[IC] Deals with Death (RomanAria and IronFrost)

[RomanAria]

The bag of coins was heavy in her hand. Forcing her terror down, Maria walked into DOA Recording Studios. Every eye turned to her as she approached the skeletally-thin man sitting at the desk.
“I request an audience with Lord Thanatos.” Her voice trembled.
The man looked up at her. “Oh, and why should I allow that?”
In answer she poured the gold drachmas out onto the counter between them. The man stopped, staring with greed at the sheer number of them.
“There’s extra sweetening in it for you, if you do.”
Still the man frowned. “If I let you down there, it’ll be my job, not to mention my head, on the line!”
In answer Maria poured more of the coins out onto the table. “I think this should be approximately one year of your salary. And my bag is still pretty heavy. Wouldn’t a five-year salary bonus be enough to convince you to take me across the River? I’m not something to be afraid of. I’m just a little, not-terribly-clever, weaponless daughter of Aesculapius.”
The man pursed his lips. Maria poured a few more coins on the table. Finally he nodded, licking his lips. He swept the coins into his lap and motioned for the bag, which Maria held out of reach.
“Not until you transport me across the river. Then you will get the rest of it. I swear it on the River Styx, and I’d not break that promise, not when that’s the very river you’re taking me over!”
The man grumbled, but rose to his feet. “My lady?” he ushered her with an ironic bow into the elevator and down into the rickety boat. Maria sat down, closed her eyes, and took a shuddering breath. You’re doing this for Mama and Elizabeth and Anna. Not for you, for their happiness. Over and over again.
The boat bumped against the opposite shore. Maria passed the bag of coins to the ferryman, Charon, his nametag said.
As the man crossed the river again, he said, “A word of advice, young lady. Pretend that you’re dead.” He laughed, and then he was lost from sight.
Gritting her teeth, Maria climbed up the bank, shocked by the sheer number of spirits she saw in the lines of the dead. She walked over to the EZ Death line, getting into it behind a pair of bickering twins, spirits whose words made no sense. She sighed through her nose. For Elizabeth and for Anna, for itty bitty Anna. Let your mother see them again. This is for their sake.

[IronFrost]

The door opened to each soul that passed through but once she got there the doors slammed shut and the souls started to act up. Thanatos groaned pissed slightly.
"Alrighty what stupid mortal came to the underworld this time yesh do you not learn?" he grumbled and as he walked his cloak flowed behind him. His eyes soild scary green color as his skin was flawless yet a nice tan color. He was tall around five nine and his black hair reach down his back as he looked toward her his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Miss I am going to ask you to leave please we really do not need a jam today, we already have more soul then ever to get through" his eyes looked right at her past her eyes and into her ver being. He smirks gently and checked something off the Ipad.
"please come this way, I do belive you are wishing to bring someone or some people back to life" he ushered her to fallow him to a house near he hill above the feilds where he over looked everything a long with the hellhounds that where called soulsnatchers. He took her into the house and let her sit in a chair and looked at her.
"I hope you know that you can't let other souls leave without a deal and without Hades permission. You are forbidden to talk to him so give me the deal and I will see what I can do" he said eyes cold and sharp as he stood there checking off the ipad and looked at her sharply once more. He wore a black robe around him his eyes where icy cold but they also held a lot of wisdom behind them.

[RomanAria]

Maria perched on the edge of her seat, rather terrified of this man. God. Whatever he was. And shouldn't she be? He could kill her, damn her to eternal torment, in a fraction of an instant. He could set her soul to wandering.
Nervously she cleared her throat. "Yes sir. Lord Thanatos. I would trade myself for my... my sisters. They were taken before they'd had a chance to reach their full potential. I would... I would like to trade... trade myself... for them." She took a shuddering breath, as the words she'd meant to say became suddenly real. "I will offer myself to you, as a servant, maid, student, consort, even as a friend, if yourself and Lord Hades might allow them to re-enter the mortal world and bring peace to our mother. I was the one she didn't want. But Anna and Liza... Elizabeth, sorry, they're her pride and joy, and it destroyed her to lose them." Her eyes, pretty blue and already very sad, filled with tears, which spilled over onto her cheeks. "Liza was only eleven and Anna was only six. They were both so smart and clever and gentle and nice... Surely the world would do well to have them back." She wiped at her eyes, wishing the composure she'd managed to keep when dealing with Charon would magically reappear.

