"That's the Minotaur...right?"
"Right."
I look at Alec, and he looks at me from behind him.
"It's not gonna kill us...right?"
"Wrong. I'd suggest you start doing something before it eats me or my third leg, sweetheart. I'm not being the non-human sacrifice. You decided to kiss me so it's your job to—ow, fuck!"
The Minotaur rams Alec's stomach, and he flies backwards, colliding with me which causes us both to crash into the wall at full force.
"Jesus! Think you weigh enough?! My melons probably popped!"
"You said what?!"
I hear deep laughter, and realize that the Minotaur is still there.
Why hasn't he eaten us yet?!
I'm concerned.
I pick my head up, pressing my hand against the side of Alec's face in an attempt to get up.
"Ow!"
"Sorry!"
I run his cheek, standing up.
"Bitch."
He stands up, and we both turn around again.
"Was it really necessary to kick my stomach with your hooves, dude? That shit hurt."
I roll my eyes.
"Shut it Ronald McDonald! Your abs are like bricks! I'm sure you didn't feel anything! Be concerned for me! I had to deal with your ass squishing me! My melons probably popped!"
"Are you trying to say you have implants?!"
"What?! No!"
"Then what—"
"Quiet down, children. The tension between you two is unbearable. It makes me want to each you much more."
"Uhh...tension? What type of tension are we speaking of? I don't really know about that one, horse guy."
He grins at both of us.
"Sexual tension. Maybe why your friend chose lust as your challenge."
I look at Alec, who looks away and starts whistling.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
When I glare at him he smirks.
"I just wanted to test the waters, sweetheart."
I blink a few times.
"Test the waters?! You can't be serious. Minotaur? Eat him. Please. I'm done."
"What?! No...me and the Minotaur are old friends...right? Tell me I'm right."
"I'm not here to eat you guys, come to think of it? I'm not that hungry anymore. Not for humans at least. You guys are making me lose my appetite."
"Well that's great...I guess? As long as you aren't eating me I'm gucci."
The Minotaur looks at me strangely.
"You're what?"
"Never mind."
I walk over to the door, wrapping my fingers around the knob.
I attempt to open it, but to no avail.
"Is this going to open? I don't want to be in here any longer. Where is my dad?! Hades?! Hey, dude! Xenodice?! Persephone?! Guys...I don't like this anymore! Alec is a bad kisser and the Minotaur is starting to freak me out?! Hello? Hey! Listen to me, when I'm talking to you, you—hey!"
Alec pushes me against the wall, holding me there by my shoulders.
"Listen to me, you bratty little bitch, if you don't shut your mouth in five seconds I'm going to murder you. I won't hesitate this time, sweetie."
One of his eyes flares white, and my eyes widen as he releases me with a small smirk.
"That's what I thought." He turns back to the Minotaur as I sit there shriveled up against the wall.
"Is she good?"
"She'll be fine...probably. Now what do we do?"
"Obvious. Complete the rest of the tasks."
"You're doing it with us?"
"Might as well. And by the way...the deities are down here."
"The who?"
The Minotaur rolls his eyes.
"The gods' children."
My eyes expand.
"Althea? Harley?"
"Yes, them. They're looking for you, you know."
I open my mouth to say something, but Alec beats me to it.
"I have something you can do for us, Minotaur."
"Okay...I'm feeling nice...and it's be best for me to do something before I get hungry and decide to eat you guys again."
"Great...get rid of them. The mini gods."
"Why?"
Alec grins, taking my wrist in his iron grip.
"Because the little rats are in my way, and I see no other way to get them out of it then to kill them. I just want you to trap them...me and my new friend, Aiden, will do the torturing."
******
(ALTHEA'S POV)
"What if the Minotaur are her already, Harley?! It'd be all my fault!"
"Stop stressing, Thea. You're making it worse than it should be."
I look up at him from the floor.
"Easy for you to say, Harley. You never stress. Or worry. Or do anything in general."
