Fates' Folly (34 page)

Hades was so pissed I could feel his anger
coming off him in waves, but Zeus, who was still smiling, was the
real threat. His eyes were shiny, and his jaw clenched so hard he
had big purple veins popping out all over his neck. I think he was
about to explode.

I have to admit, as crazy as it sounds, I had
the insane urge to giggle because this wasn't my plan at all. I
just wanted an in on the conversation so I could say a few
innocuous comments here and there, to let Hades know I had the
goods on him.

I tried to think of how I could use the
situation to my advantage, but my brain was distracted by the way
Zeus’ collar was straining against his neck and the panicked look
on Riley's face.

Suddenly, Hades chuckled, slapping Zeus on
the back. "Brother, you know I'm not clever enough to fool The
Fates. Meryl fell into my lap, and my lovely wife, liking the idea
of a female Assassin so much, suggested I also put her in as my
Champion."

"Myra," I whispered, correcting him, because
hell, could I get in any more trouble at this point?

"You hate to lose. It isn't like you to back
an unknown," Zeus said, loosening his blue tie a little.

"Yes. I absolutely despise losing, but I'll
win with my wife, and any loss is worth earning Persephone's
pleasure."

Zeus leaned back in his chair, his color
starting to turn back to normal. "Do you mind if I ask Persephone
about this? I hate to seem like I don't trust you, but I don't
trust you."

"No, not at all. She's having a visit with
her mother, right now, but I'm sure she would be happy to see you,"
Hades said with a smile that gave me shivers.

Zeus shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of
imposing on Demeter. I'll wait and ask Persephone on her return
home. Gives me something to look forward to," he said.

"Good, good," Hades nodded. "Will you excuse
me brother… Riley? All this talk about the Trials has reminded me
of a tad bit of advice I wanted to share with Mary," he said- not
waiting for Zeus or Riley to answer as he stood, walked around the
table and nearly broke my legs yanking my chair out.

I got up and let him take my elbow and guide
me away from the conference table, the whole time telling myself
that this was what I wanted.

As we walked, more cylinder shaped lights lit
up above us, and I could now see that formal dining chairs, settees
and delicate end tables, grouped into sitting areas, filled the
previously darkened area of the room. The sitting areas were
arranged to form a path that we followed to flat, wide steps which
led to a stage.

Not a stage, I realized as Hades pulled me
closer, a dais with a large bench shaped throne in its center. The
throne- made of gold, with a plush cranberry cushion in the seat,
giant carved lion paws as the front legs and screaming crows
stretched out in flight as the arms- was equally beautiful and
intimidating.

Hades pushed me past the stairs leading up to
his throne and behind a tapestry into a hidden alcove. "What are
you up to?" he asked, jerking me around to face him and pushing me
against the wall.

I heard the snap before I felt the pain that
went with it, radiating from just above my elbow. Hades squeezed
the bone I had just felt him break. I guess for emphasis.

"Answer me. What are you up to?"

I squeezed my eyes shut against tears and
pain. "Have mercy on Sebastian. Give him another punishment, one
not so cruel. He's crackers, but he's been loyal to you for
centuries. He deserves better. He's suffered enough."

"He's so loyal he planned to destroy me and
take my place," Hades growled, squeezing my injured arm again.

The pain was dizzying but I kept my eyes
closed and focused on the words I wanted to say. "He's so loyal he
helped you break the law against mortals’ free will and gave you
four souls that shouldn't be yours."

"No one cares about four old men."

"Maybe not the old men themselves, but they
would care about the Law of Free Will you broke and your use of the
River of Lethe to do it. Even if that didn't pique Peter's
interest, I bet you bringing Amelia, a practicing Christian, back
to life would. Are you supposed to have that kind of power?"

Hades let go of my arm. There was a second of
blessed relief before he wrapped his hand around my throat and
slammed my head into the wall. It hadn't been two hours since
Sebastian had done the same thing, and yet, the explosion of pain
was not any more tolerable. If anything, it was worse.

