Whatever gratefulness I'd felt towards Layla for saving Marilla had dissapeared the moment Marilla told me how she'd got to the sea in the first place.

Layla killed Dilin.

Then drowned him.

And in an attempt to stop him from dissapearing completely under the waves, Marilla had ended up getting drowned herself.

Marilla said she didn't remember much of how she'd gotten out onto the sand. She mentioned about someone approaching her when her consciousness was slipping but she wasn't sure of who it was or whether it really happened.

Whoever the person, if they'd saved Marilla then I was forever grateful.

Although with things getting so messy and Layla searching for a new 'suitor' to marry him off to Marilla, I wasn't going to risk one more incident like this to happen.

Which brings us to the present with Layla sleeping and me slipping out again to hunt my mother.

Derek and I had been searching every nook and cranny and every hidden passageways in the castle and around the grounds for the last two weeks since we arrived here.

But there wasn't even a single trace of mother anywhere. Even then we kept searching.

Tonight, we're at a cave near a deserted part of the isle I'd noticed no one visits. The cave is at the foot of the Black Sea, kilometers away from the backyard of the castle.

Derek walks in front of me holding a lantern that lit the dark path of the cave cocooning us in it's grey stone walled burrow.

We'd been walking for the last half an hour and so far I couldn't see a penny worth of a thing or a breathing person, not that I expected to find anyone here but okay.

"You're sure this place has anything else other than crawling insects?" I ask, exageratedly swishing aside a bug before it could crumble underneath my foot.

Derek turns his head to me almost smashing the lantern on my face, "Stop acting as if I was the one who said there'd be useful information here since 'things are always hidden where no one visits'," He quotes the words with a very poor imitation of my voice.

I roll my eyes gesturing him to move ahead, "Well atleast we can be assured we checked."

My friend hums in response before returning to his lighting the path and walking like a snail.

"Dude, why are you so slow?" I grumble, grabbing the lantern from his hand and walking straight ahead of him.

I don't even take three steps before I crash into a stone wall.

"The reason." Derek passes me a smile of pure mockery, "There are way too many turns and walls you can't see even with the light. You need to focus."

I groan rubbing my throbbing forehead before thrusting the lantern back into his hand, "Lead the way."

"You're welcome." He grins holding the lantern close to him as if it were some precious jewel.

We walk and walk and walk for what feels like eternity but is probably another half hour without anything in sight except the endless path. It's strange how the cave is even so deep when all it has is a horde of insects and nothing else.

"We're getting nowhere. Let's go back." I inform him.

"Yeah we shou-" Derek stops mid-sentence before he passes me a look over his shoulder, "The wall is moving."

I narrow my eyes at his words, "It can't move, dufus."

"It's actually moving, bitch! Look!" He points to a grimy wall.

At first I don't notice anything, but then I notice. The Black wall in front of us obstructing our path moves up and down ever so slowly as if it's a living thing and it's breathing.

My brows furrow and I take a step ahead as Derek shifts. Bringing my index finger up, I poke at the moving wall which surprisingly despite its hardness is a bit too soft and.....furry?

What in the....?

I poke at the wall again, this time harder. I'm about to poke one more time when the furry wall stops moving altogether.

I pull my hand back confused and Derek gives me an equally confuzzled look in return.

Then something moves.

The cave starts rumbling and a loud growl echoes around us shaking the grounds beneath.

Derek and I's eyes widen.

We see the wall move upwards and upwards until.....

The wall is gone completely and there's an opening to the cave. It's like we're on the other side where the cave ends.

Without thinking twice, Derek and I dart out. It feels like we walk through a heavy force-field before we find ourselves in a huge clearing of a forest.

But then once we make it through completely, both of us freeze.

Freeze because we just signed our death sentence. Freeze because there's a large three headed giant dog towering us. And it looks hungry.

The "moving wall" I'd poked was it's furry black body obstructing the cave's opening. From the way it looks at us through half-lidded red eyes, we seemed to have disturbed its sleep.

Holy Hell!

Cerberus.

Hades' guardian dog, more like a hell hound the size of a dinosaur.

What the Hell is it even doing here?! I thought it never left the underworld territory of Hades?!

"Dude. . ." I drawl trying to take a glance at my friend, "What's your last wish?"

That seems to make him snap out of his gawking at the monstrous dog drooling at our sight, "We're going to die!"

I take slow steps back trying to grab Derek's arm so we could winnow back as Cerberus walks forward in a slow predatory way.

When I reach Derek, unnoticeably grab his arm and try to winnow though, it doesn't work.

Horror washes over me as I turn to Derek with my head twisting so fast its a wonder it doesn't crack, "Bitch, we're actually dying!"

Cerberus cracks his head to the side and I try to pass him somewhat of a charming smile, "You wouldn't kill us, would you?"

My smile must've looked more like a grimace by the way the large dog's six red eyes narrow in union.

