Chapter 10: The Discussions
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Hello again! Things are really heating up in this chapter, in more ways than one. Just remember that this story contains some mature themes.

As an aside, the name Melinoë is pronounced Mel·in·oh·ay

Back in his comfortable loungewear, Hades waited patiently for his scouts to return, while reading a book and petting one of Cerberus’ sleeping heads in his lap. As he turned the page he peeked at the other two heads, one of which was snoring loudly, whilst the other was quietly licking an itch on his paw. Hades loved to marvel at how the pup could simultaneously seem like three separate beings, while he also knew that only one soul lived in that body. It was uncanny how each of the three heads was constantly aware of what the other two were experiencing, which made for the realms’ best guard dog.

Cerberus had been a great defender of the Underworld with super-canine strength and agility to match. Like all immortal beings, Cerberus possessed what was known as a combat form. Detecting a threat, would cause him to change drastically in shape to aid him in the fight. Most immortals just gained armor and maybe a weapon, but Cerberus grew immensely in size and his fur grew into sharp obsidian spikes, whose razor sharp edges could be used offensively or defensively. The need for a guard dog hadn’t been as necessary during the hiatus the agreement afforded, and he wondered if the pup would be happy or upset at being put back to more frequent work. 

Breaking the silence a voice sang “Cerberus…” all six ears shot up. “Do you want to go…” all three mouths quivered their jowls in anticipation “... potty?” In a split second the gargantuan dog was flying across the room and out the door, much to the intruder’s giggling delight. 

“Evening Melinoë, thanks for that.” Hades said bitterly as he rubbed the sore spot where Cerberus had launched from his leg. 

“Aww dad, how can you be mad? Did you see how happy he was?” Melinoë beamed smugly as she faded in from a cloud of shadows.

“You're the first to return, what did you find?” Hades said avoiding her teasing, and getting straight to business.

“That the world looks gorgeous bathed in neon lights at night, and we’ve been robbed of seeing it in person all these years?... Ugh fine” Melinoë cut her banter short after seeing her father’s unimpressed stare. “You were right, Ares met with a few of his priests, and told them to be more cautious. We weren’t seen, but after Ares went back to Olympus, we had to split up. The original group split off to tell more of their kind. There were six that met with Ares directly, they called themselves ‘the board,’ and those six went off to contact several more each. My board member contacted nine more priests.”

“Kaos” Hades swore. “Did the other priests go on to contact even more?”

“Hard to say” Melinoë sat on the couch made of soft mossy foliage as Cerberus came back in after his zoomies. “My board member spoke with most of his subordinates over the phone. I only got to follow one of his lower priests who he contacted in person, but he didn't contact anyone else. The ones my board member contacted over the phone would be impossible to follow in the time we have.”

Cerberus gave the chthonic nymph several wet kisses between his three heads, much to her squealing displeasure. Hades took a few seconds to enjoy the beautiful moment with his family, it might be his last for a while. Melinoë seemed like just a child to him, even though rationally he understood she was thousands of years old. Her features would have most mortals thinking she was roughly 20, and her stature was petite. Comparatively to himself or even his younger wife, she was still merely a girl. Her midnight black armor did little to make her seem more mature than her usual saffron robe. So much weight would be put on her shoulders in the coming years; he silently wished that she had a few more millennia to enjoy the simple life before being sucked into the politics and infighting that made up an immortal’s life. 

Snapping back to the task at hand he continued “So six high priests on the board. Each with maybe nine sub priests, so we should expect at least fifty to sixty magically armed mortals from the cult of Ares. How many names did you get?”

“I got ten names total. The head of the board, who we believe is the Arch-Priest, and the nine mortals that he spoke with. They were being pretty candid for just having been told to be more careful. I don't believe they understood that warning should apply tonight. They also talked about moving communications to ‘secure channels’ which one of them referenced as a computer program called ‘Sovereignty.’ We will need to figure out how to access that if we want to keep tracking their movements.” Melinoë had stopped the kisses long enough to convince Cerberus that what he really needed was belly rubs, to which he happily complied. 

