"I will pay your price. You will make and deliver a new suit of armor for Persephone along with mine" ordered Hades.
"The deal is for one suit of armor. If you want to have Persephone's armor delivered before Hera's, then that is another deal and you will owe me a very large favor" said Ali. "Any armor must be paid for up front at the time you submit your order, before I begin to design and make it. Pay now and you are effectively first on the waiting list, be aware all payments are non-refundable. If you want Persephone's armor to be delivered along with yours, for a double triumph, you will sign a contract effectively saying that you will remain in my debt. To pay the debt you will immediately grant me any request I ask without question or deceit. This is a limited time offer, what is your decision?"
Hades scowled "I see you have learned to bargain hard, youngling" said Hades. He stood and prowled around muttering to himself. "Advise Vidarr I will acquit myself well in combat. You have a deal for two suits of armor as agreed."
"You can tell Vidarr yourself because you need to agree on how the fight will begin to make it look very convincing. One suggestion, if Persephone attends with you and if Vidarr becomes amorous to her, you fly into a jealous rage and draw your weapon to start the fight. Persephone will love you more for fighting to defend her honor and then for providing her with the first suit of armor when everyone else will be desperate for their own olympium armor. I want to drive fear and excitement into the hearts of every guest as they watch this epic battle. If Persephone tries to strike Vidarr down with her powers from behind, even better, because the new suit will deflect or absorb all such attacks. Remember that this is simply a game of pretence, Hades. I, too, will be practising my acting skills for when I rush to your distraught Persephone after the battle to bring her back to your side. Whereupon we will reveal to her the deception and her invaluable prize. I hope you take a great deal of delight in the duping process and outcome. I know Vidarr loves a good fight. They will remember this for centuries to come, it will be a launch party like no other" promised Ali.
"I assume you have all the contracts drawn up?" grumbled Hades.
"You assume correctly, Hades" said Ali with a grin. "Read the contracts through carefully, we need witnesses for our signatures, your seal of office, process the payment for both suits to my account then the agreement for the delivery of the suits is made. I will commence work when the payment is cleared into my account and not before. I will come here to measure you and Persephone after the launch party. If you acquit yourself well and work hard on your acting then I will considered extending the contracted time slightly. Perhaps practise your acting and moves with Brand until he is satisfied it is entirely believable. I will advise you of the delivery date when I am close to completion. The processes are tricky and if I rush there will inevitably be more setbacks."
Hades summoned two of his many lawyers to witness the signatures and he stamped it with his seal of office. He then arranged the payments and fast-tracked them through.
"Someone will eventually steal your secrets and make a lot of profit in your stead" said Hades snidely.
"I have already heard you stole some of my scrap to replicate the olympium and consistently failed. I will save you some time and wasted effort; only I can make this metal and craft it. Even if I told someone all the secrets of the processes and they learned all the elven and Olympian forging techniques perfectly, still no other smith could make it. Thus, if any danger lurks around me then it is in your interests that you do your utmost to ensure my safety; at least until your suits and weaponry are complete or you will lose your armor, weapons, payment and your five days of triumph over every Olympian god. It seems we have become rather unlikely allies for now, Hades" said Ali as she bowed and left with all the finalized contracts.
The next day Ali confirmed to Hades the full payment was in her account and she would begin preparations to manufacture the suits. Ali paid a visit to Hephaestus and took a sample of olympium with her for him to thoroughly test and attempt to replicate if he so wished. Ali told him of the upcoming product launch and asked him to give his opinion on the new metal at the party. Hephaestus agreed and said he will be waiting impatiently for the invitation. Ali sent another sample of olympium to Melian with a note asking her to test it and try to replicate it. Ali told Melian of the product launch and said she would send Melian an invitation to speak but would understand if she were too busy working. Melian said she would come if Ali 'ported her direct to the event and 'ported her back immediately after her speech, to which Ali agreed.
Next was the function room. Ali 'ported to Dionysius and asked him to rent her his most exclusive function room. Dionysius took her to show her the room and Ali decided it was big enough for her purposes so she asked him when it was available to hire out? Dionysius looked at her strangely and said she could just order him to do anything she wanted. Ali asked again for when the room was free to hire. Dionysius got out his book and provided her with several dates and Ali picked one, noted it down, paid the deposit and 'ported to Apollo.
Ali advised Apollo he would receive an invitation to her product launch only if he agreed to heal anyone present that may require his care during the launch party. Apollo looked at Ali cautiously and slowly nodded his head. She said he could now expect to receive his invitation to the launch party in due course. When Ali left, Apollo stood scratching his head looking bewildered.
Ali 'ported to Amirael to ask her to draw up the short guest list. They then discussed invitation choices and where to get them. Amirael listed several shops and they 'ported to each shop together until they agreed on one and submitted their order instructions. The shop owner did a double-take when he read the guest list and promised expert work and fast delivery. They paid the bill and went looking for a designer decorator who could dress the room according to their instructions.
