Hades took in a deep breath and let it out, his gaze softening, and then nodded, "Alright..."
A small soft smile broke onto her face, as she gave him a curt nod.
Ariel felt relieved that he would do this; she was buying time to try and figure out how she was going to resurrect her brother. There was bound to be something. Anything.
~
They got back to the castle, and Hades showed Ariel her room, where she and Adrien would stay for the time being.
The room was made ready by two servants to appease her. He never had any guests, not since...Persephone, so some dusting and cleaning was required.
"I hope you find the room to your liking," his deep low voice sounded from the doorway.
Hades peaked into the room to risk a hesitant glance at her, and she nodded to him; a silent gratitude in her eyes.
Ariel bit her lip, feeling uneasy before she gathered up the courage to ask, "This was her room, wasn't it?"
Hades' eyes hardened, but he nonetheless nodded stiffly and curtly.
She gave him a small apologetic smile before turning to set her things.
Hades then made his presence scarce, deciding to leave the pair of siblings some privacy to spend quality time together.
Little did he know that this young wolf was relentless, obstinate, and determined.
Ariel was resolute to sink her teeth into the cub's flesh never let go. She was never the give-up-er, rather the complete opposite.
"Adrien," she called out to her, still deathly pale, brother.
He looked at her seeming tired, and less energetic, as he yawned, "Yeth?" He replied, giving her a small soft smile.
Ariel's eyes softened, looking at him with concern, "How about we go on an adventure?" She asked sweetly.
Adrien bobbed his head before raising his arms for her to carry him, "Up, Up." He piped up.
Ariel let her clothes down aside and reached to carry him.
Adrien nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck with his arms around her.
Ariel pushed the slightly ajar door agape sneaking into the hallway.
She walked around aimlessly for what felt like hours, the walls were all made from ebony wood surrounding an onyx solid frame which was lighted like the flames of hell, literally. Ariel was looking for any door that leads to a library, but all the rooms looked the same. It was like she was walking through a never-ending hallway, and she didn't even know the way back.
Ariel hoisted a sleeping Adrien up, since he was slightly slipping from her grasp, and huffed in exasperation.
"Going somewhere?" A rumbling, gruff, voice sounded from behind her.
Ariel was startled; she even almost dropped her brother, due to the way he sneaked up on her. Her heart banged against her rib cage, threatening to break out as she turned to look at the dark lord.
His eyebrows were raised in mockery, feeling proud to have caught her in action.
Ariel cleared her throat, "I-I was lost." She stuttered.
She knew it was obvious that she was lying through her teeth, but what else could she have said?
Hades laughed, smiling at her amusedly, "Don't lie to me."
Hermes appeared next to Hades, a small smile playing on his face, "I suggest you leave the trickery and foul play to the king of deception himself," he boasted gesturing to himself.
Ariel scowled at Hermes, "Now you're acknowledging me?"
Hermes looked at her with amused eyes, "You're going to spite me and never let me outlive this, aren't you?" He asked.
"Never is a pretty long time considering our immortality," she joked, "But I may just take my time with it."
She shifted her gaze to Hades, narrowing her eyes at him playfully, "How did you know?"
Hades smirked at her a knowing look in his eyes, "I know everything."
Ariel rolled her eyes, "You were in my head again." She accused him.
"Well, I'm the god of the underworld, you're on my turf now, and therefore I own your head too, along with all the other dead heads of course." He jested, before looking at her as seriously as he was unsure, "I may have a solution for your problem. Come; let us discuss it in my office."
Ariel nodded.
Suddenly the hallway order of rooms changed, as if being unveiled.
Ariel looked at Hades shock written all over her features.
Hades looked at her sheepishly with a hint of smugness.
"H-How?"
"If I don't want someone to find something, they won't. The same goes for the whole of the underworld. My gift of deception allows me to bring a whole different setting to your eyes. I can make you lose track of time altogether, and I can make you think things, see things, feel things..."
Ariel was in awe.
How is it that he did all of these things? Was the thought that ran through her mind...Then again he was a God.
Hades cleared his throat, offering to carry the cub instead, as a kind gesture.
She smiled at him softly, and shook her head, "I'm going to miss all of it, the moments of love and the times of quarrel. I-If I would go back in time I would never complain over all the messes and the clutter or even when he stole my lipstick and drew up his whole face, and the walls. I would never change a thing..." she trailed off a distant smile on her face.
Hades smiled at her, watching the way her face morphed from grief to joy of remembrance and back around to sorrow.
