by Luke Romyn
Hades snapped the reins, and the two powerful beasts exploded into their harnesses, their matt-black metal hides rippling like flesh, their replicated muscles flowing beneath. Even after seeing the workmanship of the bronze bulls, Talbot was still in awe of these incredible creations. Hades's golden chariot - while somewhat gaudier - boasted the same design as the one hauled by the bulls, obviously built more for performance than comfort, with no chairs to sit upon.
And their speed!
Talbot had assumed the horses were designed to be faster than the bulls, but hadn't realized how much that would be the case. The landscape became a blurred smudge as the air whipped at his eyes, causing them to water painfully. The difference was like switching to a Lamborghini after bumping along in the back of a pickup truck. The ground shot by, the gray stone perfect for such speeds, its smooth surface helping the well-lubricated wheels to -
The rocks beside them suddenly exploded outwards in a massive eruption of slate and ash, causing the chariot to lurch heavily to the left. Wes instantly covered Talbot's body with his own, chunks of stone raining down all around them, clattering against the metal of the chariot and its horses. Talbot heard several large pieces hit the back of the SAS commando, but Wes didn't flinch, reminding him of Captain Benedict's final sacrifice. The hail of stones petered out, only for a horrific screech to fill the air, causing the horses to bunch their engineered muscles once more, bursting forward in panic - or their mechanized semblance of self-preservation.
Talbot glanced around, panic threatening to overwhelm him as well. He fought to force it away, remembering Wes's advice. This was not the time for fear; this was the time for action!
At first, Talbot thought the thing attacking them was a gryphon, but then he noticed several differences. The first was the size of the creature. While large, it was nowhere near as bulky as the enormous gryphon which had first attacked him on the Super Stallion, and then on the ground beside Ayers Rock. He gazed at it closer, taking note of everything he could while looking for some kind of weakness they might exploit.
Flying low to the ground in pursuit of them, the beast glided on the wings of an eagle, spreading from the body of a giant cat - possibly a lion - its tail some kind of snake. The face was that of a beautiful human woman, eyes dark and contemptuous, but all the more striking as a result, lips plump, parting to reveal... a mouth full of fangs!
Talbot pointed back at it. "What the hell is that thing?"
Hades glanced behind them. "Damn!" he yelled. "It's a sphinx!"
"What? You mean like that statue thing in Egypt?" queried Wes. "But that doesn't have fucking wings."
"I don't think now is the time to argue the finer points of sculpture," shouted Talbot over the roar of the chariot. "Can we kill it?" he asked Hades.
"I doubt it," replied Hades. "Even with the power of Chiron's sword, I don't think you'll get a chance. They are the greatest hunting beasts of Tartarus."
The huge flying creature moved like a hawk, and even the powerful black horses were having trouble keeping their distance from it. Glancing ahead, Talbot saw an enormous, fortress-like castle looming before them. If they could manage to get to that, they might stand a chance.
"Is that your place?" asked Wes. Hades nodded. "You really are a wanker, you know that, don't you?"
Hades looked confused. "I do not understand this term," he said.
"Yeah, I figured that. That's why I like using it, ya wanker."
The sphinx swooped in low, its front claws reaching out, only a few feet from being able to grab the rear of the chariot. Wes swung the sword of Chiron, aiming for the legs. The huge creature twisted away at the last minute, causing Wes to almost overbalance, recovering just in time.
"I wish I had my gun right about now," he muttered. "This sword is pretty and all, but my grenade launcher would do a good job of knocking this bitch right on her ass."
The gates of Hades's castle loomed closer.
"Do you have anything we can use against this thing?" asked Wes.
Hades shook his head. "There was a time I had a supply of bows such as those used by the centaurs, but they were all used up in the war between the dimensions."
"So how are we going to stop this fucker?"
"There are certain... devices... within my city which we can use to fend off the sphinx," replied Hades. Talbot didn't fail to sense the hesitancy in his answer.
"What kind of devices?" he asked.
Hades looked back, avoiding Talbot's gaze. "We must get inside the city first, and then I shall be able to show you."
"You're a slimy bastard alright," muttered Wes. "Heracles was right."
"What?" asked Hades, obviously catching some of what Wes had said.
"Nothing," answered Wes cheerfully. "Just wondering out loud about the rugby scores back home."
Hades glared at him, but Wes merely grinned. He had already established who the alpha dog was here and had nothing else to prove.
The sphinx readied itself once more before swooping, its claws stretching and grasping for Talbot. Wes swung the sword of Chiron with all his might. This time it struck true, slicing deep into the thick flesh of the beast's right foreleg. The sphinx wheeled away, screeching like an eagle through its human mouth.
"What the hell?" gasped Wes, looking at the sword. "What happened? It felt like I hacked into stone!"
"You did," replied Hades, flicking the reins to drive the metallic horses forward even more. "The sphinx is one of the toughest of all the beasts of Tartarus. Its flesh is like rock."
"Nice of you to tell me," snarled Wes, grimacing as he flexed his elbow. "Damn thing jarred my entire arm. I thought Olympian swords were supposed to be able to kill these things?"
