The face moved out of the light. Dan shook his head and reached for the oil lamp. He used camper's matches to relight it, casting more light through the room. Holding the lamp, he calmly approached the alcove and looked around the corner.
A petite girl leaned against the back wall, enormous eyes looking frightened. He studied her. She looked to be just a young girl, but there were some not-so-subtle differences. Her eyes were normal, but her ears were tiny and ended in rounded points. She was unclothed, but didn't appear naked, as her skin appeared to be fine marble. She wasn't cowering in fear, and neither was she attacking.
Dan studied her as much as she studied him. He squatted on his heels so that he was at her eye-level. Her eyes were green with gold flecks. And her irises were cat-like, a slit in the middle with gold surrounding the iris.
Her hair, if that is what it was, hung straight down from her head and ended almost at the floor. Her lips were full, but pale, like marble.
"Hello," Dan whispered. The creature tilted her head, and she frowned.
"Can you talk?" He asked, almost whispering. Then there was a noise from the door, like it was swinging open.
Dan rose and looked back. "He told me this place was quiet."
When he turned his attention back to the creature, she was closer. Dan stood transfixed by the alien beauty of the thing.
"Where did you come from?" Dan asked, not expecting an answer. As he turned back to the door, the small creature suddenly bared her teeth, showing off a row of hideous jagged teeth, all as sharp as razors. He reeled back as the creature leapt at him.
<<<>>>
As soon as the portal had closed, Brianna rushed to the garden. She paused, then walked slowly, staring at the field that was once Gaia's pride and joy, now a mass of uprooted plants, dirt thrown everywhere, the bodies of headless demons slowly vanishing into a black oily mass.
Brianna searched desperately for signs of either Tisiphone or Alecto. She spotted a mass of black goo slowly moving. She glanced around and grabbed a bronze short sword lying next to a dead demon and approached the moving shape. As she drew closer, she recognized that the shape was larger than a demon. It was Alecto, buried under a heap of demons. Brianna tossed the weapon away and dug, pulling dead demons away.
She glanced up as Hermes returned with Delfina. It took all three to uncover Alecto and assess her wounds. Her torso slashed in numerous spots and her arms burned black, her jumper melted, her hair matted and singed on the ends. Delfina stood and surveyed the carnage.
"What about Tisiphone?" She asked.
"They were fighting together, back to back," Brianna explained. "Surrounded by these... these things, then the dragon. It was a fire-breathing dragon!"
"She's here, somewhere. We can't wait for this mess to evaporate. She's likely buried about here." Delfina looked at Hermes. "You get Alecto upstairs, I'll tend to her as soon as we find Tisiphone."
Hermes lifted Alecto and carried her towards the house. Brianna moved more demons from the pile.
"Careful with them, dear," Delfina said. "That black goo is poison. A demon like this is just walking poison. Disgusting creatures."
Brianna carefully pulled bisected demons away from the pile, her hands and arms getting covered in the black oily blood. As she pulled a larger corpse aside, she spotted Tisiphone's face, hardly recognizable through the mess.
Her beautiful hair now matted and burned, her face crisscrossed by cuts, her eyes swollen shut. Brianna redoubled her efforts in pulling deceased demons away from the pile, yelling: "I found her!"
Delfina rush over to help. As Brianna and Delfina were lifting Tisiphone up, there was a movement in the air. Delfina felt it and froze. Something had just materialized next to them.
She glanced up to see Thanatos rushing towards them.
"When did this happen?" he demanded.
"Be quiet and help," Delfina snapped.
Thanatos took over, tenderly lifting Tisiphone into his arms and rushing her to the backdoor, vanishing as he walked.
Inside, Hermes was tending to Alecto when he heard footsteps running. He looked outside the bedroom door as Thanatos was carrying Tisiphone into her bedroom.
"Is she?" Hermes asked as he went to help Thanatos with Tisiphone. They set her on the bed. Delfina pushed between them and examined Tisiphone's face.
"No, she's not dead, but might as well be. Same with Alecto," Delfina said. Tisiphone's face was completely blackened, not by the demon blood, but with charred flesh. Brianna stopped at the door and covered her face, choking back tears.
