Chapter Nine

"Oh, so pretty!"

Of course, Niki would think a high-tech hospital research facility would be pretty. Although, a strange pride swelled up inside me at the sight of the brand new facility that took up three entire blocks. The buildings were sleek with black solar panels that absorbed the light from the artifical sun that hung in the sky above, causing the buildings to glint like a new dagger blade. The first building was the smallest with only five floors made up of offices and the main lobby before a long tubular hallway was poised high above the street to allow people to pass through beneath. The second building was much wider and taller with forty floors and hundreds of hospital rooms with the research facility taking up the space on the top ten floors. More hospital rooms took up the space in the third building beside it, connected by yet another wide tubular hallway so the street below remained open.

It was small compared to others, sure, but it would be bigger in time. It was currently being stocked with new medical supplies and machines that were being wheeled in by the moving crew. I could still smell the asphalt and wood and heat used to build it.

I had decided to bring Niki with me because I felt I would appear strange wandering around alone, and there was no way I would invite Theo or Cerberus, both of whom strongly protested the idea of having a hospital and research facility.

I appeared just in front of the main lobby beneath the balcony that was poised on the third floor to provide a bit of shade. Thankfully, it kept me hidden from citizens who was held back by plastic fencing so as to prevent any nosy intruders. I decided to come here as myself, unfortunately. A few movers eyed me nervously and most passed by as quickly as they could, avoiding me almost completely. Not that it mattered. I didn't give two shits about them.

I wanted to explore my new play place.

Niki scurried along behind me as the large front doors opened automatically, flashing no smoking signs, no teleporting, and no magical usage by patients and visitors, only personnel. Upon entering, I was met with the smell of sterile objects and paper. The main lobby was shaped like an eight, with two large circular rooms that were connected by a wide opening. One end was occupied by rows of plush leather seats for the waiting room, a handful of vending machines being placed in a nook between this room and the lobby that was occupied by three desks that allowed more people to have questions answered or appointments made. A hallway led from the center of the two rooms with double doors.

I made my way through the double doors and passed by offices that were still being stocked with silver L-shaped desks. Part of it against the wall with connected shelves for easy storage, the rest facing two leather chairs for visitors or patients.

I had already hired fifty new staff members and had announced more job openings. Hundreds of job openings for nurses, janitors, secretaries, assistants, doctors, surgeons, financial advisors. The list went on and on.

And I found myself in awe at my own work.

How could anyone possibly think this was a bad idea? It was beautiful! I had just offered hundreds of jobs to unemployed citizens. Even if there weren't many people with degrees, there was a need for people to clean and up hold the buildings facilities. Not only had I given hundreds of people new jobs, but I was providing a way to conserve magic and draw in more interest in science. Here, we could heal people, mortals and non-mortals. We could research new ways to save magic, to use magic, to use science.

"It's perfect." I breathed, running my hand along one of the clean sterile white walls. Niki beamed up at me.

"Very perfect!" He agreed. For once, I wasn't irritated by him. I was relieved that I had someone agreeing with me rather than chiding me about how useless this place was.

When it wasn't useless at all. Only ignorance fueled the thought that this was useless. They thought there was no need. They could just waste tons of energy healing themselves, without even knowing what they were doing. Healing with magic wasn't just snap your fingers and it was done. You had to know what you were healing and how to heal it. And if you had no idea what you were doing, you were just wasting more magic!

How stupid was that!

No, this place was revolutionary. This would be the center of the underworld.

Finally, I wouldn't regret this place.

I moved through the hallways, admiring the construction work. We found the way through the tubular hall that led to the next building. Niki was absolutely fascinated by it and the fact that when he looked down he could see people passing by and he waved excitedly to them as people waved back a bit nervously and in confusion. He scurried after me as I left the hallway and drifted into the hospital wing.

I breathed in a deep breath of cool sterile atmosphere. I walked past rooms where MRI machines were being installed, clean rooms being sterilized, hospital beds being moved into their rooms, heart monitors and oxygen tanks moved by wheeled carts. The sight was oddly enthralling. It was all so new and perfect.

