Demi-God: The Lost

Thirty-Seven

"You lied to me?" Flynn looks at old man Terrin with a slightly angry look in his eyes. The betrayal wasn't shocking. But the fact that he would forsake all of his people just so he can destroy the Gods. The man shakes his head and reaches a hand out to Flynn.

"I didn't lie to you. I truly do want to save my people." Flynn backs up further.

"At the cost of mine." A stern line falls across Terrin's face. He quickly shakes his head as Flynn rushes off the platform towards the heroes.

"Flynn! We need you to open the gateway!" He shouts after him. The voice is pretty far so it's safe to assume he isn't chasing.

The moment Flynn is close enough, Hercules grabs his arm and pulls him in the opposite direction. "How did you guys get here?" Flynn asks while trying to keep up with the warriors.

"Persephone. She freaked out on Hades after she found out he condemned you here. We entered through the Damned." Flynn pauses and looks back at the platform. Four bridges and four entrances.

The Damned, the Lost, the Redeemed, and- Wait, what is the fourth location? There's only three in Asphodel. He looks at each pathway as if they'll magically tell him where they lead to.

Hold on, the even bigger concern should be where they're going now. The damned is patrolled by the Nightmares. "Wait! We can't go there! The Nightmares will take us!" Flynn attempts to dig his feet into the ground to stop them but the grip is so tight he just slides.

"Don't worry. The Nightmares were ordered to stand by. Hades can be very useful when his wife is angry." A large smile spreads across Flynn's face at the picture of Persephone yelling at Hades. They run for another few minutes in silence, a few more rocks crumbling from the bridge as they do.

"There!" Perseus shouts, the end of the bridge now in sight. It's a staircase leading straight up.

The group rushes into the staircase, Flynn pausing just before to look back at the bridge. They aren't chasing him. But why? He looks at the ground, a few rocks are shaking violently. No, not just the rocks, the entire ground is shaking.

Hercules grabs Flynns shoulder and tugs him into the staircase just moments before the bridge collapses and a large hand grabs the ground in front of the staircase. Flynn doesn't get the chance to see more, the stairs in front of him going up and up.

Halfway up and he trips, his cheek slamming against the sharp corner of the stairs. He doesn't get the chance to recover before he's hauled up to his feet again and practically carried up the rest of the way.

Blood trails down his cheek and onto his jaw. The corridor shakes behind him, the walls cracking and a few crumbling rocks falling. "Almost there!" Perseus shouts from the front. A loud bang echoing through the stairwell. The ground shakes so violently that the group all falls into the stairs again.

"What the hell was that?!" Flynn shouts, the end of the stairs finally coming into sight. The rumbling slowly stops and the rush to the top continues.

"Titans!" Achilles shouts without looking back. Flynn's jaw drops and his throat runs dry.

"But they're-" The frightened look in Hercules' eyes brings any sound to a halt. That one look says it all. The titans are trying to get free and if Hades isn't willing to cage them down there, it's only a matter of time before they break out by force.

"We have to get to Hades. We'll convince him to cage the titans." Flynn leans over and tries to process it all.

"Hades isn't going to cooperate with us." Achilles counters. Flynn looks around them, it's a clear lake all the way around a small island that they're standing on. The lake is almost sparkling.

"No but he'll cooperate with Persephone. We all know how well he listens to her." Flynn walks towards the water and looks closer. There's a fish-no a woman fish. His eyes sparkle. It's a mermaid!

The mermaid looks at Flynn and slowly reaches her hand out to him. "And if Persephone can't convince him?" He looks back at the group still arguing and then at the mermaid. She's closer to him now. Her eyes are thin and glowing a soft purple.

Her hands are webbed together, her skin a baby blue with long flowing black hair that wraps around her body. Flynn reaches out to touch her hand that just barely leaves the surface of the water.

"Then we use this idiot to force him." A hand grabs the back of his collar and pulls him away from the mermaid just before her mouth opens and sharp teeth reach out in an attempt to bite his hand off.

Flynn stares in shock, "Are you trying to get killed?" Perseus throws Flynn backwards into the center of the island.

"It was a mermaid," Flynn whispers. Achilles laughs and pulls Flynn to his feet.

"That wasn't a mermaid. Although they do look similar, that was a Siren. The deadly version of a mermaid." The siren swims off after hissing and showing her sharp fangs.

"I thought you were taught all about the underworld." Perseus crosses his arms and faces Flynn like a frustrated older brother would.

"I was. It's just so different actually being here. And what did you mean by "use me?" Flynn looks around at the water again. There's all kinds of different fish and corals. The area above is pitch black, the only light coming from the water life below the surface.

"You may not be the blood son of Hades but your his wifes blood kid. That means as long as Hades is bound to Persephone, you're claimed by him." Flynn grabs a rock and tosses it into the water. It doesn't sink beneath the surface, instead, it floats.

"Your eldest half-sibling would be given the power to command the underworld just as Hades does. Only, your older half-siblings are all either dead or banished." Flynn has older siblings? "Macaria, Melione, and Zagreus. Zagrues was banished, Melione cursed herself with a permanent nightmare, and Macaria rejected Hades so he locked her in Tartarus."

"Some family." Hercules mutters.

"So where are we?" Flynn asks.

"The Sea of The Dead, or also known as Acheron. The moment you enter the water you're trapped forever. The sea is where those who wish to forget go. Usually only the worst pains and memories are there. It's a hell all on its own." Achilles points at the darkness above.

"That's where Hades is. We're right beneath the fork in the bridge that leads to the four areas, Elysium, Asphodel, Tartarus, and the Throne." Flynn looks around and scratches his head.

"How do we get there?" A large smile comes across Achilles' face.

"We ask the Ferryman of course!" Flynn stares at him. The Ferryman is the guy in a boat that souls pay for a trip to wherever they want to go. He travels the five rivers looking for souls to guide.

"How do we find him?" A loud laugh fills the cavern of water. An all too familiar laugh at that. Flynn sighs and turns around slowly. His gaze meets that of a familiar red eyed skeleton with a cigar hanging out of his mouth.

"Hey Kid. Been a while." Flynn crosses his arms and stares him down. The boat hits lightly against the shore.

"Hey Dresmos."