Her Forever

Gwen

The bed was warm, just like the previous night when I woke up with a nightmare. Hades’ lips were gently parted as he slept. He looked at peace while his worry lines had ironed out in the night. His breath smelled like a hint of mint and whisky, a very manly smell that made me want to purr in contentment. If we could stay like this all day, I wouldn’t complain. It was safe here in this bed with him.

I should have reservations, but I don’t. My gut had never steered me wrong before while working at the club. Hades leaned back to stretch, and I watched his rippling torso move with his body. Hades was certainly built and it brought a blush to my cheeks as I looked away quickly. His smirk let me know he saw me ogling him but he didn’t say anything, he was too much of a gentleman for that.

“You are hungry, let’s get you fed,” his voice was demanding yet gentle at the same time. “Come on, little angel. Get ready for the day and I will meet you back here.”

The dream last night I thought would escape me the longer I was awake. That was what my other dreams did. I had dreams of running outside being free as a child should be. By mid-afternoon, I would have forgotten all about my dreams of being outside running from the night before. The nightmare was printed in my mind, it didn’t feel like it was a dream, it felt like it was a reality and a memory.

Could it have been? The man in the gladiator mask seemed real enough. I could feel the claws from his hands gripping my ankle as he pulled me from the room. The coldness of the air slipped in when I put my drawings and paintings away. Too real. I shivered and shut the shower head off to get dressed.

Hades was leaning up against the door frame when I opened the door. He was wearing a tight black shirt with black dress pants. His muscular arms flinched as he uncrossed his arms and held out his hand. “Ready?” he smiled and I took his hand gladly. He intertwined our fingers and I couldn’t help but blush. I had no reason to, he slept in my bed last night and that was intimate enough.

“I want to show you around today. Niko said you wanted to go outside,” I smiled a genuine smile.

“I would love that, I don’t remember the last time I felt the grass beneath my feet.” Hades’ large smile turned smaller at the mention of that, I would have to remember to not bring up such silly things.

“Angel,” he had me look at him. “Don’t be sorry, I want you to tell me these things. I want to give you new memories, happy ones.” I couldn’t help myself as I stood on my tip-toes and placed a k**s on his cheek. Sparks flew across my lips and Hades stood in shock. Looking down at me he leaned closer and gave me the exact same k**s on the cheek. “You can do that all you want, angel.” I giggled as he led me to the dining room.

Hades made sure to fill my plate again and the doctor was also at breakfast. He watched what food I ate, how much and gave me several vitamins. Along with that, he had me sit for IV therapy that included some steroids to help me feel hungry. “You are very underweight, we need you gaining a bit quicker. Your stress levels have decreased so you will feel more fatigue. Be sure to take naps and get plenty of rest,” he lectured while Hades crossed his arms and scowled.

“Don’t lecture her, Aramose, or you will be the one with the lecture,” Hades growled out in irritation and Aramose looked like he just wet himself.

“Hades, it’s alright. He is just concerned.” Looking back at the doctor I patted his hand, “It’s alright, he is just worried. Hades will take good care of me.” Aramose looked back and forth between the two of us and his eyebrows rose to the top of his head.

“My apologies my Lord,” he bowed to the ground at my feet. “I did not mean it, Mistress. Please forgive me.” Looking up at Hades in question he grabbed my wrist and led me out of the room. “He’s an i***t,” Hades gruffed. I laughed at his childish behavior as he led me to the front doors of the mansion.

As quick as Hades had taken me outside, I couldn’t help but slow down to where he was practically pulling me. His pace slowed and turned back to me, I could feel him watching from my peripheral vision. He couldn’t possibly know what was going through my head right now.

The sun felt warm, it was a natural light that tickled my skin as it shone down on me. Letting go of Hades hand I stepped off the sidewalk he was leading me down and into the grass. It was a lush, emerald green, much brighter than in pictures that I had seen. Each blade of grass had its own look, small jagged pieces where it had been cut on each blade of grass. I threw my shoes off quickly and felt them between my toes. It was refreshing like I was always meant to be here. My body wanted to sink into the ground and feel the warmth the Earth was giving. The urge to run through the grass, through a forest, and dive into a lake was strong. I wanted it all, I wanted to spend the rest of my days outdoors. My eyes teared up as I looked to Hades, standing with an expression I had never seen before until this moment. Sorrow.

