Impure: The Protectors of Astromica

12

The air was thick and humid, and Persephone could not see her hand in front of her own face. Darkness reached through the cold hallway and as far back as her eyes could see, but luckily she knew the way like the back of her hand. She stepped confidently and quickly, with two queen's-men dimly lighting the way and two more in the back. Her faithful servant, Zion, walked alongside her with a pitcher of ice water in his gloved hand.
Lily, with the help of Persephone's magic, floated weightlessly behind her mother. Her stunning face was still and motionless, but a light smile remained painted across her face. Her large, curly horns shimmered under the torch-light, and her tail flew gracefully in the air trailing behind her like a black, silky ribbon. She was a sleeping beauty, but her dream remained a curious thought to everyone who laid eyes upon her.
"Left up here.", directed Persephone, pointing her men the right way.
They followed her instruction and turned left, huddling closely to her. Suddenly, they stopped abruptly in their tracks and marveled at the sight in front of them. Colossal, gold and silver-lined doors blocked their path. The doors were absolutely breathtaking with no signs of wear and tear to be seen with the naked eye. If anyone thought they were built just yesterday, they would not be seen as foolish as the giant slabs of scarlet-cherry wood shined with the brilliance of new life. Greek words and numbers lined the edges of the doors, glowing red, white, and green. The only thing the masterpiece of carving was missing was a doorknob or two.
The queens-men turned to Persephone, awaiting her next order, but she waved at them to step back. She lifted the flowery sleeves of her long, black dress and placed both hands on the door. Focusing her mind and body, she began to chant quietly under her breath. Quickly, the words on the edges began to glow white as she spoke, highlighting her pace in the spell. The men stood amazed at the way she commanded the intimidating piece of art.
The white glow reached the very last letter and the doors began to creak loudly and obnoxiously. They opened extremely slowly, only allowing an inch of space every thirty seconds.
Once the doors were lazily open enough for Persephone to walk through, she slipped quickly in between them and into the room beyond. The doors stopped as soon as she crossed the threshold, leaving the big, burly queens-men and a 6'7 Zion to squeeze their way through along with Lily who floated gracefully in as if the doors were no obstacle at all.
The next room was dusty, well lit, and sensitivity echoed the footsteps of the party as they hurried along to keep pace with their queen. Walking a few kilometers forward, three different passageways presented themselves to the group. Everyone looked around at each other to see if anyone had a clue of which way to go, but the men ultimately returned their attention to their queen who was best suited to make the safest decisions.
Persephone cleared her throat, "This way.", she said, hesitantly pointing to the narrow cave to the far right.
The entrance was a foot higher than the ground and only about four feet wide. Unsettling darkness filled the hole and strange gusts of wind sung through all the passages and mimicked the sound of a haunting moan. Every heartbeat in the room (except Lily's) skipped a beat at the lingering seconds of unsureness from Persephone, and fear and anxiety riddled their faces.
"Are you sure, your grace?", asked the servant Zion.
"Positive. Follow me, boys."
The men exchanged worried looks to each other before following Persephone's lead.
"Oh wait! I almost forgot! Zion, summon Kieran Stone. I do need him, don't I?", Persephone turned around to face him and he nodded obediently.
He turned on his heel and walked quickly to the back of the party. He got on one knee, then the other and planted his forehead firmly to the ground while reciting an unintelligible chant under his breath. He arose from his crouched over position and then extended his arm forward. Zion made a fist with his giant, pale hands and squeezed. Crimson blood dropped slowly onto the ground for several seconds and the men watched respectfully and silently.
"I am Zion, the faithful. I request Kieran Stone.", he stated in a humble manner.
A few seconds passed, then a terrifying ring of white fire filled the space in front of Zion. Everyone marveled at the brilliance of the flames--the guards had only genuinely ever seen red fire. A figure emerged from the flames and the men's eyes burned from a sudden, blinding light.
