Forsaken Deity

Chapter 16

They hit the ground hard, and Hermes cupped Thea's head before it was smashed into the earth. She heard him grunt in pain and pushed him away when they stopped moving. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I was in a bit of rush when I teleported. Wasn't expecting to come in that fast.” He held up his staff, which was bent nearly in half. “Shit, Hephaestus is going to kill me. I only just got it back from him.”

Thea sat up. “What happened to it last time?”

Hermes grinned. “It may have been used in a rather violent game of fetch with Cerberus.”

“Cerberus...” Thea thought for a moment. “Isn't that the three headed dog of the Underworld?”

“That's the one.”

“And you were playing fetch with it?”

He shrugged. “It was more along the lines of me throwing my staff at their heads. I managed three in a throw at one point.”

He sounded proud of himself and Thea rolled her eyes. “That's animal cruelty you know.”

He snorted. “Not when it comes to that dog. Trust me, you'll be singing a different song when it sees you. It used to hate Lissandre as much as the rest of us, so don't expect a wagging tail.”

“Wonderful, another creature who hates me,” she muttered.

Hermes grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. “Not all creatures hate you, Thea.”

“I've yet to meet one who doesn't. Apart from Jaxon.”

His grip on her arm tightened. “I don't hate you, remember?”

Wincing, she pried his fingers from her arm. “Thanks. No need to snap my arm in half to prove your point.”

“Sorry.”

Looking around for the first time, Thea saw they were next to a large river. Looking up, she could see nothing but darkness; large rocky walls lined the path behind them and ahead, , the water melted to black. She couldn’t see the other side of the river, which unnerved her. She shivered at the feeling of foreboding she got from this place. “Where are we?”

“In the Underworld.” Hermes dusted off his shirt. “At the base of the River Acheron, to be exact. This is as far as I can teleport into the Underworld. From here, we have to wait for Charon to ferry us over.”

“Charon?”

“Ferrymen of the dead.”

Thea wrapped her arms around her chest. This was all too creepy for her. She heard a faint scream from somewhere in the dark and jumped. “What was that?”

“Probably just a lost soul, don't worry.”

“I'm standing in the world of the dead and he tells me not to worry,” she muttered to herself.

He grinned and pulled her over, rubbing her arms. “Don't worry. You're a guest here and as long as you follow Hades’ rules, you'll be fine. Once we get to his Palace, you won't even know we're in the Underworld - apart from the dead souls serving him.”

“He has dead servants?”

“Yes, he gives every soul who passes through his gates a choice - serve him for all of eternity or  go to their destined resting place in the Underworld. Only those who were pure in life are given this option. Those who were evil or tainted of heart are punished.”

Thea gulped. “How?”

“There are different parts of the Underworld suited for each soul. For example, the Valley of Mourning.” He shuddered. “I hate going there. Nothing but wailing and souls crying. They refuse to accept their deaths and are forced to stay there until they come to terms with whatever is holding them back. Once they finally come to terms with their life, they can come before Hades and plead their case. If he feels they’ve changed, then he sends them somewhere else.”