Wanted by Hades

𝕻𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖘? 𝕴 𝕯𝖔𝖓'𝖙 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖐 𝕾𝖔

|| Chapter 2: Paris? I Don't Think So ||

☾

The loud whips of the velvet red curtains in front of the ajar window woke Isabella up from her disruptive sleep - the first time she slept without waking up in the middle of the night. Isabella's eyes took a while to adjust themselves to the dark and void room. The thick black sheets kept her warm from the strong wind that escaped the heavy curtains.

At first, Isabella thought she was in the hospital. She could only recall half of the turbulence that had occurred during her way to Paris. The lights had gone off but the people's animated screams still haunted her memory. They were screams of pure horror and chaos, the ones you only see on films. She was surprised that her scream was not tangled with the others. Once the lights had gone off, Isabella's screams had been trapped in her throat as her ears had become more attentive since her eyes were of no use at the time. One small detail that Isabella could clearly remember was that next to her, Aphrodite was also silent. Isabella did not know if it was due to the same reasons that she, herself, was quiet or due to something else.

Isabella finally came to the realization that she was not in the hospital - surprising the scent in the air had given it away. Unlike that bleach smell that all hospitals have, the room was filled with a nice aroma of mixed spices with a small quantity of sweetness that reminded Isabella of home. Not the concrete home that had seen many faces and events, but her emotional home that only opened its doors to Isabella's most loved ones.

Groaning, Isabella sat up. Her restless eyes scrutinized the room's every corner and whole.

"Where the hell am I?" She asked herself as she observed that the only furniture in the room was the enormous bed she laid on. As if someone had heard her, the French doors were pushed open and Aphrodite walked in.

"Good morning, child," her voice echoed through the square room. "How did you sleep?" Aphrodite placed down a glass tray with embroidered doves on top of the bed. The tray was filled with sweets and with a mug of cinnamon tea - Isabella's favorite.

"Good," she responded still feeling a bit drowsy. "Where are we?" Isabella took the offered tea and sipped on it.

"The Underworld," Aphrodite responded with an angelic smile upon her thin and pink lips. Isabella raised her eyebrows not knowing if the woman was purely joking or serious.

"Excuse me?"

"What part didn't you understand, child?" Aphrodite asked, not in a way to mock Isabella's slow understanding process but in concern that the girl would fall into shock.

"Like...everything," Isabella stated, untangling her legs from underneath the covers. "The Underworld? Stop joking!" Isabella let out a small chuckle from between her lips as Aphrodite helped her climb off the bed.

Isabella made her way towards the long curtains that fell from the ceiling to the floor to prove that this was all a joke, which Aphrodite made no attempts in stopping the curious girl. Isabella's small hands gripped the sides of the curtains feeling it's thick fabric rub underneath her skin. Pulling the curtains open, Isabella's breath was caught in her throat.

The sky was covered in dark, stormy clouds - the constant sound of lighting being the only music allowed in this eerie place. Fog covered the numerous tall buildings that had seemed to be abandoned for centuries.

From between the lighting sounds, a deep howl shook the earth making Isabella jump back in horror. She slapped the curtains closed holding onto her chest, trying to calm down her racy heart. She still wasn't sure that this was literally the Underworld, but whatever this place was she had never seen it on any map before.