"Master look so happy." Niki commented as I placed my hand on the nurse's station at the enter of a hallway intersection. The monitors were already installed, computers being plugged up to the electrical system while file cabinets were being nailed beneath the desks.

"For once, I think I am." I murmured, stroking the sleek marble surface. Niki beamed, hurrying along behind me as I walked up and down the halls.

"What master do with big hospital place?"

"Fix people."

"Oh," Niki exclaimed, "Like these?" I frowned, turning to see him hold up his hands, revealing numerous cuts. I scowled.

"How did you do that?" I demanded, snatching his hands to study the cuts that went in between his fingers, right in the tender place where his skin was thin and fragile. His knuckles were severely cut up, and a couple of his fingernails were missing. And the closer I looked at his left little finger, the more I realized it was broken and healed wrong. How had I not noticed that before?

"Oh," Niki said simply as if it were no problem, "Lots of things. Cutting potatoes. Fixin' papers. Books."

"When do you handle books?" I demanded. Imps didn't handle books, not unless it was to clean them up off the floor. Imps were so low on the food chain that they were bred in something akin to puppy mills. Some were born for the sole purpose of being purposely paralyzed and used as furniture or home decor. They were probably the most poorly treated species in the universe, and I had never thought about it until I stared at Niki's delicate little fingers severely disfigured. However, when I pointed out his mention of books, Niki grew pale and snatched his hands back, quickly backing up.

"No read books. Promise! Was just fixin'!" He cried nervously. I scowled.

"I'm not yelling at you for reading. What you do in your spare time is none of my business. I just don't want you running around with disfigured hands. Give them to me." I commanded. Niki looked terrified, looking around, then back down at his hands. A few movers had stopped to stare intensely, like they were waiting for me to literally remove Niki's hands. I rolled my eyes, grabbed his hands and sent a bolt of power into them, making him squeak in pain. I gripped them tight so he couldn't pull them away, then finally released them not more than thirty seconds later.

Niki blinked rapidly, staring down at his hands that were now good as new, fingernails and replaced finger all there.

"T-Thank you, master." Niki breathed in awe, wiggling his fingers. I snorted.

"You can thank me later with a foot massage." I answered. Niki made a noise of delight.

"Yay!"

Gods, he was beyond weird. I let him enjoy the idea of a foot massage, making me wonder if he even knew what that was, judging from his excitement. We continued away, movers passing us by as we weaved in and out of room and hallways.

The rooms were already home to new machines and counters and desks. Medical models and specimens being moved into a couple of classrooms for doctors in training and so on. It was like a strange piece of heaven right here in my own backyard.

"Master fix all kinds of people?" Niki asked after a while as we made our way back out through the other end of the building. I shrugged.

"Whoever comes in. It's a free clinic," I replied, but Niki gave me a confused stare and I rolled my eyes impatiently, "It means... Yes, basically, the hospital will fix all kinds of people. Poor, rich, young, old, demons, gods."

"Imps?" Niki asked hopefully. I frowned.

"Probably not." It wasn't that I didn't want to service imps. The more the merrier so I don't have to clean the bathroom. However, it was up to the doctors. They could take an "oath", but that didn't mean they would follow it. And even if they did, they would only do it because they would be afraid of my slitting their throats.

"Look, master," Niki exclaimed, moving to a newspaper stand that was set up on the street corner and he picked it up and held the front page to me, "You on paper everywhere!" I tried not to show my displeasure as I took the newspaper from Niki and stared at the headline he obviously couldn't read.

Research Facility Nightmare.

According to the article, some evil guy named Hades had destroyed homes with people still inside it. Oh, but the best part was that somehow ten turned into thirty, so now this evil Hades guy was responsible for the death of over thirty people, many of them poor children. Hades was apathetic toward the deaths and was too absorbed in his own madness that he didn't care that he'd orphaned children, destroyed families, and somehow was linked to an epidemic of influenza.

Wow, I must be really great to be able to do all of that without even knowing it.

