Crossroads

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘That’s probably because no one has ever been stupid enough to try and break into the Underworld before.’

  ‘Well you’re wrong about that,’ Olivia muttered, ‘but we don’t have time for a history lesson right now. I don’t think he would try to stop us from entering but I sure as hell don’t want to put it to the test. Besides we don’t know what we’re walking into on the other side.’

  ‘Then how are we supposed to get in?’

  ‘I don’t know yet,’ she shook her head. ‘Let’s try to get closer, I can’t see much from here.’

  They did as she suggested creeping forward slowly, using the rocks as cover until they were only about ten meters from the gate itself. Set out at intervals in front of the gate were nine tall thick columns and each bore one word. Below that word was a mortal suspended by chains. The first one was a fairly young looking male and although he seemed more or less unharmed, his face was filled with indescribable grief. The next one was a middle-aged female whose expression bore the marks of great anxiety. Next to her was another a male, by the looks of it, but she couldn’t tell for sure as it was ravaged by disease, flies buzzed around it and its skin was red, raised and angry covered by boils. She ran her eyes along each column taking in the object lesson, an old woman and then a man so emaciated he was barely more than stretched flesh over a skeleton with dark sunken eyes. The next appeared to be dead and next to her one whose face was filled with absolute agony. The last one seemed to be sleeping.

  ‘What are they there for?’ Theo whispered.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Olivia murmured. ‘Maybe they’re warnings, or object lessons or fears, I don’t know.’

  ‘I wonder what the words say?’

  ‘You can’t read it?’ she asked in surprise.

  He shook his head and she turned to Sam, ‘Can you read it?’

  He shook his head too.

  ‘You can?’ Sam asked her in surprise, ‘that’s one of the ancient languages. There are very few who can read it.’

  ‘What does it say?’

  She went along the row reading each one in turn.

  ‘Grief, Anxiety, Disease, Old Age, Fear, Hunger, Death, Agony and Sleep.’

  ‘Jesus,’ Theo raked his hand through his hair. ‘I don’t know what they’re for but I’d just as soon not end up as one of them.’

  ‘I hear you,’ Sam agreed, ‘but there’s no other way through.’

  ‘Yes there is,’ Olivia spoke up suddenly. She didn’t know where the words had come from or why she knew they were true but as she turned to face them she could feel it deep inside her, a knowledge that had been sitting there all along just waiting for her to need it. ‘Not far from here there’s another way in, a secret way.’

  They followed behind her curiously as she ducked down behind the rocks and began to head away from the gigantic gateway. The further away they got, the more they realized it wasn’t just a single gateway in the middle of nowhere like the one on the lake had been, outside her house. This gateway split a huge rock wall which speared up into the blackness, as high as the gate itself or possibly even higher. They turned quietly and followed the perimeter, creeping along the edge of the huge black wall like thieves, until Olivia stopped abruptly.

  ‘This is it,’ she smiled.

  ‘Err…Olivia,’ Sam paused, ‘it’s just a wall.’

  Theo frowned, Sam was right. He couldn’t see anything but the wall stretching into the darkness.

  ‘Livy, are you sure?’

  She took a step closer to the wall and then a step to the left and disappeared.

  ‘Olivia!’ Theo rushed forward.

  ‘What?’ she reappeared.

  ‘How did you do that? Sam asked suspiciously.

  ‘It’s just an optical illusion,’ she beckoned them closer, ‘look…’

  They stepped closer and realized there was an alcove cut into the wall which they couldn’t see until they stepped forward. Once inside there were stairs cut into the rock, which led upwards.

  ‘How did you know this was here?’ Sam asked carefully.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Olivia shook her head as she began to climb. ‘It’s like the knowledge was there stored inside my mind, but I didn’t think of it until Theo said there was no way through the gateway. It kinda feels like Deja vu.’

  Theo and Sam shot each other a concerned look, before climbing up after her. It seemed to take forever to reach the top of the steps. Their calf muscles were burning in protest and they were breathless as they finally emerged onto what appeared to be a walkway or parapet which had been carved straight into the rock face.

