I looked around, trying to recognise where I was. I was lying on a stone floor in my dirtied and cut-up hospital gown, although I had no recollection of how I'd even gotten here. There were no windows in the square room, like a prison cell. A glossy black double door loomed in front of me, stretching to the tall ceiling.
My head began to throb, and I clutched it with both hands, feeling my panic rise.
"Hello?" I yelled out, climbing to my feet as my vision spun. My voice bounced off the walls and floor, taunting me. I stumbled over to the door and pulled on the golden handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Hello?"
No reply. I pressed my ear against the door and strained to hear something – anything.
Nothing. Shit. A few more bad words came to mind.
"Let me out!" I yelled, pulling at the handle and then pummelling my fists against the door.
The noise from my banging ricocheted around the room, reinforcing how very alone and trapped I was.
I gritted my teeth and banged the door even louder. "Let me out! Right now! Right now!" I backed up from the door and ran towards it, hoping the extra build-up might bust it open.
I hit it with a loud bang and, without actually expecting it to open, it did. It swung outwards so quickly I fell with it, ungracefully tumbling onto all fours.
My face came to a stop an inch away from a pair of bare feet. I grimaced at the dirt stuck between the toes and the nails that looked to be in great need of a trim. I slowly trailed my gaze upwards, past a flowy black dress.
A woman stared down at me with eyes so dark there seemed to be no difference between her irises and pupils. Her equally dark hair was cut short but curled around her chubby cheeks. A small smile flittered across her lips.
"I opened the door, by the way. However, your efforts are noted," she said.
I scooted backwards and climbed to my feet, surprised. I'd been expecting someone I knew – at the very least, someone wearing shoes – so I was at a loss for who this person was standing in front of me.
"Who are you? And where am I?"
The woman appeared unfazed by my accusatory tone. Rather, she looked bored by the entire situation. She clicked her fingers and a girl emerged from behind her. The girl headed towards me; a deep blue sheet strewn across her arms. I took a step back defensively.
"There's no need to be scared," the woman drawled. I could hear the impatience underscoring her tone. "This cloak is merely something to cover yourself up with. It won't bite."
The girl, who I assumed was a servant based on how she was being treated, held out the fabric hesitantly. Upon close inspection, I could see her hands trembling. But with what? Fear of me? Fear of the fabric? Honestly, nothing was beyond possibility. Her brown eyes darted around the room, unable to look at me directly.
I took the cloak from her and she scuttled back to her post behind the woman. I wrapped the cloak around myself, noting the soft feel of the silk that slipped through my touch. All the while, I kept my gaze on the woman, too scared to look away. Her black eyes penetrated into mine.
The woman cleared her throat, drawing my attention. "My name is Aergia. Welcome to the Underworld."
I almost scoffed, but the noise got caught in my throat and I sounded much more like a strangled cat. I looked between Aergia and the servant, half expecting one of them to crack a smile. My entire mind seemed to fog over as I watched them, my thoughts becoming sluggish. Combining my raging headache with the thoughts that ran wild in my mind, I convinced myself that I'd imagined it all.
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked in a high-pitched voice.
The servant shuffled nervously behind Aergia.
Aergia held my gaze. "As I said, you are in the Underworld. I have received an order by the Underworld Crown to keep you here until your collection date, so it is in your best interests to take me seriously."
Underworld Crown? Collection date? Oh God, I was having another dream. It was the only explanation. There was no way anyone could have eyes as dark as hers, unless she'd forgotten to take out her contacts after Halloween...
"Follow me," she instructed, leading the way out of the room and down the hallway that stretched on endlessly.
I wanted to stay until I was given proper answers, but my body began to move on its own accord and trailed behind Aergia, like a puppet being forced to walk. My heart jumped up into my throat – I couldn't make myself stop! Every movement I made was mechanical and calculated. Aergia was walking quickly ahead of me, but the servant looked downcast at my frantic expression.
"What are you doing?" I demanded, glaring at Aergia's back.
"I'm moving you," she said in a bored tone, "I hardly thought you'd move on your own."
"So, you're controlling me?" I asked, even though my own question didn't make any sense to me.
"Yes," she said, a smile sounding through her tone. "I am the Goddess of Sloth City, so it is within my power to control others if it benefits me."
"Goddess? Sloth City? You're not making any sense–"
Aergia cut me off. "Let me explain everything and then you can ask your questions. You are in the Underworld–"
"-you mean Hell?" I blurted.
