"Hey...hey babe?" I slurred.
"Mhm?" he mumbled back. We were sitting next to each other on the counter in the kitchen, leaning against the backsplash. We were incredibly drunk. I leaned my head over and dropped it onto his shoulder.
"Do... how long are we going to stay, like, up here on Earth. Like, in this form?" I asked.
"A very, very long time. We don't know what Hades' plan is for us, but The Octet is a group of people that live here in this form. How come?" he asked.
"Are, er, uh, do demons get married?" I asked. He laughed and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.
"I suppose they can. There's nothing stopping them from it," he said. "There's not really a point to it for them, though. We know we'll be bonded and in love with our Promised forever, regardless of whether they make it official through getting married or whatever."
"Oh. Hm," I said shortly.
"But if you want to get married at some point in your life then we can make that happen," he said. I sat up and looked at him, flashing a big goofy smile.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Yes, princess," he said, smiling back. "They can't really have kids though... due to the lack of a beating heart and whatnot."
"I am just fine with that. I don't need more of me in this world," I said.
"You're one of a kind, Jupiter," he said. I smiled again and he gave me a sloppy kiss than very quickly turned into a make out session on the kitchen counter. My chest started to burn again, but it did every time we kissed so I didn't really care anymore.
Except it hurt a lot, lot worse this time. My breath hitched in my throat and I pulled back from Colby, who immediately put his hand on his chest.
"Damn," he said, wincing.
"I know," I said back in a weak voice.
"Hey there, fuckers," Jake said, walking up to us. "Is there a reason I can't use my powers right now, chief?" he asked.
"You were," I said, my voice shaky, "being a dick."
"Woah, are you good?" Jake asked.
"Just... falling more," Colby grunted. We had both leaned forwards, leaning our torsos over our legs that were dangled off the edge of the counter. Jake stared at us for a few seconds, his eyes going back and forth between Colby and I as the pain increased.
"Both of you?" Jake asked.
"Mhm," I whimpered, closing my eyes from the pain. I reached out and grabbed Colby's hand, squeezing it tightly to distract from the now almost unbearable pain in my chest.
"Kevin, Sam," Jake summoned. They were both over and standing in front of Colby and me a few seconds later.
"Damn, y'all good?" Kevin asked.
"Aw shit. Really? Now?" Sam asked.
"Looks like it," Jake said.
"Oh. Oh! You guys meanâ," Kevin asked.
"Yeah, let's get them upstairs. Can you stand up, Colby?" Sam asked, lightly pulling Colby's hand out of mine.
I looked over at Colby. He opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut and hissed out of his teeth in pain.
"Corey," Sam said. "Hurry please." I looked back down at the ground and clutched at my chest, trying to ease the pain. My eyes shut again and I couldn't focus on anything. I started getting dizzy and felt myself falling forward, but could move to catch myself.
"Woah!" Sam yelled, catching me before I dropped to the ground. "Shit. I'm going to take her up to Colby's room. Bring him up there when Corey gets here to help," said Sam.
I felt Sam pick me up, one hand under my knees and the other under my neck. My neck had gone limp and my head was bobbing up and down with each step Sam took.
"Hey, open your eyes," Sam said. I realized they were still shut and opened them back up, but they just felt so heavy, and I was tired, and my chest just hurt so bad...
"Open them!" Sam said more sternly. They snapped open again and I saw that Sam was setting me down on Colby's bed. He positioned me so that I was lying on my back. "Alright, Jupiter. You're just going to have to lay here and ride it out. It's going to hurt a lot. Especially for you. And it's going to last for a few minutes. Just focus on Colby, okay? That'll help it end sooner."
"Okay," I said, my voice coming out as a raspy whisper. A moment later I felt the other side of the bed dip down and I knew the guys had set Colby down next to me.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Colby was whispering. "Kevin, I can't, it won't stop," Colby groaned. Hearing Colby in pain like that sent a new shock of pain through me, causing my body to jolt on the bed.
"Woah, dude, is she going to have a fucking seizure?" Corey asked.
"We don't know how it works for them," Jake said.
"I do. No, it won't give her a seizure and it won't kill her since y'all did the ritual. Their brains and hearts are just on some fuck shit right now," Kevin said. Stars started to appear in the black I was seeing behind my eyelids. Tears started rolling down my face, somehow falling out of my closed eyes.
All of the muscles in my body were starting to tense up. My legs and arms were first, followed by my core and neck and face. All at once, every muscle in my body started cramping, even my tongue. My toes and fingers fell asleep and my eyelids started twitching. My body jerked itself around, my legs kicking and back arching up off of the bed.
"Dude! You said she wouldn't have a seizure!" Corey exclaimed.
"Fuck, he's going to have one, too," Jake said. I became aware of the fact that I could sense Colby next to me, his body thrashing and jerking like mine.
