Standing in front of the entrance to the underworld was something Esmeralda hoped she'd never have to do. Yes she was a child of Hades, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Death may not have scared her, but so many other things down there did.
"Does everyone remember the plan?" Percy asked.
"Right the plan." She mumbled. "And what if said plan doesn't work?"
"Well, let's hope it does."
Annabeth muttered under her breath. "That's a great strategy."
Em slapped her arm to be quiet.
Em nodded zipping up Percy sweater all the way, and pulling the hood over her head to cover her face.
Even though it was dark outside, the lobby was very much still lit and open. The room was very, well... Deathly. The furniture was covered with black leather and the wood engraved with different flowers and designs from Persephone's gardens. Faint music played as people slowly made their way through the lobby. No one seemed in a hurry, but why would you be if you were dead. As they walked towards the front desk Em felt eyes on her. She could see these people clear as day but she knew no one else could. They shimmered slightly, but they hadn't lost their form yet, or at least not to her. Her ears rang lightly and she fought the urge to cover her ears.
When they reached the desk Percy looked up to read the name tag. "Chiron? Your name is Chiron too?"
A man peeked over the counter at them. "Impudent boy, to I look like a centaur to you?" He had a faint accent that sounded a little French, or maybe British.
"N-no, I-"
"My name is not Chiron, it's Charon. Read it with me now, C-H-A-R-O-N." He pointed to each letter on his name tag as they repeated after him. "Charon."
"Charon" they said together
"Excellent, now Mr. Charon."
"Mr. Charon"
"Wonderful, I hate getting mixed up with that old centaur, and I don't even have a tail. Now, how can I help you little deceased ones."
"We would like to go to the underworld please." Percy explained.
"Well- isn't that refreshing."
"What?"
"Actually excepting that your going to hell. Most people throw a hissy fit or beg, 'please Mr Charon' or 'there must be a mistake' but not here, for once someone has excepted their fate."
"Oh well, you're welcome."
"Thank you, how did you lads die?"
Annabeth was about to lie but Grover blurted before her, "we drowned, in a bathtub."
This is why Grover never lies. He sucks at it.
Charon pulled down his glasses a tad and looked at them. "All four of you?" He asked pointing back and forth.
"Yes." Annabeth nodded.
"It was a really big bathtub." Percy added.
"Hmm, we'll then, I don't suppose you kids have got a few coins on you. Normally I can charge adults off of one if there most recent purchases or bills, but kids never die prepared, you won't mind sitting around for a few centuries before you leave would you?"
"We've got coins, plenty." Percy placed a few drachmas on the counter.
Charon leaned forward to get a closer look. "Are those- real golden drachmas. I haven't seen one of these in years." He exclaimed. "Wait now-" he seemed to realize something. "You couldn't read my name tag, are you dyslexic mate?"
Percy paused. "What's that?"
Charon leaned forward getting a closer look, "You're not dead, you're a godling." He pointed and looked towards the others. "Now wait a minute." He sniffed the air. "One of you is death."
Percy regained a spark of hope. "Yeah, we're dead."
"No not dead boy, death, there's a difference." He looked at Annabeth and shook his head. Then he soloed in on Esmeralda, "come here child." He gestured for her to come forward.
Em hesitantly walked, one foot in front of the other until she was standing before him. "You reek of death child, remove your hood."
She pulled down her hood allowing Charon to see her.
His eyes widened a tad and he stared at her as if deciding what to do with her. "You said you wanted to go to the underworld?"
He knew.
She nodded. "We have more coins."
Percy took out the sac of drachmas they had stolen from Crusty's palace.
Charon growled, "do you think you can simply buy your way into the underworld.
"I guess not," Percy said as he began to put them away.
"Wait," Charon stopped him, "just for reference, how much do you have in there?"
"More then we can count." He shook the bag temptingly.
"You deserve better, Charon." Em said.
"Ugh, tell me about it."
"I bet he doesn't pay you enough." Percy added a coin to the desk.
"Don't get me started. I sit here babysitting ghosts for the past centuries and all I get is minimum wage. Do you think minimum wage covers an Italian suit. Not to mention the shipping, ugh what a nightmare."
"You deserve to be respected." She placed a coin on the stack with a clink.
"Rewards." Percy added.
Clink
"Better pay."
Clink
"All the Italian suits in the world."
Clink
"I'll mention a pay raise to my dad."
Clink
Charon stared at the drachmas, then at his suit. "Well, the boats almost full, I suppose I might as well squeeze you lot on and be on our way."
They smiled as Charon scooped up the coins. "Right this way." He lead them towards an elevator that was already filled with the dead.
As they followed him, spirit's nagged at their clothes and whispered different things. Chiron turned the face the lobby. "No one better touch anything while I'm gone. Or you'll all be spending another thousand years up here."
The doors closed and Annabeth turned to Charon. "How long do they usually wait for?"
"Long enough, till I'm feeling nice."
Geez Em thought, imagining dying, and then having to wait an entire century just to rest. "That's terrible."
"Well isn't that obvious, but the underworld certainly isn't sunshine and rainbows now is it?"
Em nodded, that made sense, sort of.
The elevator began to descend and the air turned to vapor. A creamy gray color swirled around them. Soon enough they stopped moving downwards and started moving forwards. "I'm gonna throw up." Grover held his stomach.
They realized they weren't in an elevator shaft anymore but they were being pulled across a river of oily black water. "The River Styx." Esmeralda realized. "Why is it so dirty and polluted?"
"It's full of people hopes and dreams that never came true. Quite disappointing but also quite disgusting." Charon told.
