At the Gates
Morpheus stood at the entrance of Hades’ domain. Once he stepped from the land of dreams into the land of the dead there was no going back. He would be at the mercy of both Hades and Hypnos and that was not particularly a place he ever wanted to be, but he had little choice now.
The dream realm was technically part of the underworld but operated under its own god, laws, and attendants. The two worlds absolutely did not mix. It was among their most sacred and oldest laws that both realms were to be ruled separately and without influence from the other. That being said, it was forbidden for any Oneiroi to willingly pass through into the land of the dead without the express invitation of Hades himself. Morpheus would be crossing a line that was forbidden to his kind but he was not alone – his younger brother Tor stood beside him.
Phobetor looked at him now, “Are you sure about this, Morph? We could really be stepping in it depending on Hades' mood. You know as well as I, the lord of the underworld does not take kindly to unwelcomed visitors.”
Trespassers were more like it Morpheus thought but kept silent. Tor was right but there was no other way. Gwen-Stacey was somewhere in there and he had to find her before it was too late.
One of the lesser known rules of an Olympian’s power was if a mortal died at the hands of a god, the person’s spirit was sent to Hades before passing to whichever afterlife he or she worshipped in life. Initially, when the Greeks had been the primary deities worshiped in the mortal realm, a trip to the underworld was to be expected. Souls passed into Hades and were sent to various points: the Elysian Fields, Tartarus, Isles of the Blessed or beyond, but this was no longer the case. The chaos one of their death curses caused now was a certifiable nightmare and was studiously avoided by all. Artemis appeared to have absolutely no qualms with the bureaucratic red tape associated with killing a mortal in this day and age.
To make things even more complicated, the time a soul spent in Hades varied depending on how ready the soul was to depart their life. Gwen-Stacey had most certainly not expected to die today. Morpheus knew from reading her mind Gwen-Stacey worshipped the Christian god. Her soul would only pass through the Greek underworld for a short time before moving on to where her soul felt it should inevitably go. Morpheus had no doubt his was a very short window – he had to get in, find Gwen-Stacey, and get her back out before she moved on or Hades himself found out she was there. Any number of things could go wrong but running out of time was the most prominent. Morpheus only had a small window to work with and every second counted.
On top of everything else, this was most certainly guaranteed to be a major pain in his ass.
First of all, Hades hated visitors. No one stepped foot inside the underworld without the god’s express invitation. Even the top gods, who needed no such permission, were loath to visit Hades’ domain. It was not entirely a five-star beach resort down here.
To make matters worse, Hades himself was a damn recluse. He hated the gods even more than Morpheus, which was really saying something. Morpheus and his brothers, for their part, made it a point to stay out of the grim god’s way. Even his father gave Hades a wide berth. Today he was deliberately breaking the law and tossing caution out the freaking window.
It would be hell to pay if he was caught.
“I don’t have a choice, Tor,” Morpheus replied without looking at his younger brother.
According to popular myth, Tor and his other brother Phantasos were said to be triplets, with Morpheus being the oldest among them. This was a misconception perpetrated by that meddlesome poet, Ovid. The Romans were obsessed with genealogy and were always trying to connect the dots of everyone’s origin – including their gods. As usual, when it came to their knowledge of anything having to do with gods, they were more often wrong than right.
Tor was technically his half brother and was a few years younger than both he and Phantom. Phantom, whose real name was Phantasos but no one had called him that anymore, was officially in charge whenever Morpheus travelled to the mortal realm. He was probably beating the crap out of Stefano right now, trying to get the former general to stop being such a pervert in the simulator.
“Listen Tor, you don’t have to go in with me. I understand, but Gwen-Stacey’s in there and I have to get her out before it’s too late,” Morpheus said.
“I can’t remember the last time you put yourself on the life for a human. She must be pretty special.”
“She is,” Morpheus replied softly, then his voice turned into hardened steel, “And when I find her, I’m going to get her somewhere safe, make her forget all about me, and then I’m going to kick some Olympian ass.”
Tor clapped him on the shoulder as he laughed, “Sounds like a plan, bro. Let’s go find your girl and get her out. We’ll deal with Hades and anything else when we get there.”
Morpheus nodded silently before waving his hand and opening the gate that led into the true underworld - the land of the dead. Everyone in his bloodline had the power to open and enter the gate though only Morpheus had the ability to do so without alerting their father. Getting in was the easy part.
