They hit the ground hard, and Hermes cupped Thea's head before it was smashed into the earth. She heard him grunt in pain and pushed him away when they stopped moving. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I was in a bit of rush when I teleported. Wasn't expecting to come in that fast.” He held up his staff, which was bent nearly in half. “Shit, Hephaestus is going to kill me. I only just got it back from him.”
Thea sat up. “What happened to it last time?”
Hermes grinned. “It may have been used in a rather violent game of fetch with Cerberus.”
“Cerberus...” Thea thought for a moment. “Isn't that the three headed dog of the Underworld?”
“That's the one.”
“And you were playing fetch with it?”
He shrugged. “It was more along the lines of me throwing my staff at their heads. I managed three in a throw at one point.”
He sounded proud of himself and Thea rolled her eyes. “That's animal cruelty you know.”
He snorted. “Not when it comes to that dog. Trust me, you'll be singing a different song when it sees you. It used to hate Lissandre as much as the rest of us, so don't expect a wagging tail.”
“Wonderful, another creature who hates me,” she muttered.
Hermes grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. “Not all creatures hate you, Thea.”
“I've yet to meet one who doesn't. Apart from Jaxon.”
His grip on her arm tightened. “I don't hate you, remember?”
Wincing, she pried his fingers from her arm. “Thanks. No need to snap my arm in half to prove your point.”
“Sorry.”
Looking around for the first time, Thea saw they were next to a large river. Looking up, she could see nothing but darkness; large rocky walls lined the path behind them and ahead, , the water melted to black. She couldn’t see the other side of the river, which unnerved her. She shivered at the feeling of foreboding she got from this place. “Where are we?”
“In the Underworld.” Hermes dusted off his shirt. “At the base of the River Acheron, to be exact. This is as far as I can teleport into the Underworld. From here, we have to wait for Charon to ferry us over.”
“Charon?”
“Ferrymen of the dead.”
Thea wrapped her arms around her chest. This was all too creepy for her. She heard a faint scream from somewhere in the dark and jumped. “What was that?”
“Probably just a lost soul, don't worry.”
“I'm standing in the world of the dead and he tells me not to worry,” she muttered to herself.
He grinned and pulled her over, rubbing her arms. “Don't worry. You're a guest here and as long as you follow Hades’ rules, you'll be fine. Once we get to his Palace, you won't even know we're in the Underworld - apart from the dead souls serving him.”
“He has dead servants?”
“Yes, he gives every soul who passes through his gates a choice - serve him for all of eternity or go to their destined resting place in the Underworld. Only those who were pure in life are given this option. Those who were evil or tainted of heart are punished.”
Thea gulped. “How?”
“There are different parts of the Underworld suited for each soul. For example, the Valley of Mourning.” He shuddered. “I hate going there. Nothing but wailing and souls crying. They refuse to accept their deaths and are forced to stay there until they come to terms with whatever is holding them back. Once they finally come to terms with their life, they can come before Hades and plead their case. If he feels they’ve changed, then he sends them somewhere else.”
Thea tried to wrap her head around what he was telling her. “What, he just throws them around the Underworld? Isn't that crueller? Why doesn’t he just let them rest in peace?”
Hermes shook his head, eyes straining into the darkness as he tried to locate the boat. “No, Hades refuses to let a soul enter the Asphodel Meadows until their soul is at peace. They must overcome their human problems and atone for the crimes they performed in their human life before Hades allows them eternal peace.”
Thea heard movement in the water and looked down. The water was pitch black but she had a feeling something was down there. The water rippled and unconsciously, she stepped back into Hermes. “That sounds reasonable, I guess.”
Hermes chuckled and she felt it reverberate through her back. “He's probably one of the better Gods you'll meet, though you won't think so at first. He's what most women call, ‘the strong, silent type’, so don't be offended if he ignores you.”
“Right. How does Persephone deal with a guy like that?”
“It took a while but she wormed her way past his cool exterior. Last time I spoke to her, she said she could barely get him to shut up anymore. I don't think I've ever heard Hades speak more than five sentences so I didn't believe her at the time.”
