Shoot the Messenger

Chapter 2: The Brother-in-law...

I despise Hades to the core of my body. He is the last person I ever want to see. I didn't think anyone would force me to work for him as his employee. If only my father and the others didn't sacrifice me. They're all traitors! How could they force me to work with my half-sister's kidnapper?!

Persephone rarely visits her own brother! She spends most of her time in the underworld. Somehow, she got tricked by Hades. She ate six pomegranate seeds and became the underworld's lawful queen. Naturally, she was angry but was still content to be his bride-to-be. I didn't even get an invitation to the wedding ceremony.

My first day officially working for the underworld depleted my mind and heart with pain and sorrow. Talaria unwillingly whisked me away to the shores of the green river of woe. Kharon stood waiting on his ship alongside the newly departed souls. As I got on board, one hundred souls of the dead, at most, began to row. Kharon pointed his divine wooden oar in the direction of the underworld so his fleet of ships could follow.

Kharon's fleet of ships resisted the raging murky waters. The green river of woe sought to engrave the souls with horrific horrors. It's a monster that only knows how to devour. The persistent waters violently shook the ships back and forth. Souls gathered to help one another pull against the water wrapped around the oars. I griped and howled at Kharon as the turbulence made my stomach churn.

"I don't know why I have to be here. How is that fair?" Hermes hunched over the railing of the ship. "I was free to go anywhere," he moaned.

Kharon did not answer.

"Well," Hermes said, "I didn't expect anyone to care." He exhaustedly stood up to cover his teary eyes.

Kharon rambled, "I apologize for my rudeness. Individuals like yourself seldom come here. You radiate a splendid divine energy. Your sapphire eyes sparkle brighter without the sunlight. Your soft silky hair would make the finest gold. Who could even compete with those enormous thighs?!"

"Your praises don't feel sincere."

"No, I only speak the truth."

"You look horrifyingly-charming yourself," Hermes lied.

Kharon shyly buried his sullen face with the hood of his white cloak.

"Can't Hades find someone else?" Hermes rubbed his forehead.

"My brother Thanatos was responsible for the tasks you will be fulfilling. He has been confined temporarily at the royal court of Erebus. My other siblings are-inept for the role. Our king was the one able to fulfill his duties in the meantime."

"Your brother angered the king of the underworld?"

"Yes, and no."

Kharon spoke of a young merchant Thanatos followed whenever he went to trade at the Agora days before his death. The merchant saw his lifeless body underneath a pile of rotting figs and was discontent. Thanatos beckoned to the merchant, but he escaped to the residence of his lover. When Thanatos arrived, he witnessed the merchant somberly observing his love brushing her hair in the mirror.

Thanatos beckoned to the merchant once more, but the merchant hissed, "go away, evil creature!" His lover had unexpectedly received his words. She jumped back as if she could sense someone was there. His beloved ran away barefoot, and the poor merchant left in despair. These were common types of encounters for Thanatos. Mortals refused to go with him and became insufferable ghosts.

"Thanatos seems dense," Hermes said.

"No, no, he is young and misguided. I told him he should retrieve their soul by any means! It's challenging to understand him somedays because he never speaks," Kharon insisted.

I lingered on Kharon's ship nine days and nights till he dropped anchor in a dimly lit cave. The infamous hellhound, Cerberus, was guarding the entrance to a colossal stone gate. I arose, swarmed by all the remaining souls. Kharon sadly lost a few to the green river of woe. The underworld rivers for souls without protection from Kharon's ships are a troublesome foe.

Kharon scurried to fetch Minos, the former legendary king of Crete. Minos became a judge in the underworld, one of the top three. His thin, long, reptilian tail mercilessly twists around the guilty. The souls of the dead and I had to wait with Cerberus at the gate. The snake-like, three-headed, red hellhound kept insisting I be his playmate. The dumb dog almost ripped my arm clean off. After a lot of time passed, we were escorted inside by Kharon.

The underworld is a domain without a sun underneath the land of the living and ten times the size of Mount Olympus. When Zeus bestowed the underworld to Hades, the others perceived it as his punishment for causing mischief. The underworld used to be a barren terrain. In under a few decades, Hades managed to change the landscape his slaves, I mean employees, maintain.

I never knew how large the underworld was until I tragically lost my sister to her sadistic lover. On the other side of the stone gate are vast fields of asphodel flowers and cypress trees. The ground is so foggy it's challenging to see. A faint glow of divine energy emits from the native creatures and plant life. In the underworld, it is the only source of light.

We came across Minos as we walked to the palace of Hades. Minos' donkey ears flickered irritatedly. Kharon couldn't keep himself from revealing his yellow crooked teeth. He grinned from ear to ear very creepily. I slowly distanced myself from in-between Minos and Kharon uneasily.

"You couldn't find another ferryman to do it for you?!" Minos stroked his ginger curly beard furiously.

Kharon approached Minos face-to-face and firmly gripped his shoulder. "I see you are still the same ill-tempered young man. I think you've forgotten that was what ended your life. I will never know why my brothers and sisters took pity on you. It could have been a beautiful bloodbath."

Minos' facial expression became a combination of disgust and fear.

"Perhaps I should retire and get another ferryman to take my job. I can always accept Hades' offer and become a judge. I hear your position is still temporary," Kharon loudly whispered.

"I don't want to be rude. I'm just not familiar with the role!" Minos' voice cracked.

"I don't see why the legendary king of Crete would have difficulty commanding a fleet of ships. Unless your legacy was a bit exaggerated." Kharon shrugged his shoulders.

Minos gritted his teeth and tightened his tail around Kharon's bony waist.

Kharon dug his sharp nails into the tail's hardened scales. "You stand before a God. Mind your manners."

Minos coiled his bloody tail behind his back in pain and crouched beside smelly toenails that curled under Kharon's toes.

Kharon is-a fearsome individual. He continued guiding the way once Minos lowered himself to the ground for being disrespectful. Exploring the underworld was stressful. Shades echoed moments of their past lives all around us in the dense mist. There was nothing else they could do as remnants of the living that no longer exist. A Shade was merely a shadow in the underworld after becoming a resident.

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