Back Where 146
Hades‘ laughter filled the underground prison as he reached for another bottle of alcohol. The guards had delivered a refill again tonight, and I was deep in conversation with my brother when a voice cut through the air.

“I can’t believe you two are laughing everything off, especially you, Hades.”

We both froze and turned. There stood our uncle Ureh, my mother’s elder brother. I had once introduced him to Zephyrine back in my kingdom. As much as we were free with him, he was a man known never to spare us. Hades and I rose quickly from the stone bed. He unlocked the bars and pushed the iron door wide.

“The Demon King will grant you an audience, Hades. Apex, you’ll be present too.” He stared hard at us in silence before leaving.

“I’ve got a feeling this won’t end well,” I muttered. “What do you think?”

“The worst that can happen is you losing your woman, and I won’t let that happen. Come on.”

We left the underground prison and stepped into the open air. The cool night breeze that settled over the courtyard was refreshing. I followed Hades into his chambers, where beautiful women sprawled everywhere. His harem. Hades was a notorious womanizer. While I respected his choices, I never understood why he always kept so many women close.