by Vera Strange
They both sounded afraid, glancing up at the Hades statue.
“Yeah, why not just give us the Cup?” Panic went on. “That’s the deal.”
“Yeah,” Pain said. “Then we can use the symbols in the marble and open the…” He trailed off.
Panic shoved Pain, and they started squabbling. “You weren’t supposed to say that!”
“Uh-oh, he knows,” Pain said, shoving Panic back.
They both vanished in a puff of pink smoke.
But they’d let a clue slip, and Hector seized on it.
“Symbols in the marble!” he whispered excitedly to himself, turning to look at the statue again through narrowed eyes.
But he’d examined the whole thing, hadn’t he? Of course, he hadn’t been sure what to look for. He hadn’t seen any symbols, though. Where were they? It was getting darker and darker out and soon he might not be able to find them at all.
He glared up at Hades’ face, wishing the god would give him a clue. He remembered how Hades got really angry when he and Mae were snooping around the statue and taking pictures of it.
Maybe he’d gotten upset because the pictures had a clue!
Feeling a rush of adrenaline, Hector pulled out his camera and started flipping through the pictures he’d taken of the Hades statue. He must have captured a clue about the location of the door to the Underworld. That was probably why Hades got so upset and set Hector’s camera on fire.
Hector kept swiping until something caught his eye.
Could that be it?
His heart thumped faster as he zoomed in on the strange markings on the front of the Hades statue. Some of it looked like Greek writing, but there was something else—etchings that depicted the Celestial Alignment.
He recognized them from the book. He zoomed in closer on the symbols. They led down the front of the statue. He followed them with his eyes, then started back in surprise.
The markings weren’t just a clue about where the door was located. At the bottom of the markings, etched into the marble, was the outline of a door.
That’s it!
The Hades statue was more than just a normal statue. It actually held the door to the Underworld. That was why Hades could inhabit the marble and bring it to life. The statue was like a gateway to the Underworld, connecting it to this world.
It all made perfect sense.
The Zeus Cup served as the key to open the door for real. That was why Hades wanted it so badly. For now, he was attached to the marble and stuck in Mt. Olympus. But if he could actually open the door…
Hector felt a rush of excitement coupled with trepidation, just like before the starting buzzer went off in a big race. He approached the statue with the Zeus Cup.
He hoisted the golden trophy up to the base of the statue, where the strange markings were, and held his breath.
Nothing happened.
“Come on,” Hector said, waving the trophy at the doorway. “Open up! I brought the Zeus Cup—I’m the champion and the protector! I won the race and I need to find Hades!”
Still, nothing happened.
Hector’s frustration mounted.
“Come on, open up!” he shouted, clutching the Zeus Cup. He dug deeper, searching his heart for why he was doing this. “I’m the champion! And I have to save my friend!”
Everything fell silent, and Hector felt like he’d failed. He turned away in defeat, but that’s when it happened—
A bolt of lightning surged out of the Zeus Cup, hitting the statue.
Crack!
A great rumbling erupted, shaking the ground and throwing Hector back. The outline of the door glowed with blue light. Thunder and lightning crackled in the moonlit sky, even though there were no storm clouds in sight.
Hector braced himself, then glanced up at the statue. It rippled with blue bolts of electricity. He felt a great rumbling shake the ground underneath his feet.
Creeaaaakkkkk!
Slowly, almost reluctantly, as if it hadn’t opened in a very long time, the front of the statue cracked apart and the door swung open in front of him. It was thick and made of solid marble. Blue light emanated from inside the door, illuminating the steep white marble stairs that led downward as if into a great abyss. Hector couldn’t see the bottom.
A horrid stench wafted out from the doorway…it smelled of sulfur, like rotten eggs, coupled with the acrid stench of burning.
Ash drifted through the doorway like fallen snow, speckling Hector’s hair and dusting the ground. The whole place just felt…wrong. Everything in his body made him feel like running away. This was a place of death, literally, and it smelled like it, too.
