Ankou noticed that I dropped the ‘hell’ that time and grinned. “Kris saw Rhea arrive. I happened to be with him at the time and he asked me to check out what was going on and intervene should the need arise.”
It felt good that Kris was still looking out for me. “How much did you hear?” I asked.
“Enough. I’ll tell Kris everything, though I think it’s going to make him even more pissed at her.” I nodded my head. He was probably right.
“If it helps I think she genuinely believes that she is doing the right thing for him.” It was hard for me to admit, but I honestly believed I was speaking the truth.
Ankou was having none of it though. “It is about time she stopped interfering in our lives. There is a big difference between stopping us abusing our powers and controlling us and she needs to realise this.”
“I can understand why Kris in avoiding her,” I said. “But why is he hiding from the rest of the family? Surely they are on his side.” Ankou was the only one of Kris’s family who ignored my request to be left alone and still insisted on visiting, though rarely, so I wanted to take the opportunity to ask the question that had been burning inside of me for a long time.
“Two reasons,” Ankou said, taking a seat on the sofa. He pulled me down beside him and put his arm around me. It had been a long time since I had been that close to a man and it felt good.
“Firstly, he does not want the sympathy. He couldn’t cope with everyone being ‘nice’ and ‘understanding’ toward him. I think the only reason he allowed me to find him is so that he could use me to keep in contact with you. Nobody else knows that I know how to find him and I plan on keeping it that way.”
“Where is he?” I asked.
“You don’t need to know,” he said. “But I can assure you he is safe. Secondly, he is busy. I cannot tell you what he is doing now, you will have to find out for yourself in a decade or so, but I can tell you that after he found a way to watch you via the security cameras he concentrated on finding a way to contact you. Rhea banned him from coming to Earth, not from speaking to you.”
“But how can he do that?” I asked in bewilderment.
“With this,” he replied and handed me an object that looked a lot like a phone. “You won’t be able to call him, but he can call you. Not very often, as the signal can be traced if any of the gods know what to look for, but he promises to keep in touch as much as he can.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. I was going to be able to speak to him! “Thank you,” I said and hugged Ankou tightly, kissing him on the cheek as I released him.
“I have to go before anyone wonders where I am,” he said as he stood up, but he had a gleam in his eye. “Any messages for Kris? I distinctly remember being your messenger in a very nice way on your birthday a number of years ago.” He couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Maybe something a bit less oral and more physical? It’s been a long time since you made love to him.” To this day I don’t know if he was being serious or not. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t, seeing as he knew Kris was watching and he would never do anything to hurt him, but that little bit of doubt still lingers.
“You didn’t pass on my last one, so why should I believe you would pass on anything more intimate?”
Ankou grimaced. “Actually I did. Receiving the message was quite memorable; passing it on is something I would rather not think about.” He shuddered and I couldn’t help laughing.
“Think about what you are saying for just a moment,” I said. “If I take you to my bed as a message to Kris, exactly how are you planning on giving it to him?”
Ankou froze. I could see his mind working and could imagine the images that were filling his brain as the colour drained from his face.
“Didn’t think that one through, did you?” I asked in amusement and patted his cheek.
He regained his composure, cleared his throat, announced he was leaving and disappeared.
I have not seen him since.
The ‘phone’ rang a moment later and I talked with Kris for the first time in years. I cannot begin to describe how good it felt.
Kris only managed to call me a few times each year, but it was enough to keep me sane.
So now the day has finally arrived. Today is the solar eclipse and the barrier between my world and Kris’s will be down. Emotions are having a war inside me. I’m both excited and apprehensive. What happens if I cannot get through to the underworld? What happens if Kris does not show up? What happens if Rhea finds another way to keep us apart?
I am filled with questions and uncertainties. Whatever happens I know I am never coming back. I am going back to the caves and one way or another I am going to go to Hell. This time I am prepared. My backpack is filled with all I will need to break into the caves and negotiate them in the dark. I even have a change of clothes. And the red dress.
Everything is in place for Kay to legally take over all of my assets. I am going to miss her greatly, and her mother, but I may be able to find a way to visit them. Who knows? All I know is that this will be my last ever diary entry. Over a quarter of a century ago I met the man I love and I have spent the last 25 years waiting for the day when I can return to him. That day is finally here.
Epilogue
Rachel parked her car for the last time and climbed out, reaching into the back seat for her backpack. She locked the car and stared at the keys, wondering what she should do with them. It was not like she was going to need them anymore.
She was still contemplating when a familiar voice sounded behind her.
“Long time no see.”
Rachel spun around and stared at the man in surprise. “Robert? What are you doing here?”
He looked different. Older, obviously, but that wasn’t it. He didn’t stand the way she remembered. He used to give the impression that he was confident, sure of himself, just by the way he held himself. Now the arrogance was gone. He was slumped slightly, making him seem smaller and insecure.
“I wasn’t sure if you were going to turn up,” he said, not answering her question. “I should have had more faith in you.”