A man believed to be Kieran Stone stepped from the fire. His face was hidden behind a sparkling, traditional medieval helmet with giant, golden antlers welded to the sides. All six feet and 2 inches of him was covered in silver, flawless armor; it was also the cause of the blinding light as it reflected and amplified the white fire like a mirror. The Stone family crest, two wings with a dagger between them, was carved into the chest plate, and he carried a giant, ancient, and unscathed sword made of Angelic Steel on his hip. His appearance was almost godlike, as if he had just jumped from the cloud that held Olympus.
A symphony of clinking and clanking painted time ivory as he took one step after another towards the beautiful, dark queen while gripping the handle of his weapon.
The queen's men's stood in front of Persephone and stopped Kieran a few feet away from her. They drew their swords and placed the tips at his feet as a warning. He stopped and placed his hands behind his back in a non-threatening manner.
"Welcome, commander Stone.", Persephone smiled warmly at him, "Please skip the formalities, my lord. Remove your helm and greet me as a friend."
"Apologies, my goddess. I think it's best to keep the armor completely intact."
"Nonsense, Lord Stone. You are here as a guest. There is no need to be on guard. Come, let me lay a kiss on your cheek."
She closed the distance between them, slipping through the wall of queens men. She placed her hands on both sides of his brilliant helmet and lifted it off carefully. His dark hair fell, and he kept it in his eyes while holding his head down.
She placed the helmet in the hands of one of her men and faced the winged warrior once again.
She scanned his face throughly before leaning forward to give her kiss. He bent down to meet her face and she kissed his cheek softly. As he was about to pull away, she pressed just two fingers on the back of his neck and pushed him back down to her level. She leaned close to his ear and inhaled sharply.
"You're lucky I'm not telling your king that you showed up here drunk off your ass."
"What do you mean-"
"I don't need to be a fucking genius to smell the 200 year old scotch on your breath, Kieran. I'm surprised you didn't burst into flames getting transported here with all the alcohol in your bloodstream. Get your act together and be alert."
"Yes, my goddess."
She let him go and he stood up tall and cleared his throat.
"Well, then. Shall we continue?"
They climbed in the entrance to the hallway one by one, their gold-painted armor scraping the sides of the cave as they squeezed in almost all at once. When the last person was in, Persephone continued her determined stroll as her protectors struggled to keep up with her.
Suddenly, a low and terrifying sound echoed the walls of the small, dark cave. Bats came flying at their faces and everyone dropped to the ground attempting to not get injured. Persephone's magic created a shield around Lily, protecting her daughter from any harm.
The sound came again but closer. This time, a snarl and nightmarish growl followed. Persephone stopped in her tracks, fearfully peering up the path ahead. Kieran drew his sword and stood loyally at her side. She took a deep breath, then proceeded forward.
Her men drew their swords next, forming a line on the sides and behind Persephone. They closed in around her, ready to shield her from any harm.
"Everyone, take a step back.", she quietly.
The men exchanged more confused glances and complied with her command. Lily, still hovering peacefully behind the party moved wherever Zion did as he was now linked to her. He held a sparkling, silver ribbon in his hand to guide her.
The group watched as Persephone neared the darkness, further and further down the hall. Kieran watched closely, pacing back and forth. His fluffy, white feathers stood straight up with anxiety, and the inside of his cheek swelled from being tucked between his teeth.
Suddenly, the growl returned. It was intense enough that the queens-men could feel hot, rancid breath blowing their perfectly cut locks behind them even from several feet away.
Anxiety and unsureness beat away at the men's courage as they stood petrified at the sight of a monstrously large, animalistic body emerging from the darkness and into the dim light that curtained their queen.
Persephone took a step back and watched the beast cautiously. Gigantic, sharp teeth reflected the low light as the face of a mutant cane-corso manifested from the darkness. Its beady eyes examined the men—shifting back and forth at the slightest hint of movement, and its breaths were loud and agitated as if he would strike at any moment.
Puddles of drool formed on the floor in front of it, and a loud and horrifying bark echoed through the room which did not come from the dog presenting itself. Another bark followed, from the opposite direction and it became apparent that there was more than one beast ahead.
Suddenly, two more identical heads slithered from behind the first, connected at the neck but each having its own control and expression. It had four legs, just like an oversized dog, but three ferocious, hungry heads.