A boat appeared from the darkness and her eyes widened. An old man pushed a thin, knobbly stick through the water. He appeared to be wearing rags which hung from his emaciated body. The boat, long and thin, looked as though it had barely enough room to seat four people.
“How does he passage souls on that tiny thing?” she whispered. “It must take forever.”
“What a clever observation!” Charon snapped and she jumped. “I'm just one man, missy! If I had to push a larger boat of souls through the water, my bloody arms would break off!”
She knew Hermes was grinning behind her and she knocked her head back, head butting him.
“What?!”
“Don't laugh at me! I'm sorry,” she called to Charon. “I didn't think you would hear me.”
“Ah, so now she thinks I can't hear because I'm old,” he muttered as the boat stopped against the shore.
“No, that wasn’t what I meant -“ Thea felt like she failing and turned to Hermes. “Help me!”
He just patted her shoulder and walked over to the boat. “Hey, Charon. How's the water?”
“Shut up, messenger! Always bringing me extra souls, demanding my time.” He looked at Thea and snorted, his voice cracked with age. “You must be going blind, you stupid bastard. This one isn't even dead!”
Thea couldn’t help but laugh and Hermes just grinned. “You're the one who’s going blind, old man, if you don't recognise who she is.”
Reaching into his dirtied robe, Charon pulled out a pair of cracked spectacles. Putting them on, he squinted at her for a few moments before cursing and throwing them in the water. “Should have known not to trust that bastard. Damn accountant who passed through a few years ago said they'd fix me eyes - what a load of bullocks! Come closer, girl, so I can see ya properly.”
Thea walked to the boat's edge and Hermes held out a hand, helping her onto the boat. It swayed under her weight and Hermes steadied her. Charon grabbed her free arm and yanked her closer. His breath smelled like he hadn’t brushed his teeth for centuries and she tried not to gag.
His eyes widened as he finally realised who she was. “Well, I'll be damned! Back again, Lissandre! Though last time I saw you, you were dead.”
“I've been through here before?”
“Course ya have, daft girl. Where do you think Lissandre went when she died? Not as smart I see,” he muttered. “Nothing different; they always get dumber with each reincarnation.”
“Hey!” she protested. Hermes pulled her away and they took a seat side by side. It was a tight fit but Thea didn't complain. She was still slightly freaked out and wanted Hermes close. Biting her bottom lip, she asked Hermes something that Charon had brought up. “Hermes, how did Lissandre die?”
Hermes face closed over. “It was mainly Zeus' fault. During the Silver Age, the mortals were at war with each other and Zeus decided to remove them from existence, simply because they wouldn’t obey his wishes. He caused the earth to do his bidding, using nature as a natural killer. Gaia, who at this point was tired of Zeus' behaviour, intervened, which caused the earth to divide as they clashed and struggled to overpower the other. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions - you name it, it happened. The earth was slowly dying from the Gods interference and even the combined efforts of the Gods couldn't slow down the destruction of their planet.
“At this time, Lissandre was living on Earth in Gaia's forest. She'd cut herself off from both mortal and immortal kind. In the end, she was unable to stand by and watch her home be destroyed and so, she saved it.”
Thea looked at her hands. “How?”
“I don't really know for sure - she never revealed how she did it. Artemis says she saw her floating in the sky and then her body burst into a thousand balls of light spreading across the Earth, and as they spread, the Earth healed, returning to normal. Her body, however, disappeared and her soul appeared here, ready to be sent to the Elysian Fields.”
“The Elysian Fields? What place is that?”
“It is a place for those whose souls are honorable and have lived virtuous lives. Lissandre sacrificed herself to save humanity, not to mention the Gods, and so she was deemed worthy of such an honour.” The tone of his voice said he didn't think she had been worthy and Thea bit her tongue. She felt sick, knowing Lissandre had done so much for these Gods and they never knew the truth. One day, she would make sure her true story was known. She deserved to be honoured, not scorned.
Leaning over the boat, she looked into the water. The flame from the torch on the edge of the boat was their only light. She blinked when she thought she saw an arm floating through the water, then it vanished. Surely she was just imagining it?
She screamed as a hand shot out of the water, pale and transparent. Hermes yanked her away from the edge as she panicked. The boat threatened to tip and Charon tried to regain control.