[IronFrost]

Thanatos looked at her with sharp and dark green eyes ."A silly request you bring forth. Surely you know if this deal goes through you can't go back on it. But since you asked for that deal I shall tell Hades. You shall stay here you leave and my hounds have the right to eat you" he muses darkly turning and walked out of the room. As he walked out he took a deep breath and smiles gently going to the large looming castle.
As he came in he passed by the familar halls and rooms he grew up in. He came to the throne room and knocked loudly.
"my lord Hades its thanatos. I have a mortal wishing to make a trade to release two souls into the human world" he would wait outside the massive doors for the king and his father figure to open the door so they could talk in private.

[RomanAria]

Maria flinched at his words, then froze, sitting absolutely stock still lest her movement be considered an attempt at escape. She forced herself to breathe, deep shuddering breaths. For Anna and Liza. That's why you're doing this. For itty bitty Anna so that she can go back to her dance lessons and Liza so that she'll be able to sing in her state music festival and win that big sparkly trophy that she's been working for. For Mama, for your mama so that she can have the two daughters that she loves.

Hades looked up from his paperwork. "Come in, dear brother." He said, loudly. "A mortal wishing for a trade to release other souls? What could it possibly offer that even made you bring the proposition to me? The last time it happened you incinerated the poor creature, and one of my favorite parlor chairs!" He chuckled, a warm sound, though his black eyes were wary. "A blood relation, doubtless? And surely a demigod? For no full mortal has ever found these halls without being dead and in the ground."

[IronFrost]

Thanantos walked into the throneroom and bowed before Hades and said "A daughter of the healing god wishes to trade herself in for her sisters return to the human world. She would be willing to be a student, helper, consort anything of mine in the trade but I do have a small problem with that. Souls that we return to the human realm are placed on a time limit, the most time we have given people is ten years.
" he said as he slowly stood up his black wings twiched gently and he smiled gently.
"I do think she wants to make her mother happy, but its up to you, I just fallow the commands my lord" he said peacefully as his black hair swirled in the wind that blew by. His wings where ruffled slightly as it was hot but the wings where always cool and not hard to keep cool as well. His green eyes glowed gently and chuckled gently.
"but I do think it would be interesting to see her try and help me around with collecting and keeping the death in check" he muses gently as she couldn't touch spirits like he could he wanted to see if he could get her the ability to do so through trial and error.
"Sorry about the chair Lord Hades but that creature should have known better then to double cross me" he mutters slightly as his wings turned into sharp feathers. The creature was a harpy who wanted her brother back but when the brother was alive she had tried to back her way out and ended up getting burned to torment forthe rest of life,. Death was not always nice and if you ever try to cheat, or cross death your end was never painless.

[RomanAria]

Hades chuckled. "Relax, Thanatos. I'm not mad about it. This proposition intrigues me." He leaned back, stretching his legs out before him. "Grant the request. I will give them fifteen years. And I will make sure their mother dies before they do, so that she doesn't have to deal with the heartbreak of losing her daughters twice."
Maria bit her lip to keep from panicking. She heard whuffing in a corner, like dogs wrestling with each other. She half got up to go see what it was, and then remembered the warning and froze. But she made a sound, her foot scraping against the floorboard, and instantly the scuffling puppy sound went away, to be replaced by a low, menacing growl.
She whimpered in fear, for the growling was getting closer. Then something hit her back, hard, sending her sprawling on the floor. She expected to feel teeth on the back of her neck, not... a tongue? Whatever it was, licking her neck?
She rolled over slowly, barely having time to see an enormous black mastiff puppy before her vision was obliterated by the licking tongue.
"Oof!" she mumbled, trying to push the puppy, which probably weighed more than she did, off of her. "You're so slobbery, get off of me!" But the puppy wouldn't.
In exasperation she pushed the puppy's face away from her own and shouted, "Lord Thanatos, help, please? Your puppy--" and then the puppy resumed his enthusiastic cleaning job.

[IronFrost]

Thanatos nodded "very well lord hades it shall be done" said with a bow he turned and walked out his black wings flapped and he flew toward his house. He landed and came in laughed seeing it smiling.
"Oh Semcio who's a good guard puppy" he cooed happily walking over and picked the large puppy with carefulness and love rubbings its head. He grinned cooing to the pup.
"Who's a good guard dog huh you are" he grinned.