“What do you want Robert?” she asked him. She hadn’t seen him in a very long time and was not in the mood for speaking with him now.
“I’m here to help you,” he said. “I know that there is nothing I can do that will make up for my betrayal of you, but I want to at least try. I didn’t know if you would be able to find your way through the caves, so I decided to come here and volunteer my assistance.”
“How did you know what date to come here?” she asked, unsure whether she should trust him or not.
“It’s the first solar eclipse in this area since the last time we were here,” he said. “Did you really think I would forget when you would be able to get back to Hell?”
“After what you tried to do to me, nothing would surprise me.” She wasn’t angry with him anymore. Too much had happened for her to care about what he had done in the past. “Catch,” she said and threw her keys at him. “I won’t be coming back, so please can you make sure my god-daughter gets them.”
“What happens if the border isn’t down?” he asked.
“Like I said, I won’t be coming back.” It took a moment for him to realise what she meant and when he did he merely nodded his head.
“OK. Who is your god-daughter?”
“On second thoughts,” Rachel said, “you should drop them off at my lawyer’s place. Pass me pen and paper and I will write down the address.”
Robert rummaged in his bag for writing material and handed her a pad with a pen attached. “It’s Tammara’s kid, isn’t it?” he said. “I heard she got married and had a daughter.” He didn’t sound accusatorial at all; his tone was as though he was merely stating a fact that had no personal significance for him.
Rachel nodded her head while she wrote. “I’m glad you stayed in contact with Tammara,” he said. “She is an exceptional person. I should know. I destroyed my friendship with my best friend for her.�
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Rachel did not react to his words. She handed the pad back to him then re-shouldered her bag. “Let’s go,” she said. She wasn’t sure if she trusted him, but as she could not work out what he could be up to and she knew that she would have trouble remembering the route once she was inside the cave system, she decided to allow him to lead her, at least for now.
The security had been upgraded since their last visit, but not significantly. The gates now locked together instead of using a padlocked chain, but Robert had come prepared for this. He took a sledgehammer out of his rucksack and began pounding on the gates.
“I guess you don’t care about anyone seeing that we have gained entry this time,” Rachel said as Robert held one of the gates open for her.
“No,” he said. “I plan on being gone long before sunrise. Follow me.”
Rachel did as instructed, taking out a flashlight the moment they entered the caves. As they walked along in the dark, lighting their way with their two beams of light, memories of the journey they made together twenty six years ago flooded Rachel’s mind. Their conversation about the internal temperature and the katabatic winds resurfaced and she had to smile. There were no smug comments from Robert this time.
Robert led her straight to the bridge over the river Styx without any wrong turns or detours. “We’re here,” he said, needlessly. “How are you feeling? Nervous?”
“A little.”
Robert took her in his arms and hugged her tight. He expected her to push him away, but she didn’t. “I am so sorry I let you down,” he said. “Thank you for letting me accompany you. Everything is going to be OK.”
“I know,” she said, moving away from him. Last time she had been here it took a lot of persuading on Robert’s part to get her to climb over the safety barrier. This time he had to hold her back.
“Are you really sure about this?” he asked, grabbing her arm.
“I have never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said.
He nodded his head, released his hold on her and stepped back. “Good luck,” he said and watched her adjust the straps of her backpack then jump into the water.
This time she did not scream. As expected, she passed straight through the water without getting wet. The fall seemed to last much longer than last time, but that was probably due to her impatience to arrive.
Despite being prepared for it, the hard landing still knocked all of the air out of her lungs.
“Welcome home,” a voice sounded behind her and she felt like crying with joy. She sat up and saw Kris casually leaning against his boat, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. He had never looked as good as he did right then.
She ran over to him and threw herself into his outstretched arms. She wanted to tell him how much she had missed him, but was too busy kissing him to speak. They ended up falling onto the ground and were rolling around in the sand when Rachel suddenly pulled away. “Your family can’t see us here, can they?”
“Probably,” Kris replied. “But who cares?”
“I do,” she said and disentangled herself from his arms and legs before getting to her feet.
“Spoil sport,” Kris grumbled, but he too stood up. “Come on then,” he said, taking her hand and leading her back to the boat.
All of Kris’s immediate family were at Hades house, eagerly awaiting the couple’s arrival. They had not been watching the beach, so they did not yet know that Rachel had appeared or that Kris had been waiting for her.
“Do you think she will come?” Katana asked in concern as she slipped her hand into Ankou’s. She had been doing that a lot recently and despite his protests that they were cousins so nothing could happen between them she wouldn’t stop.
“Of course she will,” Ankou said as he freed his hand and moved away from her.
“And Kris?” Other than Ankou, nobody had seen Kris since he had been banned from visiting Rachel and Ankou had managed to keep his visits to his cousin secret, so he could understand Katana’s question. She didn’t know if her brother even realised that Rachel was due to arrive today.
“He will be there to meet her,” Ankou said.
“Then where are they?” War demanded as he paced up and down.