“It's all right, Thea.” He shushed her little panicky noises. “It's okay, you’re safe. Just don't lean over the boat.”
“Why couldn't you tell me that sooner?” Her breath hitched as she fought back a sob. She'd never liked being around the dead; funerals had been bad enough but now she had to hang around their souls while she learned how to control earth? The sooner she got out of here the better.
Hermes wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her close. She was too busy focusing on the water, making sure no other souls were trying to climb onto the boat, to notice. Charon rolled his eyes as he pushed the pole through the water.
“Bad as Apollo,” he muttered, eyeing Hermes’ arm around her waist.
Hermes grinned, “You flatter me, Charon.”
He started mumbling under his breath and Thea heard a growl sound from the darkness. Another growl sounded and she felt like things were going from bad to worse. “What's that?” she squeaked.
Hermes sighed. “Cerberus. He must have caught a whiff of us. Hopefully Hades is there to meet us - if not, getting past him is going to be a headache.”
The shore came into sight and Thea saw torches lighting the path ahead. A man stood at the edge, waiting for them. He was dressed completely in black, with hair to match. His eyes were a piercing blue and she realised most of the Gods had blue eyes.
“Why do you all have blue eyes?” she asked Hermes. “Is it a God thing?”
“Genetics,” he replied simply. “Cronos had blue eyes and it passed down the line to us. Why, don't you like blue?”
“No, I do. I love blue eyes but it's just weird that you all have blue eyes, that's all.”
“You love blue eyes, huh?” She turned to find herself meeting his and she flushed, turning away.
Charon groaned. “Thank the Gods I don't have to put up with this for another minute. Make me sick, you both will.”
Thea flushed brighter and Hermes laughed. The boat bumped against the shore and Hades waited calmly for them to disembark. Hermes stepped off and after helping Thea down, he walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for meeting us, Hades.”
“Hm,” he grunted, and Thea let out a small cry as he punched Hermes in the face, flooring him. Thea froze, eyes glued to Hades. His expression hadn't changed. He just watched as Hermes coughed and climbed back to his feet.
“What was that for?”
“For messing with my dog.” The earth shuddered slightly and Thea stepped back, forgetting about the danger of the water as a large, three headed dog rose behind Hades. The heads were all lowered to Hades’ level and he scratched the bottom jaw of the first head. She heard a whooshing noise from behind and realised it was its tail wagging. The third head saw her, and gave her a low growl.
She took another step back and was poked in the back by Charon's stick. “Ow!”
“Watch where you're going then!” he growled. “You want to swim with the dead?”
Realising she was at the water's edge, she took a big step forward. Turning back, she saw Hades watching her. “You must be Thea. Welcome to my Underworld.”
“Thank you,” she said nervously. His voice was quiet but she could feel the power behind it. He still looked young; in his late twenties, early thirties maybe. Much younger than Poseidon, and she knew they were brothers. Poseidon had been the only one of the three to avoid Cronos' aging curse and she couldn’t help but think that Persephone was one lucky woman. Hermes wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned. “I was only playing with it, Hades, and good to see you too.”
A small smile appeared on Hades face at Hermes’ nonchalance.. “Come. Persephone is most eager to meet you, Thea Gibson.”
She nodded and followed as he turned and walked down the dim path. She hugged the wall as they passed Cerberus and Hermes stood between her and the large beast. All three heads growled, teeth bared, and the third head snapped at Hermes. Thea jumped, grabbing his arm.
“Don't fear my pet,” Hades soft voice called back. “He won't attack unless instructed. You are lucky, Hermes - if she had not been here I would have let Cerberus have his fun with you.”
Thea elbowed Hermes and he grinned, rolling his eyes. They followed him as the path walls began to grow wider and the lights began to extinguish. A light appeared around the corner and then they were entering a bright field. A bright light shone above. It looked like the sun but Thea knew it had be something else. Green grass filled her vision and mountains could be seen in the far distance.
Everywhere she looked, there were souls - thousands of them. They all turned as they entered the field, eyes glancing at Hades in fear before looking Thea and Hermes. Looking around in fear, her grip on Hermes arm tightened. He brought her hand down and entwined it with his.