"They do," said Hades, his black hair flicking across his face as he turned to face Wes. "But the sphinx's main defense is its skin - even the weapons of Hephaestus were always weak against them."
Wes muttered something indistinct, his eyes scanning the sky for a glimpse of the sphinx, but for now it seemed to have fled. Talbot returned his gaze forward once more to the city which Hades called home.
Ebony walls - constructed from the same obsidian as the huge gates through which he and Wes had passed earlier - surrounded the entire city, with high spiking towers shooting up from various points on the battlements. Suddenly something occurred to Talbot.
"Who lives in your city, Hades?" he asked.
Hades instantly looked discomfited. "I had citizens from Olympia, but they... departed... once Kharon's race arrived."
Talbot thought about it, sure Hades was being devious in his answer. Wes broke in, his voice full of controlled rage. "You mean you brought those soul-sucking fucks into a city full of people?"
It finally dawned on Talbot. "Your people didn't leave, they were consumed."
Hades's eyes remained pointed forward. "Once the war began, we needed the services of that race. Sacrifices needed to be made.... The people knew that, and gave their lives willingly."
"Bullshit!" hissed Wes, and Talbot knew it was only the fact that they needed Hades's assistance that kept Wes from attacking the Olympian. "I've seen what those things do, I heard Heracles screaming. Nobody would submit to that knowing what was about to happen."
"Heracles did," retorted Hades. "He knew what awaited him if he agreed to Kharon's demand, and yet he went through with it."
"Heracles was different," interjected Talbot. Though his voice had grown soft, both men paused to listen. "He was a hero. I thought I'd imagined those screams, because I believed no one could possibly make them. But since Wes heard them also, I know they were real. If Heracles agreed to submit to something so horrific, he was exceptional. I can't believe an entire city would submit so readily." Hades dropped his gaze, and Talbot knew he'd been lying.
"How did you make them surrender, Hades?" Talbot pressed the question. "Kharon said that the merging required the submission of the host, so how did you get an entire city - men, women, and children - to allow such
a thing to happen?"
At first, Talbot thought the Olympian would refuse to answer, but Wes tapped the railing beside Hades's right hand with the flat of Chiron's sword, causing the golden electricity running along its blade to crackle.
"There is a root from Olympia. In small doses it dampens pain," Hades admitted. The words sounded as though they were being torn from within him, but his eyes never left the sword Wes held, and he knew the threat from the commando was not empty. "In large doses it commands total obedience." He trailed off, remaining silent for a long time, the castle drawing ever closer as they waited for Hades to divulge his secret.
"I put this plant root into my people's water."
"You monster," whispered Talbot, the horror of the deed impacting even more as he gazed at the size of the city - there must have once been thousands of people living in a place of this size.
"But don't you see?" pleaded Hades. "I needed the help of the Keres in order to -"
"The Keres?" interrupted Talbot. This was something from Greek mythology he actually knew a bit about. The Keres were a group of demonic spirits which sought cruel and violent death. The thing Talbot remembered about them was that they were unable to cause the deaths of others directly, but were able to influence events in order to obtain that which they sought. If he'd known Kharon was of the Keres he would never have willingly approached the Styx. "You sacrificed thousands of innocents who followed you to those abominations? What kind of beast are you?"
"Without their aid, I would have lost power over my land. I had no choice!"
Talbot gazed up at the profile of the larger man, seeing only a weak, pathetic excuse for life. "You make me sick. If we didn't need you, I'd kill you myself."
Whether it was the residue of their trip over the Styx, his association with Wes, or some newfound emotion within him, at that moment Talbot knew what he said was true. He'd kill Hades if he weren't so vital to their cause.
As they thundered through the open gates of the citadel Talbot spied all the empty buildings which had once housed people; thousands of inhabitants who had laughed and cried, known joy and wanted life. These same people had died horrendously, fooled into giving up their souls to the parasites known as the Keres. Talbot didn't blame the Keres; it was their nature to do what they did. They were no more to blame than a leech was at fault for sucking a person's blood. But Hades was a completely different story; he had blatantly murdered an entire city who had looked to him for guidance and leadership.
As he looked around the empty city and thought about what had happened here, Talbot realized something else: he'd probably enjoy killing the man who had done this.
His gaze drifted back to the profile of Hades....
***
They ascended the winding gray stairs, Hades in the lead, Talbot and Wes trailing slightly behind him. The two hadn't had a chance to talk alone, but they didn't need to use words - it was obvious neither liked Hades, and they needn't remember Heracles's warning; Hades was indeed a snake, and they couldn't trust him for a minute.
At the top of the staircase, Hades led them down a short corridor displaying huge frescoes and marble sculptures - each depicting the slightly feminine features of the Lord of Hades. Gazing upon the pieces of artwork, Talbot shook his head. The man was narcissistic to the point where it was sickening. Then Talbot thought of the people who had designed and created these incredible pieces of art, and how they had been sacrificed to the Keres.
That bastard.
The thought contained such malice that Talbot was almost surprised. The more he stared at Hades, the more he yearned to attack him, something completely foreign to the professor of archaeology. He had never considered himself a malicious sort of man, but he felt a steady rage strengthening with every step he took.
