SIXTEEN

If the outside of the castle is sinister, the inside was a beautiful kind of gloomy. It looked more opulent and she almost forgot she was in the underworld. Chandeliers providing warm light hung from the roof. The candelabra were plastered on the huge columns with thick candles that don't seem to run out. The light was enough to provide a strange kind of calm. It was ironic since the underworld or hell was often associated with chaos. 

She could only guess it was the receiving hall and it was already so huge. She couldn't help but wonder if the souls that come down here are welcomed with grand parties, but she doubted the idea as soon as she thought about it. This place is meant to be a punishment. A hell for the damned souls.

"Dinner is served," Cerberus said behind her and she followed him walking towards an area she could only guess was the dining.

Everything still felt surreal to her. She was just a girl with no parents and in a span of one night, everything changed. Suddenly, she's in the underworld facing the lord of the underworld himself and his right hand man. Suddenly, she discovered that her parents had traded her off to the lord of the underworld in exchange for her life. Suddenly, all those dreams she built for herself disappeared when Hades declared she was to stay in the world forever to serve him. Suddenly, she's not welcomed in the human world anymore. Where would she go? The human world is not a place she could live anymore. Not when she was accused of murdering her aunt and that man who sexually assaulted her.

In all honesty, she didn't feel an ounce of regret when those two died. In fact, she felt like they both deserved it. Including those men who tried to harass her when she was in prison, all of them deserved what Hades did to them. Perhaps she could say it was the same as killing them herself but. 

Does she still want to go back to the human world? She doesn't know, but she doesn't want to stay in the underworld either. Hades had said something about serving him. She doesn't want to think what kind of service he was talking about.

"Quit spacing out or you'll trip," Cerberus said who was now walking beside her.

Before she could retort something, Hades stopped walking beside her and she realized they have arrived at the dining table. She was indeed spacing out.

But as soon as her eyes landed on the space in front of her, she could have sworn her eyes glinted. The table contained a feast. There were both foods she knew and didn't know but she knows for certain all of them were going to taste marvelous. 

Her eyes followed Hades as he pulled a chair from the table. He then looked at her and she raised her eyebrows. She felt Cerberus' nudge on her back urging her to go to the seat.

Hades' eyes glinted with mischief and she couldn't help but be skeptical.

"What is going on?" she asked warily.

"We're not going to bite. We're just going to have dinner, darling Guinevere."

"Why? I used to eat only at my chambers. Why am I suddenly here?"

"Oh we can arrange for that to happen if you rather want to have your meals inside your chamber like a prisoner but I heard you were getting quite curious about the curse in this place. I figured it's better to discuss it over a wonderful meal."

It was reasonable enough but she couldn't help but wonder how bad of a story it would be to be told over a feast.

She did not say anything more and started to walk toward the chair meant for her. When she finally settled, Hades went to sit on his own chair which was at the head of the table. Cerberus was sitting in front of her.

A lot of questions swarmed her head and she doesn't even know where to begin. Thankfully, she didn't need to think of it because Cerberus had already started talking.

"You didn't look scared when you saw me," he started as he was already slicing a piece of meat.

She was scared. In fact, she hid behind Hades when she saw that three-headed dog. But at the same time, she found it majestic.

"I was scared. It's not every day that I see a dog with three heads," she answered and eyed Cerberus who was grinning from ear to ear. It was as though he was just letting her think what she wanted to think.

She just ignored him and focused on the food instead. At the first bite of the meat, she couldn't help the moan that escaped her mouth. She was quick to cover her mouth with her hand but it was already too late as the two men were already looking at her with raised brows. 

"That good, huh," Cerberus said. "I can't blame you. I once tasted human food and it was bland as sand." 

"How...How do you make this?"

"Magic," Hades curtly said and that one word was enough of an explanation. Food that good could only be made by magic. 

"In longer explanation, it's made from the tears of the tormented souls and the flesh of tortured bodies," Cerberus said making her instantly lose her appetite. When she looked at him he was wearing a suspicious grin which she decided to ignore. Bantering with Cerberus, she found, was useless.

Instead, she looked at where Hades was seated. 

"What was the curse? Why were you cursed?" 

