A Rose by Any Other Name

Caelyn wasn't left alone for long. In fact, she wasn't alone at any point. She just wasn't aware of it, due to her company choosing to remain hidden at first. Then, she would hear a voice directly behind her. "Well, you're certainly a pretty little thing, ain't ya?" Behind her stood Hades, Lord of the Underworld, smirking at her with arms crossed, and clad in golden armor. He always did enjoy looking his best when first meeting people.

"So, I hear you have an important message or some such thing. Well, we'll get right to that in a moment." He walked around her and up to the larger of the two thrones, taking a seat. "Come on up, you can sit in Hecate's seat until she shows up. Her fault for takin' too long with her newest pet." He gestured to the other throne as he lounged in his own, and snapped his fingers, a filled wine glass appearing in his hand. What it was filled with was bubbling, however, as if it was boiling. "Want a drink, by the way?"

(I've been looking for a place to have Hades and Hecate stretch their legs, so thanks for this!)

"Thank you, my lord." She said as she lowered her gaze. Such words had little effect on her but she wouldn't let him see that. The last thing she needed was to upset this whimsical monarch. "My lord, please." She said as he sat down. "I must insist on relaying this decree and being on my way." She pleaded as patiently as possible. He didn't appear to be taking his duties very seriously and it irked her.

"My lord, I must respectfully decline," she said as she approached the dais. "It isn't my right nor my place. And it would benefit no one by incurring the wrath of her Ladyship." She explained. Her body slowly folding as she bowed, closing her eyes for a moment as a sign of respect. Her right hand formed a fist and she pressed it tightly against her heart as her other hand held her sword loosely at her side. Caelyn knew she had to appease him as much indifference as possible. She knew better than to fool with kings.

"I have a message from demon lord Belias. I, Caelyn Rois, General first class reaper, am ordered to give you this message in order to amend a possibly grave mistake on out part." She said as she quickly bowed the same way as before. "I solemnly apologize, however I can't indulge in your hospitality until my work here is complete. Please understand, my lord."

Hades stared at her for a long moment, his more jovial expression replaced by a stoic one. "Y'know, I would't tell you to sit in her seat, if it would end badly for you. And if I offer somethin', then it doesn't matter what is and isn't your 'right'. By offerin' it, I am makin' it your right." He paused, then sighed. "You're one of those overly formal types... not a bad thing, but I've gotta tell ya, when you have the life I do, formality is just a bunch of useless shit."

"Hades, would you stop harrassing our guest?" A gorgeous woman in black armor walked into the room, though that armor burst into flame, replaced with an elegant dress. She walked up to Caelyn, looked her over for a moment, and then took her seat. "Welcome to our home, Caelyn. Why don't you go ahead and give us the message you came to give, before my brother wastes even more of your time."

"Just gotta bitch about everythin', don't ya... tch, well, go ahead and give the message then."




(Somehow forgot pics @-@)

"My sincerest apologies," she said again and nodded when he finished. "I will keep that in mind for the future." She assured him.

When Hecate entered she held her breath for a moment. Caelyn wasn't interested in either gender at the time but she did recognize a powerful, beautiful woman. "My ladyship." She bowed deeply.

Once she got her permission, Caelyn nodded. "Thank you, my lady." She took a quick breath,
"I bring a message bearing a request. There is a soul here, one I slew myself, that was wrongly sentenced to dwell in your realm. Apparently this man in question left a great inheritance that would benefit many lives and future generations. The deed is so great that it has saved thousands of lives and encouraged even more souls to turn to the path of righteousness and gain entrance to heaven. He was sentenced prematurely and is suffering before his time. It is possible that he will instead dwell in limbo until something is properly decided. He is a sinner but not a great one. It may even be determined that he will be given the choice and will decide to stay here." She took another breath.

"We've already dealt with the demon responsible for causing this unnecessary nusiance." She said with a slight smile as she recalled the look on his face. Her father gave her the sole pleasure of punishing the absent minded creature. It was a grave thing to disrupt Caelyn's sworn duties.

"To get to the important part," she spoke swiftly as her expression turned neutral. "I was sent here to retrieve the soul of Mark Dillinger. We have prepared compensation as an act of good will for the smooth handling of this transaction. Two hundred souls whom dwell in limbo will be expressed through the sorting procedure. Those specifically bound for Hades. Two hundred souls to compensate for one that may even come back into your fold willingly. We hope this will appease you for wasting your time like this." She told them and looked at each one evenly.