"I should have grabbed a sword, I could have helped," Brianna said.
Thanatos went to her side and rubbed her shoulder. "Child, you would have been destroyed. The Furies are immortals, it takes a lot to harm them."
Brianna noticed that her hands were covered in a black greasy blood and ran out of the room.
Thanatos moved back to the bed, looking down at Tisiphone.
"What are you doing back here," Hermes asked. "Aren't you escorting Dan into Tartarus?"
"When I left him, he was resting," Thanatos pointed out. "I felt I needed to check on business here. Good thing I did. Dan should know about this."
"Whatever you do, don't tell him," Gaia said, appearing in the doorway to Tisiphone's room.
"Mother! You should stay in bed," Hermes scolded her.
"Bah!" Gaia said, stepping closer. "I heard the fight. I feared the worse. Looks like I was right."
Brianna entered while drying her hands and stared at everyone standing around. "Isn't there anything we can do?"
Delphina sat back and looked at the crowd. "Brianna, you stick around, I'll need your help. Meanwhile, the rest of you, scoot along! I have doctoring to do!"
As Thanatos was leaving, he paused by Brianna. "Your uncle is doing well. When I left him, he was resting. I'm going back in a while to see him the rest of the way to Tartarus."
"Can you go with him? All the way, rescue Megaera?" Brianna asked.
"No, I will have to leave him at the passage into Tartarus. I'll make certain he has all he needs to be successful," Thanatos told her.
"I have something that may help him," Gaia said, pulling on Thanatos. "It's quite ancient and he'll require it."
Thanatos followed Gaia back to her room, and Brianna turned to assist Delfina.
"Don't worry about your uncle," Delfina said. "I'm sure nothing bad will happen. Now, go get my doctoring kit. We'll work on Tisiphone first, then Alecto."
<<<>>>
When the creature leapt at him, Dan reacted immediately; he seized the small humanoid by its neck and held it at arm's length. It struggled to free itself and produced bizarre grunting noises.
He held the thing up, wiggling and twisting in the air, clawing at his arm as he struggled to figure out what to do with it.
"Allow me," Thanatos said, reaching for the creature.
Thanatos grasped the thing by the back of its neck and held it up. It squirmed and spewed foam from its hideous mouth.
"Nasty creatures. Great camouflage, notice how it's changed colors already?" Thanatos said while holding the thing against the tile mosaics. The creature shifted from a marble pattern to one that practically made it invisible against the wall.
The door was still open, and Thanatos walked outside and heaved the creature into the air. It twirled and spun as it flew, finally landed a short distance, its momentum causing it to roll into a heap of rocks, then it disappeared.
"What?" was all that Dan could get out.
"A type of nymph we call a Metis," Thanatos explained. "It was probably in the shelter the entire time and awoke after you'd gone to sleep. We missed it because it has the ability to conceal itself. Good thing you woke up when you did."
"What did it want?"
"Blood. Yours. Those things are the basis for your legends of vampires. Nasty creatures," Thanatos pointed out.
"And all you did was just toss it away? Let's destroy it!" Dan said while he rummaged in
his backpack.
"Not so fast, Dan," Thanatos said, quietly. "Even if you found it again, it can't be destroyed like the vampires of legend. It's an immortal."
Thanatos had his hands on his hips, staring at Dan, who brandished his automatic.
"We have another day's hike. We need to get moving, once you've put that toy away and have taken your breakfast," Thanatos said.
Upon hearing "breakfast", Dan's empty stomach made itself known, loudly. He thrust the gun back into its holster and opened the pouch that contained the food Persephone had packed away for him. He pulled a few pieces of dried meat, tore off a bite and chewed.
"Tastes like venison," Dan said between bites. He followed Thanatos out and watched as he shut the door behind them.
"I'm glad you like it, can't stand the stuff myself." He paused and looked at the door. "I will have to check on this shelter on my way back, see how that damned thing got in."
Thanatos led Dan from the shelter towards a mountain range still quite a distance away.
