What is and what should never be

Chapter 6: I take the worst bath in history, thanks Troy.

I hate when Gods say things like that. Any god having an idea is usually a really bad thing, at that point running is usually your best option. If that god happens to be Anubis than you're definitely in deep trouble. We rode Eagle Frank out of the Duat and into the upper world again. I could tell Carter was starting to get Airsick, I really shouldn't have been dragging him all around the nine worlds with me on all my quests, but at least he didn't have to carry the destroyer of Souls in his purse like a puppy. Ammit was surprisingly well behaved, she slept most of the way through the sky, I thought she was peaceful for a little while just curled up in my purse but than I remembered that this was a vicious crocodile headed Monster. She was cute, but not all the time, I just wanted to know where Anubis was taking us. My question was answered as we landed In what looked like an abandoned construction site, but I knew this wasn't what it was, as a child of Hades I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, one I knew all too well. We landed and Frank became Frank again, Anubis walked out of the shadows, his face glistening with delight. "Welcome, glad you could find me here," I didn't want to sound scared or ungrateful, but I was very nervous, after the war started I couldn't even think of who was telling the truth and who wasn't. I knew I could trust Anubis, because we were practically brother and Sister. I knew we were going into the underworld, my fathers kingdom. I was really happy to go their not just to check on my dad and his progress, but also to see Bianca again, I was so glad to see my sister again it was the closest thing I had to Artemis actually contacting me, maybe Bianca could tell me where she was. But if Artemis was contacting Bianca and not me, that would kind of be rude, Artemis always said she loved all her Hunters equally, and would never single one out, but I still wanted a second opinion. Anubis waved his hand over what looked like a pile of dirt, and it literally caved into the ground! This scared frank so bad he turned into a sugar glider and jumped onto my head. So here I was leading a group of friends down into the underworld with a sugar glider who was really my sisters boyfriend on my head following a dog headed Egyptian god with a sleeping crocodile monster in my purse. Yep, just another Friday afternoon.
Walking into the underworld gives everyone the same thoughts, creepy and I couldn't argue with that. It was shadowy and dark and kind of depressing, every area of the place was roped off by a different deadly river, and all the plants were black and smelled like death, it took us a little while to get to dad's palace but myself, Hazel and Nico knew the place like the back of our hands. Carter simply ran after us while trying to ignore the endless dead people who depressingly hung around in the stagnant air. I took Nico's hand as we both shadow traveled up onto the palace balcony, while Anubis and Carter followed us. We were relieved to see our father standing on the balcony, but the look on his face wasn't exactly promising, he stood their in his pure black toga like robes, woven from tortured souls with his long back hair falling to his shoulders, he aggressively stared down at a scroll with his dark lifeless eyes, it took a minute before he noticed us, but he wasn't the one we were looking for but we saw a figure on the other side of the balcony looking somewhat inquisitive, she had olive skin that glowed silver, chocolate eyes, long Italian eyelashes, and her black hair flowing over her shoulders, she wore the traditional hunters uniform complete with silver circlet when she saw us we all lit up "Bianca!" Nico exclaimed "Nico me Bambino!" She exclaimed as she crushed us all in a group sibling hug. Their had been a lot of hugs these past few days, that had been great, "where have you been?!" I demanded "helping Papa with the whole Olympus is going to fall in two days thing, gathering a zombie skeleton army and catching up with anything urgent," I hugged her again "what about Artemis?" I asked have you heard..." "Nothing!" She exclaimed, we were both getting worried it wasn't like Artemis to stay out of touch for so long with any of her Hunters, "do you think she's okay?" I asked with concern, "I think she's either unbelievably busy, or the worse of the two, she was in danger. I tried not to think of that, so I turned to Anubis "so doggy what's you're genius plan?" I said slightly sarcastically "first of all don't call me doggy, like ever, Also this is a genius plan, I just need someone heroic enough, so follow me," Hazel, Bianca, myself and Nico ran after Anubis, down the stairs into the courtyard, "please Ignore us," I told my Fathers furies, we didn't demonic part bat, part Chicken, part hags chasing after us while we're following the dog headed god of death through the underworld. I told my dad's servants to "watch our dog," who was actually just Frank in pug form, but sadly I still had Ammit in my purse yay! We came to a halt out of nowhere when Anubis said we were there. I looked up and I was immediately stunned. Stretching out in the distance was a beautiful kingdom that seemed to be made of pure gold, I saw mind boggling meadows full of the prettiest flowers you could imagine, see through rivers with happy fish, and Naiads, orchards full of the freshest most beautiful fruits you could name, I even saw trees that had Candy dangling from their branches, I saw a young lady dressed in thirties high class attire sitting on a picnic blanket reading
