Issue #22: X, Shower.

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(Kane's P.O.V)

Diana and I said nothing, as we followed the gray haired middle-aged man through the winding corridors.

He was the complete opposite of Minos. Hair cut close to his head, a few inches shorter than Diana and wearing the most generic gray robes.

"Back there."

I broke the quiet atmosphere, curious about something.

"You said, in 'due time' he would get his pound of flesh. What did you mean exactly?"

Aeacus changed direction as we arrived at an intersection, taking the left corridor.

"Minos, just like me and one other, is a judge of the Underworld, responsible for judging and condemning the damned."

Aeacus threw a critical look over his shoulder.

"You're surrounded by so much death aura. It's a forgone conclusion that when your time to die finally comes, you might find yourself at his mercy. Which is why antagonizing him was such a bad idea."

"I'm an atheist."

I shrugged, to which he snorted.

"And even if I wasn't, the only religion I subscribe to, is the religion of money."

A part of my subconscious felt off at the admittance. The part of me that held Spider-man's legacy. It wanted me to create not destroy but most of all...

To save.

I was still trying to figure that out...

Soon enough, we were standing before a massive door, lanterns burning with a green flame on either side of it.

"This is you, Princess."

Aeacus revealed.

"The room is enchanted to provide you with anything you might need. Simply ring the bell above the bed."

"You have my gratitude Judge. A bath would be very much welcome. I'm covered in grime."

Diana sighed in relief.

"Aeacus,"

She spoke again, before we could move on to my room.

"You're a son of Zeus as well, correct?"

The Judge blinked.

"For all his faults, Minos was right about you. You have a keen eye."

He nodded, looking around the empty halls.

"That makes us family. To an extent. If you need anything...don't hesitate to call on me."

He then looked in between us.

"I'll give you two some privacy."

Saying that, he stepped a distance away.

Diana and I were left staring at each other.

"Kane I..."

"Thanks Princess."

The two of us spoke at the exact time.

"You're thanking me? Why?"

She questioned.

I answered with a wry smile,

"I saw you back there. You were ready to step up to your uncle for me. That took some balls. Dude is intimidating as fuck."

"Yeah."

She laughed.

"He sure is. As expected of one of the big three. I've heard tales but I never expected him to be so...much."

She shook her head, a serious expression crossing her face.

"That's not what I wanted to talk about. Kane, promise me that you will try to be more respectful when facing Hades or Persephone."

"The gods are different from anything we've ever faced before. They're not Circe. They are incapable of dying at Mortal hands. You would need a weapon of incredible divine power just to injure them."

I nodded in understanding.

"Alright. I can't promise to worship the very ground they walk on-"

"Neither do I expect you to."

"-but I'll treat them properly. They did welcome us into their home afterall. I might kill people for a living,but I have manners."

My words served to put her at ease, given the soft smile she now spotted.

"Good. Well...have a lovely night then. Hera knows we earned it."

She pushed the door open, before gently closing it behind her.

Immediately my face fell.

Diana was only half right.

There was another way to kill a god. It was the hard way. Getting strong enough that it didn't matter whether or not I had a divine weapon, to be able to kill or at the least injure a God.

A few decades from now, Earth will be crawling with beings strong enough to do exactly that.

Kryptonians, space cops wielding tools that can tap into the emotional spectrum for incredible power, speedsters faster than light itself...or even normal humans with a will and mind that could let them accomplish anything.

Hell Diana will be among those ranks.

Her potential was even greater than mine.

Which is why I couldn't slack off. To create the kind of life I wished for myself, to create the perfect assassin organization...I needed to be strong enough to face any being and come out on top.

"You seem distracted, Mr. Kane."

Aeacus spoke as walked.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Seeing an opportunity to gather more info, I cleared my throat.

"You said there were three judges. You and Minos make two. Who's the final one?"

Aeacus chuckled a bit.

"That would be Rhadamanthus. The judge of Elysium and the men of Asia. But that brute has always been more concerned with fighting. He's probably in the Training hall as we speak."

I stopped walking.

"Training hall?"

Aeacus turned to regard me, only to sigh.

"I see, you're like him too. Another battle maniac."

I didn't correct him. Afterall, training equates to proficiency. And after Circe, it was clear I needed more of that if I was to survive long enough to even come close to achieving half of my goals.

A short distance from Diana's room, we arrived at mine.

And as the door was closing behind me, the gray haired Judge placed a foot at the bottom corner.

