Excerpt: Welcome to Hell

Watching Thanatos walk away from him, Hades placed his hands on his hips and cocked an eyebrow. It was strange. He couldn't quite place it but he felt like he had met Death before. He leaned off the wall as Inari approached him, some files in her arms. Without a word to him, the fox gestured for Hades to follow her.

Once they reached the end of the hall, they turned down a separate corridor before coming to a set of stairs. Inari leading the way, the two of them ascended the steps. "Uhh, Miss...?"

"Call me Inari," was the snappish reply as she pushed her glasses up her nose, glancing at him out the corner of her eye. "What is it?"

"Er, well I guess I wanted to ask you what you know about Thanatos," Hades sheepishly concluded, shrugging his shoulders.

Raising an eyebrow, she sighed and rolled her eyes before turning her attention back towards where they were heading. "The Master has been around for thousands of years, when Nyx and Erebos united, born with his twin Hypnos. He is the one who opened up the waiting room, who brought order to the Underworld."

"Uh, okay." That didn't really answer his question. Hades blew some hair way from his face with a huff, crossing his arms behind his head languidly. He glanced around them. There seemed to be only a few rooms around here, if the doors were any indication.

Inari gave him a small quirk of a smile, hefting the files in her arms. "Even one such as me does not know everything about the Master, young Master. Here we are."

"Whoa..." A huge, separated and elaborately decorated brass door was in front of them, iron knockers dangling from the lower part of each of them. Hades' eyes widened, taking one small step back. "This is...?"

"Your room," she confirmed, using one hand to push it open before ushuring him in. When he walked in, Hades' jaw dropped. In the center of the room lay a large four-poster bed, black silk sheets with flame patterns licking at the edges covering it and dark blue drapes hanging from the canopy. At both sides were polished dressers, torches sitting in sconces above them and flickering blue fire. A door sat to one side, which Hades presumed lead to the bathroom and at the other wall was an in-built wardrobe.

But it was the walls and ceiling that caught his attention. "Is that...?" The young God pointed up at the ceiling, watching the stars glitter and shine overhead.

"The stars above the human world," Inari said, stepping in beside him and adjusting her glasses as her silvery tail swayed behind her legs. "These walls represent the world outside our home, reflecting weather patterns and even meteor showers should they happen. A true marvel of the Master's genius."

"And this is mine while I'm staying here?" Hades glanced at her, still in awe of everything.

"Correct. For as long as you stay here this will be your room."

"Er, that's all well and good, but I've got my friend to save, remember?"

Inari didn't answer him. Instead, she turned on her heel, robes flowing as she began walking out of the room. "Sleep well, young Master. You will need your sleep."

Watching the door close, Hades scratched at his head before shrugging to himself. He stifled a yawn, blinking as he discovered he was more tired than he thought he was. Stretching, he slid his jacket and shirt off, then kicked off his boots and wriggled out of his jeans, opting to sleep in his boxers. Inari and Thanatos were right, Hades figured as he pracitcally fell onto the bed, closing his eyes and feeling sleep take him. He'd need all the rest he could get if he was going to survive the next tasks...

The halls were silent as she swept down the corridor, eyes glancing over one of the files in her hands with the others tucked underneath her arm. Inari made her way towards the Master's study chambers, her footsteps quiet as her robes flowed around her ankles. Reaching the doors of the study, Inari raised her hand, rapping her knuckles against the wood once before opening the door. "Here are the files you requested, Master."

"Thank you, Inari." Thanatos barely looked up from where he stood, hands on the desk and pouring over the papers scattered about it. There was silence as Inari placed the files on a corner of the desk before he glanced out the corner of his eye at his secretary. "Does he suspect anything?"

She rose an eyebrow before she smiled and shook her head. "Nay, my Lord. He asked what I knew of you and I only informed him of your birth and the peace you have brought to the Underworld," she replied, tilting her head down in respect.

"Good. Very good." Picking up one of the pieces of scattered paper, Thanatos scanned its contents, his attention away from her.

Placing her hands within the sleeves of her robes, Inari's glasses slipped down her snout slightly as she watched him with a curious eye. "If you would please tell me, Master...what are your plans for the boy? Surely he'd be difficult to control, even for you."

"I'm afraid not even one such as you can know of my plans, my dear Inari." Putting the paper back on the desk, Thanatos stood from his stooped position, crossing his arms behind his back as he gave her a cool-eyed expression. Reaching within his suit, he pulled out the old key that Hades had retrieved earlier. "The boy holds a great power inside of him, and with these keys I am going to obtain that power for my own."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you just said I was not allowed to know of your plans, Master."

Thanatos shrugged, a dark smile curling across his lips. "I lied. I like to brag."