Victor, with reddish-orange fire erupting from his reptilian jaws, emerged through Evan’s lake within the pit. He skyrocketed, webbed wings flapping forcefully, until he reached the canopy of blue flames. Evan rose out of the pit and transformed into his aquatic-human. Victor hovered above us for a moment, screeching and spitting fire. Julius screeched back at Victor as if they spoke some secret dragon language, before descending onto the coal. He transformed back into his human form when he landed.
Victor looked at me and smiled. My heart melted at the risk he had taken to defend me. Both he and Evan had shown just how powerful and how dedicated they were to both the empire and me. I smiled back at him and sent him a message, telepathically. My words caused him to lose his breath for a second or two. Then he regained his composure.
“We only have a few seconds to get the hell out of here or we’ll see Hades again, as well as a few more of his creatures,” Victor said.
“Let’s go!” Evan exclaimed. We all moved at the speed of a blink to make it to the entrance of the Underworld.
I let my disciples lead me out of the realm. I wanted to protect them from whatever it was that was causing quite a commotion behind me. The walls were starting to crumble and the ground shook and quaked around us.
We zigzagged through the labyrinth of flaming archways as the fiery columns crashed all around us. Something was coming for us. It shrieked and thundered from behind us. The odor of it – the potent combination of dead fish and rotten corpses, overwhelmed the intoxicating scent of cinders.
Victor led the way and I fell in step beside him. Finally, we were out of the realm. We all stood on the coal-laden shore of the River Styx, staring down at its deathly mist. I had not thought about crossing the river, which had robbed us of our powers. Now the thought dawned on me. How could we cross it?
“Charon never escorts a soul from the Underworld,” Bethany said, nervously.
“No chance of hailing a canoe,” Nikolas chuckled. It amazed us all how Nikolas could always brighten a dreadful situation. We all giggled along with him.
“There’s only one way out of here.” I looked at each of my disciples.
I knew how we could get to the other side of the river Styx without losing our powers, and so did Victor.
“On my back,” Victor said and shifted into a weredragon.
“And mine.” Julius said and within a second, he started thrashing his tail in the coals.
We split up. Bertrand, Evan, and Evangelia climbed onto Victor’s back and Bethany and I climbed onto Julius’ back. Nikolas grew several feet taller and shifted into a centaur. To my surprise, as well as everyone else’s, large, brown, feather wings emerged from either side of the part of him that was a stallion. Nikolas flew up, looking in my direction.
“I always save the best for special occasions,” Nikolas winked and raised his gilded sword and shield.
We were about to follow Niko’s lead, but something in the misty water caught our attention. Suddenly the river began spinning into a whirlpool. At first, I wasn’t sure of what I observed. It wasn’t until the first head sprung out of the water, followed by another, and another, that I realized how bad things just got. All nine heads spewed blue flames at us. The enormous, red serpent’s body rose out of the misty waters of the river while each head slithered in a different direction.
The Hydra was huge – no less than thirty feet, and that was just the portion that was visible. The monstrous creature screeched and spit more flames at us as Bethany and Evan made every attempt to douse them.
“MY ISCHERO, LET’S GO, NOW!” I screamed over the Hydra’s deafening shrieks.
My three winged beasts soared in opposite directions. They all tried to get past Hydra, but it was nearly impossible dodging the gigantic water serpent. The Hydra lunged several of its heads at us, tangling at least five of its necks. Victor and Julius did their best at not getting caught in the path of Hydra’s flames, but it was quite difficult skirting nine unyielding streams of fire.
“I have to cut its heads off!” Nikolas yelled as he blocked the flames with his shield.
“Niko, be careful!” Bethany demanded.
“Baby, don’t fret,” Nikolas smiled. He flew to the right and dipped under one of the heads. He wielded his sword as the Hydra got distracted by Julius who blew an arc of flames at two of its heads. The creature screeched louder as the flames made contact. Nikolas took his cue and swung his sword, slicing through one of the Hydra’s thick necks. Black and gooey liquid spewed from its wound, and the neck slumped over. Finally, the head broke off and slid into the misty river.
