Papercut

The ground shook with every thump, buildings were felled, thousands of bodies laid upon the ground in front of such a sight. I remembered what Apollo had told me back then and it stuck with me in my gut.

"Its the butterfly effect."

Quite a distance away from us was what looked like a massive hydra, swinging its heads so fast I couldn't count how many it had. Behind the beast was a massive crimson-colored portal expelling screams of horror and foul smells. It was at this moment I looked over at Olivia who had a worried expression.

"Olivia you don't think this is.."

"It has to be. Sometime around when we were training one of us must've accidentally opened a rift to somewhere."

"Hydra's don't exist in our world which can only mean it must be a rift to the underworld, it's a doorway to hell."

Apollo taught us about the history of the gods and their enemies along with the many locations that exist among them so it was only natural we'd piece it together.

"Amelia, you know that means that 'he' is here."

"Of course, there's no way Hades would pass up an opportunity to his own personal Bloodbath & Beyond."

A voice.

"Well, aren't we ever so clever."

It was Hades, but I couldn't see him. Actually, neither I nor Olivia could move and everything had stopped in place. It was as if time was frozen and then from behind me, he walked around to the point we were face to face. He could've practically killed me if he wanted and the only thing I could move was my mouth and eyes.

"Hades! I know this is your doing."

"Of course 'Amy', I don't take you as the stupid type, you're quite intelligent."

​

"It's time stop.."

Shrugging his shoulders, he sighed and bent over a bit so that our eyes met and we were centimeters apart.

"Oh this? I just asked everyone to freeze for the picture Captain obvious."

"Yeah okay, unfreeze me and my friend, now!"

"Such a rude girl aren't you? We have all the time in the world, it's just me and you."

Frustrated, I gritted my teeth and was still trying to break free of his time stop but was to no avail.

"What do you want anyways asshole?"

"Oh, nothing of too much importance. I just wanted to enjoy the scenery, watch the show, it really gets the blood boiling you know. I'm going to need a few things."

"I don't have what you're looking for Hades, scram."

​

"Oh, it's actually quite the contrary little snowflake. Wouldn't that be right, daughter?"

At this point I was confused and he threw me off my game when he said "daughter". I know he isn't talking about me, so who?

I heard soft giggling which slowly became more of a louder yet maniacal laugh coming from the general direction of my side, it was Olivia. She started moving and was walking around, making her way towards Hades, standing next to the bastard.

"Funny joke Hades, but you should try your mind games on someone else."

"Oh, I assure you, this is no mind trickery nor illusion."

"It has to be a lie."

I looked over at Olivia, saddened and unable to get my words out.

"I-You said your parents- they were taken away by the consortium."

​

She had let off a wide grin, putting her hand through her hair.

"Man, you certainly are an idiot. Did you really think we were ever friends? I was putting on a persona, simply doing as father asked of me. The crying, the fighting together, the hugs, conversations were all fraud. I even forced myself into this disgusting body which I stole from some girl whose throat I slit."

The pigments of her hair and hands got incredibly darker until they looked pitch black as well as her eyes. Olivia looked as if she was a completely different person.

"So this is the real you, these are your true colors."

She didn't respond and gave a look as if nothing I said to her mattered and then Hades stepped forward a bit.

"Secondly, I'll be taking you."

"Sorry champ, not for sale."

"Unfortunately it wasn't much of a question. I'll have my daughter escort you back to the underworld, where I'll meet with the person of the consortium, ransoming that Ice Witch soul of yours for millions. Once it's removed you'll be but an empty shell, left to rot in hell and I'll be rolling in gold for centuries."

I actually began to think and realized that they could actually take me to the consortium if I played along.

"Oh no, whatever shall I do."

Olivia shook her head in disappointment before Hades tapped on her shoulder.

"Daughter, begin the transport."

"Okay, father."

She walked up to me, grabbing me by the hair before fire began swirling around the both of us out of nowhere. I forgot about the city, but I didn't have time for that. I could always ask Apollo to repair the damage and lost lives. The fire continued to swirl around both of us for a few seconds and when it put itself out we were there. I snatched myself from her grip, stepping back a bit.

She looked at me with a confused face.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"You're the real idiot. I made both of you bring me here to get closer to the consortium and now I can get you out of the way and go the rendezvous."