It was getting back out that was the problem.
Without another look back Morpheus and Tor crossed through the gate and made their way into the underworld.
And deep inside his realm, Hades, lord of the underworld, watched the dream gods cross over into his land, his black eyes glinting in anticipation.
* * *
She opened her eyes and knew something was instantly wrong. She couldn’t quite place what was so unsettling, but a feeling of wrongness permeated the very air around her. She looked around and saw she was in a bedroom of some kind, though it was unlike anything she’d ever seen in her life, she was sure of it. First of all, it was spectacular. Vaulted ceilings, expensive looking antique furniture, marble floors, and French doors that opened up to a view straight out of a Victorian romance were just the tip the of iceberg. The bedroom looked like it belonged in a palace.
She sat up gingerly and was surprised to find she was lying on a large four poster bed. It could have easily fit four of her, with thick goosedown blankets and gauzy white curtains pulled back to allow her easy view around the room. Someone had left the large French doors across the room opened, and she was able to make out a large balcony just outside. From where she lay, she could just make out an enormous English style garden outside, which seemed to go on for some time before turning into an amazing countryside.
Where on earth was she?
A large door opened and a beautiful woman glided inside. She was dressed in a white Grecian style dress, with a delicate black border along the hemline and soft black sandals. Her hair was curled in an intricate pattern and piled high on top of her head. The woman’s skin was the color of alabaster, but held a small glow that matched the welcoming smile she offered.
“Oh good, I am so pleased you are awake. I was hoping your injury would not keep you in bed overly long.”
“My injury…?” she asked confused.
The beautiful woman nodded, “Oh, yes. It was most unpleasant. I still cannot believe the goddess would do such a thing,” she replied, her brow furrowing in concern. “It is most uncharacteristic of the huntress.”
She had no idea what this strange woman was talking about. Had she been injured in some kind of hunting accident?
She shook her head as if to clear some of the haze from it. “I’m sorry…I don’t know what’s…please, can you tell me where I am?” she asked now, her anxiety rising in her chest. It seemed to burn for a second and she struggled not to wince.
The strange woman smiled and once again her ethereal beauty seemed to glow around her like an aura. “Of course, you are in Elysium, more specifically in the royal palace just on the border of the Elysian Fields. Now please, relax. You do not want to overstress yourself. You are still recovering.”
Elysium…something about that name stirred something inside her mind but it was like a word just on the tip of her tongue or the name of an actor she couldn’t quite remember.
“Can you tell me how I got here?”
“I am afraid I am forbidden to speak of such matters. You may of course discuss such things with my lord. He is most anxious to speak with you.”
“Your lord?”
“Yes, Lord Hades,” she nodded.
“Lord Hades?” she asked, again the cloud in her mind muddling her thoughts. Where did she know that name from? It was so familiar.
“Yes, but first we must get you properly dressed. Come, all has been made ready and I have attendants waiting in your bath to assist us.”
“Ok…I’m sorry, you must think me so rude,” she said flustered. She hadn’t even introduced herself to the nice woman.
“Not at all Gwen…do you mind if I call you that? It is the name my lord used for you. I am Cassiae,” she said, pronouncing her name as Cass-Aye-AH and smiled once more.
Gwen! That was her name. How could she have forgotten such a thing?
“It’s nice to meet you Cassiae,” Gwen smiled as the woman stepped forward and helped her out of bed.
“The pleasure is all ours, Gwen. My lord is most excited to meet you. It has been an age since he had any visitors.”
“Is that right?”
Cassiae nodded. “Oh yes, and he has ordered a most glorious feast in your honor.”
“In my honor?” Gwen asked confused. Surely she didn’t deserve such treatment…she wasn’t entirely sure who she was but she was pretty sure she wasn’t anyone that special.
“Yes, but we must make haste. Lord Hades does not like to be kept waiting,” Cassiae urged.
Gwen allowed herself to be led to her bath so she could get ready. It seemed she would be meeting Lord Hades tonight and she wanted to make a good impression.
He’d certainly made an excellent one already.
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A/N: the image to the side is of a secret garden...which is fitting as this is what I always thought Elysium would look like. Hence, this would be the view outside Gwen-Stacey's new window! I added Metallica's For Whom the Bell Tolls because I think it tolls for poor Gwen-Stacey! Hope you're enjoying it so far!! =c] wendy