It was like trekking through a snow-storm.
If the snow was made of warm, dirty ash, but I don't think there is such a thing as an Ash Storm in our world. I don't know how long we walked, must've been hours, or maybe days I'm not so sure.
Luckily, thanks to Karens canny forcefield projection abilities, none of the ash actually got to us, although we had to stop fequently in the shelter of the numerous jagged rocks that dotted the desolate landscape to allow Karen to recharge. Poor thing.
It was also impossible to tell what time it was, as we knew our watches would be utterly useless. There was also no sun, due to the fact that the sky was always a brick red. Our only hope of survival, it seemed, was a bright orange light, that burned through the ash storm. To it, we trudged onwards.
"How. Much. Longer?" Karen asked, through tightly gritted teeth, clearly struggling with the effort "Can't. Hold. O-" and with that she collapsed, and so did the bubble, greeting a rush of hot ash that buffeted my face. Spitting, I yelled at an equally tired George.
"Get the fuck to shelter!" Grabbing Karen, and hauling an arm over my shoulders, George followed suit and the three of us hobbled into the shelter of a particularly large boulder.
George had been very quite since we got into hell, now he revealed why.
"I can hear voices Lucy" he said, and I turned to him, my left eyebrow raised.
"That sounds similiar to what happened to Karen at Lucy's" I replied, remembering what she had said when she was explaining the fact she was part Daemon to us. "Do you think you're the same as her" I continued.
"No" he said "I am more powerful than her, the tests we all took when we joined school proved that"
Before we joined Gods-Hill, we each had to take a test. We placed our right arm into a strange machine, which looked like a miniature MRI scanner. The machine took a sample of our blood and at the same time implanted a small micro-transmitting nanites into our arms. This allowed the government to track us, which was required for all supernaturals. The result of the tests ensured which level of teaching you were given, the bottom being hard coaching, whereas the highest level just let the students get on with it. Incidentally, this was the tier where Kirsty, Dan and his little gang were. I was with Karen in the second tier, where they pushed us to do better even though we were pretty powerful.
I was pondering this when the figures began appearing in the ash.
"George.." I whispered, reaching for him, but to my suprise, he wasn't there. My surprise turned to horror as an iron grip encircled my left wrist, causing me to wince in pain. Looking down, I saw a gauntled, lobstered with black plate. Slowly I looked up.
My attackers face was masked by a helm of the same black plate metal. A pair of twisted horns grew from the brow, joining together in a strange symbol, one that I recognised from my mythology books.
Hades.
Then, I was hit by a savage backhanded blow.
I tasted blood.
I blacked out.
************************************************************************************************************
When I woke. I was greeted by something I really did not expect, well, even in my weird life.
Directly in front of me was an ebony desk, on which stood a newtons cradle, a dark red satin desk mat and a pot of expensive looking pens. There was little or no paperwork, so it didn't look like a working desk, more like something you would find in someones study. I was sitting in a high backed leather chair. Looking to my left, I saw George. He had blood running from his temple, his head was slumped onto his shoulders. He was pale and un-moving. To me left, I saw Karen.
