chapter five

Will Grayson die at the hands of Madame or will emma get her act together and save him?

Emma shook her head. Her eyes.widened slightly. "No! Stop! What are you doing? don't hurt him!" She cried, stumbling to her feet. She.froze suddenly and fell back to her knees. When she looked up a terrifying roar broke through the air. It took her a moment to realize that the roar had torn out from her own throat. She looked down at herself, or rather, her stunningly white paws. She felt strength unlike any other that she had ever felt coursing through her, and tensed her body to leap. She shot through the air, knocking Grayson aside as she went, and sent Madame tumbling back. She snapped and tore at the deranged woman, who howled with both agony and laughter all at once. Emma felt everything. she saw the flashing of her own claws, white gleaming fur slashing through the air as her teeth dug into Madame. The metallic taste of blood flooding her mouth .

Slowly, Emma was beginning to tire. Claws became fingers, fur became clothing. She found herself astride Madame, tearing into her fesh with her bare hands. The whole time, though, she had found herself unable to so muchas brush the veil that still shrouded the womans face. An odd force kept her back, kept her away from seeing what hid beneath that loathsome cylinder of fabric. With an immense rush of will, she forced her hands past whatever obstructed her and took hold of the fabric. Madame, still alive, hissed and beat weakly against her, but it was in vain. Emma, with a howl of savage victory, threw it back. It took her a moment to register what she was seeing, and when she finally did, she slowly got off of her. Madame's face was that of a harpies, twisted and mixed with a gargoylesque beast. "Well Madame, you look ravishing as always."Emma said gathering herself and brushing white fur off of her clothing.

"Why, thank you my dear!" Her warped mouth twited into something of a smile. Gray arouse from the ground. He sat there dizzy for a moment, and then tried to stand. His legs would not support him- and neither, it seemed would any of him. He felt sick, sicker than he ever had before and something was happening to his skin. All of that scarred, beautiful white was fading, some of it even dripping off onto his clothes and onto the floor. He tried o speak, to get Emma's attention, but found he could no longer so much as breathe. His sight, usually so bright, was dimming, and he coudn't sense much any more.

Emma took hold of Madame's dress and hauled her up so that she could look the harpy dead in the eyes. "This is not a game." She said, quietly. "What you are doing, this whole system, needs to end. It needs to be stopped. Taking people and making them into your own little expieramental dolls is just sick." The air above and in front of the two began to crackle- the smell of ozone threaded through the air. Emma smirked. "Your just punishment is on its way, ma'am." "Oh?" She warbled. "And what might that be? Death will not effect me, oh no! I am death!" The air in front of them wavered, cracked, and then split open into a dark, looming maw that echoed with the cries of the lost. From this came a man of unefinable age. His skin was gray and he towered above Emma- his red eyes gleamed and a crown of skulls adorned the giant horns upon his head. His hair, long and streaked with red and black, flowed around his shoulders, and a penant gleamed on his chest. "You, my lady, are mistaken." His voice was deep and warped. It tore at the ear of the listener. "I am death."

Emma smiled. "Hello, father."

Gray stirred. I've got to chop wood or I'll freeze to death. He thought, wryly, and reached up to sleepily rub his face. Chop wood, hunt, bathe- His thoughts cut off as his hand met the floor beneath him. It was not the wooden floor of his cabin- it was ice cold metal. A sense of trepidition settled over him, and he slowly opened his eyes. He lay inert amongst metal pillars in something that faintly resembled a throne room. Before him stood Emma,with her back to him, and in front of her was a formidible man who likely barely evn brushed human. Emma looked...different. She was taller, her hair was the oddest shade of blue he had ever seen, and her skin was white like parchment, instead of that gorgeous tan he had so fallen in love with. He slowly gathered his strenght, noting the strange clothes he wore, and sat up. "Emma?" He asked, softly, as he looked from Emma to the man and back to Emma. "What the hell did I miss?" Emma ignored him and embraced the man before her. "But why?"