My vision blurred, Hades' face going in and
out of focus. Then, as if he knew of my comparison and wanted to
prove himself the better, he wrapped his other hand around my
throat, so both of his hands were circling my neck. His fingers
tapped lightly at the top of my spine while his hands squeezed, and
he slowly pushed his thumbs into my windpipe.

"Do you feel that honey? I'm going to crush
your larynx first, so I don't have to hear your whiny voice
anymore, then I'll work on your trachea, closing off any air," he
said, as he moved his right thumb down and pushed.

I gasped for breath, using my unbroken arm to
grab for his hands, arms, anything to make him stop. Then he
stopped, "But not yet," he said smiling, "I have to finish telling
you my plan. Now where was I?" He ran his thumbs lightly down the
column of my throat as he talked. His touch burned.

"Oh yes, lastly I'm going to snap your neck
and rip out your spinal cord. But not to worry, because those damn
pubescent Fates made you immortal, so you'll survive," he laughed,
licking the shell of my ear, "and we'll be able to play some
more."

I wished he would just get on with it and let
me die, or at least as close as I would come to it. Instead, he put
more pressure on my throat, cutting off my airway again. This time
I didn't panic, I relaxed into it, and for a second I thought I
would pass out, but he moved his thumb again, allowing the sweet,
burning air into my lungs.

He kissed my cheek. "You are such a little
fool, thinking you could blackmail me. Amelia was dead only
seconds, her soul hadn't even left her body, who's to say I gave
her life back and it wasn't her own will to live that brought her
back? There is no proof otherwise, and as far as using the River of
Lethe and brainwashing, easily explained as fanciful ideas from
Sebastian's broken mind, because again, there is no proof. You see,
we had a fire at the Georgia Ambros Plant." He smiled, running his
thumb up my neck and across my bottom lip. "Fortunately, no one was
injured, and the only damage was limited to our new formula of
Goddess Greek Yogurt. It's a loss in revenue, but sometimes bad
things happen."

"Asshole," I said on a strangled breath, but
he didn't hear me.

"What darling? Are you begging? If you can
manage it again, maybe I'll let Carl have you, he's gentler with
his playmates than I am." He brushed hair out of my face. "Go
ahead, and let me hear you beg one more time before I finish taking
your voice."

For a long second I actually thought of
pleading with him, the pain was so much and it was all there was.
The pain and Hades' coaxing voice- it became everything. "Oh, God,"
I wheezed.

"I didn't hear you, sugar?" Hades whispered
in my ear. "Come on now, Myra, you can do better than that. I'm not
a hard man to please, but I do expect a little effort."

"Asshole," I said, feeling tears of relief
stream down my face because I didn't cave in, and Hades, hearing me
this time, would surely finish breaking my neck, causing me to lose
consciousness.

He was almost done. I was almost gone.
Almost…

"Oh, no you don't, you little bitch," Hades'
voice swam around me as I felt his hands let go and then warmth
spread through my throat, healing the damage he had made.

Bastard, I thought, but I must have also said
it out loud because Hades laughed. "That's right, love. I couldn't
let you leave all the fun, now could I?"

My vision cleared, and I couldn't hold back
my smile.

"That's a nice smile, Myra, but I'm not
done."

"Body guard," I whispered hoarsely, still
smiling, because I couldn't stop.

"What?"

"Ca… Carrie…"

"Carrie?"

A deep thunderous growl had Hades quickly
turning around. The tapestry must have caught on something and not
closed completely around us, and that was why, over Hades'
shoulder, I could clearly see Carrie in all her glory, stepping on
and crushing all the fancy furniture as she stalked towards us.

She was giant, she was- don't tell her I said
so, grotesque- and scary as hell. All three of her Rottweiler-ish,
car-sized heads were turned to Hades, lips pulled back, quivering
as she growled, revealing blackened, razor sharp teeth that dripped
drool, pooling on everything she passed.

"Carrie, sweetie, what are you thinking?"
Hades asked, stepping forward and pushing the tapestry back in
place, hiding me.

As soon as it shut, it opened again.

"She probably thinks, mistakenly of course,
that you were going to hurt your chosen Champion. It is her job to
protect your Champion, is it not?" Peter asked, as he finished
folding the tapestry back behind a large hook in the wall, still
looking up at Carrie. "She is amazing, isn't she?" he added, as if
she was a rarity, which, I guess she was.