  ‘God, that was…’

  Olivia clamped her hand over Sam’s mouth and dragged both him and Theo down to the hard ground so they were concealed behind the low wall. She placed her finger over her lips and then pointed. Sam turned his head to look. They had emerged on the other side of the wall and now had a good look at the gateway from the inside. It looked much as it had from the front, with an exception. Instead of a monstrous gigantic three headed dog prowling back and forth there was a row of strange vicious looking birds perched on the arch of the gateway, looking down and watching the emerging shades, like vultures trying to decide which corpses to pick over.

  Sam’s eyes narrowed as he looked closer and he shuddered in revulsion. Each of the birds had the body and wingspan of a bird but the head and face of a woman with a cruel pointed beak instead of a mouth. Harpies, he thought in disgust. They hunted for the Erinyes and were never far from them. His gaze swept down to the gateway which opened onto the shore of a river and beside it lounged three incredibly beautiful, identical, black haired women. They wore diaphanous gowns of blue black which were draped with jewels and protruding from their shoulders were leathery looking bat-like wings.

  ‘Damn it,’ Sam whispered. ‘The Erinyes.’

  Olivia looked over to the three exotic looking female creatures. She knew exactly what they were, the Furies as they were more commonly known. Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone, the three Goddesses associated with the souls of the dead. They avenged crimes against the natural order of the world, particularly crimes by children against their parents such as Matricide and Patricide and their punishment was to inflict madness upon the murderer.

  Now although Olivia hadn’t committed matricide as yet, she had set fire to her parents’ house with her mother in it and she did intend to cause her mother some serious harm if she got her hands on her. It was a bit of a grey area and one she preferred not to flash up on the Furies’ radar, probably best to just avoid them at all costs.

  She looked over to Sam who was pointing and indicating for them to start moving away from the gateway and further into the dark Underworld. Nodding in agreement she turned and nudged Theo to get him moving. They crept silently along the wall until it began to descend. Once they reached the bottom they hid amongst the bushes and shrubbery which lined each bank of the river. A light suddenly appeared in the darkness, hovering over the mist covered water. It glided slowly closer, bypassing them and heading for the shore.

  ‘Come on,’ Sam mouthed but Olivia was still, watching that strangely familiar light.

  ‘Wait,’ she mouthed back.

  As the light drew closer to the shore the mist parted and a small boat appeared. It was a wooden skiff and from one end hung an old fashioned lantern. It bumped gently against the shore and a familiar figure stepped out of the boat and onto the sand.

  ‘Charon,’ Olivia whispered.

  Charon stepped out onto the sand and glanced up as one of the Furies broke away from her sisters and headed straight for him.

  ‘Charon!’ she hissed acidly, ‘you have some nerve showing your face here.’

  ‘Megaera,’ he sighed in resignation, ‘what’s the problem this time?’

  ‘You have been plotting against us, whispering in Hades’ ear, poisoning him against us to gain his favor.’

  ‘I don’t need to gain h
is favor,’ he replied blandly. ‘I already have it, it’s called loyalty. If you and your sisters weren’t so volatile and self-serving then maybe he might be more inclined to listen to you.’

  ‘Carrion,’ she hissed, ‘you think you’re better than us. You think to trap us here while the rest of the Underworld is on the verge of war.’

  ‘That is Hades’ decision not mine.’ His eyes narrowed as he noticed the blood red apple in her sister Alecto’s claw like hand. It had three bite marks in it, revealing the white flesh of the fruit and the poisonous black seeds at its core.

  Shaking his head in frustration, Charon leaned to one side to look around the three of them, and saw the smirking woman reclined on a rock beside the gate.

  ‘Eris,’ Charon grated from between clenched teeth, ‘I should’ve known.’ He shook his head in disgust his eyes narrowing, ‘now is really not the time to be causing mischief. And as for you three,’ he turned back to the Furies, ‘you should know better than to take anything from Eris, especially one of her apples of discord.’

