Clank, clank, shh, I closed my eyes tighter against the harsh, but familiar noise of chains clanking across cement and clothes rustling against skin. I didn't want to get up and face this day, I wanted to sleep in. Prison life was a lot like school in regard to it starting way too early-SCREEEECH, a soundlike nails scraping against a chalkboard snapped my eyes open as my arms were nearly yanked out of my sockets while I crashed off my bunk to the cement floor of my cell.

Pain wracked my body, knees aching as much as my arms as I heard the old lady voice of a Fury address me. "Get up Shannon!" she said in a voice that sounded scarily like my grandmother, except that she had yellow fangs long as my forearms, leathery-grey skin with veins like a road map bright red all around. I didn't respond, after a year of this, I knew better. I didn't complain, I didn't protest,I didn't even scowl when I looked at the bitch. I just folded my chained arms down in front of me, the bronze links scrapping the floor and kept my eyes down. I was going to be a good prisoner today, I didn't want any trouble from them and I wasn't about to cause any. There just wasn't any point, even if I had a small moment where I could hurt them it didn't matter. One moment of revenge for me would leave days of punishment from them. Teachers, friends, and coaches had all said at least once that was glutton for punishment. Oh if they could see me now.

My cell door screamed across the ground as it opened and the Fury grabbed her lead chain yanking me into line with the other demigods. Our bright orange jumpsuits blinded me as I stood with my shoulders slumping with the weigh of my chains and my head down and I risked glancing up at the kids around me. I saw Asian Girl on my left, I'd seen her around before, her short black hair cut to her chin, eyes down, no smile on her face. I saw Fat Blonde too on my right, his doughy face on the floor eyes dead. I didn't see anyone new today, but something was out of the ordinary, there was something on the wall. A large spat of black that I was pretty sure was blood, it wasn't here yesterday, so it must've happened last night. I shuddered I didn't want to know what it was from, though I had a few ideas that made me feel sick. I couldn't afford to get sick, if I spilled my cookies over this floor I was pretty sure I'd find out how sharp those fangs were.

"Move!" barked the Fury and all of are chains tightened and jerked everyone forward as though she wanted one of us to fall just so she'd have an excuse to beat us bloody. We began a march that sounded like ghosts when they rattled chains, bronze scrapping against cement sure did give me the creeps. As we walked I still kept my head down glancing around between Asian Girl, Fat Blonde, Scrawny Redhead and others, I didn't know their names anymore than they all knew mine, but I had to call them something. That was the thing about the inmates here, it wasn't inmates rule and the Furys and Empusa just jumped in before someone was six feet under. It wasn't like that at all the inmates weren't making gangs and tearing each other apart. We all kept to ourselves, barely brave enough to say a few words to each other let alone pick a fight. It was the Warden and his goons we worried about.

We turned once down a hallway lined with the Empusa guards, they held their AK-45 riles up at attention, their lint colored hair cropped like they were guys, their one metal leg and donkey legs splayed apart in a strong stance that my football coach always told us to use. When we passed they hissed, baring their fangs showing yellowed teeth some stained red. I wondered if they were behind the splat on the wall outside my cell.

They fell into a box formation around us as we entered the Mess Hall which is basically a big room full of steel lunch tables and they broke us off into groups, the same ones everyday and sat us down at the tables. Asian Girl was on my left, Scrawny Redhead on the opposite side facing me. Asian Girl looked up at me out of the corner of her eye and flashed me a quick smile, she was braver than me, and if I weren't such a coward I would've smiled back but I didn't. I just put my arms up in the table, trying to give them a break from the chains. They were a bitch to carry around all the time. For a while the only sound was of creaking metal and the thunking of an Empousa trying to walk then a gust of wind that came right out of a tornado whipped around the room and sent plates of white mush slapping in front of us.

It smelled exactly what it looked like, hot mush and I was once again very thankful I had never been picky with what went down the hatch. If I wasn't allergic and it was poisonous I could put it down and I could keep it down. I grabbed the spoon and started swallowing the mush as fast as I was. Though I wasn't picky it didn't mean I lacked tastebuds and this stuff was worse than anything Mikey ever cooked, and that was saying something. His idea of cooking was taking every damn left over in the fridge, throwing it into a pot and calling it soup. Gods I missed him and his awful cooking.

I fished swallowing that gunk and tried not to gag coughing a bit as I choked it down and shuddered as it slithered down my throat. Yeah, this was worse than Mikey's cooking, I tried to keep from making a face as the Fury flew by, her wings batting a stretch like my basketball shorts after three games of no washing. If she saw me making faces she'd for sure give me more hell than the usual. I waited as everyone else choked down the food and then heard a shrill whistle like the one my coaches used ring around the room. It used to be exciting when I heard it, but now it was a whole different story. Only one person used whistles here and it was never for a good reason.