He looks down at me, rolling his eyes before looking back into the distance, throwing a ball of fire up and down in the air.
"I appreciate the compliment, Ali."
"It wasn't even—you know what? I'm done with you today."
"Fine by me, sugar lips. I can do without you blabbering in my ear for a change."
I open my mouth in shock, before shutting it and stomping away to Porter and Dahlia who seem to be making some sort of habitat for a baby frog.
"What's wrong?" Dahlia says as I sit down next to her.
Porter looks up from making a small pond in a mini well that they dug.
"Yeah...you look upset. But look! We made a new friend."
"The frog?"
"The frog. We named him—"
"Her, Porter. She's a she, not a he. Stop misgendering our frog."
"Oh why don't you shut your trap, woman?! He's a he. And his name is Porter Jr."
"You are not naming our frog after you, Porter! Your name is ugly!"
"Says the girl named after a damn flower."
Dahlia glares at him before picking up the frog in her palm, showing it to me.
"Isn't she cute?"
"Uhh...yeah. You two have fun making your frog pond."
"Alright, Judy Moody."
I stand up, walking over to Zen, Adalee, and Hediya.
"Hey, guys."
"You left Harley for us. Finally. We're always the last choice."
Adalee says, and I roll my eyes.
"Whatever. He's being a pain in the ass."
"He always is. I mean look at the guy...he looks like a high school bully."
We all turn around, looking for him.
But he isn't there.
My eyebrows furrow.
"I'll be back. Let me see if he wandered off...wouldn't want him to get lost."
"Okay, girl." Hediya responds, and Zen frowns.
"Do you want us to come with? Just in case something happened?"
"Nah...I'll be fine. You guys stay here in case Aiden comes back. Maybe she's still alive."
"Okay."
I smile at them all before walking off in a different direction, rounding a corner.
I move my head around to look everywhere, frowning.
"Har? You there? Hey...I'm sorry if I made you upset earlier, it's just—"
I let out a gasp, running forwards.
"Harley?!"
I jump down, grabbing his hands, the side of his face.
Bleak.
Stone cold.
"No, no, no. It's my fault...are you dead?! Please don't die on me!"
I shake him a couple of times, right when I hear a leaf crunch behind me.
Oh no.
I grip tighter onto his hand, hoping some of my life will seep into him.
I know that sounds weird.
But I'm a god. So thing usually work that way.
"Althea. I see you've found your friend."
Their S's slur together like a snake's.
Crap.
I stay where I am, looking down at the Gray slowly seeping up his bare stomach.
Stone.
"Medusa."
********
(AIDEN'S POV)
After a long time we finally reach the last stop.
Wrath.
"You ready?"
I look at him, completely exhausted.
"Well, yeah. I hate this. A lot."
"So do I, sugarcane."
"Did you just call me a fucking sugarcane?!"
"Yes."
"What the hell?"
I open the door, blinking a few times.
"There isn't anything in there."
A hear a small giggle, as the door slams shut behind me, locking Alec out on the outside.
"Fuck. Alec?! Alec, are you still there?!"
I hear the small click of boots, and then a light snaps on above something. Above someone.
A girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail, and oddly feline green eyes.
Green eyes that are scarily vivid.
She smiles at me.
"Aiden. Nice to finally meet the person who's the talk of the underworld."
My eyes widen as I let out a small gasp.
"Pandora."
********
(ALTHEA'S POV)
"Hello, Althea. You can turn around...no need to be afraid of me. I won't turn you to stone. Only if you give me a reason."
I turn my head over my shoulder, seeing her yellowy gold eyes that shimmer and glow.
"Woah...you have beautiful eyes."
"I'd say everyone says that but they don't. Know one even knows what I look like. They assume I look like some old hag with snakes as hair. I look like a normal human. Only when I want to look like a snake monster I do."
I look at Harley and back at her.
"He's turning to stone. How do I fix it?! I don't want him to die!"
"He'll be fine. You just have to wait a minute and it'll calm down."
