Forge of the Gods 3

by Simon Archer

  I pushed my filled plate away from me, letting it clatter into the other pieces of china noisily. “Cut the crap. I’m not going to eat any of this and be stuck here. I know my myths, okay? So why don’t you just get rid of this arrangement so we can talk frankly.”

  Persephone sighed and rolled her eyes. She wiped her hand as though she were swatting a fly. In line with her action, the food disappeared. The spilled wine, the place settings, and all of the delicious smelling dishes went away. The table was now clear, and I felt my senses return to normal, no longer enticed by the meal in front of me.

  Hades leaned forward and put his forearms on the table, interlacing his fingers. His eyebrows lowered, casting serious and stark shadows across his face.

  “You are rather impressive, Cameron,” the god of death said, the tone of his voice changing from a nervous calm one to that of an astute businessman.

  I realized that, for the first time, I was seeing the real Hades and Persephone. He wasn’t the gentle giant from before, reserved and cautious. She wasn’t some bubbly suburban chef, either, with big eyes and a bright smile. The way the two of them looked at me immediately told me that this was a joint operation. No matter what the myths said about Persephone being Hades’s unwilling wife, it was clear that the two were a dynamic duo, in an equal and conniving partnership.

  Instinctually, I pushed my chair back slightly, if for nothing else than to put some distance between them and me. It was subtle and didn’t make that much of a difference, but it certainly made me feel better.

  “I’m not that impressive,” I countered, trying to undermine my abilities in the hope that they underestimated me. “It was a simple trick that any demigod who knew their basic myths could see through.”

  “Not just with discovering the pomegranate,” Hades said, “but also with Charon’s boat.”

  “Oh,” I said, my voice lowering. “That.”

  “Yes, that.” Hades smirked, though unlike before, this one didn’t reach his eyes. “I assume that is a gift from your father?”

  “It has to be,” Persephone stepped in. She looked at her own fingernails, making ticking sounds as she picked at them. “Though most of Hephaestus’s children have fire abilities.”

  “That is most common, yes,” Hades said as he crudely looked me up and down again. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if you had that as well. You’ve been gifted with quite a lot of supernatural abilities, so we’ve been told.”

  “So, you’ve been told?” I repeated, unable to keep the surprise out of my voice. “You’ve heard that about me, and you mentioned the apples earlier. Are the gods… are they talking about me?”

  “Of course they are!” Persephone laughed, her words coming out loud and erratic. Her eyes took on a mad glint to them as she slammed her hands on the table and leaned in towards me. “Hephaestus’s first child in one hundred years, and a male one at that, and he is the one everyone says is going to make the Ultimate Weapon.”

  I felt my face grow pale. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, don’t play dumb,” Persephone snarled. “It doesn’t become you.”

  “We’ve heard the prophecy,” Hades informed me. “And it deeply concerns me.”

  “It concerns you?” I asked, confused. “How? It’s about defeating the immortal monsters, not the gods.”

  “Where do you think all of those immortal monsters are going to end up?” Hades asked sharply. He pointed a finger into the table for emphasis. “Right here. So yes, this prophecy about the Ultimate Weapon does indeed concern me. So consequently, you concern me.”

  “I haven’t done anything worth concern,” I countered, but Hades jumped in before I could continue my defense.

  “Oh, haven’t you?” Hades leaned back in his chair and ticked off his fingers. “You beat the son of Zeus in combat.”

  “That was a fluke,” I added. “I didn’t really want to fight him in the first place.”

  Hades didn’t appear to hear me because he continued on. “You can control the Eternal Flame, which no one has been able to do since Prometheus himself.”

  “It really controls itself, if you’ve ever interacted with it,” I said.

  “And you made a whole new girdle for Aphrodite after her original was stolen,” Hades concluded. “Something she should have gone to Hephaestus for, but she didn’t. She came to you. Why?”