Hades took his time drinking from his chalice and she waited for him to answer the question. When he was done, he placed the chalice gently on the table and folded his hands before resting his chin on it. 

He then smiled and said, "Because my brother was a jealous prick."

"Your brother?" She racked her mind for a name. "Zeus?" Hades nodded. "Why would he curse you and what do you mean jealous?"

"I mean he wants what I have."

"You took what he had," chided Cerberus and she couldn't help but get more curious. It wasn't a good idea to be prying on some supernatural business but it's hard not to, especially since she's somehow involved. 

"Zeus was dating this woman and Hades took her," said Cerberus as though it was the most casual thing. She looked at Hades in disbelief but did not show it too much. But the man continued to look at her as though watching her reaction eagerly.

"Zeus got mad and asked someone to curse me and my kingdom. Being the supreme god, it wasn't hard for him to do. The curse could only be broken if some mortal would fall in love with me which is near to impossible. They're either too scared or too eager so it doesn't work."

"What...what happens if it's not broken?"

"My immortality will be at peril. The underworld would die with me."

"Wouldn't that be a problem for him too? I mean where will the souls go?"

Hades chuckled. It was a dark and rich sound. Something like the whisper of the cold wind in the quiet night. "As I said, he's the supreme god. He can do anything. He can make another underworld to replace this place."

"That's crazy," was all she could mutter because it was indeed crazy. Just because of one woman, the two powerful gods are at war with each other. She couldn't help but be curious as to who this woman was.

"She's dead," said Hades and she looked at him in surprise. "You're thinking about who this woman is. The answer is she's dead."

She swallowed hard. Part of her doesn't want to know how she died but another part of her wants to know how it all happened. And the look on Hades' face was enough to tell her that he knows what she was thinking about and he knows her curiosity was bigger.

"I killed her," answered Hades. She could have sworn something crossed his eyes—some kind of emotion but it was instantly gone before she could even identify what it was.

"I killed the woman that Zeus loved the most. And I killed her because I loved her too."

Her brows furrowed. "I don't understand."

"The curse is impossible to break, Guinevere, because it's unbreakable. A mortal falling in love with me—that alone can't break the curse. It would break only if I love the woman too. But if I love a mortal woman, it would kill her. Zeus made sure I have no way out." 

She couldn't form the words in her mouth and she doesn't know where to begin. Both the gods loved a mortal woman and it ended up killing her.

"He took her to spite Zeus and it angered him most definitely.  He was one jealous prick so he cursed the two of them not to get their happily ever after. You could say that Zeus was the one who killed her but he doesn't want to bear that burden and he made sure every other gods know that it was Hades who killed her," Cerberus said as he poured another glass of wine on his chalice. "That's one reason why Hades became the most hated god now."

Her mind was wandering to places. Everything she heard was hard to believe but what reason could they have to lie? Hades had said he never lies and strange enough, she believes him. But her other concern was the fact that they wanted her to be the one to break the curse. 

"Does this mean I'm going to die?" she said and looked at Hades.

He tilted his head and his lips curved slightly. Amusement danced in his eyes. "A mortal woman only dies when I love her." 

"But...But you just said you wanted me to be the one to break the curse." 

Hades' gaze went to Cerberus before it went back to her. "Possible," he said. "You might be a potential to break the curse."

"How am I supposed to break it? First, you told me that one-sided love won't work. Second, even if one-sided love works,  I will never fall in love with you. Third, your brother made sure it was unbreakable as your love could literally kill a mortal woman. Fourth, I don't want to die in the underworld." 

She might be stupid for talking like that to the god of the underworld but she couldn't help herself. She couldn't understand what they were trying to do and she badly need to understand. Being kept in the dark, especially at times like this is not something she'd want herself in. She needs to know.

But Hades just let out a scoff and picked up his fork and knife. Elegantly, he sliced a portion of the meat and placed it in his mouth. 

"That would be a story for another time, Guinevere. You will know about it soon enough." 

Hades eyed the food on her table and it was a silent command for her to eat. She had already talked back many times tonight when she knows she was not supposed to. She doesn't want to test his patience and show her what he was capable of so she picked up her fork and started to eat the meat even though she had completely lost her appetite.