"Why'd you turn him to stone in the first place?" I cock my head to the side. "Why aren't you trying to kill me?"
"Is this some sort of joke?! Any person I meet assumes I'm gonna turn them to stone and keep them as some sort of stone statue. What kind of psychopath do you people think I am?! I'm just a cursed gorgon, not a murderer!"
I blink a few times.
Here goes nothing.
"You haven't happened to see anyone that goes by the name of Aiden Weiss, have you?"
Medusa shakes her head.
"Heard of her, Hades mentioned her. I haven't seen her but Arachne told me that the Minotaur told her that she's with Alec and Pandora."
My heart drops.
"Pandora too?"
"Yeah...I have to go now. I'd suggest trying to wake up your friend now. Bye!"
"Wait what?"
Medusa disappears into thin air, and I sit there flabbergasted.
"What the...? Harley? You awake now?"
"Huh?"
I turn around, looking down at him.
"You're alive?"
"Well, yeah, Thea."
I stand up, holding out my hand.
He takes it, standing up.
"Thank you, Ali."
"No problem...we should probably head back if we don't want them to worry."
"True."
We walk back, and I don't bother to tell him about Medusa...that'd just be a mess.
We round the corner, and i immediately jump back, pushing Harley with me.
"What the—"
"Shh!"
I point, and Harley slowly peaks his head out, his eyes widening.
"Holy shit..."
There, all tied up, sits all of our friends.
Standing in front of them is—wait a minute.
"Aiden?"
Just as the girl snaps her head over her shoulder, a chill runs down my spine when I feel a sharp blade against my throat.
"If you expect you and your boyfriend to live, babe, I'd keep your cute little mouth shut."
Time starts to slow down as I stare at Aiden...or at least what I thought was Aiden.
That can't be Aiden.
Her eyes are pure black.
And glowing.
******
(AIDEN'S POV)
Twenty minutes earlier...
"Yes, me. Pandora."
"Where's Alec?!"
"Safe. I wouldn't hurt the boy if I could." She grins. "Too much of a cutie."
Her eyes glide smoothly from my feet to my head, lingering on the small scar on my left eye.
"How long have you had that scar, Aiden?"
"Huh?"
She moves her eyes to mine, motioning lazily with her hand.
"The scar. Underneath your eye? How long have you had it?"
"Oh, that? Since birth."
"Interesting...you know what it means?"
"That I got cut or something?"
"No. Not even close. You know that's a symbol of power. Your father has one too but it's covered most of the time from that hair of his. And he's so pale it basically blends in."
I stare at her strangely.
"And?"
"You hold great power, darling. But do you know how to use it?"
Pandora takes a drag from some sort of cigarette, letting the smoke billow from her lips.
She then throws the thing, switching her attention back to me.
"Have a seat."
"Huh?"
She moves her feet off a rest and kicks it towards me, watching as I awkwardly take a seat.
Very far away.
"Don't be shy, honey. I'm not gonna hurt you. Come closer."
I scooch closer, and she smiles.
"Great."
Pandora leans forward in her chair, so I'm forced to look her straight in the eyes.
"You are angry."
"What?"
"Wrath. Deep inside you. Just like your father. I was able to help him once."
"That sounds weird."
"You dirty bird. Not like that. That's for Persephone. What I was trying to say was how your father used to be very bottled up. Very stiff, if that's the right word. His emotions built up inside him, and I helped him let them loose. As you see know he's very carefree, I can make you like that too."
"I don't think I want to be like him, Pandora."
"I think you do. Powerful, careless, a leader, strong, anything someone looking for power such as yourself would want. Now this is your challenge for wrath, Aiden. Your challenge is to come with me, and let me show you the ways of the powerful. You don't always have to be powerless."
I frown slightly.
"And if I don't?"
"Simple. I feed you to Alec."
"He would eat me...?"
"Yes. He told me how delicious you looked not that long ago," Pandora grins at the horrified look on my face. "Said he would eat you up like a cupcake."
"You can't be serious."
