Chapter 97

97 Chapter Ninety Seven

The moon goddess was not one to care about lost souls and the likes of those that were dead. That was not part of her powers as a deity anyway. And indeed there was no reason for her to be meddling with the work of the god of the Underworld. She was supposed to merely watch over those of her subjects that were still within her domain and yet here she was treading through one of the filthiest parts of the Underworld.

Bugs buzzed about in the muddy marsh, irritating the goddess and her mate. The duo had dared to walk the domain of the one god that didn’t take intruders lightly, “Was this really the only way that we could get his attention?” Seth asked her, groaning as he swatted at yet another fly or bug among the wide assortment of creatures that decided the Underworld was a good place to live in.

“Yes, honey. There is no way to get this god’s attention. Unfortunately, he also hates surprise visits,” she said.

“If that’s the case, then what are we doing here? You know that gods are more powerful within their domain. We should disrespect him like this,” he said. For years, all matters concerning the werewolves had been left to the two gods that were involved in their creation, Prometheus and Celeste. As a result, the chaos that ensued on earth was spared and the two were tasked with fixing their mistake.

“Don’t chicken out on me right now. We’ve come so far to turn back now,” she tried pleading with her significant other.

“I am not chickening out. My job is to make sure that you are safe... and offer you all the pleasures and desires that you might crave. Following you to the pits of Tartarus does not fall into that category,” the man complained, making sure to keep his voice down while he spoke. He made sure to keep his voice down as well while he argued with his wife.

“I know... and that’s all sweet when you put it like that, but I need to do this. It just might depend on everything...”

“Is this about that girl again? The one who has escaped death countless times now...” he pointed out, “How much will you interfere in this mortal’s life? If the Big man notices what you are doing, he will call this whole operation off,” he tried to warn her.

“I know what you are saying, but among all the gods that I know, this particular one doesn’t have any interest in the laws that were set aside by Big Z. However, what I’m doing is not exactly interfering with the girl’s life. Can you just follow me to the palace?” she said, dragging the complaining wolf along. Seth’s red eyes flickered with even more annoyance. Knowing his wife, however, there was nothing he could do to change her mind.

.....

He later gave up and followed her like the loyal husband he was. The dark palace loomed over them in the distance, dark energy creeping from it. The intimidating presence of a god that was in their element almost petrifying them to the spot, “I haven’t felt this weak in a long time,” the moon goddess spoke through her chattering teeth.

The lord of the Underworld was among the most powerful gods in existence and an audience with him was something she didn’t wish to do. She’d only come here to do something she viewed as important. Soon enough, the palace gates came into view. They reached the black iron gates. The material was completely black and not because it had been painted, but because it was its natural colour.

“What might you be doing here?” a voice came to them. It came from a severed head that was hung at the top of the gate.

“What in the world...” Seth leapt back, “That’s creepy...”

“Mean... You’re not the first to react that way, however. You must be Celeste... I wonder what a goddess of your calibre would be doing risking a stroll through the Dark Lord’s domain with your significant other.

“Can we get in, Baskania?” she asked the severed head kindly, “Please...” she added, flashing her pearly whites.

“Well, you asked so nicely, so I don’t see any reason to refuse. I don’t even know why I’m kept here, to begin with. I’m bound to let in everyone who comes to see the big man. A piece of advice, Celeste... The master left his pet dog out to play with his visitors. I hope you brought one of his favourite treats. You know that mutt loves the goddess of the moon,” he said to me.

“Yeah, I came with his treats...” the gate slid open revealing the dark marble courtyard. Seth nearly jumped out of his skin when the door shut with a loud groan behind them.

“Sheesh, could this place get any creepier? This guy knows how to design,” he said, staring at the statues of the souls in suffering while they spent their time in the Fields of Punishment.

“Don’t stare at the artwork. He doesn’t like it. Now that we are on the palace grounds, you might want to watch your step. Any invocation of his attention can alert him of our presence. Depending on his mood, he’ll do any manner of things,” Celeste warned the red-eyed man.

“That’s comforting. If you get scared, you can always jump into my arms,” the man said, trying to calm his nerves.

“Aww, that’s sweet, though considering I’m a goddess, carrying you wouldn’t be a problem either. If you get scared, don’t hesitate to hold onto me,” she returned the gesture chuckling lightly.

“Werewolves is one thing. The lord of the Underworld... That might just scare me,” he said. Low growls suddenly filled the courtyard. For the first time since Seth had been betrothed to the goddess, he was scared to hear a growl. He was the one male that was above all werewolves, well, he was on par with the Royals, but there was no growl he knew of that could make him go on high alert.

“What about that?” his wife asked, looking past him with the calmest expression on her face. The man turned ever so slightly to see the colossal three-headed dog that stood behind him. Its three heads snarled at him, sending the message of scrutiny.

“Honey, do something. This is the one that you were talking about with the severed head, is he?” Seth asked through the gritted teeth, keeping completely still. The three heads sniffed him and searched him from top to bottom. The dog breath was exceptionally putrid, but the sneezing and scrunching one’s nose seemed to be out of the question.

“You’re doing great honey. Let me just check my handbag,” Celeste said, checking through the enchanted pouch she carried with her, a smirk on her face. She was quite sure the dog would not do anything to someone that she’d come with and was only taking in his appearance. His methods, however, were the part that was hard to endure.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? What’s taking you so long?” Seth asked.

“Well, I am enjoying this indeed. I want to see if he’ll like you. Try petting him,” she said, finally finding what she was looking for only to take the time to watch her husband accomplish what might have been the hardest thing in his life, both mortal and immortal...

With an excessive amount of awkwardness, the man patted one of the dog’s heads lightly. This was followed by a tackle that had the three heads all fighting to get a chance to nuzzle the man, “Oh, come on. You can all get a chance. For a second there I thought you were going to eat me... Ahaha,” Seth laughed nervously while enjoying the company of the creature.

“Well, you’re not entirely wrong. If you’d either been an intruder or a soul that had escaped the queue to the Furies, you would have been devoured by him indeed,” she said to him, wagging a piece of jerky in the air. The dog jumped off her husband and game to receive its treat. Celeste threw it into the air and it began to expand, making it to the size of a cow by the time the dog grabbed it, its three heads fighting for the meat all at the same time.

“Someone is having a good time with Cerby,” an ominous voice cut through the air, bringing the darkness of the Underworld back to them. They both froze at the voice of their new arrival. Well, they were the arrivals, but at this point, they hadn’t expected to be found instead of finding him, “Would that happen to be all you came to do?”

Celeste took a moment to regain her voice, “No, that’s not all I came to ask. I have a favour to ask of you,” she said, making a small curtsy in respect to the divine being before her.

“A favour, you say... You must be brave to ask the lord of the Underworld for any of those... Oh, it has something to do with someone that met their death, doesn’t it?” the man asked.

“Yes, it does...”

“Then there is nothing more that needs to be said. You know the rules very well...”

“Please, let me finish. I am not asking that you bring someone back to life. I know the rules,” she said.

The god allowed his mind to interpret her words before answering her question. There had never seemed to be a way around his orders and yet here she was telling him that he wouldn’t have to go against his rules in order to help out. She’d captured his curiosity completely...