When Death Comes to Visit |ONC 2021

The Kid

"What did you do to my mama!" The boy screamed at me, bowed over his mother.

His mother was still laying in the doorway, passed out from the surprise of seeing me. She lay with her head sticking out onto the street, her legs were tangled in her white nightgown.

I languidly peered around their home, the boy still spewing words in my ear. It was rather small, from the front door you were immediately in the living room, and to the left of that was the dining room. I went further and discovered a very yellow kitchen. From the sickly yellow walls to the pale yellow towels and curtains, I wanted to be sick.

"Look, kid." I said turning around, "You better get your mother out of the street before someone sees."

The weedy tanned boy looked at me for a moment and then at his mum. I could see the wheels turning in his head, see the turmoil he was facing as he considered running for the hills to save himself. He bravely looked me in the eye, and I saw his resolve a moment before he turned to drag his mother by the feet further into the house before shutting the front door.

"Now that's all sorted," I said leaning on the wall now facing the kid, "We can get to business."

The poor boy looked clueless; his mouth gaped like a fish as he tried to get his words out. The initiate bravery he'd displayed just seconds ago had evaporated and out came a dumb statement.

"You've got wings."

I rolled my eyes in frustration, they really don't make heroes the same these days.

"No shit," I said that was my first inclination, he wasn't aware of who his father was. Finally, things were going to plan, "Let's cut this short, I don't have much time. I need you to find out who locked the portal access for me to the underworld, while you're doing that, could you be a good boy and unlock it?"

The boy laughed, "What portal to the underworld? Look sir I think you're not well."

The boy moved towards his phone on the kitchen table and picked it up, he clicked a few buttons then held it up towards me.

"Those wings are just something else man, do you work at special effects? They look pretty real to me."

"Give me that." I snapped my fingers and the phone appeared in my hands, I crushed it with ease and let the debris fall to the ground. The kid stared at me with wide eyes.

"You broke my phone!" He whined.

I stared at him dumbstruck, is that all he cared about, some dumb phone that could be found in every store?

"I'd be a bit more careful of how you behave around me," I warned, I was not about to take lip from a boy who was just a blip in time.

Finally, some fear seeped into the boy, he went from a whining baby to a stiffly pale boy who looked like he was about to wet his pants. That's the respect I'd been looking for.

"Here's a drachma," I said, flinging the gold coin at the boy, he caught it easily and I was mildly relieved he wasn't totally incompetent. "You'll need that to get Charon to take you across the river once you reach the entrance."

"What?"

"Look here Giorgio," I said sternly, "I hate to break it to you, but you're a demi-god. Half god half-human, as in half Greek god. I'm Thanatos if you hadn't already guessed."

Giorgio was quiet for a moment.

"You're a Greek god?" he asked and I nodded, "Thanatos, the god of death?"

"Ah, finally you know something!"

Giorgio, frowned, "Who's my father?"

"Ah, I knew you'd ask," I had planned for this, "You do this task for me and I'll let you know who your father is, better yet, I'll even drop you off at his door!"

"You know," Giorgio went on, "I think this finally gives me some answers to my abnormal speed and strength."

Yup, definitly the demi-god I was looking for.

"Sure! All of the Zeus' kids have some talent," I said half placating him but my patience was growing thin.

"Whoa, Zeus is my dad?"

Damn, I already messed up.

"Ok, yes he is." New approach, "I am the god of death and if I'm up here in the real world for too long death will follow. You get me?"

The boy blinked at me so I tried again.

"If I stay locked away from the underworld, everyone here on earth will die. I won't be able to control it." I sighed, "To put it simply, if you can't get me to the underworld, your mum and everyone else you know will be dead in a matter of months."

The realisation finally sunk in as his face turned grey.

"Right, now that you're briefed I think you're ready to go."

I began ushering him out of the house using a broomstick that was previously propped against the wall. I didn't pay any attention to the boy's sounds of protests until I'd fully shoved him out.

"Why can't you figure it out yourself?" he said digging his heels in and refusing to budge.

"Look, you can't know why just accept the honour of being chosen as my hero," I said prodding him on. "If you don't your poor mother might not wake up."

That got him riled up, "If you lay a finger on her!"

"I won't touch her if you do as I say." I interrupted. "But I can't promise she won't die, so I need you to open up the underworld and let me back in."

I really had no intentions of doing anything with his mother, it wasn't her time, well I didn't know that for sure. I just needed a way to get my list and carry on my duties while the kid found a way to get me back into the underworld.

"You promise?"

I stared incredulously at the boy, "What are you, five?"

"Never make a deal unless you seal it with a promise with you guys." he recited, "You can't lie!"

I frowned, that was a myth I read about those - "You're mixing me up with some dumb fairy-tale?"

"What? Is it not true?" he blinked up at me.

"Mother of all mothers!" I cried as my hand ran over my face. "What do they teach kids these days? Maybe I need to come to the surface more often."

As much as I'd like to have him believe that he was going on a quest on my behalf and if he failed because of that...

"Look, gods can lie just like you, but you must make sure they swear on the River Styx for it to hold."

He waited expectantly "Gahh, ok I Thanatos swear on the River Styx not to harm your mother while you are gone on this quest."

"What if I die?" He asked in all seriousness.

I sighed, "You won't die, you know why? I have to approve it, if I don't you'll carry on as you are." I reached into the space between nothing and grabbed a backpack I'd filled with supplies earlier. "Everything else you need is in here."

"Don't I get to say goodbye?"

"No, now hurry, you've got two days."