As they walked, they reached a door with golden handles, which he opened and entered as they followed.
"How come these handles are golden?"
"Gold handled rooms are mine while the silver ones are common rooms." He replied as he plopped himself onto the dark mahogany leather couch which was situated in the center of the room, opposing to a fireplace.
It was set before the edge of a dark red Victorian rug which was adorned with designs as it carried the couch along with two matching Bergere chairs and a mahogany table in the middle.
On the right side was an office table along with its chair and behind it a big panorama window covered with mahogany drapes.
Hermes stood, stiffly by the door, "If you have no use for me Hades, I shall leave. And please beckon me once you have forged the plan so I could inform Aries."
Hades simply nodded, waving a hand at Hermes.
Hermes rolled his eyes and disappeared.
A shiver ran down Ariel's spine as she heard Aries' name. She only then realized how much she yearned for him, how much she missed him. She was so engrossed in the Adrien problem, she almost felt numb to everything else that was happening around her. "What plan?"
"Never mind that for now. We have a more pressing issue to discuss."
"Oh? How so? What did you want me for?" She asked, seating herself on the chair next to Hades.
"I have an offer for you. It is true I cannot exempt your brother from his fate, but what I can do is propose a deal. I will allow him to continue living-"
Ariel's face broke into a smile, "Really?"
"You didn't let me finish," He stated abruptly.
Her face depleted as she frowned.
"I will allow him to continue living, until he reaches the age when he will be of most use to me, where he will be brought back to the underworld, to work for me, as a recruit for all of eternity." He continued.
Ariel's eyebrows furrowed, "Work for you? As what exactly?"
"That does not concern you. He will work as whatever I will have him do. This is my final and only offer. Sign his soul to me or let him go." He said sternly, before seeming to forget something, "Oh, and if you choose to accept my offer, please refrain from letting him die again."
Ariel threw her head back onto the chair's back in frustration uncertain of whether or not she had the right to do that, to sign his life to Hades, the goddamn king of the underworld. What if she does and he hates his life? She wanted him to be free from his death, but was it really freedom if someone else controlled your life? Or was it the same? Hades controls everyone's life
anyway; we were all puppets in this world, so then does it really matter whether or not his life was signed to Hades?
Ariel let out a sigh of defeat. Her hands were tied, the only thing she could do was get revenge. She secretly vowed to herself that she was going to make those nasty witches wish they never laid a finger on him and put him in this jeopardy.
"I'll let you sleep on that." He said, bringing her out of her thoughts.
Ariel nodded, "Goodnight Hades." She said getting up.
Hades clicked a contract out of thin air along with a golden quill.
The words were so elegant, written in cursive, in a deep gold color.
"Keep it with you, read it carefully." He suggested, getting out of his seat.
Ariel nodded again, "Thank you Hades." She said, excusing herself.
She hoisted Adrien up again so that she could carry him properly and headed out the door to her room.
The hallway turned out to be shorter than it seemed at first.
She smiled to herself embarrassed, thinking how stupid she was for thinking she could trick a God.
She entered the dark sleek contemporary room, placing her brother on the bed gently as she tucked him in.
Slipping into her comfy pajamas, she headed towards the bathroom to wash her face. She looked like hell, no pun intended.
She freshened herself and walked out of the bathroom, before turning off the lights and starting towards the bed.
She slid in between the sheets, getting comfortable and adjusting the pillow for her back then lit the side lamp.
She took the contract in her hands, reading it.
There was nothing more than what Hades had told her. The words were clear enough.
What else could she do?
Could she really leave him here?
No.
Ariel risked a glance at her brother's sleeping form, smiling as he stirred in his sleep.
He was dead and this contract was the only thing that could bring him back. She thought.
She then decided, she had to do it.
Ariel took the quill and held it between her fingers. It was smooth and sleek against her fingertips.
She passed the point of the quill over the words once more as she read the contract one last time before nodding to herself.
Skidding to the beginning of the line where she had to sign, she stroked the enchanted page with every letter of her name.
It was done.
Ariel Harris.
As soon as she finished writing her name, the contract vanished into thin air along with the quill.
She let out a shaky sigh, feeling dismay and worry bloom into her heart.
A knock on the door startled her, pulling her out of her thoughts.
A young-looking girl walked in holding a tray of food. She quickly set the tray on the side table before scurrying away out of the door, never directly looking at Ariel once.
She sighed and scanned the tray.
There were two plates.
One filled with fruit and another with turkey and cheese sandwiches.
