Styx: The River of Hate [malexmale]

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

 Duat was the place I had once called my home.

The Egyptian Underworld that looked not unlike the world I had known above in the mortal realm. Duat was a place of utter beauty with gold stoned streets and large temples breaking off in all directions, settled amongst dunes, hidden behind waterfalls, surrounded by turquoise trees, or even on islands in crystal lakes. Most of the gods of my pantheon had made their home there, even the other supernatural beings had taken up residence. Further beyond the temples was a beautiful, bustling city of gold, shops and vendors lining the streets.

Unlike the darkness of the Greek Underworld, Duat was brightly lit with balls of sunlight in the sky that looked like small suns in a circular shape overhead. The sky was a pale purple-blue with fluffy white clouds passing by gently.

I took a deep breath and started walking, keeping my head down so that none of the shop owners would recognize me. Most of the citizens of Duat passed by without a care, some chattering away, others laughing, couples snuggling close together. Creatures that appeared human, and others with the heads of animals, or animals that walked upright as humans. Animals were sacred to our people, our gods.

I continued walking until I reached the Hall of the Gods. It sat on the edge of a river delta, crocodiles and cranes turning their heads as I came closer to the entrance where two demons stood firmly in front of the doors, holding large knives that were half their size, resting on their shoulders. They each wore a white shendyt, their shirtless torsos revealing rippling muscles and rock hard abs that were meant to scare people away, but I merely narrowed my eyes and as soon as I did, they stiffened.

"Sept?" One of them whispered, lowering his knife so the blade rested against the white marble of the temple.  The second one flinched, but didn't move from his post as he ground his teeth together.

"Sept, you are not allowed to enter. We have strict orders that you were to never return here." He told me firmly. The other guard nibbled his lower lip and looked at me uneasily. I nodded my head.

"This I know, Xao, but I am not here for revenge." I answered. The demons frowned, sharing quick, curious looks before looking back at me as I lifted my head and narrowed my eyes at that.

"Allow me to enter or I will force my way through. You've known me since birth and you know that I will not stand for an obstacle." I warned, keeping my voice steady. Both demons shifted uncomfortably for a moment, glanced at each other again, then nodded as they stepped aside, opening the golden doors to the temple. I walked inside, pausing at the warm air inside.

I breathed in all the familiar scents of musk, water, sand, and silk. I sighed deeply, taking it in and the white prestine temple. Gold hieroglyphs of ancient prophecies foretold by oracles around the world were embedded in the walls and columns between large statues of the gods and goddesses. Down the center of the long room was a crystal clear pool of water with lily pads and blooming white lilies running along the surface with brightly colored fish squirming about.

At the very end were two hallways that went off in different directions, halls that I had walked a thousand times. I turned down the right and slowly came into the hall where the gods had taken up residence for the afternoon. They sat at a large horse shoe shaped table, food and drink spread out across the table. Nearby, a group of water nymphs were playing music on Egyptian harps, drums, and flute, filling the air with a calm serenity that was ruined the moment I came into the room.

Ma'at saw me first. Her chocolate eyes rimmed in black widened and her black painted lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. One by one, the gods and goddesses ceased their feasting and fell silent, staring at me as I stood on the other side of the room from them.