Chapter 3
A very long time ago, Frank had been a man like any other. Eons before, he'd woken memoryless in a wheat field, head aching like it was clamped in a vice. The wind had made a whooshing sound as played through the stalks of wheat. It had been harvest time, the golden stalks ready for threshing any day.
A woman had found him, smiling down at his nakedness with humor dancing in her eyes. She'd led him by the hand to her village, children popping their heads curiously from doorways as they passed. She'd clothed him and fed him, hands gentle as she probed the bruises painting his body. And he'd fallen in love, quickly, plummeting like a man diving off a cliff into the ocean.
She hadn't cared that he was a man without name or past, that everything before that day in the field was murky and gray. All that had mattered to Maria was that he loved her, that he came home to her from the fields with a smile just for her. When they made love in the moonlight, Frank had known it was different. That no part of him had ever been subject to such vulnerability to tenderness, that her touch was completely foreign to him.
And when their daughter was born, it was like a piece of him that had been missing had finally been given back. She was tiny in his arms, soft and limpid brown eyes gazing up at him like he had all the answers in the world. And for little Elissavet he could pretend that he did.
Frank had known bliss, briefly, with his little family. He watched little Lisa take her first stuttering steps, heard her say her first single syllable words. He'd watched Maria glow with pleasure when talking about him and their daughter. Five years passed in a state of idyllic perfection. But one day the heavens had cracked open and everything had been taken from him in one fell swoop, the cackling laughter of a deity mad with power had echoed across the fields, lightning bolts falling and striking everyone in the little village dead. He'd crumpled into a heap, holding little Lisa to his chest, grief rending him from the inside out. The knowledge of his true identity fell on him like an avalanche..
He'd carried his two loves with him, passing into the underworld with a heavy heart. Sending them to their rightful place in the Fields of Elysium had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. Maria had looked at him one last time, a sad smile flashing across her mournful expression before she turned away from him. He didn't belong with them, and he hadn't belonged on earth either. He was not a human, never had been
Karen was an enigma to Frank. When he tried to look into her soul, to peak at the brightly fluttering hopes and dreams that all humans had, to suss out the dark secrets that were always inevitably there, there was a golden and impenetrable veil of light blocking him.
She wasn't like the truly evil people who had little or nothing left to see, like the men he'd dispatched tonight. And it wasn't as though she was being consciously deceptive. He wasn't entirely sure if she was even aware of this protective barrier she maintained. In fact, he could feel her soul pulsing with life… he just couldn't reach it.
It made him suspicious. The only other beings able to hide their true selves were the Gods. She wasn't any God that he knew of, and he was well acquainted with the pantheon. It didn't mean she couldn't be one of their children. Those assholes tended to treat mortals like their little playthings, scattering offspring all over the planet. And he would have even believed her ignorance about the matter, but it was strange for a halfling to inherit this particular godly gift. And when he'd asked her name, expectation had risen up within him, like he'd known what she was going to say. Her name had rang false. She wasn't Karen, at least not anymore than he was Frank. They were human names, put on like cloaks.
He docked the boat on the shores of a comparatively beautiful section of the underworld. Dark swaying trees rose into the murky sky, sweeping up against the starless expanse. Glowing wisps darted back and forth like comets. Karen stared up at them open mouthed, eyes wide.
He looked up. It had been the first time in years he'd even noticed the majestic phenomenon. Feeling the tension in his shoulders ease up a little. He cleared his throat. "Souls."
She jerked her gaze away, wiping the awe away. "Souls?"
He nodded, feeling strangely talkative. "Lost souls, ones who haven't found an entrance to the underworld."
Karen frowned, glancing back up. "That's awful."
"It's not so bad. They get to stay on earth a little while longer."
She darted her eyes back to him, surprised by the wistful tone in his voice. He stared down at her, his dark eyes probing intently as he held a hand out to her. "Come on."
It was a command like before, but this time she didn't feel supernaturally compelled, pausing a moment before taking hold of him and letting him lead her to his home.
Frank had a palace in the underworld, a dimly lit yet lushly appointed dwelling to while away the hours in this dismal existence. He hated it. The echoing silence was a direct contrast to the mirth-filled abode he'd once had on earth. It was supposed to be a consolation for the bleak existence he was forced to live, an empty apology. The countless chambers were a cruel joke, since no one could ever truly spend any leisure time here.
It's where he took her, showing her to a beautifully decorated chamber, waving a hand to set the room alight. "Stay here." He could have used his power to enforce this command, but bending Karen's will had felt like a violation the few times he'd done it. He was loathe to do it again. "I'll be back in a minute, and then you can get around to telling me what you're doing here."
His own chambers were small in comparison, a square little room with a giant bed taking up nearly all the space, a closet full of oft-worn man-made clothing to its left. Spending time on earth was the only pleasurable pastime he had, even if he was bound by an oath to punish the more unsavory humans he encountered there.
He took off his hunting clothes, tossing aside the long black coat, carefully hidden and mostly unnecessary weapons making it land heavily on the bed. He undressed, watching his bloodstained threads fall to the floor. The clothes he'd worn tonight were filthy. He could snap his fingers and be dressed in the finest clothes humanly available if he wanted. Instead he grabbed a gray cotton t-shirt from the back of his closet. It still smelled like fresh air and sunlight.
He froze, the image of Karen dozing in a puddle of sunshine sneaking up on him. He suddenly had the urge to reach out and touch her, feel the strands of her golden hair slip through his fingers. His hand was already out in front of him, involuntarily reaching. He folded his fingers into a fist, jerking it back down to his side. Nothing good ever came from human attachment. He had centuries of pain as ample evidence. The three scumbags who'd watched her from a distance, all sorts of vile things in store for her, were not the last of their had been so easy to suss out the mercenary evil they carried in their hearts. Someone had paid them to take her out, and they probably wouldn't be the last ones.
