by B C Morgan
There used to be three judges of the dead, these three beings were promoted by their father Zeus to send the souls to their allotted places, be it Tartarus, Elysium, the Asphodel Meadows and for the very few, the Blessed Isles. Now these children became gods in their own rights and because of Zeus’s power, Hades had always had to accept that it would always be that way. Until Zeus got locked away in an impenetrable prison and Hades took that chance to rid the underworld of its appointed Judges. This in turn made him the sole judge, jury and executioner of any soul that passed through the gates of Hades.
He realised after this, the more souls he kept in his domain, the more power he was suffused with, and if those souls were suffering and woeful his power was doubled with every turn.
This is why he was always so confused by Mihaela, she died on earth but never came through the gates. There was a lot of speculation regarding her true fate, some say that she was so pure that she was granted access to Elysium, regardless of how much change Hades had made. Some believed that the ancestors stole her soul from the very earth, keeping her with them to guide the next generation. But there are a small few, myself included, who believe that Mihaela never died and that she still resides somewhere on earth, hiding from the lover that she unwittingly spurned and inhabited the wrath of the scorned being that refused to let her be with anyone else other than himself.
I shook myself free from my melancholy thoughts and returned to the situation at hand, a part of me wondered if the Oracle had been trapped inside Tartarus, but I refused to ever step foot inside there, knowing there would be no escape for the likes of me.
I wandered the dreary streets that laid within the Underworld, you see Hades world doesn’t differ all that much from the earth that resides above. Of course, there are many aspects you would not find above but it still had homes and taverns, as well as a school or two. Hades was emphatic on making sure all the spawns that were born down here were taught about every kind of creature they could one day encounter, as well as harnessing their abilities and strengthening them if it was at all possible. I will not waste my time describing the scene of the underworld, I have spent too much time of my long life comparing this world with that above, and I have never found it pleasing. So, I continued my brisk walk, ignoring the screams that rendered the very air around me.
I found a small tavern and briskly went inside, noticing that no one looked up from the spot they had found. Most were lost souls who had no recollection of what they were supposed to be doing, others were trapped in the figments of their previous lives while the rest were the daemons that resided down here, feeding on the bereft and angry souls that surrounded them.
I sat down at the bar and felt a chill run down my back, followed by talons that scored my spine and left a trail of blood in their wake.
I fought the urge to convulse under the touch and instead just turned my body into her direction, I knew all along it was going to be my greatest mistake to fool around with the Empusa. But my misery had gotten the best of me yet again and I fell into bed with the first creature I laid eyes on, and since that moment, she refused to back down and find herself a new play thing.
True to the myths her hair really was flaming, but she was far from only having one leg or having the legs of a donkey instead, she did not transform into an ox or any other creature.
But she did lay with a male human before feasting on his blood and his flesh and her favourite victims were usually found travelling down lone roads in the dead of night.
Much like a mixture between the modern day zombies and vampires that seem to fill our television screens and books.
The original Empusa had been slain by Zeus centuries ago, but that didn’t stop the goddess Hecate from creating more of her kind and sending them out into the night to spread fear and death in their wake.
“What do you want Lilith?” I inquired, with a tone of ambivalence.
“I haven’t seen you in so long Lawson, we were having such a great time and then you just up and left, it was very rude baby.” She pouted, and it sent a feeling of pure revulsion through me. Yet again she had me questioning my senses, as to how I could have been so stupid to waste a single second with her.
“I have told you time and time again Lilith, what we had is over, it was never meant to be a permanent thing anyway. It was just a bit of fun to pass the time, you have to let it go.”
I watched as her talons grew out from her fingernails and her hair flamed brighter under her hot rage, then she sliced her talons across my neck and latched her mouth onto the wound.
“You fucking leech,” I hissed as I pushed her off of me, drawing a silver dagger out of the sheath around my ankle.
She hissed at me when she caught sight of what I was brandishing, and I knew she wouldn’t be stupid enough to try anything with me while I had this in my hands.
“I will never have enough of you Lawson, and you were fine with our arrangement until his Lordship sent you up to watch that little mongrel. Just you wait, soon there will be no rival to me and then you will be back.” She said it with a hiss before running out of the door and I could feel all the eyes in that place, burning into me.
I spent the remainder of my time down there trying to discern who the infamous Oracle actually was and where they were hidden, but either no one knew or they were under strict instructions not to divulge their location.
