by Gann, Myles
“‘Great settlers of Oloosson: share with me the secrets of Mount Olympus.
Can entrance be achieved?’
“A hunched man,
grey surrounding his face as age had his body,
spoke from foggy lungs:
“‘You would never reach the Olympians, traveler.
To even attempt would be to seal your casket
without coin.
The Boatman would never ferry you,
but Tartarus would conceal you for all time.’
“The salt along the lines of Kaneis’ face broke with disbelief:
“‘You must speak of another God,
most wrathful within the power around him,
as Zeus would never tear the soul from a man to plant it in ungrowing soil.
Living so close to the monument of our land,
and being aged with the grace of the passing sun,
you yourself must have evidence of the kindness of Zeus.’
“The older man walked slowly away
with no haste left in his legs,
and forced more words from his mouth:
“‘Perhaps the King of Gods is as worn on time as I am.’
“Kaneis, with a snap of his bread to be eaten,
spoke on:
“‘I pray you will look into the journey and return,
for the path up Olympus must be braved.’
“The older man laughed loudly and spoke:
“‘Your soul must be longing for the basement of Hades indeed!’
“Kaneis shouted loud before taking a subtle bite of bread:
“‘It was not of my choosing!
Another needs me to brave whatever punishment Zeus would seek!’
“The Man from Nowhere ate hastily and,
as he slept against a stone that night,
the old man found wings beneath his tunic,
and revealed Apollo from the guise as he landed again
atop the Home of the Gods.
“He approached Hera,
who guarded her husband’s chamber,
and spoke:
“‘Does Zeus still request no visitors?’
“The Goddess of Fortune spoke quietly:
“‘Our father requests a moment with his thoughts.’
“Apollo of the Sun walked past the guard,
treading with more ease the further towards Zeus’ chamber he ventured.
“The air surrounding the King of Kings ran wild with errant lightning,
and the Sun God stayed within fleeting distance of the door.
“Apollo spoke with humility throughout his voice:
“‘Great Father of the Gods,
I bring a story of unusual interest,
and could bring your mood back to the realm of joy.
May I approach?’
“The eyes of Zeus opened with a callous glare,
but his body remained back in his lavish throne as he warned:
“‘If I were a Sun God,
and my powers were as limited as the Father of Gods’ is unbound,
I would not disturb that Father without the best of reasons.’
“Apollo smiled and braved a few steps farther into the room between flowing words:
“‘To cheer the Great Zeus is the purest of reasons!
Oloosson is where my small tale takes place, Great King.
Down amongst our most loyal of subjects did I wander,
my fleshy skin sagging and my bent back keeping me lowly.
With this disguise, I blended like wheat in a field,
but a stranger wandered,
salted beard upon his chin with youth still sharp in his shoulders,
and only with a hooked loaf of bread
and a dull sword around his waist.
A trip to the tip of Olympus was paramount within his heart,
despite the warnings I dropped at his feet,
and a meeting with you.’
“Zeus, the interested King, did ask:
“‘Does this man bring violence and blood against the Gods?’
“Apollo spoke swiftly with the rise of crackling air around him:
“‘Though my mind thought so,
he said, with black portals as eyes,
as I wandered away:
‘It is not of my choosing!
Another needs me to brave whatever punishment Zeus would seek!’’
“The King of Gold Armor stood from his throne.
His feet paced along the great stone rotunda as he spoke:
“‘These words he says so freely would turn most men against themselves,
and yet the eyes of my godly son could catch no lie in his.
I must speak to this man,
but to open the doors of Olympus to strange mortals would be unwise.
I will fly to him,
and hope that he has the cure for my ailing heart.’
“The ground of Earth soon felt the weight of Zeus’ human feet
smashing hard against the dried surface,
atop the seas of Poseidon,
who could feel the waters shifting as the continent sank slightly,
and weighted down into the pained shoulder of Atlas.
Dressed in the robes of man,
his golden armor stripped, his skin young and battle-ready,
his shoulders bearing no weight, and his voice with less thunder,
Zeus went forth.
“As the guise containing Zeus approached the man, he did speak:
“‘To the man that does lean against the small home in the moonlight:
would you turn and present yourself?’
