Stronger Together chapter 238

The entrance to the underworld was really stylish. I mean sure, the  marble was a bit flashy, white with gold veins and all, but the rest of  the decor was pretty understated. Sleek lines and lots of black wood  furniture that wasn't too intricate or over the top. There were even a  few tasteful couches and a nice water feature next to a black marble  desk built into the floor. It looked like a really high end office  building, with the sole exception of the skeleton in a tuxedo sitting  behind the desk clacking away at a computer like a normal receptionist.

It  was a bit surreal to be honest, not to mention a surprise that we would  be seeing something so different from what Harry saw, but then again we  were coming in the front door, not breaking in through a supposedly  secret entrance to try to dodge the limits of what was allowed. I almost  shuddered to think what Odin must have traded to get this meeting  directly as opposed to the indirect way Mab had to do things. He must be  taking this whole apocalypse as seriously as I was for him to cash out  his chips like he must have.

Hermes  nodded to us as he stepped back into the elevator and the door closed  with another ding. With a shrug to Aiden and Kara I headed over to the  desk. I waited for a minute or two, but after I didn't get a reaction I  reached down and rung the black iron hand bell on the surface of the  desk. The sound was deep and low for a bell, and the skeleton's head  rose slightly from it's previously hunched posture to regard us. It was  impressive it managed to convey that with no dace or eyes but it was  easy to tell it was looking at us somehow.

The  voice that issued forth from the skeletal maw was light and airy, like  wind through the trees. "Greetings, and welcome to Hades. Do you have an  appointment?" The disconnect of the creepy voice from the skeleton  asking me such a stereotypical receptionist question was knocked even me  off balance for a moment, and the skeleton sort of shifted his head  around in a way that weirdly made it completely obvious he would have  been rolling his eyes if he had any. "If you aren't here for an  appointment you can have a seat on the couch. We had a cancellation a  few decades ago so we can squeeze you in..." He lowered his head again,  doing a bit more clacking on the keys. "About a century from now."

Jesus,  I thought human paper pushers could drag their heels. These people made  wizards look efficient. I cleared my though, shaking off the weirdness  of the situation. "No need, we do have an appointment. I'm Cameron  Beddows? We should be on the list." I fucking hoped we were on the list  anyway. Odin could fuck right off if he expected us to fight our way in  here and hadn't told us or some dumb shit like that. End of the world or  not I wasn't starting a dust up outside the office of one of the two  equally powerful brothers of the king of the greek gods.

Luckily  his...ok I wasn't sure how to describe what happened, if he'd had a  face I'd say it lit up, but his skull just kind of...jerked gleefully?  Skeleton facial expressions gave me a headache. Regardless he clearly  found us. "Ah, here we are! You're expected immediately!" That was a  relief, though I suppose it meant he'd been waiting for us, so hopefully  we weren't too late considering we didn't even know we were coming. I  didn't relish the idea of the lord of the underworld waiting on us to  show up. I knew Dresden made him seem pretty cool, but in my head I was  expecting James Woods with a flaming scalp.

The  skeleton concierge slid out of his chair and headed around the desk to  escort us back to see his boss without another word. I looked at Kara  and just shrugged before we trailed after him, our shoes clicking across  the white marble. As we followed behind him we passed several archways  in the walls of the long entryway I hadn't noticed. Each archway showed a  different room, only visible when we passed directly in front of it.  Some were more fancy rooms and entryways, some were stereotypical  caverns like you'd expect from the underworld. Some were beautiful  shining fields of emerald grass under gorgeous blue skies.

One  of the archways led to what looked like a McDonalds with literally  endless lines, while another appeared to be a tailor's shop where people  on stools kept getting stabbed mercilessly all over their body but  couldn't stop. Honestly I lost track of how many of the damn arches we  passed, some with only one or two people, some more widespread, some  good, some bad, some just...weird. Like this one we passed where the  walls were made of green pulsing flesh and purple orbs of rippling jello  floated around the room like a lava lamp, sucking up running people and  then spitting them onto the walls to be slowly digested before they  were squeezed through a rather disgusting hole on the roof to repeat it  all again.

Finally  though we made it to the end of the entryaway, where a single dark wood  paneled door with a shiny brass knob sat unobtrusively between a pair  of columns tucked back in the corner. A black doberman was asleep in a  dog bed in front of the door, normal sized and with one head but somehow  seeming bigger and more important than any dog really had the right to  be without actually doing anything noticeable. I was pretty sure Harry  had seen something different but maybe this was Cerberus when he was off  work, or maybe I was misremembering. Either way, the dog's red eye  perked slightly open and he stared at us like that for a bit before it  closed and the big puppy went back to sleep.

