by Eliza Raine
‘This is it,’ she said loudly, the eyes of every crew member on her. ‘This is our last chance to stop that evil bastard once and for all. Anyone who wants to fight can come. But make no mistake, you will not just be facing Hades’ monster. Hercules may try to kill you.’
‘That’s if he’s not already trying to kill you,’ said Len, with a nervous grin.
Lyssa gave him a sideways look.
‘True. But if we’re all dead, he has no competition and he wins by default. It’s a valid strategy that we know he would use; look at what he did to the hippocampus on Aquarius.’
‘Should we be using the same strategy?’ asked Nestor.
‘Absolutely not. I, for one, have no desire to kill Hedone, or the minotaur for that matter,’ said Lyssa. ‘I just want Hercules dead. If you come, you must follow my orders when given. And I will not hold it against anybody if they want to stay here.’
Everybody wanted to fight. The look on Abderos’s face when Lyssa told him she needed him on the ship pained her.
‘Ab, I’m sorry, I truly am, but it’s just not going to work. Plus, what if we need a lift out? You saved mine and Epizon’s life on Scorpio and Aquarius.’ He screwed his face up, and for a moment he looked as young as he was, before giving a big sigh.
‘Fine. If anyone needs rescuing, I’ll be here,’ he said resignedly.
‘Thank you,’ she said, and leaned over to hug him. He let out a small huff in response.
‘Captain,’ Eryx said behind her, and she straightened up and turned to the half-giant. ‘I’d like to help you fight Hercules,’ he said quickly. ‘I don’t care about immortality, I just want him dead.’
‘As do I,’ said Nestor from her other side. Lyssa thought about it. If she, Nestor and Eryx took on Hercules, surely he wouldn’t stand a chance?
‘If Hercules kills whatever’s guarding the gates of Virgo before us, then it’s all over anyway,’ Len said, and she looked down at the little satyr. ‘Someone has to fight it.’
He had a point.
‘I’ll help, if I can,’ said Evadne.
‘Can you fight?’
‘Not really. But I can shoot.’
‘Good. Look, we don’t know what we’re facing, or what Hercules will try to do. Just follow my orders and do your best,’ Lyssa said, and everyone around her nodded.
‘Captain, can I talk to you before we get there?’ Epizon’s concerned voice sounded in her head and her eyes snapped to his. His face was creased with worry.
‘Of course,’ she answered, and made her way to the hauler. ‘Cargo deck?’
He was there a moment after her, and strode immediately towards Tenebrae’s tank. As he reached it he held his hand to the glass and she flitted effortlessly through the liquid, placing her own palm against his. There were shining, delicate webs between her fingers.
‘She really, really doesn’t want to go to Virgo,’ he said, and as he turned back to her, Lyssa could see tears shining in his eyes. ‘She’s scared, and I don’t know how to help her,’ he half whispered.
‘Oh, Ep.’ Lyssa moved to his side quickly. ‘We have to go. You know we do. If we let Hercules win, he’ll keep killing for eternity.’
‘I know. I know we have to go. And she knows too.’
‘If she could sort Hercules out for us, then we wouldn’t have to,’ Lyssa said, only half-joking. Epizon looked seriously at her.
‘Hercules is protected from magical influences.’
‘What?’
‘She’s already tried. I didn’t ask her to, but we’ve been talking a lot and when she understood that it was him who had nearly killed me and how much I hate him for what he’s done to you…’ Epizon turned back to Tenebrae, and she ducked in the liquid, bringing her face close to their hands. ‘She couldn’t reach him. She thinks it may be Keravnos, blocking the magic.’
‘Right. Well, um.’ Lyssa looked at Tenebrae. ‘Thanks very much for trying,’ she told her. The creature’s gaze flicked to hers for a moment, then settled back on Epizon’s face.
‘Captain, I have to protect her. From whatever she’s scared of.’
‘Do you want to stay with her instead of coming down to Virgo?’ Lyssa asked him, praying the answer was no. She needed him. Not just for his fighting skill. He was her best friend and first mate. She couldn’t imagine making her final stand without him.