“The man smiled and turned, allowing Zeus to speak further:
“‘Your face is free of the sea’s salt,
but your eyes would be portals to Hades
if they were within the ground and not your noble head.
Where do your supplies lay?’
“Kaneis spoke with candor:
“‘Here is half of my original bread, and here is my dented sword.’
“Though the God-King was sure he was meeting the man from Apollo’s story,
he unleashed his cunning,
and attempted to deduce the man’s intentions:
“‘With so little supply, how would you hope to strike down the King of Gods?’
“Kaneis spoke with a mighty smile:
“‘The old man,
though proper with his words,
changes my intent.’
“Zeus pushed his clever act further:
“‘You do not seek to destroy the Golden God?’
“The man before the guised god spoke evenly:
“‘Destroy?
My dear stranger, who would ever want that death?
What man would blame the highest authority for our smallest trifles?
He is what allows us to be as we are,
and the death of him would mean the end of cool breezes
and warm fires alike.’”
“Zeus began weeping through his guise and fell to his knees:
“‘Blessings to the Man of Bread and Sword!
To these words that would touch even a God most gently!
Tell me, after you have blessed me with speech,
what you are after at the tip of Olympus.’
“Kaneis spoke slowly as Zeus stood again:
“‘I would seek an entrance to the Underworld
beyond the Boatman’s slow oar.’
“The masked king showed his shock with his voice:
“‘What reason would have you,
a man with such courage,
rushing towards death?
Men of your caliber are too short of supply
to run headlong into the darkest of pits.’
“The man of deepening thoughts spoke plainly:
“‘I would find my arms around the Kraken itself
if I could but find a way into the black realm
to fix an injustice that I ca
nnot abide.
A man’s wife, trapped and concealed,
does depend upon my body matching the courage in my heart.’
“Zeus turned and whispered to himself:
“‘Cruelty has become the Lord of Darkness.’
“He turned back and spoke with intent:
“‘The King of Golden Valor does owe a favor to this village,
and could have your feet sifting through the ash of Hades in moments.
Would you accept such a favor?’
“Kaneis hid his excitement behind his black eyes:
“‘Would Zeus allow a mortal to enter such a realm so unnaturally?’
“Again Zeus found his knees upon the ground and his arms reaching for the heavens:
“‘Blessings be upon you!
To be loyal!
To be fierce with the thought of it!
Your heart is swollen with this creation,
and it must make Zeus proud!
Of course he would allow this.
But you do travel to Hades:
brother to the King.
Travelling without a plan of action would be your fall.’
“The Man of Nowhere smiled while straightening his sword,
and securing his bread:
“‘The wrong must be righted,
no matter the cost to be paid
and time will not stop for me to plan.’
“Zeus turned his head again and whispered guidance to Hermes,
whose swift shoes took up Kaneis with one moment,
and took him from the light.
Past the rowing Boatman they flew,
and over the wide and deep Styx.
The Man with Nothing was dropped inside the chasm
without a light about him in any direction.
From behind, he felt the heat of an ashen volcano
and could feel the breath of spoken word
as his nose swarmed in choking smoke:
“‘Who brings living flesh into the realm of Hades?’
“Without the use of his eyes, Kaneis shouted:
“‘I am called Kaneis,
who humbly enters your realm, Lord of Darkness,
in response to your delivered letter.’
“The darkness again uttered pure malice:
“‘So, it is the man that would send me no souls?
Who would dare to walk through bloody sand,
raise bloody flag,
but spill no blood?’
“Kaneis gathered his courage and spoke:
“‘I am a man that has spilled no blood,
and I cannot stand by while you keep an innocent woman.’
“Sharp flame with speech spouted from the void in front of him:
“‘Then your soul would be mine for hers?’
“Kaneis, sure that the darkness was alive, spouted bravery:
“‘I would not have come otherwise.’
“The Lord of Souls laughed from the pit of his belly before speaking:
“‘Perhaps my true intention will bring you dismay.
Though her feet will touch the land of Poseidon again,
it will only be if you can retrieve her from the deepest of my pits.
