Nero created a small lamp by extending out his thumb.
A little flame sprung forth, and he used it to light their way down the stairwell. The deeper they went down the stairs, the hotter it became, the thinner the air as well. The stairs soon turned into metal, and the walls started to reflect, jewels lining the walls and gems springing out the steps.
They descended, only seeing what was barely in front of them, the same as their lives, unable to see the end goal, and somehow this was harder than what they had been doing all along.
At the end of the stairs, they came upon a large cavern, with many tunnels. The cave sparkled off of the reflection of Nero's flame as they walked through it, their shadows dancing up and down, jerking and tripping over each other whenever the curves of the wall became looser or tighter.
"This must be how he affords that mansion," said Adonis.
"All of this doesn't matter. His dumb rocks and money can't save him from death."
After walking through various tunnels, and doubting if they knew their way, they heard soft classical music echoing through the caverns, towards the direction of a tunnel with bright light.
Nero walked into the light, expecting something, anything, but then his expectations were shattered when they were at the top of a grand and ornate spiral staircase made of crystal.
"This is complete overkill," said Nero.
"He's clearly compensating for something," said Adonis, making Nero laugh.
"Enemy is near , "said Unas. "Prepare yourselves."
Nero took out his sword from its scabbard and it lit up. He made sure to look away, still somewhat queasy at the sight of Adonis unfurling his wings.
A gaping hole would split from his back, he would grunt and the wings would push out, molting the old ones, leaving them on the floor, and the remaining skin would sew itself back up as if nothing was ever there.
"That's so gross," Nero whispered.
"You drink people's blood with a sword."
" Yes. It's delicious and calorie-free," Nero scoffed.
Down they went, the staircase extending for infinity, and Adonis reminded himself not to reason with a fool, because that would make him an even bigger fool.
At the bottom of the staircase, Nero saw the inside of a palace.
Glass pillars filled with diamonds held up the ceiling of the cave. Statues of various animals made of different precious gems decorated the cave. Arches upon arches that led to other rooms of this underground palace made the cave feel even wider than it already was.
The center was adorned by a giant red gem, the size of a shed. It was cut to jut out in many areas, with large spikes protruding from it. There were holes dug into the top of it, where candles were placed.
It hung from the ceiling by thick and heavy chains, and it kept the bright stone up a few inches off the ground. Adonis and Nero stared in amazement at what they had come upon.
They followed the music through the halls until they came upon another archway, and inside it was the main chamber. Almuz sat on a throne decorated with precious jewels and diamonds, his narcissism on full display.
He was listening to music, smoking, and reading a magazine.
He looked up in surprise when the two of them entered, expecting Jack to be the one to greet him instead of at the end of the dinner. Instead what he saw was a shirtless, masked tanned man with wings and his crazy compatriot in a white fur coat with splatters of blood all over his body.
"I'm here to kill you. Where's my son?"
His voice echoed through the caverns, bouncing off the walls, adding emphasis to the seriousness of his words as they repeated over and over again. Almuz chuckled at the statement, that anyone could kill him, and knew that Nero was mad, dangerously so believing that he would take his son.
"I had no idea you had a son. You should call more often, I know I raised you with manners," Almuz said.
Nero's eyes turned pitch black at the statement and fire seeped out from the sword, dancing at his feet.
The flames around Nero increased in size. His hair whipped up into a frenzy, and the embers that fell out waltzed all over the marble floor. Slowly he began to look less human. His ears lengthened and stuck out, pointy and wide.
"You didn't do anything," said Nero. "You're pathetic ."
"It's good that you came to visit after so long. You've saved me the trouble of looking for you and now we can catch up, " Almuz said.
He put down his magazine, extinguished his cigarette, and got up from his throne, and laughed, bits of gravel coming out of his mouth, making Adonis feel nauseated.
"Stop throwing a tantrum, Aelfric," he laughed.
Nero's incisors grew into full fangs, his voice guttural, animalistic, there was now less of him and more of Unas.
"I have come here to kill you," Nero and Unas growled. "You will not mock me."
With every step Almuz took down from his throne, his skin hardened and shone in the light, taking on a metamorphosis of his own. No longer was he human, but there was not much human inside of him, to begin with.
His ruby red eyes glowed, and his teeth were replaced by little, golden stubs.
His fingernails were sharp and pointy like razors. With every step he took, he started to walk slower and slower. It was harder for him to move as his body got heavier and heavier with his newly grown armor.
Adonis would not be underestimated either. Fur began to grow down his arms as they elongated. His muscular fingers lengthened, and his short, stubby nails turned into vicious, sharp, talons.
His mask burst against the beak protruding from his face and cried out in pain as his spine contorted into a new shape. Longer, and longer his spine protruded until a furry tail had grown.
Proud and regal, Adonis was a griffin, and Nero was his knight.
As Almuz made his way for Nero, he stopped in his tracks. The entire room was still sparkling and lit, but everything was grey. Slowly all the color in the room, and the world faded away. Nero shone brightly as all the color came towards him, and he started to glow.
Almuz was stupefied as the world seemed to get quiet, and as if time stopped.
Prompted by some higher purpose, some new calling, all the colors from the walls, from the gems, from the furniture went to Nero. They wrapped around him, convalescing around him, holding him tight, until no longer he could be seen.
His figure glowed and shone brightly in the cave, morphing and taking a new shape.
The world turned black and everything stopped.
The glowing figure that was once Nero stood still, and suddenly all the color burst forth from him, their purpose complete.
Pushing their way outwards, all the reds, blues, yellows, and various hues returned to their homes, smacking into the walls, floors, and lights. They pushed back into Almuz, his body scraping as it was dragged a few inches back from the blast. His inhuman eyes didn't blink, they spun, watching the light pour out from Nero's body, Godiva's warning rang true.
Nero was no longer human but a god.