“Don't be afraid,” he murmured. “This is the Asphodel Fields. These souls are innocent; they won't harm you as long as we're with Hades.”
“What would happen if we weren't with Hades?”
“They would simply continue to hound us, asking for absolution and passage to the Isles of the Blessed.”
“What's that?” she whispered as she felt hundreds of eyes following them.
“It's where souls from the Elysian Fields go when they have achieved Elysium.”
“I don't understand.”
He thought for a moment. “Have you seen Lord of the Rings?”
She nodded.
“You know at the end how Bilbo and the elves go into the West? It's kind of like that, but a little different. These souls have done important things in their lives and have achieved Elysium at least three times.”
“How do they achieve it three times?”
Hades answered her. “They are given a choice to remain in the Elysian Fields, or drink from the River Lethe, which would grant them reincarnation in exchange for forgetting their previous life.”
Hermes continued on when Hades fell silent. “They can then achieve Elysium again in that life and keep being reincarnated. If they manage it three times in any of their reincarnated lives, then they are granted access to the Isles of the Blessed where they are granted eternal peace.”
“So because I'm Lissandre, does that mean she chose to drink from the River Lethe?” She looked to Hades for the answer and his shoulders stiffened.
“Lissandre chose to remain in the Elysian Fields - she had no desire to live another life. Nyx, however, mentioned the unrest in Tartarus to Zeus -, the whispers of uprising and escape involving Cronos - and so Zeus decided it would be best if Lissandre was returned to Earth, should she ever be needed again. I believe you are the third reincarnation of her.”
“Third? Even in death, Zeus wouldn't give her peace,” she said angrily.
“I must admit, I was against it myself, but dear brother can throw quite the hissy fit when he doesn't get his way.”
Hermes made a noise of agreement and she grinned. The more she learned of Zeus, the more he came across as a petulant child who needed some discipline. Maybe that's why Hera was chosen as his wife. At least in Lissandre's memories it seemed she didn't put up with his bullshit and knew how to put him in his place.
After walking for an hour, with no soul coming near them, Thea started to relax and her hold on Hermes loosened. Hermes kept his hand in hers and when she tried to withdraw, he held tighter. Hades’ pace was fast and she was almost flying alongside Hermes to keep up with him. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was gliding.
Looking down, she saw Hermes feet weren't even touching the ground and she slapped him. “Hey!”
“What was that for?”
“Nothing,” she muttered as she started gliding too, feeling like an idiot. They passed through the remainder of the Asphodel Fields and came upon a small forest. Hades passed through the trees but Thea wanted to stop and looked around. She loved forests and this one was beautiful. The forest floor was covered in flowers and fallen leaves. It was so vibrant compared to what she had seen so far and Thea wondered how something so beautiful could survive in the Underworld.
Hermes must have known what she was thinking and murmured, “Persephone's doing.”
They passed through the thicket of trees and Thea stifled a gasp. A large palace stood before them, bigger than Poseidon’s home, with vines covering the walls and purple flowers blossoming. She guessed that was Persephone's doing again and had to admit that she was kind of keen to learn how to do that herself.
Passing through the front gates, she saw two men guarding the entry way. They looked like they'd stepped out of the movie Troy, wearing ancient battle armour. They stood to attention as Hades passed. There was a slight transparency about them and she surmised they were dead souls.
As Hermes and Thea passed, she felt their eyes raking over her and Hermes pulled her close, glaring daggers at them and causing them to both snap their heads away. The entryway was quiet and they walked up the steps into what appeared to be the main hall. It was dim in the hall and a single chair sat at the end. Torches lined the walls, the only lighting in the large room, and at the end Thea saw a woman waiting for them. Her brown hair was pulled back from her face with pink flowers adorning it. She worse a simple cream coloured, sleeveless dress with a split down the left leg. She had a look of innocence about her and Thea knew who she was straight away.
Her face lit up as she saw them enter. “They've arrived!” she squealed.
Rushing past Hades, she tackled Thea in a huge hug. She was only small in size but she was still heavy, and Thea buckled under her weight. Hermes moved away from them to stand near Hades.