Hades’ POV

I tend to forget how I take things for granted. I don’t remember the last time I looked at a flower to smell its aroma or look on its beauty. Gwen stood there, standing in the grass of the well-manicured lawn. She didn’t care for the carefully placed stones that you could walk to the nearby fountain, she didn’t care about the statues that decorated the entire yard. Gwen was happy because she was touching the soil, the dirt and it wasn’t even Earth, like she thought.

I will keep our home like this, in its a tiny bubble if I have to. One day soon I will have to tell her the truth. The sun she looks at and the blue sky she adores is just a haze of power cloaking her from the true look of the Underworld. What would she say when I show her our true world, that she is meant to be down here with me? The sky would be tinted red and the colors of Earth were just darker down here. An orb of light will light the day and a moon-like orb to brighten the night but nothing of what Earth is.

The underworld is its own place. Not as depressing as one may make it to be, but it’s still different.

Lost in thoughts I find her with a stray tear flowing down her cheek, not of sadness but of happiness. Gwen is happy to be standing in a pile of grass meant to be pleasing to the eye. Gwen should have never had to cry over grass or the sun shining in her face, she should have never dealt with the suffering because of me.

Gwen will never accept me, and I don’t know if I can ever let her go.

She walks up to me, bare feet and all, and puts her dainty hand on my rough face. “What’s going on in that mind of yours?” Her head tilts to the side and gives a smile. I touch her hand with mine, not wanting her to take her hand away from my cheek.

“Nothing, come, let me show you around.”

I led her to the garden, thinking she would appreciate that most, which she did. Each type of flower she wanted to inspect, asking its name and where they normally reside in nature. Taking her time, she touched at least one petal and smelled its sweet aroma. As we continued, she immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me to where the large fountain sat in the middle of the courtyard.

She grabbed my hand all on her own.

“Is this a wishing fountain?” She asked curiously. I laughed at her innocence. “What?” she chuckled, “it isn’t?”

I held he hand and kissed it. “It can be if you want it to be. Are you wanting to wish for something?” Gwen pursed her pouty lips together and wiggled them back and forth on her face. “I do, but I don’t have any coins,” she sighed. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out two coins after I willed them to be there.

“Here, take these and make some wishes.” Gwen smiled up at me and took them quickly and muttered a quick, ‘thank you.” She closed her eyes and threw both coins in the water. Jumping up and down and grabbing my hand again, which I f*****g loved, I asked her, “what did you wish for?”

Gasping she shook her head, “no, I can’t tell you! It won’t come true.” Her Emerald eyes looked up at me and squinted accusing me of breaking the wishing fountain tradition.

“Fine, fine,” I faked hurt, putting my hand to my chest. “How can I make them come true if you don’t me?”

“You don’t make them come true, the fate of the fountain does!” She explained. “Now show me more!” she begged and pulled me away.

Little does she know I could touch her forehead with my thumb and see what she has seen, I could feel her feelings and her sins but of course, she would have no sins. I can even hear the two wishes she thought in her head, but to claim those from her would be wrong. I’ll have to keep guessing and maybe, one day she would tell me what her heart really wishes for.

The thought briefly crossed my mind to try and dive into her mind, to see her past and see through her eyes what parents she had but if she can’t remember it herself her mind wouldn’t have the memory either.

I took her through the rest of the garden that had various statues of the gods, it intrigued her more as she asked about each one and their powers. Her smile would brighten when she heard stories she had never heard of before from the textbooks she was sometimes given. Such as how Aphrodite may be the goddess of love but has a secret love of miniature animals such as goats and ponies. Gwen’s eyes would squint to check for the slightest hint of a joke but gave a soft smile when she figured out, she wasn’t being tricked.

The end of the garden of statues was coming and I knew this statue would hurt the worst. It was of Selene, one of the new gods from the past 4,000 years. Looking at her face, even in stone gave my stomach churned in painful ways.