Talbot's hands curled into fists, but he quelled the rising anger savagely. He needed Hades to open the rift into Tartarus, or at least show them where the mechanisms were located. There was no way he and Wes could scour the entire city searching for the location of the alien technology that opened the rift, especially with creatures like the sphinx prowling out there.
"Would you two care for some refreshments?" asked Hades, lifting his sword from the scabbard at his side and placing it on a desk near a foggy-glass window.
Wes stared at him incredulously. "After you just told us you drugged the rest of your race in order to feed them to those things? How about you go fuck yourself?"
"I understand your reticence," said Hades smoothly, honey dripping from his words. "But you have nothing to fear from me. I need you to accomplish your task as much as anyone."
"Why don't you just show us to the controls for the rift?" snapped Talbot, his rage causing his voice to quaver. Why was he getting so angry? Something wasn't right.
"Of course," said Hades smoothly. "Just through here." He led them through another set of doorways which opened into a control room almost identical to the one in Zeus's temple.
"I am able to open the gateway for you," said Hades, his tone making Talbot almost quiver with the need for vengeance, to tear him to pieces.
Talbot took a step closer.
The need was upon him now, he couldn't deny it.
He reached out, his feet seeming to move of their own volition as Hades strode to the nearest console, his back an easy target. All it would take would be for Talbot to grab that sword off of the table where Hades had left it. He'd ram it between the master's shoulder blades, plunging it home through his heart... his heart... his....
Something snapped within Talbot.
What was he doing? How could he hate the master? The master was wonderful. The master had saved both him and Wes from the sphinx in the valley. Talbot distinctly remembered that now. He loved the master.
***
The figure of Hades turned around, a malicious grin lighting his face. He gazed at Talbot and Wes, both men's faces now slack, their expressions vacant. It had been slightly risky turning his back on them, but the airborne version of the powdered root was not as potent as the liquefied one. It had taken all his reserves of the stuff to make it strong enough in the air to affect the two men at all. But it had not been enough to subdue them completely.
It had made them both angry - he had noticed that instantly - but they needed to succumb completely to a mindless rage before the airborne toxin would overcome them utterly. He had deliberately played on that, telling of how he had betrayed those stupid peasants in order to form an alliance with the Keres; the ones he'd hoped would someday form the backbone of Hades's invading army.
But Hades's army had been destroyed, torn asunder like a child's toys by Cerberus. The huge hound had broken through Hades's defenses like paper, and torn the Keres asunder as though they were human! Unused to the threat of mortality, the Keres had swiftly fled, leaving Hades alone. Only the help of those who Hades had wanted to destroy - Zeus and his precious Olympians - had saved the kingdom from complete annihilation. But with no people, and no army of Keres to aid Hades in invading Olympus, Hades had been left alone. The Keres had eventually returned - blind loyalty earned owing to their feast on Hades's citizens - and were swiftly sent out to protect the far flung grounds and rivers which bordered his land.
And Hades had waited....
Time did not exist within this realm, and Hades's wait had been the equivalent of centuries. The wait had grown stale and arduous. Only the loyalty of the Keres had prevented him from drastic action. Their rekindled loyalty had been double-edged, binding them in ways Hades had never foreseen. When things had reached their darkest, and Hades had tried to end it, they had stopped him.
And still he had waited, knowing that one day the humans would be stupid enough to open the rifts once more.
He had known immediately when they had opened, for tiny rips had appeared into his world also, allowing creatures such as the sphinx entry. They were of little import; all that mattered was that eventually a human would arrive with knowledge of the Elder-tongue. And that was
what he needed.
"Come in here, now!" he barked.
Through the wall strode the image of Heracles. Hades winced at the sight of him. He knew it was merely Kharon bearing the former Olympian's features, but it still made his stomach twist to see Zeus's son so close to him.
"Meld with the short one," he ordered Kharon, pointing at Talbot, who had a thin line of spittle dribbling from the corner of his mouth. "The other one can wait until later. For now I need access to the Elder-tongue."
Kharon bowed before moving smoothly over to where Talbot stood. "Do you accede to this melding?" asked Kharon. Talbot nodded, the line of saliva snapping and dropping to the floor.
Hades grinned in anticipation. The Ferryman's mouth snapped open, and his arms reached out, pulling Talbot into his embrace, bending down to make contact with him.
"Hey there," growled a voice behind Hades. He spun around just in time to see a huge steel pipe swinging straight for his face.
The floor rushed up to meet him, and his head crashed heavily against the stone.
***
"How about you back the fuck up from my buddy there?" snarled Wes at Kharon. The commando had thrown aside the length of pipe and now kneeled atop Hades's prone body, the tip of Chiron's sword pressed hard against the base of Hades's skull. Kharon hesitated, but when Wes readied himself to slide the blade home, the Ferryman quickly complied.
"Make him coherent again," said Wes, nodding at Talbot, who still stood motionless beside Kharon.
Again Kharon hesitated until Wes silently threatened to carve open his master's neck like a leg of lamb. The Ferryman hurriedly exited into to the other room and returned carrying an earthenware jug sloshing with liquid which he raised to Talbot's lips.
