Chapter Nine

Cerberus's house was gigantic.

It was made entirely of some kind of sleek black stone with a very sharp tall roof to the left while the rest of it was flat, and tall tinted windows running across the taller part of the structure. An arched triangle shaped door with two very colorful trees on either side of it. In fact, now that I looked around, there was a ton of plant life everywhere. Trees towering high into the cloudy sky, rows of tangled clovers, and as we crossed the small bridge over the River Acheron that ran around his property like a moat, I noticed bright green vines creeping up along one corner of the house and spreading out across the smooth surface of the house.

"Let me knock. Stanton, keep an eye on Alaric." Akin added under his breath as he turned to the door. Hannibal hung back at the rear of our group, probably because he didn't get along with Cerberus, or so it seemed from the way he eyed the place like a foreboding shadow. Stanton kept a grip on my elbow, making me glare at him before I became entranced with the nearby bush of dark violt flowers that bloomed open to reveal a vivid yellow center.

"Stanton," I whispered excitedly, "There's little suns in those flowers!" Stanton ignored me and I gave his sleeve a tug, but he still wasn't listening. I think he was too worried about Cerberus, but fine, whatever. I could look at the suns all I wanted. I wanted to touch it, but when I reached for it, Hannibal caught my wrist and I hissed at him for it, but he didn't react to it.

"Those are poisonous." He stated. I furrowed my brow and looked down at the flower.

"No way. It's way too pretty." I muttered and went to touch it again, but this time, Hannibal almost crushed my wrist and made me squeak in alarm.

"Danger seldom appears so," He told me sternly, then looked at Stanton, "You'd do well to watch him. He's going to kill himself sooner rather than later." Stanton passed him an unimpressed glare, which was only creepier due to his entirely black irises.

"And you'd do well to get your hand off him. I'm watching him just fine." He replied sternly. Hannibal stared at him and for a moment, I swore they were having one of those weird telepathic moments, except it wasn't sweet like Akin and Hannibal's had been. This one was awkward and full of tension, so I chewed on the sleeve of my sweatshirt and tapped my foot on the cobblestones until someone finally answered the door.

Blaine answered the door. Petite and delicate with pale green eyes and chestnut brown hair pulled into a ponytail over his shoulder, he wore a cropped tank top and loose exercise pants. He cocked his head, sniffed once, then his eyes widened.

"Akin? What're you doing here?" He asked. Akin pouted for a moment, then just smiled.

"Sorry to drop in on you so suddenly. We're actually here to see Cerberus. We have a bit of an emergency. Please tell me he's home." He added hopefully. Blaine paused, frowning as he tilted his head slowly before perking up.

"Ah, no, but he's gonna be home any minute, so come on in." He said, stepping aside. Akin came in first, gesturing for the rest of us to follow, and Blaine made a humming sound as I passed, making me look at him curiously.

"You're Alaric," Blaine said, closing the door behind Hannibal and pausing to hold his hand out so he could find me and I reached out to bump my hand into his, "So you finally found Akin?"

"You've met?" Akin asked, confused.

"Long story." Blaine assured. I scrunched up my nose at that and took his hand in mine, poking at his palm in awe.

"Your hand is totally soft." I exclaimed. Blaine snatched his hand back, scowling in confusion and Akin cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Actually, I kind of have a long story too. Mind if we sit down and talk?" He asked. Blaine hesitated for a moment, then reclutantly nodded and led us through the large gaping foyer with four different openings along with an L-shaped staircase that went up onto a catwalk that disappeared into a hallway upstairs. We went through the opening beneath the catwalk and entered a very nice kitchen designed with white and black marbled counters, everything modern right down to the large fridge. Two pairs of sliding glass doors opened out onto a huge patio that was neatly decorated and surrounded by yet more plant life.

"Do you have lots of poisonous flowers out there?" I asked, moving away from Stanton to go to the glass door, touching my hand against it. Blaine, who was pouring everyone something to drink, tilted his head in my direction.

"Maybe. Why? Don't tell me you touched one of them." He demanded.

"No," I replied, then settled down on the floor in front of the glass door, folding my legs and staring out the window, "You have a nice yard."

"Is he on drugs?" Blaine asked, moving back to the table to hand everyone their drinks. Akin nodded and proceeded to give Blaine a crash course explanation of what was happening. Every so often, Blaine would ask a question and Akin would answer. Hannibal remained motionless and silent the entire time by Akin's side like a dutiful puppy. Stanton sat the furthest away from them, closer to me, his arms folded over his chest and his eyes narrowed on everyone as if he wanted to just kill them all and move on with his life.

