Claimed by the dark

Chapter 5

Days pass without any clues or leads that could help me find mom.

Before my money runs out I've been clever enough to find the job of a waitress in the same hotel.

Fortunately, One of the girls had quit her job and I was around to hear about it and jump at the opportunity.

None of the staff members are allowed to live in the hotel for obvious reasons. When I tell them I have no other place to stay they moved me to a room not far from the hotel.

It's small and old and sometimes smells musty. The wallpaper is coming off the walls and I hear sounds of rodents behind the walls but I have always been the type of person who takes what I can get. I have learned long time back that complaining and moping won't do any good.

Yet, In this situation of no clues or leads, my positive attitude is taking some serious beating.

I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever find that stranger.

My mom's kidnapper.

I head back to my room after my shift at the hotel and yet another unsuccessful hour at the police station.

I enter, Flip the light switch 'on'

The sight in front of me makes my heart jump to my throat.

He is here.

In my room.

"I'm not here to harm you " Are the first words he says to me as he looks at my open and ready to scream out like a crazy banshee mouth.

I slowly close my mouth but don't dare take my eyes off him.

I've heard somewhere that panic could make such situations worst so I take in quick small breaths in a bid to calm myself but it doesn't work though he hadn't done anything threatening to me, Yet.

He is sitting in the chair by the wall that seems a little too small for him and his long legs. He hadn't moved an inch but his presence is dominating the entire room.

I wonder if I should throw open the tiny window in my room to let in some fresh air.

Despite my shocked and panicked thoughts I can't help but notice the stark difference between him and the surroundings of my shabby room.

He is wearing a long dark coat like thing that falls way below his knees and long black boots that look expensive.

Common sense says he should look funny but he doesn't.

He looks magnificent.

His broad shoulders fill the coat and the deep parted collar gives a good view of a strong muscular chest and his dark long hair are past his shoulders...

I've never found men with long hair attractive but he......I frown at myself .

What the hell is wrong with me?

This guy is a damn kidnapper!

He took away my mom and now he is in my room.

This so not right and not to mention super creepy.

He is dangerous.

And may more so with that attractive face of his.

I straighten my shoulders and raise my chin at him refusing to be intimidated by his regal looks anymore.

"Listen If you are a psychopath or something let me tell you the cops have had their eyes on me ever since you kidnapped my mom, If they don't find me here they will get to you, Sooner or later " I threaten him " I guess it will be sooner rather than later " I lie in my most confident voice.

The police isn't keeping its eye on me , They have no reason to .

But he doesn't know that so I silently hope he doesn't do anything dangerous to me while I'm alone her with him.

I expect him to look scared and nervous but he seems neither as he regards me with those dark eyes of his.

My thoughts get kicked into serious freak out territory, he is too gutsy or insane or probably both.

He doesn't care what happens to him ,if his intention is to harm me he will do so. He isn't scared of the cops.

I swallow and try not to show how unnerved I'm to see him listen to my threat calmly.

"I assure you I'm not a psychopath and I do not want to involve myself with the cops or anyone else in this realm if I can help it " He looks at me steadily with those piercing dark eyes "I haven't taken your mother "

"Liar " I snap much angry at him now than being scared " You took away my mother I saw you in that stupid old building that day "

"Ofcourse you saw me, " He says with no change in his demeanor " But I wasn't the only one in that place that day, Was I?"

I glare at him "What are you trying to say? If you don't have my mom then who...?"

" The furies have her "

"Furies ?" I give him a questioning look

"There is a lot you do not know about my world," He says with the weariness of a person who isn't used to being talkative.

" Your world ?"

"Yes " He says solmn " I'm the Lord of the underworld "

I plaster myself to the wall. If I was scared before I'm utterly terrified now.

"Why--Why are gangsters interested in my mother ? " I manage to sputter "We aren't even rich "

He gives a low sigh " Not that underworld the other underworld "

I'm still looking at him with big scared horrified eyes.

"The Greek mythology Underworld " He says

For a minute I forget how to breathe or even to blink.

I do not know much about Greek mythology but I know it's a place were all dead and creepy things are.

And he had just told me he was the Lord of underworld. Does that mean he is ...??

"Hades " He says as if answering my silent question.

Hades !!....

It just doesn't seem possible.

The Hades I saw in movies or read in books is always shown as an old man in dark clothes and with a long grey beard and the one in Disney movie had cool blue hair , evil face and wicked sense of humor.