"It should go without saying that I am not permitted to leave without the soul in a contained vessel." She said and held her hand out, a small black orb materialized in her palm. "He must be stored in here to ensure he wont escape and so I can quickly send him back. Once that is done, if it pleases you, Father has also ordered me to remain here for your amusement. For a limited time, since I have other duties. But only if you wish it. Once my objective here is complete you can send me away as well." She added though her father didn't mention that at all. She hoped things went smoothly and that Hecate discouraged hher brother for taking her up on her offer.

What they were getting was 199 souls basically since they were losing the one. And once Caelyn returned to her usual tasks she would be burning through her reaper lists like they were nothing to relieve the stress from this silly ordeal. By the end of the month, Hades and Hecate would have enough souls to keep them entertained for decades and more.

Hecate had a somewhat confused look on her face, but Hades looked... if anything, bored. He rested his head on his hand. "So, these souls in Limbo that you're going to give us in compensation. Are they deserving of being in Hell, or are they just lambs to the slaughter, so to speak?" Hecate glanced at him, raising a brow, then nodded slightly, looking to Caelyn appraisingly.

"Indeed, they are, my Lord. We are simply hurrying them along to their fate. In many cases souls are sent to limbo awaiting their souls to be weighed. Even the devout will wait there for a time and still end up here. It doesn't matter one's religion, rather they are judged by their actions in life. Unless they did something incredibly evil, like the order of genocide, or good such as treating others with kindness all their life, they await their souls to be weighed. It is a process I myself am not very familiar with but I believe that's how the gist of the system works." she explained. She was only aware of how things worked and only knew that it took a lot of time. Her father made sure she knew what was going on. Otherwise she would only worry about her reaping.

"If there are no further questions, my lords?" she asked then paused, looking at them both. "I can simply take the soul and be on my way. I would not want to keep either of you from your duties." She said as she kept the orb in sight but held it in a relaxed position. Oh how she wanted to pressure them to let her go but her father would somehow find out and be disappointed. She had no choice in the matter. If either of them wanted her to stay shebwas obliged to do so. All for the sake of honor and duty, she told herself. For that she could bear anything.

Hades nodded slightly. "Good answer. If you were tryin' to send souls here that did not deserve to be here, I'd have been pissed. Alot of idiots seem to think that me and my sister just enjoy causin' pain, and don't care who we do it to. It never occurs to them that we just enjoy punishin' those that deserve it." He sighed, then snapped his fingers, summoning a Hell Imp. "Go get Mark Dillinger from the guest rooms, eh? Tell him the fuck up has been cleared up sooner than expected." The imp took off, and Hecate leaned forward.

"We've been aware of the issue with Mister Dillinger. If he chooses to stay in Hell, that's his decision of course, but he certainly won't be tortured here, he doesn't deserve that. Either way, we've been keeping him entertained here. We were waiting to see if someone would come and take responsibility for the mess up, before taking action. I'm pleased we didn't have to wait long."

She nodded to acknowledge their satisfaction and didn't show a trace of the surprise she felt. Caelyn had always thought that people sent here just suffered endlessly. Like most it never occurred that its rulers were lenient about anything. It was something new she learned today.

"In that case, thank you for understanding." She bowed toward them. "We are very ashamed that something like this ever even occurred. I apologize on behalf of our entire unit for the misunderstanding."

"If it pleases you, then I should be on my way. The usual deliverer of souls from limbo should arrive here soon bearing the two hundred souls destined to remain here." She said quickly. Caelyn thought she wouldn't be asked to stay.

The maximum time her father allowed them to keep her was a hundred years. It seemed like a lot but it was like a few hours was to a human. Their lives were almost infinite though hers only slightly less. All she knew was that when she died she would be sent straight to hell. It was determined the moment she watched her mother's death. Heaven would never accept an Angelslayer.

Hades drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne. "Y'know, if I was an idiot, I'd be offended by how eager ya are to leave. You've made it apparent ya want to get out of here as soon as possible. Lucky I realize you just want to get back to work."

"Oh my, so he does have a brain." Hecate said this with mock surprise, and Hades' brow twitched.

"Hecate, I swear to Anya, I will-"

"You do realize that swearing to her will not make her more inclined to have sex with you again?" Hades palmed his face in irritation, while Hecate had a smug look, even as the Hell Imp returned with Mark Dillinger in tow. "Ah, here he is. Caelyn, we release him to your custody. Though, tell me... by which way did you come to us? Did you take the ferry across the river, or some other way?"

His words made her want to wince but she held it on. If he caught onto that then good, we were all on the same page. Though as they began to bicker she did shift her weight from one foot to the other. They were acting a bit childish and Hades appeared too lax for her taste.