I tossed the newspaper aside and teleported home with Niki right behind me. I sent him off to prepare dinner as I stalked the hallways. I found myself standing in front of that dark room again, just a few doors down from mine. Once upon a time, I had no problem bursting into this room. Now I felt like I'd catch fire if I stepped foot inside. I swallowed hard against an unseen force that tried to choke me before twisting the door knob in my grip and stepping inside once again.

For a moment, I almost wished I had burst into flames. Then at least the headache the media caused would go away. But I didn't. I just stood in a cold empty, dusty room.

And for a moment, I remembered when this room was brighter and full of life. I remembered a little boy that barely reached my knees, short black hair, and eyes the color of the mortal sky. Reaching tiny hands for me the moment I entered the room, his delighted laughter filling the air like a musical chime.

"Daddy," He cried out, "Daddy!" His tiny fists landed in my pantleg and pulled desperately. I stooped low and hoisted him up into my arms. His giggles were such an odd sound. So carefree and happy. His small arms went around my neck and hugged me tight, a wet baby kiss plastering to my cheek.

I shuddered, pulling away from the memory and quickly stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it.

I wished I was on fire.

I already felt like I was fire. Pain pulsed hot through my veins, my chest drawing tight as I tilted my head back, closing my eyes and facing the ceiling. How nice it would be to have someone so happy to see me for once. Sure, it was relatively nice to have Niki see me, but it was a conditioned response. I just wanted someone to be happy to see me just because.

I scowled at myself and banged the back of my head against the door before pushing off of it and heading down the hallway.

No way. That's just stupid. It would ruin everything I'd worked so hard for.

I wandered the halls until Niki came to inform me dinner was finished. I wasn't very hungry, but Niki looked extremely proud, so I reluctantly agreed to eat whatever it was he made if he brought it to me while I bathed. I filled the tub and climbed inside, using the hairclip Persephone had sent me to put my hair up in an almost fountain style. It was feminine and I disliked it, but it got the job done and Persephone always made strange noises of delight whenever she saw me wear it. I sat in the tub as Niki hurried in with a cart of his food.

It was warm and fresh. I was surprised at how hungry I suddenly was. My stomach cramped desperately for a bite of the hummus that was whipped into a small bowl with a side of pita chips, my favorite yogurt beside it, and a pomegrante. He disconnected the tray and placed it beside the tub. He started to leave before I cleared my throat, narrowing my eyes at him and he stiffened nervously.

"You owe me a foot massage." I commanded. Niki breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded quickly, then paused to tilt his head in confusion as he looked at me.

"Uhm..."

"Get in the tub and rub my feet." I ordered. Niki nodded quickly and put the tray on the cart before taking his clothes off and climbing into the tub at my feet. He scooted closer, lathering his hands with soap before he took my foot and began to knead his thumbs into it. I groaned, tilting my head back as I bit into a pita chip and Niki jumped.

"Did Niki do something bad?" He asked. I shook my head, closing my eyes in bliss.

"I just really needed this. Keep rubbing. And from now on, only you can prepare my meals." I replied. Niki appeared absolutely thrilled and returned to massaging my feet as I ate the meal he had prepared. I was finally relaxed and calm. The argument during the United Pantheon meeting faded from my mind, the inaccurate newspaper, all of it had become nothing. I was finally comfortable as Niki continued to massage my feet and moved to my ankles. After I while, I let him wash up a bit before he moved onto my hair while I ate the last of the yogurt.

"Master has pretty hair." Niki commented as he rinsed the shampoo out while I kept my eyes closed. I wrinkled my nose at his comment.

"I wouldn't think of it like that," I said dryly, "It's actually quite irritating."

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't be. Opinions make the world go round."

"Niki thought money do that."

"Nah. Opinions control even money." I responded. Niki seemed awed by this new piece of information and was silent as he absorbed it. If he wasn't washing my hair, I'd shake my head at him. His wonder was silly, and oddly enough, reminded me of Ambrosius. He was easily fascinated by things and upon learning something new, had reacted with child-like wonder. Something about that innocence, that ability to see beauty, it was enrapturing. My heart suddenly ached and I reached up to rub at my chest.