None of them show Hades to be a devastatingly handsome man with long dark hair and mesmerizing black eyes.

Some part of my brain which is trying to make sense of this super strange, super bizarre and freaking unbelievable situation starts looking out for a seemly less strange and bizarre option.

Are there cameras hidden in here ? Because this seems very much like those stupid pranks people put up on the internet.

Is this guy dressed up like a Greek god for Halloween? He is rocking those old fashioned yet expensive looking clothes.

But , Halloween is good seven months away.

Slowly the truth begins sinking in......

He is Hades.

This Insanely smoking hot man with pale skin and flawless chiseled features with dark as night eyes that match his long hair is....HADES.

Freaking Greek God Hades !!

I feel a sudden urge to let out an hysterical laugh , though I manage control it , Barely. Hades probably senses that things are a little too much for me to handle as he silently gestures me to sit down.

The only other place that can be used to sit after he had taken the chair for himself is the bed.

I slowly move inside the room my eyes on him the entire time my heart thudding in my chest but my brain reasons that if he had any intention to harm me he wouldn't have waited this long. After all he was a freakin God what could have stopped him?

The room is too small with barely any moving space. His knee brushes against my legs as I move making an unexpected jolt of warmth race up my body.I quickly dart away and sit on the far corner of the bed if he had felt that brief contact too he doesn't show it.

"Furies " He says bringing my attention back to the problem at hand " They are evil spirits that have been condemned to the darkest part of Underworld , the Tartarus due to the sins they have committed in their lifetime . They loathe me and have always rebelled against me and would love nothing more than overthrowing my rule"

"What has all of this got to do with my mom ?" I ask trying to make sense of everything he had said just now

"It is not your mother they are interested ,in" He says in that smooth and deep voice of his "It is you "

"Me?" I ask both shocked and bewildered. For the life of me I can't think of any reason why creatures belonging to Greek mythology were showing a sudden interest in me or my mom.

"Yes, You are but since they couldn't get to you they went for the next best target, they possessed your mother "

"Possessed ?"I choke out shocked

" Furies need a human host to survive on for a longer time in this realm "

I feel anger filling me up at those disgusting spirits at the same time my heart breaks remembering the way my mother's health had deteriorated all these past months.

"I did not know they were up to it until the very last moment, if I had even the slightest hint of it I would have stopped them sooner "His expression is hard making it clear he meant those words " I would never have let them escape with your mother "

"Why ?" I ask looking at him straight in the eyes " Why are they interested in me?"

Though his voice is no louder than before it is like a huge boom in my ears "You are the queen of Underworld, Elene .You are to rule by my side"

***

Hades.

He sees the shock on her face . Ruling underworld is no easy task .

It's not like he did not like his realm . He loved his realm and couldn't think of choosing any other.

Though the Gods and Goddess of Olympus saw his realm with horror and were more than relieved when he claimed the Underworld for himself after defeating the titan Kronos .

While others fought among themselves to rule one realm or another , He had no such greed.

His realm suited him well . Death , wealth , souls and tartarus he understood it all.

He had always belonged to underworld and Underworld to him.

But Elene, on the other hand, belonged to this world, she was radiant with life.

Her honey colored skin the kind that came from being under the sun , even her eyes were the color of wet earth , brown , almond shaped with flecks of black in them. They were beautiful.

A girl like her who is so close to life , raveled in it will not find underworld a welcoming place.

He had been the sole ruler of Underworld from millenniums and millenniums now.

But like the other Gods he needed someone to rule by his side, To be his mate.

Just like Zeus has Hera , Poseidon has Amphitrite .......Without his queen the power balance in Underworld was becoming unequal.

The furies had sensed it and as hungry as they were ever to bring him down they jumped at the opportunity to destroy him and the easiest way would be to hurt his queen.

He did not let them do that, he had moments ago sensed it that day before they could harm Elene but unfortunely they had abducted her mother. He was sure they would use her as a bait to lure Elene .

He couldn't leave Elene unprotected and The realm of living has lost its safety for her .

He had no other option left but to take her to Underworld and he said as much.

"The furies have failed once but they won't hesitate to harm you the next time "

Yet she refused to come with him no matter how much he tried to make her see reason , it was clear she was terrified of Underworld like everyone else

" I cannot force you to do what you do not want, "He says with a sigh getting up from the chair.

I watched with fascinated horror as the shadows in the room crept closer to him , the darkness swirling and answering his call.

The next instant he was gone.

Vanished as if he wasn't ever here.