When Death Comes to Visit |ONC 2021

Giorgio - The Office

Like two ninjas, Isabella and I slinked against the tarred wall of the volcanic building as two armed soldiers walked past, they were not the dead. The two soldiers were as solid as the wall pressed against my back, but they were not human. I'd caught a glimpse of their green rugged faces, their black empty eye sockets and the green gooey flesh that peeled off their bodies. I shuddered at the sight; they were a walking nightmare.

I let out a slow breath as white ash floated gently from the sky, landing on my hair and lashes. I guess it was the underworld's version of rain because it was falling from dark grey clouds, at first it was thick and heavy but now as we kept out of sight ash fell sparsely. Once we'd left the ruckus behind at the gates we walked through the barren black sandy clearing, decorated by lumps of black rocks that looked suspiciously close to burnt coal as steam sifted up through it. 

In the thickness of the ashes, the rock shaped cutouts on the volcanic building, glowing a bright yellow guided us towards it. A gentle beacon in the dark and dreary plains of the underworld. All the way over here, the hairs on the back of my neck were rigid, I had felt exposed. As we had walked, I couldn't help but turn a full three-sixty every couple of minutes to make sure we weren't being followed. I'd prayed to Zeus for the first time, hoping my father would give me a hand should anything go wrong. I had little faith that it would work, he had fourteen years to get to know me when I needed a father. It was impossible that he wouldn't know he bore a child with my mother, especially if Thanatos could find me so easily. The more I thought about it a sour taste in my mouth grew, of course, he'd known. He had countless children before me, some who'd made it to legendary status and hadn't heard a peep from the man upstairs. I would be no different.

"Come on," Isabella hissed as she ducked through the archway bringing me back to my scary reality. 

I darted in, hot on her heels to the next podium. What I saw before me, took me by surprise. The inside of Hades lair looked more like a replica of a high-end New York office. Bright lights light up the grey marble stone floor, a double staircase to the left led up to the next floor which had a glass balcony. 

A squeaking sound abruptly ended my inspection as my head snapped to the source of the sound. A group of bird-like creatures with human heads hobbled down the hall, their wings fanning out as they walked. Their clawed feet clipping the flooring, sending a wave of unease down my back. If I thought those green creatures were disturbing these beat it by a mile. 

"Harpies," Isabella whispered, "They're foot soldiers of sorts."

I gulped wearily, taking one last look at their long talons and imagining them slicing through my flesh. I hoped to never run into those things again much less see them, but this was the underworld, I was bound to see worse. 

When the entry hall had cleared and no one appeared to be hanging around the first balcony, Isabella and I sprinted up the stairs keeping low. We hid behind the nearest pillar, and I scanned the wooden doors on the floor. Each one had a plaque nailed to the front, Security Room, File Room, ah, Thanatos's Office.

"Over there," I said to Isabella, gesturing to the door on the far right.

"Good spot."

Feeling somewhat proud of myself, I took the lead as we raced to the door, my hand falling on the handle in a leap of faith. It didn't give way as I expected.

"It's locked," I hissed, the panic settling in at the thought of getting caught red-handed, I frantically looked around us.

"Damnit." Isabella hissed and turned around scouting the floor behind us just as panicked as I was, "Are you sure Thanatos didn't give you an encrypted hint of how to get in?"