I have never been one to quit before, but I realised it was a fruitless endeavour at this moment in time and with a heavy heart I returned to Katherine’s place.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Unya
I was thoroughly enjoying not having to fake my emotions if something funny occurred, I threw back my head and laughed out loud, for the first time actually enjoying the comedy that had befallen me. I had no idea how long the feeling would last and rushed to meet with Marcus to try to discover if I really did enjoy his company or if this rush of emotion would make me look differently upon him.
We met in our usual spot and I couldn’t help but notice the sombre look that had taken up residence on his face.
“Marcus, has something happened?” I inquired, revelling in the fact that I actually felt genuine concern for me new friend.
“I should say so, but this is not the place to talk about it.”
With that said he took my hands within his and transported us to his hidden basement and our usual place of residence whenever we were together.
I sat down on the floor and waited for him to divulge the reason for his sullen look when he suddenly sat down before me and connected his eyes with mine.
“I have been in talk with a few contacts that still have a place within the underworld, unfortunately they cannot be sure the words they have heard are completely accurate, but they were kind enough to repeat their version of the prophecy to me.”
“Well by the look on your face, I am guessing it doesn’t paint a very promising light, besides if these are creatures from the underworld, how can you be sure that you can trust what they say?”
I could tell instantly that my question had annoyed him and the sudden surge of guilt shook me, I definitely did not enjoy the feeling and wondered what I could do to rectify the situation I had caused by my sudden urge to speak without thinking beforehand.
“How can you hold such prejudices over something that you have no real comprehension of, you trust Kat, yet she is one of those creatures you speak so little of. Not every creature that is associated with that place is abhorrently evil like not every human is innocent and kind. But forgetting that, no the prophecy I have been told of is not of happiness and light and I can only hope it is not about you.” He said this with such a defeated air that I couldn’t stop myself from throwing my arms around him and uttering my apologies, I knew from his face I had taken him by surprise and quickly tried to rein in my emotions before they got the better of me.
“Will you please tell me what they told you and I promise I won’t make any judgement regarding someone that
I’ve never met again.”
“I will drop all the prophecy related riddles and repeat it as simply as it was told to me, but remember it may not have been repeated correctly after all the time that has passed since it was first revealed, it may have even been translated poorly. Nevertheless it is said that a being who possesses the hair of pure ebony, who is less than human but at the same time more so than others, will befall a wicked fate. That when they come of the age of eighteen, they will be thrusted into the darkest oblivion and the lock that has held the gods captive will be broken. They will either side with Hades, damning themselves for all of eternity or go against him where their end is even less certain, for the gods are cruel and un-merciless and will destroy the person at the first opportunity that presents itself.
Apparently, the lock will already show cracks on its façade which will prove their existence, but no one has ventured up there since Constantine’s death, so it is unknown whether or not that has happened yet.”
I sat there unsure of what I should say to that, I think I may have gone into a state of shock. The phrase of being less human spoke to me seeing as it was revealed that my father was not human himself. But that wouldn’t necessarily mean those words were about me, would it?
“Do you think it refers to me Marcus, am I already damned at the sweet age of Seventeen?”
“I don’t know Unya, I wish I held all the answers but I am in the dark about all of this as well but I promise that I will help you to uncover all the secrets that surround you. Look I know I am changing the subject but has something happened, you seem more alive somehow.”
“So what, are you implying I am usually more corpse like, thanks buddy, that means so much to me,” I exclaimed, feeling slightly insulted by his words.
“That isn’t what I meant; it’s just I’ve never seen you act the way that you are today. You are usually a lot more aloof, barely showing any hint of emotion and when you do it always seems a little forced. But today, somehow, it doesn’t seem that way.”
“I don’t know what to say Marcus, I guess I have just been through so much recently that it is hard to know how to react, the one thing I am certain of though is my friendship with you. That is the one thing I hope I never lose.”
He asked me then what I thought I may be losing, which I simply replied “my freedom.”
The rest of our time passed by quietly until it was time for me to leave, I hesitated though knowing I had to ask the question that had been plaguing my mind since I had left Mihaela’s. If he refused my request, I knew it would not bother me emotionally, as my feelings had already disintegrated, I’d returned to my former state.
“Marcus, are you able to communicate with the spirit world?” I asked it in such a rush, knowing I had to get the words out before I left, he seemed a little confused by my question but did not leave me waiting too long.
