The Beauty and the Omega

Chapter 5: Hades

“Ready?”

Leonidas turned to Brooke as they stood in front of the towering entrance to Hades’ castle. Two giant, bronze door knockers in the shape of gargoyles seemed to stare menacingly at the two of them.

“Yes,” she whispered, stepping closer to grasp onto Leonidas’ cloak.

He reached his hand upward to grasp the bronze ring and rapped three sharp knocks on the door. With bated breath, the two of them waited for their arrival to be answered.

After a few tense moments, one of the giant oak doors creaked open slowly, revealing a skeleton with a black bow tie around its bony neck.

Brooke let out a sharp gasp as she jumped behind Leonidas.

“Welcome to the Palace of Hades!” greeted the skeleton, giving them both a toothy grin. He peered at them with dark, empty eye sockets as he stepped aside to gesture the pair inside.

“We are here to receive judgment for this soul whose destination is erroneously marked as ‘Unknown,’” explained Leonidas, stepping over the threshold with Brooke following close behind.

“Of course,” replied the skeleton in a friendly tone. “Please follow me to the Throne Room.”

It wasn’t Leonidas’ first time entering the castle, but for Brooke, it was unlike anything she’d seen before. Her eyes darted around fearfully as they followed the walking, talking skeleton through the massive foyer. Sweeping ceilings with gothic-style arches towered high above their heads, and the click of her heels echoed throughout the stone hall.

Magnificent works of art hung in gilded frames on the walls, and servants polished valuable artifacts on display tables along the path through the foyer. Upon closer inspection, Brooke realized that they, too, were living skeletons. Some wore black bow ties, while others wore frilly maid uniforms.

She tugged on Leonidas’ cloak, who gave her a pointed look.

“This isn’t normal,” she whispered, leaning forward to speak quietly into his ear.

“What’s not normal?” he hissed under his breath.

“The skeletons!”

“Human bodies decay. Haven’t you seen a skeleton before?”

“Yes, but they never talked or walked! Is that going to be me one day?”

“No! Now shush; you’re being rude.”

He held his finger to his lips to quiet her before rolling his eyes. Leonidas turned his gaze forward with a sharp exhale of annoyance.

As they approached another set of doors, the skeleton butler knocked to announce their arrival before entering the room. Leonidas and Brooke followed closely behind, stepping into a room that was similar to the foyer, except that it had a raised platform with a large, high back chair that was upholstered in tufted, black fabric. A man sat in the chair, casually reading a leatherbound book with a bored expression on his face.

Leonidas bowed deeply before the man, and he nudged Brooke’s arm to indicate for her to do the same. The skeleton bowed before exiting the room, shutting the door behind him with an echoing thud.

“Welcome to the Palace of Hades,” said the man, shutting his book closed and setting it on the armrest. As his dark eyes glanced up, they landed on Brooke, and he seemed to pause in his seat.

“My, my,” he breathed. “What do we have here?”

“A soul with an unknown destination, Lord Hades,” Leonidas explained.

Hades stood up from his throne and stepped down from the platform. As he slowly approached them, his eyes were glued to Brooke as he licked his lips, eying her up and down. His long, smooth hair was the color of a raven’s feathers, and his eyes appeared to be the same dark color, peering out from a pale face. His black toga hung off of one shoulder, exposing his broad, muscular chest. Atop his head sat a silver, twisted crown with onyx stones, which glinted eerily under the light of the torches that burned brightly on the walls.

She was accustomed to men looking at her like a piece of meat. After all, she was wearing a dress that usually elicited this sort of attention. But for some reason, she felt uncomfortable under the leery gaze of the Lord of the Underworld. 

“Seems like a simple clerical error,” Leonidas continued, glancing uncomfortably between Brooke and Hades. “We just need a judgment from you, and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Thank you for bringing her to me, Leonard,” whispered Hades, stopping in front of Brooke.

“It’s, uh, Leonidas, sir,” he replied awkwardly.

“May I see her profile?” he asked, holding his hand out to Leonidas for his tablet. However, his dark eyes were trained unblinkingly on Brooke as he spoke.

Leonidas removed the tablet from his cloak and passed it to Hades’ outstretched hand. With one last glance at Brooke, Hades scanned the screen to review her information.

“Follow me, Miss Brooke Bailey,” he said, his voice lingering on her name. It was as if he were tasting her name in his mouth, savoring the sound of it.

Brooke gulped and followed him over to a large set of silver scales, which stood atop a table near his throne. She glanced back at Leonidas, who nodded encouragingly. However, his face was tight, and she wasn’t sure if that should make her feel worried.

“Touch the scales, please,” Hades directed, gesturing his hand toward them.

Brooke obeyed his command, stepping up to the table so that the scales were within arm’s reach. She reached out her fingertips toward the device, which felt cold to the touch.

Nothing seemed to happen, and she glanced up at Hades for his reaction.

“Hmm, very interesting,” he mused to himself.

“Um, what’s interesting?” she asked meekly.

“You are a very intriguing case, Miss Brooke Bailey,” he whispered. “On the one hand, you are guilty of the sins of Lust, Greed, and Fraud. But it appears that your one final good deed balances it all out.”

As if his words triggered something inside of her mind, memories of her death came flooding back all at once, making her gasp and stumble backward. The hefty realization that she was truly and absolutely dead made her head spin, and she felt like she might be crushed under the weight of that realization.

She felt warm hands wrap around her waist from behind, steadying her as the room came back into focus. Glancing behind her, she realized the Leonidas was supporting her weight as she leaned back against his chest. Her eyes met his silver gaze, and an expression of concern was etched on his face.

“Are you alright?” Leonidas asked in a low voice, his lips close to her ear.

“The little girl,” Brooke whispered hoarsely, regaining her composure and stepping away from Leonidas. “Was she okay?”

“Yes,” Hades replied, studying her with a narrowed gaze. “It appears as though your body shielded her from the impact. She was injured, but she kept her life.”

“Thank goodness,” Brooke exhaled in relief.

“So,” Leonidas interrupted, stepping forward to stand beside Brooke. “Does this mean that I may ferry her on to the Elysian Fields?”

“Not exactly,” Hades replied, his dark eyes scanning Brooke closely. “The scales remain perfectly in balance. This does not indicate either the Elysian Fields or Tartarus as her final destination.”

“Then where shall I take her?” Leonidas frowned.

“I shall keep Miss Brooke Bailey here at the castle, as my honored guest, while I investigate the matter further.”