Unfortunately this was the most difficult task, the designers kept pushing them towards a standard party atmosphere. Ali decided to go to Prometheus, at the college, and ask him to get the interior design students to solve the problem and learn to think outside the box. It took a group effort but they eventually arrived at a result Ali was satisfied with. Ali told them she would hire them and pay them the amount she would have paid a design team. They would receive their full payment at the conclusion of the job. Ali left them with a deposit to make their purchases for the job then provided them with the date and place. The students were excited and kept working on other ideas to perfect the look Ali had described.
Ali and Amirael returned to the attic house to talk to chef. Ali explained her concept for the food. Nothing standard but everything luxurious and fresh. Every recipe had to have a twist. Ali told chef of some of the memorable dishes the elders told her they were impressed with at previous dinner parties. Chef and his team began to experiment with flavors, colors, textures and ways to plate up the dishes after Ali told chef the theme of the party was dark, exciting, mysterious and dangerous. Chef suggested they use black and red fine china to plate up and Ali waved her hand and produced a selection for chef to choose from.. Chef said her would practise with all the selections and make his decision later so Ali left him to it.
Ali decided the serving staff would be demons so she sent a note to Hades asking to hire some of his demons for the night as serving staff. He replied 'Is this the favor you ask?'
Ali replied 'No, I will pay you the standard income for serving staff for the number of hours they work. I ask for twenty demons. If it is too much trouble I will hire vampires instead.'
Hades responded 'My demons will be there.'
Ali replied 'Choose the scariest looking ones. I will forward the standard contract for you to sign and deposit the specified amount into your account as soon as the contract is completed and returned to me.'
When it came to the cocktails Ali decided to draw up her own menu of scary cocktails for the gods to choose from. They could go to the bar and say their order from the menu then the desired cocktail would
appear before them. Among the drinks choices were Apocalypse, Banshee, Black widow, Island voodoo, Satan's whiskers, Vampire blood, Zombie brew, Halloween punch, The undead, Brain hemorrhage, Hurricane, Hangman's blood, Death in the afternoon, Zombie, Gimlet, Dark and stormy, Bloody Aztec, Bloody Mary, Peaches and scream, Devil's punch, Voodoo priestess, Death adder and Wake the dead. Ali invented her own cocktails too; Kill-zone, fear, Malevolence martini, Demon lord, Insanity, Treachery and The undertaker.
Ali decided to go as a leper with an extra-creepy makeover, Gramma chose to wear a headless ghost costume, Amirael dressed as a ghoul schoolgirl with an axe through her head and Riv chose to be a hangman with his noose. Chef had worked out the menu and the plates he wanted. Ali told him to put whatever he prepared onto the attic house dining table and she would 'port it straight to the venue. The arrangements were all done.
The day arrived and everyone was busy preparing. She checked on the student's venue design and declared she loved it. Ali verified the position of the tables so she could 'port food in at any time. She checked Hades and Vidarr had worked out their act. She checked Melian would be ready on time and in costume too. She verified Hephaestus was prepared and ready to go. Check, check, check, done! Ali walked around with Rom in the forest until it was time for her to prepare, 'port and do her thing.
Ali was in costume and 'ported to the venue to bring in the food and drinks. She 'ported in Riv and Amirael. The demons arrived and she instructed them to carry around plates of food to offer to guests and clear away empty plates and glasses as they go. Ali set up the cocktail bar and they tested it out. It worked perfectly.
Brand arrived dressed in black and looking mean. He approached Ali. "I see you have been losing weight, Ali-cat?" said Brand.
"Only when I drop this fake arm" she grinned.
"May I ask why you asked Hades to come to me and practice his lines?" asked Brand.
"I thought you could be like a method actor and teach him how to look enraged and jealous. You do it so well" she said unrepentantly.
"Where is the boyfriend?" he grimly demanded.
"Lying low until the heat is off" she replied. "Although I doubt anyone would want to date me as a leper."
"You underestimate your appeal" he responded bleakly.
"We are all set, so get ready for show-time!" called out Ali.
Gramma arrived first, then Hephaestus. Ali 'ported in Melian. The guests all started to arrive and Ali 'ported in the food. Apollo and Dionysius arrived together. The costumes were all interesting and the creepy stage was set. Hades and Persephone arrived minutes before Zeus and Hera. When Vidarr arrived wearing the armor it caused a stir and people stared at him in fascination. Ali waved and he wandered over.
"Drinks are at the bar I will come with you, you choose and I will get it for you" she explained.
As Ali used the bar, others crowded in to watch and soon everyone had their cocktails in hand. The buffet was a curiosity that the guests returned to again and again to taste the exciting new delicious morsels. Ali 'ported in food regularly to top it up. The food was definitely a hit. Ali sent a note of congratulations to chef.
Fossy arrived as a gruesome zombie MC and began his speech. He introduced Vidarr to the crowd and went over the specifics of the armor. Fossy called Hephaestus up to speak and he spoke of his rigorous tests, his opinion of the metal and his inability to replicate it. He called Ali a smithing prodigy. Then Melian stepped up and spoke of her experiences with Ali, her opinion of her work and the metal in her usual blunt way. Melian called the new metal an achievement in smithing that she wished she had done but with all her fame and experience she could not replicate the metal nor craft it. Further, that in her expert opinion if she could not do it then no elven smith could. Melian stepped down and Ali approached her to hug her tight. Then when Melian nodded, Ali 'ported her home.
