FOUR

Her whole body was trembling and it was hard to stop it. Whoever the man is, he is dangerous. His dark eyes promised eternal misery and suffering. As though one mistake could cost her her life. 

How is she going to get out of this place? How is she going to run away from this dangerous man in front of her?

The man's fingers were still holding her chin, his eyes penetrating her soul. She thought she could die from just being near him but she was surprised when the man squeezed her chin gently before he let out a smile.

A smile.

It did not go well with his ruthless eyes. The smile did not mean comfort. It scared her even more.

"Please," she muttered. "Please let me out of here."

The man leaned back before he stood and walked towards the dais and finally sat back on his throne.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Guinevere." 

She swallowed the lump in her throat. He knows her name. She has a lot of questions about where she is, why she was there, why did the man know her aunt, and what did the man do to her aunt's boyfriend. But what's more important for her is to get out of this place. 

"I...I will forget I ever came here. I forget what you did and I'll move somewhere else. Nobody will know what you did to my aunt's boyfriend. I will not go to the police, just...just let me out of here, please." Her voice was trembling so hard and her voice cracked the moment she hated how her voice cracked. 

She's scared. Hell, scared would even be an understatement.

The man was silent for a moment until he let out a sigh. 

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

She shook her head and then he let out a chuckle. "A bit unfair that I know you and your whole life but you don't know anything about me." He then looked at Henrieta. "Leave us, Henrieta."

Henrieta looked up. "But my lord—"

One stare from him made Henrieta stop talking. He did not need any words to make anyone scared shitless. Henrieta bowed her head slightly and stood to walk away, leaving her with the stranger. As much as she hated Henrieta earlier, she didn't want her to go. She didn't want to be left alone with this man. But Henrieta didn't seem to care about her and more importantly, she would understand the fear she felt towards the man.

"My name is Hades and this place is far from the place you used to live. Even as you try to get out, it would only put you in danger—"

"Then get me out." The words came out before she could even stop herself.

She saw how the man's expression changed and the next thing she felt was the coldness. The air suddenly became so cold and that's when she realized the man was doing something to her. When she looked down at her body, she almost yelped when she saw tendrils of black smoke circling around her thighs, her waist, and her arms. She doesn't know what those were but she believes it was what caused the sudden coldness in her body. It felt like it was starting to numb her. 

"I am certain you saw what I had done to that pathetic piece of a man and I will do something close to that to you if you so much interrupt me again," he said and the sheer threat on his voice told her he would not hesitate to do it.

Everything that's happening is too hard to understand. She could not stop the tears falling from her cheeks. She's confused and scared. Suddenly, she was reminded of her house, of the comfort of her bedroom, away from the hell parts of the rest of the house. She remembered Reid and Maddie, the birthday cake they shared--everything felt like it all happened ages ago. She wants to go home, badly. But seeing the man and what impossible things he could do, her hope of going home is getting blurry. 

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked. She did not bother to wipe the tears from her eyes. The man--Hades seems to delight in it. 

He's a monster. 

Hades grinned in her direction. "Oh no, it's not me. This is merely me, honoring a bargain. You should really blame your parents because they're the reason why you're here in the first place."

Her brows furrowed as she continued to listen. There was too much happening that her mind could not keep up. She never believed in supernatural beings and here she is, kneeling in front of one. And he's not just any supernatural being. He's someone who knows something about her parents. She couldn't understand how her parents got involved with this.

Then she took a good look around the place. At the dark tendrils of smoke around her body, and what the man said earlier about this place being far from the place she used to live. 

"Where am I?" she asked and the man smiled before he leaned back in his seat.

"You are in my kingdom or you humans like to call this the underworld. And this might be too hard for you to believe but you will be living here for the rest of your mortal life."

Whether this was a sick joke or not, she couldn't hide the fear in her the moment she heard what the man said: the underworld, her living in this place for the rest of her mortal life, the dark tendrils of smoke around her—this has to be complete bullshit.

"No, it is not, unfortunately for you."

Her eyes widened at Hades and his grin was triumphant. "I am the actual lord of the underworld. You are a mortal. I am powerful and I can read your mind like a magazine."

"How—how is this real?"

"At least your parents believed in me before when they were still alive."

"How are they even involved in this?"

Hades looked at her and for a moment, she feared for life. Then he said, "Your parents wanted to have a child but they couldn't seem to bear one. They have been trying and trying and then praying to the gods who, by the way, did not bother to listen. It probably took them several years to realize they're praying to the wrong gods and they started to come to me."

Her body went cold. Not because of the tendrils of smoke but because of the dread as she listened to his story.

"I saw their desperation and I was kind enough to consider their wish. After all, I'm a god and I do anything. So I told them I could give them a child. Imagine how happy they were."

His story is getting more and more absurd each moment. She might be young when she lost her parents but she could totally remember them as quite religious people. 

"So I gave them a child but as everything is given, there has to be a payment. They told me they would do anything. Do you know what I said to them?"

She pursed her lips and she could tell the man enjoyed taunting her.

"You I told your parents that when you come of the right age, I will come and take you with me and bring you here."

She shook her head. She couldn't believe it. That couldn't have happened. It was impossible to happen. Her parents did not do something like that. 

"But they did," Hades said, reading her thought once again. "They wanted to have a kid and they were willing to sacrifice everything just to have you. Including your freedom. Humans are such selfish creatures. Your parents are selfish and you can't seem to accept that."

"No," she spat. "They did not bargain me to some sick psycho like you." The words she spat were suicide but she didn't care. 

Hades went on, "And then they left you alone after bringing you in this world. But it doesn't matter. They got their wish, they were happy you were born, and now you have to suffer for what they had done. For their selfishness." 

She did not stop herself from sobbing hard while still kneeling on the floor. What Hades said was hard to believe but she found herself believing every word of it. And then she realized it was not because she doesn't understand what was happening. It was because she refused to believe it. Her parents couldn't have done that to her but as much as she hate to admit it, Hades's words seem to find their way inside her and stirred every question she had about her life. 

"You believe me because I am an honest being, Guinevere. I don't lie." She could still see the grin on his face as he said it. 

Wiping the tears in her eyes, she stood up. She could see how Hades's brow quirked up seeing the movement. She knows it was against his stupid rule but she couldn't care less. In fact, she would prefer if he kill her right then and there. It would be better.

"Screw you," she spat and turned her back. She only took three steps when Hades was suddenly in front of her. It surprised her that she staggered back and lost her balance. She groaned when she fell to the ground.

She looked back at the throne to make sure and saw Hades was not there anymore.

"How did you—"

"Like I said you won't be able to get out of this place." He leaned down and grabbed her hand, hauling her to stand and when she was on her feet, he pulled her close to him.

"What are you going to do to me? Are you going to kill me?" she hissed but Hades just looked at her as though contemplating about it. "Then get it over with."

The man raised his hand and caressed her face ever so gently. But she knew better than to believe the man has anything gentle about him. His fingers went to brush her cheek, her jaw, and then her lower lip before they went to wrap around her neck.

He could easily choke the air out of her so she closed her eyes and waited for it to happen. But the pain did not come, instead, she heard him speak.

"Open your eyes," he said, almost a whisper. She found herself opening her eyes as though she was being hypnotized.

"I want you to look at me as I say these next words." He tipped her head up to meet his stare. "I am not going to kill you. You are here, Guinevere, to serve me."

"What do you—" She could not continue what she was about to say when his fingers tightened around her throat.

"Your life belongs to me and you will serve me for the rest of your life," he said and she swallowed hard.  

His eyes surveyed her face and then he removed his fingers around her neck before he leaned in and whispered, "That is the reason why you are here."