"I'm not. But I would feed you to the Minotaur though. Or Arachne. Someone would be glad to eat you. Not me. I'm not a cannibal."
"You're human?! At least there's one."
"I guess. Zeus made me. I was the first mortal woman, though. I know that much. I'm a mortal but I have some special abilities."
She takes my hand, warm in her ice cold ones.
"Come. We're going to see you're father."
"But—"
"He's not in the labyrinth? I know. We can manifest him or some shit."
She drags me into an even darker room, sitting me down.
"I'll tell him you're ready to see your true abilities...and maybe soon enough you'll be up to becoming your full potential."
I stare at her uneasily, as she paces back and forth.
"Come on now...don't make me wait..."
She starts mumbling things, and soon enough I hear a grunt.
"What is it?! I was busy killing someone—"
He pauses, turning around and seeing me sitting there awkwardly.
"Oh, I didn't mean killing...I meant chilling someone?"
"Save it, dude. We all know you were probably chopping up someone's flesh to put in chicken noodle soup."
Pandora's eye twitches.
"Ew."
"What is it, Pandora?"
Hades gives her a look that totally says: "if you don't do something in 0.5 seconds I'm gonna chop your head off."
Pandora smiles.
"She's ready."
He turns back to me, narrowing his eyes.
"You sure you didn't force her?"
"Totes."
"Yeah right."
He sits down, smiling at me.
"Hello, child."
"Uhh...hi?"
"Don't look so mortified. I'm not gonna kill you."
Pandora laughs, continuing to pace around the room.
"I finally found your soft spot. The girl. I figured because she's your daughter."
"Don't remind me. I don't want a mini-me."
"You already got one. The girl's got an attitude from what I've seen."
I blink a few times.
"What exactly is happening?! Am I gonna get possessed or something?!"
"Well no, we don't do possession."
Pandora says, leaning against the wall in the far corner.
Hades pulls out a small test tube looking thing filled with a black and blue liquid, handing it to me.
I take it, staring down at it.
"What is it?! Radioactive dog piss?!"
"No. Blood."
"I thought blood was red...?"
Hades rolls his eyes.
"God blood. My blood. If you want any power you have to drink that."
My mouth drops open and I shake my head rapidly.
"Fuck no! I'm not a vampire!"
I put it down, looking around.
"Alec! ALEC?! Hey, Alec, if you wanna come out and take me back to earth I'd really appreciate it!"
I feel something smack my head and wince.
"Shut up." Pandora says, and I look at the cigarette butt that just smacked my noggin.
"Rude. But, you can't expect me to drink blood. Especially from my dad. That's just weird."
Pandora grins at me.
"I'm not giving you a chance, sweetheart. That or I kill you."
"There's no killing my daughter, Pandora."
"Shut it, old man. I'm using scare tactics!"
Pandora whisper yells, before turning back to me with a smile.
She walks closer to me, picking up the tube and uncapping it.
She looks at me for a long moment.
"Nothing will hurt. Nothing will go wrong. Nothing's gonna happen. It'll just feel like a sugar rush, and then you'll get your powers. Trust me."
I look at Hades who's practically expressionless then Pandora who looks too reassuring it's starting to get creepy.
Oh how I wish I was back with the cat at this point.
I feel like I'm gonna get poisoned or some shit.
Whatever.
"Okay, Pandora. I'll do it."
"Good. I'm sure your father's proud of you, right, Hades?"
"Well, I was going to say—"
"Right, Hades?"
Hades gives Pandora the death stare before looking back at me.
"Do whatever you'd like, doll."
And with that he disappeared into thin air.
I take the tube from Pandora, dumping it in my mouth.
I gag, almost spitting it everywhere.
"You can do it! Just plug your nose, and swallow."
I do as she says, letting out a loud cough after.
"I feel normal."
"Told you. Here's some water."
She pulls a glass of water out of nowhere which I look at strangely.
"Are you sure this isn't cyanide?"
"Of course. You heard what Hades said. There's no killing my daughter."