I mostly ignored them because I was enchanted with the backyard. I'd always wanted a backyard. It was a silly thing to want considering our house was gigantic and if I wanted space, I could go anywhere in the house, but a backyard was different. Theirs was covered with plush green grass and even their patio was fancy and nice made of smooth white and black stones put together, a nice wrought iron patio set, an outdoor grill, and even a fire pit in the middle of a group of chairs.

So many chairs... They must have a lot of friends.

There were six trees in the yard, all set up in a sort of circle, actually. It was very nice and mystical. Beyond that was more grass and flowers and all sorts of other interesting plants I'd never seen before. And just beyond that was a huge open flat field that stretched out to what I assumed was the River Acheron, because in the distance, I could see a tiny house settled on the beach. And beyond that was a wall of rocky mountains that ran along the length of the river before revealing what appeared to be a giant castle of some sort built into the side of the mountains.

"Does Hades live over there?" I asked, pointing at the glass.

"Over where?" Blaine deadpanned. Oh, right, he was blind.

"Yes," Stanton snapped impatiently, then leaned forward, "Is Cerberus on his way here yet? Isn't there a way you can contact him? This is really important. In case you don't realize, he's dying. He's turning white." Blaine glared in his general direction.

"So was Michael Jackson, but he wasn't a douche about it. Calm down. Cerberus is never late. He'll be here. He said two and it's almost two." He replied in irritation. Stanton made a sound of supreme disgust and sat back in his seat while Blaine rolled his eyes and muttered "this guy" while jabbing a thumb in his direction. I groaned and fell back onto the floor so I was looking at an upside down version of everyone sitting at the table.

"Nobody answered my question." I complained, completely forgetting Stanton's rude response. Blaine sighed, rubbing his temples.

"If you're talking about the gargantuan Haunted Mansion in the distance, then yes. That's Hades's. Charon's is the tiny house on the river." He answered briefly. I hummed thoughtfully at that, rolling on the floor before I spotted the living room through an opening that led to a short hallway. I moved across the floor and went to crawl towards it, but Stanton stepped on my pantleg and almost ripped my pants off in the process, making me gasp and whip around into an awkward sitting position so I could smack at his leg.

"Stay put." Stanton ordered. I glared at him.

"You ain't the boss of me."

"Considering you're about to land in my territory, yes. Yes, I am."

"What territory?"

"That awkward place between life and death, Casper. Now stop running around," Stanton commanded, then turned to Akin, who was frowning at him, "You got anymore of those super pills? Maybe we can drug him up enough to make him pass out." Akin scowled at the very idea while Blaine just smirked, amused, thumping his elbow on the table and resting his cheek against his palm. No sooner did Akin prepare to answer with a possibly snarky comment, did the air ripple and Cerberus appeared in the room just two feet in front of me so that the first thing I saw of him were his gigantic Gothic style boots, hulking and definitely a size eighteen if not larger. Little skull shaped buckles ran all the way up to his knees, followed by a pair of tight leather pants hugging muscular legs, a belt decorated with more skulls, and a naked torso revealing washboard abs and bulging biceps hugged by a cropped leather jacket.

And then I found myself looking into the face of the biggest man I'd ever seen in my entire life. His eyes were a deep shade of bloody red, and hair a thick inky black in fashionable layers just past his shoulders and bangs that swept across the side of his face and framed the rest of it.

"You're kinda hot." I stated, poking his boots. Cerberus looked around, bewildered.

"What the heck is this? Oh, and thanks, I know." He added, giving me a wink. I smirked, then hissed when Stanton grabbed me and yanked me back against his knees. The look he gave Cerberus warned him to get closer.

"Oh, and why is Death in my house?" Cerberus asked, eyeing Stanton warily. Blaine sighed.

"Sorry, babe. It's a long story, but according to them, we don't have time to give a run through. Think you can get them an audience with Oh Mighty Overlord of Shit?" He asked. Cerberus's eyes darkened in a way that was a little scary. Obviously Cerberus was as fond of Hades as everyone else I'd run into so far. Except maybe Akin. Akin seemed to see some kind of light in Hades that I couldn't. Like the light he saw in Hannibal. How did he do that? Was it magic?

"Why?" Cerberus spoke in a hard voice. Akin stood up to address Cerberus sternly.

"Don't give me that tone of voice," He scolded, making Cerberus wrinkle his nose in distaste, "If we don't, Alaric's going to die." Cerberus scowled in confusion before Akin cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably and pointed to me.

"He's Alaric. And he's my little brother." He stated. Cerberus blinked rapidly for a moment, then looked back and forth between us in disbelief. I looked back and forth between him and Cerberus. Akin just glared at him impatiently and Cerberus seemed to trying to cope with this new piece of information. I slumped back against Stanton's legs, reaching up to squeeze his thighs, making him jump.