“Calm down uncle. They will get here when they are ready.”
“Maybe they won’t come here,” Bo said in concern. “Maybe he will whisk her straight off to wherever he has been hiding himself.”
Ankou was the only one in the room who was calm. Even Hades was on edge. “He will bring her here, I promise you.”
“But how can you be so sure?” Spatha asked.
“Because he told me he would and Kris does not lie.”
Silence greeted his response.
“What?” War eventually asked.
“I’ve been in contact with him ever since he disappeared,” Ankou said.
Bo walked up to him and slapped him across the face. Hard. “I have spent the last twenty years worrying about my son and you could have let me know that he was alright at any time, but you didn’t. You utter bastard.”
Ankou rubbed his cheek. He was used to being slapped by women, but not usually so forcefully. “I was obeying his wishes,” he said in his own defence.
The ensuing family argument was circumvented by the arrival of Kris and Rachel. All hell broke loose as they were mobbed by people hugging and kissing them. Even Pestilence joined in. “I think they are pleased to see you,” Rachel said.
“Not me,” Kris said. “Us. This is their way of welcoming you to the family.” Rachel had instantly gone from being an orphan, all alone in the world, to a member of a family larger than she could possibly imagine.
“You must be hungry,” Bo said, putting her arm around Rachel in a motherly fashion. “A feast has been prepared for you both.”
She led them to the dining room, where the table was filled with food. It was longer than Rachel remembered; enough seats had been placed around it to accommodate everyone present.
Rachel paused in the doorway, too overcome with emotion to enter. This was where it had all begun. It was from here that Hades had sent her and Robert on their journey through Hell.
Memories flowed through her; crossing a desert and a swamp, meeting an ogre, riding across a lake on the back of a turtle and nearly drowning, flying on a dragon, riding Pegasus, being bitten by a snake, being thrown off a cliff by a fairy. They went on flashing through her mind and she found it hard to breath.
“Are you alright?” Kris asked in concern.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Just a bit overwhelmed by it all.”
“Do you want to leave?”
“No. This day is as important to them as it is to us. It would be rude and insulting to leave now.”
She allowed him to lead her through the doorway and they took their seats. The meal was a noisy affair with everyone talking as they ate. They wanted to know what Kris had been up to and where he had been. He told them about hacking into the security cameras so he could keep an eye on Rachel and about the phone he had made for her.
“Is it me or is that kind of creepy?” Katana asked. “You were constantly spying on her.”
“No he wasn’t,” Rachel said, leaping to his defence. “He was looking out for me. I have never felt so safe in my life. I knew that if anything happened to me he would come out of his self-imposed seclusion and send someone to my defence. Like he did when Rhea visited.”
“Mother visited you?” Hades asked in surprise. “Why?”
“To ask me to convince Kris to come out of hiding. I refused.”
“You said no to grandmother?” Death said. “You’re braver than I thought.”
Kris was asked to explain the reasons for his self-imposed exile, which he did. He offered no apologies for the hurt and worry he had caused, but none were needed; everyone understood.
Rachel yawned. It had been a long and tiring day for her.
Kris noticed. “Time to go,” he said loudly. “Rachel is exhausted.”
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“That is understandable,” Bo said. “It has been a big day for her. We rebuilt your room after you destroyed it and turned it into a complete suite for you both.”
“Thank you,” Kris said, standing up. “But I have already sorted out our accommodation. I have spent the last two decades or so working on a place for us to live.” He turned to Rachel. “I hope you will like it.”
Ankou slapped him on the shoulder. “Trust me, she will love it.”
“But you said the only place you are really happy is at home, with your family,” Rachel said.
He smiled at her. “You forget, home is where the heart is and my heart is wherever you are.”
Kris was inundated with questions in regard to what exactly he had ‘sorted out’ and where it was, but he refused to answer. Ignoring everyone, he held out his hand to Rachel and helped her stand up.
“Leaving before even saying hello?” a voice rang out, instantly bringing silence to the room. Rhea stood at the end of the table, staring at Kris and Rachel in delight. “It is good to see you both,” she continued.
‘I wish I could say that the feeling was mutual,” Kris said in a cold tone, “but I would be lying.”
“That is no way to speak to your great-grandmother,” she said, but she did not sound angry.
“Maybe not. But it is the way to speak to the person who is responsible for putting me through hell, as my adorable girlfriend would put it, for the last twenty years.”
“You chose to isolate yourself from your family. That was nothing to do with me.”
“It was your actions that made me do it,” Kris said. “And that is not what I am talking about. You kept me from seeing Rachel. That was the part that was hell.”
Rhea snorted. “That is nothing like hell.”
“Try it.”
“Actually, that is not a bad idea,” Rachel said.
“What are you suggesting?” Ankou asked, intrigued.
“Maybe she should spend twenty years on her own, never seeing any of those she loves most. Maybe that will make her see how hard it really was for Kris.”
Diary of a journey through Hell Page 31
