“I asked you to save me!”

“I did.“

“Im dead!”

“You’re free.”

I looked at hades realm, at the damned taking heavy steps to the kings throne for their judgments and I cursed demeter. I was dead and even the gods couldnt have brought me back without the fates agreeing to look the other way. I had nothing left to lose. They couldnt curse a spirit, and hades was too calm to ever let demeter convince him that I deserved anything close to tartarus. So I yelled, and screamed every qualm I had about the gods until thorns grew at demeters feet just to instantly wither in hades cold domain.

I wanted her angry, I wanted her to wish that she was strong enough to kill me twice. And I wanted her to be pissed at the fact that she could not.

“You make food, bloom crops and nutrients from hands more valuable than gold yet you are so absurdly incompetent.” I seethed, “All of humanity, carried on your back, and yet, saving 1 human poses a challenge to you.”

She glared down at me and I said my last words.

“How pathetic-“

The next thing I saw was a cloak shielding me from an array of plants and food grown from soil being thrown in a whirlwind around me. It was instantanous, disastrous, and proud. I could barely breath even with the cloak which is funny given I was already dead. Still, even in death I felt the fear that comes from that which one doesnt understand, and I knew that this was truly the wrath of a God.

A growl pulled me from my pain while curiosity made me listen. The tone of the voice was strained and deep as it echoed off every crevice around us and it took a few of those riviting sounds for Demeter to stop. When I could finally see again I raised my head to the one above me and as I suspected It was Hades. I appreciated the save but his eyebrows held a anger I did not wish to see so I looked away. He dropped the cloak at the same time and I quickly realized that I had turned in an unfortunate direction that left me face to face with one of the three heads of Cerberus. That one head was larger than anything I had ever seen before, but he looked, friendly.

Hades let me go and walked forward. “You dare-“

“Oh dont start.” Demeter interupted with a roll of her eyes.

I stayed where I was and kept staring at Cerburus as he stared back. I didnt know much about dog behavior but I knew eye to eye contact was bad so I turned away, choosing instead to watch the dead shrink into the distance of hell.

“Get out.” I heard Hades say, but I could not see him behind the other 2 heads of Cerberus.

“That, that human just disrespected me beyond repair! I am not leaving here until it has suffered!”

“She is dead, and in my realm, let it go.”

I tuned them out. I didnt care what happend to me. I was dead. My mother would never see me again and my little brother was sure to starve to death. I was the breadwinner and now I am dead. Not a daughter, not a sister, just dead.

I felt a tear run down my cheek, confused on how ghosts could cry, but I also didnt care enough to invistigate. I wiped the tear away and kept watching the dead walk but the tears kept coming. Regardless, I didnt make a sound, I was in the presence of Gods that couldnt even fathom death, there was no point in seeking comfort here.

Instead I sighed and turned my attention back to Cerberus. That one head was still staring at me, and it was cute. I stared back again, then I lowered my head once more and slowly reached a palm out to him. He sniffed it, I felt the air on my barely visible palm while I waited. And a second later my patience had worked and he was rubbing against my hand softly. For such a giant creature he knew how to be gentle and petting him made me feel better.

I laughed silently and added my other hand to scratch behind his ears and this got the attention of his other 2 heads when they felt their feet kicking at the spot. I was scared at first when they wrapped around to look at me but the head I was holding barked, like it was vouching for me as he looked at them. They didnt take his word for it though and instead began smelling me like he did before.

It was cute and I was having fun until they laid on their back in front of me, finally allowing me to see Hades and demeter, who were looking right at me. Thats when I realized that they had stopped talking and were watching me. I just didnt know for how long.

Still, possibly already caught, I snatched my hands behind my back as Cerburus licked and pawed at me and I tried to pretend that I didnt do anything. The way Hades was looking at me though made it clear that he had seen me pet Cerburus and now consequently, he was watching me with that look Ive seen from gods time and time again. It wasnt a good sign.

“Did it just-Tame him?” Demeter asked. Hades glanced down at Cerburus wagging his tail at my feet then back at my face.

“I didnt mean to.” I said. “It was a fluke.”

He scoffed and turned his back to Demeter as he walked to me. Cerburus stood when he saw this, shook, and sat beside me panting in excitment.

“No one tames the gaurd dog of hell on a fluke. What is your name mortal?”

Cerburus kept playfully pushing me with one of his heads and I tried to keep my balance as I told Hades my name. He smiled and I gritted my teeth.

To have a God be interested in you was a death sentence, but I was already dead and as I stared up into Hades eyes I felt us both asking the same question:

So, what now?