I knew what was inside of them, and why I had been avoiding them the entire time, but they were the only things left unexplored. I could only hope not every page of each book listed the deaths of my loved ones. It was far too many pages. Grabbing one of the books I flipped it open, this time though my brothers and sisters’ names didn't appear. Nothing, in fact, happened.
I flipped another page, then another and then glanced at Cerberus like the dog held the answers I was looking for. Glancing back scrolling writing started to fill the pages again, only this time it wasn't names or dates; it was events.
On the blood moon, the mount will ascend.
Three offerings shall be made and the sacrifice accepted.
One shall die for the others to live.
I flipped the book shut, shuddering slightly at the last event. What did that mean? I decided I didn't like the books but they seemed important to what Hades did in the Underworld. Perhaps they were important to our fate as Gods.
I glanced down at the book once more, contemplating its power before putting it back and making my way toward the kitchen. Halfway there I stopped and stared at the wall that Hades had come and gone through. I paused for a moment to stare at it and it took me a moment to realise something was different.
"A door!" I gasped, unable to contain my excitement as I rushed toward it and pushed it open. "Cerberus, come!" I commanded and the dog happily obliged, trudging out of the apartment after me. The hallway we exited into was darker than the apartment; I had a mind to go back and find a flashlight when the door shut behind me. Cerberus growled slightly, either out of fright or because of something else, and I slipped my hand into his scruff holding on for both of our comforts. Together we made our way through the darkness, while I was mostly blind I hoped the Cerberus could at least tell where we were going and what was ahead.
The further we got from the door the colder the hallway became and darker still, if that was possible. In the distance, an echo reverberated along the walls bringing the sound of running water to my ears. Throughout all my research I had not once focused on anything about the Underworld, never expecting that I, of all people, would turn out to be the Princess of it. I knew nothing of what to expect or what should be obvious to me. So I followed the noise of water hoping that wherever it was coming from it would be able to lead me back to where I wanted to be. Surely there had to be a way back to Olympus... If only dogs could talk.
As I walked, the walls of the hallway seemed to grow tighter, the rocky and rough edges brushing against my shoulders. I had to let Cerberus walk behind me, his heads bumping against my legs with each step to let me know he was still there.
Finally the hallway ended and I found myself overlooking the edge of a worn away ridge, water gushing past in torrents underfoot.
"Whoa." I stepped back, grabbing Cerberus' scruff again as I peered down at it and then back along the river looking for which way I was supposed to go now. But there was nowhere to go except back, or if I wanted to chance it I could try to walk the small ledge along the rock wall. Cerberus most certainly wouldn't be able to follow me though and I didn't want to leave him behind. I definitely didn't want to go on alone into this dark and frightening place I didn't fully understand.
"Now what then?" I thought aloud to myself, slumping back down on the ground and letting my feet hang over the edge. The water was definitely moving too fast to jump into; I would drown. The closer I looked the clearer the shape of the water became. Each wave that dashed over the rocky bottom of the floor held in it an anguished face. The river consisted of white, foamy human shapes and the noises I heard were people screaming for help.
"Oh my...." I gasped when I realised what this was; it was the souls who were stuck in purgatory. This was hell... I was the Princess of Hell. I felt my heart speed up with panic, revelation hitting me like a ton of bricks. How far I had fallen in my life, not only had I assumed a sacrilegious identity but one of evil. I was the Princess of Evil.
All my life I had been taught to fear hell and to do everything in my power to avoid coming here. And yet now, here I was - not even dead - and I was supposed to rule alongside the King of the Dead. Cerberus bumped one of his heads against me, nuzzling my back as though he sensed my discomfort. Reaching around I ran my fingers through his fur thoughtfully. This was also Cerberus’ home, and I didn’t find him evil. Perhaps there was more to this place than the hell my father had painted in his sermons.
There was no eternal fire, no devil sitting on a throne of bones taking delight in torture, there wasn’t even goblins running around with forked tongues and tails trying to inflict more agony on the departed. No one was screaming in pain, the souls of the river were simply screaming for attention. They were just as trapped here as I was, and just as caught in Hades' whims as I would ever be. I understood that for the dead there was no way they could leave but that didn't mean he had to treat me like one of his subjects...
I looked away from the river. Nothing about this place was welcoming. The dark, looming stones were frightening and along the river of souls a heavy fog rolled in, swallowing everything in its path. It was of such a heaviness that even sound couldn't escape its grasp and the noises of the voices slowly disappeared. I was both thankful and nervous at the same time. What would happen when it reached me? Was there an escape from it? I stood quickly and backed away from the edge of the river, taking Cerberus with me as I watched feverishly from around the edge of the wall while the fog got nearer and nearer.
At the last possible second I pulled away from the edge watching it like a white curtain being pulled on the opening I had occupied. Every so often the face of a soul passed by, pressing itself toward the edge of the fog and screaming at me for relief. Did they recognise me as their Princess? Was that why they called so loudly in my presence?
I swallowed hard, inching back more until I felt Cerberus firmly pressed against the backs of my legs. We waited for the fog to roll on. Eventually its density began to diminish on the other side and I could see again.