"One last thing."

He eyed me up and down.

"A maid servant will be here shortly to take care of any needs you might have."

He said in a suggestive manner.

"The feast is in 3 hours, so take all the time you want."

I gave a grateful nod, before closing the door and turning around to stare at my room.

One word. Way out of my budget.

That's five words.

But they encapsulated the view better than anything else.

Okay, first things first, the chamber exuded an unsettling grandiosity, adorned with gold accents against obsidian walls.

My eyes meticulously analysed it's layout.

An important habit I'd developed over the years was dissecting a location for advantages.

Advantages I could use to aid me in a mission, or defend myself in case something happened.(you would be surprised how often things went FUBAR)

"Mmmh the tapestries are a good hiding spot."

I muttered to myself. The silky smooth folds inscribed with various mythological creatures.

So were the alcoves at the corners of the room. The light from the lanterns on the walls dim enough that you could hide a shadow.

Besides that, there was a massive king size bed with red sheets, a soft rug made from an incredibly large creature, based on the fact it covered the dozens of feet long room.

A drawer and mirror stand, next to the bed, a small shelf with a few books that I was definitely going to check out soon and lastly...a door to what I hoped led to the bathroom.

Slipping out of my boots, I approached the door, swinging it open and revealing rows and rows of different clothes.

Ah. So a walk in closet.

And I thought the opulence couldn't get any more...well opulent

From headware to footware, everything inside was designed for royalty.

I'm gonna have fun here.

At the extreme end of the room was another door, thankfully this one did lead to the place I wanted. Another gold and black accented chamber.

A...dare I repeat it, Royal bathroom.

And without much ado, I was naked in record time and scrubbing the cacked dirt of Themiscyran soils and 4 day sweat off my body.

The shower over head felt like a deep tissue massage from an angel's hands. I could feel the exhaustion wash away, bringing with it a feeling of relaxation and peace.

I'll admit, if the King of The Underworld has to pay the water bill, I might have just used up his entire tokens.

2 hours. Thats how long I spent inside the shower.

I eyed the bathtub on my way out, a golden(everything was either golden or black here) towel wrapped on my hips.

Next time, I was taking a dip within its ceramic confines. The wonders a bubble bath does to you cannot be fully explained.

Within the closet, I managed to catch a full frontal of my body. And without all the dirt, it was like looking at a different person.

My increased height was no surprise, I already had to adjust my balance and coordination while in the cell on Themiscyra.

Which had meant aligning my new physique and powers with my mind. Hence increased awareness of my body.

That said...is it just me or is my package bigger?

Not that I'm complaining, a good dick has gotten me out of trouble just as much as it's gotten me INTO trouble. Haha

Moving on, I was also shredded and lastly, above my heart was something new.

A sort of Tattoo. A strangely familiar one. A spider covered in burning flames, the shape of a wolf's head.

I don't remember getting this. The blood, sweat and dirt must have covered it up.

Resolving to think about it later, I turned my attention to another monumental task.

Looking for a change of clothes amidst the sea of luxury attire.

"Spoiled for choice."

I complained under my breath.

"Never thought that would ever be a problem."

Should I go for something familiar like a suit? Or something unfamiliar yet exotic. Like a silky Indian inspired golden Sherwani with black pants.

A friend of mine, one of the best information brokers from my old world loved Sherwanis. And they looked good on him.

Considering we had the same body size(now just relatively)...plus they looked easy to move in...maybe I should go for it.

Knock! knock!

Someone was at the door.

My eyes lit up in realization. Aeacus did say he would send a maid servant.

Good. I'll use her to pick out something good.

With only a towel around my hip, I got to the door, grabbed the handle and opened it.

Diana, standing right out in the hall, raised an eye brow at my half naked form.

Wait...what is she doing here? Where is the maidservant?

"Expecting someone else?"

The Themiscyran Princess asked in a mirthful tone.

I swallowed my next reply once I refocused on her...and what she was wearing.

Wow.

A completely black dress with feathers patterned around the waist and skirt portion, reaching just above her knees.

The dress left her hands bare, with a golden headband around her forehead that gleamed beautifully, under the light of the Lanterns on either side of the door.

To complete the set was a golden necklace with a stylized Hawk hanging from her smooth neck.

I'm not ashamed and neither would she be, for me to say we practically ogled each other.

So, knowing what the right answer was in this scenario, I stepped aside, one hand motioning for her to come in.

"Not really. But now that you're here...I need help with something."