Changing the Future

Chapter 69

0o0o

Sometimes I really wish I could turn off my ability to have a perfect understanding of time.

Take now, for instance, where I screamed my throat raw, the wind tearing tears from my eyes, my body weighing a million pounds as I hurtled towards the ground, painfully aware of the fact that I'd only been falling for two minutes.

It takes nine days to fall into Tartarus.

I curled my body into a ball to the best of my ability, aware of my hyperventilation and stinging eyes, in the middle of a full-fledged panic as I prepared myself for the longest nine days of my life.

0o0o

I didn't come out of fetal position until I noticed the gradual light starting to fill the air, a reddish kind of glow that exuded nothing but malice and the promise of suffering. The purple clouds in the...sky, I guess would be the best description, burned my skin, caustic gasses accumulating around the exit of this tunnel, leaving a searing sensation in my throat and lungs.

I repeatedly blinked as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, noticing that I was approaching one of the five rivers, probably moving at terminal velocity. I tried to use the shadows to slow down my descent, but all I managed to do was draw attention to myself. A harpy flew right at me, sending me spiraling in midair.

Scowling, I grabbed onto the harpy's dumpy legs, hearing the chicken-woman screech as she intensely flapped her wings, trying to stay airborne. With some very difficult maneuvering, I managed to get the harpy flying over the nearest river, the River Phlegethon, the river of fire.

Fire I can do, I told myself, waiting until I got close enough to the river before letting go of the harpy, an undignified yelp escaping my lips as I fell a few more feet until I hit the fiery water, the current pushing me backward as I swam towards the surface.

Mass amounts of the gasoline flavored water forced itself down my nose and mouth while I got tossed around like a ragdoll, narrowly avoiding having my back broken in half by a hidden piece of jagged rock.

By the time I hauled myself onto the black, glass-covered shore, my body felt like it burned from the inside out, my arms trembled whenever I tried to put any pressure on them, and I bled from my hands again, the glassy shore tearing into my flesh. I laid on my back for as long as I dared, only long enough to catch my breath before getting to my feet, biting my tongue to keep my teeth from chattering as the warmth of the river's water faded away.

Strapped at my hip, I had a single concealed dagger, knowing that that would be the most Celestial bronze I could get away with without nearby monsters picking up on the sign that read, "NEXT MEAL HERE." I would've preferred to have Epithymia strapped to my back, but it would attract way too much attention.

In the bright red and orange glow from the Phlegethon, I reached into my bag and pulled out my copy of House of Hades, flipping to the back cover, where the map of Tartarus resided. Sadly, there was no little red star that said, "You are here!" so I had no clue which stretch of the Phlegethon I'd landed near.

I figured I'd walk along the banks of the Phlegethon until I found the forgotten shrine to Hermes, or maybe if I was lucky, I might be able to find Damasen's hut. But I knew I wasn't going to call Bob down here unless absolutely necessary, which I sincerely hoped wouldn't happen.

Knowing that my supplies would be stretched thin to cover my friends, I pushed aside my own thirst, shoveling my hands into the fiery water and taking large gulps of the brackish, tobacco and petroleum tasting liquid, a shudder wracking my body as I attempted to keep it down.

"Oh, God," I muttered, wiping the wetness from my lips, beginning my long march into the darkest part of the pit. "Disgusting."

I did my best to keep my eyes forward, trying to keep my gaze completely straight, not wanting to spend too much time fully taking in my surroundings. I was already in sensory overload, different layers of existence ebbing and flowing over each other, all kinds of mythological creatures from all pantheons taking form. I'm convinced that I saw beings from the Duat and Muspelheim reach out at one point, backing off once I brandished my dagger.