He shook off the anger bubbling in him, pulling on his clean clothes. The urge to protect her was entirely too strong, and even with the barrier keeping him from reading her soul, he could sense an inner strength beneath the pretty exterior. No one sent three hitmen to kill a poor defenseless woman… and yet Frank couldn't deny how badly he wanted to hunt down the source of this danger and pulverize it to dust.
He walked unannounced into her chamber, quietly gliding over the marble floors. She was staring out the window across the barren plain, a little wrinkle of concern between her eyes. "Is it always dark here in the, uh, underworld?"
"in this part it is. The Fields of Elysium are lighter. Many souls go there. Honorable ones, innocent ones… children." His jaw clenched after the last word, a sliver of despair slipping through his stoic facade. Hurriedly, he reassumed his stony demeanor, disliking the sympathy flashing across Karen's face . "Tell me who you are."
The abrupt subject change threw Karen for a loop. "I'm Karen Page." She answered without thinking. "I'm a lowly secretary who keeps her head down and avoids all the crazy shit going on in the world. Why is that so hard for you to believe?"
"Because it's bullshit, even if you don't know it. Three men were hired to kill you, there has to be a reason, and you slipped right into the underworld without an invitation. That's another red flag right there." He shook his head in frustration. "Tell me who your parents are."
She gazed at him in exasperation, stomping over to stand directly in front of him. "My father is Dr. Paxton Page, and my mother left shortly after I was born. Her name was Demeter and-"
Frank waved a hand at her. "Stop." It made sense now. The Goddesses were always so much more discrete about their dalliances on earth. Of course Karen was her daughter, the golden power of nature radiated off her in waves. He stepped back from her, looking up at the ceiling. "DEMETER!" His voice a hundred times louder than humanly possible, the walls shaking. Karen could see the sound waves shimmering in the air.
Everything stopped as quickly as it began, a familiar voice coming from the hallway. "Hades, dear, please calm down."
Frank whirled around to face the woman who had appeared out of thin air. She was dressed in a long green shift, her ethereal beauty nearly blinding Karen. He reached out and yanked her into the room, looking in astonishment between the two women. "How the hell didn't I see the resemblance?"
Demeter gave him a long suffering look. "Unhand me, and let me go to my daughter."
Begrudgingly, Frank obeyed her command. It never did any good to ruffle the gods' feathers. He watched as Karen stared up at her mother, eyes awash with tears, naked awe trembling through her. He immediately felt bad for having assumed she was a part of whatever deception was occurring.
When Demeter embraced her, a little sob escaped Karen, and Frank felt something tug at him. He pushed it away. "What the hell is going on?"
The two broke apart, Demeter sighing as she brushed the tears off Karen's cheeks. "Hades-"
He cut her off. "Don't call me that."
"Fine, Frank. She's in danger. Her father's a vile man with powerful enemies, and I'm bound by a stupid promise made on the shores of that infernal river of yours to never interfere with mortals again. I need your help."
"No."
"Hear me out."
"No."
Demeter stomped her foot. "You stubborn idiot, listen to me." There it was again, that impossibly loud God-voice Frank had used before. It was just as frightening coming from a beautiful goddess. "You do not have a choice in the matter."
"Like hell I don't," Frank bellowed back.
Demeter turned to the little table beside the window, pointing to a bowl of pomegranate seeds. "She's eaten the food of the underworld, she's inextricably tied to you now and you have no choice but to protect her. There are rules Frank, and as much as you hate them, you have to abide by them."
He snatched the bowl up off the table, turning to Karen. "Where did you get this?"
Finding her voice again, she straightened her shoulders. "One of your servants brought it to me, and I was hungry."
He whirled back to Demeter. "You sneaky, manipulating, old-"
"Watch yourself, Frank. I fully expect you to honor the oaths you've taken. She only ate half, so maybe there's some wiggle room, but if I'm not on your side, you won't even get the opportunity to ask."
And with that, she was gone in a flash of light, leaving Karen and Frank alone in the echoing quiet. He wouldn't look at her, staring down at the ruby colored seeds, grinding his teeth. The last thing he wanted, for Karen, or any other innocent soul, was for her to be stuck here in this place.
Karen felt sympathy surge through her, watching the barely hidden disappointment and anger flicker in and out of his countenance. The conflict roiling around inside of him palpable, she couldn't help it when her feet closed the distance between them. A consolatory hand on his arm, she said, "It's just a few seeds."
"If you eat in the underworld, you're stuck here, Karen. You can only leave if I'm by your side, and when I return so do you."
She backed away, biting her bottom lip in thought. Frank watched her. The way she furrowed her brow, the gears so obviously turning in her mind, it intrigued him. All the more because he couldn't just look in and see what she was thinking. He waited for her to speak, the silence around them comfortable for once, rather than ominous.
Finally she did speak, squaring her shoulders. "There has to be something we can do. I'm not saying down here."
Frank gritted his teeth, turning to toss the offending seeds into the fireplace. Bright blue flames spurted up and engulfed them, sweet smoke wafting into the room. He knew what he had to do, and it irked the hell out of him. He stomped out of the room, calling out behind him, "Come on, we're going to Tartarus, to talk to those pricks who tried to kill you."
A/n: i would like to note that obviously some liberties will be taken in regards to actual Greek mythology, but I feel like they're forgivable considering that this is a Daredevil AU :P I really appreciate any and all feedback anyone has to give, it really helps.