by Kristen Day
“Just hold on really tight,” Phoebe suggested gently.
I looked back at Phoebe and Carmen one last time and gradually placed my hands on the railing. The first step was the most difficult. The second and third were slightly easier, but ‘easy’ was definitely subjective in this type of situation. I did my best not to focus on the black emptiness underneath me, hoping to prevent a misstep or catastrophic loss of balance. I made it about five yards before calling back to Phoebe over my right shoulder.
“It actually feels pretty sturdy!” I steadied myself once again and continued.
“Okay! I’m coming out!” Phoebe yelled back. I made sure not to turn around and look, for fear of losing my balance. The other side seemed a lifetime away and my still-shaking legs reminded me of the anxiety that pulsed through me.
“Come on Carmen!” Phoebe hollered at her from behind me.
Not hearing a response, I automatically looked back to make sure Carmen was alright. A wave of vertigo hit me again and the entire world tilted sideways, making me dizzy. I instantly dropped to my shaky knees and placed a death grip on the railing.
“Stasia! Are you okay!” Phoebe called out to me.
“I think so,” I tried to yell back. Thankfully, I was able to see Carmen stepping onto the bridge before the vertigo hit, so I forced myself to concentrate on simply placing one foot in front of the other. Not able to see behind me, I couldn’t tell how far I had gone. I fought the urge to find out as each step seemed to take a lifetime.
After about twenty more excruciating minutes, I was nearing the end of the bridge. With adrenaline moving me forward and fear fixing my eyes on what appeared to be a stone square platform up ahead, a shower of relief hit me when I stepped over the last wooden slat of the bridge. When both of my feet made it onto the stone platform attached to solid ground, I collapsed to my knees. The stone sparkled with flecks of silver and bronze; captivating me. I had to shake myself mentally to divert my attention back to Phoebe and Carmen.
Phoebe was farther along than I had expected, so she made it to the platform not long after I did. We both watched anxiously as Carmen stalled several yards from us. Her dark features were pale and when she looked up briefly I recognized the terror flashing in her eyes. I got to my feet and carefully walked to the end of the bridge.
“You’re almost there, Carmen. Just a little bit farther. You can make it,” I urged her gently.
“I’m kicking your ass as soon as I make it off this bridge,” she threatened.
“As soon as you’re off this bridge, you can do anything you want,” I snickered, appreciating the extent to which she and Phoebe were willing to go for me. “Just keep walking.”
“Careful what you ask for,” I heard her say under her breath, but she began to move forward again. Several minutes later, she extended her hand and I pulled her towards me and the stable platform. Instead of attacking me as she had threatened, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. I tried to calm her when I noticed she was shaking uncontrollably.
“Thanks Stasia,” she grinned at me and winked. “I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. Turns out I just needed something to look forward to.”
“Look forward to, indeed.” We all gasped and twisted around in the direction of her velvety voice. She was standing tall and regal mere feet away from us on the same platform. Although there was no sun in the Underworld sky, the angelic woman that stood before us was pretty close to it. As with the sun, it almost hurt your eyes to look directly at her. She had a golden, ethereal glow that dulled everything around her in comparison. Thick golden hair was braided down her back and what looked like actual strings of gold were woven through it. Flowing white fabric was wrapped haphazardly around her body and secured around the waist with a thick gold band. Her bare arms were adorned with countless gold bangles and a massive yellow gold pendant hung from her neck. When I met her gaze, my entire body froze. She had Nadia’s piercing golden eyes.
“Persephone,” I breathed unwittingly.
“It would appear the Day of the Dead is upon us.” She inspected each of us individually; her golden eyes seeing much more than our physical appearances. “You have come to fulfill your essence,” she stated simply, as my heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t been expecting that she would know who I was.
I raised my chin slightly and stood up straight.
“Yes,” I proclaimed with dignity.
“Antiquity trace,” she commented; clearly intrigued by my newest addition. “Very interesting.”