Fossy told some well rehearsed jokes and talked up the new olympium armor. He fired up their patriotism and excitement over the olympium metal, saying the strength of olympium armor belonged with Olympians. Fossy told the crowd everything they wanted to hear. He got them to imagine being on the battlefield with such armor and weaponry at their command. Indestructible metal, unimaginable power at their command with a faultless array of perfect weaponry that slices through the oncoming hordes of foe like a knife cuts through warm butter. The room buzzed with excitement as Vidarr began to remove the stored weapons to show them and demonstrate how effective they were at cutting through anything with ease on prepared materials. As Fossy finished his speech the air was electric with excitement. All the Gods looked enviously at the armor. Fossy didn't tell them the price but he pushed the exclusive nature of the armor and said it was beyond any price to have such exceptional armor on your back. He declared the armor and weaponry were the difference between life and death: choose now, he said, "victory or defeat."
Vidarr then took grabbed a tray from a passing demon waiter and sliced neatly through the tray with ease. He approached Hades and stared at him furiously in challenge then he turned to leer at Persephone and easily sliced off the girdle belt of her costume. As the jeweled belt dropped to the floor, Hades bellowed with rage and drew his sword. All the gods and goddesses stepped back in shock as Hades and Vidarr fought with deadly intent. Vidarr took many easy slices out of Hades' armor, piercing him again and again. Persephone finally appeared to come to her senses and shouted to the demons to attack Vidarr. The demons dropped their trays and armored up.
Soon Vidarr was surrounded by foes and he smirked as he viciously sliced through the demons. Brand had activated his armor too and joined the fight. Vidarr continued to cut an easy swathe through all combatants. As many lay fallen at his feet, he completed the massacre with devastating force. Brand lay cut open on the floor and Ali could only watch in shocked disbelief as Vidarr and the olympium armor overwhelmed all who dared attack him. A bloody mess lay across the floor as Vidarr finally sheathed his weapons and glared in contempt at all the on-looking Olympian gods before he sliced apart the room's metal door easily with his blade and leisurely walked away before 'porting back to Asgard.
Ali ran to Brand with tears tumbling down her cheeks. "Apollo, do something. Heal him please. I beg you" she cried out brokenly. Persephone remained standing stock still before she turned, walked away from her severely wounded husband and left the room with no expression on her face. Apollo approached Hades and healed him first. Hades left to follow Persephone after he asked which direction she had gone. Apollo then healed Brand and as Brand slowly recovered he said "You are crying for me, little Ali-cat?" Ali then burst into unrestrained sobbing and he lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the room filled with horrified onlookers. Apollo walked away from the pile of demon bodies left bleeding out on the floor and 'ported out. The rest of the dazed guests followed his lead and left.
Chapter 45
Brand 'ported near to a secluded waterfall surrounded by forest greenery and held Ali as she cried herself out and finally fell asleep in his arms as she still clung to him. It was the first time he had felt at peace as his heart finally felt lit by a spark of hope. Ali dreamed as Brand watched over her, unwilling to let her go for fear that he was stuck in his own dream and would wake to find her gone. Brand held tight to stay the unfamiliar flicker of hope that was finally in his grasp.
Ali felt his gazed fixed on her face before she could open her eyes. "It wasn't a bad dream, was it Brand?" asked Ali with her eyes shut tight.
"What?" he asked back.
"The slaughter at the launch. All the blood. You being carved open and bleeding out while I just watched. I panicked and froze. It was so awful. I was so useless. My mind was just blank."
"Hades planned for it to be like that. You were not aware?" he asked cautiously.
"We planned for it to be just Hades and Vidarr fighting to demonstrate the suit. You knew it was a demonstration. I sent Hades to you to practise his lines so you would know it was an act. Just an act, I swear. I only
asked Hades to practise so he would make it a convincing demonstration. Persephone did not know and was not supposed to know. I thought she might try to use her powers against the suit, which the suit would easily absorb or deflect. It would not have affected Vidarr or anyone. I didn't care much if Hades got a bit injured because he chose to do it to get the first suit. We had it planned he would be quickly healed by Apollo. You were not supposed to be involved. That was not our plan. No-one else was supposed to get hurt."
"I believe Hades changed the plan to get the maximum impact and make it convincing like you asked. Why do you think I was ordered to be there?" asked Brand.
"I did tell Hades to make it convincing. I am so naive. I didn't realize he would plan to use you and the waiters in the battle. I thought he would order you to stay back so he could fight Vidarr alone for Persephone's honor. Vidarr must be furious with me. He must think I deceived him. You must be furious with me" said Ali as she reluctantly opened her eyes a fraction to peek at Brand. Brand drew her in and held her gaze.
"You know I would do anything for you. Anything. If you wanted me to fight and be cut down I would willingly do it. I did do it, for you" declared Brand.
Aliandra: nymph: Book 1 The Nymph chronicles Page 22