Page 6 of Guided by the Stars (Creating Destiny #1)
Kai
When Duty Calls
As the son of Hades, you might assume I’m living the dream.
With a powerful father and kingdom of souls to rule, how could I not, right?
Wrong. Punishments are a regular occurrence for me.
I’m tortured and healed, just to start all over again.
Every time I’m summoned, I end up with scars or broken bones. Sometimes both.
Even as a kid, when Hades was figuring out what my powers were, he was ruthless.
He was so damn sure I’d be able to command Cerberus like he could, something his other children couldn’t.
He stuck me in front of the drooling, growling, three-headed dog and left me there.
No words of wisdom, no safety leash or anything to protect me.
The bastard didn’t even give me any sweet honey cake in case things went wrong.
It was lucky I could gain enough control over the beast in the last second to save me from being eaten.
Sometimes the beatings take place in Persephone’s gardens, and I suspect it’s her favorite spot. She sits on her throne, high up on the veranda, watching. Occasionally she’ll take part, but Queen Bitch of the Underworld isn’t the type to get her hands dirty.
She mixes special concoctions though, by picking flowers and herbs to make things more fun.
I refused the tea at first, except that only made things worse, so I drink up like a good little boy to save myself extra torment.
My least favorite is a steeped tea that paralyzes my body and leaves my mind free.
I can’t speak or move, yet I can still think and feel.
They love it because it means they don’t have to put extra effort in to bind me, but that loss of control fucks with my head.
Over the years the mixtures she creates have evolved, and she’s so sporadic with her choices that I can never guess what’s coming.
Still, I’d take whatever they gave me if it meant saving Jax from taking a beating. He’s been my bodyguard since I can remember, and we’ve grown close over the generations I’ve known him. Hades and Persephone see that, though, and use it to their advantage when I misbehave.
Before Poseidon gave Jax to us, I never laughed or smiled, and I didn’t have any friends.
He noticed, and despite being uprooted from his home and forced into servitude, he would try to brighten my day.
Most of the jokes were lame, but a few would have me cracking a smile, despite my efforts to hold it back.
Eventually I grew to cherish those moments, looking forward to his puns and funny stories, but then Hades found out.
Hades treated defiance with swift force, and now he aimed that at Jax as a way to control me. No longer would I act out or refuse to do something. I couldn’t stand to see him in pain, and it became more uncomfortable to watch him bleed for me than to follow orders .
It might be his job to protect me, but even if it wasn’t, I know he’d take a thunderbolt for me and I’d do the same for him. He’s the only person I trust, and I’ll do whatever I can to save him from getting caught in the crossfire of my fucked-up family.
I’d like to say all this shit hasn’t broken me. That I’m so full of positivity and happiness that I could fart rainbows. But some days, like today, I wear my cracks like armor. The kind that does absolutely nothing, but at least everyone knows you’re damaged and to expect little from you.
A servant had silently slipped a note under my door earlier. Another test from Hades is to do the absolute least he can to notify me of things, yet if I’m late or miss it altogether, it’s my fault.
Unease runs through me as I walk down the hall toward the sitting room. Everyone has been on high alert since that shift vibrated through the realms. Power like that can mean only a few things, and it didn’t make sense that no one could find it’s source.
I expect to see Jax waiting for me with a grim expression on his face, but he’s standing by the door with excitement pulsating from him in waves. What the fuck is going on?
“Why are you looking so cheerful?”
He shrugs and grabs my shoulder. “I think you should go into this with an open mind, okay?”
A shudder goes down my spine as I glance at him, trying to read his expression.
He gestures for me to enter the room, and when I do I see Hades. His short black hair is perfectly styled and stubble lines his sharp jaw. He’s grinning widely and points to a seat across from him. “Sit. ”
“What was it you needed me to rush here for?” I ask, looking past him at the solid gold cabinet and the bronze statue of Hades standing beside it.
The decorations that adorn the room are much like the rest of the palace, made of lavish minerals or in dark colors.
Anything for the Giver of Wealth, which is just another way for him to showcase his many talents.
He steeples his ring-covered fingers and stares at me until I sit. His dark eyes dare me to defy him so he can have the pleasure of making me pay for it. “I have a very important task for you, one I think you’re going to enjoy. I should really make you beg for it, but I’m in a charitable mood.”
The hair on the back of my neck stands. Charitable my fucking ass.
Hades hasn’t done a single charitable thing in his existence.
The old gods are all the same selfish beings, hoarding power over each other to stay important.
But for what? Humans these days don’t care about them, the worshippers don’t bring offerings to our temples anymore, so who gives a flying fuck which person has the most power?
We’re stuck in our hovel, torturing souls for eternity, while the world changes around us.
“Well, spit it out already, I’ve got other things to do,” I say, already through with this conversation.
“I need you to pick up a package for me on Earth.”
“What kind of package?” I ask, failing to keep the skepticism from my voice.
Jax shifts beside me with a pensive look on his face. “Kai, man, you and I are leaving the Underworld to capture the last descendants of Delphin.”
There’s no way I’ve heard him correctly, though. Those descendants are just a myth, a story whispered about in the shadows, with no real merit. It must be a test, a way to lay on another beating when I inevitably come back empty-handed.
“Nah, I’ll pass,” I say, getting up to leave. “I’ve got plans.”
Hades is beside me in a second, using the shadows as a heavy weight against my shoulders, pushing me back onto the chair. “You’ll do as you’re told, boy. Clean or covered in your own blood, it makes no difference to me.”
In his anger, Hades grew three times his size and used his power over the earth’s minerals to create a small dagger with a tip made of pure Adamantine and pressed it against my neck.
“Let me sweeten the pot to ensure you don’t fuck this up, hmm? Retrieve the two descendents and freedom is yours,” he says. The tip of the dagger slices my skin and a thin line of blood runs down my neck. “I’m being more than generous, wouldn’t you agree, Jax?”
I can’t move without cutting myself, but Jax enters my line of sight and nods with a look that begs me to trust him. “Fine.”
Hades lets go, and the blade vanishes as he walks toward the door. “That’s better. Go now, time is of the essence. Don’t disappoint me this time, boy.”
Once he’s gone, I clean up the blood on my neck. The wound is already closed thanks to my quick healing, and the blood goes unnoticed on my black shirt.
“What the fuck did I just agree to?”
Jax picks up his glass of nectar and passes one to me. “You agreed to a chance at freedom. And, being your best and only friend here, I know how long you’ve wanted that. So stop sulking like a little bitch and get excited.”
He’s right, of course. I’ll make the best of this trip, grab the humans, and then I can do whatever I want without repercussions.
This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for, a chance to get out of here and never return.
I have no clue what he wants with the descendants of a line everyone thought died out centuries ago, but I don’t care.
There’s no cost too high to be free of this entire realm.
“Let’s go,” Jax says, breaking into my thoughts. “I know you had plans with Rose, but she’ll wait. Portal us to the falls.”
It’s about damn time I get to leave this messed up place and prove to Hades that I’m not a screw up. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I crave his approval.
With a flick of my wrist, I cast a portal that bathes the room with a golden glow and I step forward to claim my freedom.