“Great work, honey.” Hades commended as more Shadow Stalkers came to the meeting. The group, led by Melinoë, was made up of thirteen chthonic beings, each capable of dissolving into shadow to remain undetected. They made for excellent spies, and Hades was proud at the initiative his daughter showed in founding and training the group of young immortals. Nymphs, lesser gods, demigods and the like were more susceptible to harm than gods of his stature, and he always worried about the risks of sending them out on missions. Up until recently, it hadn't been a concern as he had no need to spy on anyone. 

The rest of the meeting went fairly smoothly as the other operatives reported similar findings, one with a lead on how to access the secure network they had all heard about. The upset came when one of the newer members of the group gave their report. They were a shy Dark Oneiros, or winged nightmare being, named Anisychía standing at roughly five feet tall. Their domain was born of nightmares about tests, which had become more prevalent in the past few centuries. They were by far the youngest member of the Shadow Stalkers, but Melinoë had assured Hades they were ready for the job.

“My board member contacted 7 more priests, I was able to get all but two of their names. One of the priests asked how this would affect something he called the ‘Vilongo deal,’ and the board member replied that it would go ahead unchanged. What he said next shocked me, the board member asked about how many casualties they could expect, and the lower priest replied ‘somewhere in the two to three thousand range,’ to which the board member just replied ‘good.’  I'm not sure what that is, but I think we need to find out more, it sounds like a lot of mortals are at risk.” The assembled team erupted in hushed murmurs.

“Alright, we knew this time would come eventually” Hades interrupted, getting the attention of everyone in the room. “Let’s head back out and try to do some reconnaissance on groups you followed today. Be thorough, gather any intel you think you could use, especially anything involving this... ‘Vilongo,’ but avoid detection at all costs. I’m going to find my wife and make a plan, I’ll summon you when it's time to act.”

The room was silent as the team digested Hades’ orders, before they each burst into shadows and returned to the mortal realm. The only Shadow Stalker remaining was Melinoë, who rose to face her father. “We won't let you down, dad.”

“I know, Mel,” Hades said resting his hand on her slim shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Please, be safe” Hades added as his only daughter fades into the shadows. He had faith in them, and he prayed that it would be enough. 

**

Sam, Seph and David had talked long into the night, and never actually watched the movie they had intended to view. In the end, as sunlight began to stream through the apartment windows, Samantha silently watched her snoozing friends.She was comforted by the fact that David had finally accepted the reality of her circumstances, and admitted that he still saw her as the same, loving, compassionate person, even if she looked a little different. It was a scary moment, but her waking mind thought back to it fondly.

It was after they had finished the pizzas and a few more bottles of wine, Seph had finally passed out on the couch. The two mortals sat on the floor with their backs against the couch, thighs touching so they could continue whispering their discussion as not to disturb Seph. “For a goddess, she sure is a lightweight,'' David joked.

“Yeah, she said something about being weaker in a mortal form” Sam agreed. 

“Frankly, I’m just happy to have the bragging rights of being able to drink a literal goddess under the table” David smiled.

Gods, he has a handsome smile Samantha thought to herself taking in David’s rugged features. As alcohol whirled in her head she found her mind appraising his good looks again. She had always had a bit of a crush on David, but for the first time in her life, she felt like she was comfortable enough to act on it. No that's the alcohol, dummy she scolded herself for getting carried away. 

David was looking back at her with some unspoken look of admiration, when he caught Sam off guard “you know, Sammie, you really are the best friend I have ever had.” 

“You're just saying that because you're drunk” Sam blushingly tried to rationalize.

“No, honestly. You've always been the one to pick up the pieces when my family has its meltdowns. You've taken care of me, every time I’ve been sick over the past four years; making me soup, bringing me Gatorades, fetching my mail for me. I never really thanked you for being such a good, solid, dependable friend. I… I don't want to lose that, just because you look different now.”

“Thanks David,” Sam said, touched but ultimately unsure of how to respond to such a huge confession. The alcohol swirling through her blood gave her courage as she pushed herself to be honest with David as well. “I don't want to lose what we have either. You know, I’ve never had the courage to say it out loud, but you're kinda the only real friend I’ve ever had.” Sam could feel herself wanting to ramble, but she wanted to make sure David understood “Almost everyone that's been in my life was present because they had to be there. You've always chosen to be there, and it meant the world to me.”