Her father did not embrace her in return- it was not his way. Instead, he merely waited until she released him. "I have come for my prize." He boomed, and held his hand out for Madame. Emma shoved the freakish woman into his arms and she imploded with a horrendous shriek that shook the rafters. "You have changed." He said, as though nothing had happened at all. "Really?" She rolled her eyes sarcasticly. He crossed his massive arms. "I do not appreciate your attitide, young lady." She put her hands up in pretend mock "Fine. Fine. I take it back" "As you should." He peered over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow with a definite expression of distaste. "Who is the runt?" "Dad" Emma sighed. "This is Grayson." She turned to Grayson. "Grayson, this is my father" Grayson slowly stood, and then cautiously approached. Emma stepped aside so that the two could see eye to eye, and found herself secretly astonished as she looked at Gray. He had changed again, to his white-haired, grey eyed self. "Pleased to meet you, sir." Grayson said, as he offered to shake hands- Emma's father merely stared at it until he dropped it. There was a long, awkward silence. Emma finally broke it, cheeks bruning with embarresment. "Aaaannnyway" she put her hand on Graysons shoulder. "Gray and I are..um...well, I guess you could say together." "Oh?" Silence. Gray himself finally broke it. "We should probably get out of here...actually, where are we?" Emma shrugged "I don't know" "Helpful." He eyed the door that sat half hidden behind Madames "throne" and gestured to it. "I'll uh....I'll go check that." He hurried off and Hades turned to Emma. "Explain." "er. Well three years ago I was running away from the the city." He cut her off. "So that's where youwhere." She nodded and continued. "Long story short, he helped me, but I couldn't remember anything from before found me." "So how did you end up here" he asked. "Umm well we got cought and experimented on, so here we are. I just got my memory back"

"He let you get captured and expieramented on? Tell me, Emma, give me one good reason why I should not vaporize him on the spot, this very second. Or at least damn him to eternal torture." "First of all he did not let me get taken he was held at gun point and still faught back. And if you hurt him I will never forgive you. Ever." She glared at him. "Hmpf." Hades brushed a spec of nonexistant dust from his shoulder plates. "I think he and I need to have a little man to man talk. Or..." He snorted. "Man to boy, more like." "Just don't be to hard on him. Please daddy." She made her best puppy dog eyes. Hades nodded slightly but Emma knew he didn't mean it.

Gray hailed them. "I've got it open." He called, and pulled the door off its hinges. "But...I sort of broke it in the process.." Emma sighed through her nose. "Normal or not, you just can't help it, can you?" "''fraid not. Hey, there's a bunch of circle thingies back here." "Descriptive. Your picture should be next to the word in the dictonary." "Quit insulting me and come see this. It's..." His words trailed off as he stepped through the door, into the room beyond. Hades glanced at his daughter and then crossed his arms. "I think you should just come with me. That boy smells like bad news." "Dad I can handle myself. Do you wish to join us?" "I do not have a choice." He uncrossed his arms, and his armor clinked. "Let us go."

They stood dumbfounded in the doorway. As far as the eye could see, faintly glowing pods stretched into infinity. Light pulses ran through these ever so often, and lit the insides. Within hung suspeneded humans, some dressed, some not. They drifted in their suspended state, sleeping away the hours, the days, the years. Grayson was already along far enough to have become a spec. "Grayson get back here or I'll beat your a*s" Emma called racing to catch up with him. The corridor was longer than she thought. She found herself winded...and still he was far enough away to be nothing more than a dot. Her father kept pace with her easy, straining himself no more than simply walking. He watched her keep up with the running and shouting for a bit, and then laughed quietly. "It is an eternity corridor, Emma. You cannot get to him." She turned to him and threw her hands in the air. "Now you tell me!" "Let us go, Emma. Forget him, forget all of this."

Emma glared at him. "Did you do this becouse if you did I swear to God I'll.." she trailed off. "Not to mention it will be a little hard to forget that my hair is blue, my eyes are purple, I hear everything and I turned into a f*****g tiger! Now you bring him back here right now or so help me I will.." "You will what?" He crossed his arms. "You forget who I am, Emma. I will not bring him back. I do not agree with the two of you being together." Emma felt her eyes flash. "Well Idont approve of you killing my sister" she snapped. She felt herself changing. She felt her teeth become incredibly sharp her skin and clothes turning to snow white fur. She made no advance on him only sat there and growled. He crouched, and though he still towered over her, it brought them closer to eye to eye. "Your sister has nothing to do with this. My judgement regarding that subject was completely just, and I do not regret my actions." She snapped at his arms, growling. She moved into a pouncing position. "I will kill you if I have to, Emma. Do you wish to try your luck?" His red eyes gleamed. She moved back and turned. She sat, her back to him, making no

Noise save for the growling at the back of her throught. "Do not pout. Pouting is childish." He sighed, and slowly straightened. "Alright. I will bring him back." He snapped his fingers, and now she could hear grayson shouting. "-ma! Can you hear me?" She felt herself changing back. she was normal again in a matter of seconds. She brushed herself off as she stood. "Right here" she called. "I can't see you! Look, just..follow my voice, okay? You need to see this!" She sighed and listened as he rambled on. She eventually found him and jogged infill she stood next to him. He gestured to the pods he stood in front of, decidedly pale. She raised an eyebrow and followed his gaze. Suspended in the murk was herself, quite peaceful in her slumber. To her right was her sister, and to her left was Gray.

Author's Note

Ignore grammar problems and pleaseplease reveiw