The surface

Hades p.o.v.
( back to the moment when he left Valerie in the chambers)

The walls of the chamber seemed to close in on me, the air thickening with every breath I took. Her scent—the intoxicating mixture of wildflowers and something uniquely her own—permeated every corner of the room, wrapping around me, seeping into my very being. It was driving me mad,

I clenched my fists, it offered no comfort as i found myself digging into her shoulder, wanting more. I forced myself away from her body as best as i could. My entire body felt like a bowstring pulled too tight, ready to snap.

Not with her.’ I told myself over and over.
‘These emotions, they are not real. I did not feel anything for her. At least not now. They were just memories’ no matter how much I told myself that, if felt pointless.
She stood in front of me, hair placed to the side. I did not miss the way she clutched her fingers to keep herself in check.
I took a step back, forcing myself to do so. “won’t you call my name?” i teased, tormenting both myself and she.
her presence was a force of nature in itself, drawing me to her, calling me to give in.

I could smell her from here even as i took a step away from her... by the Gods!!!
, I could taste her on the air.

I left abruptly, seconds away from loosing my cool.

“Hades?” she asked softly, her voice heightened the ache within me.

I couldn’t stay. Not another moment.

““I have some business to attend to, make sure Natalie leads you back to your resting place early and do not stay in the gardens for too long” i said, daring not to look back.
I placed my back on the cold wall, in an attempt to cool my mind.
I had run far away from her as possible, to a place where i could not scent her anymore and found myself at Cerberus’ quarters.
“My lord, are you good?” he said, changing from his true form to his human one.
“I am good” I said, walking up to him and rubbing his head.
Human form or true form. He would always be my puppy.
“I am good. I would be going to the surface, so I came to tell you to watch over here” I lied through my teeth. He knew that it was a lie but he said nothing, leaving me.
“I have it handled. You cannot go anywhere near her” I Said more sternly, my mind drifting back to the time he pecked her. I felt my blood boil over at that but I shoved it down.
“I know” he replied innocently to which I nodded. “another soul hunt?”
“mmm. The last soul to be collected from the Earl, I believe i have taken too long.” I said.
“but you don’t need them though, do you?”
“Of course, death can’t be seen to be merciful” I winked, leaving him alone.
__
*at the surface*

The night was still, the kind of stillness that existed before a tragedy. My footsteps echoed in the grand halls of the Earl's estate, the shadows stretching long and dark beneath the flickering candlelight.
This was my final task, the last soul I needed to claim for my deal with the earl to be complete. As I approached the ornate double doors leading to the Earl's chamber, something gnawed at sense of unease.

The doors creaked open before I could knock, revealing the Earl standing in the center of the room. His tall, proud figure was bowed, shoulders slumped as if under an invisible weight. His face, once sharp and commanding, was now etched with lines of worry and fear as soon as he saw me.
But it wasn’t the Earl that drew my attention—it was the figure on the bed behind him.

She was a young woman, her skin pale but radiant, as if lit from within. Her chest rose and fell with the steady rhythm of sleep, unaware of the grim presence in the room. A soft smile played on her lips, the kind that spoke of dreams untouched by the horrors of the waking world. And there, nestled beneath her hand, was the gentle curve of a life not yet born.

The Earl’s eyes met mine, and for a moment, we stood in silence, the weight of what was to come hanging heavily between us. He was the first to speak, his voice rough, barely more than a whisper.

“Lo..lord Hades,” he began, the name trembling on his lips. “you are here.”

I said nothing, waiting for him to find the words he sought. I had seen this before—mortals who thought they could bargain with death, get to their hearts content and then beg for mercy. When it started to benefit them

“A pretty one you’ve got there, selecting the prettiest for me i see” I finally said, my voice a low rumble in the quiet room as I gave him a smile. It wasn’t a question, just a statement of fact. We both knew the purpose of my visit, the inevitability of it.

The Earl flinched as if struck. He swallowed hard, then stepped forward, desperation bleeding into his voice. “She is innocent,” he said, his tone pleading. “She has done nothing to deserve this fate.
“so were the others” i said deadpanned.
“I… I love her.”

Love. That word, so often thrown around by mortals, so often used as a shield against the inevitable. But it was the next words that gave me pause.

“She is carrying my child.”

The admission hung in the air, heavy and charged. My gaze flicked to the sleeping woman, her hand resting protectively over her abdomen. I felt a flicker of something deep within me—a spark of the very thing that had caused me so much turmoil recently. But I pushed it aside. I had a duty to fulfill.

“This soul is mine to claim,” I said, my voice steady but not unkind. “Her time in this world has come to an end.”

“No!” The Earl’s cry was raw, filled with a pain that went beyond fear. He fell to his knees before me, his hands reaching out, as if he could grasp onto the very fabric of life and hold it fast. “Please, Hades. I beg you, spare her. Spare our child. Take me instead.”

I stared down at him, the proud Earl brought low by the power of love and loss. His offer was tempting—to take his soul in exchange, to let the woman and the unborn child live. But it was not his soul that had been marked for collection. The fates had woven their tapestry, and I was but the agent of their design.

“It is not your soul that I seek,” I replied, my voice softening slightly. “Her life has run its course. I cannot change that. You knew that the moment I made the deal with you”

Tears glistened in the Earl’s eyes, and he bowed his head, his hands trembling as they clutched at his chest. “I cannot lose her,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I cannot lose them. They are my everything. You.. you can take it back, the money, the wealth. Just please”

I looked at him, this man who had everything and was willing to give it all up for a chance to save those he loved.


I turned my gaze back to the woman, peaceful in her sleep, unaware of the struggle happening on her behalf. The child she carried—innocent, untouched by the world’s cruelty—was a life not yet lived, a future not yet written.
“You should have known not to get attached no matter how long I take, I always complete a deal.” I said making my way into the room despite him pulling me.
Time did run differently while it seemed like Valerie was taken only a month ago, in human years it had been about ten years now.
I stretched myself to give her the kiss “death’s kiss” when my ear started to ring...
Something was not right in hell....