Chapter Thirty-Seven

Derek

After my conversation with Nikki all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep. Escaping from a well guarded place like Hypnos’s palace was hard work. Sadly, that didn’t seem to be in the cards for me.

Just as I had laid down in bed and pulled my covers over me there was a persistent knocking on my bedroom door. Which I ignored, for as long as I could. Albeit that wasn’t very long. But I would take what I could get.

“What do you want very annoying person that doesn’t know when no one answers the door to leave said person alone!” I shout.

The knocking stops, and no one replies. Groaning I roll out of my bed and shuffle towards the door. No one was there. Instead there was a note.

Dear D. Demos,

You have been invited to the Party of the Dead. Your presence is requested to immediately attend to the Underworld as soon as you read this. By the law of Keltanvis you are bound by blood to attend the party. Failure to do so could very well end in death, or worse. If you are unable to attend this celebration, for any reason, please sign the package included. (You did not get a package because you are bound by blood to attend). Be sure to take the front entrance into the Underworld and follow the Skeleton Pathway! Know to see you there!

Sincerely,

The person that sent this to you

I debated ignoring the message for a few seconds. That is, until in different handwriting I saw the words:

DELIVERED; RECEIVED; & READ.

“Fine I’ll go!” I exclaim to no one.

There was the sound of laughter and then I was standing in front of a sidewalk. One with human skeleton’s hanging as lanterns. Looks like I found the Skeleton Pathway. Suppose the only thing left to do was attend the party for the dead.

“Not for the dead. Or the dead,” a voice says.

“Who the hell are you?” another asks.

“Must be a newbie, I don’t think I’ve seen him around before,” someone answers.

“I want to try his blood! And his flesh! Maybe even an ear! Do you think he’d let me have an ear?”

“Aww, poor kid, he looks so out of place.”

“Can you believe who’d they invite to these things anymore? I mean a son of Athena!”

“Death really has gone to the dogs.”

“How depressing indeed.”

“Hey guys! Listen to me! This is important! I really, really, really want an ear!”

“Should we help him out a bit? Maybe give him some pointers?”

“Ah, excuse you? Have you seen my snake? Slithers seems to have slithered off, I’ve looked everywhere.”

“A SNAKE? A SNAKE IS LOOSE? WHAT IDIOT LET A SNAKE LOOSE?”

“Ja, what an idiot.”

“WILL IT BITE?”
“Ja, it is a snake.”

“Have you seen my snake? Slithers is gone! Poor Slithers!”

“What the hell?” I exclaim.

“No sir, not hell. We’re in the Underworld.”

“Oh well, that explains it, the poor kid is lost. He must’ve stumbled upon us looking for hell. Excuse me? Sonny? Hell is about three thousand more feet down.”

“How would you know? You’ve never been to hell! You’ve been hanging there for decades!”

“I did too go to hell once! While I was alive!”

“You did not!”
“Yes I did! It was during my third marriage! A blonde demon in disguise! Tried to drag me straight to hell on my wedding day!”

“Oh no! A demon tried to kidnap you from your fiance?”

“Of course not! That demon was my fiance. Good thing I had the sense to say no before she became my wife!”

It was then that I realized that it had been the skeletons that were talking this whole time.

“You guys can talk?!”

“Oh dear, he noticed us.”

“Obviously we can talk, ja.”

“That’s a sorry excuse for German pal,” I tell the third skeleton, who I thought had been the one to talk.

“Nein! I could tell you about sorry excuses for German!”

“Ignore him, he was murdered by his daughter.”

“I don’t blame her for doing that,” I grumble.

“What’s your name?”

“Derek Demos.”

“Oh. Oh no.”

Hushed whispers fell amongst the skeleton’s. I had a slight sense of being excluded. And for some reason it made me slightly sad.

“S- sir, excuse us,”one said. “Right this way.”

It detaches from the wall and starts walking down the pathway. Frowning to myself I follow. Wondering if it was really all that safe.

۝

Mutt

“Are you feeling okay?” I ask Moon.

She had been acting off for a couple of months now, probably only days in non-Tartarus time.

“Who me?” she asks, turning to me with a dashing smile. “Of course, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason, just the fact that we’re here,” I say.

