Theives Like Us

20

The entrance to the underworld was not what Rhyan expected. She expected a death trap or something shabby studio, not the sleek black marble of the DOA recording studio. Stencilled on the spotless glass doors were the words: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.
Rhyan had to admit Hades had style. And a sence of humour.

Crash walked right over to a tall podium with an even taller man behind it.

"Charon." The man behind the podium looked up. "We want safe passage to the underworld."

"No can do. You're alive."

Rhyan walked around the side of the podium as Crash threatened, Birch convinced and Charon ignored each other. No one noticed.

Behind the podium sat a few large pouches of a strange coin. Drachmas. Rhyan picked up the bags and walked in front of Birch and pushed the fuming Crash out the way.

"Look Charon, let's make this simple." Rhyan held 2 bags of Drachmas up. Charon went to grab them but Rhyan moved them out the way. "You want them? You take us to the underworld."

"But you took them from me!"

"Did I? Did you see me take anything boys?" Birch shook his head, understanding where she was going with this.

Charon smirked. "You'll die soon. I can just take the Drachmas when you die."

"Why?"

"Well I-"

"Why?"

"Because-"

"Why?"

"Just let me-"

"Why?"

The conversation went on for at least 3 minutes before Crash put his hand over Rhyan's mouth. "She can do this all day. If I were you I'd let us through before it gets worse. No one would blame you if you- AGH! You licked me!"

Rhyan spat and wiped her tongue clean. "You taste discussing!"

Crash and Birch looked at eachother before Birch piped up.

"Rhyan, man, he hasn't had a wash since we left camp...."

It took a second to click then Rhyan started the whole siting and complaining phase again.

"Stop it! Your ruining the decor! Stop spreading the mortal!" Charon sighed, "Fine I will ferry you. Just stop spreading the life."

The trio stepped into the lift silently and watched as the souls started to become transparent and their surroundings changed. The air turned cold, allowing a sudden chill to go down Rhyan's spine. She looked at Crash and Birch. Birch appeared to be Okay, over his CHB t-shirt he had a jumper and his legs had fur as well as trousers. Crash wasn't doing as well. He only had his orange CHB top and jeans on, and as a result the hair on his arms was sticking up.

Rhyan took his hoodie off and gave it back to him. "I'm too hot anyway." Crash muttered something along the lines of 'yeah right' under his breath, but took it anyway.

Rhyan rolled her eyes and walked to the edge of the boat. Charon walked up behind her, "I wouldn't get too close to that if I were you."

"The styx isn't it?" Charon nodded.

"It's not how I imagined it. It's so... polluted." Charon looked at the small girl next to him strangely. She was making conversation with the ferry man of the dead... and she had a valid point.

The boat stopped and the trio filed out with the other spirits.

"Where to now?"

"What's between Elysium and punishment?"

"Asphodel." Crash looked down as he spoke. His whole face was void of emotion but not his eyes. What was it etched into them? Sadness? Regret? Rhyan couldn't quite pinpoint it but she was getting better at noticing... she hoped.

"What's that?" Rhyan asked.

"Where the dead who are neither good nore bad go, man. It's boredom." Birch replied.

•~*~•~*~•~*~•~*~•

It felt like days since they had made it into Asphodel but in actuality it had only been hours, and Rhyan was already bored.

Somehow, Birch had convinced Cerburus not to eat them and to let himself, Crash and Rhyan through. Rhyan wasn't sure whether she would prefer to be alive in the land of bordom or have been eaten by Cerburus- It was a close call.
She carried on following her two companions, not looking where she was going until she bumped into Crash.

"Sorry Bandicoot, I wasn't looking where I was... Crash?.. Crash?" Rhyan waved her hand in front of Crash's face. He grabbed the arm that wasn't being waved and Rhyan tenced.

If he tried to attack her again she would be ready this time

But he didn't... He stood there mouth open, eyes wide and brimming with tears. Rhyan looked to where he was lookin to see a woman staring straight at him, confused.

She looked vaugely familiar. Thin faced, long brown hair swooped into a delicate braid and dark blue eyes. Crash's dark blue eyes...

But two things stood out. Two large, ugly purple land prints around her neck, and the broken shards of glass protruding from her right temple.

It was obvious she had died, otherwise she wouldn't have been there but this didn't look like a monster attack- this looked very human...

A bit too human for Rhyan's liking.

She looked at Crash smiled then walked away deeper into the fields of Asphodel.

Crash dashed after her and Rhyan followed him, not having much choice as Crash still hadn't let go of her wrist. Birch was way ahead, and Rhyan didn't bother to call to him. She didn't trust him anyway. Becides, if he wasn't with them he couldn't betray them she thought.

It wasn't hard to keep track of the woman with Crash's eyes. They were pretty much the only ones moving faster than a slow amble.

They carried on following, further and further. Faster and faster until they were almost sprinting, but still the woman didn't speed up. She stayed an equal distence away at all time. Rhyan could have almost guaranteed that if she and Crash stopped, the woman would to.

Tree shoots started to spring up in places and that's when Rhyan noticed there were almost no souls at this point of the fields. Almost like they knew to stay clear.

One tree towered high over the others shoots. On either side was a large stone wall, the tree being smack bang in the middle of it. A Yew tree to be precise. It was 20 metres high with thick, scaly, redish-brown bark. Hanging from the tree were bright red fruits as well as people.

Vines were wrapped around their necks cutting off the air flow to the spirits lugs. Other spirits were feeding the hanging souls the red fruit. Rhyan wasn't entirely stupid. She knew the fruit was poisonous.

The woman was suddenly sitting gracefully on one of the lower tree branches, holding some of the fruit.

"Crash?" For a spilt second Crash ripped his eyes away from the woman in the tree and forced them to the girl whose arm he was holding. He only just realised he was still holding her. He blushed and assumed she wanted him to let go, so he did.

"Not that... I mean you can still hold it if you want... I mean I'll probably get lost anyways..." Rhyan blushed then remembered the fruit. "Crash that fruit is poisonus, if she eats it then-"

"It's not for her." Crash said tearing his eyes back to the woman. It was only then Rhyan realised the woman was at the perfect hight to feed it to a man hanging from the branch. And she did.

Crash gulped like he wasn't sure if he wanted to enjoy watching this or not. He carried on watching but grabbed Rhyan's hand squeezing it as he did. Rhyan squeezed back reassuringly.

"Theft, welcome to the place where Hades punished one of the cruellest kinds of people. The tree of Tumult."

(A/N~ how is it so far? Not too boring I hope. Any who, what do you want to happen? Don't forget to vote and comment.)