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“Master.” One of the demons of Hell strolls up to me. “You mentioned you’d like to go to the surface for a while. We’ve ensured that your passage is open.”
Nodding, I place a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. I’ll be leaving tonight, perhaps early evening, when the sun is just setting. It’s been years since I’ve seen the beauty that the other world has to offer. Ensure Cerberus is at the door while I’m away. He’s not to leave his post under any circumstances.”
He scurries off, and I’m once again alone. Even after all the years I’ve spent down here, the loneliness still seeps from the walls. It’s held me prisoner for so long, hence my decision to leave. My world will be safe while I wander around on Earth. Perhaps I can visit my brother Zeus to see how he fairs.
As I reach the chambers where the scrolls of the dead are slotted into their respective years, I glance from the window and notice the workers down below. The souls are in agony, and it makes me smile. To watch the destruction that plagues my world has become something of a hobby.
Even down here, they take on their earthly forms. The bodies allow them to experience the physical torment, while their minds allow me to enter and taunt them from within.
It’s not easy. I’ve not always been this dark force, but when you’re only shown darkness, it becomes a part of you. I’ve now drenched myself in the vile ways of the souls who surround me. Everything that lurks below the surface, I dredge up. I’ve grown to love and revel in the sinful thoughts they all attempt to hide.
The door opens, and I turn to find one of my army standing in the doorway with a limp form of a man. I recognize him. I know them all.
“What is this?” I question, strolling toward the stricken form before me.
“He’s just been sent here, Sire,” I’m told by the solider holding the man whose future is to live through eternity in the fires of Hell.
“Well,” I start, trailing a finger over the man’s chest. He shudders in fear. I smile. It is so beautiful . . . the tremble of a fearful body. “You’re my last one before I leave for a little while. Aren’t you lucky?” I taunt, allowing the long silver blade to appear from the sleeve of my shirt.
“Please, I— I didn’t mean—”
“That’s what they all say.” Pressing the tip of the blade into his chest, I gently push until I feel the skin rip from the sharp metal. His screams echo around the large room. Twisting the knife, I edge it in farther, the blood he no longer needs dripping to the ground.
Red, crimson, metallic.
Like a fine wine.
His screams are music, beautiful, incandescent, and almost ethereal.
“Take him to his room where he’ll face his torment. I will be visiting my brother for a while,” I inform the soldier. Once he’s gone, I lift the blade and place it on my tongue. The thick liquid is harsh but delicious in every way. I can taste his vile sins, his disgusting thoughts. It seeps from the flavor of his lifeforce. Once I’ve had enough, my blade finds its home within the confines of my sleeve, and I make my way out the door.
It’s time to surface. After far too long, I will soon see the sun.
Chapter 15
Persephone
The scent of the pomegranates floats in the air, and I can’t help smiling. The pink blossoms of my mother’s garden are in full bloom, beautiful and ornate, reminding me of the beauty of spring.
Trailing my fingers over the petals, I allow my mind to drift further away. When I’m alone, I dream of the day I find someone to share moments with. Like my mother and father, I watch how they seem to connect in ways that two souls should — halves of a whole. Passion and affection run rife through our home, but I’ve never felt it. Never experienced anything like that.
Each day, I come out to the gardens and think. My mother keeps me away from any suitor who knocks on our door. My heart aches to be loved, but she turns away each god, requesting my hand, I’m almost certain Mother would keep me locked up forever.
A fair maiden. One to keep pure until her final breath. Even though I love my mother, there’s a tension between us I can’t explain. Surely, she should be proud of me, wanting me to have a marriage worthy of the heavens.
A soft wind billows from the sky, causing the clouds to darken and the soft gray pillows shift together as if an impending storm is almost upon us. Turning, I make my way back toward the palace. The long columns of concrete rise from the ground, shooting into the sky.