"Master okay?" Niki asked worriedly. I started to reply that I was fine when someone came rushing into my bathroom, another servant, and instantly my angered was ignited.

"Who gave you permission to come in here?! Get out!" I snarled. Niki yelped and jumped back while the other servant took a few trembling steps back as I rose up out of the tub and held my hand out to Niki for a towel. He handed it to me as I wrapped it around my waist and stepped out, glaring at the small servant girl, who swallowed nervously.

"M-My lord, I would not have come in if it were not an emergency. Lord Cerberus and Sept are here with horrible news." She stammered. I scowled, but she didn't elaborate as she sprinted from the room. I rolled my eyes and quickly dried myself before changing into my armor, giving Niki a change of clothes before we teleported from the bathroom to my throne room where sure enough, Cerberus and Sept stood there looking grim. I glared at them impatiently.

"What is so important that you had to send a servant in on me while I was bathing?" I demanded angrily. Talk about ruining my zen. Cerberus glared at me, arms folded over his chest while Sept gave me an apologetic stare.

"Lord Hades, the main lobby of the hospital was set on fire." He said. I went still.

"What?" I asked, unsure if I had heard correctly. Cerberus rolled his eyes.

"What? You want it on repeat? Some group of rebels set fire to the main lobby of the hospital and tried to burn down the rest of it, but thankfully it just destroyed all that nice work in the lobby. It's a few million drachma of damage, but nothing you can't handle, right?" He asked. I just stared at him. An odd feeling settled over me at that. Someone tried to burn down the hospital? Who tried to burn a hospital down? Granted, there weren't any patients yet, but still. It was a hospital. Hospitals were there to heal people, to help people. For crying out loud, it was a free clinic. Creatures of all sorts, mortals and non, were allowed to go there for any kind of emergency. It was brand-fucking-new.

"Get out." I said after a moment. Cerberus scowled.

"What? You can just--"

"I said get out!" I snarled. Cerberus twitched and started to argue, but somehow, Niki seemed to catch onto my preparation to explode because he hurried over to them and waved his hands.

"Please no now," He said quickly, nervously, "Come back, uhm, much later? Fix for master, please?" Cerberus scoffed at him, unamused as he took a step back.

"You shouldn't be surprised that this happened," Cerberus told me callously, "You destroyed homes and people. It's about time someone destroyed something of yours." He disappeared a moment later and Sept followed suit. Niki quickly stepped out of the throne room and shut the door quietly behind him.

I let the calm fascade drop, breathing hard as pain assailed me so suddenly that it almost drove me to my knees.

It's just a building. You can rebuild it.

But it was my building. No, it wasn't just mine. It wasn't just a building. It was a hospital. A research facility. It was going to improve lifestyle, save lives, bring in a new future. There were already a few clinics around Styx, but all of them were shutting down because of the hospital, because the doctors wanted to work at the new hospital. The clinics were old-fashioned and out-dated. This new hospital was gigantic. It was supposed to help people.

You're a god. Just kill the rebels.

So what? So I could just have more pop up and try and burn my house down next time? Would they really resort to that, even knowing that my death would rupture the balance?

But my hospital... my research facility... Didn't anyone see the good in it? Was it really such an awful thing? How was I supposed to know that there were people inside those buildings? They hadn't registered to cheat me out of taxes and fees. I had told the construction workers to secure the area. Had they just disregarded my orders? Why was no one listening to me?

Don't fucking save my life, you pathetic whelp. You're embarrassing me! I'll show you what happens to people who try to embarrass me.

Your soul is already damned.

No. That wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Every time this happened, every time I tried to do something right, it always backfired in my face. Was I really meant to be bitter and cruel? Was that what the Fates wanted for me? Was that why everything blew up in my face?

Pain spread through my veins like hot ice. I couldn't even tell what the temperature was anymore. I felt my vision tilting, my heart hammering hard in my chest. I started to go call Persephone for help, but then I remembered a voice screaming.