David stared, looking earnestly touched by her words before his gaze turned back to his drink, and his expression shifted into a sly grin “wow, that's hella sad.” Sam recognized his stupid sense of humor that he only used when he was trying to break the tension, and let out an unintentionally hearty giggle.

David’s relieved smile warmed her heart even more “You've got a beautiful laugh now, that's gonna be hard to get used to.”

Swoon. “So many changes, so little time,” Sam agreed, drinking a swig of wine straight from the bottle to cover her blush. 

“What's it like?” David started, losing his confidence part way through “you know, uh… being a girl?”

“Wonderful,” Sam admitted, a dreamy smile brightening her face. “I’ve tried to explain it a million different ways, but my words never quite get it right. For the longest time, I turned to the internet to try and get to the bottom of why I felt different. Every search led me towards the terms ‘transgender’ and ‘gender dysphoria,’ but for some reason I could never let myself believe that applied to me too. Its kinda stupid looking back, but I can’t believe how long it took me to really connect the dots.” 

“In a way, it sounds like a part of you deep down might have connected the dots, but you were in denial all these years. God, that sounds lonely” David supplied somberly.

“Yeah, I think a part of me convinced myself I wanted to be a girl, and recognized that I had something resembling dysphoria, but I couldn't admit it to myself.”

“What changed?” David asked curiously before specifying “what tipped the scales towards finally confronting it?”

“Well, my body started to change because of Seph, and I found myself liking the changes, but I still couldn’t admit why. Then I had this weird dream, it kinda seemed like I was in heaven, and my body was really beautiful, just like the part of me deep down had desired all my life. And then this woman came and…” Sam debated leaving out the whole truth, but decided against it “she kinda hit on me.”

“Really?” David asked incredulously before letting her finish.

“Yeah, but more than that, she pressed me to confront my feelings, and she had all this intimate knowledge about my dysphoria. I finally broke down and admitted it, and it was like a wave of emotions crashed over me.”

“Do you think that was your subconscious, trying to wake you up to the truth?”

“Maybe… It all seemed so real. I should ask Seph, I’ve never had a dream like that before.” 

Sam thought for a second before refocusing to what David had asked originally, “but to answer your question, it's all really new. I get treated a little differently, I feel like people are more comfortable commenting on my appearance. The superficial side of having a wider variety of things to wear is also pretty nice, most men’s clothes are so… drab. I think the thing I’m most excited for is that my body doesn't hurt to look at anymore. I felt so wrong in my old form, and now it's like I can finally take some pride in enjoying how I look and feel. It's like a fresh breath of mountain air, after you’ve just been dutch-ovened your entire life.”

That last comment got a boisterous round of laughter from David, who only quieted when Seph groaned in complaint, and rolled over on the couch behind them. 

“You've got a pretty great laugh too” the wine had Samantha feeling daring as she spoke softly “I’d love to hear it more often.”

The two made heavy eye contact for a moment, but for Samantha, it  felt like it could have been hours. Does he really think I’m cute, or is that just Seph teasing me? Sam’s drunk mind silently hoped that he’d just kiss her already. Some scared recess of her mind screamed that they were both very drunk, and that they shouldn't make any choices they would regret tomorrow. 

Sam was the first to break eye contact and started laughing as she set the partially empty bottle on the coffee table in front of them, David quickly following suit. “I think we’ve probably had enough wine tonight,” David joked before pulling himself to his feet. “I’m going to go grab us some water.”

When he had returned, David seamlessly shifted the topic onto new video games, and Samantha managed to honor her silent promise to keep it PG - at least until they were sober again. The happy night had ended with Sam and David falling asleep on the sofa, just as messily as Seph had done hours earlier.

Sam’s musings on the non-PG potential of the night before were fighting with her pounding head. It was a fight the hangover was winning, and Sam lifted herself off her butt, hobbling to the kitchen to prepare the coffee machine with ‘morning anti-hangover elixir.’ The days had blurred together, and Sam felt the nagging sensation that she had something she was forgetting, but resolved to find out what it was when she was less near to death. 

