Child of Zeus {Interactive Story} (PJO/HOO/TOA)

SEVENTEEN: The Stench of Death

It would sound a lot cooler if I were brave, wouldn't it? I wish I could tell you the story that way, too. That I marched ahead, leading my friends to Hades's glimmering obsidian palace, where I defiantly took command in making Hades transport us to Russia.

But in reality, my legs were shaking so much that I was scared to let go of Johnny's hand for fear of tumbling to the ground.

We followed the spirits from the boat towards an archway between two large stone walls that marched as far as our eyes could see through the thick, green haze. Silently, I wished I was back on the ferry with Charon, rowing his way back to the lobby of DOA Recording Studios, but as fearful as I was, I knew this was something we couldn't turn back from; not unless we wanted to watch the whole world die.

Under the violently dark archway that said something about entering somewhere, there were three separate entrances; two stretching to the left, and the middle one disappearing to the right. Each entrance had a guarding standing metal detector, with security cameras flanking the tops of each. I wondered why there was so much security. The way Diana put it, nobody who wasn't supposed to be here would be.

"Where's Hades?" I asked my friends. They didn't look like they had any idea, either.

As we made our way closer to the door, I saw that the centre line was moving quicker than the rest - and a sign above the metal detectors read "EZ DEATH", the other two lines beside it were moving as slow as a line for the woman's restroom (or, in other words, not very much).

"EZ DEATH goes to the Fields of Asphodel - obviously." When Diana saw my confused expression, she continued. "They don't want to risk judgement because, though it may lead them to Elysium - a really great place to be when you're dead - it could also lead them to the Fields of Punishment, and I'm sure you can sense how bad that is if it has a name with the word 'Punishment' in it."

"I'm going to pretend to understand what you just said." I replied, marching ahead. One of the dead people from the boat turned briefly in my direction, and I came to a staggering stop.

"Y/N?" Johnny asked softly. "Are you alright? What is it?"

"Did everyone make it out of our train alive?" I asked slowly, shaking.

"Y-yes..." Diana and Johnny shared matching glances.

I shook my head, temperature rising. I looked back at the man, who turned again, but this time didn't turn away. He was a pale old man made solely of skin and bones. He had a daunting white moustache and a broad smile. His eyes, forest green, bore into mine. I remembered seeing him before in a picture, with a plaque underneath reading his name; 'Roy William, Train Conductor'.

The realization hit me like a sack of staplers - unexpectedly and weird. The explosion on the train had come from the conductor's cart, the same cart Roy was in. That bird was there because we were - meaning that Roy had died and it was all our fault.

"The conductor," I whispered. Then anger reddened my cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me someone died? Why would you keep that a secret?"

From my sudden outburst, dead people all around me stopped to look curiously. An angry roar sounded from somewhere close, and everyone started moving again, but at the moment I didn't care what it was.

"Calm down!" Diana ordered. "Stop attracting attention or the Furies might just check us out - and they won't care if Hades owes us or not!"

"We didn't tell you," Johnny said, softer still, "because we didn't want you to blame yourself. Monsters can pick up on both your and Diana's scents, but yours is stronger because Zeus is your dad - so the bird would have to have locked on to your scent to find us...Which gets me wondering why more monsters didn't come after you a while ago..."