Chapter 60

Cerberus p.o.v
A month.
That was how long it took me to fall into the role of Lord of hell.

I lay in the shadows, my three heads resting on the cool stone floor of the Underworld. The silence here was deep, almost suffocating, but I had grown used to it over time. It had become my companion

But today, something was different. The air was charged with an unfamiliar energy, a presence that made my hackles rise even before I caught the scent. It was a scent I knew too well, one that had once been as familiar to me as the very stones beneath my paws.

Mene.

The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning, stirring something deep within me. I transformed back to my human self, getting ready to tell her of when she appeared in the doorway, her figure bathed in the dim, flickering light.
“Cerberus,” she said softly, her voice carrying a note of hesitation. “It’s been a long time.”

I growled, “,what are you doing here?”

She flinched at my tone, her hands wringing together as if she didn’t know what to do with them. “I came to see you,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I’ve missed you.”

“Missed me?” I barked out a harsh laugh, the sound as rough as gravel. “You missed me? You, who abandoned me when I needed you most? You dare to come here and say you missed me?”

Mene took a hesitant step forward, but I bared my teeth, my growls growing louder, more menacing. “Don’t,” I warned, my voice a low, dangerous snarl. “Don’t come any closer.”

She stopped, her eyes wide with hurt, but she didn’t back away. “I didn’t abandon you, Cerberus. I had no choice. I came as soon as i could”

“I know nothing!” I said in a breath, “you said you would stay by my side and then I wake to not find you. Please, just go. I have no use for you anymore”
Tears welled in her eyes, but I refused to let them soften me. I had waited for her, I would abandon my duties, waiting for her after the days work, at the gate to see if she would come, but nothing. She never came and now when I was finally adjusted to living on my own, when I had made peace with everything....

“I never forgot you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I thought of you every day. But I couldn’t come back. My mother..—”



“You don’t belong here anymore,” I said coldly, turning my back on her. “You made your choice, Mene. And now you must live with it. Leave this place and never return.... please”

My voice sounded as vulnerable as I felt.

But I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. I walked a few more steps away from her, summoning a bit of my powers to push her away from hell when...
Her arms circled me from behind, pulling me to her. “I think of you, more than normal. It started from the first time I met you. And now, you are all I think about” I felt my body vibrate as I listened to her talk.
I did not need this, I needed to stay far away from her as possible if I needed to think straight.
“please, I have given up too much for you to reject me now” she whispered in my ear, causing me to give out a whine. I could barely control myself around her for some reaction. My body wanted nothing More than to melt into hers,
‘what the hell was happening to me!”
“you left me! What makes you think I would willingly open my arms to you?”
“Because, she whispered, lacking the shell of my rear. “ I have a perfectly acceptable reason”
“Mngh” a moan escaped my mouth without permission. “Let’s have it”
“my mother took me away and locked me in chains to make sure that I do not escape Olympus. She is not quite happy that you are my *eklegomai* (chosen; in this context, one chosen by fates to be her romantic partner)
I snapped out of whatever daze I was in, pulling out of her embrace while I looked at her. She surely was not... “ha...” I chuckle escaped my lips. “you think that would work on me? If I really was your eklegomai then why did you act like that when I kissed you then? Why did you not claim it the first time we met?” I dropped my head, laughing at the whole situation. “You gods would do anything to have things your way then dispose of it when it no longer benefits you” she looked at me, confusion set around her face for a moment.
“I just don’t see what you would need me for” I muttered, talking more to myself than to her.
“I would not push you, I would wait around to earn your trust again. All those things, I was scared. What if you did not see me that way?
What if it feels like I am forcing you into this?
What if I am too horrible or too disgusting for you? My own mother despises me because I took not her charms or beauty, now? I am done worrying about that.” She said in a single breath
“I must warn you though, i am not a patient woman “ she said, taking a step my way and then...
She bit my lips.

“Mene,” I said, my voice barely more than a growl. She took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, using her tongue to massage mine causing my body to have all sorts of reaction.
. For a brief second, time seemed to freeze, and the only thing that existed was the space between us, which Was slowly covering up with each stroke of her tongue

But the kiss couldn’t last forever. Slowly, I pulled back, breaking the connection.

“Mene,” I said, my voice breaking. “I—”

“Shh,” she whispered, placing a finger gently against my lips, silencing me. “You don’t have to say anything. I know. You don’t want me here” she said giving a sad smile. “I know this is too much and I am sorry”

She stepped back, her touch lingering for just a moment longer before she let go. I could feel the coldness of the air where her warmth had been.
“I must have pulled you out of your duties, I would be gone now. But I would be back” she said touching my lips with her thumb.
I stood there as she went, trying to wrap my head around what was happening. As she gave me some space. I was able to think a little clearer.
I felt like a confused dog waiting for the command of its owner ‘well, that was what I was, but...
Scylla! Surely she could explain what was happening. I walked or rather tried to when I felt something obstructing her steps. I looked down. Only to see that my mini leg was up and ready to play...