Where the grandest and longest of punishments hide; to Tartarus.’
“The man swallowed by darkness closed his eyes as he muttered:
“‘My heart sinks with mention of such a place.’
“Hades did point an unseen finger towards the endless ground:
“‘To convince her that the light of day is within her grasp is your task,
and to clear her heart of guilt,
so her path into the world will be without remorse.’
“Kaneis heard his mission and took it unto his courageous heart.
His feet suddenly descended to a flatter ground,
and a lit torch burned heavily from behind a tall gate
and a massive guard.
Campe;
a head of a woman sat atop a dragon’s body
and threatened with a never-ending scorpion’s tail.
The head flashed human eyes between golden locks.
The man approached the creature and spoke with a humble heart:
“‘Mighty Campe,
guard of monsters and men of Tartarus,
I have been sent by Hades
to retrieve a woman from captivity.
May I pass?’
“Though a glorious beauty flung from her eyes,
the body of Campe seemed primed for attack as she spoke:
“‘You will pass,
but know the rules of Tartarus:
what you seek will be at the farthest reaches of your mortal soul.’
“The Man of Nothing moved beyond the slow gate,
the hinges unmoved for more years than Kaneis could fathom.
As the gate closed without speed, beasts of tremendous power
clamored against their chains,
titanic hands crawling and tilling the dark ground while gaining none.
Campe watched while the groans of Zeus’ prisoners howled
as the gate closed,
and Kaneis was locked within.
“Kaneis looked beyond them and moved swiftly into further shadow.
As his feet walked, his hand pinched crumbs from the bread,
now a fourth of his original loaf,
and fed himself
until the massive torch at his back became a dim star.
“On the fifth day of travel,
he approached a lit altar with a weeping woman,
unbound but unguided,
and he spoke eagerly:
“‘Dear woman, do you have a husband from Aeneid?’
“Her wails continued as she spoke:
“‘I had one that left me for the glories of war,
and who now leaves me to this pit.’
“Kaneis dropped to his knees and lifted the chin of the wailing maiden,
speaking fairly to her crippled soul:
“‘This man that kneels with weary legs is named Kaneis,
and he brings great news.
Hades will allow me to take your place among this altar
and to free you from this unwarranted torment,
but you must walk from this place
with your heart empty of guilt.’
“The wife looked up with bitter contempt:
“‘What does my husband owe you?
What could he owe you in such an amount
that your life would be worth risking to come here?’
“Kaneis spoke lightly again:
“‘Nothing, my lady.’
“She swallowed her tears to ask again:
“‘What great favor brings you here?’
“Kaneis gently laid the sword at his waist next to her sitting frame
and spoke:
“‘Something wrong has happened,
but your husband,
cowardly as he is,
could do nothing through his haze of fear,
so it has fallen to me to right what has been wrong.’
“The tears of the wife no longer fell,
but her spirit remained shackled as she spoke:
“‘I would be back here soon, would I not?
Death is a swinging pendulum;
Hades would find me again.’
“The Man of Nowhere spoke quietly:
“‘Though you would be found again,
your time would be longer,
and come sweeter,
than ever before.’
“Her small hands gripped his,
callous and worn,
and she spoke with a caring tone:
“‘You have doomed yourself,
to come here for nothing,
for a single life.
There is only me living,
and only your torture,
and yet you have come.
I wish now that my love had been pledged to you<
br />
for it would be the only comfort you have in a place such as this.’
“Kaneis gently caressed the back of her hand
while soothing words escaped his mouth:
“‘I would deserve no such honor.’
“The wife stood on shaking legs,
feeling a softness in her hand,
and seeing from the altar’s light
the remnants of a once-mighty loaf
handed to her by the kneeling man.
“Her clutch tightened around the food
as her voice disapproved further:
“‘You would have me travel on
while your life cannot find end soon enough,
and yet there is no reason!
Such a cause must have such a reason!
Is it that you have come for love?
I would lay beside you for eternity for this journey!
Is it that you are in league with some God?
They would throw your life away!
Is it glory?
Because I will be the first to sing this song!
Tell me what there is to gain.
Or has your life simply lost its way?’
“Kaneis stood to her level,