But nothing had changed, I was still on the ridge and the river was still beneath me teeming with souls. Chasing the flood of fog a boat drifted along the current heading in my direction.
"Look Cerberus!" I pointed at it and he barked, as though he recognised it. The boat turned of its own volition and moved slowly over to the side of the embankment, perching itself on the hazardous rocks below the ridge. A man in a hooded cloak appeared, beckoning us down to him with a staff of bone. My stomach knotted in worry but torn between going with him and going back to Hades’ captivity; it was an obvious choice.
"There's no way down!" I shouted to him, coming to stand at the edge. He pointed slowly to draw my attention down to my feet where I saw a rope ladder hanging limply from the rocks, held in place by nothing in particular.
"Cerberus." I exclaimed, turning around to look at the dog but he was gone and when I turned back to the boat, he was already sitting in it. This place was getting stranger and stranger... Taking a deep breath I turned around and lowered myself down carefully, gripping the rocks tightly before switching my grip to the ladder and started to descend down into the boat. I expected it to rock as I stepped into it but the boat was steady as ever and as soon as I had both feet in, it began to move again.
The sudden movement jarred me and I tipped sideways, catching myself on Cerberus' second head before sitting down. I turned to look over my shoulder at the man steering the boat and frowned slightly.
"Who are you?"
The man didn't answer, he simply held onto the stick of bone and continued to steer us further down the river. The voices were louder down here and every so often I swore I heard someone cry out my name. It was a discerning thing that made me turn to look over my shoulder more than once but the spirit was long gone.
"You don't belong here." The man finally spoke and I turned again to look up at him, shrinking back immediately as his hood slid down onto his shoulders. A gaunt, skeletal face stared back at
me with nothing in it's sockets and it's mouth sewn shut. My heart hammered heavily in my chest and I swallowed the fear that crawled up the back of my throat.
"No." I said, my voice shaky and giving away my true feelings, "I don't. I was brought here against my will, I am trying to find my way back to Mount Olympus."
“There is no way back.” He sighed ominously, making my skin turn cold as I turned to look toward the bleak horizon of ghosts.
I felt sick, mostly with worry but also with fear. If he knew I didn't belong here was he going to do something to rectify that? Would he take me to where I could get back to Olympus or would he simply dispose of me into this river of lost souls where no one would ever be able to find me again?
"Where are we going?" He didn’t answer me this time, dipping the edge of his shaft into the water and propelling the boat forward like a punter. His silence was unnerving but the message was clear: he wouldn’t talk again.
Almost immediately I decided it would've been better to stay in the apartment and wait for Hades, unless this had been his plan all along - to dispose of me when he couldn't get me to turn to his will by getting me lost in the Underworld.
"Persephone?" I whispered under my breath hoping to wake my Goddess up from whatever reverie she was in, "Persephone are you there?" I frowned more, wishing I knew what to do and wishing Atlas had better prepared me for this.
The boat stopped again suddenly and I turned, looking around to search for whatever the reason was.
"Out." I didn't need to be told twice. Jumping out of the vessel Cerberus was right behind me, I turned back to the punter when he cut me off, "those without payment cannot enter or leave."
"What?" I looked at him helplessly before looking down at the sad dress I was still wearing from Savannah and Aidan's party. He was staring at it too, like it held the answer. "What do you mean cannot leave? Like ever? Am I just supposed to-" I looked back up and he disappeared, right in front of my eyes. I gasped in surprise, twisting around quickly to see if there was anything to explain it before my mind reminded me that nothing was reasonable in the world of Gods and Goddesses, Titans and monsters...
"I must've heard wrong..." I muttered to myself, turning around on the landing rock he had disposed of me on and moved toward the foggy other side. But I had barely stepped into the fog when I found myself completely turned around and facing Cerberus once more. "No..." I said, trying a different direction with the exact same result. No matter what direction I went and however far I went I always re-emerged to a sympathetic Cerberus, sitting patiently and waiting for me.
I let out a scream of frustration and fear, falling down onto the rock floor in a ball. Curling my arms around my knees as I buried my face into them, holding my breath until my lungs burned.
This was hopeless. Why would Hades do this to me? Why would he do this to us?
Surely he must've known that with me in control instead of Persephone it would be easy for us to get lost. Unless that had been his plan all along, the voice in my head reasoned once more. But what purpose would it serve to force me to wander through the Underworld aimlessly and risk getting myself so thoroughly lost even he wouldn't be able to find me again.
And now, on top of everything, the only hope I had found for getting me out of this place had abandoned me on a rock island that did nothing but turn me in circles.
I wanted to cry but I was too angry for that. I couldn't be bothered to scream again either, he wasn't listening. At least if he was, he was a more cruel and vindictive God than I had first imagined him to be.
Cerberus lumbered slowly over to my side, nudging me with his head before hitting me again with the other two. I uncovered my face slowly and looked up at him. He nudged me again, twisting his body toward the fog. It seemed like a stupid idea, believing that a three-headed dog knew where it was going, but sitting on this rock wasn’t getting me anywhere anyways. So, what the heck, I figured I had nothing else to lose.