“No, I can do this,” Hector told himself, trying to steady his nerves. “Even heroes get scared. But they still do what they need to do. That’s what makes them true heroes.”
He had to save Mae. There was no one else who could do it. Besides, it was his fault that Hades had kidnapped her in the first place. He had to help her.
Clutching the Zeus Cup, he stepped through the door and peered down the stairs into the dark abyss below. Suddenly, a three-headed dog lunged at him and gnashed its teeth.
Cerberus.
Hector screamed, dodging out of the way. One head missed him, snapping at his throat, but then a second head lunged for him.
He dodged again, but the third head swung around.
The sharp jaws caught the blue light. The beast howled and snarled, releasing ferocious cries. Hector turned back to flee, but that’s when it happened—
The thick door slammed shut with a loud thud, sealing him inside the Underworld with the monstrous creature.
He was trapped.
With a fierce snarl, Cerberus lunged at Hector again.
Hector dodged the three heads and scrambled up the stairs, using all his superstrength and speed to evade the ferocious, rabid beast.
Hector banged on the door, trying to get it to open back up.
But it wouldn’t budge.
It was locked and stayed shut tight. He really was trapped down here. The acrid, sulfurous air choked his lungs. Smoke wafted up the stairs, obscuring the bluish light and making it hard to see anything. He glanced back into the smoke, struggling to see whether the dog was rearing back to make another strike.
The smoke cleared slightly and Hector saw that, sure enough, Cerberus had retracted its heads, preparing to lunge again. Six yellow eyes caught the bluish light while three sets of needle-sharp teeth glinted, ready to devour Hector alive. He wasn’t going to get away, but luckily, he’d come prepared.
Hector reached into his camera bag and pulled out a hunk of raw steak. He tossed it at the dog, and the bloody cut of meat hit the stairs, sliding down toward the monster’s feet.
“Good boy,” Hector urged the three-headed dog. “Dinner’s served, go get it!”
With a surprised yelp, Cerberus pivoted and chased after the steak.
The three heads started fighting over it, allowing Hector to slip down the stairs and past the beast into the Underworld—a sprawling underground cavern. Hector took in his surroundings. Warm air wafted up from the cracks in the ground, making him sweat. It smelled like burning and sulfur, too. The light was eerie, otherworldly, and blue-tinged, much like Hades’ flaming hair. Rock formations jutted down from the top of the cavern like spikes waiting to impale him.
Hector glanced back at Cerberus, whose heads continued to snap at each other, brawling over the steak. Just like me and my brothers, Hector thought, suppressing a grin despite his nerves. He’d stolen the steak from the fridge at home. He just hoped his mother wouldn’t be too angry when she discovered that tomorrow’s dinner was gone.
Hades was scary, but his mother could be scary, too.
Hector carefully tucked the Zeus Cup into his camera bag, making sure that it was secure. Then he crossed an arched stone bridge over a fire pit, leading him deeper into the Underworld. It smelled like brimstone, sulfur, and smoke. He crinkled his nose in disgust. Everything here felt l
ike it was either on fire or could burst into flames at any moment, just like Hades himself.
Ahead of him flowed the River Styx, winding through the Underworld. He recognized it from the books, too, once again feeling a surge of gratitude for Mae and her idea to research Hades in the library. Books really were like magic. They gave you the power of knowledge, which was the best kind.
Across the river, a giant castle shaped like a skull towered overhead. That must be where Hades lives, Hector thought. The castle gave him the creeps. It was lit by blue torches, making the skull look alive with flaming eyes. It was almost as if it was watching him…waiting for him.
Hector shuddered, feeling a fresh rush of fear, but he tried to shake it off. He had to save Mae, and he didn’t have much time left. The alignment was coming soon.
As he scanned the area for a way across the river, he made the mistake of glancing down into the watery depths, and froze in fear. Ghoulish creatures swirled in the waters, thrashing at him. Their eyes were mournful, and their wailing mouths made them look like they were in a permanent state of torture. They lunged up at him, but the water’s surface kept them trapped.