The  skeleton rapped smartly on the door with his bony knuckles, which made a  much deeper sound on the wood then I'd expected of just bones. At the  echoing knock, the knob just turned on its own and the door swung slowly  open to reveal a firelit office. Without a word the skeleton turned and  strolled away, not looking back once. I shared a look with Kara and  then we stepped into the room, with Aiden right behind. The inside of  the room was intimidating. Not because of its size but pretty much the  opposite.

It  was a small cramped study lit by fire light, covered wall to wall in  bookshelves and with a massive dark wood desk in the center. The desk  was covered with ancient scrolls and odd bronze knick knacks not to  mention the occasional weapon that might have been used for a letter  opener for all I knew. Behind the desk, hidden in shadows cast by the  giant ass wing back chair he was perched on, was the roughly humanoid  shape of a man I had to assume was Hades. Not just because of where we  were mind you, but because without doubt this mans aura was every bit as  deep and profound as Loki's, though with a very different flavor.

While  Loki reeked of hatred, Hades was much calmer and cooler. He was  projecting his Authority around his just like Loki had, but here in the  heart of his power it was so much stronger. I felt like I was standing  in front of the heart of a cold star, my soul being swallowed by the  blazing chill of waves of unquenchable darkness. I had considered before  that Odin must be holding back when he met us, must be muting his  presence, and this proved it. Because if this was the power of a  god-king then old one eye had played us all for fools the entire time  we'd known him. This wasn't a person, not even close, this was the  embodiment of a force of nature.

Then  suddenly it wasn't. The shadows thinned and vanished and the seven foot  tall man in the black suit with a mordite crown sat looking amusedly  from his chair. I almost staggered at the difference in environment, and  he just chuckled. "Ah. Sorry about that. Not many who can take my aura  full blast down here, had to see if you were up to the task you've been  set. Don't worry I wouldn't have crushed your minds, I could have pulled  it back before any real damage was done." His tone was kind and  apologetic as he gesture to the chairs I hadn't even noticed across from  his. "Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way, please, have a  seat."

We  did, Kara and I sitting down on wobbly legs as Aiden just strolled  casually over to plop down in the seat. That guy's mind was a bag full  of rabid cats I swear, but it was nice one of us was operating at peak  efficiency, even if it was the one I barely trusted. I turned to Hades,  unamused. "Ok, well as unpleasant as that was at least it's over. Now  that we have it out of the way I take it we're here to pick up some  weapons for the end of the world?" Normally I would have tried to make  nice with the scary god who I didn't have a reason to piss off, but I  was shaky and annoyed so he got the bad attitude.

In  his defense he didn't take it personally, simply giving me a shrug.  "Oh, I wouldn't say that. I see the old goat didn't bother to tell you  his deal with me. That isn't surprising, he's always been a vague and  irritating when it suits him. Which is mostly always. See, Odin doesn't  have a favor big enough to cash in to ask me to empty my vaults for him.  Rules of the game you see. I'd love to just hand the weapons over, but  sadly they need to be won, by hook or by crook." He noted my flat stare  and put his hands up placatingly. "Not to worry however, he did get you  SOME benefits."

He  steepled his fingers. "So here's the deal. Giving out weapons of power  to mortals is a no no. Even for big shots like me, its in the rules.  There are workarounds that involve trading favors and backroom deals but  they take too long to arrange. There is however and exception.  Champions of gods can be outfitted by their patron deity. Now each god  only gets one champion. But Odin managed to swing a full six slots for  you by bribing them out of other gods in my pantheon. You can get six of  our strongest items handed right to you."

I  sighed. "I think that stick has flattened every inch of ground within a  mile of that bush. Just get to the point. The catch, this is the part  where you tell us the catch. Since we aren't being handed the weapons  now that means we need to do something first. Given the absolute  nonsense you greeks are known for assigning your heroes to do I imagine  it will be dangerous or time consuming or both. Hopefully just the  former though, like you said we're on a deadline." I was almost positive  what he was going to suggest, at least in a broad sense, and I just  wanted it over with.

He  laughed, a deep rich sound, like warm chocolate on a cold winter night.  "Very well. I'll keep it simple then. Cameron Beddows, I offer you and  your women positions as Champions of the greek pantheon. In exchange you  must each undertake a trial, and holy challenge to prove your divine  right to stand as our champions." He grinned as he finished his dramatic  proclamation. "So? What do you say? Think you're ready to try to join  the big leagues?" Honestly, that almost pissed me off enough to accept  on its own, just to show him how easy it would be. In the end though I  knew even without that I'd do it. If Odin sent us down here, this was  our only shot.