[RomanAria]

Maria pulled herself to a sitting position, trying to spit out the dog fur that had gotten in her mouth. "He scared the daylights out of me. But he is very cute. What's his name again?" She got to her feet and held a trembling hand out to the puppy, half-afraid he'd attack her again. But she couldn't keep the grin off of her face. "What did Lord Hades say about the trade?" she asked softly.

[IronFrost]

"He is named Semcio he is a son of Cerberus" said peacefully placing him down and then nodded . "Hades agreed to the deal" he said walking to his I pad opening a page and made the two young sister spirits come in
"You will be going home,your older sister made a deal and you shall return to your mother" he laughed as the younger sisters spirits tackled him happily and he laughed and gave them bracelets and said.
"When your time is up you shall be brought here"said peacefully as the sisters nodded and turned to their older sister.

[RomanAria]

Maria clapped both hands over her mouth, trembling. She lunged forward to hug her sisters. Miraculously, they felt solid under her hands as they hugged her back. "Tell Mama what I did, okay? Tell her that I'm safe and happy but that I wanted you to have a second chance." She pressed her face into Elizabeth's hair. "Win your competition for me, alright, sweetie? Win that competition and get your college scholarship and the big sparkly trophy." She bit her lip to keep from crying as she turned to Anna. "Anna, sweetie, don't cry." But then she lost control, crying too. "Oh my gods, sweetie, I'm going to miss you so much. I'll be waiting for you when you come back here, I'll be waiting and then we'll never leave each other ever again." She pulled Elizabeth into another hug, her whole body trembling from keeping her emotions in. "You've got to go now, girls. I love you and I'll miss you." She forced herself to her feet, wishing that Anna wouldn't cling to her leg that way. "Anna, go with Liza. Please, Anna. Go with Liza and go to Mama, and remember me, but don't grieve." The tears ran out of her eyes. "Anna, please, go with Liza." Elizabeth grabbed her arm and pulled her away, and she screamed, crying to get back to Maria. But Liza was stronger and held Anna until she calmed down. "Goodbye, girls." Maria whispered, turning away lest she burst into tears again in front of the girls. She faced Thanatos. "Thank you, sir. C-can you... Can you send them on their way n-now? I... I c-can't..." The tears trickled down her cheeks.
"Goodbye, Maria. I love you." Liza called.
"I'll miss you, Maria." Anna said, awfully choked up, and burst into tears again.

[IronFrost]

Thanatos watched them and sighed gently as he looked down. He smiles and when it was done he slashed open a hole with Hus sytche and allowed the girls to find themselves at their home. The portal closed after few moments and looked at the girl "alright tell me a bit about yourself" said smiling as he sat down. His wings folded up as the puppy barked and yi[pped at the door slightly and ran outside going right through the door like a ghost. he laughed gently and shook his head slightly and then sighed gently and waited for her to speak.

[RomanAria]

Maria sat tentatively on the chair she had so recently vacated, trying to get her thoughts in order. "Well, I'm in college. I go to Northwest Community College, and then every summer we go on vacation to San Francisco so that my sisters and I can go to Camp Jupiter." She sighed. "I'm fifth cohort's medical orderly, when I'm there." She folded her hands in her lap, fidgeting her fingers. "I play lyre, and harp. I can speak Latin fairly fluently and more or less fluently in Greek. My favorite color's blue. I don't really have many friends." She laughed breathlessly. "Oh, dear, I'm describing myself the way I did in kindergarten."

[IronFrost]

The god nodded slowly and sighed gently "well yeah thast how a lot of people describe themselves. Well anyway thats good enough . Now com,e along let me show you around" he said as his wings flew open sharply as a nasty gust of cold and sharp wind blasted past her but he only smiled and turned and opened the door and walked out and went to the front of the house where below where the hellhounds called Soulsnatchers as well as the soul feilds.
"alright this is mostly where we shall be, all those feilds hold souls if you see a soul leave you relie it onto me, My ipad text message is open do you have a phone or anything?" he asked raised an eyebrow at them and flapped his wuings sharply as the hounds turned their heads. The hellhounds called soulsnacthers where white massive hounds aroudn the size of a trailer. each hound had their job and duty and they growled at the girl smelling her as a living being and he spoke sharply and they whined and flattened their ears slightly and backed down.
"alright, well next up is the judgement hall" he said as he took her down toward the judemen hall where there was a massive room past the lines where the dead was massive room whetre three judges sat and toalked to each soul and they they texted thanantos and he nodded as he opened the doors to each different fields.
"Any questions?" he asked looking at her with his stone like eyes deep green color.