The other two cohorts were partly roused from their daze, when Sam brought them the steaming liquid, and the trio agreed that it was humanity's greatest achievement. The group continued talking about what would make their day just a little brighter, and “greasy cheese, egg, and chorizo breakfast burrito, delivered” was a unanimous winner. 

Within a half hour the oily breakfast abominations were delivered and promptly consumed, in a comfortable silence. 

All good things must come to an end though, and David announced his departure “alright ladies, it's been… enlightening, and fun. I had a blast, and I’d love to spend more time with you both, but I have an urgent appointment with calling out sick, and sleeping for the rest of the year.”

The women chuckled at his lame joke, and bid him a late ‘goodnight’ before considering the bliss of a comfortable bed themselves. Seph lamented “fuck, this mortal body is worthless. I feel as if I’ve been hit by a train. That being said, I’m still glad we did this. I miss mortals, honestly. Your kind brings a certain spice you just don't find often in my kind. That and there are so bloody many of you.”

Sam laughed heartily, “how long has it been, since you kicked it with a mortal?” 

Seph pondered the question for a bit before clarifying “I've spent time with deceased mortals, a good deal, but a living mortal? Gods, it must've been more than two thousand years. Since before the Agreements were made.”

“Agreements?” Sam questioned as she lazily ate the crumbs from the cheap fast food wrapper. 

“Long story short, the head honchos of our pantheon decided a no-contact policy was best to let the humans grow and flourish. They might have been mostly right, the mortals- erm, your ancestors rather, did a lot of beautiful and amazing things as we stood back and watched. Plenty of absolutely abhorrent things as well, but such is life. The population boomed, and simultaneously the world started to eat itself. It’s correlation, not causation, but that prompted the douchebag-in-chief to decide to break the agreement in secret. So, daddy dearest sent my half brother Ares down to wreck the joint, and once we found out we decided to try and stop it.”

“So now that the agreements are-” Sam began to ask when the door to her apartment erupted in a cloud of splinters and several men in unmarked tactical gear burst through the opening. Two men made their way into the living room, and the rest found cover in the entryway.

“Contact sighted! She’s not alone!” A shorter man in front yelled, his stocky black weapon trained on Sam. 

“Police!” the man to his left yelled, with his identical weapon trained on Seph. “Get your hands where I can see them!”

Samantha slowly regained her faculties and raised her trembling hands to comply, but Seph just stood up and faced the men. “Tell me gentlemen, what exactly are you charging Samantha with?”

“On the ground, or I’ll fucking blow you away” was the only reply she got. 

A crackled voice over the radio replied “Just take ‘em both out.”

In a flash, Seph burst into flames which died as quickly as they had erupted. She was no longer wearing her trendy sweater and jeans combo from a moment before, but instead she wore a set of charcoal black armor that had the appearance of burnt wood and foliage. The armored skirt looked to be made out of leaves, but the intricate matte black armor plates were clearly made out of some type of metal. Her hoplite helm, torso armor and leg bracers appeared at first glance to be burnt wood, with glowing embers visible in the cracks, but at closer inspection, they too were made from metal. Her aesthetic of smouldering charcoal armor was contrasted by her unblemished skin showing on her upper legs, neck and arms. Her hair was now in an intricate braid that crept out from underneath her helmet. 

“Peons of Ares, you really thought such a small force could overcome the queen of the underworld?” Seph smiled confidently as recognition and fear swept over the faces of the intruders. She slowly withdrew a short sword from its sheath on her hip. “I am the goddess of the dead, and you are about to join my domain. Beg for your lives, or my xiphos will cut you down like pigs at slaughter.”

The two men were visibly trembling at her display, all eyes stared at the matte black blade, which had glowing engravings and was visibly radiating heat. A silence filled the air and Samantha’s heart was once again threatening to beat out of her chest.

Thank you for reading! As always I sincerely appreciate your feedback! It helps me in writing future chapters, and I also plan to go through and rewrite my old chapters as I improve.

Also, I added a little drawing I did of Seph in her combat form, to save you from having to google what 'hoplite armor' or a 'xiphos' look like.

Seph's Combat Form

Tune in next week at 7:00 PM, Eastern Time (ET) to find out what happens next!

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