“Ha! That’s one and eight more to go!” Nikolas shouted gleefully.
Suddenly, the stump, where the first head had been severed, grew two more in its place. Everyone gasped.
“Make that ten brother,” Evan said as Niko sighed. We quickly remembered that the Hydra wouldn’t die by severing its heads alone.
“The only way we can kill it is to burn the stumps after beheading it,” I explained.
“Nikolas, you sever their heads and Julius, Victor, and Evangelia will torch the stumps.” I shouted.
“I’ll chop off a few as well,” Bertrand said as his arm turned to steel and lengthened into a sharp and glinting sword. “Victor, you lead the way!” Bertrand patted Victor’s reptilian skin and he shrieked his approval.
“Perfect!” Evan exclaimed. “Bethany and I will keep dousing the Hydra’s flames.”
“Julius, you follow Nikolas.” I instructed and Julius nodded and screeched at me.
The beast thrashed around in the deep waters of the River Styx. Each of its necks twisted and slithered around as it blew streams of fire at us. Evan and Bethany doused the flames as Bertrand and Nikolas severed every one of its heads unmercifully. As the heads fell, the stumps were torched immediately.
I sent a message telepathically, to my disciples. I wanted them to get to the shore at the opposite end of the river as fast as immortally possible. Hades wasn’t allowed to touch the earth, so we’d be safe there. I prayed to the gods that nothing else deterred us. Everyone took off after the last stump burned.
“Thank the gods that it’s over!” Bethany exclaimed as Julius escorted us high in the sky.
“I hope–” I lost my train of thought when I turned around one last time to look at the flaming mountain that nearly housed our souls, and saw Hades, perched on its peak. Cerberus was beside him and full of life. The beast growled loudly, as his extra-long tail whipped furiously. Hades’ eyes bore into my face as I stared back at him.
“Julius, please hurry,” I demanded, as I turned around and looked to see how much further we had to go before reaching the shore.
When I turned back around, the mass of black mist was just a few yards away.
Thirty-Six - Cordelia
Checkmate
“Go! Now!” I demanded harshly, as I jumped off Julius’ back.
“Delia!” Bethany screamed as she tried to grab hold of my arm.
Like a tornado, I spun around in the air, appearing to Hades as a blur. He was deceptive and wore his helmet of invisibility. The only drawback for him was that I could see him. Perhaps, I was the only one who could, but I didn’t let him know it. He shadowed me from behind for a moment and I spun around to face him. I didn’t know how Hades would react to my bolt – the one thing he wanted so badly to possess, now that he didn’t have the flames to weaken me.
This time, I released everything I had within me and unleashed the blinding currents on him. The lightning blasted him backwards and ripped through him, crackling maliciously. At first, I thought he would explode, but I wasn’t prepared for what he had in store. I didn’t wait to find out. The coarse winds broke against my face and body and whipped through my hair as I made my way to the shore. Damn, how I wish I could teleport right now instead of fly. I could vaguely see my disciples screaming for me.
“Fly Delia! Hurry!” They all yelled.
Beside them, stood a giant
figure. A familiar one.
Just as I got closer to the shore and everything before me started to clear up, Hades glided up to me. He smelled disgustingly putrid and of burnt coal. He grabbed at me from one side with claws instead fingers. The monstrous god’s touch burned my skin until it blistered. I didn’t have time to use my power to heal and felt the sharpness of his claws as they dug into my arm.
“I will eat you alive,” he said as he began to grow alarmingly fast in size.
Just as I was about to blast him with another current with my free arm, another figure appeared on that side. The same black vapors, which spiraled around Hades, was wrapped around this enormous creature.