[RomanAria]

Maria shifted uncomfortably under that dark green stare. "N-no sir." She pulled her phone out of her pocket, its Imperial Gold case glinting coldly. She checked how much service she had, eyebrows rising slightly as her phone prompted her to connect to Hades_Realm wifi.
"Umm. Okay? The other kids at Camp Jupiter joked that the gods had to have their own wifi. But they didn't honestly believe it. Let me guess, you also have a Twitter and an Instagram." Her eyes were amused, but then went serious. "Regarding the Judgement, what criteria do the judges look for in determining which field the souls are sent to?"

[IronFrost]

"The Judges look at , Past life deeds, good deeds and bad deeds as well if the person can tell them honestly what they have done wrong. If hey can't then they are in the feilds of punishment for lying to the judges. Yes I do have Instagram and Twitter as well as Skype" he said darkly eyes narrowed slightly but he smirks gently "The jdges never send anyone to a wrong feild ever and if they did they geta re trial and sent to their right feild. " he said slowly as the souls swarmed around him happily and kisses each souls head like a happy father seeing his children as the small child soul scrambled up his shoulder happily humming gently as he greeted the spirit happily speaking French happily as they giggled and nodded

[RomanAria]

The spirits shied away from Maria at first. She saw the ghosts of several legionnaires she had once known, all staring at her, so she spoke quietly to them in Latin.
"It's alright, guys. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just trying to learn how the Underworld works."
They laughed, a nervous chattering sound. Maria held her hand out to one of them. "Alex, do you remember me? I patched you up after you got clawed by that rogue harpy."
The spirit cocked his head to the side, then nodded. He reached for Maria's hand, only for his hand to go right through hers with a most peculiar icy sensation. He made a chattering sound but Maria couldn't understand him.
"I can't understand you... I'm not dead. I can't speak the language of the dead."
He sighed, rolled his eyes and turned away to go back to his place in line, followed by the other Roman spirits. Maria bit back the tears that formed at not being able to communicate and forced herself to look up at Thanatos playing with all the spirits. "Lord Thanatos? Why can they understand me, but I can't understand them? And why can't they touch me?"

[IronFrost]

He chuckled watching her and the spirits and smiled gently "they can see you and hear you but no longer understand you because they are dead and your alive. The dead can't speak to the living unless granted permission" he said smiling gently as he took the small female spirit off his shoulder and down into the line with everyone else. he then nodded to the three judges and then spoke to her "come along we have a very different place to show you that unless you are with me your not allowed in" he said walking toward the dark palace of Lord Hades. As he walked through the halls the skeltons grew ready to attack but he waved his hand and they nodded and backed away as he walked through the halls and came to the throneroom and walked in slowly seeing Hades working "This is the throneroom, as you can tell hades is working so best not to disturb him. But there is also a lot of information in this place" he said and ducked as a harply swooped down at=nd screeched insults in greek at him and he glared and spoke sharply back adn the creature hissed and flew off to the rafters and stood there.

"Now , maybe i should show you to my house where I live" said smiling gently before bowing to Hades "sorry to disturb you Hades, Just showing her around the underworld" he smiled and slowl left with her his black wings flapped sharply.

[RomanAria]

Hades chuckled, eying the girl. "That's fine. It will be welcome to have an extra pair of hands working around here."
Maria nervously followed the man, trying not to gawk at the ornate carvings in the marble palace. She just glimpsed the lord of the dead before she tightly shut her eyes, wincing at the snap of cold wind from his wings. As they continued out of the palace, she asked the question that had been tickling the back of her mind. "Lord Thanatos? How did you come to serve, here in the underworld, I mean?" She shivered, trying not to let her goosebumps--or her fear-- show to this strange god. "

[IronFrost]

The god froze slightly no one had asked that question in a long time "ERM......a story for another time" he assured that he would tell her eventually. He smiled as he lead her into dark forest coming up a hill toward the amazing house of the god of death. High above the feilds