Hades! Hades, please, sweetheart!

Who the hell would call me that?

Before I knew it, I was teleporting from my destroyed throne room at the palace to a dark hole in the ground. Green lanterns lit up the walls in between each barred cell. Bars that were steaming because they were so hot. The hole reeked horribly of feces, urine, blood, and death. The only sounds came from water dipping through the ceiling and landing on the dirty ground, packed dirt and rocks. Inside each cell was a body, one that breathed, but looked more like a Holocaust victim.

In one cell, I spotted two twin brothers. One lay in a crumple on the bottom of his cell wearing only a shirt, his jaw so severely scarred from torture that no facial hair could grown. His brother lay draped across him, his rapid breathing indicating he was awake while his brother was asleep. A brother trying to protect his other brother while he slept. A look-out.

Beside their cell was another small cramped cell shadowed in misery and woe. Inside, a man lay trembling in a far corner, back to the wall, face marred with scars and festering wounds like the ones that bled and oozed pus over the rest of him. His black hair was caked to his face with blood and sweat, blood crusting his eyes shut. And not far from him lay a woman standing on trembling weak legs, wearing only a long torn chiton stained in body fluids and blood. Her long deep auburn hair was a tangled matted mess pulled back into a ponytail from a battered, bruised face.

"Hades?" She whispered, voice hoarse and destroyed from millenia of torture. I clenched my teeth.

"I need you to shut up." I said after a while. She stumbled toward the bars, went to touched them, then cried out in agony when they made contact, filling the air with the rancid stench of burnt flesh. I curled my lip, took a step toward her to push her back from the bars, but I caught myself before making a stupid mistake.

"Hades, you're in pain," She croaked, making me narrow my eyes on her, "I can feel it... Who's hurt you? Why are you so sad?"

"Like you give a shit, you backstabbing..." I found myself unable to finish the insult.

"Darling, please... Don't say that... You know I love you."

"Yeah, I don't think feeding me to him constitutes as love." I sneered at her, gesturing to the broken god at the back of her cell, who was now chewing on his fingers and muttering about spiders living in his skin. I grimaced in disgust. It was strange to see the all powerful Titan king broken and insane. Rhea ignored him and kept her one good eye on me, because the other was swollen shut from torture and infection. It was every doctor's nightmare to stand in this room.

Even though I loathed them with a passion, my fingers itched for me to get in there and treat the infectious wounds. The torture spoon fed to them would have killed a mortal in less than minutes, but because they were immortal... well, this was the result.

"Baby, I was scared he'd kill you." Rhea pleaded. I rolled my eyes. So feeding us to him was just fine. I think I'd of rather been killed than allowed to age enough to cling to the Source. Living in Cronus's stomach acid wasn't like one would expect. Cronus wasn't a giant that ate people. His mouth was a portal to, yes, his stomach, but it was a whole other realm there. Very small and cramped, granted, but a realm nonetheless.

It was only islands, small, with acidic stomach fluids. It was like being stuck on a deserted island and surrounded by acid. My siblings and I somehow managed to survive in that wasteland he called a stomach. Poseidon, who'd been the oldest of us, fetched the food while Hestia, the next eldest, took care of the rest of us. But it was a rotting shithole. We managed to find a way to feed off of Cronus's energy, to devour the ambrosia and nectar he'd stupid guzzled non-stop in a futile attempt to remain invincible.

Just thinking about it was making me sick.

"Come here, sweetie," Rhea whispered, reaching out to me between the bars, "Let me soothe the pain those bastards caused you."

"I don't even know why I'm here," I snarled at her, "You never gave two shit about me, or any of us. The only one you loved was Zeus, and he turned out to be a massive prick, who trapped you here. How do you feel about that?"

"He's my baby," Rhea whispered in agony, "A mother can't help, but love her children... All of them."

"You have a shitty way of showing it."