"Didn't I just say you can talk when I finish? Do you want me to take away your speech, too?"
I kept my mouth shut.
"Good. As I was saying, you are in the Underworld, for what purpose, I have no idea. However, I have received strict instructions from the Crown – that is, Hades and his court – that you are to be taken to their location under strict supervision." Aergia raised an eyebrow at me. "Somehow, a human like yourself has captured the attention of Hades. I wonder why..."
I opened my mouth and closed it like a fish, completely gobsmacked. My mind was still trying to tell me that this was all a dream; after all, I hardly believed in an afterlife and here I was being controlled by a woman telling me I was in hell.
It hit me that perhaps this all wasn't a figment of my imagination. Scarily enough, despite nothing making sense, everything felt completely real. And as much as it didn't feel like it, I was in charge of my emotions and thoughts – that certainly wasn't possible in my dreams. But admitting this was real would be admitting I was in Hell–
"I think there's been some mistake," I said, panicking. "You've picked the wrong person. I haven't done anything even remotely bad in my life. I mean, when I was five I accidentally stole a lollipop, but that was only because I thought my father had paid for it! And I've always gotten good grades at school–"
"Shut up," Aergia said. The chilling sensation of her control spread through me and up to my mouth, preventing me from speaking. My mind was telling me to talk, but there seemed to be no more connection between my mouth and brain. My panic rose even further.
If Hades was real....I could hardly imagine what would be awaiting me if I was to be taken to him. After all of dad's stories about his morbid and dark behaviours...
Oh God. Dad.
My memories became slightly clearer, reminding me of where I'd been before waking up in this hell hole. He'd been on his way home from his work trip to visit me in hospital. When he got there, he would have no idea where I was, no idea I'd been kidnapped by absolute lunatics. And Camilla as well – she would only blame herself for having to leave me for her cat. She didn't deserve that, either. I choked back tears.
"When you and your little..." she searched for a word, "human friends completed a séance, you formed a connection with the Underworld. Hades has access to these connections, and clearly something about you caught his attention. As a Goddess, I act as a bridge between the Underworld and other worlds. Since your town – Milton or whatever it's called – is closest to Sloth City, I was naturally the best choice to summon you."
My eyes rounded.
"As such, I will ask our servants to tend to your needs until Hades arrives with the Guard."
Aergia turned a corner and I followed along, robotically. I wanted to scream or burst into tears, but the trance I was stuck in hardly allowed me to comprehend what Aergia had said.
My eyes narrowed in suspicion when I realised that there were no windows along this hall, nor had there been windows down the last. Instead, the walls were covered head-to-toe in deep red wallpaper, and since the floor was decked in black marble tiles, we were submerged in near darkness. I tried my best to look upwards and saw rows of candelabras hovering high above, emitting a soft light that sent an eerie feeling through me.
"You can speak now," Aergia declared, a smug look on her face. "Any questions?"
Yes. "I want to see where I am. Why aren't there any windows?" I demanded, trying my best to sound authoritative. Even so, my voice trembled.
Aergia raised an eyebrow. "Trust me when I say your sheltered little mind isn't ready for that."
"How am I supposed to know that I'm really in Hell, then?"
"Firstly, we're in the Underworld. 'Hell' is a term coined by those too unintelligent to comprehend the Underworld's power. Secondly, when you're teaching a youngling to ride a bike, you give them training wheels before they're able to ride on their own."
"So...what are my training wheels going to be, exactly?"
"Raven."
"A bird is supposed to help me?"
"Your servant," she said pointedly, glancing behind me. "She is one of Sloth City's most obedient, so you should be grateful."
The realisation of who Raven was hit me and I looked back at the servant who'd been trailing us the entire time, as silent as a ghost. Raven's eyes still seemed intent on avoiding my gaze by staring down at her moving feet. I looked back at Aergia.
"You said you were a Goddess...what exactly does that mean?"
"It means exactly as it sounds. Goddesses each hold special powers, none the same as another. Like I mentioned before, I am able to bend another person's will to suit my needs," she smirked, "hence Sloth City. There are seven other cities in the Underworld; Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Envy and, of course, Pride. The main city is Hades, where the Underworld King resides with his queen and crown. Ah, we're here," Aergia finished.
She came to a stop beside another set of double black doors, pulled on the handle and walked inside.
Having no choice but to follow, I moved inside. My eyes rounded. There were still no windows, yet I was able to make out all of the furniture in the room due to the lit candles that lined the walls. The room was massive – and clearly a bedroom. A lavish king-sized bed sat against the far side of the room. Off to the left, another set of doors led off to somewhere else, to what I presumed was the bathroom.