They couldn’t get to him.
What are they? Hector wondered, trembling. This place was full of creepy monsters. He needed to hurry. There had to be a way to get to the castle.
Then, in the corner of his vision, something appeared as if from nowhere.
A boat.
It was docked at the edge of the river, piloted by a skeleton waiting to ferry passengers across.
“Yeah, that’s not creepy,” Hector whispered to himself. He started toward the boat, when suddenly, something exploded out of the river and towered over him—
It was Hydra.
Hector had half a second to think before the river serpent lunged. He tucked and rolled away, just missing getting snatched up by the fearsome jaws. If Cerberus was freaky, this monster was way freakier—and had even more heads.
“What’s with all the heads?” Hector hissed, recovering quickly. “One isn’t enough?”
As if the creature understood his insult, its many heads roared. The creature’s breath smelled horrid. Hector cringed back in fear and disgust. “Sorry, your heads are great—”
But clearly the river serpent couldn’t take a joke.
It lunged at him again.
“Hey, we can work this out!” Hector tried, somersaulting out of the way just in time. The creature’s jaws tore into the ground next to his head, ripping into the rock and cutting into it.
One inch over, and Hector would have been a goner.
He raised his hands. “Look, I just wanna get across the river and talk to your Boss Man,” Hector tried, pleading with the creature. “We don’t have to fight about it. You can just chill out in your super-nice haunted river and let me go—”
Hydra roared again, cracking open its ferocious jaws.
The creature prepared to lunge at him again.
Hector didn’t have a plan this time. But he fell back on a proven strategy, one that kind of summed up his life.
When in doubt—run for it.
Hector sprinted for the boat, using his superspeed. Hydra gave chase, but Hector reached the boat first. The skeleton tilted its head, regarding him with empty eyes.
“Mr. Skeleton, hurry!” Hector said. “Please, take me to Hades!”
“What makes you worthy of passage through the Underworld?” the skeleton said in a deep, musty voice. Clearly, he wasn’t in any rush, either. He sounded bored.
“Uh, worthy?” Hector stammered.
He glanced back over his shoulder. The Hydra reared up behind him, ready to pounce again. The many heads wriggled around. The skeleton leaned on his oar, staring at him impassively through empty eye sockets.
“If you can’t prove you’re worthy, you must pay the toll,” the skeleton continued, unperturbed.
“A toll. What do you mean?” Hector guessed he’d seen a fair number of guests snatched up by the Hydra. It didn’t bother him. The Hydra was coming—and it was coming fast.
He had to hurry.
“Uh, I’m the champion—the true hero!” Hector said, fumbling for his camera bag, trying to get it open and reach the trophy. “And I am the protector of the Zeus Cup!”
“Then prove it,” the skeleton said blandly.
Hector struggled to get the bag open, then reached inside and gripped the golden handle. His fingers wrapped around it just in time. He held up the trophy. The luminous surface caught the light, throwing off blinding flashes of gold that lit up the cavern.
The Hydra was about to lunge, but instead it reeled back, screeching in pain at the sight of the Zeus Cup. It quickly dove back into the River Styx, swimming deep through the ghoulish souls until it was gone. The water sloshed back into place, rocking the boat.
The skeleton cracked its jaws open and let out a dusty cackle. Or at least Hector thought it was a cackle. He couldn’t be sure.
“Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place?” the skeleton rasped, using his paddle to turn the boat around. “Hop in, kid.”
The skeleton skillfully piloted them down the river toward the stone skeleton castle. Hector couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. It gave him the shakes. He peered anxiously into the water. Eerie eyes stared back at him from the depths.
“Wh-what’re those?” he asked, pointing at the creatures.
“Mortal souls,” the skeleton rasped. “Whose thread of life has been cut by the Fates. They’re imprisoned down here…forever.”
Hector swallowed hard. This was Mae’s fate if he didn’t save her. Maybe both their fates. Hector dragged his eyes off the souls. He tried to focus on the castle and what awaited him there.