"But you believe me," Rhea murmured, making me glare at her, "Otherwise, why would you have come here? You're in pain and you want what any normal person would want... You want your mother to hold you and tell you everything is all right." I barked out a bitter laugh at that, approaching her cell to sneer in at her.

"Is that what you think? You know very well I can't touch you. You'll suck my powers out and use them for your own."

"I would never. I deserve what I got."

"Yeah, you do, but you don't believe that," I spat in disgust, "You're trying to trick me." Rhea gave me a long sad stare.

"You're hurting, sweetheart. Who hurt you? If you won't let me hold you, tell me who hurt you."

"Why do you give a shit?"

"Because you're my baby." She whispered. I glared at her. I wanted to reach in there and strangle her for this. She was using my pain to her advantage, and the fact that I truly was in pain only angered me further.

Why was I so upset? Why should I be? Because a bunch of misfit lesser creatures tried to destory what I worked so hard on? Why should that bother me?

"It isn't fair," I snarled suddenly, fed up with keeping quiet as I turned to glare at Rhea, who tilted her head to look at me sadly, "I didn't know! I didn't know anything the people in those homes! Taxes and fees are required to keep the city on its feet, and it's not even that high! It's equal to maybe a hundred dollars a year in American money? Maybe less, depending on the people who have apartments! It's not that expensive! No one told me there were people in those houses! I was building a hospital! I was building a place for them! And what do they do to repay me? They try to burn it down?!"

"How ungrateful," Rhea whispered in agony, leaning against the wall beside the bars, peering out at me, "People are so cruel."

"And stupid! Fucking stupid! You know what? Burn it down! In fact, I'll help them! I'll burn it to the ground and watch them just die in the streets! I'll take those precious shops they love so much and just burn those down too!"

"And burn the whole city down?"

"Down to every last woman and child!"

"What did they do to you?"

"I don't know," I shouted in agony, breathing hard and blinking rapidly as I struggled to contain my anger and hurt, "It's not fair! This happens every time! You know what happened after I tried to save Zeus, after I tried to save Poseidon! And after Persephone...! And then this-this whore! This stupid stupid whore! He spews bullshit about how much he loves me and how precious I am to him, but when he finds out who I am, he hates me?! What's wrong with me! Why do people do that to me? You, that bastard husband of yours, Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Ambrosius! Everyone! What the fuck is this shit! Maybe I was meant to just... to just be the bad guy."

"No," Rhea breathed, touching her own cheek before reaching through the bars, "No, sweetheart, don't say that. You're not a villain. You were always sweet and protective. You saved your brothers, your sisters. You fought your own father and mother to save them. Persephone's an ungrateful cunt, and you know that."

"Don't talk about her like that!" I snarled. Rhea shook her head.

"You're only angry because you know I'm right. She did the same thing that whore did to you. She doesn't appreciate what you do for her. You made her a queen. Mortals quake with fear before her because of what you did for her. You gave her a home and people and sons--"

"Sons that aren't even hers," I protested angrily, "Not even the mothers of my sons loved me! Euphemia abandoned me for her brat! She killed herself protecting him! Aria was just a huge drunken mistake until she brought Theo to me and I couldn't say no and then Malachi's mother-- She told Persephone I forced myself on her! Forced myself on her?! I wanted to blast her friggin' head off, but she told me she'd tell Persephone that I raped her, and she did it anyway and I went to kill her and she told me she was pregnant!"

"What a harlot." Rhea cursed.

"Tell me about it," I groaned, raking my hands through my hair, "It always happens to me. I'm used and then left alone. Why is it that happens to me? What's wrong with me? What did you see in me that was so wrong? Why was Zeus special? Why wasn't it me? Why couldn't you look at me the way you looked at Zeus?" Without realizing it, I had drawn near the cell and my hands were trembling out in front of me before a second later, Rhea reached through the bars and caught them in her wrists.

I froze, hands shaking as I felt an almost instantaneous pull from inside. I jerked my head up to see Rhea staring at me with pity through the bars, her swollen eye completely healed now as she gazed at me.

"You're just unlovable." She whispered.

My vision turned black and I hit the ground a second later.