Aurelia stirred, her head pounding like a war drum. A groan escaped her lips as she tried to shift, but the cold bite of metal against her wrists and ankles stopped her short. Her eyes fluttered open, greeted by nothing but darkness. For a moment, panic surged…. was she blind?
Then, from somewhere above she noticed, a dim yellow light flickered to life, illuminating where she was seated. She was sitting in a chair, her arms chained behind her back and her legs shackled to the chair's legs.
The room was small, but the only thing she could make out was the cone of light encasing her like a specimen under a microscope.
Aurelia tugged at the restraints, her pulse racing. The chains rattled noisily, echoing in the little room, but they held firm. Her wrists throbbed from the effort, and she forced herself to stop, drawing in a deep breath.
Stay calm. Think.
She tilted her head slightly, trying to catch any sound beyond her own ragged breathing. But there was nothing.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice cracking slightly.
Her mind raced. How had she ended up here? Then she remembered…. the restaurant, the phone call...then the bathroom. Someone had grabbed her and hit her. And now here she was.
A soft, metallic scrape interrupted her thoughts. She froze, her breath hitching in her throat. The sound grew louder, like a heavy door dragging against the ground, and then it stopped.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
Slow footsteps reverberated through the room, each one sending a shiver down her spine. She couldn't see who or what was approaching, but the sound grew closer, inching toward the edge of the light.
"Show yourself!" she snapped, her fear giving way to anger.
Finally, a figure stepped into the dim light.
Aurelia's breath caught.
It was a man, tall and imposing, dressed in a dark suit that seemed unnervingly pristine given the grim setting. His face was pale, almost ghostly, with sharp features that seemed carved from stone.
He regarded her with a faint smile, as though amused by her defiance. "You're awake," he said.
Aurelia's pulse thundered in her ears as the man stepped fully into the cone of dim light. She squinted, trying to place him, and then recognition hit her like a blow to the chest.
The shopkeeper.
Her breath caught as she remembered the dingy little shop, the strange energy of the box he'd sold her, and the cryptic way he had spoken about it. Now, seeing him here, the pieces began to fall into place.
"You," she hissed with equal parts fear and fury.
The man's thin lips curled into a sly smile. "Ah, so you do remember me. That makes this all the more satisfying."
"What…. what is this? Why am I here?" she demanded, pulling uselessly at the chains binding her.
He chuckled, the sound cold and mocking, as he began to circle her like a predator toying with its prey. "You don't understand yet, do you? Poor thing. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Mortals never see the full picture until it's far too late."
"Explain this right this instant," Aurelia snapped.
The man stopped directly in front of her, his pale face illuminated by the flickering light. "Do you remember the box? The one you so eagerly bought from me? That was no mere trinket…. it was a tool. A carefully crafted snare, meant to summon and bind."
Her stomach sank. "Summon and bind… Hades," she whispered, the realization hitting her like a freight train.
He smiled again, wider this time. "Exactly. But here's the thing…. no god would ever be foolish enough to fall for such an obvious trap. They're too clever for that. Too… careful. So I needed a mortal. Someone naive enough to open the box. Someone oblivious enough to perform the ritual. Someone innocent enough to forge the bond."
Her chest tightened as he spoke. "You… used me."
"Of course I did," he said, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "You were the perfect pawn. And it worked, didn't it? Hades came. He bonded with you. And now…" He spread his arms theatrically. "Now he has a weakness."
Aurelia shook her head, her heart pounding with disbelief and anger. "You don't know him. Hades doesn't have weaknesses."
The man tilted his head, his smile growing even colder. "Oh, but he does. You've seen it, haven't you? His kindness, his protectiveness. Do you think I haven't noticed? He's been scouring every corner of existence to find you."
Her heart twisted painfully at the thought. Hades is searching for me?
The man leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "And that, my dear, is why this is so perfect. He's left his precious Underworld unattended. He's exposed himself in ways he hasn't in eons. All because of you."
Tears pricked Aurelia's eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to let him see her crumble. "You don't understand him," she said, her voice trembling with defiance. "You think this is a weakness, but it's not. You don't know what you're talking about."
The man straightened, his smile faltering just slightly. "We'll see about that," he said, his tone laced with a hint of doubt. "But for now, you'll stay here. He'll come for you… of that, I have no doubt. And when he does, I'll be waiting."
He turned on his heel and began to walk away, the light flickering ominously as his footsteps echoed into the darkness.
Aurelia sat there, her chest heaving as his words replayed in her mind. Hades was searching for her. Restlessly. Relentlessly. And it was all because of her.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, a mixture of guilt and anger burning in her chest. "Hades…" she whispered into the suffocating silence. "I'm so sorry."
She closed her eyes, focusing on the bond she shared with him, the connection forged the moment she'd opened that box. If there was any way to reach him, any way to warn him… she had to try.
Her whispered plea echoed in her mind like a prayer: I need you Hades, please come find me.