Her curious gaze did not deter the excitement I felt at finding out what my trace stood for.
“It’s a pity your parents wanted nothing to do with you,” Persephone provoked with a conspiring gleam in her eye.
“You and I both know that was not the case,” I shot back; assuming if she knew who I was, she had encountered my parents when they were killed and came to rest here. The corner of her mouth lifted ever so slightly as if I had passed some kind of test. I took note that there were no smoky tendrils swirling around her body. Maybe it was only her daughter who was filled with pure evil.
“It still remains to be seen if their many sacrifices were in vain,” she challenged me with a smirk.
“I don’t have to prove my worth to anyone,” I held her gaze. “The fact that I’m here should suffice as your answer.”
“Stasia…” I heard Phoebe hiss behind me in warning, but I held my stance easily. I refused to let anyone doubt my integrity, especially not a jaded, bitter queen. Unfortunately for Phoebe, her warning only diverted Persephone’s intense deliberation to her. Phoebe visibly squirmed under her powerful stare, but Persephone only smiled.
“A muse; so innocent and naïve,” she declared softly; continuing to stare at her; her expression quickly changing from a smile to a smirk as she shook her head in disgust. “Love is such a fickle thing. Don’t expect it to last. He will inevitably become bored and move on to someone else.
They always do.” As Phoebe shrank back in horror at her words, Persephone moved her piercing stare to Carmen.
“A protector,” she labeled her and then narrowed her eyes. “And very hard to read; a strong spirit. Too strong. You often become blinded by it.”
“Strong is a good quality,” Carmen carelessly defended herself.
“Strong is a prideful quality,” Persephone snapped at her, and then lowered her voice quickly, “but one I can appreciate.”
She returned her overwhelming gaze to me as I began to grow impatient. Not knowing how much time had passed, I was anxious to continue. She stepped towards me and her golden eyes darkened considerably.
“I deny you admittance,” she announced with venom. The finality of her denial caught me off guard, but I soon recovered and took a step towards her with renewed confidence. Ending my journey at the entrance was not a viable option.
“That’s not good enough,” I countered with conviction. She moved closer still and sneered wickedly at me.
“And why do you propose I should step aside and allow you entrance, young goddess?”
“It’s the right thing to do,” I affirmed.
“According to who?”
“Every day I wake up is a day I’ve fought for. Every mistake, every laugh, every tear, and every sunrise; I’ve earned through years of abuse and pain. I carry those memories with me as a reminder of who I am and what’s truly worth fighting for. And if you aren’t able to see that, I’m afraid your soul searching talents are highly suspect.”
Her now shining eyes met my gaze and her beautiful features softened. In that brief moment, I felt her darkness. Slightly chilled around the edges with a glowing warmth within; it reached out and enveloped me. The next second it disappeared and she straightened.
“You are bestowed admittance.”
Chapter 35
“I think I need a change of pants,” Carmen testified.
“Eww. Spare us the details,” Phoebe attested, making a face. After Persephone allowed us ent
rance, she had immediately vanished. No goodbye, no good luck; nothing. It was more than a little unsettling, and the anxiety-related nausea churning in my stomach reminded me that I had just held my own against the Queen of the Underworld. I didn’t know that I had that in me! I shook out my hands as we continued along a winding path that, according to the map, would lead us through the groves. I hadn’t realized I had balled them up throughout the exchange with Persephone until a stinging on my palm alerted me that my fingernails had broken skin.
“Between the ‘death bridge’ and our little chat with the Queen of the Damned, I’ve decided I should carry a gun at all times; whether it’s to defend myself or to put myself out of my own misery,” Carmen rambled on nervously. “It’s a win-win situation, really.”
“I don’t think a gun would do much against Persephone,” Phoebe reminded her.
“That’s not going to stop me from trying. At least I’d go down fighting,” Carmen declared. I slowed as I recognized the trees that were on my left.
“Pomegranate trees,” I said under my breath.
“What did you say?” Phoebe asked as she followed my gaze.