Following his lead, I used his scruff as my leash while he led me forward into the fog. Only this time it moved for him.
Cerberus walked with slow deliberation like a creature that knew where it was going. He led me carefully through the fog and where he stepped, ground would appeared to support us. I couldn't see anything around us as we walked so I focused on his paws and my feet, ensuring I didn't slip. I was afraid of what might happen if I did. The Underworld remained nondescript though, wherever Cerberus had taken us it looked no different from the hallway I had first emerged from. The fog clung to my legs and arms, making the hairs on them stand on edge while turning my skin damp. If I was feeling anything else, it was smothered by my will to simply soldier on. Stopping seemed just as bad an idea as slipping did right now.
After a while the fog began to clear and land smoothed out around us, letting me relax a little more as we made our way along. Cerberus moved a little faster ahead of me, confidence in his steps as he recognised his surroundings and walked faster toward something ahead of us.
"Hey wait up!" I stumbled and tripped in my attempt to keep up with him. The rock underfoot felt like it was coated in a layer of slime and the fog still hung low around us like a curtain. I returned to my place next to Cerberus, much steadier on my feet immediately.
"Well, now what?" I asked, arching an eyebrow as I looked down at the big dog before glancing back up into the fog that lingered near the wall. Guessing what he was trying to tell me I went in that direction, holding out my hands in front of me as a guide just in case something unwanted popped out to surprise me. And it did.
I didn't expect for my hands to slip right through and for my elbows to catch on bars. I stumbled back, fighting to free myself once more as I looked up at the great iron gates that loomed over me. They were elegantly designed, huge looping bars soldered together to create faces in the iron. Each face was another spirit looking down on those who reached this point with despair and hopelessness; it wasn't comforting.
"I'm not going through," I said, turning to face the dog and feeling foolish for talking out loud to it. "That is not a nice welcome mat." I said pointedly before looking back at it, one particular face was screaming at me in silent horror. I felt a shiver crawl up my spine and I shook my head.
"No way." I was arguing with myself at this point. Cerberus wasn’t really replying to me and insisting I go through. In fact, I was sure the dog would’ve been fine if we just sat right down together forever. But how long was forever without food or real water?
I hated this feeling of cowardice. It was one thing to be in the Underworld, it was a completely different thing to enter the gates of what looked like my imagined hell. But where else was I supposed to go?
I stared at the dog for a moment or two longer, using it to get a grip on myself before I reached out using the bars to push the gate open. I was surprised to find it gave way under my weight. Glancing back at Cerberus I nodded my head solemnly in goodbye.
"You stay here, just in case I need someone to let me back out. Come." He did as he was commanded, sitting at my feet. I hoped it would be enough to keep the gate propped open. I suspected immortal creatures possessed an unnatural strength.
"Okay." I said taking a deep breath; I held it for a moment before releasing it again, "okay." Dragging my teeth over my bottom lip I stepped forward and descended into the darkness.
Chapter Seventeen
The walls around me were damper than before. I could feel the moisture clinging to the air with each breath I took while the dew settled on my exposed skin making it feel slicker. I could barely see two feet in front of me as I walked, keeping one hand firmly planted on the rocky wall to ensure I had a guide of some kind while I descended.
The hallway was misleading, sometimes it felt bigger than it was and other times I felt claustrophobic as the walls enclosed around me. The ground tilted downwards like a slide but I didn’t slip. My feet were aching from the effort of remaining standing but it wasn’t just that. I remembered that in my haste to leave the
apartment I had forgotten shoes.
In the darkness I could hear breathing echoing around me. The distinctive feeling of being watched set me on edge while making my skin raise in bumps and my heart skip nervously. I regretted not doing more thorough research into what to expect of the lower realm and not just focusing on my Goddess. Maybe then I would have been able to anticipate a little better what I was walking into, maybe I would’ve known about the payment I was supposed to have or known Cerberus the first time I met him.
The longer I walked the more I speculated over the things that I could’ve done differently or would’ve made this whole experience a little different. My mother used to say vision of the past is 20/20 and I finally understood what she meant.
I didn’t even know how long I was supposed to walk for or when I was going to stop. I didn’t know what to expect at the bottom, if there was a bottom, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do from there.
I hated feeling helpless like this. Here in this place I felt stupid, silly and the living definition of a damsel in distress. But I didn’t want to be, so I soldiered on while telling myself I was brave. Even if I really wasn’t.
I didn’t stop, not once, not even when I took a bad step and dug rock into the bottom of my foot painfully. I was too afraid of being swallowed by the nothingness enclosing around me if I did stop.
But then I hit a wall, and then another one, and one more to the other side. I spun around quickly intending to go back from where I came, I must’ve missed a turn but there was a wall there too.
Deep gasping breaths came to me then as I tried to keep myself from panicking while my fingers explored every wall that was closing in around me. They were getting closer I swore it. This was it: I had walked right into my own death – or was this simply just another level of my own personal hell?
“Hello?! Is anyone there?” I cried out to the breathy voice I had been following. I hated to rely on a phantom entity but these creatures of the Underworld knew more about how this place worked than I did.
Gods Save the Princess (Grace of Gods Book 2) Page 15