Intruder

Olivia had rushed over but did not question the sudden summon or my tear-stained face. By the time Will was back, I had already suffered internal injuries laughing at her "What the hell?" jokes.

When being informed at the arrangement of transport, Olivia hugged me goodbye.

"Do you think Hades will let me come back here, I am willing to apologize a hundred times." Will suddenly stopped walking and made me face him by my shoulders.

"You are misunderstanding, Hades isn't angry at you, get it into your head, or should I go round asking for a driller to get it past your thick skull."

I shook my head, trying to believe him as I did. "Hades, he's complicated, you know being an unfeeling, ancient..."

"Stone." I finished when he searched for an alternative to God. "Exactly, I am going to keep that." He grinned, but his face sank when the floor we stood on shook, vibrations brought crack to the walls and the lights and lamp shook violently flickering.

At first, my brain was unable to make sense of the inputs from my feet, eyes, and ears. It was Will who responded instantaneously, bringing me closer and under his watchful eyes as he created out a barrier encompassing us.

Strangely the next second, it stopped making me cross out the possibility of an earthquake. The glass windows were no longer shattered, and the walls mended together like clay.

"What was that?" I asked noticing the armor he now had on and the unsheathed sword scraping the floors.

"An intruder maybe. The explosion came from the floor directly below us, I will go take a look."

"And you are going to stay right here till I return." Behind his sudden sternness, I could see the fear as he anticipated my reply.

"You know I don't excel in my skill of staying put, and to my luck, I might just bump into the intruder on my journey to the kitchen, and you also know how infuriating ....."

"Will you promise to stay close?" He put a stop to my well thought out speech. "If you don't I will bring you back."

"I swear." He sighed as if he knew he was going to regret it. Taking my hand in his, he gave it a squeeze, and suddenly we were in a room filled with smoke and roaring fire. My eyes closed shut, and my throat itched to sneeze under the suffocating amount of the smoke.

Through half-open eyelids, I saw Will swing his blade causing a gush of strong winds to scatter the grey in the room. The clearing of the smoke gave way to the silhouette of a young man. A cry escaped the lips of the struggling boy who he held. "That a..soul." I looked at Will for confirmation judging by the transparency of his body and the white aura that seeped through it.

None of us moved as we studied one another, both sides trying to understand whether the other was an enemy.

The man's most striking features were his eyes of green which unlike the rage and bitterness of his face were almost bookish. It was as if inside the intimidating persona was a nerd, one that loved silence and peace.

It must have been my imagination when my eyes finally fell upon the unmoving bodies of the palace guards littered across the length of the hall, and his cruelty in not heeding the cries and pleas of the captured soul.

"They are not dead, only unconscious," Will assured, his eyes never left the intruder awaiting an attack or the attempt to flee. But the room ones again shook when the God of the Underworld walked in through a portal of darkness and dusk. "Leave him." The sheer force of the command would have been enough to bring one to their knees, but the man did no bow and hid his fear.

I felt myself being pulled back by my arms by Will who told me to stay hidden while he checked upon his friends.

Hades did not bother with another warning, and the man found himself brought joints forcefully bend in the wrong-angles, and the soul was released from his grip. When the trembling soul hit the floor, it caved in soon engulfing him with no trace left behind and hopefully taken to somewhere safe.

Howls of pain morphed the man's beautiful face. It was maybe the regret and fear for something other than torture that made me speak up in desperation. "Stop it Hades. You are killing him."

The shout had reached the God's ears for he responded."He is a demigod he won't die this easily." His words were harsh, but no longer were the screams heard as he slumped forward.

The brief moment Hades turned in my direction, my eyes met the green ones of the man that laid on the floor. I lamented over my previous action promptly when the sharpness of metal pressed against the artery of my neck.

No one told me half gods could teleport. The man held me in place with one strong hand coiled around my waist and the other holding a knife to my throat. "Surrender the soul." He hissed.

I watched as Will took in the sudden change of events, and there was anger, frustration, and worry as he looked at me.

But Hades did not move, his face was a void which did not leave even the possibility of guesses of what he felt and hid behind.

"Who will you choose, King of the Underworld." He found the strength to breathe out the challenge, pressing the dagger deeper, and I flinched with the blood that it drew.

The silence and calmness were enough to make one lose their nerve, and he no longer took his chances as he teleported taking me along.