"Wait." Grimm said, as he held his arm out, stopping the others from waliing forward.
"What's up?" pepper asked, curious of what's on Grimm's mind.
"He's coming. We should hurry." Grimm said, as he began to walk again.
"You tell us to wait, then tell us to hurry? Make up your mind!" Thirteen said, feeling bothered by Grimm's contradictions.
"I apologize, I'm just a bit on edge, I tend to avoid Hades as much as I can, I don't like seeing him." Grimm said, trying not to sound too depressing.
"Grimm and his Father have... a bad history, to say the least..." Persephone said, trying to talk for Grimm.
"He made me kill my brothers..." Grimm said, trying not to look sad.
"Oh... damn..." pepper said, feeling like he may have gotten the wrong impression of Hades.
"Hades just... does what he has to... as long as he gets his way, he doesn't usually care..." Persephone said, looking uncomfortable.
"Grimm, you said that Hades is coming, how do you know?" Thirteen asked, genuinely curious about how Grimm aquired the information.
"Well, we're family, we can sense each other when we're close enough, and... just a feeling, I guess." Grimm said, as he turned away from everyone once again, and began walking. "Now, come. We have no time to waste anymore." Grimm continued, as everyone followed him.
"Woah." pepper said, as his jaw stayed opened, looking at the sight before him.
"Alright, this is where we'll have to work together." Grimm said, as everyone gazed upon the scene.
"We... have to do this?" Thirteen asked, feeling a bit worried.
"Yes, the gate isn't supposed to be not used, but it's forbidden for unauthorized citizens or any dead to pass." Persephone said, as she looked around the grimmstone brick room. "Hades is the only one who can ignore this part." Persephone continued.
"What about you? Which do Gods fall under?" Thirteen asked, wondering if Gods are equal to citizens in this situation.
"Any God may enter as they please, but they can only exit if Hades allows it." Persephone said, answering Thirteen.
"Okay, pepper, do you see that iron rod sticking out over there?" Grimm asked, as he pointed to the left wall.
"Yeah, I do." pepper said, as he looked to where Grimm pointed.
"Use your webs to swing us all across." Grimm said, as he looked toward pepper.
"I don't my webs are strong enough to carry all of us, they barely carry me... they're just spider webs..." pepper said, feeling confused about why Grimm assumed his webs so strong.
"I see... That's my bad for assuming, I apologize." Grimm said, being formal.
"Don't worry about it..." pepper said, feeling a bit awkward by Grimm's formalities.
"Here, I think I can do it." Thirteen said, as she pulled her scythe out of the air.
"What are you gonna do?" Grimm asked, as they all watched Thirteen walk over to the edge of the floor, as she walked she became faster, eventually starting to run, and once she met the edge, she jumped with a grunt, and she swung her scythe back behind her head, and then forward to latch onto the iron bar.
'That was a bit scarier than I'd thought...' Thirteen thought, as she held tightly to her scythe. Thirteen looked down, as she questioned what might happen if she hadn't made it, and as her eyes met what was below her, she saw a pool of lava sitting at the bottom of a deep hole. 'Oh my... that'd be at least an eight second fall...' Thirteen thought, as she kept looking down, unable to remove her eyes.
"Nice one, Thirteen! But... bow what?" pepper asked, feeling confused of her plan.
"Oh... right!" Thirteen said, as she began to swing back and forth, creating momentum as she swang. "Look! I bet if you can catch my hand as I swing you can get across if I swing you." Thirteen said, as the others tried to picture it.
"Hmm... I could see that working." Grimm said, as he looked down at pepper.
"Yeah, we don't really have any other options anyway." pepper said, as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Mother, you go first." Grimm said, as he walked out of the way so Persephone could use that space.
"Yeah, sure." Persephone said, as she nodded her head and began to run up as she saw the right time. Persephone jumped at the edge, and caught Thirteen's hand, it put a bit of strain on Thirteen, but she pulled through and with the momentum, she swung Persephone to the other side where she landed safely.
"It worked!" Persephone shouted, sounding excited. "I haven't had that much fun in so... so many years!" Persephone continued, as her face became bright.
"Alright, you next, Grimm." pepper said, as he patted Grimm's back.
"Alright." Grimm said, as he got the timing of Thirteen's swings down and began to run, and eventually jump. Grimm, too, caught Thirteen's hand, and Thirteen swung Grimm, just as she did with Persephone, and Grimm landed safely on the other side.
"Alright! Come on, pepper!" Grimm shouted, from the other side.
"Right!" pepper said, as he lined up the timing of Thirteen's swings, and began to run. 'We're so close! I'll finally get to see them again!' pepper thought, as he ran towards the edge of the floor, where he'll jump to catch Thirteen's hand. 'Kumo, Utsu, Niku, Muma, Polly, Mae, Leia, Kure, Peki, Kutsuyo, and Kujo too! I'll see you soon! I promise you!' pepper thought, as he filled himself with determination, and ran with all of his might. "I'm coming for you!" pepper shouted, as he jumped as hard as he could, pepper's hand met Thirteen's, and they both gripped as their hands met, but to pepper and Thirteen's surprise, pepper's hand phased through Thirteen's, and pepper fell down the hole.