‘No. Of course not. We have to stop Hercules.’ Lyssa said a million silent ‘thank you’s and was sure Tenebrae’s gaze flicked to hers again.
‘OK. Why won’t she tell you what she’s afraid of? Do you think it’s Hades?’
‘I don’t know. I think she’s trying to protect me.’
Unease rolled through Lyssa.
‘I’m not sure even Tenebrae can protect you from a god,’ she said. This time the creature’s eyes definitely met Lyssa’s. ‘No offence,’ she said quickly, holding her hands up. Epizon looked at her. ‘What do you want me to do, Ep?’ she asked him.
He let out a long sigh.
‘Nothing. I guess I just wanted you to know that I want to help her. If we can.’
‘OK. If there’s anything we can do, we will. I promise.’
8
‘Are you ready for this?’ Phyleus asked Lyssa as she leaned over the railings, watching the sparkling lilac clouds roll past them.
‘Yes,’ she said, turning to him. ‘Are you?’
‘Nope. Not even a little bit.’ He grinned at her, then stepped close, wrapping his arms around her waist. She felt a flash of worry that the rest of the crew would see them, then remembered that they probably all knew that she and Phyleus were together anyway. And even if they didn’t, what difference did it make now? She stood on tiptoes and kissed him.
‘Then you’d better get ready,’ she said.
‘Lyssa, please don’t do anything rash or...’
‘Stupid?’ she finished for him. ‘I told you it would be weird if were nice to each other. Now you won’t call me stupid.’
‘I mean it,’ he said, rolling his eyes. ‘Hercules is dangerous.’
Annoyance flared inside her.
‘You think I don’t know that? Don’t you dare start treating me like a child now,’ she snapped, pushing back from him.
‘No, no, that’s not what I meant! I meant... You’re brimming with power. Like, it’s practically pouring off you. I’m worried you’ll get cocky.’
She scowled at him.
‘Surely this is the exact time to get cocky. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, and you can obviously feel that too.’
‘It’s his power inside you, Lyssa, remember that. You’ve seen how it affects him, how far it’s taken him. Cocky leads to stupid. Or worse.’
‘But my power is different, it’s not just Rage any more,’ she protested.
He raised an eyebrow.
‘Really?’
‘I think so.’
‘All the same, you mustn’t lose control or let it overtake you.’
‘But when I had Keravnos, on Pisces, I nearly killed him. I had enough strength, enough power. Letting it take over helped me, made me better.’
‘Would you have stopped there?’ he asked her, gently. She dropped her gaze. She’d told Epizon about what she’d felt that night, but not him. How she knew she wouldn’t have stopped with Hercules. ‘You weren’t yourself, Lyssa. The look in your eyes, the fury on your face... It wasn’t you.’
‘Does it matter, if it gets the job done? Does it matter how my strength is fuelled if we need it to win?’
‘No, as long as you can live with whatever happens next.’
‘Nothing will happen next if we lose!’ she shot back. ‘We’ll all die.’
‘I just...’ He pushed his hand through his hair, frustrated. ‘If you feel like you’re losing control, I’ll be there,’ he said eventually, looking back at her. ‘I’ll be wherever you are.’
‘The best way you can help me is to not get yourself killed,’ she said softly.
‘Fine
. I’ll do that.’ He kissed her again, and there was a flash of bright white light.
It was instantly colder, and the sky around the ship was no longer sparkling with clouds. Instead, the light was tinged a dull orange and nothing moved. Lyssa spun quickly around, leaning over the railings, and letting out a slow breath at the view below. The island was close, barely more than a hundred feet down, rocky brown mountains stretching up almost as high as the ship. The land was utterly barren. Not a single tree or plant or creature was in sight. But at the base of the nearest mountain yawned a huge black cave mouth. Lyssa’s stomach flipped as she stared at it.
‘Look,’ said Phyleus quietly, and she straightened up, following his pointing finger. The Hybris was opposite them, its metal-clad hull reflecting the muddy light.
‘Take us down, Ab.’ She sent the thought to her navigator as she saw the longboat rise from Hercules’s ship. The Hybris was too big to land in front of the cave, but her ship wasn’t. The Alastor would carry them to the gates of hell, for their final battle.
