Hell Is An Empty Body (Book Two of The Triple Moon's Chronicles)

09 | In A Water Grave ***

Warning for a murderer on the loose and going back to his home in this chapter. As always, this is a fantasy to read, not to replicate. The ancient Greeks had their own ways of teaching us their wisdom rather than punishing us for our fall.

When the blood faded into mud,
And human corpses to those of birds,
A ruined temple raised to haunt the grey sky.
Named Avernus and given in possession to the God of Art,
It was where they had finally made it into the sacred world of the living.

They sent birds over the lake hoping they would return alive, but all those messengers were only found dead above the river Avernus.

Innocent flying animals that rested for eternity in a water grave.

Sacrificed feathered creatures that all gathered above the crater that marked the exit of the Underworld, and when he swam through that endless bird barrier, Sisyphus knew he was now out of the mouth of Hell.

However, the journey was still long, and the once-king was still dispossessed of everything, like he was at his death. Only the gifts of Thanatos kept him company—those useless burdens that he was now attached to by a deal with the pitiless God of Peaceful Death.

It didn't take long for Sisyphus to get back to his old habits.

His first victim was a young prince who was hunting alone in the nearby misty wood, and the foolish young man mistook Sisyphus' shadow for that of a deer. He chased after his faked target with his bow, ready to kill the survivor from hell.

The mind was the best weapon of all. It served the mortal humans well in their dominance over the other lifeforms, and Sisyphus would put it to good use.

In his pursuit, he hid himself behind a tree, isolating the unexperienced prince. He was left alone, lost, and circled by tall trees, while the merciless king was just standing behind him. He caught his young prey by the head, and with his bare hands, he twisted his neck, offering him a quick death.

Sisyphus was now dressed in his victim's rich clothing.

His second victim was a merchant. The old man was on his way to a nearby kingdom, riding his horse, who was carrying with him food, wine, and other goods. He spotted an injured Sisyphus lying on the ground, supposedly dead, in the middle of a solitary road.

The merchant, out of kindness, could have stopped his course to save Sisyphus or to offer him proper funeral rites, but it was none of those. Just because the sumptuous clothing cladded Sisyphus, the merchant thought he could have stolen gold or jewellery from him.

In Mortal's world, its inhabitants were heartless to each other, only obsessed by one thing—the precious golden coins, the key to all their wishes.

There again, Sisyphus used his mind, and when the merchant stepped down from his horse to get closer to him, he planted an arrow straight into the old man's throat, giving him a slow and painful death. While he was now agonising on the ground, Sisyphus took over his left-behind possessions.

Sisyphus now had foods and beverages for his long journey,
And a horse that would now walk instead of him.

His third victim was a woman, lonely and living in a warm little house with the comfort of a bed—exactly what he needed for the night.

Sisyphus introduced himself politely to the woman and described himself through gallant words as a wealthy and honourable prince, looking for a woman to be his bride. Further in his lies, he convinced the woman to welcome him inside her abode and to stay for one night. Through charming gestures, he even persuaded the woman to offer herself to him.

Sisyphus was underhandedly impressive in his art.

He continued this itinerant life for a while. Sometimes, he would kill the entire family in the house just to rest one night in their home. Other times, he would just torture the owners in order to get what he wanted. There were even times when they would just let him stay, in which case, he would return the favour by sparing their lives, such as for his third victim.