“You can’t escape the both of us.” The gruesome figure whispered into my ear. I turned to get a better look at the thing. My breath caught in my throat.
Twins?
How could that be?
“You’re light is not strong enough to destroy me. All you’ve done is split me into two, clever girl,” the Hades twins said in unison.
They were dragging me back to the Underworld. They both tugged at me from either side and I fought to keep my body in one piece. I used every bit of my strength to fly forward and away from the realm of death. My disciples were no longer visible. I was losing this battle.
Couldn’t the gods hear my prayers? Surely, Zeus wouldn’t let his brother win.
My skin stretched to the point that pain shot through my nerves. I clenched my teeth and continued to fight against the strength of both of them.
Suddenly, Victor appeared before me, struck the Hades on my left with his fist, and then blew fire into his face. Victor shifted into a dragon and was nearly ten times Hades size now, although Hades could change his image at any moment. He shares the same Chameleon trait, which Victor possesses. Victor blew more fire into both of Hades’ faces and I had to turn away not to be burned.
Hades retaliated by growing larger and blowing his own flames at Victor who flew over the Hades’ on my right and bit off his head. The dragon spewed the head out along with his fire. Suddenly, the body of the second Hades disappeared and only the one on my left, which I realized was the original god of death, remained.
Finally, he let go of me. Now he wanted Victor. He transformed into the murky mist and spiraled in the direction Victor glided. Hades was about to grab Victor but he was now on Zeus’ land. It was as if the earth seared him. He soared backward and out of control as if something other than his will controlled him. He wailed, spun in the air, and caused the winds to gust violently, until he was at the shore of his realm.
I coasted in the turbulence, feeling the wet vapor spray against my face as if it were washing away any evidence that death had been close. I landed on the shore and my disciples welcomed me. The moment my feet touched the dark mist that covered the ground, it became sand. Hermes looked at me and smirked while he adjusted his winged helmet.
“Delia, we did it!” Nikolas chuckled gruffly and smothered me in a bear hug. “We beat that grave digger at his game.”
“I knew we’d win!” Victor said, and took my hand in his.
“Oh, really?” I asked, chortling lightly. I just wanted to be away from here.
“My name isn’t Victor for nothing,” He said pompously.
All of a sudden, his face became overshadowed and the corners of him mouth sagged. I peered closer to get a better look at his eyes. His eyes brightened slightly.
“I’m alright, so quit staring at me, all of you,” Victor said and let go of my hand. I craved for his touch instantly. “I’m just glad that we all made it out alive.” Victor turned to Evan, extended his hand and said, “Thank you, Lord Evander. You saved my life. I’ll never forget it.”
“What was I thinking?” Evan said sternly, and then broke into a wide grin and shook Victor’s hand.
“Now let’s get the hell out of here,” Victor demanded.
“Follow me if you want to go home, demigods.” Hermes had been silent until now.
“Thank you, Hermes,” I said as I sidled up to him.
“No need to thank me.” He said looking down at me. “You and your disciples are true warriors. You have survived the realm. It alters those who have escaped it.”
I don’t understand exactly what Hermes meant by us changing, but I guess one would be affected in one way or another after meeting the god of death face-to-face. I felt elated being able to live and tell about it.
“Please, take us home,” I said and Hermes nodded.
We all followed the messenger of the gods into the bright fog before us. He disappeared as the fog lifted, revealing a dimly lit cellar loaded with wooden boxes and shelved walls. I opened the door, which I knew led back to the spot where I’d been ripped out of my world.
We walked up two flights of stairs and were back on the ground floor of the Plaza Hotel. I was well aware of the magic this hotel possessed – how my father had dragged me down more than fifty flights of stairs and now only two flights connected the ground floor from the cellar and the servant’s quarters.
Several maids – all Lykanos, passed us as we made our way down the hall, explaining that the exits were just past the lobby. Little did they know, I didn’t have any immediate plans of leaving this hotel.