“I'm so excited to meet you! I never got along with Lissandre - she preferred her own company, much like Hades, but at least I could get through to him. Hermes said you are so much nicer, though.” She pulled Thea back up to her feet and her brown eyes widened. “Oh, I'll be right back - I have a surprise prepared for you!”
She rushed off and Thea stared after her, feeling frazzled. She reminded her of some sort of preppy cheerleader. Hades and Hermes watched her with interest. “Is she on something?” Thea asked.
Hermes grinned. “Nope. Persephone's always been like that. Loves meeting new people. Once she gets to know you, she'll tone it down. Until then, enjoy the ride.”
She looked at Hades. “Is she like that with you all the time?”
He nodded. “Even more so, but I prefer it. It brings a light into my life I don't normally have. When you love someone, you look past those types of things.”
Thea felt her heart lurch. It was strange to hear a man speak so honestly about his feelings for the woman he loved. More than ever, she was jealous of Persephone, even if Hades had originally tricked her into being trapped in the Underworld for six months of the year.
As they waited for Persephone to return, Hermes excused himself to go and see an old soul he always visited. Thea sent him a look of panic but he promised he'd only be a minute, and then it was just Thea and Hades.
Feeling nervous, she fiddled with her hands. “You have a beautiful home,” she said, trying to make conversation. He didn't say anything and she took the hint to keep quiet. Looking around, she thought about all the souls staying here and an idea occurred to her. “Can I ask you a question, Hades?”
He nodded and she continued. “Um, well, recently I met Nyx and she opened my eyes to things about Lissandre I didn’t know, like how she had trapped Cronos in Tartarus. I found out she created these shackles and she put a piece of her soul in them, to tie Cronos to the mortal realm should he ever escape, and the only way to remove the shackles is to, well, kill me.”
Hades didn't say anything when she paused and she hurried on. “So anyway, I asked Hermes to check my soul and he said it was true, that a piece of my soul was missing. I didn't tell him why it was missing, though. I guess my question at the end of all that is - do you know how to get that piece of my soul back?”
Hades stayed silent and walked forward, pressing his finger to her forehead. She felt a brief flash of pain and then he withdrew. “Interesting,” he murmured. “I never noticed that before.”
“Do you think you can get it back?” she asked hopefully.
Her heart fell as he shook his head. “I'm sorry, it is beyond my power. Even if I were able to retrieve it, I would not do so.”
“Why?”
“Because those shackles are the only objects stopping Cronos from taking Olympus. As cruel as it is, I would rather him holding a piece of your soul than giving him a chance to rule Olympus again. I also fear you will need them to put him back in Tartarus.”
“Right,” she whispered. Hermes slipped back in through a side door, his smile fading at the look of defeat on Thea's face.
“What's wrong?”
She quickly covered it with a smile. “Nothing. Just learning about the Underworld can be a bit depressing.”
Hermes nodded as Thea sent Hades a silent plea to keep silent. His head moved slightly and he took a step away as Persephone rounded the corner. Her energy electrified the room and Thea braced herself in case she decided to tackle her again.
“Are you ready?” She gripped Hades’ arm, bouncing on the spot with her brown hair flying. “I can't wait to see her reaction! Close your eyes.”
Reluctantly, Thea closed her eyes and waited. Footsteps sounded and she could hear Persephone struggling to contain her excitement. The girl had to be high on something - it was unnatural to be this happy in the Underworld.
She heard Hermes inhale sharply. “I don't know about this –“
“Hush, Hermes, it will be fine!” Persephone chided. “Trust me!”
Somehow, Thea didn't like the sound of that. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as her nerves intensified.
“Okay! Open them!”
Thea slowly opened her eyes, the butterflies dropping dead as she saw who stood before her. Familiar brown eyes stared back her, looking as nervous as she was, her blonde hair tied in a braid.
“Hey girl, still hanging with the hotties, I see?”
She struggled to speak past the newly formed lump in her throat.
“Shae...” she whispered, before promptly bursting into tears.
__________________________________________________
Another week and another chapter ^_^ let me know what you think!
Also, as of today, I have officially been on Wattpad for one year! So far it has been an amazing experience and I would like to think my writing has improved in the year I have been on this site, thanks to the wonderful people I have met ^_^
<3<3<3