9
Hercules, clad in his lion skin and flanked by the minotaur and Hedone, disappeared into the pitch blackness of the cave mouth as Lyssa stepped out of the hauler, onto the dusty rock of Virgo.
‘We must hurry, Captain; we don’t want him to get too far ahead,’ said Nestor, her tail flicking and her expression severe as she trotted past them.
‘Right,’ Lyssa replied, trying to force down her mounting anxiety. She felt like a coiled spring, adrenaline and pent-up power making her head spin and her breaths shorten. Phyleus gripped her hand as they walked swiftly towards the gaping darkness and she squeezed back, trying to stop her hand shaking.
‘We’re going to end this today, Captain,’ said Epizon beside her, as they reached the cave mouth. She tore her eyes from the inky nothingness to stare at his reassuring face.
‘No more running,’ she said. ‘Ever.’
‘No more running,’ he repeated, and they stepped into the dark.
Lyssa didn’t think she had ever experienced such darkness. She tried to force her legs forward but fear of what could be in front of her pinned her feet to the rock. Phyleus was motionless beside her, his hand still clasped around hers.
‘Cap?’ came Len’s voice, tiny in the blackness.
‘Stay where you are,’ she said sharply. ‘Hercules and his crew are in here somewhere, along with Olympus knows what else.’
They waited in silence, seconds feeling like hours as Lyssa prayed their eyes would adjust, but the dark was endless and unrelenting. With her eyesight taken away Lyssa felt vulnerable and on edge. The very air around them became menacing and oppressive.
‘Can you hear me?’ she sent the thought Phyleus.
‘Yes,’ he answered instantly. Some of her rising panic ebbed a bit at his voice.
‘What do we do?’
‘It’s too dangerous to move,’ Phyleus said aloud. ‘There could be a cliff edge in front of us for all we know.’
‘I agree,’ said Nestor, and Lyssa turned towards her voice. Suddenly blue light flickered to life around them, and Lyssa almost choked in relief as the suffocating darkness receded, shapes and shadows forming around them. They were in a huge cavern, the ceiling high above them and covered in long, sharp stalactites. The light was coming from a river that wound through the cavern ahead of them, disappearing out of sight around a bend at the back of the cave. As they watched, the light of the river grew into a brilliant blue, and smoke or steam seemed to roll off its surface.
‘Movement, Captain,’ said Epizon and pointed. A boat was travelling along the river towards the middle of the cavern, a dark stooped figure pushing it along with a pole. He came to a stop, and his hooded head slowly lifted towards them.
‘What do we do now?’ Eryx’s voice was loud in the cavern, and Lyssa jumped.
‘He’s the ferryman. He’ll take us to the underworld,’ said Phyleus.
‘How’d you know that?’ Len looked up at him in surprise.
‘I’ve... been here before.’ His face was as serious as Lyssa had ever seen it.
‘You’ve taken part in the Elysium Mysteries?’ Evadne breathed. He nodded.
‘What are they?’ Eryx asked.
‘We’ll discuss it later,’ said Lyssa quickly. ‘We need to go.’
They all moved quickly across the uneven ground towards the boat, the ferryman’s face remaining cloaked in darkness despite the light around him.
‘I am Charon,’ he said, when Lyssa was a foot away from the glowing river’s edge. His voice was scratchy and high and made Lyssa’s face twitch. She resisted the urge to cover her ears. ‘You must pay for your crossing. There are six of you, so the cost will be high.’
‘We have drachma, on our ship,’ Lyssa said. Charon chuckled and the sound made Lyssa feel queasy.
‘I only take gold from the dead. If you expect to leave Virgo, you must each sacrifice someone you hold dear. If you are not willing to part with anybody now, a life from your future will suffice.’
Lyssa gaped at him.
‘What? No!’
‘I don’t think so, Charon,’ Phyleus said, and the hooded figure turned to him. He was standing tall, his chin pushed out and his eyes narrowed, looking and sounding every bit the prince he was. ‘I believe I can claim crossing for everybody here,’ he said.