“I just…those are the same kind of trees that were at the Sons’ Cimmerian Ball,” I alleged.
“Remember? They were around the dance floor.”
“Oh yeah, I do remember that now,” she grinned dreamily at a memory only she could see. As we moved forward, I began to notice just how peaceful and serene the Groves really were. The fragrant aromas of the flowering trees made a convincing case that we were simply strolling through a lush garden; enjoying a nice Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, the otherworldly metallic shimmer of every tree reminded me just how far we were from nice Saturday afternoons and lush gardens.
“How much further do we have to go before we make it to Charon’s Marsh?” I asked Phoebe.
She consulted the map, looked around briefly, and folded it up; tucking it away in her pocket. Carmen and I stared at her as we waited on her answer.
“I have no idea,” she shrugged.
“What do you mean you have no idea?” Carmen argued, and held out her hand with impatience. “Give me the map.” As we all hovered over the not-to-scale mini map, we could only speculate as to how far into the Groves we had travelled. We knew we were headed in the correct direction, but it could be another ten minutes or an hour for all we knew.
“Let’s pick up the pace,” I instructed. After we jogged what felt like another two miles, the rust-colored dirt of the path began to harden and shift to a charcoal-like black dirt as we finally came to the edge of the Groves.
“Charon’s Marsh should be straight in front of us,” Phoebe surmised. We wearily stepped off the Groves’ convenient path and noticed that the Underworld had begun to transform into a darker, more menacing landscape as the Groves shrunk behind us.
“I think this is it,” Phoebe said as she inspected the map once more. We came to a stop at a place where the dirt under our feet met a line of tall grass. A dense fog hovered above the marsh, masking its true size; the lack of color creating a lackluster feeling in my soul. Although there were patches of grass as well as shrubs and tall weeds that surrounded the marsh, they were all variations of bronze, silver, and black. Even the water of the marsh appeared to be dark as midnight as it lay completely still; hiding immeasurable secrets of its own. The rush of what I guessed to be a waterfall was the only sound besides our own labored breathing from running. The most disconcerting aspect, however, was the smell.
“Why does it smell like a warm summer’s day when we are clearly in hell?” Carmen articulated my own thoughts with a terrified sheen in her dark eyes. The soothing fragrance of wild honeysuckle and cherry blossoms filled our senses; a direct contrast to our dismal surroundings.
“Maybe it’s coming from one of the other parts of the Underworld, like the Elysian Fields or the Asphodel Meadows? Finn said they were considered to be like heaven…” Phoebe brainstormed.
“I think you might be right, Phoebs,” I smiled at her, thankful she had been paying attention when Finn explained the map. I had been too busy trying not to pass out the whole time.
As directed by Finn several weeks ago, we took a right and then followed the banks of the marsh. I couldn’t fight the feeling of extreme isolation that tightly hugged at my fickle nerves.
Persephone had been the only being we’d met thus far. Not that I was necessarily chomping at the bit to meet any tortured souls (or even sprightly souls) - but still.
The constant roaring of a nearby waterfall caught our attention as we strained to see through the fog. Knowing that we were getting close to the River Styx, a ball of jitters had manifested in the pit of my stomach. I was almost 100% sure Nadia would be lurking near the river she was connected to, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to ruin my chance of completing my essence. It was only a matter of time. I looked at Phoebe and Carmen with regret as I remembered what I hadn’t told them yet.
“There’s something I haven’t told you guys yet. Nadia is in fact a river nymph.” I continued hesitantly, “The River Styx is the river she’s connected to, so there’s a pretty good chance she’ll be here somewhere.”
Watching for their reactions, I was taken by surprise when Carmen burst into a fit of giggles.
Phoebe’s green eyes darted towards me with worry written all over her face.
“Carmen?” I addressed her apprehensively. Maybe this place was getting to her. She stopped laughing long enough to focus her wild eyes on me.
“Of course!” she acclaimed; throwing her hands up as she flashed a deranged smile at me, which was emphasized by the maniacal look in her eye. “Of course it’s her river! This is wonderful!”