"Have a look around," Aergia said, releasing me from my immobile prison. "This is your chamber."
I didn't need telling twice and relished in the feeling of control returning to my body, scuttling as far away from Aergia as possible.
This place was more expensive looking than any room, house or castle I'd ever seen. Every piece of furniture, upon close inspection, was lined in gold. When I walked into the bathroom, I was again greeted by a decadent sight. A solid gold bathtub, two gold sinks and a jewel-encrusted mirror. Camilla would faint at its sight.
"I have other matters to attend to," Aergia called out from the entrance, snapping me from my trance. "Raven will assist you in the meantime."
Before I could race back and ask her anymore questions, Aergia disappeared and closed the bedroom door with a loud click.
"Did she just lock the door?" I asked Raven.
The servant shuffled around the room, grabbing a cloth from her belt and polishing the furniture. "Yes. Her Highness doesn't exactly want a new human wandering the halls."
With Aergia gone, my mind finally switched back from the distracting lavish furniture and expansive designs, to the situation I was in. I wanted to run, to scream and cry, but I knew there was no way I could get past both Raven and a locked door...let alone what other craziness lay beyond the bedroom.
My mind urged me to call this what it was – a crazy nightmare. Perhaps my seizure at school had been even worse than I'd predicted, and this was all just my unconsciousness trying to entertain me during my sleep at the hospital.
Yet, another part of me, deep down in my gut, filled me with the intuition that this was not just some nightmare, dream or hallucination – this was very, very real. I had always ignored dad's teaching about Gods, Goddess and Greek mythology, believing that that stuff just didn't happen in the real world. But perhaps I was wrong. Aergia's power was living, breathing proof of that.
I walked up to Raven slowly, whose body stiffened at my nearness.
"Am I really in Hell?" I asked softly, searching her eyes for answers.
For the first time, she looked straight at me, holding my gaze with a strong intensity. Within hers I saw the anguish, suffering and pain of hundreds of people.
"We all are."
I didn't know why, but staring into Raven's deep brown eyes, I suddenly knew it was true. I really was in Hell – the Underworld. It was as if with one swift look, Raven had embedded in me a fear and truth I'd never felt before.
"You're human?" I asked, but already knew the answer.
"Yes," she said, getting back to her polishing.
"But you're in the Underworld."
"Yes."
"How does that work? We both look alive – that is, we don't look like ghosts. We're not ghosts, right? Please tell me we aren't."
Raven shook her head. "No. We're not ghosts."
I bit my lip. "Why does it sound like there's a 'but' coming?"
Raven dropped her cloth on top of the vanity table. Wringing her hands out in nervousness, she moved to the couches, gesturing for me to sit down. I did as she suggested and fell into the softest material I'd ever felt.
"Not all of us are lucky enough to be born on Earth," she started, fluffing up some pillows to distract herself from having to make eye contact.
My stomach sunk. "You've been in the Underworld your entire life?"
Raven nodded resignedly. "I have. The Underworld is still habitable for humans, despite any stories you may have heard. You yourself are proof of that. You're human, but you were able to descend into the Underworld without a problem."
I thought for a moment that my blaring headache, scratches, dirty skin and bruises could contest that.
"What happened to you today isn't unusual, but most people are born in the Underworld. My parents were, as were my grandparents, great grandparents and great, great – well, you get the idea. Most of the population here have never seen, smelt, felt, tasted or heard of life on Earth. I'd say there are only a handful of humans in the Underworld right now who have, and they..." she trailed off, again refusing to look at me.
"What happens to them?" I said.
"Nothing," she said quickly. Too quickly. "They just assimilate into our world."
"You're lying," I said, crossing my arms and moving towards her. "You have to tell me the truth. I don't for a second believe Hades was interested in bringing me here just for the sake of letting me roam around like an unleashed dog. He summoned me for a reason, and as much as I like to hope, the stories I've heard about him don't suggest I'm about to be let free."
"Like I said, there's always a possibility that this won't happen. I mean, I've only worked here for a few years so there's always the potential..."
"Raven," I interrupted. "Please."
Raven stared at me in silence for a few moments, then looked downward in defeat. "You have to understand that Hades only ever summons the doomed. You know, the mass murderers, rapists...people like that. Hades is drawn to them. In a way, they fuel his power over the Underworld. But, to get that power...."
"Raven."
She swallowed loudly. "He has to kill them first."