Charon leaned forward slowly, and Lyssa heard his long, raspy breaths. Two skeletal hands crept out of the dark cloak, and to her horror, he pushed back his hood.
The ferryman was like something straight out of one of Lyssa’s nightmares, and she stumbled backwards as the hood fell away. Torn bits of flesh clung to his mostly exposed skull, showing starkly red in the blue light. His jaw hung from his face unnaturally, his gaping mouth filled with squirming maggots. Where his eyes should have been were two black pits that were somehow even more disturbing than their rotten surroundings.
‘You have survived the Mysteries,’ he hissed, after staring into Phyleus’s face for a long moment.
‘Yes. And as such, have unlimited access to Virgo.’
‘Those you bring with you do not,’ Charon said.
‘They are my family. The honour extends to them.’
‘Family...’ Charon mused. ‘It is true that the rites extend to family...’ He turned his hideous face to cast his glance over each of them. Only Nestor held his gaze without flinching or shrinking away and Lyssa’s respect for the fierce centaur deepened. ‘You may board,’ Charon said eventually, and mercifully reached for his hood once more. The little boat expanded as they stepped forward, becoming large enough to carry them all.
Lyssa climbed in first, her heart hammering as she moved past Charon.
‘You didn’t tell me you had unlimited access to Virgo,’ she said to Phyleus, mentally.
‘I had no intention of ever coming back here. And as the gods set the Trial here, I thought we’d bypass the river Styx.’
‘I wonder what Hercules paid,’ said Epizon, as he climbed in.
‘A life is no payment for a killer,’ Charon said. ‘Hercules had to pay with something more dear to him than that.’
Lyssa looked at the ferryman. ‘What was it?’
He pointed towards the river. Lyssa leaned out to follow his gnarled hand and gasped. The river wasn’t liquid at all. It looked like the clouds they flew through every day, glowing eerily, with shimmers whirling through it like currents. And there, floating and spinning gently, was Keravnos, its red glow turning purple in the blue light.
‘He gave up Keravnos,’ she breathed.
‘It was that or stay on the banks of the Styx,’ Charon said, then the boat lurched forward and began to follow the winding river through the cavern. Lyssa said nothing, apprehension tightening every muscle in her body as they approached the bend.
‘Do you know what Hades’ beast is?’ she asked Phyleus, knowing he would already have told her if he did.
‘No. Charon rendered me unconscious before we left the banks,�
� he said, with a sideways glare at the ferryman.
‘Some secrets must be kept,’ Charon replied grimly.
‘This is being shown to the whole of Olympus,’ said Eryx.
‘A travesty,’ rasped Charon.’ What you are about to see has been forbidden to the living for thousands of years. And it should stay that way.’ The boat lurched as the ferryman’s voice rose.
‘OK, OK, we get it,’ said Len quickly. ‘We’ll be out of here as soon as we can.’
Charon hissed but said nothing, and a moment later they rounded the corner.
Posted at the gates is Cerberus, a huge hound with three massive heads. He is a savage and monstrous beast with a thunderous bark, who constantly guards the halls of Hades and Persephone with his fearsome menaces.
EXCERPT FROM
The Golden Ass by Apuleius
Written 2 AD
Paraphrased by Eliza Raine
10
Hedone’s hands and feet felt numb as she gaped at the gates in front of her. The actual gates themselves were made from iron bars wider than she was, and were at least forty feet high. Towering over them was an iron statue of a demon, its eyes burning scarlet.
Stretching out from either side of the demon and around the gates were massive wings that ran all the way down the long chamber they were standing in, forming walls that went up a hundred feet. Thick bones ran up the wings at intervals, like ribs, and the sections between were slightly see-through, like membrane. Hedone could see red and orange light moving through them, like mighty flames burning on the other side. She could smell smoke, and was sure the cavern was getting hotter as they approached the gates.
‘Is that the beast?’ she whispered, resisting the urge to clutch Hercules’s arm.
‘No,’ he muttered, his voice quiet in the silent cavern. He was unarmed, Keravnos now lost to the river Styx, but his fists were clenched as he strode ahead. Asterion’s hooves clicked on the black stone beneath them.