I nodded my head. It hurt. I saw stars and
decided it would be best if I didn't try to move anymore. Good plan
I told myself.

Peter stopped staring at Carrie and looked at
Hades. "Do you think, if you moved away from Myra, Cerberus might
realize you intend no harm?" he asked.

Hades moved. Riley silently filled in the
space he left, putting his arm around my waist and holding me to
his side. I could see Zeus, Sebastian, and Barty, now standing to
my left, on the other side of Hades but clear of Carrie's intended
path as she slowly stalked towards us.

"Now, Carrie, darling. You don't want to get
yourself worked up, you know how much you regret it when you lose
your temper," Hades said, taking another step away from me.

Carrie lunged forward, each of her gargantuan
jaws snapping.

"Maybe, if she didn't smell the blood seeping
from the back of Myra's skull…" Peter suggested.

Hades stepped back, ignored Riley and laid
his hand against my throat, collar bone, shoulder, around my back,
up my spine, and finally, to cradle the back of my head. Everywhere
he touched felt warm and tingling and… quiet. All that pain had a
voice in my head that Hades' touch had silenced, leaving only the
dull throbbing in my arm when he walked away.

"Now see, Carrie, no harm done. Myra and I
were just working out some details about her training. Nothing's
going to happen to Myra, pet," Hades said, gesturing to me and
Riley.

Zeus walked up to Hades' side, looking up at
Carrie. "Hades would never do anything to hurt his Champion, Carrie
honey. Would you, brother?" Zeus asked.

"No, of course not. I'd never in any way try
to harm my Champion. It's all just a big misunderstanding."

Riley moved us forward, out of the alcove. I
looked down at Carrie's giant claws, I could see a touch of pink on
the tips. It made me smile.

Zeus was still talking, "Hades would never
hurt her, he promises. Don't you brother?"

Hades stared at Zeus for a second, giving him
a hate filled glare, then he smiled and turned to Carrie. "Of
course, I promise. I will not harm my Champion in any way," he
said.

Carrie whined and then sat back on her
haunches, where she shrank into a three headed dog about the size
of a small horse and, with another whine and a tilt of her head,
she trotted daintily around the broken furniture, back through the
door into her office.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, as always, it has been interesting,"
said Peter. "Zeus, Hades, Riley, Bartholomew," he said, shaking all
of their hands, as he said their names. "Thank you for your help."
He turned to Sebastian, who was looking healthier now. "Sebastian,
thank you again. I'll take good care of Joshua, I promise."

"Thank you," Sebastian whispered in a hollow
voice. Sebastian might look well, but he still had a very long way
to go until he was really okay.

Zeus called Sebastian, Barty and Riley over
to where Hades was brooding on his throne. Peter watched them walk
off before he turned to me. I offered the hand of my uninjured arm,
but Peter took my other hand, turned it palm up, and placed both of
his hands around mine. I gasped a little, more from surprise than
pain.

Peter smiled at the sound, sliding his right
hand up my arm, his fingers lightly caressing my wrist, around my
elbow and up under my shirt sleeve to my shoulder. Normally I would
have called him a letch, and a few other choice words, keys to
heaven holder or not, but I could feel my bones knitting back
together at his touch.

"Thank you," I said.

He nodded. "I'm so glad I got to see you
again, Myra."

"You don't seem angry that you didn't capture
Sebastian before Riley did," I blurted out, a little unnerved that
he was still touching me.

His eyes widened. "Well, why would I be?
Sebastian wasn't my assignment, Joshua was, and I have him exactly
where he needs to be."

"Would you really have let Mrs. Crowell get
sliced up?"

"Why do you ask? You hate the old woman."

I shrugged. "I was just trying to discern
more about your character."

Peter laughed. "I'm going for mysterious, so
I don't think I'll answer you. But, if you don't mind, can I leave
you with a parting thought until the next time we meet?"

"Sure," I said, not feeling sure at all.
Peter made me nervous.

"Have faith. You've never been alone, nor
will you ever be. And, though The Fates may have plans for you,
they're not the only ones."