Plunge to Death!!…

*I just wanted you to love me...not fucking destroy me!!...*

**Proserpina**
"Then fuck that way!" Hades lashed out. He was getting unnecessarily cruel. The words came out like a growl from his mouth, and I don't know to whom he was talking as he was clearly not looking at me. But I know that those hurtful words were meant for me. They felt like a punch in my chest, making me squeeze my fingers into fists until they hurt to stop the pain in my heart. Everything was going smoothly until now, the way he saved, kissed, hugged, and healed me. Why do things have to get complicated so quickly? I felt like a bloody magnet that attracts trouble.
I wanted to hate him! I wanted to run away, to get away from his essence. I don't understand why he saved me from the mess I made throughout the day when he didn't want me anywhere near him. I felt angry at myself for thinking that he cared for me...not just thinking but hoping that there could be more between us. But now I realized that he didn't care; he never did. And why would he? I am nothing to him but a job.
We walked the next few minutes in complete silence, not knowing what to say. But then, I had enough at some point, so I asked, "Whom were you talking to?" He narrowed his eyes and gave a smug smile.
"No one," was all his two brain cells could muster. And I just nodded, looking blankly at him, feeling like an idiot, not knowing what else to do. He flicked back his hair for the millionth time. I observed that he does that often when distressed.
"I know you are going to hate me for this. But you are just a job for me," he spoke.
Actually, I hate myself for fantasizing about kissing him every other minute.
His eyes followed me, trying to read my thoughts. I looked down to regain some control to prevent any further embarrassment. I stood silent, and he looked unimpressed, bored and, most of all, rude. He stared at me like a worthless package that needed to be delivered. His eyes and demeanour didn't match for a moment, so I was unsure if he really didn't give a damn about me or was just holding back his feelings.
"Okay, so I lied about the bag of gold hidden somewhere in the woods. I don't have any, so let's just part ways, as I have nothing to pay you for the job." I spoke.
"Okay," he said with a strange look in his eyes, giving his 'I don't give a damn' attitude.
I didn't want to make it through the day like a complete loser, so I decided to walk away down the path, still not knowing how I would make it without him. I gripped the collar of my hood tighter over my shoulder, took the steps into the dark of the night, and shivered as the air hit me like a cold shower. I promised myself mentally that I wouldn't look back.
I...Would...Not...Look...Back!!
I repeated this over and over in my head until I passed the next sharp curve on the edge of the mountain, away from his sight. I finally took a much-needed breath. I looked around, taking in my surroundings for a moment, amazed for the first time by the splendour of this place. This part of the valley was always under a solid layer of fog, making it impossible to see through the palace window. Vines snaked around the path, hugging the rocks tightly, yet there was no evidence of where they came from, so I guessed they rose from the depths of hell, which in this case means the basin of river Styx. The moon was in its full glory, but its light could not penetrate through the thick layer of fog, thus coating the surroundings into a deep blanket of blackness. The masses of green bushes lined up with berries hanging. Their unusual bright colour made them look lethal and poisonous.
There was a broken stone arch, like the one carved above the pillars. It looked threatening and imposing. A thing hung over it like a tattered black cloth moving toward the wind. I wonder how it landed in this place. It seemed demonic that sent shivers down my spine.
"What's that?!" I wondered while staring at it as if it were some Pandora's box. There was something strange about that cloth that I needed to know. The good girl side of me wanted to stay clear of it, but the bad girl dared me to run towards it. I could even hear the voice...do it...do it...
I was almost about to touch it, but then it moved, making me nearly freeze in fear.
The thing fluttered, with a thick layer of deadly feathers coating its body.
It was a black bird-like creature.
And it looked enraged.
It was looking straight at Hades, who was standing around the corner. His presence somehow provoked it as it moved closer to him with a murderous look that twisted its features and made its eyes glow blood red. Now its form changed to something else.
Like a demonic bird!
Its skin looked like a cracked volcanic rock. It gave a lipless grin exposing its fangs that locked together like prehistoric sabretooth tigers. Its face kept twisting and contorting between normal and demonic phases as if I was watching a 3d magical motion.
The way it looked at Hades, one thing was clear, 'It wanted him dead.'
Hades' muscles tensed, and his features turned deadly. His biceps were on show, bulging as he rolled his shoulders. I could tell that he knew that creature. The creature had its eyes on Hades, and I didn't know whether Hades could defend himself, but I couldn't take that chance. The creature leapt towards Hades, and at that moment, only one thing in the world could stop that attack, and that was...
Well, it was me.
I screamed as loud as I could and launched myself between Hades and that creature. I didn't care for a second about the possibility that the creature could kill me; I just cared about Hades.
"NO!" Hades shouted as the next thing I saw were the creature's fangs on my neck. The moment they pierced my skin, the pain shuddered my body, and a scream tore through the fog.
The scream was not mine, but it belonged to that creature. It was groaning, its feathers withering away and its flesh melting from the bone. It looked like an invisible veil of death was sweeping over it. It was necrotizing by ingested drops of my blood.
"No, something is wrong, this is wrong," I whispered as I felt it had happened before.
Hades was as shocked and confused as me. I instinctively took a few steps back in fear, not realizing I was already standing at the edge. I slipped through the rocks, barely hanging on the edge. The pain seared through my body and spread like a plague, eating my flesh. I staggered about and looked down to find the creature pierced me below my breasts with its claws. The blood was flowing freely down my skin. I could feel acid in my mouth, and my hands almost gave away. Things were going blurry as I heard Hades shouting my name.
"Kora...! Kora, give me your hand!" His voice was solid yet desperate.
"I...my side, I can't..." I said, trying to make sense, but the words wouldn't come out right. I swear I heard him growl like a wolf.
"Just look at me, okay," he said, leaning over the edge. He had a mixture of fury and pain in his eyes.
I looked down and saw the waters of Styx roaring directly below me. It had already swallowed the path we came from, and water was gaining height speedily. Hades reached my fingers, but it was too late. My hands were slipping away. The last thing I saw was Hades' face drop as he realized he had failed to protect me. I closed my eyes and let myself fall. The moment I crashed into the waters, the force stole my breath. Darkness started to consume me, and water filled my lungs.
"Kora, Kora," I heard these words playing over and over in my mind, like a desperate cry from a desperate man, who I knew was trying to shake heaven and tear hell to save me. But, I was drowned too deep for his reach. I was away from Hades' reach. The nightmare slowly overcame my senses and took me to Vlad's lair.

*I hoped for a fairytale but was forced to live a nightmare!!...*