  I closed my mouth and held back my excuse for this argument. Something about the way the god of death said the thing about my father gave me pause. Did Hades not know that Hephaestus was missing? That’s the only reason Aphrodite had come to me in the first place. How could a piece of essential information like that elude the lord of the Underworld?

  “Finally, you make it all the way to my doorstep, still alive,” Hades said, the bitterness coming out in the form of a snarl. “You must understand now why we are so interested in you.”

  I continued to stay silent, letting Hades and Persephone keep talking. Plus, I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t like the idea of being the talk of the gods. It created an uneasy feeling in my stomach, as though I had eaten too much of that delicious feast and was suddenly sick.

  Persephone got up from her seat and crossed behind Hades’s chair, her hand sliding along the top seductively. She kept her brown eyes trained on me the entire time, as though she were trying to read my mind. Finally, she approached my chair, and I pushed my back farther into it in order to get away from her.

  “You have too much power for your own good, demigod,” Persephone said in a husky whisper. She reached out and threaded her fingers through my red hair. My breathing shortened as she ran her fingers through it over and over. Thankfully she let go, but then she crouched down in front of me and smirked up at me. Her hands rested on each armrest on the chair, trapping me in.

  “We’re definitely interested in all of that power,” the goddess cooed. “And you obviously want something from us. Or you wouldn’t be here. Why don’t you share what you want with us, and we’ll see if we can make a deal?”

  “Persephone,” Hades snapped suddenly.

  Like a wounded puppy, Persephone’s face contorted, and she looked at her husband with big, pleading eyes.

  “Can’t you see you’re scaring the boy?” Hades scolded. “Step down.”

  Persephone released a giant eye roll, like a teenager being told to put her phone away. Despite her displeasure, the goddess obeyed and got up to a standing position. She crossed over to Hades, an exaggerated sway in her hips, and she leaned against the back of his chair, arms crossed.

  “What my wife is trying to say is,” Hades said with a short glare up at Persephone before turning his attention back to me. “We are interested in hearing why you came to visit us in the first place. Maybe, if the request is reasonable, we can work something out.”

  My eyes zipped between the two powerful gods. For the first time since I made this crazy decision to come down here did I realize what a terrible idea this was. I was face to face with death, literally, and he was asking me if I wanted to make a deal.

  While my brain had a supernatural affinity for Greek mythology, I studied the history of other cultures and explored various types of literature. Whenever anyone made a deal with the devil, in whatever form he might have taken, it never went well. Ever. There was always some underlying trick or excuse that made the whole thing turn away from the hero’s favor.

  Now I’d found myself in the same stupid position. Part of me wanted to chalk this up to a misunderstanding and walk back out, whistle for Charon, and get Katlynn to zap me out of here. But something told me it wasn’t going to be that easy.

  Now that Persephone and Hades had me in their sights, they weren’t going to let me off that easily. They saw something in me, for better or for worse. Something that they wanted.

  Suddenly, that made me realize that as much as it didn’t feel like it, I did have an advantage here. I had to just figure out what it was that they wanted from m
e, and then I could leverage that. I decided I wasn’t going to give up my hand, not when it might be the only thing I had to fight back.

  “It’s like you said, I’m looking for a soul,” I said, keeping my answer purposely vague.

  “That much was obvious,” Persephone said with a scoff. “We didn’t exactly think you came down here for a chat.”

  “This soul,” Hades inquired as he put a hand to his chin, “where do you believe it to be?”

  “That’s the thing,” I said, picking my words carefully. “I don’t know. The death of this mortal is disputed, and it could seriously change where they ended up in the afterlife.”

  “You were hoping their placement would tell you what really happened?” Hades guessed.

  “Something like that,” I said with a nod. “But I’m curious why you’re offering me this deal in the first place. Given your history, you’re not the kindest to mortals who invade your realm like this.”

  Hades smiled as the memories of his encounters with past heroes came to his mind. “That is true.”

  “So,” I continued, “why me? What do you want from me?”