"I want to suck your cock." I stated. Stanton glared at me and clapped a hand over my mouth. Blaine choked and started laughing until he had tears in his eyes while Akin grimaced. Hannibal surprisingly looked close to chuckling, but his lips were pursed so as to keep it at bay and not laugh in case it angered Akin. Cerberus was just staring at me now.

"You want to save him?" He asked Akin, who glared.

"Cerberus."

"Ugh," Cerberus groaned, running a hand through his hair before pinching the bridge of his nose, "Okay... Okay, fine. But I can't promise you he'll help you at all whatsoever. And to make this easier, we're leaving Hannibal here. If we went anywhere near Hades with Hannibal, he'll not only say no, he'll fry you on the spot." Akin nibbled his bottom lip, glancing at Hannibal, who just cocked his head and Blaine sobered, leaning his elbows on the table as he crossed his arms.

"Hannibal can stay here with me."

"I don't even like the sound of that at all." Cerberus deadpanned. Akin shot him a dirty look and Cerberus just threw his arms out as a challenge. The tension in the air was awful and rancid. And I could only watch as Stanton kept his hands over my mouth, my body clamped between his legs so I couldn't move around the kitchen floor, which sucked because I wanted to go to the living room to see the giant television. Hannibal just sat there in silence, staring down at the floor, his eyes narrowed.

Even with all the drugs in my system, I could tell Cerberus's assumption of what would happen when we left hurt his feelings. I reached up and wiggled Stanton's hands off my face so I could speak to him.

"It's okay," I told Hannibal, who frowned at me, "I know you wouldn't do anything to Blaine. Cuz you didn't do anything to Akin. And Akin likes you and if Akin likes you, I like you. That's cool, right?" Hannibal blinked, baffled and he looked at Akin, confused. Akin blinked quickly like he was fighting back tears before he offered me a grateful smile. Cerberus started to speak, but Blaine cut him off.

"Cerberus, get the fuck out. Hannibal's fine here. I'll take good care of him. Besides, he can help me make dinner." Blaine explained, getting to his feet. Cerberus clenched his teeth. There was anger and distress burning hot in his smoldering red eyes, but he seemed to know better than to argue with Blaine. He looked at Hannibal with a stare that promised death.

"If you lay so much as one finger on him, I will hang you by your intestines." He seethed. Hannibal just stared at him blankly while Akin glared at Cerberus.

"Touch him and I'll make you wish you were never created."

"Pancakes!" I exclaimed. That succeeded in making everyone look at me oddly. I just smiled, unsure why I even shouted that in the first place. I felt strange. A flash of burning ice flooding through my veins that made me whimper low in my throat. I felt Stanton's grip on me tighten as he sank down on the floor behind me and caught me under the arms as I sucked in deep gulps of air. Pain pulsed hot through my limbs, making my muscles feel weak and limpy, my bones ached as if something was trying to break them open and escape. Stanton clutched me, desperately.

"Alaric? Alaric, what's wrong?" He demanded. Cerberus's eyes flashed.

"He's an artificial?" He asked in disbelief, looking at Akin, who looked at him, puzzled.

"You can't tell?"

"No way. I thought he was just another devil spawn half-breed or something."

"No, he's an artificial and he's dying and you have to take us to Hades so he can do something!" Akin snapped. Cerberus sighed miserably, but didn't argue any further. Stanton scooped me up in his arms and I slumped against him, my face pressing into the warmth of his shirt and jacket. I inhaled the hot scent of him as Cerberus touched our shoulders and we teleported from Cerberus's kitchen to a gigantic throne room. I was expecting corpses hanging from the ceiling and the ground littered with bones, but I was surprised when we poofed into a room that was heavily designed with beautiful flora decor. Trees ran the length of the walls to the throne where a flower decorated throne sat beside a foreboding black one that looked like there were faces in the deep obsidian darkeness of it.

"He'll be right behind us." Cerberus told us, taking a step back. I let out a low moan of pain as more ice shot through my veins. I trembled, teeth chattering as I looked down to see the tips of my fingers turning a very pale blue, spreading up my hands and arms. Akin made a noise of distress, scrambling for the pain pills, not that they would do anything.

"What the fuck is this?" A voice boomed, making me shudder and tilt my head away from Stanton to see Hades in all his terrifying glory. Somehow, on his own turf, he managed to look scarier than he had when he was standing in Thorn's office back in Purgatory before the war. He was freakishly tall, almost as tall as Cerberus, with pitch black hair that fell over one shoulder, piercing cold blue eyes and steel black armor that glinted dangerously. I started to make a snarky comment about his lame-ass outfit when another shock of pain wracked my body and I only managed a pathetic cry of pain, clutching at my gut.

A sharp icy sensation spreading through my stomach and I shuddered, grabbing at Stanton's jacket, making him wince.

