Chapter 37

Blade

I woke up screaming. I was unaware of anything that was happening around me. My body convulsed with excruciating pain. Gasping, I was finally freed from the pain. I just lay there, where I was for what seemed like an hour.

My brain was working sluggishly. It took a long time for me to remember my last waking moments. But when I did, the pain came back. Not as bad the second time around, and it didn't last that long, but still not fun.

"I was dead." I muttered. "What happened?" I asked myself. Tentatively I climbed off of the bed where I had been lying. The stone floor felt like ice against my bare toes. I realized that I was wearing a hospital gown.

Upon examining the room I realized that I had to be is one of the deeper parts of my palace, through how I had gotten here was beyond me. Turning around to exit through the door showed me that there were actually two beds in this room. My old one, and one other…with another boy about my age in it.

"Hey!" I said walking over to him. "What happened? How did I get here?" But for the life of me I couldn't wake him. I was about to slap him and see if that woke him up, but I realized that he must be really sick to have not woken up already. With that in mind, I continued my trek towards the door.

Before I made it to the door, however, it was opened. Two skeletons entered, carrying a small television between them. I couldn't have been more confused. Well actually it was about to get way more confusing.

The two ghouls set the TV on the foot of my bed. One of them then grabbed my hand and lead me back to my bed. The skeleton's actually tucked me in, which was very weird, but hey, comes with being the lord of the dead.

One of the skeletons disappeared behind me and then returned with a mirror. He held it up and allowed me to gaze at my reflection.

The only trouble is, it wasn't me looking back from the mirror. I snatched the mirror and pulled it closer. That wasn't my face! My long black hair was gone. In its place a short and messy brown hair. My eyes and nose had also changed, and I noticed many freckles that hadn't existed on my old face. I examined the rest of my body. I now had significantly more muscle than previously. I had to admit, having a six pack was a nice upgrade.

"What is going on?" I asked the silent skeletons. Instead of an answer, they turned the TV on. When it flickered to life, the two undead men retreated to guard the door.

My eyes focused on the screen. Something strange was happening here.

The screen should the throne room, but the throne was empty. Then a man walked on screen and took a seat in my shadow chair.

"Greetings Hades, or should I say my replacement." The man said. I actually gasped. This man was the old Hades! He looked old, but as old as I knew he really was. The old Hades had thick snow white hair and numerous wrinkles on his face. He had a chinstrap beard that ended in a tuft of hair like a goatee.

"If you're watching, then you just died." What a weird sentence I thought to myself. In any other situation that might have sounded funny, but not now. "I have a few things to explain to you. Hopefully my minions have shown you that you aren't the same as before you died." Hades paused, like he expected me to gaze at my new face again, but I wasn't in the mood to freak out some more. "You are the same person, in a different body. Some of Hekate's darker magic if I must say so. Anyways, since you are me, I know how you think. I figured that you would hate Hell as much as I did. I assumed that you would wage war with those hypocrites up on that hill. I also assumed that you would lose. I dreamed of doing what you did. But I also realized that it would get me exactly what you got. A nice death. I'm proud of you for waging war openly. But hopefully by now you have learned your lesson. We can't win against them. They have too much power. If all is going to plan, they are too busy celebrating to realize that you are still breathing. This is a golden opportunity. I waited eons for this chance. These new gods will not be able to withstand your new friends."

"New friends?" I muttered gazing skeptically at the skeletons. One of them shook his head at me and pointed to the video.

"As Hades, lord of the Underworld, you hold the keys to the prison of the Titans. No doubt several of the lesser Titans help you in your first rebellion. Those cowards are nothing to my father. Unleash Kronos. And Olympus will fall. The old Olympians barely defeated Dad. These kids will have no chance. This plan is risky, and the most important part is coming at the end."

I leaned in closer to the screen.

"Kronos yearns to rule as you do." Hades informed me. "He will help you defeat the other gods, but trust me! He will turn on you when the dust settles. You will be the last god he kills. Therefore you must set him on Olympus…alone. Give him an undead army, and several Titan brothers to help him, but make sure you yourself take no part in his battle. Rather wait. When Kronos wins the mountain, and win it he will, march on him yourself. Take him unawares while he is weak from the fighting. Subdue him and send him back where he came from. This will leave you as the ruler of Olympus and king of the gods."

I was speechless. I had never wanted to rule Olympus. I had merely wanted to be respected and loved by my family of gods. But they had scorned me and struck me down. They killed me. Maybe now I should kill them.

"NO!" Part of me shouted. "This is stupid. It's time to fold. Throw in your cards and beg them to let you live out your life peacefully in this new body." the voice told me. "You have been given a second chance. Use it to atone for past grievances."

"Oh and future me?" Hades stood up from his…my…throne and approached the camera. He put his face inches from the lens. "Spit of Zeus and Poseidon once for me when this is all done." Hades smiled, and extended his hand towards the camera. Then the screen went black. One of the skeletons began to move the other bed with the unconscious boy out of the room while the other helped me to stand up. He lead me out of the room and into the hallway. I was still holding the mirror. I gave my new body one new examination. I then gave the mirror back to the skeleton and turned to other his companion wheeling the occupied bed behind us.

I realized that Kronos would most likely be inhabiting this body that was laying in the bed. The other boy look similar to the new me, although he appeared to be taller and with way more muscles.

The skeletons were taking me deeper and deeper into my palace. When I had first become Hades, I had thought that I had explored the whole of this palace. I was wrong. I had never seen at least three quarters of this place in my early wanderings. I was walking down passages and corridors that were more numerous than hairs on my head. This place was freaking huge!

Eventually we came to another stone door. With two armed skeletons flanking the door. They bowed to me and opened the door. Upon entering the room, I found that I was in a prison. There was just one cell. I approached the bars.

"Hades…" a voice whispered. It was like the wind talking to me.

"Who are you?" I asked. Even though I had an idea.

The voice laughed. It shook the entire cavern. "I? I am Kronos!"