  ‘Please,’ Eris rose gracefully from her perch, shaking out her long soft blonde her, her startlingly blue eyes twinkling with mirth. She smoothed the fine gossamer of her scarlet colored gown against her seductive form and bit into a shiny crimson apple, ‘you know what those morons are like for snatching food.’

  ‘I really don’t have time for your games Eris,’ he glared angrily at the stunningly beautiful Goddess of Chaos.

  ‘Forget those idiots,’ she dismissed the fuming sisters with a casual flip of her hand. ‘I was simply amusing myself to pass the time while I waited for you.’

  ‘And why would you do that?’

  ‘I know how highly Hades thinks of you,’ she trailed a long red nail along the bare flesh of his arm. ‘I thought you could put in a good word for me.’

  ‘And why would I do that?’

  ‘Because I would be very, very grateful’ she purred, looking up at him from beneath devastating lashes. ‘I can be a valuable asset for Hades, just let me loose amongst Nathaniel and the other traitors and allow me to do what I do best. A few apples, a few seeds of discontent and the insurrection will fold before it even gets off the ground. I could be a great ally Charon,’ her expression hardened, ‘or I can be a worse enemy.’

  ‘Is that a threat?’ he arched a brow in amusement.

  ‘It’s a friendly warning,’ she replied coolly. ‘I’ve served my time for that unfortunate incident in Palestine.’

  ‘Unfortunate incident?’ he retorted, ‘Eris you started a war.’

  She shrugged elegantly, ‘I want off the gate.’

  ‘Not likely.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because you can’t be trusted, just like the Furies.’

  ‘The triplets? Please…’ she rolled her eyes, ‘they aren’t even in the same league as me.’

  ‘I will of course relay your offer to Hades. What he chooses to do about it will be up to him.’

  Eris watched him with icy blue eyes as Charon headed towards the two shades waiting by the shore. He held out his hand, watching dispassionately as the shades reached into their own mouths one by one and removed a coin from under their tongues and handed them to him. Nodding he stepped aside, allowing them to glide effortlessly onto the skiff and settle against the small wooden bench at the bow.

  Charon stepped into the skiff and pushed away from the shore with his pole. He turned back to Eris as the boat slid silently towards the mist.

  ‘If you want to win Hades’ favor Eris,’ he told her bluntly, ‘no more apples for the triplets.’

  Eris rolled her eyes as the boat was swallowed up by the mist.

  He poled along the waterway in silence, the water of the Acheron lapping soothingly at the sides of the boat. His two guests sat at the fore staring blankly into the mist. Suddenly he caught a muted blue glow throbbing in the curtain of mist. His eyes narrowed and he slowed his movements, trying to make out the foreign shape in the distance. It hovered in the mist and then danced to the left weaving across the air, making its way closer until it broke through the fog and hung before him, sparkling with delicate blue black flames. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the burning dragonfly. His head whipped around to make sure he could no longer be seen by the occupants on the riverbank. Satisfied that they were well disguised by the mist he turned back to the dragonfly.

  ‘Take me to her,’ he whispered to it.

  Shivering in delight it danced in the air and then shot back into the mist. Charon dug his pole back into the bed of the river and pushed off again, picking up speed and chasing the strange glowing creature of flame. After a moment it shot across to the bank at the right hand side of the river. Adjusting his course, the small skiff suddenly bumped gently against the bank and Charon stepped out onto the soft springy turf amidst the bushes and shrubs.

  ‘Olivia?’ he whispered into the darkness.

  She stepped out from where she had been concealed and his face broke into a smile. He threw his arms around her and pulled her in close, hugging her tightly.

  ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ he breathed quietly.

  ‘We’re here to find the last Crossroad,’ she replied.

  ‘We?’ He looked up and saw Theo. ‘I see you found him then,’ he grinned and hugged Theo too.

  ‘Charon,’ Theo greeted him.

  Charon pulled back, stiffening as he caught sight of Sam.

  ‘What is he doing here?’ he asked coolly.

  ‘He’s our friend,’ Olivia gave a puzzled frown, ‘he’s here to help us.’

  ‘Are you sure about that?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asked gazing back and forth between the two men staring warily at each other.

