She gave him a thankful embrace, stepping back as she let go with a small hopeful smile.
Hades lead her out of the castle once more.
"Hades?" Ariel called out.
Hades looked at her questioningly, urging her to continue.
"What's Tartarus?" She naively inquired.
Hades' jaw clenched, "Tartarus, dear, is the most sinister area in the whole of the underworld. It's where I imprisoned The Titans."
"The Titans?"
"Yes, the second generation of deities."
Ariel nodded, still looking incompetent.
Hades sighed, "In other words, papa & mama."
Ariel's face morphed into one of more confusion, "You imprisoned your parents?" She asked appalled, unable to hide the mortified look on her face.
Hades rolled his eyes at her, grimacing, "It had to be done. Actually, it was the only thing Zeus, Poseidon, and I ever agreed on. Even with me being the eldest they never listened to me."
Ariel looked at him nodding slowly, trying to apprehend why anyone would ever do that to their parents.
Ariel had grown up in a stable household, with loving parents, and a sheltered environment.
These couple of days for her, have been the most action she had ever encountered in her entire lifetime.
The concept was foreign to her, but she tried to understand because she knew that not everyone was as blessed as her. She knew that she had to count her blessings no matter how hard life got, because there would always be someone who had it worse. It was how life worked.
Life usually seems to be unfair.
But the truth is, life doesn't owe anyone anything. Life is fair to those who live it.
Life gives 100% to every single person, but not in the way that you may think.
Consider life and divide it into 4 categories.
Love. Money. Health. Pain.
Person 1, could have 50% love, 5% money, 20% health, and 25% pain.
Person 2, could have 5% love, 75% money, 15% health, 5% pain.
Person 2 will feel unloved, feeling that person 1 is lucky because they have a good love life, a loving family, etc...
But person 1 will feel poor, feeling that person 2 is lucky because they're rich and have everything they've ever wanted.
Both people will suffer, though, because neither one felt satisfied with what they had in plenty and kept looking at the other with greedy, unsatisfied, craving eyes.
The key to happiness was gratitude and gratitude was a skill to be learned and mastered.
Ariel walked by Hades' side silently following, all these thoughts running through her head.
Her mind went back to Adrien and all the memories they shared together.
Her eyes welled up in tears as she remembered the day her parents brought him home from the pack hospital.
He was so small curled up in his white blanket. It had his name sewed in in gold in the corner, with gold dots imprinted all over.
He carried it around everywhere to this day.
Not anymore, she thought tormentedly.
Her mind still couldn't wrap itself around it. How could he have just died?
The witches didn't keep their promise because they couldn't be trusted. She thought.
And it was at this moment that Ariel decided that she was going to kill them all. She was going to vanquish them into oblivion for what they did to her baby brother. So much rage, fury, and hatred was building up inside of her. She vowed that she would wipe them out of existence, every last witch.
She wondered if this was how Hades felt all the time. He was the Lord of the dead, King of the Underworld, keeper of riches, and controller of Thanatos (Death) himself. He was angry all the time, pitiless, loathsome, and hateful and hated by his younger siblings.
Ariel abruptly stopped in her tracks, turning to Hades, "Are you happy?" She asked.
Hades frowned looking at Ariel questioningly, "With what?"
"It wasn't a rhetorical question, I'm genuinely asking." She replied.
Hades simply shook his head, took in a deep breath then sighed, "Don't you want to find your brother?" He asked pinching the bridge of his nose.
Ariel eagerly nodded.
"Then quit your chatting, we'll talk about this some other time." He dismissed.
Suddenly, Hades looked past Ariel his eyes greying fully.
"Bring him to me at The Styx dock." He ordered harshly, his voice sounding strange to Ariel's ears.
She watched him cautiously as they walked, hesitant about asking him what that was all about.
Ariel settled on disregarding the subject altogether and kept her eyes on her feet.
~
Standing on the dock near The Styx, Hades and Ariel watched for signs of Adrien.
Hades spotted him, sitting in the small crusty ferry nervously next to Kharon with Thanatos accompanying him.
Ariel's eyes dewed as she saw her baby brother come into view through the fog.
He called her name numerously, but his voice was strained and faded. He looked pale, she noticed, his lower lip was quivering, with tears in his big green eyes.
She covered her mouth in shock at the sight of him, as she started to bawl her eyes.
This whole time the death of her brother had been a thought, a mere description, but to see him like that made it real. He really was dead.
As soon as he heard her sobbing he looked up past the huge looking man sitting opposing him.
"Ariiii!" He squealed, hysterical sobs overtaking the child.
The ferry arrived at the dock and Thanatos helped Adrien out leading him towards Hades.