Thirty-Seven - Cordelia
Father Knows Best
I noticed the acute smell of death as we approached the archway that led to the hotel’s lobby. The grand foyer was as I had remembered it from Persephone’s mirage. Each of my disciples who had stayed behind, writhed against the wall, chained up like wild animals. Again, I wonder what kind of chains could hold an Ischero.
The enslaved Lykanos pack, which had already shifted into ravenous beasts, guarded my imprisoned disciples. There had to be at least a hundred werewolves marching around the lobby, outnumbering my fifty-five Ischero. They growled ferociously, allowing their drool to form puddles on the marble floor. Although they were still as disgusting as they were nearly twenty-five years ago, I was amazed at their restraint. I remembered the werewolves of the past shifting and attacking within seconds of their transformation. It was obvious that these beasts have truly evolved, but they have also lost their respect for divinity.
My blood boiled and the power surged from my core. I used the power of my mind to crack the cuffs and shackles that held my members in bondage, but they would not break. I didn’t let that worry me.
I sent a message, telepathically, to the freed members of my empire, as well as the warriors. I reminded those who had fought for me just minutes ago and informed those that bravely stayed behind of how we beat the most evil opponent tonight. We could have these Lykanos for breakfast.
I brought my temperature up and let the lighting take over my entire body. My bolts twisted, resembling barbed wire wrapped in blinding currents. They branched out, sending the wolves flying backward. Once the lightning struck the metal, the chains finally succumbed.
This agitated the Lykanos and they stomped toward us at a fervent speed. They knew that within a second or two they would have a serious fight on their hands, especially since every Ischero was free. My warriors and I spread out. We fought the beasts, breaking necks and tearing their bodies apart.
Just as a werewolf sprung into the air, and was about to pounce on me, two images dashed past the entrance of the lobby. Both faces were stark white and conveyed sinister expressions. I was distracted and the werewolf had a chance to pin me to the floor. Its long, sharp fangs dripped a mixture of saliva and blood on my face. The werewolf was about to bite my entire face off when I emitted lighting from my eyes, cooking the beast from the inside out. It sailed into a crystal chandelier, which hung from the domed ceiling, before dropping some thirty feet to the floor in a thud. Charred smoke exited its now human and naked body.
Actually, there were naked bodies flung about the bloody marble floor. We were winning this battle and I knew how to finish it. I blasted the mangy beasts with my bolt. In a matter of seconds, every Lykanos was sprawled about the
lobby, dead.
I nodded at my disciples, and then smiled. My disciples smiled back. Some were a bit disheveled with blood and minor bites slowly healing and vanishing, but all alive. The smiles faded as they heard the footsteps in the hallway that led to the lobby. I turned around and stared at my father and mother. They stood in the entrance of the lobby. They had watched the battle and didn’t like what they saw now.
My parents led the legion of Apolluon into the lobby. We stepped over the naked carcasses to face the real enemy. They got as close as six or so feet from where my members and I stood and stopped. My adrenaline was charged like a steam engine train running through my veins. I was ready to tear every one of them apart. It was painful to see my parents for what they were now and not who they used to be, but I had to stay focused. Not for one split second could I let the Mayor of New York City and head Apolluon vampire sway me into believing that he was my father.
“Your kind doesn’t belong here,” My father said angrily.
“You used to be my kind,” The mayor flinched. “We are Ischero. We go wherever we damned please.”
“I am Mayor Tieron. I run this Metropolis as I see fit.” He snarled. “Now that you’ve killed my wolves, you must take their place and serve me.”
“We serve no one but the gods,” I said, taking a step closer. I felt the frost of the blood that flowed through the veins of the destroyers. I also felt the auras of my fellow Ischero, and they were all past the boiling point. Fire and ice - the two can never mix.
“Eventually you will leave. It’s your choice as to how. But if you choose to stay, you will surrender,” He threatened and extended his fangs. Was I supposed to feel threatened?
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