Goddess of War

by Waverly Scott

  The rest of us stood there in stunned silence. I knew the Underworld was confusing and a sorrowful place, but that was just ridiculous.

  What happens if we get lost?

  I wanted to ask Ares, but I was terrified of the answer.

  “How far is all of this?” I asked, trembling.

  “Tartarus is in the deepest depths of the Underworld.”

  “That narrows it down.”

  “I don’t know where they’re being kept. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

  We began our trek through the brush and weeds till we reached the banks of the river. The lost souls surrounded us, wailing and crying. They pulled at our clothes, begging for help. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I guess all those ghost hunting shows weren’t so far off after all. I wasn’t paying attention, and one of our ghostly specters walked right through me. I gasped and felt weird. My body got very cold and a feeling of grief, pain, and anger washed over me.

  “Oh god, that was horrible!”

  “Um, watch out for the spirits,” Ares called to me.

  I just looked at him. We plodded up the river bank till a boat dock came into view. The planks making it up were worn and weathered. I doubted that they would be able to hold anyone. There was a boat tied up, and a man sitting on a crate at the end. As we walked down the dock it was apparent he either didn’t know what soap and showers were, or didn’t care. But seeing as he was thousands of years old I’d vote on didn’t care. He was dirty, his beard and hair were white, but very unkempt. His cloak was dirty and hung heavy on his shoulders. I slowed to a stop and stared.

  This couldn’t possibly be the famous Charon. He was definitely not what I’d pictured.

  Ares approached him with a grim look on his face. “Charon.

  “Ares,” the old man grumbled.

  “We need your assistance.”

  “Going to the other side are ya?”

  “Yes.”

  “Those Titans caused quite a ruckus didn’t they?”

  “They did.”

  “There are a lot of souls waiting on Hermes.”

  “I see this.”

  “Are you going to rescue him?”

  “That’s what we’re planning.”

  “We?” The man’s interest seemed piqued enough for him to look up.

  “Cara and I are going to Tartarus.”

  “She don’t smell like a mortal,” the old man said, staring at me, his fire red eyes burning into me,

  “I don’t remember any goddess named Cara though.”

  “She’s not a mortal,” Athena stepped up next to me, putting her arm around my shoulder.

  “A new goddess?”

  “Yes,” Ares replied. “In her own respects.”

  “Who’s her creator?”

  “Athena and I.”

  “The Gods of war created a child?” Charon stood staring at us.

  “We did.”

  “You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?” He narrowed his eyes at them.

  “Yes,” Ares responded.

  “That’s why you had her.”

  “Yes.”

  I felt like I was an inch tall.

  “Wouldn’t it have been better if Zeus were her father?”

  “All of the gods and goddesses sat down to discuss it, and we were in agreement that having the two gods of war procreate would be best.”

  “She seems to have Athena’s wisdom.”

  “She does,” Athena said.

  He stared at me a bit longer, and after a few moments he climbed into his boat then motioned for us to follow him. He shoved off and pushed us across Styx. I leaned over looking into the murky black water. It smelled sulfuric, like rotten eggs and sulfur. I reached my hand down to touch it, but Adronis snatched my arm before I could.

  “Don’t touch the water.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s poison,” he whispered into my ear.

  “Oh.”

  We reached the opposite side quicker than I expected. We got off the boat and headed toward the entrance which was the mouth of an enormous cavern. The path wound down into the mountain. I peered over the edge and into a dark, terrifying chasm of death. The sound of rushing water drifted up to us. I stood closer to Adrian gripping his arm. I was terrified, I’d already fallen off into one body of water and I didn’t even know how far down the darkness went. The end of the path leads to a narrow dirt road. Ares didn’t hesitate, he continued following it. We eventually came to the Elm tree and my nerves had a hold of my stomach. I felt like I was going to vomit. There haven’t been many people to enter the Underworld and leave alive. The guardian of the gates, Cerberus, was sleeping in front of the doors. His snore was a low rumble. One of his heads must have heard us. A loud growl began to emanate from one of the throats, which woke the other two heads. Ares and Athena approached him, talking calmly and in a soothing voice. Once the dog was laying back down we prepared to enter the world of the dead. The large iron doors creaked open.

  “Be careful,” Adrian said, hugging me tight.

  “I will.” I hugged him back.

  “Cara, I love you.”

  “I love you too, Adrian.” I gazed into his eyes before leaning in for a kiss. His soft lips parted slightly then it was over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  We passed through the large, ominous doors.

  “This is Erebus, a sort of waiting area,” Ares told me.

  I moved closer to him and nodded. We walked through Erebus and past the streams of Oceanus, the White Rock and through the Land of sun and Dreams. It was nice there. I didn’t know what to think. All of my reading had been wrong. There were people milling about. They looked lost like the souls roaming Styx’s banks.

  “What’s wrong with them?” I asked in a hushed voice.

  “Nothing. They’re just in limbo.”

  We continued walking until we reached the Asphodel Fields. Souls roamed around performing robotic tasks.