I take the water, and take a cautious sip.
As soon as I gulp down the whole thing, I glance at Pandora uneasily.
"Are you sure there was nothing in that? I feel...I feel really odd."
Pandora smiles sweetly as my eyes begin to get droopy, and I gasp as someone emerges from her, and the real Pandora falls onto the floor, gasping for air.
Her scared eyes move onto the woman who was possessing her, coughing out blood.
"M-Megaera—"
And with that she collapses in an unconscious heap.
My eyes snap onto Megaera, her image switching back and forth between a human girl and a whole demon.
"W-What did you put in that water—"
"Oh honey...I only gave you a bit of the Styx, the River of unbreakable oath. And now that you drank some of your father's blood, you are more powerful than ever. I have full control over you. I need you to say something for me, okay?"
I drowsily look into her eyes.
"Okay..."
"Good. Now I want you to say, by dawn's first glow, my power will be stored inside of Megaera's grasp until nightmare's flow."
"By dawn's first glow, my power will be stored inside of Megaera's grasp until nightmare's flow."
*******
I walk alongside Megaera, my head throbbing.
"It hurts."
"I know, Aiden, I know. It'll get better soon, you'll feel better soon, okay? You just have to listen to me."
"Okay."
She halts, placing her arm in front of me.
"Look. There they are. I need you to capture them. Tie them up. We need to for a friend."
"A friend?"
"Yes. Alec."
I smile.
"Alec..."
"Go now. Use your powers. You know how to use them."
My pitch black eyes glow a dim blue, and I watch eerily as Hediya walks by.
I teleport in front of her, wrapping a vine around her neck and squeezing, dragging her backwards and onto the floor.
I hold an orb of blue and black, grinning wickedly at her.
"You know how much I want to...kill you?"
"A-Aiden?"
"Get off of her!"
I go stiff as a lightning bolt shoots through the stomach of my flesh, laughing silently as I turn my head almost fully around, ripping the thing from my abdomen before crushing it with ease.
It disintegrates onto the floor in a pile of ash.
"Hello, Zen! Long time no see!"
He watches in horror as wisps of darkness swirl around Hediya, constricting her.
I get off of her, walking closer to Zen.
"What happened to Zeus's son, huh? Did you lose your...strength?"
He frowns and I smile.
"What's the matter? Not feeling as confident as you were two seconds ago? Lucky me...I feed off of people's fear and self doubt...like a disease."
"Who are you?!"
"That little goth girl you ought to know? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you...I tend to have a soft spot relating to my little brother's son."
My eyes flicker and he backs away.
"Hades...you're in her aren't you?! Stop possessing her!"
I go closer to him until he's backed into the wall, laughing as black widow spiders fall from my mouth.
"Hades isn't in me, honey! I am anything and everything but him!"
The spiders crawl from on my arms to his, and they soon fade away into black wisps that wrap around him as well.
My hands wrap around his neck, until I hear the crunch of a leaf and release him, watching as he slumps onto the floor.
"Who's there? Let me guess...Addy?"
I flip around, my smile growing wider.
"No...a whole party!"
I hold up both of my hands, and they begin to get their powers, not before eight dark vines shoot from my palms, grabbing each of them.
I then drop my hands, and they all fall to the floor tied in black ropes that expel shadows.
"Ooh! Funsies! Boo-hoo...we're missing two!"
"Aiden?"
I snap my head over my shoulder, seeing Althea and Harley.
And—ooh! Alec.
I grin sinisterly, and my eyes dim from a pitch black to my irises being a pure white.
I move my eyes to Megaera smiling at me from afar, then back to Alec with Althea in his grasp and a knife to her neck.
I catch eyes with Alec, and he smirks before disappearing in thin air with Althea still trapped between his arms.
I shoot an orb at Harley, watching as it teleports him right in front of me.
"You could join us, you know? On the dark side?!"
"Aiden, what's going on with you?"
"What do you mean? This is my natural form..."
I grin.
"It just might kill us all."