"May I inquire as to why I had to leave the Gates of Death and was ordered to bring this young soul here rather than delivering him to the ministers of justice to send him to the Elysian Fields?" said Thanatos gruffly.
Hades glared at him harshly, "You may not inquire." He spat.
Thanatos didn't even flinch, while Adrien whimpered and Ariel winced in response.
Thanatos bowed slightly in acknowledgment.
"You may leave," commanded Hades dismissing him.
Thanatos turned his back towards the three and left.
Ariel looked at Hades a doubtful look in her eyes, "What are you going to do?"
Hades inhaled deeply, the exhaled looking at the girl, "Ariel there are two options and I'll do whatever you ask. The first option is to let him go. He'll be sent to the Elysian Fields where he'll be happiest..."
"What's the second option?" She asked sniffling lightly.
"That I dip him into the Styx."
"What?" Ariel shrieked reaching out to her brother but failing as Hades fleetly pulled him away from her grasp with his godly reflexes.
"Calm down," he cooed, "If I dip him into the Styx and he survives, he'll become invulnerable."
"And if he doesn't?" She asked fearfully.
"He'll be dragged into an eternity of misery in the depths of the Styx. It worked in the past on living mortals and gods, to those who were strong enough to live through it, but I never tried this on dead souls before."
"No..." Ariel whispered to herself before looking back at Hades, "B-but this can't be the only solution," she stuttered, "You're Hades, you could send him back to earth, you could order Thanatos to bring his soul back to his body! Right? Tell me you can! Tell me!"
"I-I can," Hades told her hesitantly and upon seeing the hope starting to gleam in her eyes, "But I won't..." he continued apologetically.
"Why?" She asked infuriated.
"Because it's against the laws of the underworld."
"But you're the King! You're the lord! You make the laws!" She insisted screaming at him.
"Which is why I cannot break them!" Hades growled back at her, "If I do not follow my own rules if I bend the laws my enemies will think I have weakened! It will mean to them that there is someone that I will succumb to, and I simply cannot do that. I am not weak. If I do that for you, then there will be millions of furious dead s
ouls here, all who have tried to appeal to my sentimental nature in their past life and failed miserably. It will deem me unfair, and I simply cannot be biased! My judgment has to be impartial for me to continue to rule the underworld. Many mortals have tried to pray to me, to use sacrifices to appease me but I turned them all down. Nothing escapes death! And please do not try to appeal to my kind nature because I do not possess one. I have made sure, long ago, to banish all the sentiment that I may possess so that I could rule my Kingdom fairly." He concluded gruffly before frowning, creasing his eyebrows, "This is my final offer, Ariel. I simply cannot bend my own rules any further for you."
Ariel looked at him tears in her eyes, shaking her head, "Is this what you call being a friend? You're not a friend! You're more of a foe! No wonder why Persephone left you and the moon goddess hasn't granted you with a mate. You're a hollow shell of an immortal. You have no love in you! I'd even be so rash to question your vitality at this point." She spat looking at him with much abhorrence and loathing.
Hades' eyes glinted with fury as his upper lip curled with distaste, "The real question now is whether you fear for your life or not." He retorted spitefully.
Ariel visibly gulped scowling at him as she took a step back while he stalked towards her a predacious gleam in his eyes.
"Another question for you, little girl, is: are you so self-indulgent that you'd risk your little brother's comfort for your own solace and consolation? Hmmm?" He sneered mockingly with a raised eyebrow.
"Enough." A peevish yet familiar voice rang from behind them.
"Oh Hermes, how nice of you to join us. We were still deciding whether to condemn this child to an eternal life of misery or complete bliss!" Hades taunted disdainfully.
Ariel's eyes were filled with tears, she was afraid to choose. Hades made her responsible for her little brother's eternal life after death. She wanted her brother back, but she feared sending him to eternal hell.
She would never forgive herself if that happened.
She was caught between a strong mind and a fragile heart, uncertain which choice to opt.
But she had to make a decision, one that would be better for Adrien. At this point, nothing but the comfort of her little brother mattered.
She made up her mind blinking away the tears, as she stifled her soft sobs inwardly.
"Adrien..." she called for him gently, her voice just above a whisper.
Hades released the boy from his grip, letting him come forward.
Adrien took baby steps, shyly walking to stand in the middle between the three.
He looked up at her with his big paled green soft dewy eyes, "Yeth Ari..."
Ariel cracked a halfhearted smile, trying to be strong and happy for him.
She couldn't help the stray tears that fell onto her cheeks as she bent down to his level to speak to him, "I'm so sorry..." she breathed, blinking the tears away once more.
Ariel cried, unable to contain herself, as she reached out and stroked his soft brown hair with a shaky hand and cupped his cheeks.
