Wanted by Hades

𝕭𝖚𝖇𝖇𝖑𝖊𝖉 𝕭𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖘

|| Chapter 4: Bubbled Baths ||

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Isabella's POV

A few hours had passed since I had last spoken to Hades or Aphrodite or even seen the likes of Eros. It was 9 o'clock and I was waiting in my room for some kind of...guidance. I was too afraid to wander about without permission or supervision.

A hound's growl was constantly heard as if it was a ticking clock announcing all the unknown events of the day. I sat stiffly on the bed gazing at the closed window and reliving the past event. I must be honest, Hades had sparked a feeling of fear within me. It was not his rage that twisted my stomach, but his temptation to slaughter those he despised.

A sudden knock echoed through the room, "Madame Pluton." The door creaked open and a woman's soft voice spoke again, "Madame?" Finally understanding that she was talking to me, I made my way slowly towards the door and opened it fully. The door jerked open and I held tightly onto the knob, scared that it was going to fall again.

A woman in her late thirties looked up at me with a beaming smile. She held some rags of folded clothes in her scarred hand. She was dressed in a maid's outfit; a petite white dress and a black apron around her waist. "Madame Pluton, will you come with me? I have prepared a bath for you." The woman spoke in whispers but I could fully understand every word she said.

I looked past her and to the wall that was parallel to my room. An enormous canvas hung from the black walls, a red liquid splashed on its white surfaces. The woman had caught me staring and turned around towards the canvas and smiled once again. "This is one of Lord Pluton's many accomplishments, Madame," she explained placing the rags on the floor and taking my hands into her rough ones. "That is the blood of one of the many courageous but ignorant heros who had tried to put an end to our God." I felt my blood run cold and stomach knot.

"One of them?" I asked disgusted.

"Yes!" She said. "He has many more throughout his castle but only the precious ones hang in his room," She looked at me. "Oh dear! I almost forgot," She pulled me from inside the room and carried my spiritless body down the dark hallway. "There are a few boundaries that I was assigned to tell you." I gazed straight ahead, barely paying attention to what she was saying.

"First of all," she began. "You are not allowed in the Lord's room or study. Second of all, you will eat with him every day according to his own schedule-"

"So if he does not eat does that mean I will not either."

"Correct. Only if he says otherwise," she stated.

Asshole.

"And third of all, you are not allowed to meet with other Gods unless accompanied by him."

We reached the end of the hallway and huge double doors - similar to those of my room - hung from the ceiling. The woman pushed it open with her body and a soothing feeling of warmth caressed my skin.

Inside the room, there were many maids walking around a small marble bathtub.

The woman pulled me towards the bathtub and other maids followed. They began touching my clothes trying to take them off. I pushed their hands away and gently, refusing their help.
Once I had finished undressing, two maids held onto my hand so that they could help me in the warm water.

As soon as my skin touched the water, my muscles untensed and I relaxed completely. The tips of my hair touched the bubbles and became decorated with the petals of roses.