I AM SHOCKED when I open my eyes; you know how the books describe the underworld as dark, devoid of all life, and ransacked by restless souls? Yeah, that's an outright lie. Instead, the underworld reminds me of Venice. From what I can see, four great rivers run through the underworld, and they're joined together by a fountain that seems to be located right in the middle of the kingdom. Further off in the distance, I can see a castle made entirely out of white stone, although there are green vines with purple flowers that run up the palace walls.
Beside each river, there are signs indicating the towns; Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Lethe. Each city was designed differently than the rest.
"Will we have time to visit the towns?" I ask Samael after admiring what I could see of the underground.
"If you wish to look around, I'll take the time to do so." Samael replies, "But first, let's go to the castle. Once we get settled in our rooms, we can head to the archives; the quicker we find the information we seek, the more time I'll have to show you the kingdom I grew up in."
"Our rooms?" I ask as we walk towards the castle.
"I thought you'd be comfortable sleeping by yourself. We haven't spent the night together yet, and I didn't want to assume that you'd be comfortable sleeping with me." Samael states.
"Don't be silly; I want to share your room. I didn't only come on this trip to gather information. I want to spend more time with you. I want to strengthen our bond and connect with you one-on-one."
Samael smiles at me, "I was hoping you'd say that. I'll feel more comfortable having you near me."
"Should I be worried while we are down here?" I ask.
"Not as long as you're with me, my parents, or accompanied by a guard. Not of the underworld is sunshine and rainbows, don't forget prisoners are brought down here too. But my father doesn't believe in prison. He doesn't believe in taking someone's freedom because they're different from us. My father and mother are demon advocates; they use the underground to demonstrate that Gods and demons can get along in harmony. However, some of the demons don't side with my father's theory, and they'll hurt anyone who comes near them with divine powers. You're my mate, making you a primary target for the demons who disagree." Samael replies.
"Ah, I see," I reply as we make our way into the palace.
I am once again taken in awe by the beauty of it. While the outside of the castle is purely white, the inside of the court is not. The colors range from pale ivory to muted mustard; the design is finished with a bench made of stained oak wood and two chairs to match. I can picture Persephone meeting with the guest in this room or Hades discussing business with his brothers; just aside from the foyer is a spiral staircase, with one set of stairs going west and the other going right; the railing is white and has beautiful green vines with tiny yellow flowers intertwined throughout.
Samael leads me up the west side of the stairway, and soon we are walking down a hallway lined with pictures of Samael and other kids on the walls. One of the pictures is a photo of Samael, Aphelion, Beckett, and Miles. They're all young, and their faces are covered with dirt and mud.
Samael catches me observing the picture as we walk by, "That was our first time meeting. I think we were either four or five in the picture. Our fathers decided to go on a father-son camping trip as they wanted to introduce their heirs to each other. The four of us took to each other like bees to honey. While we didn't grow up in the same kingdoms, we still kept in touch. The other pictures you see on the walls are pictures of my siblings. Before Dad met mom, he was a bit of a man whore, as you can see. I have twelve sisters and thirteen brothers; they're all demigods. I also have two younger siblings. Dad and mom wanted more children after me, but my mother couldn't fall pregnant after she entered the underworld. While visiting Earth, they met a human woman they both instantly fell in love with. Mom and Dad both think this woman may very well be their mate. Anyways, Dad impregnated Sylvia, and out came the twins. They're one of the main reasons mom and dad only visit the underworld and no longer live here. They live upon Earth with Sylvia and the twins, although sometimes my brother and sister will come to visit with Mom and Dad. If they could, they'd live down here permanently, but since Sylvia is a human, she can't survive down here; the fumes would be toxic to her."
"That must have been hard for you, not having your parents around," I state as I listen to Samael talk about his family.
"Not really; Dad and Mom have always been busy with their charities and foundations. Hecate mostly raised me. She is mom's best friend, and the only person mom trusted to keep me safe. Hecate taught me my responsibilities as heir to the throne, and by the time I was sixteen, I was running the kingdom with her by my side." Samael says as if it's the most natural thing in the world for a kid not to be raised by their parents.
"Wow, that's a lot of responsibility to put on a child," I reply.
"It comes with being heir to the kingdom." Samael says, stopping in front of the door at the end of the hallway, "These are my quarters." He states while opening the door and letting me walk inside first.
Ah, this is what I expected the underworld to look like; three out of the four walls in Samael's room are coated with charcoal black paint, and the fourth is white with crimson red paint splatters. In the center of the room is one of the most oversized beds I've seen. It's covered with a crimson satin comforter and black pillows. There's a small dresser off to one side of the room and a door that leads to an en-suite bathroom. Other than that, the room is pretty bare. I fling myself onto the bed and let out a low satisfied moan. "Oh my god, this bed is wonderful."
"You look wonderful on my bed." Samael flirts as he climbs onto the bed and hovers over me.
I bite my lower lip baiting him to make a move. Samael dips his head down and starts placing soft, gentle kisses on my lips. The kisses quickly turn into a heated make-out session, with our tongues gliding along and our lips smashed firmly against one another's. Samael has lowered himself onto me and is grinding his body into mine as his hand snakes up my blouse, brushing against my side. I am letting out little moans of pleasure before Samael suddenly pulls away and climbs off the bed
"Come, my little temptress." He says with an evil grin as he holds his hand out to help me up, which I reluctantly take. "Let us go to the archives and see if we can dig up that information we came for.
"Sure," I respond with a smirk on my face.
That little bastard had gotten me all hot and heavy to leave me hanging and wanting more. Well, two can play this game. I'll follow you peacefully down to the archives, Samael, but we won't be until you've thoroughly fucked me.