  “We told you,” Persephone jumped in. “You’re powerful. That’s meaningful for us.”

  “Yes, but you said it yourself,” I said, directing all of my attention at Hades since it was clear that he was the one with the boon. “I have a lot of power, a lot of skills. It’s apparently something only I can do. What specifically do you want from me?”

  “I wasn’t wrong about you, Cameron,” Hades said as he ticked his finger in my direction. “You are clever.”

  “Thank you,” I said, taking the compliment, thinking it was going to be the only one I might ever get from a god of his caliber.

  “I’m curious,” Hades said as he put his elbows on the armrests of his chair. He tapped his fingertips together, making a teepee with his hands. “Are you clever enough to guess what I want from you?”

  I felt my face fall. I was not exactly enthusiastic about playing twenty questions with the god of death. It didn’t seem like the wisest move. Although, I was already down here, in this mess I created with all of my foolish decisions, so I might as well go with it.

  I thought about what both Hades and Persephone had said to me over the course of this interaction. They specifically pointed out my allergy to apples, my ability to manipulate fire, beating the Stratego, moving Charon’s boat, and making Aphrodite’s girdle. They said nothing about my knowledge of Greek mythology, which I figured was a good thing. The fewer people who knew about my dual abilities and my mom’s heritage, the better.

  What would be the most beneficial to a god-like Hades? I thought through all of the options from what they knew about me and my powers.

  “You want me to make something for you,” I concluded with confidence.

  Hades’s big smile told me I had guessed correctly.

  “If that’s the case, why didn’t you just ask my dad?” I chanced this question to see if Hades would admit to me what he knew about Hephaestus, if the god of fire’s disappearance was well known or a well-kept secret.

  “Your father and I have never been on good terms, if you know anything about our history,” Hades said, almost as though he regretted the lack of a relationship with my father.

  “From what I know, there aren’t really any terms between the two of you,” I corrected before I could stop myself. “Good or bad. You two just… didn’t interact much.”

  “Exactly,” Hades said sharply. “And it would be very unusual for me to come out of the blue and ask him for something, wouldn’t it?”

  “I mean...” I started, but apparently, the question was rhetorical because Hades didn’t let me answer.

  “Plus, I have no desire to ask a favor from another god and then have me owe him something,” Hades said with a sour tone. He lowered his arms and curled his fingers around the ends of the armrests. “But you came looking for the favor first. So it’s a win-win situation.”

  The lord of the dead got out of his seat and crossed behind me to the large fireplace. Persephone promptly took Hades’s seat at the head of the table. She kicked up her heels and put them up on the table, getting comfortable. Her dainty high heels were the same color as her dress, and they tapped against the top of the wood annoyingly. That is until Hades whipped around and sent his wife a glare that could kill. Persephone promptly stopped, but not before sending Hades another fed-up eye roll.

  Not wanting to get into the middle of whatever spat that was, I focused my attention on Hades, spinning in my chair so I could keep an eye on him.

  “What do you know about the Original Weapons?” Hades asked as though he were a teacher giving a pop quiz.

  The question caught me off guard. I automatically opened my mouth to answer, but then closed it again. I really didn’t want Hades knowing that I knew as much as I didn’t about Greek mythology. He already knew a lot about me. It was probably safe to keep my Seer abilities under wraps.

  So I played dumb.

  “Doesn’t ring a bell,” I answered, keeping my voice even.

  Hades sighed in irritation. “What are they even teaching you up at that school anymore?” He rubbed his forehead and then rested his arm on the mantle, supporting himself. “The Original Weapons were gifts for my brothers and me when we helped the cyclops escape from Tartarus. They were Zeus’s lightning bolt, Poseidon’s trident, and my helm of invisibility. The story of three brothers getting three weapons has traveled throughout mythology, seeping into other cultures and even modern fantasy stories.”

  Once again, my impulse to answer the questions pulled at my gut. But I kept silent and let the god continue his tale.