“Carmen…” Phoebe tried, but Carmen didn’t hear her.
“I was just saying to myself: What would make this diabolical journey even more exciting?
The wicked Princess of the Underworld, that’s what!” She clasped her hands together with joy as Phoebe and I shared another concerned look.
“Come on, Carmen, let’s keep moving,” I urged her. “We’ll deal with Nadia if we have to.
Until then we’ll stay on course.”
“But I want to see her!” she pouted. To mine and Phoebe’s dismay, she began to call for her at the top of her lungs, “Nadia! Nadddddiiiiiiaaaaaa!”
Phoebe immediately clamped a hand over Carmen’s mouth and delivered a stern message in a hushed whisper. Carmen nodded her head obediently and Phoebe carefully released her.
“Let’s keep going,” Phoebe advised gravely as she clutched Carmen’s hand and pulled her along.
The sound of the waterfall continued to become louder and louder as we came upon an imposing hill dotted with boulders. We climbed the hill with laborious slowness; weaving in and out of the multiple rocks and avoiding smaller boulders that just our weight could dislodge and send rolling down the hill. Carmen had grown especially quiet and reluctantly followed Phoebe’s lead. I was getting more and more worried about her deteriorating mental state. I couldn’t tell if she was in shock, or just couldn’t digest everything that was happening. Either way, I hoped that we could snap her out of it before it was time to go back. I would never forgive myself if Carmen became trapped here.
As Phoebe and I worked together to heave Carmen over the crest of the hill, we noticed that we were unexpectedly facing a wide river of angry, black water. Unable to discern the riverbed, I had no idea how deep it was or what challenges waited beneath. The torrent was so powerful, it dislodged several large rocks while we looked on and quickly carried them downstream. Suppressing my fear and keeping a keen eye out for Nadia, we continued following the riverbank until the roar of the waterfall could no longer be heard.
“Oh my God, Stasia, look!” Phoebe clamored, and pointed excitedly across the river. My mouth dropped and tears instantly sprang to my eyes. What lay across from us brought only one word to mind: ‘Paradise’. Its effect on me was instant and overpowering. I had the stra
nge impulse to negotiate the river’s violent waters in order to immerse my soul in the euphoria that waited on the other side.
From our position on the bank, the vibrant colors were shockingly intense. I took in the bright flowering trees, fields of golden wheat, lush orchards, and what looked to be a cluster of shimmering buildings that all appeared to blur and shift when I looked directly at them. Shadowy forms in the distance drifted lazily back and forth, as if enjoying a walk in the park. The intoxicating aromas we smelled earlier were slightly stronger, and it was clear now where they had been coming from. I was utterly mesmerized by its beauty and I knew without a doubt that we were looking at the Elysian Fields; the place where the divine souls reside.
I could sense it far better than I could actually see it. Just as I’d felt the warmth of darkness, I could feel the cool breeze of divinity. It washed over me like a summer rain shower; cleansing and revitalizing my soul.
“The Elysian Fields…” Phoebe exhaled.
“It looks like Candyland!” Carmen’s hysterical giggle brought me back to reality. I wrenched my attention away from the wonderment in the distance and focused on the reason I had come; the River. I scanned the landscape, still surprised we hadn’t encountered Nadia, but found something almost as disturbing. Lining the banks of the river was a thick mass of intertwining vines. The gleaming white hue of the vines created a daunting barrier between me and the raging waters. They were the very same vines that spiraled around the lightning bolt of Nadia’s menacing trace.
Assuming that nothing was what it seemed in the Underworld, I had a disturbing feeling that the vines were not to be underestimated; especially since I would have to wade through them in order to reach the water. According to Finn’s instructions, I was to submerge my body in the river; allowing it to take me downstream, over the waterfall, and into the marsh. Although the river’s current was much faster than I would have expected, the part that involved my body falling over a large waterfall was what was creating a precise pain in my temple.