For a moment, it just stares and then before we can even brace ourselves, the creature lunges over, it's massive size pouncing on us like a freaking helicopter crash.

Derek and I both fall down on our rears as the dog hovers over our bodies. It opens it's large snout revealing canines sharper than any kitchen knives and the size of an elephant's teeth.

Just when it's snout is about to clutch down on my face, a command in a deep lazy velvety voice follows,

"Cerby boy, halt. Play time's over."

The dog instantly pulls back, looks over its overly broad shoulder and then like an obedient little Bambi turns around and walks away towards its master with its tail between its legs.

The God of the Underworld himself is standing a few feet away dressed in doublet and pant—all black velvet finery with ancient silver patterns on it. A diadem made of bones and midnight colored flower entwined around it like creeper plants adorns his head.

When Cerberus makes his way over to him, Hades pats his head as if it isn't a creature that could munch down mortals or immortals in a jiffy.

Hades' lazy chocolate brown eyes then skids over to me and Derek still lying on our butts on the muddy forest ground, "While sleeping is a very essential necessity, I suggest you do not do it here. Unless you fancy getting lost within the woods or meeting vengeful spirits who are wandering here. The spirits eat flesh of mortals or immortally mortals alike, by the way."

That snaps us both out of our stupor as we stand upright in a second.

Derek and I share a horrified glance before looking towards the inky haired God who looks the same age as us, even younger at close notice.

"This is the Forest of Lethe? Isn't that in the underworld in your territory?" I ask to see the God give me a bland look.

"Who's territory do you think you're trespassing right now, immortally mortal being?"

Is that why I couldn't teleport? Because we're in a God's territory. And....Gods don't take it kindly to anyone visiting their area uninvited....

Still for conformation, I glance around before passing Hades a jittery smile, "We are in....your territory." I say as if it's a brand new discovery.

While Helvon is a kingdom which is a part of both the underworld and Ancientriova, where apart from the born demons like me and Derek and few others, the people who become lesser demons like the delfs who'd done horrible deeds also serve for their sins and live there. The underworld—the kingdom of the dead— is very large and except for Helvon, the rest of it belongs to Hades. Just like how except Seagill, the rest of the seas belong to God Poseidon.

"Bingo!" Hades claps his hand gaining my attention back, "Now that you know about your surrounding, get lost from here."

"But...." I glance at him in confusion, "We walked through the opening of a cave on the isle of the Black Sea and reached here?"

"There are gateways everywhere that work like portals connecting a God's territory and the lands. You must've walked through it." Hades answers, impatiently tapping his foot on the ground, "Now if you're done with the questioning, I suggest you leave the place or I'll let Cerberus continue his deed."

As if on cue, the three-headed dog stands right up from his place, it's creepy six eyes setting on me and Derek again.

We both take a step back before I do a quick scan of my surrounding. There's a portal leading to the Underworld on the isle. How does no one know about it? Did Charlotte know? If she did, could she have hid mother here. . .

"Can I look around once?" I ask Hades and all he does is huffs out a dramatic sigh.

Instead of answering my question, he turns to Cerberus, "Can't even say 'be my guest' to anyone without sounding like I'm asking them to die and visit the Underworld. Sucks to be me."

The giant dog as if understanding it's master's words and taking Hades' over-dramatic expression of mock-hurt seriously, licks it's master's face with three of it's head in a consolidatory way.

"Cerby, you're the cutest!" Hades flanks a hand over one of its three neck patting it's head along the motion.

I look with my mouth slack open.

Cute?

That's a freaking monstrous dog that could eat me alive!

Hades attention shifts back to me and he narrows his eyes, "You're still here?"

"I want to look ar-"

He cuts me off, "Oh I'm done with this shit. It's my dinner time, prince boy. And food is first priority."

Without waiting a second more, he flicks his fingers and the next thing I know, I'm back in castle grounds at the isle with its dead flora and fauna.

I groan in frustration. Running a hand through my hair, I storm ahead fully intending to go back into the cave again. But as I take a step forward, Derek tugs at my arm.

I pay him no heed but he tightens his grip almost digging his non-existent nails into my clothed skin.

Turning around in annoyance, "What the hell, b-"

My sentence stops mid-way as I spot who's in front of us.

Oh shit shit shit.

Wasn't she sleeping?!

"You were out so late at night and you bought a visitor," Layla's silver eyes flick from me to Derek who's staring with eyes wide as saucers.

She's still in her night robe but her eyes aren't least bit lid by sleep. Her hollow gaze is trained on me.

Without thinking twice and because I need to stay here longer when I'm so close to finding a clue on where mother could be and because I don't want to risk this chance, I blurt out the first thing that'd make the situation somewhat convincing,

"He's a suitor I found for Marilla."

So...this is how Derek comes into the picture.

How did you like the interaction with Hades?👀

Do you think Queen Annabeth could be hidden in Hades' territory unbeknownst to him?