A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the castle.
“End of the road—or rather, the river.” The skeleton chuckled.
“Sense of humor isn’t something I expected to find in the Underworld,” Hector said, glancing back at the skeleton in appreciation.
“Well, I wasn’t always like this,” the skeleton said. “I used to be mortal, too. If you’re lucky, maybe Hades will let you serve him. Beats being a trapped river soul.”
He let out another raspy chuckle, then started back across the river, paddling slowly as the souls drifted around his oar, reaching their ghostly hands out, pleading for help.
But their hands passed through the oar like smoke.
Hector couldn’t let that happen to Mae. He turned away from the river and started up the stairs that snaked into the skull castle. They were smooth, worn down by eons of foot traffic. Blue torches lit the way. The stench of sulfur and smoke grew stronger. The closer he got to the skull’s mouth, the hotter it became. Hector started to perspire. The sweat dripped down his face and stung his eyes.
“Haven’t they heard of AC in the Underworld?” he muttered to himself.
That was it—he’d officially inherited his dad’s corny sense of humor. He knew he should be horrified, but he felt a strange sense of comfort, almost like his family was with him.
He burst into the castle and found Hades sitting in all his godlike glory on his throne hewn out of solid stone. Blue torches glowed on either side of him, matching the blue flames flickering on the top of his head. His yellow eyes fixed on Hector.
“Wonderboy! You made it!” Hades sneered from his perch. “And just in time to save your little friend here.”
He gestured to the side of the throne, waving his long fingers. Mae lay there, her hands bound behind her. She struggled against her restraints, trying to get free.
“Hector, you came for me!” she cried.
“How did you find the door to the Underworld?” Hades said, frowning in displeasure. Orange flames licked his forehead as he grew angry.
“Uh, your little minions let a clue slip,” Hector said.
“Pain and Panic, get down here!” Hades yelled.
There was a loud commotion, then Pain and Panic tumbled dow
n the stairs and popped back up on their feet.
“Coming, your most lugubriousness!” Pain yelped.
“Pain and Panic, reporting for duty,” Panic added with a salute.
Hades snarled at them, flaming even redder. “How’d Wonderboy get in here?” he demanded.
“Uh…I dunno,” Pain said, glancing at Panic.
“Yeah, no idea how that happened,” Panic added. “Zero clue. It’s a total mystery—”
“You morons!” Hades said, flaming brighter and hotter.
Pain and Panic morphed into worms. “We are worms.” They groveled, writhing around on the ground. “Worthless worms.”
“Memo to me,” Hades said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Maim them…after I deal with Wonderboy and his little friend here.”
Mae shrieked, squirming on the ground and trying to get free. Fear glistened in her wide eyes. She tried to get away from Hades and his flaming head of hair.
“No! Don’t hurt her!” Hector said, gripping his camera bag.
Hades stood up, his long black robes blocking Hector’s view of Mae. Hector wrapped his hand around his camera bag tighter.
“No matter, give me the Zeus Cup.” Hades leered down at him. “And I’ll let your little friend go. How does that sound? Plus, I’ll forgive you for trying to back out of our deal.”
Hector hesitated. He knew that he couldn’t trust Hades. He manipulated mortals and was a liar. He’d already proven that. Hector gripped his camera bag tighter, meeting Hades’ gaze.
“You want the Zeus Cup?” Hector yelled. “Then catch it!”
With that, he tossed the camera bag at Hades. The bag sailed through the air in a perfect arc.
While Hades lunged for the camera bag, Hector ran to Mae and quickly untied her hands.
“Hurry, we have to run!” he said, dragging her to her feet.
They were both fast as the wind as they sprinted away from the throne room toward the stairs. They flew down the steps, taking them two at a time, and bolted toward the River Styx, but then Mae skidded to a halt. She shot Hector a worried look.
“But the Zeus Cup!” she said, turning back. “We can’t leave it behind. You gave it to Hades! Now he’ll unleash the Titans and destroy the world. If we don’t stop him—”