“She’s so beautiful, who is she?” The statue had her in a simple garb that covered her breasts and wrapped behind her back and holding onto her h**s tightly covering parts of her she would never want to be seen. Her hair was let loose and went to her waist, unlike most of the other goddesses who had their hair up. The necklace she wore was a crescent of the moon that was a broken sapphire to make it stand out amongst the granite. Looking down, she is petting a large wolf at her side and smiling widely. Her first species she granted to have mates.

Gwen walked up to the wolf and put her hand on it, staring at the wolf first that was staring adoringly at Selene. “This wolf is huge,” she whispered as she looked up. From the looks of the scene before me, it looked like Selene was looking at her. Gwen’s innocent eyes traced Selene’s soft features

“Who is she, Hades?” She snapped me out of my stupor as I watched her. I felt the fire rise within me, this was my fault. I could have stopped all of this and protected her, Selene gave me a choice and I slapped her in the face.

“Let’s leave this story for another day,” I gruffed while I shoved my hands in my pockets. Turning around I heard the small padding of her bare feet trying to keep up with my long strides. I needed to leave, I couldn’t let her see me angry, we had come so far.

Mind-linking Cerberus I told him to keep her outside so I could blow off some steam.

“Gwen, I have to make a phone call, Cerberus will keep you company,” I left without telling her goodbye or telling her when I would come back. Kronos, I didn’t know when I would be able to come back if at all today. Glancing back, I see a worried Gwen with both hands clasped together and a worried look on her face.

We’ve both got some internal battles to go through for this to work but right now I needed to torture something, kill, spill b***d to make this rage in me die right now.

Bursting in the doors I see a worried Hermes that is writing in his own private desk in the main entrance of the hallway. He throws his pen down and stands up to follow me. “Hades? What’s wrong?” I didn’t answer and started stripping out of my shirt, I liked to feel the warm b***d hit my bare body as I torture souls that deserve it. I needed to feel John Oliver’s fear radiate off him, fuel my power within me as I suck him dry of his aura. I’ll take my time with him, pulling out his fingernails one at a time, pluck out his eyes, do the little things that will build until I finally have the final finale with him. Pulling his beating heart out of his chest and let him feel the life squeezed out of his soul. Only for him to regenerate and start all over the next hour.

I can’t do anything to fix Gwen’s past but being sure I torture the soul for all eternity will have to do.

“s**t, well you lasted 5 days without having to go to Tartarus. What do I tell Gwen? She will be looking for you.” I stopped, gripping my fists tightly, and then relaxed.

“I’ll be back when I can,” I spoke harshly as I calmed my breathing. “In time to help her sleep,” I sighed as I left Hermes to his devices.

Once in my room, threw on my black cloak and transported directly to the Tartarus gates. As far as the Underworld was to the heavens, Tartarus was equally lower than the underworld. It takes great attempts to come here and only my most evil demons come to play in this playground.

Titans are still imprisoned here, and we no longer hear their pleas for help. Some 15000 years could do that to even the evilest of creatures. Now we have sections and stations of different men and women we torture based on the evil they had conducted in their previous life.

The man I was looking for was strapped to a pole, that looked like a stripper pole. He was being beaten with paddles on his naked body as some demons took it on themselves to have him watch all the poor souls he tortured. Instead of watching in glee, he would feel their pain 100-fold. His eyes were full of tears of the physical and mental burden he was now carrying. As I walked up, I saw the picture Gwen flash before his eyes.

It was fairly recent, in fact, it was the night we saved her. She was wearing her pink outfit with her high heeled shoes. Silent tears dropped from her cheeks as she looked in the mirror. “Now, here’s your punishment, doll.” He took his hand and slapped her outer thigh harshly.

“Thank you, master,” her l*p quivered, and he led her out of the room.

Thunder rolled through me as I cracked my knuckles and the tortured demons looked up. They were the worst looking ones of them all. Their skin was practically eaten away only bone and muscle remained. Their skin was charred black from the flames of Tartus that flare during the afternoon shipment of new souls. Claws slowly retreated and their tails let go of his limbs as I approached, knowing I could blink and have them gone in an instant.

John Oliver looked up at the sudden break he was receiving only to have his heart smashed again. “Y-you,” he whispered.

“Me,” I growled.