Leon POV

My days down here have settled into a rhythm: the arena in the morning, mining in the afternoon, and then back to the cell for a few hours of what passes for rest down here. The arena fights have become almost routine, though I can't say I'm bored. Every new challenger is a different kind of crazy, each one convinced they're the one to take me down. They never are, but their delusions make the fights more interesting. Plus, the coins I earn from these matches are piling up nicely.

The mining was also nice since I'm pretty lucky with finding good materials, though most are quite mad at me, not only due to envy, but they also accuse me of hogging it to myself by redirecting them to the wrong spots as the spots I gave them turned out normal, meaning that they don't get a lot, but I think that the luck just applied only to me...maybe I'm the son of Tyche...but I don't think having super strength is possible unless Tyche's children are like Gacha, which would be incredibly hilarious. Like SSR rarity, Lux...It might actually be possible.

A bit of good news that turned out to be bad news though, a few days ago, a rumor started circulating...Hermes is planning a visit to this area of the underworld. Supposedly, he's coming to see someone in the Field of Punishments. It's about a month from now, give or take, and the news has stirred up more than a few of the prisoners.

It's a potential opportunity...sure. But that's the problem...it's a huge risk. The Field of Punishments is crawling with guards and staff, and they don't take kindly to anyone sneaking around their territory. I'd have to fight my way through them just to get close to Hermes, and then there's the god himself. He's not exactly the forgiving type after an ambush in the past. The more I think about it, the more it seems like a suicide mission, the odds just aren't in my favor. It's more risk than reward, plain and simple. And as much as I want to...we can't.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to let the opportunity slip by completely. I don't need to fight Hermes for now...we can get good information just by talking to him first...I know the information I need will need to be beaten out of him, but that doesn't mean I can't learn about the god's weaknesses and potential strengths. I'm gonna have to shake his hand somehow...our chances increase exponentially if my physical strength surprises him in anyway, that means we can hurt him.

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"Oh wow, you're way smarter than me, I would just jump him without a thought." Mike said when I told him my thought process.

"You're so lucky that you got humbled by that guard."

Mike has also been getting a lot of lessons from Viper recently. Viper took the role of a teacher and Mike joined said class, his opinions of his Dad lessened quite a bit. The guy also joined John's archery class during his spare time. Sasha helped us plan the escape, but she refused to escape at every turn as she believed in doing her time properly to repent for what she'd done. John agreed to help as long as we let 2 people join in and understand the risk.

So, for now, it's Me, Mike, John, and the 2 unidentified friends. Evelyn...I'm trying to trust her intentions, but I don't know...this fate stuff would usually turn me away, but with the fact that Greek gods actually exist, she might be telling the truth. The phones down here can only call and text, it has no other features...which is quite sad, but it'll do.

For now, all we can do is prepare survival items and plans on how to live after escaping. Because it all rests on defeating Hermes as he's the only one with information about the so-called end. Lux also hasn't said anything to me lately or made any visitations, which is also good, I have some peace, but I do have a tingling feeling that I'm being watched, it's one of the additional reasons why I'm hesitant about Evelyn, it could be her as I've checked on the others.

I may be a bit paranoid, but this tingly feeling...it's uncomfortable.

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Taking the job of pulling carts and delivering items to the Field of Punishment wasn't exactly my idea of a good time, but it was a necessary step. Most people down here avoided the job like the plague. It was labor-intensive, draining, and more than a little disturbing. Walking past people being tortured, hearing their screams, and seeing the horrors inflicted on them was enough to make even the toughest prisoner think twice. But that was precisely why I took it.

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I started taking the job a few weeks ago, long enough that when the day came, it wouldn't seem suspicious. The work was hard, sure, but not for me. I'm stronger than most down here, so what was backbreaking for others was just a workout for me. Not only that, I'm just building up my mental endurance by seeing the creative and horrifying tortures, I puked a couple of times in the beginning, but I'm a bit used to it now. Plus, it paid more than mining, which was a nice bonus. I knew Hermes was planning a visit, and I wanted to be there when he did.