and above the scene was a beautiful sky filled with fireflies, and pink clouds. Elysium I realized, the Ancient Greek paradise for all heroes. Anubis whistled me out of my admiration induced trance "I was referring to that," Anubis pointed right in front of us, and about three feet in front of us was a river, in fact you couldn't even really call it a river, it was a big, gross, acidic, soupy, mess, it was blue like jolly rancher soda, mixed with grey stuff, and black soot all combined into a Halloween punch-like mess of blech! The Styx. The Ancient Greek river of liquid hate, fed from the tears of the damned, and in the water floated every broken human dream you could name. Broken diploma's, Wilted homecoming corsages, Shredded wedding dresses, rusted out engagement rings, and threadbare baby blankets. Dreams that never came true. "Anubis?" I asked with caution "what is your plan here?" I said with actual concern. Anubis let his shoulders relax as he sighed, and his ears fell and he whimpered like a guilty puppy "look, you can't do this by yourself," Anubis said as he began rubbing his arms with nervousness "Even with all your power and the gods on your side, your enemy has an armada of cruise ships, fully armed tanks, assault rifles and war horses," I grit my teeth and clenched my fists, how dare he, I thought, was Anubis assuming I was weak, I was a Hunter of Artemis, daughter of Hades and Athena, we had over a hundred demigods on our side, the whole legion of camp Jupiter and the children of Ares, the war god himself "I'd ask Miss Bianca, but I know Nico would want her as far away from the action as possible," Bianca looked at Nico while stroking her hair, the look on her face said you don't have too, but I knew just like Will and Piper he just wanted to keep her safe. "You have the blessing of Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the perfect combinations of skills, Hades powers and Athenas smarts it must be only you," I turned to see my three siblings and Carter take a few steps back "which means what?" I asked "All the gods speak of your bravery and power, the way you have looked death in the eyes, and your perfect accuracy with a bow, and the fact that you wield two daggers, knives are usually only reserved for the greatest of heroes, I believe you deserve to bear the curse," I shook my nerves out with shock and looked at him, mouth agape until I finally realized what he was referring too "No! No! No!" I said while turning on my heel and crossed my arms, "No Way!" I snapped, "Pick someone else!" I exclaimed in anger. Carter rested his hand on my shoulder, Hunters of Artemis usually hate male contact but I let Carter comfort me "Anubis just described why it has to be you, look at everything you've done in the past few days, you found out a war was coming and immediately sprang to action, you have never thought about yourself," I hated the fact that Carter was trying to console me, but he was making a lot of sense, I had tried to warn everyone who couldn't fight, my mother would have been so proud, and best of all I a hundred percent knew everyone I cared about could die, and I never worried I just remained brace the whole time I was a true Hero in every sense of the word. Bianca placed her hand on my shoulder "you said I was the bravest demigod and huntress you ever knew it's time for you to be that for everyone else, bring honor to the Hunt, fight with your sisters just as I did," I fought back a smile, "Stop!" A voice yelled. "She is a Child! She Cannot Handle This Burden!" A voice cracked through the humid air like the fiery whip that nemesis kept at her belt. But since this voice was male and a lot more serious I knew this wasn't Nemesis. We all turned in the direction of Elysium "Turn back! This is Blasphemy!" A ghostly figure shimmered to life in front of us with another figure holding his hand. The ghost had long blonde hair cut off at his shoulders with blue eyes like that of a Water nymph, his skin a light olive gold color like someone who spent too much time in the sun and hated the indoors, he wore all Greek armor with an iron tipped arrow sprouting from his right heel. The young man next to him held his arms around his neck in both a comforting and protective manner, he had darker olive skin the color of warm bread, he had brown eyes the color of chocolate with black feathery hair, cut nice and choppy like Nico's only a lot shorter, he had a splatter of freckles across his nose like Bianca's, but he didn't wear armor like his partner he wore a long white Greek chiton with a gold circlet around his head. I stunk at remembering Greek names because of the whole demigod dyslexia thing, but even Carter had to know the greatest Greek warrior of all time.