Page 7 of Monster Whisperer
“Neither am I,” Hades hissed. “Kimon is a friend, and so is everyone in these cells. I don’t have a choice!”
“The only reason we are getting treatment at all is because of Hades, baby bird. This is not his doing.”
I heard a hiss from the next cell and a weird scrabbling noise. A female voice reached out to me in my head.
“The Underworld used to be a wonderful place. If you could get these collars off of us, we could fight her instead of each other.”
I walked to the next cell and saw a spider the size of a horse. I could see the red hourglass looking shape on her belly.
“This is Pavlina,” Hades said. “She’s a Black Widow and one of my dearest friends.”
“You have a funny way of treating your friends, Hades.”
“Kimon is right. This is not Hades’ doing. He’s been trying to figure out how to stop this,”Pavlina said.
I smelled smoke and heard the rustling of wings. Directly across the hall from Pavlina was the most colorful birds I’d ever seen before. I turned just as it was shaking ash out of its feathers.
“Ah, Demos. I was wondering when you would rise from the ashes. River, Demos is a phoenix. If he dies, he will just rise again, but if he gets injured, he will need treatment.”
“Hello, Demos. Why is this happening if it’s not Hades’ doing?”
“How can you speak to me when I’m trapped like this? You obviously aren’t a monster.”
“I have no idea. I was kidnapped and brought here to help all of you, but I don’t have the full story.”
Apparently, I was tuned in to some monster radio because they could all hear what I was saying to everyone. Towards the back of the dungeon, I heard a splash and a voice so deep, it sounded like a cello.
“You’ve handled a few monsters well, my pet. Let’s see how you do with a Kraken.”
I had to go back there. It wasn’t like I had a choice not to. Hades placed a hand on my back like he was trying to comfort me. Yeah, I still wanted to punch him for dragging me into this. I treated pets. I didn’t know the first thing about treating minotaurs, substantial Black Widow spiders, phoenixes, or a Kraken.
The entire back of the dungeon was a giant pool. A tentacled arm reached out and wrapped around my ankle. It was cool, and the skin was smooth. I could see a gigantic head that slightly resembled an octopus with ten eyes and razor-sharp teeth poking out of the water. I was petrified he would yank me under the water and eat me.
“Relax. Tryphon just needs to touch you to get a feel for you. He only kills wicked people.”
“Worry not, my pet. I could never kill such an interesting creature as yourself. You can talk to a lonely Kraken while I’m stuck like this. I’d take that over medical treatment any day.”
It almost felt like Tryphon was caressing my ankle with his tentacle. It felt intimate. I whirled around to face Hades.
“All your monsters say they are being forced to fight, and these cages are a gift. They also say you aren’t making them do this. This is your domain. You’re the king here. I think it’s about high time you explain what the fuck is going on.”
Kimon blew smoke out of his nose.
“I like you, baby bird. You even challenge a God. He could kill you right here and now for that.”
Pavlina got right up against the bars of her cell.
“Will you come back and talk to us? I’m tiring of talking to these assholes. We are lonely and getting sick of each other’s company.”
“Kimon never shuts up. Sometimes, I wish I was in the process of dying and molting, so I don’t have to listen to him,”Demos said.
“I’ll try to come back. I promise. I just need to find out exactly what’s going on here.”
Hades took my elbow and led me out of the dungeon. I had voices at my back, begging me to come back, and it was heartbreaking. If this was the Underworld and monsters existed, why was I the only one who could talk to them?
“Come, River. You’ve met my unfortunate friends. It’s high time I explain this mess to you.”
It was high time someone did because I not only just found out monsters existed, I found out I was the only person in the Underworld that could talk to them.