Em peered into the water as old photos, books, toys, and other object that probably meant a lot to someone long ago floated by.
She felt out of place. Everything down here was dead. The only living souls she could sense were Percy, Grover, and Annabeth. Her senses felt overwhelmed as the crawled deeper into the home of the dead. She scooted closer to Percy desperately in need of something living to keep her sane. The boy tried to grab her hand in comfort but she flinched and pulled away. She swallowed the lump in her throat and calmed her nerves, she felt him gently brush his hand against hers again. This time she relaxed and allowed him to interlock his pinky with hers. Keeping his contact yet distance from the girl.
They arrived on the shore of the river and the dead passengers began to disperse. Em watched as an elderly couple walked along hand in hand, she wondered if they had died together in an accident, or just from old age. Another little girl drifted along by herself, Em could only imagine how she ended up down here.
"I would wish you good luck, then again, you're in hell." Charon smiled. "Don't forget to mention my raise to your father, I'll know if you don't." He pocketed his coins and made his way across the polluted river.
They followed the dead souls deeper into hell until they reached the doors to the underworld. Esmeralda wasn't sure what she was expecting but it wasn't this. There were three entrances, like a toll you'd have to pay on the highway, but instead of E-Z pass, Sun Pass, and TxTag. There were two labeled Attendant On Duty and on labeled E-Z Death.
"E-Z death?" Percy questioned.
"It goes to Asphodel, most people don't want to want to face the jury because they're scared the court will find something to hold against them." Em explained.
"There's a court for the underworld?"
She nodded, "they decide whether you belong in the fields of Punishment or Elysium. It's a bunch of people like Shakespeare or Thomas Jefferson and the rotate around. People who deserve a reward go to Elysium, and those who deserve to be punished end up in the Fields of Punishment with some sort of terrible task they must do for the rest of eternity. Asphodel is sort of in the middle, it's for people who haven't really done anything good or bad, just lived."
"What do they do there?"
"Imagine standing in the middle of Kansas forever and ever and ever." Grover said.
"Oh-" Percy's grip on her pinky didn't falter, but he began to fiddle with the bracelet on her wrist.
As they continued to explain things, a very low growl came from behind them. They turned as the mist revealed the three headed dog known as Cerberus. He was standing in front of the three entrances and had been blending in with them previously.
"That's one big ass Rottweiler." Percy mumbled.
They froze as Cerberus growled again. "It can smell you guys." Em said.
"Why can't it smell you?" Grover asked.
"Because I'm death, I smell similar to everything else down here."
"Right well, stick to the plan." Percy said.
They walked forward trying to follow the rest of the spirits who passed right under Cerberus. But as soon as they got close the three headed monster turned to them and growled.
"Shit-" Percy pulled a stick out and began to wave it around. Cerberus payed little to no attention to him. Percy tried throwing the stick but still no luck. All three of his heads were turned towards them, that couldn't be a good thing. Cerberus growled again, "can you understand him Grover?"
"Mhmm." Grover mumbled.
"What's he saying?"
"I'm not sure you wanna know. Maybe we should run now?"
"Wait," Annabeth rummaged around her backpack and returned with a red WATERLAND ball.
"Annabeth I don't think-" Em tried to talk her friend out of it but she was already in front of the monstrous dog holding up the red toy.
"Hey buddy, you want the ball?" She squeezed the rubber toy and a squeaky sound was produced. Cerberus's middle head was tainted on Annabeth while the other two kept their steady gaze on Percy and Grover.
"Look at the ball." She waved the bright red ball around until she caught the other two head attention. "Good boy!" She signaled for them to cross under his belly while she had him under her control. Esmeralda stayed behind with the blonde girl incase something were to go wrong.
"Catch!" She pumped the ball into the air as the middle head snatched it up. The ratio of ball to teeth was quite off causing one of his canines to puncture a hole through the ball. The other two heads snapped at the middle head like in a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Annabeth and Em began to make their way under Cerberus as he crewed his ball to pieces. The rubber crumbs fell in a puddle of his drool at his paws. All three of his heads turned to look at them as they crossed, they whimpered at their loss of entertainment.
"Sorry buddy, we'll bring you a new one, soon." Annabeth said sadly.
As if she had just appeared, Cerberus turned to Esmeralda. Her presence must have just dawned on him because all three heads stooped low in a bow. Em turned to Annabeth, "what's happening?"
"Hes acknowledging you, I think he knows you're related to his master." She whispered back.
She hesitatingly walked forward and placed her hand on his middle head, gently petting his mass of fur. "I'll be back, and Annabeth will bring a better ball." She smiled.
He whimpered again but reluctantly let them go. The crossed through the E-Z Death line and met up with Percy and Grover.
"Could you have taken any longer?" Percy whined.
"Oh be quiet, you probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for Annabeth." Em praised her friend, "where'd you learn to do that anyway?"
"Obedience school, my family had a Rottweiler when I was younger." She explained.
They nodded and Cerberus whined from the other side of the entrance. "Let's keep moving, we're closer to being dead than alive at this point."
2286 Words
Authors Note
This chapter sucks I'm sorry. I swear (I think) the next chapter will be better. I just wanna say I'm delulu for thinking I could finish this book over last weekend, bc ain't no way I thought I could right three chapter in two days. Also I wanna say thank you for the reads. On Friday this book had like 19 reads and now we're at like 68 I'm so happy about that! Also Charon reminds me of Michel from Gilmore Girls (random but I had to say that). Thanks for reading, or not reading, but thanks anyways.
- Your Mystery Girly :)