I turned my head and saw the very last person I wanted to see excluding my dad. Chiron, the Warden here at Hades on Earth. From the top up he was a normal looking guy. Ripped arms that I'm sure could twist bicycles into slinkys covered in tattoos of Greek writing. Short brown hair was cropped into a buzz cut, sunglasses covered his eyes from everyone. Then you saw what was below his waist, a black stallion made of pure muscle. He trotted around the concrete floor and looked around at all of us, then smiled. Uh-oh. He was mad about something and one unlucky bastard was going to be his punching bag.

He looked around all of us again and bared his teeth, "We're out in the yard today." And it was like a power fan was flipped on, the wind howled clearing away what was left of breakfast dishes and simultaneously we were yanked to the ground. My world became double for a moment, ears ringing, arms burning. I stood up, knees shaking, couldn't appear too strong in front of Chiron and slowly, the others followed my lead. The Empusa circled us again and we marched out of the Mess Hall, turned right down the hallway, past the cells and out to the massive door the size of a garbage truck and with a whistle from Chiron it creaked open blinding me and every other inmate with sunlight.

I blinked fast, trying to adjust to the change in lightening as the guards led us out into the hard which had always reminded me of a desert. The ground was hard and sunbaked, covered in scrubby grass patches and rocks bigger than me. We were forced into a line and I kept my head down as I heard Chiron's hooves clip-clopping on the ground as he divided us up. If I kept my cool and didn't somehow piss him off is get off easy. I'd just break up rocks that would amount to nothing except to make me work. I'd be- "A-ACHO!"

He spun around eyes that I couldn't see zeroing in on me like hate seeking missiles. Oh shit! Why now did I have to sneeze and grab his attention. Looks like the unlucky bastard is me. He walked over to me, staring down and cast a long shadow, "You'll be feeding the dogs Shannon." My heart stopped beating and I saw Fat Blonde's piggy eyes glance up at me. A farewell. "Take his chain off," Chiron barked and I felt the chain slip as mine was taken off the leash that held me to the group. "One of you demons bring him to the kennels." He ordered and not a second later I felt an Empusa's clawed hand close around my arm.

"Come on Xander," she giggled, her girlish voice not matching a thing about her. "Try not to die before I get there. I could use a snack and blood doesn't taste good cold." That did nothing to boost my morale and I followed her, loosing chain scraping the ground behind me as I was lead back inside. As soon as we were over the threshold the monster dragged me to the right down a hall that I'd never been to before, but I heard the barking that told me the kennels were close to the cells. I guessed that explained the barking I heard every night.

She grabbed a handle sticking out of the wall and yanked, shoving me inside as she did and I saw a bucket siting by the door as she slammed it shut. I survived the room quickly, square and it had five dogs the size of horses prowling the ground, button black eyes zeroing in one me and I grabbed the bucket that was by the door. The odor of rotting meat twisting the mush in my stomach. I took a step forward which was a bad idea.

They circled me like moths circling lights, hackles up, teeth bared. They were so close I could see little details like how the biggest of the bunch had a chain collar on and it was linked with ogre and....a key. I stopped thinking about what I was doing when I saw that I sloshed the bucket into the lead dog and his buddies jumped into him, hungry and ready to kill for food. Guess demon dogs have to eat too. I lunged at the lead dogs and jerked the key off the collar his teeth grazing my arms, raw meat, black fur and blood all dripping down onto me in a stinky, sticky mess.

I jumped back shoving the key down my sleeve, my cuff stopping it from falling down. I hoped it would stay and I hoped this madness would be worth it. I didn't know why I wanted the key badly enough to get that damn close to that hell hound, but something in my head told me I'd need it. Something told me it was important, and I waited, getting into a strong stance grabbing my chain off the floor. It was only a matter of time before those things turned on me.

***

An hour later I stumbled into my cell, tired covered in dried blood-some is mine, black fur and sweat. "Lights out!" boomed out from the speakers and the world went black. How was I supposed to get to my bunk? "Fellow the sound of my voice," my cellmate whispered and I stumbled towards, it my shins hitting the wood and I hissed but clambered onto it.

"Thanks," I whispered back, but he didn't answer. Probably scare a Fury or Empusa might come if we made too much noise and laid back. Waiting and listening to make sure no patrol was going by before reaching into my sleeve and pulling out the key. I fit it into the lock on my cuffs and was surprised-then thrilled- when it fit. "Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me," I sang as I turned the key and freed my hand.

*******

How'd you like the first chapter? Drop me a comment and let me know? Dedicated t Noushka for making me that awesome cover. =)