"pepper!" Thirteen shouted, with an extremely worried voice and expression.
"Fuck!" pepper yelled, as he realized what happened. 'I forgot! I'm a stupid soul!' pepper thought, as he looked at the lava that he grew closer to. 'Will that even hurt me?' pepper thought, as his fear for death began to grow.
"I got you!" Grimm said, as he looked down the hole, reaching his arm down.
"Huh?" pepper asked, as he didn't understand what Grimm meant, though Grimm didn't hear pepper. Suddenly, pepper stopped falling, and slowly began to float upwards, until he stood on the other side, with Grimm and Persephone.
"What... just happened?" pepper asked, feeling confused.
"Well, I am the son of Hades, which is the God of Death. He can control the souls of the dead, I can do the same." Grimm said, as Thirteen swung herself over, leaving her scythe to hang.
"Alright, I guess that makes sense." pepper said, even though he didn't really understand.
"Are you leaving it behind?" Persephone asked, directing her question toward Thirteen.
"Hm? Oh, my scythe. No, I can call it whenever I like. See?" Thirteen said, as she pulled out her scythe from air again, causing the other one to disappear as she did.
"Oh, how convenient." Persephone said, with a smile.
"Well then, shall we continue?" Grimm asked, wondering if the others are ready.
"Yeah, I guess." pepper said, as he began to walk forward. The rest nodded to each other and followed pepper.
"Alright... Lots of cages here, through they're only iron, not grimmstone." pepper said, as he looked around.
"There's another floor. See the staircase?" Thirteen asked, as she pointed out the stairs.
"You're right, there is, maybe we've gotta go up." pepper said, as he began walking towards the stairs.
"Yeah, I guess so." Grimm said, as he and the others followed pepper. And only after walking for a few moments, everyone stopped as they heard a loud, metal bang.
"Anyone know what that was?" pepper asked, with a soft, quiet voice.
"I don't think so." Grimm said, with a voice just as soft and quiet. A growl roared out as more metal sounds rang through the air, and then the sound if brick crumbling erupted. Everyone turned their heads and saw Ceberus, the large, three headed dog from before.
"It's the mutt!" pepper shouted, as his body tensed.
"He's pissed too!" Thirteen yelled, as she felt indecisive as to draw her scythe.
"Ceberus! Calm down! Be a good boy, and stay!" Grimm shouted, using a demanding tone. Ceberus followed orders, and sat down, though all three heads watched the group.
"Alright, we should be able to continue now." Persephone said, as she started to walk. And the others followed her lead.
"Can that dog hurt me?" pepper asked, as he stared at Ceberus.
"Not sure, though I'd rather not find out." Grimm said, as he tried not to think about it.
"Yeah." pepper said, looking away from Ceberus. And as pepper did, Ceberus growled and bolted at them.
"I said stay!" Grimm yelled, showing Ceberus he was angry with him. Though, Ceberus didn't back down and kept charging. "Shit! We've gotta run!" Grimm yelled, as they rushed to the stairs, while Ceberus tried his best to catch them. They all made it up the stairs, and took a moment to breathe.
"I guess he can't fit." Thirteen said, as she looked down at the stairs. And suddenly, Ceberus' faces appeared as they slammed against the bottom of the floor.
"Ceberus, you'll only hurt yourself. Go away, boy." Grimm said, trying to be nice to Ceberus. Ceberus growled at Grimm. "Hey! Don't growl at me!" Grimm yelled, feeling a little hurt.
"Perhaps... he sees us as traitors." Persephone said, as she looked at Ceberus.
"Damn... I didn't mean to betray you, buddy..." Grimm said, feeling bad for Ceberus.
"Why feel bad for it? It's just a stupid animal, right?" pepper said, as he stood up.
"Hey! He means just as much to me as any one of my brothers!" Grimm said, getting slightly mad at pepper.
"I see, maybe I just don't understand what it's like to have a pet." pepper said, trying to use that as an apology.
"Well, maybe you should get one after this. They can be a hand full, but they're awesome!" Grimm said, smiling slightly as he thought of how he and his brothers would play with Ceberus. Ceberus began to pound against the floor, causing it to begin to crack.
"Alright! Time to go!" pepper said, as he began to walk away from Ceberus.
"Yep." Thirteen said, as she followed pepper.
"Wait. I hear something." Grimm said, as he stood still.
"Yeah, me too." Thirteen said, as she turned around. "The growls of a demon dog that's willing to hurt itself just to eat us!" Thirteen shouted, feeling annoyed and anxious.
"No, I didn't mean that. I meant... from the cages." Grimm said, as he looked towards the cages on the right side of the room.
"Wait, the cages are opened on this floor..." Thirteen said, as she looked around.
pepper stopped and looked too. "Holy shit, you're right." pepper said, as he turned to face everyone. "Which is just one more reason why we should hurry the hell up!" pepper said, obviously looking scared.
"Why are you so worked up?" Grimm asked, walking closer to pepper.
