Aliana finally stepped off the bus, still shaken from her nightmare. Whoever he was seemed to think they would be meeting soon, which meant he was either in the Realm of Dreams or, more likely, the Underworld.
She wandered the streets, headed for DOA Recording Studios. The only way to get to the Realm of Dreams was through Hades' kingdom.
Finally, she spotted the glowing neon sign down a rundown street. She jogged over to the door and slipped inside.
Suddenly, she was surrounded by dozens of dead souls.
Charon sat at his desk in his designer suit. He looked worn out, but he always did. Who could blame him? He dealt with the dead ALL day.
Aliana shoved her way to the desk and leaned on it. "Hey Charon."
He heaved a long breath as he met her gaze. "Back again so soon?" He observed. "Don't tell me you got yourself killed."
She shrugged. "No. I just enjoyed my last visit to the Underworld so much I figured... let's do it again."
"You have an unusual idea of a vacation." Charon stamped the page of a book and called one of the souls to the elevator.
Aliana gave him a serious look. "Please, Charon, I need to get to the Underworld. I don't have any business with Hades, I just need passage through."
He glared at her. "Why should I help you?"
She took a deep breath. "You shouldn't." She met his gaze. "It would put your job at risk and I have nothing to offer you - no drachmas, no suit, no pay raise. I'm lucky to have the clothes on my back let alone this backpack." She moved her shoulder to indicate the bag. "So go ahead and throw me out. I'll just come back." She held his cold gaze. "I won't give up until you let me through, because it won't end until I do."
Charon held her gaze for a moment before sighing and standing up. He walked to the elevator, gesturing for her to follow.
She smiled and trotted after him.
The elevator descended roughly just like she remembered. Soon, they were sailing across the River Styx towards the gates to the Underworld.
Aliana's heart skipped a beat as she saw the massive three-headed form of Cerberus. She followed the line of souls until she noticed a dark tunnel branching off of the main cavern. It was pitch black. Steeling herself, she plunged into the almost tangible darkness.
* * *
The cold empty darkness reminded Aliana of her nightmares, which meant she was going the right way. But it also meant she was waiting for a deep voice to echo out of the shadows.
She kept her hand to the wall in an attempt to keep her bearings. The walls were damp, slimy, unusually smooth, and they deflected even the smallest noise, making her footsteps echo wildly through the tunnel. There was no way to be sneaky in a place like this.
Her heart pounded out of her chest as her mind tried to guess what was waiting in the darkness beyond her sight line. She was in the Underworld, so it could be anything. She slid her feet to make sure she didn't unwittingly step into a pit that led to Tartarus.
Somehow the darkness deepened.
She could almost feel the shadows as she breathed them, like slimy soup sliding down her throat. The cold chilled her to the bone. If she could've seen, she was sure her breath would be pluming out of her mouth in a foggy cloud.
As she shuffled her feet, he toe kicked a pebble, which bounced down the tunnel, triggering a chorus of ominous echoes.
Then, out of nowhere, a blazing gateway appeared before her.
She shielded her eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness. When her vision finally cleared, she saw two, huge, golden gates that seemed to float in midair; a thick fog layered the rocky ground like clouds; and two bronze statues guarded the doors. Aliana couldn't name them, but they were some kind of monster - one she'd never seen before.
She stepped closer to the gate and she could've sworn the statues moved. But when she looked they were motionless, like statues should be. She took another step forward.
The gate loomed closer, she could almost make out what was on the other side.
That's when it happened.
The statues turned towards her, their bronze fur bristling with anger. They bared their fangs and arched their backs like a cat. Then, their bodies started to convulse and pulsate. Bronze turned to flesh, creaking metal turned into a growl, blank eyes turned angry.
Soon, there were two massive Chimera standing between her and the gate.
A/N
I'm sorry, this chapter is shorter, but I wanted to stop it there. So, the next few chapters should be REALLY fun and I can't wait to write them. We are now entering the Realm of Dreams. 😆
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Thank you for the reads and the votes.
-Cheshire
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