  ‘Like Olivia said,’ Sam answered. ‘I’m here to help them.’

  ‘When has one of your kind ever done something to help someone else. Your first loyalty will always be to Heaven.’

  ‘So you know what I am then.’

  ‘And I know who you are. When your father realizes where you are he will bring the others and they will tear this place apart looking for you, and that’s something we cannot afford right now. It’d be like pouring gasoline on an already raging inferno,’ Charon replied angrily.

  ‘That won’t happen,’ Sam shook his head, ‘the world my father trapped me in no longer exists. As far as he is concerned I was lost to the Void. Trust me, no one is looking for me.’

  Charon’s voice lost some of the heat and his expression now bore more confusion than anger. ‘You don’t intend to tell him you’re still alive, you don’t intend to return to your people?’

  ‘No,’ Sam breathed quietly, voicing aloud for the first time the decision that had been inside him all along, even if he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it. ‘I’m not going back.’

  ‘Why?’ Charon asked, genuinely puzzled.

  ‘Because I’m not like them,’ Sam spoke quietly, ‘it’s time to start thinking for myself.’

  ‘Interesting,’ Charon’s eyes narrowed, studying Sam as if he was some kind of obscure specimen under a microscope.

  ‘Charon,’ Olivia tugged on his arm pulling his attention from Sam, ‘We need to get to the Crossroad before Nathaniel does. How much do you know about what’s going on?’

  ‘A lot more than you,’ he shook his head and glanced around nervously. ‘We can’t talk here, all of you get in the boat and get down you mustn’t let anyone see you.’

  Detecting his sense of urgency, they all clambered into the boat and lay down on the bottom boards so they couldn’t be seen.

  ‘What about them?’ Theo asked looking over at the two shades still hovering at the stern.

  ‘They won’t even notice you,’ Charon climbed back into the boat and pushed away from the bank. ‘You said you’re here to find the last Crossroad?’

  ‘Yes,’ Olivia whispered.

  ‘You haven’t got long; Nathaniel has already
destroyed four of them. The whole Underworld is up in arms, not just this one but all of them.’

  ‘I don’t understand?’

  ‘All of the Hell dimensions are connected to each other, pieces of a whole but ruled by separate entities. Hades all the way down to Tartarus is ruled by Hades, Sheol is ruled by the Hebrew God, Hell is controlled by Lucifer.

  ‘Okay I get it, so it’s like a huge theme park divided into different sections.’

  ‘What’s a theme park?’ Charon frowned.

  ‘Forget it,’ she shook her head.

  ‘Anyway, Nathaniel and all the other demons originated in Hell. They serve Lucifer but they have broken some of the oldest most ancient laws governing the Hell dimensions by coming into Hades’ Underworld and destroying the Crossroads. It’s a declaration of war.’

  ‘Lucifer allowed this?’

  ‘Lucifer is still locked away in a cage in the deepest pits of Hell where he was cast down.’

  ‘So it’s a coup?’ Olivia frowned. ‘Nathaniel is looking to overthrow Lucifer and he needs the book to do it.’

  ‘And his brother Seth.’

  ‘Fuck,’ she muttered.

  ‘Mortals,’ Charon murmured rolling his eyes.

  ‘We still need to get to the Crossroad before him, do you know how to find it?’

  ‘No I haven’t got a clue, none of us do. We still don’t even know how he managed to find them. They aren’t static, they fluctuate in and out of synchronization with the rest of the Underworld, that’s how they stay hidden. They are never in the same place for long.’

  ‘So how is he finding them?’ Olivia frowned.

  ‘I just don’t know.’

  ‘How am I supposed to find them?’

  ‘I don’t know that either…but I know someone who does.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘I can take you to Hecate. If anyone knows how to find the Crossroad she will.’

  ‘Hecate?’ Olivia replied, ‘the Goddess of the moon?’

  ‘Pagans,’ he shook his head in exasperations, ‘only half right as usual. Hecate is the Goddess of Crossroads and entranceways.’

  ‘Oh.’