"I love you so much my baby..." she continued her body shivering as she sobbed more, "but I have to let you go..."
Chapter 41- Little Cub
Third-Person
"A-Arii?" questioned Adrien, tears welling up in his big green eyes, "W-Whwre am I going?"
Ariel fell to her knees crying and clutching at her heart.
She felt anguish & misery.
This was her baby brother for god's sake! She couldn't bear leaving him here, but she knew she had to.
She couldn't risk his life for her own selfish want. She was going to miss him like hell, no pun intended, but she knew he would be happier in the Elysian Fields, where he would forever be young, happy, and loved. He could have everything he ever wanted; it was heaven after-all. He could meet other children like him, baby angels; because that's what he was, he was an angel that got caught in the crossfire of a millennium-old vengeful plan of some angry elderly souls that wanted to destroy each other.
Maybe it was for the best. Maybe the goddess was protecting him from an unseen torturous future. She thought.
Ariel sniffled, "Aw sweetheart, y-you're going somewhere beautiful. Where you won't have to worry about tomorrow or about anything ever again. You'll watch all the handy manny you want-" Adrien grinned upon hearing this, cutting her off "Will thewre be cotton candy?" He asked eagerly.
Ariel laughed half-heartedly, more tears brimming her eyes, as she stroked his soft hair with a shaky hand. She silently scanned him intently, trying to burn his soft features into her brain, memorizing every single quirk, every part, every look, and everything about him so that she can never forget. Although, how could she forget the child that was like a son to her, they were around 15 years apart. At first, when her mother and father announced that they were pregnant, she felt anxious, but as soon as he came home from the hospital and she laid eyes on him, she was completely smitten. He was even put in her room so she could help her mother take care of him. She would constantly look over him as he slept to make sure he was okay. When he first started walking she watched over him, almost carry him in her eyes as he took his baby steps, fearful that he would fall down.
Ariel blinked away the tears, "Y-Yes, there'll be cotton candy clouds where you can just reach out and eat a bunch all at once!" She replied, trying to be as positive as she can.
Adrien jumped up and down excitedly before pausing to look up at his older sister, "When will mommy and dadda come? Will we wait fowr too long?"
Ariel's tears fell onto her cheeks as she cupped his face, kissing each cheek softly, "You're going to go first darling," she said between sobs, "We're coming after you though. You might have to wait a bit, but you'll barely notice our absence, and time will pass fast, I promise!"
Tears welled up in Adrien's eyes, "But I want mommy! I miss hewr!"
Ariel pulled her baby brother into her embrace, squeezing the daylights out of him as she cried. She nuzzled her face into his hair, taking in his scent one last time, "P-Please don't cry sweetie. I-I'm going to miss you so much, Adrien. I-I love you."
"I wove you too Ariel," he stuttered lowly as he stifled his tears, trying to comply with his sister's request.
"It's time." Hades intervened.
Ariel glared at the dark lord.
"A-Ariel-" he started, but the young wolf raised her hand cutting him off. "Save it." She said.
Hades turned his gaze away from her, ignoring the nagging urge to change his decision.
He couldn't afford to be unjust.
He remembered the tears of countless women that fell over their children during wars, massacres, and the plague. There were so many painful deaths the occurred throughout time, that he let be, if he bent his rules back then with every parting of a loved one, no one would be dead.
For even the worst of men and beings had fallen in love at least once.
Whether it being love between a couple, or the love that runs through a mother's veins to her children, or the love of a friend and companion.
But what if he didn't "change his decision"? What if he offered her a deal instead? Would that still be considered an act of sentiment and unjustly behavior?
Hades did not know how to act at the moment, so he decided to let it be for now. The boy was going to be safe and happy in the Elysian Fields until he decides his next move.
"We need to talk." Spoke the messenger, disregarding Ariel altogether.
He was unable to look into her eyes, or else he knew he would feel guilty for his betrayal. So he avoided her and dodged her searing glances.
Hermes could feel her eyes burn into the side of his face but he tried to remain resolute.
Hades nodded.
"Hades," sounded Ariel's raspy voice.
Hades looked at her questioningly.
"Since I've been tricked into staying here for two nights, I'd like to request something from you," she said lowly while clenching her jaws, "Don't send Adrien now, let him stay with m
e-" Hades was just about to cut her off disapprovingly, so she continued hurriedly, "For the time of my stay," she clarified, "And as soon as I leave you can let your decision take it's course as you please."
Hades shook his head, "Ariel I said-"
"Please," she begged, "I'll never ask for anything again. Please let him stay with me, just two nights. You owe me this, not as an almighty god, but as my friend."
Aries (Gods & Monsters Series Book 1) Page 34