  “They won’t give us any problems. This is for those who were neither good nor evil. Who lived a life of normalcy without any real impact either way. The flowers here are what sustain them. A favorite of the dead. The one thing they are allowed to have.”

  “They eat?” I watched as the mindless drones moved about.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not really sure.” He peered across the fields into the blank faces.

  None of them even noticed us. “I thought souls were judged at the dividing road?”

  “The dividing road determines the fates of those who made an impact in life. Whether a good one or bad.”

  “Oh. Will we get to see the Elysian Fields?”

  “No. We’ll be going further into Tartarus. That’s where the Titans have the other Gods stashed.”

  “Are we going to run into anything, bad?” I asked, looking around us.

  “I don’t know Cara.”

  “It’s just dead people down here right?”

  “Yes, but where we’re going isn’t nice. It’s where murderers, rapists and that sort goes. I’m not sure what their souls are capable of.”

  “But they’re dead. How can they do anything?”

  “It’s complicated. Just be careful and watch where you go. Life and death is not black and white. There are shades of grey. Just because you die on the Earth does not mean that your soul dies.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Once a mortal’s body dies their soul is ushered here. Unlike the mindless drones we passed, some spirits retain their mortal personalities. Not all just go about doing nothing.”

  “They could still be dangerous? How could they touch us though?”

  “Try not to think about it too much. Just watch around us.”

  Not very reassuring but I kept my eyes wide open. We continued walking down the small narrow road which turned to large stones. It was deserted and eerily quiet. Our footsteps echoed off of the granite walls. Ares pulled his sword
from the scabbard around his waist and stopped moving. I began to panic a bit and pulled mine out as well.

  “What’s going on?”

  No answer.

  “Ares, what’s wrong?”

  Still nothing.

  I couldn’t see what he was looking at. My heart was pounding and I could hear the blood rushing through my ears.

  “Calm your heart rate and concentrate. You’ll be able to hear, see and smell what is coming at us from down the road.”

  “What’s coming at us?”

  “Yes, the heavens and sky should be getting ready to crumble and fall without their podium to hold them up.”

  “What?” I began breathing in deeply, slowing my heart back to normal.

  I was so confused. What was he talking about? I looked ahead of us and in the distance I was able to make out a figure. It was a man. A very large man. His broad shoulders and narrow waist gave way to extremely muscular legs. He had on the typical chiton that most of the male gods wore. His long, black hair hung down in his eyes. Beneath the hair were angry gold eyes and his lips parted into a vicious grin over white teeth. As he got closer to us, he grew even bigger. He was at least ten feet tall. I stood, staring wide eyed.

  “Wh-what?”

  “Atlas. I see your brothers wasted no time in setting you free.”

  He sneered at us. “Yes, the one disadvantage though is I’m a bit smaller now. This Earth of yours is very constricting.”

  “Smaller?” I squeaked out.

  “You’re delivering the girl to me? How convenient.”

  “No, she’s here to help me release my family,” Ares shouted.

  “We’ll see about that,” Atlas growled, standing in front of us.

  “How did you end up here? The other Titans decide they wanted Cronus again? Must feel good to be thrown away,” Ares taunted.

  “Ares, please don’t taunt the ten foot tall man,” I whispered.

  “It’s fine Cara. Atlas doesn’t function properly when he’s riled up,” he whispered back.

  “Oh.”

  Atlas lifted a very large, long sword in front of him. I backed up a bit but Ares stood his ground. There was no way he’d be able to fight alone. Feeling like I was going to vomit, I took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. I’m a goddess, goddesses don’t back down. Right? Even to ten foot tall men with a stomach you can wash your clothes on. I moved up beside Ares with my own sword ready. My legs shook like rubber. Atlas swung at us. We ducked and his blade missed taking our heads off. Ares struck next. He brought his broadsword down on the Titans leg.

  “Grrrah!” He grimaced and brought his sword down again, this time making contact with Ares.

  “Ares!” I screamed running to him.

  Atlas just laughed.

  “Cara, it’s up…to…you,” he choked out.

  “I can’t do this without you.” The tears began streaming down my face.

  “Yes you can. This is what you were born for. Remember who your parents are.”

  Struggling to breath, he smiled up at me, lifted his arm and stroked my cheek, leaving behind a blood smear. Then he went limp. I shook him, trying to wake him up.

  “Ares? Ares! Wake up! Please, you can’t die. Not now! I need you!” I leaned down hugging him. “Please, Ares. Dad.”

  “He’s dead and now so are you.”

  Rage and fear boiled inside of me. My breathing became shallow and ragged. I turned on the Titan. I could feel my eyes burning and I could feel the power rising in me.

  “You won’t kill anyone else.” I picked up my sword and my father’s.

