In Pursuit of Kronos' Scythe (Completed)

Epilogue - Part I

Princess Tharalea

The next morning, Hades ordered two skeletal knights to send two boats to The Symphony. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and the sky was a shade of colonial blue, a sign that a storm was about to befall them. Tharalea wondered what Hades' mood would be, seeing his sunbathing plan burst to bubble. Her friends gestured her to hurry up, and she ran after them.

She believed that she would be the busiest meddler in the Gulf if she had to take care of every affair of the gods. She giggled to herself at the thought and joined her friend in the search for the nearest creek. It didn't take them long as creeks or rivers could be found at every nook and cranny in the Underworld. After loading their bags, they stepped into the boats. Like the boats in Poseidon's realm, they had no oars but they moved on their own accord towards River Lethe.

The current was smooth and the boats sailed at a pace as if it was bringing them for orientation around the Underworld. They sailed along a river when they came across a signboard, where a one-eyed crow was perching on. Worms crawled in and out the plank, eating the letters written on it. The crow flapped its wings and squeaked in a voice like a grandmother yelling after her grandchildren who were playing at the field. Rexon got frustrated that he grabbed a handful of pebbles from the river bank and tossed them at the crow.

The bird gave another ear-splitting squawk before flying away.

The boats moved on as if nothing had happened. Trees with barren branches stood along the banks, like a platoon of underfed soldiers welcoming the return of a crusader of armies. They extended their claw-liked fingers, trying to steal away the armies' shadows to feast their emptiness. Tharalea was glad that their boats didn't stop sailing.

They continued to sail past a deserted garden, where a stone cupid was perching on a dry water fountain. It struggled to fly away but failed, as it had only one wing. Next to the fountain, a talking jukebox in a coat of red dust sprang into life at their presence.

"Care to have some music?"

Without waiting for them to say "no" because it might have received more rejection than he could handle, it selected the music by himself. All of a sudden, intolerable din tore the silent morning. It sounded like a violin played by a nuisance child. He kept pulling the strings, ignoring the protest of the violin. "Yeeek-Yak-Yeeek-Yak-YEEEEEK!" The strings broke. The jukebox cursed and picked another tune. This one sounded like a drum played by an insane bear.

The music made Goosebumps infest Tharalea's skin, and the Emotion-Scale-Ghouls rose from the river banks. The river bubbled, like a seething broth, rocking their boats. Tharalea was scared that some mud monster would surface and harm them; Cytherea pulled her cap lower to cover her face, afraid that she might be tossed into the river and dirty her face.

The jukebox continued to entertain them with those not-so-entertaining music until finally, it screamed, "Ahh, I'm exhausted. No luck for you today, quest seekers. Perhaps next time. If we happen to meet again, please bring me some batteries so that I can recharge myself faster." 

With that, the jukebox went dead.

Tharalea waved at the sleeping jukebox, and they advanced further. 

After five minutes of peaceful sailing, they saw a dilapidated mansion to their left. It had a big hole in the roof, like a big cheese with a big bite taken out. The building gave Tharalea the impression of a big cheese with many moldy holes, which wouldn't make Tharalea's mouth water though she was famished. The window was hanging upside down, desperately holding on for dear life by one rusty screw through a mangled hinge.