A cup of water was instantly added to the side, coming out of thin air.
Thank you. She thought, knowing well that he was probably in her head.
The food looked so good; she grabbed a triangle and devoured it in less than 5 seconds.
She hadn't had anything to eat all day. Her stomach growled, finally remembering to be hungry.
She smiled to herself, the sandwiches were not only in triangles, but the crusts were cut off just the way she and Adrien liked them.
After she finished the sandwiches, she scanned the fruits hungrily.
Deciding to start with the pomegranates, she grabbed the spoon and scooped a spoonful of the juicy velvety red grains. They looked so ravishing.
Lifting the spoon to her lips she opened her mouth to taste the yummy goodness before the door suddenly crashed open waking Adrien up as she staggeringly dropped the spoon.
"Stop!" Hades growled.
"What?" She asked innocently.
"Just don't eat the pomegranates." He ordered gruffly, before summoning the pale girl that came into the room ten minutes ago.
The girl shook, looking fearful as she bowed her head, her dusty looking brunette hair falling forward, "Y-You beckoned me, your majesty?"
"Were you the one who put these pomegranates in her plate?" He seethed his eyes flaming.
Adrien crawled onto Ariel's side, whimpering slightly as he watched the scene unfold before him.
"Y-Yes your majesty, I thought you wanted us to offer her the fruit as we did Perse-"
"Quiet!" He raged, "Get out; I'll deal with you later."
The girl quickly scrambled out of the room, not daring to look at any of us before closing the door behind her softly.
Hades took in a deep breath and let it out, before clearing his throat, "You may proceed with your feeding, just don't touch those damned pomegranates. Please." He said softly and lowly, a certain type of vulnerability in his voice before he teleported out of the room.
Ariel didn't get to even say yes to his request from how fleetly he fled.
She was then left to caress the distressed Adrien and ponder what just happened before falling into a deep sleep beside her little cub.
Chapter 42- Blood Bound
Third-Person
"Ariel, wake up," a deep smooth voice sounded.
Ariel stirred groaning, turning away from the sound that tried to wake her from her much needed slumber.
"She woves sleeping Mistew Hades!" A squeaky chirpy voice yelled.
Hades slightly cringed at the sound of Adrien's voice, but he nonetheless felt a sort of weird feeling towards the unfortunate cub. It was a feeling that was foreign to Hades, a sort of sentiment that he did not know the description to.
"Yes it seems that she does, now, what do you usually do to wake her?" Hades asked the youngster with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
Adrien thought hard, placing his index finger over his cheek in deep contemplation.
The little boy's eyes lit as he looked at the dark lord, his future master, as a light bulb seemed to appear over his head.
"I'm guessing you have plotted a plan to wake her?"
Adrien nodded eagerly, while gesturing Hades to lend him his ear to whisper his master plan.
Hades felt intrigued by the child's innocence and sweetness. He has never experienced this closeness to children before, come to think of it, he has never come to direct contact with living mortals for this long. It gave him a rush of excitement to have so much lively action in his life, he felt kind of...happy.
Hades shook his head to himself. This is only temporary, he reminded himself. I cannot get attached to these people, I'm only here to help them defeat the witches and place justice in order, and that is all. They will have no use for me after this, and I will have to return to my reality of loneliness and death. He thought to himself miserably.
"Mistew?" Adrien's voice sounded sneaking up on his thoughts of torment and cutting them off.
Hades complied, crouching down near Adrien, giving him his ear.
Adrien stood on his tiptoes and brought his lips close to Hades' ear, covering the side of his face, over his lips with a hand; as if Ariel was awake to read his lips. The cub had to take extra caution if he wanted his master plan to work.
"Let's tickwe her awake," He suggested, "Cuz' Ari don't like thawt." He whispered seriously stepping away from Hades and giggling to himself as he tried to get up on the bed.
Hades sighed and carried the boy up.
Adrien sat next to Ariel in an attack stance, placing his index finger on his lips as to tell Hades to be quiet.
Hades laughed silently, this was so stupid. He thought to himself.
Then why was he complying so willingly?
Adrien whispered in count down along with Hades and then Adrien jumped on her tickling her roughly.
Ariel shot up awake, "Ow!" she groaned because Adrien accident
ally pressed his knees into her stomach quite painfully.
"We gotchu!!" chirped Adrien a wide grin on his pink lips.
"Yes we did, little man!" Hades encouraged, as they high-fived.
Aries (Gods & Monsters Series Book 1) Page 35