"Uh, Persephone...?", stammered Kieran without taking his eyes off the beast.
It neared the group, one giant paw after the other and knelt down in a pouncing-position.
Persephone stared at it as it inched closer. Her posture was reserved, with her arms folded and head tilted. She outreached her hand to the beast with her palm facing down and a limp, feminine wrist.
The Queensmen placed their hands on their swords, sweltering from nerves. Their under-armor stuck to their wet skin, making every minute more uncomfortable than the last. The soles of their feet swelled from the sharp rocks underneath them, creating a sense of urgency with dealing with the monster before them.
Suddenly, Queen Persephone spoke not to the men, but to the beast.
"Cerberus, be calm.", she reached out further toward the middle head and touched the tip of the dog's nose.
Confusion and unsettling trust poured over the men as the terrifying beast stopped growling suddenly. The sound of puppy-like whines echoed off the walls and the ground shook violently from the force of the dog hitting the ground quickly.
The monster called Cerberus lowered all three of his heads at Persephone's feet and closed its eyes. She smiled and bent down enthusiastically. She rubbed one of his slobbery face roughly and all three noses nudged at her as they tried desperately to lick her face.
"Good boy, good boy. Did you miss me? Did you miss mommy? I know, I missed you."
The queens men and Lord Stone exchanged relived glances and removed their hands from the end of their swords.
"You wanna take me to daddy?", she whispered to Cerberus, still petting him and flopping his ears around.
He jumped up excitedly and stuck his butt in the air playfully. As he revealed his back, a shiny, leather saddle came into view with the straps flying everywhere as his nubby tail wagged aggressively.
Persephone approached him and grabbed onto one of the straps. She hoisted herself up onto him and bucked herself into the saddle.
She grabbed onto two, antler carved handles and steadied herself as Cerberus attempted to stay still although he still vibrated with excitement.
Persephone strapped herself in successfully and flipped her long, black hair back and out of her face. "Men, follow me.", she said while Cerberus turned to face the opposite way, "Just a warning, you may have to run."
The beast started slowly, almost as if he was just stretching his legs. The men followed with Zion leading the pack in a proud manner. Suddenly, Cerberus took off in a sprint, running down the dark cave and disappearing into the shadows. Everyone ran to follow him, barely able to keep up with his wide-stride. They were on the brink of heat exhaustion, but they did their duty to their fearless queen nonetheless.
The journey was tiresome, and the heat grew more unbearable by the minute, and a drunken Lord Stone could barely match the slowest man's speed. He breathed loudly and frantically as if his lungs were incapable of taking in enough oxygen. The heat of the Underworld atmosphere heated Kieran's armor and caused him to itch in places he couldn't reach.
A split second of doubt loomed over the group as they attempted to see into the darkness ahead only to be disappointed by the lack of a perceivable end. Their worries were quickly dissolved by the sudden halt of the fierce beast and his royal owner. Persephone gripped the handles of the saddle tightly and tried to ignore the sweat oozing from her palms. She could see the doorway of a room ahead, lined with gold and the same Greek symbols as the grandiose door they entered through.
Behind the open door was a giant room with thick, golden bars halfway shaded from the lack of any light besides the candles lining just the very front of the room.
Persephone dismounted her terrifying pet. She jumped down onto the cold floor and stuck the landing, revealing black and white tennis shoes under her long, formal dress.
She cleared her throat and dusted herself off in an anxious manner.
"Zion. Mirror.", she said frantically and almost fearfully.
The servant Zion rushed to her, manifesting a pocket sized mirror from his jacket pocket. He held it up to her face and she began frantically fixing her hair.
"Lord Stone, I need light.", she said, beckoning Kieran closer.
He moved quickly, holding his hand a few inches above her head. Suddenly, a small light emitted from his palm and brightened up Persephone's face. Zion pulled lipstick from the same pocket and Persephone took it and began applying it without even looking. When she finished, she took the silver ribbon from Zion and took control of her daughter's path.
"So, are you guys like psychologically linked or something? How does he know what you want without you saying anything?"
"Oh Kieran, my Zion is just great at his job. Now hush, let us enter to see my husband."