When the man appeared she only waited a moment for manner's sake before instincts kicked in. The orb suddenly glowed red and sharp claws dug into her palm for support; she hardly noticed as it absorbed the blood. There was pain but she was used to it. Once the vessel acknowledged her blood signature a larger claw shot out and yanked him in. It pulled so hard that his back snapped backwards and he was sucked into the orb. She was unfazed by this, it only occurred within seconds, and the gashes in her arm slowly turned to pinpricks then faded.

"Be not alarmed," she said calmly, "It looks painful but only the living can feel it. He's a soul and he is now dead as well as in my custody." She explained but felt she had to put in an extra word because of how.... human the two of them acted. "We are demons and I am a Reaper, level one. It is how things have always been done. Just as things are done here." She said quietly.

At Hecate's question she nodded. "I didn't trespass at all, my lady. I travelled by the river Acheron because Charon refused my passage. I am still alive and haven't any coin to bribe him. So I was forced to wade the waters. Cerberus wouldn't let me by either until I produced Angelbane. He withdrew his attack but I wouldn't turn my back on him. Through the rest of the land I travelled by foot until I reached the other rivers. Once shown my writ of passage some souls helped me through. New ones aided me at each shore until I neared here and the guards became my escort. Phlegethon, your river of fire, was feared most by the spirits. But the Styx gave me the most trouble. The river of hate is filled with many souls whom I have sent here. They tried to pull me under." She told Hecate calmly. It was unnerving how calm she was about it but if she wasn't she wouldn't have deserved to be the number one Reaper.

Hades grunted, crossing his arms. "I told you, Hecate, we need a fuckin' sign or something. People are still confusin' me for that jackass!" Hecate just sighed.

"Yes, yes, dear brother... Caelyn, what do you know about myself and Hades? About our history, our family?"

((Hi, I am finally back now from an unintentional hiatus. Lack of internet/computer and all that jazz... Would you still be willing to continue or have you moved on from this thread?
I apologize for the abrupt abandonment on my part. Sorry if I offended you in any way!))

(I would love to! And don't worry, I fully understand. Life can, and will, take precedence over internet stuff. Speaking of, welcome back!)

Caelyn just blinked slowly, as far as she knew, it wasn’t
her fault if she came in a way that people weren’t supposed to. Not that she
was a person per se… But it wasn’t her problem either. She stared blankly at
Hecate for a moment, she didn’t care much about landmarks or politics and was
only interested in sword techniques, not history. “Not much, I am afraid.” She responded
carefully. “I know only as much as the humans. I sent a few Greeks here,
anyway.” She sighed slightly as she glanced off, trying to remember something
she had considered useless information until now. “Everyone was… sad when I
came for them. Some asked for coins to place under their tongues.” She leaned
her chin on her hand, seriously trying to think now. “Others asked me not to
sever their limbs because they would need them in the afterlife. Few were
relieved only because they believed that they could see those that departed
before them.” She told them and shook her head. “I do not know much else. I had
never needed to know anything about the afterlife; only how to send people
there.” She explained.

Hecate listened, and nodded slowly. "I see. Then you can hardly be blamed for the confusion. What you need to understand, is that the Hades you see before you, is not the Greek God known as Hades. After...." She paused, then sighed. "Sometimes I hate being ageless, so hard to remember the date. Caelyn, what is the year, again?" Hades just smirked at Hecate.

Caelyn nodded slightly, glad that she had responded decently enough. But then Hecate posed another question that she had to think about, again having to hesitate. "I believe it should be around 2039...? I can't remember the date exactly... I do recall it past the 2020s." She told them and looked away thoughtfully, "I think I killed someone that new years..."

Hecate nodded a bit. "Thank you. That means is was roughly two-thousand years ago that Olympus fell. When it fell, the power of the Greek Gods broke. Most of them have died, but I know, at the very least, of three that are still around. Athena and Aphrodite, and Hades. Hades does indeed reside here in Hell, but he does not rule it. That duty falls to my brother and myself. That Hades does essentially oversee those of Greece who still believe in him, but only those who deserve to be in Hell do that, of course. Hell is... a complex place. Part of it is essentially a prison for the damned, and part is a home for living beings; Fel Demons such as Hades and myself."

"It is my pleasure to be of service," Caelyn responded, "I shall keep that information in mind, I hate to make repeated mistakes." she assured her. Thoughts of what Hell was like troubled her and in that brief moment, Caelyn did something spontaneous. "If it would not trouble you," she hesitated, only her eyes looked down, thick lashes hiding the pain her decision would cause. "I would request that you guide me to hell. I should like to see where my soul shall remain for eternity." she said quietly, looking up at them now to show that there was no doubt she wanted to embark on such a journey. "Only if it will not hinder your responsibilities," she looked from one to the other. "Otherwise, with your blessing, I would traverse your land to get there. I think I should take some time to find it myself... Call it a vacation if you will."