"Because we have Hades himself, his satanic mutt, and who knows what coming out of those cages, all coming to kill us!" pepper yelled, not understanding how Grimm isn't also scared.
"Hmmm... That's a fair point. Maybe... I'm just not scared of dying anymore." Grimm said, sounding casual.
"That's not depressing at all..." Thirteen said, being sarcastic.
"Well, let's go." Grimm said, as he walked passed pepper and Thirteen. "Nevermind, it's too late." Grimm continued, as he realized what was ahead of them. pepper and Thirteen turned around to see an army of skeletons running out of the opened cages.
"Guess we're fighting this!" pepper said, feeling annoyed. Thirteen called her scythe from the air, and pepper let out his spider legs, while Grimm went back to guard Persephone.
pepper used his fast spider legs to punch the skeletons, shattering them instantly. Thirteen sliced through them like nothing. "Man, this isn't as bad as I thought." Thirteen said, looking bored.
"Yeah... just annoying how many there are..." pepper said, as he destroyed skeleton after skeleton.
"How many are there?" Thirteen asked, hoping Grimm would know.
"I have no clue..." Grimm said, as he sat behind Thirteen and pepper.
"I have an idea!" pepper said, as he looked over at Thirteen.
"Oh, yeah? What it is?" Thirteen asked, excited to see what pepper does.
"I'll use Spooky Scary Skeltons to control the skeleton army!" pepper said, feeling good about himself for thinking of the idea.
"Spooky... huh?" Thirteen asked, not understanding what pepper's talking about.
"Here, you'll see. Come out, Spooky Scary Skeltons!" pepper yelled, as the ghostly soul flew from pepper's body.
"Yes, Master?" Spooky Scary Skeltons asked, though it already knew what pepper wanted.
"Think you can control some of them and make em' fight each other?" pepper asked, as he still continued to destroy more skeletons.
"Oh, sure thing!" Spooky Scary Skeltons said, as it flew into a skeleton. About ninety skeletons turned away from pepper and the others, and started attacking the other skeletons, causing a path to clear that lead to a door.
"Oh, cool." Thirteen said, as she put away her scythe.
"Let's go." pepper said, as he began to rush to the door.
"Yeah." Grimm said, as him, Thirteen, and Persephone followed.
pepper bursted through the door, and immediately shut it once everyone got through. Then Spooky Scary Skeltons appeared as it flew through the door and into pepper's body, disappearing. "Alright... what next?" pepper asked, hoping it's something simple.
"Just looks like three doors..." Thirteen said, feeling unimpressed.
"They each have something written on them, looks like a sentence... but I can't read it." pepper said, looking at the doors.
"I can read it." Persephone said, as she walked up to the door on the right. "This one says, 'Behind this door lies a field of mines. Door number one.'." Persephone continued, as she read the writing.
"Field of mines?" pepper asked, confused about the door. "Do we need to find dome kind of jewel?" pepper asked, trying to figure out the task.
Thirteen punched pepper in the head. "Land mines! You idiot!" Thirteen shouted, feeling annoyed by pepper's stupidity.
"Jeez... that hurt... Sorry..." pepper said, feeling stupid.
"A-Anyway..." Persephone said, as she walked to the middle door. "This one says, 'Behind this door lies ten Dragons that have been hungry for one thousand years.'." Persephone said, as she continued to read the writing.
"I didn't know Dragons were a thing..." pepper said, having mixed feelings.
"And, the last one... 'Behind this door lies a Giant Spider nest.'." Persephone said, as she finished reading the words on the doors.
"Hell no!" pepper shouted, with wide eyes.
"What's wrong?" Thirteen asked, feeling confused with pepper's sudden shout.
"Anything but the Spider one! I hate Spiders!" pepper shouted, feeling creeped out just by the thought.
"You hate Spiders...?" Thirteen asked, sensing irony. "Alright, fine." Thirteen continued, giving up kb the subject.
"Clearly it's the middle door." Grimm said, as he walked up to the middle door.
"Are you sure?" Thirteen asked, feeling worried that he's wrong.
"I am." Grimm said, as he reached out for the doorknob. "Nothing can live for one thousand years without food, aside from a God." Grimm said, as he opened the middle door. All that was inside was ten dragon skeletons that were still.
"Alright, definitely dead..." Thirteen said, as she peeked her head inside.
"Then let's go." Grimm said, as he walked passed Thirteen. Followed by Persephone and then pepper.
"Poor things must have suffered..." Thirteen said, as they walked through the room.
"Doesn't really matter now, does it?" pepper asked, not understanding why Thirteen cares.
"Can't you show *some* sympathy for creatures other than us?!" Thirteen asked, as she yelled at pepper.
"...Maybe you're right." pepper said, as he began to think a lot.
"Well, should we go through?" Grimm asked, as they all stopped in front of the door.
"I guess. I mean, we've come this far, and I really can't afford to turn back." pepper said, as he walked up to the door and opened it.
"This is it!" Persephone said, as they faced a large, black gate that had red, vein-like lines that seemed to cover it.
"Finally... I'm here." pepper said, as he looked up to the fifty foot, black gate that was slightly opened.