After what seemed like just a few hours, they were visibly closer to the mountains. Dan keep looking up at the peaks, shrouded in darkness.
"Why mountains?" Dan asked.
"What? Why mountains?" Thanatos turned, his face registering confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm curious how they formed, it's almost as if someone created them on the spur of the moment," Dan suggested.
"This entire place started out as an idea in the minds of the elder gods. All societies had their gods and eventually this place appeared. Many of the elder gods were very fond of mountains, and so we got mountains," Thanatos explained.
"So, this place was created in the mind of some gods, just because?"
"Pretty much. Try to keep up. We're almost to the passageway." Thanatos hiked on, not turning to see if Dan was following. Dan hurried to catch up, and they walked in silence for another hour.
They stopped for a brief rest and Dan stared back towards the way they'd come. There was no sign of the palace, just an odd bluish glow. He turned to look to his right, where the atmosphere grew ruddy with reddish light as the landscape descended.
"How far from here are the prison blocks?" Dan asked.
Thanatos produced the map and unrolled it. He held it up so Dan could see where he was pointing. "Here we are and here is the boundary. There is a small gateway you can use to gain entrance. From there, at least a two-day walk." He rolled up the map and gave it to Dan. He pointed straight ahead. "Keep your bearings. To the east, there is this blue glow from Elysian. To the west, the red glow. So, keep the blue to your back until the land levels out. Then turn and keep the blue to your right."
"Sounds easy enough," Dan said, taking the rolled-up map. He sat his backpack down and packed the map away. "Are there spots to sleep like that shelter back there?"
"No," Thanatos said. "Those areas are very rare. No mortals are here, so there is no need. You'll need to hunker down and rest when you can. Just make sure to avoid anyone who's overly curious, as no mortal has ever entered Tartarus."
"Ever?"
"Ever." Thanatos turned and walked towards the mountains. Dan shrugged and followed.
It was about an hour later when they neared a narrow cave opening that led across the boundary and into Tartarus. They stopped. Dan looked through the passageway.
"A tunnel," Dan observed.
"Yes, and once you cross, you'll be on your own," Thanatos told him. He reached into a pocket on his shirt and drew out a small, dark crystal. "I have this, which may prove to be of some service."
Thanatos gave Dan the small crystal. He studied it and then looked up at Thanatos, one eyebrow raised. "Looks like common quartz to me."
"Yes, it appears as a piece of smoky quartz," Thanatos said, now smiling. "Ancient technology. I'm told it comes from that lost civilization you know as 'Atlantis'."
"Yeah?" Dan said, peering at the crystal point. It was about three inches long and an inch wide. He glanced back to Thanatos. "I'm not into that crystal and Atlantis bullshit."
"Here, let me show you," Thanatos said, holding the crystal. He suddenly vanished. Dan's eyes blinked, and he shook his head. There was a slight blurring of the rocks behind Thanatos, then he reappeared. "It's a device that will allow you to blend into the background, in much the same way that the metis blended into the wall."
He gave Dan the crystal. He held it up to his eye. "How...?"
"Squeeze it with your hand and press on the bottom. You won't notice anything, but you'll be warping the area around you so it'll appear as if you've vanished. It has some limitations, such as the effect only lasts a short time, which might allow you to escape detection while you make your way to the prison. I've never timed it, honestly. It's self-powered, but it takes time to recharge, so you can't use it several times in a row."
"How does it recharge?"
"I'm not sure, but it does. Takes about an hour then it's at full strength. I was told they made these as toys for the children, but the larger ones were used on ships when the Atlanteans would sail to trade with the other civilizations. Before they were buried in ice, that is."
"Buried in ice?"
"Yes, Atlantis didn't sink. It had something to do with a large landmass shift, which tore the hell out of most buildings on the surface. Only the pyramids in what you call Egypt still stood, although they were heavily damaged."
Dan squinted an eye at Thanatos. "When did that happen?"
"I'm told it occurred about twelve thousand of your years ago. Hard to tell from my point of view." Thanatos shrugged. "Now, I hope to see you after you return, with Megaera in tow. If not, well, at least we tried, right?"