"Alaric?" He demanded. Only my teeth chattered in response as he dropped down to his knees to start rubbing at my arms. Hades scowled for a moment before realization spread across his features.

"Why is there a dying artificial on my floor?" He demanded, snapping his gaze to Cerberus, who threw his hands up in surrender.

"Don't look at me. They asked for an audience. And I gave it to them. They want you to help the little one that's writhing on your floor." He added, gesturing to me. I panted hard in pain, clutching at my chest as burning hot ice spread through my chest. The cold blue chill spread up my arms, steadily turning them a pale shade of blue. Hades narrowed his eyes, unamused as he folded his arms over his chest.

"And what makes you think I'd help him?" He asked, glancing sideways at Cerberus before Akin stepped forward and Hades made a noise of disgust at the sight of him, which Akin pretended not to notice.

"Lord Hades, please help him. He's just an innocent kid. He needs help. We were told you're the only artifical expert there is." He pleaded gently. I could just see the light dancing in Hades's eyes at being begged to. He was getting a sick thrill out of this and it made my stomach churn. Then again, he was the guy who tried to strike a deal with me that I take Akin and ditch Hannibal. It made me sick to my stomach to think he'd do the same thing again, except to Akin. Surely he wouldn't make Akin choose between Hannibal and I? I wouldn't put it past him to be honest.

"And what would I get out of this?" Hades asked, raking me with an unimpressed stare before looking back at Akin, who clenched his teeth impatiently.

"I don't know. We can discuss your terms after you save Alaric."

"What if I asked for something impossible--"

"I don't care! You get whatever you want, just save my brother!" Akin cried in exasperation. Hades hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin. He was purposely stalling to make fun of Akin and torture me. More pain spread through me and I choked for air, tilting my head back against Stanton's shoulder as he held onto me, patting at my cheek to keep me conscious.

Things were beginning to blur over with a bluish-gray haze. I couldn't stop shivering. Everything was suddenly freezing, no matter how much Stanton rubbed at my arms and cheeks. I was freezing to death. And now my fingertips were steadily turning black. My teeth chattered and I managed a low whimper in my throat.

I could hear Akin talking rapidly, probably to Hades to try and rush him.

I wished he'd just leave it all alone. Hades was probably going to ask for Hannibal so he could destroy him. Akin would never agree to that. I was as good as dead, and it really didn't bother me. I was too much of a pain in the ass anyway. What purpose would it serve to bother with me?

"Don't." I stammered through clacking teeth. Stanton scowled at me in confusion through the haze. My voice sounded so small and hoarse. It made my skin crawl.

"Don't let him... make a deal," I stuttered, making Stanton's brow knit together in a frown, his teeth clenching so tight that a tic started in his jaw, "Stan...ton... please... he's... gonna ask for Hannibal." Stanton glared at me, then glanced over at Akin, who seemed to still be arguing with Hades with Cerberus trying to referee them. God, my brother had balls if he was arguing with the lord of the underworld. Stanton looked back at me and met my eyes. There was something eerie flickering in those black eyes of his.

"Then let him," Stanton breathed quietly, reaching down to brush the hair back from my face, making me look at him in confusion, "I don't even care if Hades asks for Akin's life. I'll give him anyone he wants to save you." I almost laughed at that, but I couldn't even manage that now as the ice had reached my vocal cords and froze them. All I could manage were shaky breathes and strange choking whimpers.

Why would he say that? Why did it matter to him whether I died or not?

I was so confused, and in pain.

I couldn't concentrate on Stanton's strange words or Akin's argument with Hades.

I could only focus on the throbbing agony spreading through me. I trembled and shook for a while before the ice seemed to be hardening my quivering muscles. I couldn't move my legs anymore and my vision was becoming a white slate. It was like looking through a frosted window and just barely seeing Stanton's face hovering above mine. I couldn't really feel his hand patting my cheek anymore, or hear his voice.

Dying wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I expected my entire life to flash before my eyes...

Wait. There was no life there. I tried to search through my memories, to bring to life the memories I'd had of my family and friends, but the more I tried, the more I realized I couldn't remember any of it. Who was my father? Mother? Did I have one? Siblings? Where was I?

Panic started to rise inside me as I realized that I was steadily forgetting everything from my past. I was even beginning to forget the man who was leaning over me through the haze.

Was he crying? I couldn't really tell with this frost in my face. I could just see a pair of black eyes, blonde hair hanging in his handsome face.

God, he was hot.

Too bad I was dying.

I wouldn't mind dating him... whatever dating was. I wasn't sure how I knew what dating was. I felt like it was something romantic. Was I romantic? I had no idea. I couldn't remember anymore.

And then the frost faded.

The handsome man's face disappeared and I was plunged into a cold darkness.

I'm dead.