Crossroads

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘Well shit,’ Olivia swore. ‘I’m sorry Charon but we don’t have time to be delicate.’

  She walked over to the bed briskly and taking a deep breath she rolled the drunken Goddess onto her back and helped her to sit up. Hecate raised her face to peer blearily into Olivia’s face. Even drunk she was a stunningly beautiful woman with pale porcelain skin, jet black hair and startlingly green eyes, even if they were a bit bloodshot.

  ‘Mortal?’ she frowned.

  ‘Hecate I need your help to find the Crossroad.’

  Hecate’s eyes filled with tears, ‘gone…all gone…’

  She reached shakily for the wine jug in Charon's hand and threw her head back draining what was left.

  ‘I think we’ve just found the reason why she’s drunk,’ Charon murmured.

  ‘Stop that,’ Olivia told her irritably as she took the jug away from her and handed it back to Charon. ‘Hecate I need you to focus.’

  ‘They’re gone,’ she whispered. ‘I felt them die…it was like being ripped apart…they have stood since before all of us…and I felt its faltering heartbeat. I felt the magic die.’

  She tipped her head back and began to wail.

  ‘What is she talking about?’ Theo whispered to Charon.

  ‘She is the Goddess of Crossroads and Entranceways; she must be tied to them in some way. There must have been some sort of deep connection for her to feel their destruction so intimately.’ He looked her, his expression filled with sympathy, ‘she is in so much pain.’

  ‘Maybe we should leave her Olivia,’ Theo told her gently, ‘leave her to her grief. We’ll find another way.’

  ‘There isn’t enough time to find another way,’ she shook her head. ‘I wish there was but we’ve already lost too much time going back to Mercy to stop the Soul Collector. We have to get to the last Crossroad before my mother and Nathaniel. We have to stop them.’

  ‘I know that but look at her.’

  ‘Hecate?’ Olivia turned back to the grieving Goddess. ‘Hecate please listen to me.’

  Hecate’s head dropped forward heavily, her wails quieting to deep shuddering sobs as she fell against Olivia. She felt her heart wrench for this woman crumbling in her arms. She could sense the amount of pain she was in and it simply floored her. She wasn’t in the least bit surprised the Goddess had tried to drown the pain with booze, especially booze that was made by the God Dionysus, the God of the Grape and wine-making himself. She was willing to bet his label packed quite a punch, judging by the state of Hecate.

  She found herself unconsciously rocking the tiny Goddess, smoothing her hair back and murmuring soothingly in her ear. There had to be some way to reach her, all she needed was the location of the last Crossroad.

  ‘Hecate?’ she tried again, ‘I really need your help.’

  ‘What good would it do now? It’s all lost…’

  ‘Okay,’ Olivia sucked in a breath, ‘unfortunately we’re going to have to get drastic.’

  She struggled to remove her backpack while juggling the intoxicated woman, until Theo stepped forward and took a firm hold of it while she slipped her arms out.

  ‘Hold onto that for me,’ she told him as she stood and dragged the Goddess to her feet, wrapping her arm around her neck and across her shoulders.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ Charon asked suspiciously.

  ‘I’m going to sober her up.’ She edged towards the pool, half carrying half dragging Hecate with her, ‘or possibly drown her,’ she added.

  ‘Are you insane?’ Charon hissed, ‘she is going to be spitting mad.’

  ‘I don’t care if she’s mad as long as she’s sober enough to understand me’ Olivia replied, standing at the edge of the pool.

  ‘You might want to stand back’ she warned them, grasping hold of Hecate firmly. ‘Please don’t be mad at me’ she murmured and then she plunged them both into the cold water of the pool.

  Hecate breached the surface of the pool, sucking in a great big shocked gasp of breath, her eyes wide. Olivia grabbed her head and shoved her under the water again while she flailed and kicked. After a couple of seconds, she allowed her to breach the surface and suck in another lungful of breath before dunking her again. When she finally came up for the third time, Olivia could see not only that her eyes were clear but they were blazing with absolute fury. She released her grip on her and stepped back.