"Oh really then?"

I ignored her sarcasm and tried an ice barrage but my ice didn't even make it two inches.

"What the hell?"

"Being an ice hybrid, your powers are being heavily suppressed in the underworld. Now If you'd kindly come back."

She shuffled her feet and all I saw was a blur. I'd assumed she ran over to me, but I believed she walked, it was hard to tell. In that very second, she had appeared behind me and I heard a snap. I realized I couldn't move again just like when Hades froze time.

"You too?! How many people can do this?"

Without saying another word she drew some symbols on the ground, embedded in hellfire and a levitating cage had surrounded me. I heard Olivia snap again and time unfroze as I fell down to the cold bottom of my miniature prison.

"Now we shouldn't have any problems and if I performed this correctly, your powers shouldn't be able to penetrate the material."

She was right, not even my punches were enough to dent it. I even tried to use my intangibility, but when I began to phase through I was shocked with some kind of foreign energy similar to electricity. I was trapped...

[10 minutes later]

We were still walking towards the rendezvous and I was bummed out that, for once on this wild journey, I was left with nowhere to turn.

"So Olivia...Why....did you lie to us."

At first, she was silent so I assumed she didn't want to answer, but then she sighed and started to talk to me.

"There was no lying, I was simply doing as my father asked of me. No more, no less."

"Aren't we supposed to be friends?"

"I don't need friends. The only thing that I need is my father's approval."

"So you had this planned all from the start.."

"...I can see the hall of fate as it stretches towards the path of a hundred doors. However, even those doors lead to rooms with more doors with each being a different possibility. I saw the most likely outcome and walked into the room knowing it's the door you would've taken."

"Is that also what you told the others?"

"I replaced their memories with false ones. None of what they remember is real."

"Like Aaron?"

Olivia went silent.

"I disagreed with Aaron in order to follow you. I saw a possibility where I gained more power and I indeed achieved that. That training wasn't to be wasted."

I couldn't believe how dark Olivia had become, it was almost scary.

"Listen to yourself, Olivia. You're no different than the consortium."

"I consume power and follow my father's orders. My way of living is just my purpose. Unlike the consortium, I have achieved things they couldn't do. It's like that friend wildcard, whomsts heart you once touched."

What? That was impossible, there's no way she could know about wildcard.

"How...how do you know wildcard."

"I consumed her soul."

At that moment my heart dropped. If Olivia could beat someone as powerful as wildcard, does that mean she's been hiding some secret strength all along? I'm scared that she may be stronger than a deity at this point, but maybe I was exaggerating.

"What are you?"

"I'm the morbid truth these worlds need. I wish for the extinction of all life, I want not a breath to be taken if it maybe even my own. I want all to be one with death and you were my only obstacle. Why be born into a world when you're destined for inevitable death someday, it's illogical."

"That's insane."

"I'm almost there. Once the consortium removes the part of Omnidea's soul you contain, I can merge it with my divine genes. Mimicking the power of the three great deities. Limitless power, I'll be the endless void."

"Who's side are you on exactly?!"

"I'm on the side of the the blunt reality we all share. We're all simply meat bags, waiting to die. That's our true purpose and I'm going to give my life to ensure this becomes reality."

"That means you'd have to betray the consortium."

"I see you're not as much of an idiot as I remember."

We got silent again and it was that way the entire walk, it seemed like her legs never got tired, she never broke a sweat.

[2 hours later]

"Hey, Elsa the snow chick get up."

I had fallen asleep and she bumped the cage making me wake up.

"Wha?"

"We've arrived."

A few meters ahead of us was a massive castle that stood at almost 200 kilometers, it felt unreal. There were demons at the front, I guess they acted as guards while the one's I saw flying above was some sort of sky support. Olivia kept walking forward until we passed by the guards and they greeted her upon entry into the castle. We had eventually made our way into the castle and down to the bottom where it hid a dungeon with prison cells that looked just like my cage. She undid the cage bind, opened the cell door before throwing me in as I smacked onto the side of the wall where magical chains cuffed my wrists and ankles.

"The consortium will arrive shortly to do the deal in which case ill come back down to retain you."

I didn't say a word so she walked back up, leaving me in the cold darkness of that hellish dungeon.