Today was the day. I loaded up the cart with the usual supplies of food, tools, and a few other items the torturers used in their work. The guards barely glanced at me as I passed through the gates into the Field of Punishment. To them, I was just another prisoner doing a job no one else wanted. As I made my way through the field, like usual, the air grew thicker with the stench of blood the further I went. The screams of the tortured echoed around me, but I forced myself to tune it out. It was gruesome, but I couldn't let it get to me. I had a job to do, and more importantly, a mission to accomplish.

I delivered the items to the torturers as usual, keeping my head down and staying out of their way. They were a nasty bunch, and the last thing I wanted was to draw their attention. After unloading the supplies, I pushed the almost empty cart forward, making my way deeper into the field. And then I saw him. There was no mistaking it. The man standing off to the side, surrounded by a few of his own guards, exuded an aura like no other. It wasn't just powerful; it was otherworldly, almost suffocating in its intensity. He looked calm, almost bored, but the energy radiating from him was anything but. This was Hermes, the god I'd been waiting for.

The way he was dressed though...he was this tall guy, about 185 cm tall, looked to be a guy in his athletic prime, with blond hair and gold-colored eyes, he wore a cap, an oversized basketball jersey, ripped jeans, and basketball sneakers. He looks a bit sleazy, but the staff he's holding confirms it, it is a golden-winged staff with twin snakes.

"Ah, porter, where's my sandwich?" he asked once he spotted me

"Uh, which one?"

"The curry chicken with no curry."

Ah, there was a weird order like that. I just handed it to him in silence along with a few other things that were apparently his. But as he tried to wave me away, the snakes tapped him and pointed him in my direction while I was preparing to introduce myself.

"Ah, you, Leonardo Silver." he said, "Hermes, nice to meet you."

"You know who I am?"

"Of course, you're the guy who was sent here by his twin-" he was then cut off by one of the snakes lightly biting him

"Lux is my twin...? We look nothing alike..."

No way Lux is my twin...I'm gonna need to double-check this information somehow. But twin...that means that my godly parent is a goddess, so that narrows it down quite a bit. Based on what I've learned recently, my chances of my parent being a Greek god are high, because rarely do demigods of other mythological gods end in the underworld, most are the Greeks or Romans. Still, it narrows it down quite a lot.

Based on the fact that it's hidden...means that it can be among the Olympians...or some powerful goddess like Nyx.

"Well, a lot of gods I know look nothing alike, and we're basically related." Hermes shrugged as he fed the snakes the sandwich, "So how do you like it so far?"

"It's hell."

"No, hell is that direction, past the Styx and you're gonna have to walk straight 1 month time."

"You know what I mean."

"You got spunk, kid, you're the only one who is talking to me so casually...well, apart from those guys who tried to ambush me, they were lucky I was distracted by the woman who was...um...entertaining me at the time, that gave them a few good hits."

Without a word, I extended my hand, offering it to him for a handshake. It was a bold move, bordering on reckless as his guards instantly turned to me, but I wasn't here to play it safe. Hermes' eyebrows raised in mild surprise, but he didn't hesitate. He reached out and clasped my hand. I then applied some pressure, enough to make my strength known. For a brief moment, I saw it, a flash of something in his eyes. Surprise? Amusement? It was hard to tell, but his expression shifted, just slightly. Then, before I could fully process it, he returned the favor, squeezing my hand with far greater force.

The pain was immediate, a crushing pressure that shot up my arm. But I held my ground, refusing to flinch or pull away. It hurt, no doubt about that, but it also told me something important: I could hurt him too. Hermes was stronger, but he wasn't invincible. His grip tightened for a second longer as if testing me, before he released my hand. I did the same, stepping back and meeting his gaze. There was no need for words. The exchange had said enough.

Hermes tilted his head slightly, studying me with a newfound interest. The corner of his mouth twitched into what might have been a smirk, or maybe a sneer. It was hard to tell, and it didn't really matter. I got what I wanted, since that hurt quite a bit, I'm going to have to take off my glasses to heal my hand.

But these glasses did make me wonder a bit...they were made to suppress mutant powers, why do they work on demigods so well if I am one...I'm going to find an actual mutant to test it out...if it doesn't work, it means that I was being watched for a really long time.