Mortal, But At Least I'm Free

Chapter 8

"What a day," Harry mumbled to himself as he settled into the softest, warmest ditch he could find on the side of the road. He hadn't thought to plan ahead and find someplace to stay. He'd never had to make those kinds of accommodations himself. It was just a lot. So he wrapped his arms tight around himself and let his heavy eyelids close and send him into a still darkness.

The earth was shaking under him. Why was it shaking? Harry was rubbing his bleary eyes and trying to understand the stomping cacophony surrounding him.

Horses.

There were literal horses running all around him. He was lucky they hadn't trampled him yet.

But how long could that luck hold out?

Getting ready he rolled to his knees and jumped to his feet. Only to discover that there were so many more horses than he'd thought were possible. Thousands of horses for miles, all running. Which meant Harry was running too.

He was trying his best to dodge each animal as it caught up to him. But they seemed to be getting more aggressive with each step. All Harry could hear was the rhythm of their stampeding hoofs echoing in the rushing of his heartbeat.

Harry was fairly certain he was going to die here. Death by wild horses. He could be ready for that. He could.

Tears burned behind his eyes as his knees buckled. His legs gave out.

"Aphrodite. Mother!" Harry's pleading was cut short when he realized that not only had he never collided with the earth, but he was instead being hauled into the air and roughly thrust onto the back of one of the wild horses.

"Korakas, pretty boy. You're going to get yourself killed."

Harry was in shock. The man from the town. Hades' messenger. A Greater demon. Louis.

"We really should talk to Poseidon about this. His horses are getting out of hand, gods."

Louis had somehow saved him. Why was he on a horse? How had he gotten on a horse at all? Why had he saved Harry?

"Are you following me?" Harry mumbled through a haze. Louis laughed with his chest.

"Why would I follow you? You really think you're that pretty?"

"No, I just-" Harry could feel the blush running down his neck and his heart was already running rampant with adrenaline. He didn't need this right now. "Never mind, doesn't matter. Thanks for saving me."

Louis shrugged as he slowed the horse at the back of the endless pack.

"It's official underworld business. I"m picking someone up."

"Oh. Not me, right?" Harry swallowed audibly.

"What!" Louis rolled his eyes, climbing off their horse. "Obviously not," he reached up to help Harry off, as well.

"Um, where are you headed then?" Harry tried not to shift nervously.

"A city, Eritrea," Louis looked away and shrugged nonchalantly like going to pick up people to take to the underworld was like taking a friend home to meet your family. Well, maybe it kind of was for him.

"That's where I'm going!"

"Huh," Louis kept surveying the landscape, watching as the stampede disappeared across the horizon.

"You could travel with me. Maybe, like, if you wanted. Or whatever," Harry's voice faded out as he became more aware of what he was inviting Louis to do.

"I don't need your help." Harry's heart stopped. "But we might as well keep each other company. Even if you do walk slow." Louis started off, Harry had no idea how he knew what direction to go.

"I don't, I don't walk slow. Not any slower than you."

"Only because you ate those pomegranate seeds. And now Hades is punishing me. Otherwise, I'd just," he stopped abruptly. "Snap! And I'd be there."

"Oh," Harry swallowed thickly. "Sorry about that."

"Eh, it's whatever," the smaller man shrugged and kept walking.

There was a lot of silence, but Harry didn't mind. It had been a long journey already and he just wanted to find his sister. And get back home. Home, where it wasn't quiet at all.

About midday, after several hours of this unexpected quiet, Harry had a question he couldn't keep to himself any longer.

"Why do you make Persephone go back to the underworld? Why force her to eat those seeds in the first place?"

"We don't make her do anything. She loves Hades."

"No. She can't."

"Why not pretty boy? Because he's the god of the underworld? He's a pretty nice fellow."

"No, no, it's just," Harry shook his head struggling to find the right words. "How can she love him? Having to sacrifice your family? That can't be love. I just- if that's love, then I don't believe in it."

"Hm, then you've clearly never been in love before." Louis shrugged and didn't say another word the rest of the day.