Chapter 14
Damon
"Can we pick up the pace? Just a little bit", I complained to Christian and our guiding ball of light didn't like that as it swiftly turned around and floated into my face as if to say,'fuck off, we'll get there when we get there'.
The walk to Persephone’s Grove was longer than I expected. As crazy as it sounds, I was glad that Christian had been granted passage to the Elysium fields before because he seemed to know exactly where he was going – ‘seemed’ to be the right word. Seeing where he had rested before Freya brought him back gave me peace. The Elysium fields were beautiful and peaceful and held the beauty of life and the peace of death, even with the river Styx circling its outer edge. Once you stepped foot in Elysium, it was like entering another world. All sounds from the underworld didn’t reach here.
The area we travelled was deserted, but I could feel the love, peace and joy from all those souls that called this place home. It seemed never-ending, with fields, hills, and forests for as far as the eye could see. We had walked so long that when I looked over my shoulder, it was easy to think we were no longer in the underworld.
It was crazy, the sky was a stunning Azule blue, and the sun shone as if it were a summer's day in June. The grass seemed greener, the flowers more fragrant and bright. It was heaven.
“Do you miss it?” I asked.
“Miss what?”
“Here, all of this”.
Christian took a moment to respond, sighing deeply before he answered, “Sometimes. I mean, look at this place. Feel it; it's….well, there are no words. But, I got something that countless others in this world want. A second chance. Freya gave that to me, and I am going to take her gift and make the most of it. I will be back here one day.” He finished his sentence with a sincere smile.
Freya saw something in Christian which made her bring him back, and I thought I had seen it too, but I guess I was wrong. At that moment, I saw what Freya did. A loyal, kind, beautiful soul with a breathtaking outlook and appreciation for life.
“How much further is Persephone’s Grove?” I asked as my feet protested.
“It shouldn’t be much further….I think. It has been a while, and I only ever saw her Grove once before,”
“Do you think she will help us?”
“No one hates Hades more than Persephone. She gave up her life, her connection with her mother and earth for him, and what did he do? He divorced her for Ariadne and this obsession. She will help us if it means Hades gets screwed.” Christian smiled.
He was right. Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds from the underworld. As a result, she could only leave for a few months out of the year or when Hades gave her permission. She left her connection with nature and her mother because she loved him. She made him her life, and he screwed her over with no remorse. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, as they say. And I couldn’t wait to see what her fury looked like.
We planned to ask Persephone for help crossing the River Styx. The gap between the Elysium fields and hades castle was the narrowest throughout all the underworld. However, that didn’t mean we wanted to risk swimming through it, not after it nearly killed us the last time. Something was different in the underworld of late. In all the times I had been there before, it was calmer, even with monsters running around. No, this time, it was like something had the underworld rattled and hungry. Every beast was ravenous; every soul fought harder for a second chance.
We walked so long that the sun set and made a place for the night. Even descended in darkness, the Elysium fields were the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. The night sky seemed to glow in a multitude of hues of blue. The stars glistened like diamonds, and the moon cast a light that brought the fields to life. The world glowed around it in almost neon hues. It was breathtaking. The birds that sang throughout the day made way for crickets and other creatures that called the night their home.