  Hecate stood waist deep in the pool her gown now completely transparent and molded to her naked breasts and torso. Her black hair streamed down her back like glossy black tar. The whole building began to shake and tremble in response to the blinding fury in her green eyes.

  ‘Stop it Hecate’ Olivia told her firmly, raising her hands as they burst into flame, the glowing sapphire of her Hellfire banked low in warning. She didn’t want to fight the Goddess, she just wanted her attention.

  Hecate’s eyes focused on the Hellfire churning in Olivia’s outstretched palms and her eyes lost a little of the murderous fury. The trembling of the building ceased but she still fixed her gaze on Olivia, angry and demanding answers.

  ‘I’m truly sorry’ Olivia told her, ‘but I needed to talk to you.’

  ‘You are a mortal?’ she asked flatly.

  ‘Yes I am.’

  ‘How is it you can summon the ancient fire?’ she demanded.

  ‘I don’t know’ Olivia told her honestly, ‘I just can.’

  ‘What is your purpose here? Why did you come to the Underworld and how?’

  ‘Hades sent me.’

  ‘To what purpose?’

  ‘To find the last Crossroad, to stop the demon Nathaniel.’

  ‘You seek Epsilon?’

  ‘Epsilon?’ Olivia replied in confusion.

  ‘Epsilon is the fifth, the most ancient and the most powerful of all the Crossroads.’ Her eyes closed painfully, ‘and it is now the last of its kind.’

  ‘I can save it,’ Olivia whispered.

  ‘What?’ Hecate frowned.

  ‘I can stop Nathaniel from destroying the last Crossroad. I don’t know what he is planning on using it for, but I can guarantee that once he has what he wants he will destroy it so no one else can use it.’

  ‘If the last Crossroad falls the balance will shift, everything we have ever known will be thrown into the hand of Chaos,’ her voice was low and her eyes fathomless. ‘Everything will end.’

  ‘Then help me.’ Olivia let her fire peter out and reached out towards the Goddess imploringly. ‘I will stop them I swear, help me save the last Crossroad…help me save Epsilon.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Tell me how to find it,’ she replied.

  ‘You can’t,’ her eyes burned as she shook her head helplessly. ‘It is buried in the farthest deepest pit of Tartarus. It is as far below Hades as the Earth is below the Heavens. A deep dark abyss of eternal torment, a dungeon for the suffering of the wicked. It is the prison of the Titans, of Prometheus and of Kronos himself.’

  ‘Kronos?’ Olivia breathed, ‘the father of Hades and Zeus?’

  ‘Yes’ she replied, ‘your friend Charon there will tell you. The Phlegethon is the river of fire and it leads to the depths of Tartarus, but even if you reach it you will never survive long enough to find Epsilon. If Kronos or Prometheus don’t find you first there are thousands of other damned creatures that will, and Hellfire or not you are still but a mortal.’

  ‘I still have to try,’ Olivia shook her head. ‘I made a promise to Hades and now to you, I will do everything in my power to stop Nathaniel and to save the Crossroad.’

  ‘Even if it costs you your life?’

  ‘Yes,’ Olivia whispered.

  ‘Nobility,’ Hecate shook her head, ‘a quality we immortals sometimes underestimate.’

  She moved slowly through the water until she was standing toe to toe with Olivia. She raised her hand and traced her cheek gently.

  ‘Daughter’ she spoke softly, ‘life is preciou
s, do not throw yours away on a hopeless promise.’

  ‘I gave my word,’ Olivia stared straight in her eyes. ‘I keep my word.’

  Hecate’s gaze dropped on a helpless sigh to Olivia’s throat where a small glint of gold caught her attention. With a puzzled frown she reached out and hooked her slender finger under the chain, pulling the compass free from Olivia’s drenched shirt.

  Hecate’s mouth fell open on a startled gasp. ‘Where did you get this?’ she breathed.

  ‘Hades gave it to me.’

  Hecate’s hand fisted tightly around the compass and she squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a deep shaky breath.

  ‘Are you truly set on this path daughter?’

  ‘I am.’

  When she opened her eyes they glittered with hope and fear in equal measure.

