Page 6 of Monster Whisperer
“Say it like it really is, Cerberus. The clothes Hades kidnapped me in,” I said, wandering off to find a shower.
Chapter 4
River
I
took a pretty glorious shower. I was pretty sure Hades was evil incarnate, despite what Cerberus said, but he had exquisite taste in clothes. They were stylish and comfortable. He even chose colors that set off the red highlights in my black hair and the gold flecks in my brown eyes. I would still kick his ass, even if he managed to find me the right size bra, and it was super comfortable.
I wasn’t prepared for the scene that greeted me when I stepped out of the bathroom. The great God of the Underworld, who threatened me with a gun and kidnapped me, was rolling on the floor and making kissy noises to his three-headed pet dog.
I cleared my throat to announce myself. He didn’t jump up like it embarrassed him I saw him like that. He just stayed on the floor and scratched Cerberus’s belly.
“Did Cerberus vouch for me?”
“Just because your dog likes you doesn’t change the fact that you threatened me with a gun, refused to let me stop and eat while your dog was getting fluids, then you kidnapped me to the Underworld!”
“Then, come with me so I can explain. You must grab my arm. It’s quicker to travel that way.”
I didn’t want to touch this man unless it was to punch him again, but Cerberus said there was a method to Hades’ madness, and this would somehow make sense, so I grabbed his arm. Before I could even finish blinking, I was somewhere else. It looked like I was in some dark, dank dungeon.
“I don’t want to be here.”
This place reeked of blood and death. It looked like the type of situation they stuck prisoners back in the Middle Ages to rot in before they met some gruesome end. There was so much dirt and dust in the air, it was hard to breathe.
Hades grabbed my arm firmly. Not enough to hurt, but enough that I would have to struggle to get away.
“No, you need to see this, River. You need to see why I had that gun when I could have easily killed you with my powers and why I brought you here. This place is horrible. I know. The entire purpose of this place was to bring killers and the evil people in Tartarus. It’s not like that anymore. Innocent people are being held here.”
“You’re the God of the Underworld. What do you need a human veterinarian for?”
Hades blew out an irritated sigh.
“You aren’tjusta human veterinarian. In fact, I think being able to hear animals is just the tip of the iceberg of what you can do. You need to see so I can explain.”
He started leading me down a hallway of cells, and I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. I was about to hyperventilate as I took in all the monsters in the cells. I needed to stop after I took in the eight-foot-tall minotaur. Oh, we stopped, all right. Hades stopped right in front of its cell.
I nearly wet myself when it came right up to the bars.
“This is Kimon, River. He’s hurt, but he’s stuck like this. He can’t tell us exactly what’s wrong. Can you hear him?”
I heard a deep voice in my head that sounded like pure velvet.
“Can you hear me, baby bird?”
Did I just get hit on by a bull-man with a massive ring through his nose?Whythe fuck could I hear a monster?
“I don’t know why, but I can hear you. Why are you in that cell?”
“The cell is a gift. I have a bed, and I don’t have to fight for my food. They bring the champions here. The others sleep in the pit and fight over scraps.”
“This cell is a shit hole. Why are they keeping you here and in pits?”
“We are tributes. They rounded up the monsters and made it, so we have no choice but to fight each other. Those of us here have won, but we have killed those like us. We only get a break until we are mostly recovered from our injuries.”
I wasn’t okay with this. I’d treated countless dogs from fighting injuries, and I had made plenty of reports when I suspected I was managing a dog being used for dogfighting. Hades could fuck himself if he thought I was treating his monsters so he could just send them back out to fight and die.
“You expect me to treat your champions in some Underworld fighting ring? I’m not okay with this.”
