Underground Angels

Chapter Forty-Four || Familiar Faces

Chapter Forty-Four

Familiar Faces

A blazing sky stretched before them, a blood orange hanging in the sky. The gang sat on one of Grandpa George's rafts, everyone but Noel facing forward - towards Hades' castle.

Noel was watching the figure of her grandfather disappear. He had given her a new bow and arrows, the tips dipped in poison. Her had been lost in the boat crash. She did not want to face what was ahead of them; though something in her was tugging the closer they got to Gabriel.

"There it is." Paul said, but Noel did not turn around.

"Wow, that is menacing as fuck." Said Stephan, tapping Noel on the shoulder. "C'mon, take a look."

Turning, Noel felt her heart sink. She recognized it from her dreams, the towering black rock, skeleton gates. Skulls studded above every window. It was menacing.

The raft bumped against the shore, and they all shuffled off - except Paul.

"Paul?" Lola turned, face crumbling.

"I can't, Lo."

"What...why?"

He stepped off the raft and hugged her hard. "I just can't, it's a ... feeling. Ghosts need permission to go further."

Lola began to cry, clinging to her brother. "I'll come back, stay down here with you -"

"No, Lola...no." Pulling away, Paul wiped her tears. "I'll be around, I promise. I taught Gabriel a few new tricks, when I was doing messages to Hades. We won't lose touch. I promise."

"Paul -"

"Go on, save Gabriel." He stepped back onto the raft, tears pouring down his cheeks. "I believe in you guys."

Constantine and Stephan saluted their old friend. "Watch out for yourself," added Stephan.

"Take care, guys."

Constantine nodded, understanding. "We'll watch out for her."

Paul's raft disappeared around the bend, and Constantine squeezed Lola's shoulder. "You ready?"

Nodding, Lola's face morphed into her expression of stone. "Let's go."

*

Hell was cold, and the temperature dropped the closer they got to the castle.

"So, when hell freezes over - it already happened." Said Stephan, teeth chattering. "Where the hell is this secret entrance, Stan?"

"It's here, somewhere...Paul said someone would be on the other side to help us..." he was running his honey hands along the bone fence, and Noel shivered. Those bones were people, or had been. Did their spirits know what had become of their remains?

"Aha!" Constantine had found something in the wall, a little sprout, green - alive.

"Is that even possible down here?" asked Lola.

He shrugged. "I guess. Paul said we had to water it." He pulled a bottle of water out of his bag and sprinkled some on the sprout, and stepped back to wait. Nothing happened.

"Uh, Stan -"

"I know." Constantine hissed. "I don't - it's not - we're running out of time."

Noel shuffled forward nervously. It may be 'her' quest, but Constantine always knew what to do. "Constantine, may I?" he waved her ahead, confidence shattering. Noel kneeled by the plant and pulled out her pocketknife, slitting her thumb.