  ‘Then go with my blessing,’ she answered softly, ‘and when you reach Tartarus use this.’

  ‘I don’t know how?’ Olivia shook her head. ‘It doesn’t work.’

  ‘It will,’ she replied.

  Olivia nodded.

  ‘There is one more thing’ Hecate warned, ‘do not let Kronos find you and no matter happens under NO circumstances let him get his hands on the compass. Do you understand?’

  ‘I understand,’ Olivia breathed. As she stepped back she felt a chill run down her spine and seep into her bones and she wondered if she would ever feel warm again.

  Chapter 22.

  ‘What is it Theo?’ Olivia asked softly, looking up at him as they drifted lazily along the river.

  He’d been quiet ever since they’d left Hecate’s place, not that Theo was overly chatty at the best of times. He’d always been quiet and reflective, preferring to sit back and just take everything in until he felt the need to give his opinion, but this was a whole new level of silence and it was painfully obvious something was bothering him.

  ‘Nothing’ he murmured, staring at the gentle lull of the water.

  She tugged on his hand until he turned to look at her. ‘No lies remember?’

  He sighed and glanced down at their entwined fingers.

  ‘Did you mean what you said to Hecate?’

  ‘Which part?’ she asked in confusion.

  ‘The part where you said you were willing to risk your life.’

  She let out a deep breath. ‘Yes I did mean it,’ she shook her head in resignation. ‘Do I want to? The answer is no, what I want is to go home with you and live an incredibly boring safe life together.’

  He looked up and met her whiskey colored eyes.

  ‘But that’s not the cards that were dealt to us Theo,’ she continued. ‘It took me a long time to accept that. If things hadn’t turned out the way they did, if I hadn’t been different in the first place, you would never have been pulled through time and we would never have met.’

  ‘Do you really think this is the price you have to pay for having me?’ he frowned. ‘This isn’t some debt you feel you have to pay?’

  ‘No’ she replied, ‘it’s just the way things are. That’s what everyone has been trying to tell me, only I’ve been too stubborn to listen. We’re different Theo, for whatever reason we’ve been thrown right into the middle of this mess and it’s up to us to fix it. We can’t do that unless we commit to it one hundred percent and maybe, just maybe, if we’re lucky we’ll come out the other side and get the chance to grow old together.’

  ‘I hope so,’ he kissed the back of her hand as she pressed her forehead to his and sighed.

  ‘Me too.’

  ‘I won’t let anyone hurt you, you know’ Theo promised. ‘I may be happy to stand back and let you mouth off at Immortals, but if anyone tries to hurt you they’ll have to come through me first.’

  ‘I know,’ she brushed her lips against his. ‘I love you,’ she told him softly.

  He smiled against her mouth, ‘I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.’

  ‘Then I’ll say it often,’ she chuckled, ‘you know I won’t let anyone hurt you either. It’s you and me Theo.’

  ‘Right until the bitter end?’ he asked in amusement.

  ‘Something like that’ she smiled, ‘but I prefer to think of it as, right until the happy end.’

  ‘You don’t believe in happy endings.’

  ‘Maybe this time I’ll make an exception.’

  ‘If you too get any more cloying, I may vomit’ Charon sighed.

  ‘Then stop listening to a private conversation,’ Olivia laughed and turned to look at him in amusement.

  ‘It’s not as if I’m doing it on purpose,’ he smiled.

  ‘What about you?’ Olivia asked curiously.

  ‘What about me?’ he continued to plunge the pole into the water steadily and push them forward.

  ‘What happened to you and Charlotte?’

  ‘My wife is at our home which is located along the West bank of the Acheron,’ he smiled.

  ‘You married Charlotte?’

  ‘Hades was gracious enough to allow Charlotte to remain here with me and she was gracious enough to consent to be my wife.’

  ‘Aww,’ Olivia smiled sentimentally, ‘I’m so happy for you. I really wish I could visit her, after all she is my great, great aunt and she did save my life.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll get the chance to, sooner or later. Something tells me this won’t be your only visit to the Underworld.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’ she frowned in confusion.