  “These were called the Original Weapons because they were created before Prometheus's Eternal Flame, or before your father even came into existence,” Hades said, finally straightening up, as though this part of the story didn’t burden him as much. “It would be foolish to think that we three didn’t try to take the weapons from one another a time or two. But my particular weapon, it has been missing for some time now.”

  I had already put the pieces together, and in my heart of hearts, I didn’t want to do this thing that Hades was going to ask of me. I didn’t know how it was possible. I had power and skills, yes, but this was nothing like I had ever created before.

  These weapons were sacred. They were known as the first items ever used to harm others. They are the origin and the inspiration of every weapon any bladesmith had ever created. Yet, here I was, about to be asked to do the impossible.

  “I need you to remake the helm of invisibility and give it to me,” Hades demanded. He swiveled on his heel and faced me directly.

  “Are you sure?” I asked, wincing at the thought. “I mean, like you really need a whole new one? Are you sure you didn’t just misplace the old one somewhere in this big old kingdom you’ve got here?” I gestured out to indicate the grandiose house I’d seen.

  Persephone snapped up my wrist in her hand and held me there with an iron-like grip. “You dare doubt Hades?” she snarled like a rabid dog.

  “I’m just checking,” I said as I struggled to get out of her grip, but she refused to let me go. “It’s a big ask, is all.”

  “So is letting you talk to a soul,” Hades countered.

  “Would you let me go?” I asked Persephone, tired of struggling. “I can’t exactly negotiate when you’re holding me like this.”

  The goddess looked to her husband for approval. He gave it with a lazy wave of his hand. She threw my hand down on the table, my skin smacking loudly against the wood. I rubbed my palm, massaging the muscles in my hand from the hard hit.

  “What do you say, Cameron?” Hades asked, returning the conversation to the matter at hand.

  I shrugged, giving off more confidence than I had. “Like I said, it’s a big ask. I mean, I’m good, but I’m not a god.”

  “Are you saying you can’t do it?” Hades jumped on my insecurities.

  “No,�
� I dragged out the word into two syllables. “I’m saying it’s going to take a lot of work, and I don’t think just simply getting to talk to a soul is worth it.”

  Sensing what I was getting at, Hades shifted his weight to an even and wide stance. He puffed out his chest and crossed his arms over it.

  “What more do you want?” he offered with a growl at the back of his throat.

  “I want to take the soul out of the Underworld,” I said, going big. I hardened my voice. “I want to return a soul to the mortal world as a mortal human again.”

  Hades narrowed his blue eyes at me, swirling like a whirlpool. He clenched his jaw as he considered my request against the background of his wife’s laughter.

  “He’ll never agree to that,” Persephone concluded through chuckles. “You’re out of your mind if you think Hades is going to let a soul leave the Underworld for some stupid helmet.”

  She swiped a fake tear from her eye, supposedly from laughing too hard. The goddess looked over at her husband, backlit by the fire. “Right, honey?” she asked, looking for reassurance that he didn’t provide.

  As Persephone continued to stare at Hades, she slowly realized that he was. That Hades was actually considering my request. He wanted this helm badly enough to consider letting me leave here with a soul.

  A spark of hope flared in my chest. There was actually a chance that I could save Sarah. Not only would I figure out if her death was a murder and clear her name, but I could give her a little more time before she had to return to this dreadful place.

  “Hades?” Persephone said cautiously. She lowered her feet back to the floor and sat at the edge of her chair.

  “You could finish it by December 1st?” Hades asked only to me, directly ignoring his wife.

  “Hades!” Persephone stood abruptly, her arms stiff at her sides. “You cannot be serious.”

  “Quiet Persephone!” Hades shouted at her.

  While the goddess closed her mouth, she was unhappy about it. Her face burned bright red with anger as she watched herself lose control of the situation. A giddy sensation flourished in my belly at her distaste, but I couldn’t focus on that elation at the moment. I needed to concentrate on Hades’s reactions.