The Book Keepers

Before all of this Chaos nonsense, I did my duty as a beat cop running tickets for Hermes. Olympus wasn't just any city; it was "the city". If you're some shmuck who lucked up and got in good with the Gods, you kept your head the fuck down, you did your work, and that's it. Whatever you saw happen in Olympus, you didn't. Especially if had anything to do with the Mayor's family. Lucky for us, Mayor Zeus's biggest scandal were his sons: Ares and his mistress Aphrodite, Apollo and his sister Artemis. Artemis ended up like me, working for Hades, the police chief. It wasn't about getting the cozy job for me; I had something to prove. Coming from a long line of monsters; mobsters and killers alike, all out looking for something to prove to Olympus. The South Mafia, an organized crime ring consisting of the Shades on Spades, The Giant Gang, and the Heca Cartel. My mother got involved with the leader of the whole thing; Typhon. Had a woman take me in after Giants took back the territory. I was eleven and at school when they came to the house and filled it with more holes than the heads of hydras. Mother was caught in the crossfire.

So I figured I'd take the fight to those bastards in Tartarus, but after that incident with the beating of that Giant wannabe, I got put on suspension, then effectively terminated for being "racially biased" against the same no good fucks straight out of fucking Tartarus. These sons of bitches have been pushing their way into Olympus. We already have evidence that the Heca Cartel are at war with Hekate's Hounds. It's been all over H and H News. Not that celebrity gossip can be considered news these days. If you walk down any street in Olympus, you can't get a coffee and cigarette without hearing something about Hera, Demeter, or Aphrodite. Not like I mind seeing a fine piece of ass on the screen late at night, but that's besides the point. The gossip in Olympus is deafening, but if you pay attention, it's like having a network of information just thrown at you all at once. How would I know? Walk down Styx Road just before the last bus stop, make a right, and have a seat at Eris, a diner just outside the road to Tartarus. The furies out there always have something to chat about dealing in the underground. All you gonna do is listen.

"You see what I'm talking about?" I snap back into black of my coffee, tilting my head towards Alpha; Artemis herself. First female captain to make it within the ranks of Specialist, an operative dealing with the worst of the worst; my unit. "These sons of bitches serve you a coffee before they ask me my name. Where's the justice?"

"That's because you made them know your name last time we were here, or do you not remember breaking that guy's arm?" I pointed over to the cashier, his head perpetually hung in Alpha's presence.

"Son of a bitch thought I wasn't me, so I showed him. So Alpha is "pretty" and pretty fuckin' dangerous". Alpha slammed her fist on the counter, shaking the pastry dish that held the Ambrosia Pie. I grinned and chuckled, taking a sip of the coffee. The name is Sigma, and I'm a hellhound working for Tartarus Police Department; Special Task Force code-named "Hounds of Hades".

"Scaring them won't make them move faster," I smirked at Alpha as a waitress clumsily raced over to her to take her order. Artemis was always polite to the nymphs in Tartarus for whatever reason. Guess she hates to see a lady stuck in this hell. Not everyone deserves to be here, but Zeus is the mayor and Hades is the law. Nothing could overthrow the Olympians. Artemis, being a daughter of Zeus, found her home taking out gang violence in the heart of Tartarus. 'The greatest hunting grounds there is', she told me once. Crazy bitch.

"Makes the boys know their place," she laughed to himself before looking after at me. I was hung over, obviously, but they tell me I'm more compliant this way. "How ya holding up about your mom? I know it's been some years, but if you wanna...go to the shooting range after the shift? Blow off some steam?"

"I'm good, boss, I appreciate it. I figured you being the only one on the team who might get it considering..." I trailed off; not wanting to open old wounds. Alpha just nodded before looking over to the furies cackling about Aphrodite fucking her way to the top with Ares.

"Just putting the hand out there. Anyways, we gotta wrap this up by 9am. The chief's calling us all back to the station. We got a hunt". My ears perked up to that.

"There hasn't been a hunt since Heracles." I downed the hot coffee and wiped away what missed my mouth. "Who's the target?"

"Boss said we'd know when we make it to the meeting," Alpha shrugged her shoulders. "You know how he is."

We left after paying the bill and leaving a considerable tip for Alpha's behavior. Eris wasn't top knotch fine dining, but they did provide a service, wether they knew or not. Wouldn't know it if you weren't in deep with Hounds, either us or Hekate's. Whatever the case, if it's enough to make Chief Hades round up everyone, I had to know what the big deal was. We have the Heca Cartel moving in on Olympus Square, and *we* aren't on it? Something wild is going down. Guess that's why we're going to HQ.

To give you some context, Tartarus isn't a dying city, but you work with you got, and in mot cases, that ain't a lot to start with. Mama, or at least who I call "mama", wasn't with the bullshit, though. She busted her ass in Tartarus and made something out of herself and she did it how she knew to do it. I wanted to make her proud and do the opposite. You know, go to school, get a job in Olympus City, forget Tartarus ever existed, but ife don't always work out that way. It's a lot of nuances that get in the way of real justice, ever since Mayor Zeus pardoned a certain small-time criminal, Apollo, saying there wasn't enough "substantial evidence". Olympus runs how the Olympians say it does, but here in Tartarus? Everything goes through Hades, and the Chief ain't exactly the most empathetic.