"How long is this supposed to last? I can't watch this," Sam said. I heard footsteps move toward the door. Sam had probably walked out. Another shock shot through my body, soliciting a scream from me.
"It's almost over, I promise, you're okay," Kevin said. I heard Colby groaning in pain, too, neither of us able to control our bodies' movements or the pain radiating through us.
"Colby? Colby!" Jake yelled. Something was wrong. My eyes shot open and I used all of my strength to still my body and turn my head to the side. Colby wasn't moving anymore. His eyes were shut gently and his chest wasn't moving from breathing.
"Co-AH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. It felt like I'd just gotten shot again, except this time directly through my chest. My vision started to blur at the edges, the pain fading as my breathing became dangerously shallow and slow. I could hear Corey and Jake still yelling Colby's names, but I was too tired to look anymore. I let my eyes shut and the dizziness consume my body.
"Jupiter! Jupiter, move your body. Open your eyes. Say something, make a noise!" I heard Kevin call out. But he sounded like he was far away, as if I was falling down a deep hole and he was yelling down from the top.
I slowly slipped away from my grip of being awake and my brain shut itself off.
TWENTY SEVEN
My eyes opened and bright red light shined straight into them, blinding me until I got used to the brightness. I sat up. I was in an empty room. Well, no, not a room. An open space. There was a red floor and a red ceiling, but no walls in sight. The area just seemed to stretch on forever and ever.
I looked over next to me and saw Colby lying next to me, completely still.
"C-Colby?" I asked. I got onto my knees and hunched over him. "Colby, wake up." I grabbed his face with my hands and shook it. "Colby. Baby, wake up. Where are we? Please wake up and help me," I said, my voice growing louder with desperation.
"Hello, Jupiter," a voice said from behind me. I jumped up onto my feet and whipped around to see a man standing a few feet behind me.
"Hi," I said, my voice small. The man walked over and held his hand out.
"Hades," he said. I shook his hand, his skin hot to the touch.
"Is Colby okay? He won't wake up. I need him to wake up," I said, a pleading tone in my voice.
"Oh, yes. He's fine. We'll wake him up when we need to," Hades said. "I think we should have a chat first."
"Okay," I replied, a little intimidated by him.
"The Octet is a very important group to me. You are the strongest forces on the Earth's surface realm right now. That means you're responsible for eliminating evil up there," Hades said. What? Was he not basically the definition of evil? "I understand that may seem counterintuitive to my morals. However, I am not asking that you eliminate this evil in the hopes of bettering the world. I'm asking that you do it to eliminate any threats to yourselves. You are the highest power and you must establish that, starting in your own city.
"You will receive a name within the next several days. That name is your target. Once the person whose name you receive has been eliminated, you will be given another one. Now, sometimes more than one name might show up. Or possibly the name of a group of people, or a location in which several people meet up at or work at. It is your job, as the leader of The Octet, to see to it these targets are eliminated. Although human, some of these beings are very powerful and intricately woven into a system of evil. You will make many enemies and must always be on the lookout. They cannot kill you but can injure you just as a human can get injured. Mike, Brennen, and Kevin are capable of quickly healing, but you and the seven are not. If you get too close to death, you'll go into a coma. It's not technically dying, but it may as well be. Very few have actually woken up from these comas, and those who have didn't wake up for several thousands of years. Do you have any questions for me?" Hades asked.
"Uh...I guess not, no. We're just, like, hitmen now?" I asked.
"Sure. I've noticed that the seven have really started to enjoy their time on earth, and I'm sure you do, too. I've taken that into consideration and will allow you to stay up there so long as you complete these relatively simple tasks for me," Hades said. "Would you like Colby to wake up now?"
"Oh, please," I said. Hades snapped his fingers and I turned around to see Colby on his feet, fully awake.
"Oh, thank God," Colby said, running over to me and wrapping me into a hug.
"Satan, for the last time, I ask that you do not use such phrases in my presence," said Hades. I laughed silently into Colby's chest. The dude had thanked God in front of the ruler of hell.
"Right. Sorry, Hades," Colby said, still holding me tightly against him.
"Yes. Congratulations on your final falling, king and queen," Hades said.
"It's finally over? No more pain?" Colby asked.
"It's over. You're fully bonded, fully in love. You will never lust or long for anyone else. Either of you, for the rest of time," said Hades. "I will allow Jupiter to fill you in on what your new Earth task is. I've noticed you all took a liking to the surface, so you'll continue to work up there for the long term foreseeable future."
"Thank you," Colby said. I finally pulled away from his hug.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Jupiter. And to see you again, Colby," Hades said. "Have a phenomenal time up top, and you'll get your first assignment within the week. Goodbye." Hades snapped his fingers again, and just as I'd slipped into blackness earlier, I was fading into whiteness now.