"Right," Dan answered, grimly. He sighed and started to the passage opening. He paused and looked back at Thanatos. "I'll see you in a few days."
Thanatos just smiled and nodded.
Dan went into the dark tunnel, and on into Tartarus.
<<<>>>
Bune paused at the cell door. He had no idea what to expect, but few ever survived in that room with the Charybdis. He nodded at the large guard, who strode forward and inserted a key into the slot on the wall. The door opened with a quiet "tik". Bune gently slid it away.
He peered into the dark space. At first glance, the room was empty except for the circular pool of water. He moved to step inside and was met with a small, hard fist to the jaw. He reeled back as Megaera stepped into the doorway, landing a solid kick to Bune's groin. He folded over and dropped to the floor.
She turned to attack the large guard, who simply reached out and caught her by the neck. He lifted her to his eye-level. He narrowed one eye at her as she struggled to free herself. She ripped at the demon's arms as he withdrew from the cell and held her against the wall. He looked back over a shoulder to check on his boss. Bune was slowly picking himself up, shaking his head.
"I aimed for your nuts, but I forgot your type doesn't have balls," Megaera managed to get out, even though her throat was deliberately being squeezed.
Bune straightened himself out and eyed the Fury.
"Take her to her cell. As violently as you wish," Bune ordered. His eyes flashed as he watched the giant demon drag Megaera back down the hallway, yanking on her hair and, occasionally, flinging her into a wall.
Gripping her by the back of the neck, the guard paused outside the cell and opened the door. As the door clicked open, Megaera began to twist and turn, kicking and scrambling to avoid being put back into the dark cell.
The demon grunted and easily tossed her into the cell and pulled the door shut. Megaera looked around the bare cell, they hadn't even cleaned up the mess she'd made in the escape attempt yesterday morning.
She kicked and yelled, then collapsed onto the floor. She kicked the bowl across the cell, it rang like a bell as it settled back to the floor.
<<<>>>
Dan exited the passageway and the expanse of Tartarus spread out before him. He took in the sight. Lit by the river of fire, Tartarus
had a rust-colored haze as far as he could see.
"Doesn't look a thing like Dungeons and Dragons," Dan muttered. He observed a small dark speck in the air, a long way away. He pulled out his binoculars and focused. He hardly made out the shape of a copper dragon and possibly someone riding it. It appeared to be flying over the fire river several miles away.
"Alright, so there're dragons," Dan said, putting his binoculars away. Then he put his hand in the pocket and touched the crystal that Thanatos had given him, just in case. "I wonder how far they can see."
Dan started down a small path, weaving around large, jagged boulders. As long as he was on the side of the mountain, he could keep an eye on the dragon in the distance.
He slowly descended, and twice he climbed upon a boulder to get his bearings. He noticed the dragon in the distance had vanished. He'd lost sight of the beast as he drew closer to the flat landscape. He scanned around. The red glow was becoming brighter, and the blue glow was still to his back. He was getting closer to the Phlegethon. He calculated he'd need to turn to his right as soon as the land leveled out.
As he pulled out his map, a shadow crossed over him. In a flash, Dan leapt down from his perch and looked up. The copper dragon was circling overhead. Dan immediately saw there was a man riding it, he quickly ducked under a larger boulder that had a slight hollow along one side.
His hand fumbled for the small crystal. He grasped it with his fingers and used his thumb to press on the flat bottom. He had no idea if it was working as the dragon spiraled down. Its rider pointed to the large boulder he was just on.
The dragon landed and sniffed around. Dan wondered if the crystal would cloak odors. The rider looked annoyed.
"I saw him, too, Mable," the rider said. Dan swore the man looked right at him as they searched.
"No real hiding spots in this area," the rider mumbled. The dragon began to beat its wings, causing dust to blow. Dan covered his face. When the wind subsided the dragon and its rider were gone.
He gradually eased out from under the boulder, keeping the crystal activated. He felt his hand throbbing, he'd been gripping the device quite hard. He wasn't about to let go of it until he'd put some distance between himself and that dragon.
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