,” Clark said.

  Ares looked at him like he was a bug. He swiped an arm, knocking the gun from his grasp. Clark stepped forward to grab him, but Ares lifted him by the shirt off the ground and hurled him through the air. I had time to glimpse his shocked face before he landed in the yard, hitting the ground hard.

  “Clark!”

  Pulling my knife, I ran at Ares. I managed to slash him across the cheek before he hit me in the chest. My feet left the ground and the air vanished from my lungs. I landed, trying to suck in air.

  Ares stalked toward me, but I couldn’t move. I felt like I had been hit by a freight train. I tried to crab walk away from him. This was because of the wound. I wasn’t recovering as quickly as I should.

  Ares grabbed my hair, yanking me up. “Even in a mortal shell, I can still kick your ass.”