Even though that wasn’t what had been really bothering me. She was just acting… so unlike Moon. Almost like she wasn’t Moon. And I had heard and seen some pretty funky stuff. But I didn’t think that was the case.

Moon grins again, she had been doing that a lot since the day we had thought we were getting out. Moon had convinced me to wait and find another way, since the last one ended with us both dying. I had agreed, not ever wanting to see her gone.

“Being in Tartarus isn’t that bad,” she says, her smile bright despite the darkness. “Not as long as I’m with you.”

I smile softly at her in return.

“I’m just that awesome,” I answer her jokingly.

She laughed, which was a sound that I wished would never fade.

۝

Clato

Worst. Idea. EVER. It was bad enough that I had to play a sappy teenage love story. It was worse that I was the one being sappy and cringy and bleeeeck. The most revolting thing? I enjoyed it.

It felt so good to genuinely smile again. To not have to be formal, and plan war. It was so, relaxing. And it absolutely disgusted me.

The problem was, I had no idea why I had convinced Mutt not to walk right into his death. The whole plan had been to lead him straight to it. And then he had looked at me, well Moon, and his expression was so full of love that it made me rethink everything. At the same time all I wanted to do was barf.

I hoped that Waverly had at least figured out that Moon wasn’t me. My whole plan for her getting apprehended was placed on Moon’s utter hatred for Waverly. Meaning Moon would make a mistake, one that Waverly would catch.

I wasn’t really worried, I trusted my team to be able to figure it out. The one downside I had realized, I had access to all of Moon’s memories, which only meant that she had access to mine. Once again, I wasn’t too worried. My team would know to make her drink the potion so that she’ll forget.

It was such a beautiful plan, if I did say so myself. But it was all riding on Moon’s hatred. And from what I could tell, it was pretty intense. So yeah, I’m sure it would work out fine.

“So when do you think we should try to get out of here again?” I ask Mutt.

He bites his lip, obviously thinking about it.

“I’m not sure, I mean, I feel as though we have a better chance of surviving in here than we do out there. But at the same time, this isn’t a life, so it’s not right for us to stay here,” he says. “Not if it’ll always just be us trying to survive another day. That’s not the life I want for you. Or for us.”

Even though the words were meant for someone else I couldn’t help but smile at them.

“Then we leave,” I decide.

“We should wait some more,” Mutt cautions. “Just until we know we can get out of here without one or both of us dying.”

“Okay,” I agree.

We walk in silence a little bit longer.

“Hey Mutt?” I ask.

“Mhmm?” He says.

“Even if we do die I’m glad that I was able to know you. And I’m glad that we’re down here together,” I say.

Mutt turns a grin to me, “I’m glad that we’re together. Wherever we are.”

Neither of us notice the figure stalking behind us, staying to the shadow’s. Watching.

۝

Alex

“I’m sure that completely sucked,” I say at the end of Quinn’s story. “But can we get to the part where we discuss my problem?”

“Well if we must,” Quinn says.

Daneliya had come back a while ago, with a bunch of guards. None of which came into the room. So now Daneliya and Phobos we’re sitting on the other side of the room. Daneliya was glaring at Quinn. Phobos was fiddling with something electronic. Probably playing Flappy Bird.

“Actually I’m surprised you’re friend there hasn’t figured it out,” Quinn says, flicking her hand towards Daneliya.

“Well we can’t all be geniuses,” Daneliya sneers.

“I know, you poor thing,” Quinn says, giving her a look of sympathy.

“Quinn! Focus!” I exclaim.

I was seconds away from grabbing her shoulders and shaking the life out of her. But I refrained from doing so, because if I killed her then she wouldn’t be able to  help me.

“On what?” Quinn asks, turning to look at me with wide eyes.

“UGH!” I shout, throwing my hands in the air.

“Alright alright. Honestly though,” Quinn rolls her eyes.

I narrow my own at her, wondering how she’d feel if I clawed out her eyeballs, she wouldn’t be able to roll them then.

“Atropos,” Quinn says.

“What?” I ask.

“She’s the-”

“Fate of death, yes I know. I don’t understand what that has to do with me!” I snap, cutting her off.

“Grumpy grumpy,” Quinn says.

“Quinn I swear-” I start.