  ‘I don’t know,’ he shrugged, ‘just a feeling. Tell me something Olivia.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘How did you know who the judges were?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she answered honestly. ‘I guess it was the same as the passageway past the Gateway. The knowledge was there deep inside me only I wasn’t aware of it until I needed it.’

  ‘You are a very strange mortal.’

  ‘So I keep being told,’ Olivia muttered. ‘So Charlotte is well then?’

  ‘Yes’ he nodded, ‘she is very happy.’

  ‘Won’t she worry where you are?’ Olivia asked, ‘I mean you did kind of drop everything to help us.’

  ‘You have read Charlotte’s journals?’ he asked.

  She nodded.

  ‘Do you remember her mentioning that she could see into the spirit realms?’

  ‘Yes I do,’ Olivia recalled.

  ‘Well that was really only the beginning. Once she cast off her mortal body and all its restrictions her gift flourished. She is able to see across many of the realms including the Underworld.’

  ‘So you can’t hide from her?’ Olivia laughed in delight.

  ‘No,’ he chuckled, ‘she knows where we are and she knows what we are doing.’

  ‘Sam?’ Theo spoke up suddenly as he eyed their friend. ‘Sam?’

  Olivia looked over and found Sam sitting numbly, with a glazed lethargic expression.

  ‘Sam?’ Theo leaned forward and shook him lightly.

  Sam looked up slowly and frowned. ‘Who are you?’ he murmured absently, before turning back to the water and gazing at it in a kind of dreamy lassitude.

  ‘What’s wrong with him?’ Theo asked Charon in concern, ‘why doesn’t he know who we are?’

  Charon sighed, ‘I was afraid of this,’ he shook his head. ‘Don’t worry the effect will only be temporary.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Theo frowned. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘We have now left the River Styx and we are travelling the River Lethe,’ Charon told them. ‘It is the river of forgetfulness.’

  ‘Are you sure he’s going to be okay?’ Olivia asked worriedly.

  ‘I’m sure,’ Charon assured them, ‘once we leave this river he should be fine.’

  ‘Why is it affecting him and not us?’ Theo asked.

  ‘I suspect that has something to do with Olivia.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asked suspiciously.

  ‘Like I said Olivi
a,’ Charon shook his head, ‘there is something very strange about you, I’m not sure what it is. I knew it the moment I saw you back in the mortal world but since you have been down here my suspicions have only been confirmed.’

  ‘What, because I knew a short cut across the wall and because I took a lucky guess at which judge was which?’

  ‘It wasn’t a lucky guess Olivia and you know it, besides there have been other things.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘Your ability to summon Hellfire, your ability to read the ancient language as if born to it. There are creatures who have existed here in the Underworld for thousands of years and they can’t read our language, but you can. I think that whatever makes you so unique is protecting you against the effects of the river.’

  ‘But what about Theo?’

  ‘You two are more or less permanently attached to each other, you don’t even realize you are doing it. You naturally gravitate to each other, holding hands, touching, I would imagine the connection between you is passing your protection to him.’

  ‘Huh,’ she replied thoughtfully, ‘poor Sam. So do mortals usually freak out on the rivers?’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean by freak out,’ Charon frowned.

  ‘Do they usually act out of character, or display strange behavior?’ she clarified.

  ‘I don’t know really,’ he shrugged, ‘we don’t usually get mortals down here, but then Sam here is different anyway. You must have figured out by now that he’s not human.’

  ‘I did know that actually,’ Olivia nodded.

  ‘Sam’s not human?’ Theo replied in surprise.

  ‘Oh,’ Olivia murmured, ‘I forgot you didn’t know that.’

  ‘I just thought he was like us and that his ability to travel through time was a gift, like Olivia’s fire or my visions.’

  ‘No,’ Charon shook his head, ‘he’s definitely not human and it is what he truly is that makes him so susceptible to the effects of, not just the rivers, but the Underworld itself.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean, that your friend here is making a huge personal sacrifice to help you here. His kind don’t belong down here, especially not for prolonged periods of time. The longer he remains here the sicker he will become.’

  ‘Damn it,’ Theo swore, ‘why didn’t he tell us.’