The Three Sisters

Silence and calm. The world was gentle in her dreams, with nothing to disturb the lull of the resting soul. The most complete peace, so great that it was as if she wasn't even alive anymore.

Knock-knock-knock

The peace was over. Mac opened her eyes, irritated at being awakened.

“Honey, it's Daddy. I got some time and we can have breakfast together! I'll wake up your sisters. Don't take too long to get ready.”

The voice was coming from behind the door, it was a grown man and his excitement was evident.

I don't have sisters, thought Mac alone. A thought that made her sad, but she knew it was true.

She got up from the huge luxurious bed and went to get ready. The room was pentagonal in shape, with the black walls having the door to the bathroom, the exit from the room, a huge television, another with a closed window, and the last wall being where his bed was leaning against. There were a number of the most exquisite decorations. A gilded chandelier set with gems, black mahogany closets filled with the finest clothes Mac had never worn, and pictures depicting death in many different ways, visions that always soothed Mac's heart.

She went into the bathroom, which was just as luxurious as the rest of the room, and began to get ready. The mirror reflected the girl who looked about sixteen years old, with her long and wavy black hair, something she had inherited from her father. Her skin was fair, demonstrating someone who has never been touched by the sun. She sighed, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and splashed water on her face trying to wake up.

She wore dark clothes, something she knew to be a cliché, but she couldn't help it if that was her favorite color. She put on a green wooden ring, it was much simpler than anything in the room and she used it to feel close to her mother.

Leaving the room, she arrived in a hall, also in the shape of a pentagon, with a door on each of the walls. She looked at the two other doors with occupied rooms closed, and wondered if the other two had prepared before her, even though they had been called after.

She went to another door, the only different ones in this environment. They were double, made of wood and dyed green. Upon leaving, she walked through his father's huge palace, knowing all the paths by heart, until she found the room where he was waiting.

One thing Mac never criticized was the decor of the room. Skulls stood like chandeliers around the room's electric lights. In the living room, the long table had intricately carved features and large windows that showed the dark city.

Her father was already sitting at the end of the table, with a silly smile on his face. His hair was curly and black like his daughter's, but much shorter. Despite being an older man, he barely looked past forty. He was wearing a dark green blouse with leaves subtly patterned across the fabric. It was strange to see his father not wearing a suit or armor.

“Good morning! You arrived quickly! The food isn't ready yet,” said the happy father.

Mac didn't answer, she sat on the side, away from his father and rested her head on the table. Not knowing how to react, the father tried to talk.

“Have you seen your sisters? Are they coming?”

Mac's will was to fight with him. With no strength for that, she just shrugged and an uncomfortable silence took over the environment. The doors opened and a new girl entered. She looked slightly younger than Mac, yet she was quite different.

Mel's skin was even paler and with her thinness she looked like a ghost. She had short blond hair with some dark highlights, forming a fringe to the side. She wore a black waistcoat over a white blouse and dark baggy pants. The eyes were gray and didn't show much emotion.

The two young women just exchanged glances and she sat a little closer to her father.

“Good morning, how did you…”

“Where is the food?” Interrupted Mel and soon skeletons arrived from another corridor carrying an assortment of fruits and distributing them around the table. The fruit's colors ranged from bright red to dull purple.

Mel immediately put one in her mouth, preventing her from talking.

This time, however, there was no time for silence to form, the third approached, clashing greatly with the other two.

Appearing to be the same age as Mac, Angela was somehow lightly tanned and had a long, voluminous mane of blonde hair that was impossible to miss. She wore a pink top with an almost golden yellow shirt over it and matching jeans. Her eyes were as blue as the surface sky.

In addition to appearance, her energy was different, arriving in the room with a bright smile.

“Good morning Lord Hades!” she glanced at the others and noted the strange mood, lowering her energy. “Good morning to you too.”

Mac only responded by nodding and Mel was more interested in the fruit in front of her.

“Good morning darling! I got some free time from work and wanted to spend it with you!”

Angela, despite being radiant, showed a certain insecurity in the environment and sat down far from the two young women, at the other end of the table.

“Cool,” Mac said sarcastically. “You stay here for five minutes before you send me back to my room.”

Hades was offended by the statement.

“Darling, you have the whole palace to enjoy. I had a game room built for you and only Angela took advantage of it.”

“Because I don't want to stay in this goddamn place. I want to leave, I want…”

The two other young women just stared at the two as they argued.

“You know you can't go to the surface,” said her father, disarming Mac.

“That is not what I said…”

“That's what you were thinking. You can go into town or visit Styx or Lethe.”

Now it was Mel who turned to her father with an aggressive look.

“What if I want to visit Hecate's house?”

The father heaved a long sigh, realizing that his breakfast plans hadn't worked.

“Hecate handles dangerous things. It's not because she lives in the underworld that she's friendly.”

“You are the king of the underworld. She's one of your underlings,” Mel said.

Mac, seeing that Mel was taking the conversation to herself, tried to intercede.

“If you let her see Hecate, I want to explore too. And with no security at all.”

Quiet as a feather, Angela cut a piece of fruit and pretended not to be there.

“Enough,” Hades said, starting to lose patience, “there are rules to be followed, or the world would be in disarray. We all have roles to fulfill. Did you know that I spent my entire youth inside my father's stomach?”

Mac and Mel rolled their eyes.

“That story again,” Mac replied, “I just want to be able to explore the underworld. And you talk about rules, but even the father of those two doesn’t respect the rules.”

She nodded at Mel and Angela. That made Angela sad, but Mel became furious. She got up from the table and strode out of the room without saying a word. Hades looked disappointed at his daughter.

“Look what you did. This is not right. It is not their fault for anything that happened.”

“Yeah, and why do I feel like I'm at fault for being your daughter?” Mac also got up and walked away, leaving Hades and Angela alone.

The god looked at the ceiling and breathed in trying to recover his strength.

“Things are so much easier when you're with me,” Hades said to himself.

Angela cleared her throat to get the god's attention.

“Thank you for your time with me, Lord Hades. I know how busy you are.”

Hades forced a smile at Angela.

“Thank you darling. You are a very special girl, you know that? What are your plans for today?”

“I'm meeting Momus and the others, walking around town. Is that okay?”

“Sure. I know you won't do anything wrong. And after that, I'm sure the two of them will break every rule on purpose just to piss me off.”

The young woman looked pityingly at the god.

“What will you do?”

“I'll give them space, then I'll send the Erinyes after them if they take too long. They used to get along so well…”

Angela gave him a sheepish smile and excused herself, leaving Hades to talk to someone who wasn't present.