  I crossed the blades and slowly pulled them apart. The metal made a slight screeching sound. I ran toward him and I was fast. Very fast. I moved to the right then the left. As I went to the left I ran up part of the wall and jumped onto Atlas. I took both blades and rammed them into his shoulder blade. Pulling them out, my fury only intensified. I screamed and plunged them back in, causing him to fall to his knees. He reached back and swatted me off like a fly. I flew into a wall and crumpled to the ground. I staggered to my feet, wiping at my bloody nose. I looked at Ares body and let the rage build up again. I ran toward the mighty Titan and buried one of the swords in his calf. He screamed out in pain and slashed at me, catching my back. I felt the fabric rip and a warm hot liquid seeped down my back. That one brought me to my knees. I grimaced, waiting for the initial pain to go away. It didn’t. I slowly rose to my feet looking at him. A wave of dizziness and nausea ran over me. I closed my eyes for a minute and looked up.

  “I’m the daughter of Athena and Ares. Do you really think that will kill me?”

  “You’re supposed to be mortal!” he snapped.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you Atlas, but my powers have been restored.”

  “There is no way they can be!” he yelled.

  “Well how else do you explain me still being alive?”

  He just glowered at me, standing and charging again. I ducked and rolled to the right quickly jumping to my feet. With the sword still buried deep in his calf, his knees buckled. Sweat poured down my forehead and mixed with the dirt and blood on my face. It was hard to see. I ran up behind Atlas, jumped through the air and brought my sword down on his back. I hoped that was it. He fell forward. His labored breathing sounded amazing on my ears. I walked up alongside him. I didn’t see him grip his sword, or roll over. He rammed his sword up, catching me in the belly. I couldn’t believe how bad it hurt. The searing pain shot up through my body. He ripped the sword out. I screamed. Blood began to flow freely. I grabbed my stomach trying to think of what to do. My mind was clouded with the pain. I couldn’t even think straight. Letting go of my stomach, I tore the bottom of my robes. I bunched up the fabric I had and tore another thicker piece from the bottom. I tied the bunched fabric to my stomach and stood up.

  “You still want more?” Atlas laughed.

  “I’m not going to stop until you give up,” I said firmly.

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Then so be it.”

  I raised my sword above my head and charged at him. He swung his down at me, blade hitting blade. The metal clank rang through the hall. I spun and was able to block his next blow. We continued like this for what seemed forever. I continued swinging at the man. Fury raged inside. My father, my biological father, lay ten feet away from us, dead. I made contact with Atlas’ body again this time drawing the blade across his abdomen. He fell to his knees for the final time. He lay there, unconscious and barely breathing, but alive.

  “I’ll be back for you Atlas. You’re going right back where you belong, holding up the heavens and the skies. Only this time, you’re going to be chained to them and you won’t escape again.” I ran over to Ares and dropped to his side. “Ares? Are you…”

  I let my voice trail off as I stared at his still, bronzed body. He was dead. His eyes were glazed over and his heart wasn’t beating. With tears trailing down my blood and dirt streaked face, I closed his eyes.

  “I’ll bring you back. I promise.”

  I had no idea how I was going to keep that promise. Did gods’ souls go to the Underworld? I didn’t even think we could die. I looked at him again; there was something different about him than other dead people I’ve seen. I didn’t know what it was but I knelt down next to him. I bit my lip; I had never been that close to a dead body before. I ran my hand down his arm, it was still warm. He’d only been dead for about half an hour, but he should be cold. There was no mistaking that he was in fact dead. Then it dawned on me, his soul, it never left his body. His soul was still inside. If his soul was still there, then he’s still alive. Not knowing what else to do, I put my sword in the scabbard tied to my waist and picked Ares up. He didn’t feel as heavy as he looked. Perhaps strength was another bonus to being the Goddess of war. I kicked Atlas to make sure he wasn’t moving. He didn’t budge. His breathing was labored and shallow. At least he wasn’t dead. I wasn’t about to let him out of his punishment that ea
sily. The walk to the dividing roads took a lot longer than I expected, but there weren’t any more surprises. Of course Ares became heavier with every step I took. When we did reach the Judges of the Dead they were sitting on their thrones. The man on the right stood and looked at us.

  “Two lost souls for us to judge? But you don’t have the stench of death about you.”

  “We’re not here for judgment,” I replied.

  “But one of you is dead,” the one in the middle said.

  “No, his soul is still in his body, and he’s a god.”

  “A god?” the one on the far left asked, sounding curious.

  “Yes.”

  “And you are?”

  “A goddess,” I told them.

  “And how did this god’s soul get trapped?” the middle judge asked.

  “We fought Atlas; we’re trying to find where the other gods are being held. If we can release them they can heal him.”

  “And who is he?”

  “Ares. My father.”

  “Ares? Hmm, and you say you’re his daughter?”

  “I am Cara.”

  “The child who was stolen as an infant? Yes, we thought we would see you years ago.”

  “I know.”

  “I am Aeacus, the former king of Aegina, Minos here is the former king of Crete and RhAdamanthys is Minos’ brother,” the judge on the left said.

  “It’s very nice to meet all of you.”

  “Yes, indeed,” RhAdriananthys said, studying me curiously.

  “Is there something wrong?” I asked him impatiently.

  “How do you lift such a man?” he asked.