“Personally no, it is not within my ability, although I do know of an incantation that can send another person to their plane, but it is not for the faint hearted or without its risks. And I fear by the glint in your eyes that you are going to request I send you there but unfortunately I will have to shoot you down before you even get the chance.”
I took a step back at his simple decline of my yet unspoken request but knew I could not leave here until I had found a way to change his mind.
“Marcus please, I have to speak to my mother, not for any emotional reason, but to find out exactly who or what my father is. I need to know why I am so different and why she even had me in the first place when she had solemnly declared she would never have a child for as long as she lived. So, what changed? What happened to change her mind so suddenly, when it is now clear to me that she honestly did not want me. She made my life a living hell and left me in an even worse state when she opened up her veins for the skies to bare.”
“Jesus Unya, look if I was to help you get there, which I am not promising to do, but if I was, then you would need an anchor to this world. Without one you may never find your way back and you would be lost to this world entirely, and that is a risk I am not willing to take, even if you are,” he stated it so simply that it took a moment to sink in.
“My friend Addy, she is basically my sister, if anyone could bring me back it would be her.”
“If she is human then it would be too dangerous for her, her humanity makes her weak when it comes to the kind of power we would be invoking. The whole process could drain her dry and leave her nothing more than an empty shell. The connection should be strong enough, but I could not guarantee her survival, you would need someone else there to counteract the effects, someone that would be able to lend their power and strength to you. You find such a person and I will help you.”
Z
Marcus had quickly sent me on my way after that and it dawned on me I had to finally reveal what I truly was to the only person I could not afford to lose, so with that in mind I set off to Addy’s.
When I arrived, she flung her arms around me and then punched me in the arm for neglecting her so much recently.
“What the hell have you been doing, if I didn’t know better, I would think that you had replaced me with a better friend. But who else other than me, would put up with your shit?”
She said all this with a smile on her face, but I could tell that a part of her meant the words she said.
“Addy, there is not a single person in this world, I value more than you. It’s just after everything that happened with Jackie I fell in with a different crowd, there not bad people or anything. They just go about things in a different way and they’ve bought a few things about myself to light. I wanted to tell you sooner but a part of me worried you wouldn’t be able to accept the new me and I would lose your friendship.”
“You should lose it just for saying that, did I turn my back on you after you finally confided in me about your big secret, of course not. And although I was a little freaked out about your overnight recovery after Jackie had given you that shiner, I still didn’t turn my back on you, so how could you even humour such an idea.”
Even though I was yet again unable to feel the guilt after earlier I now knew exactly how I should be feeling, and I hated it. I never meant to insult her, but really, what else did I think would happen. She had been nothing but a great friend to me, and all I had done to return the favour was neglect and deceive her. But I swore to myself right there and then that I would no longer keep her in the dark, no matter how scary it may be or the consequence, I was going to start treating her the way I always should have.
So with that in mind we went out into her garden and I proceeded to pull out a cigarette, I ignored her judgement over my chosen vice and made sure she was watching when I suddenly snapped my fingers and produced a flame at the very tip, just like I had done in front of Lawson and Kat.
She literally jumped back a little bit, but she didn’t run off in fear, she asked me how I had done it which was quickly followed with an explanation of everything that had transpired, minus Mihaela of course. I wanted to tell her but knew I couldn’t, although I did say that I had met a very distant relation who had opened my eyes to the truth of our world.
Addy was speechless for a while, which was a strange occurrence in itself, though very much justified.
“Unya, that’s crazy believe me, but also very freaking cool. I can’t believe you kept this from me, but I can understand why you did, just please promise me there will be no more secrets.”
I easily promised that to her and then put upon my very new problem about what I would need to be able to walk the ghostly plane that my ancestors, and hopefully my mother also, resided in.
“So, I could die if I helped you in this?” She asked me, her complexion going deathly pale.
“I would never let that happen, if I can’t find anyone else who can lend a hand and guarantee your safety, then I will just draw a line under the whole endeavour. I just really have to try this, but if you are not willing to help, I completely understand, no j
udgement or pressure. You are my sister Addy and I will not risk your life for anything.”
She took a deep breath before turning her gaze back to mine. “If you can find this other person, then I will help you Unya. I mean seriously I am not going to let you risk your arse and not be there for you every step of the way.”
My friend was a true marvel and I knew I had struck gold the day we had met. How could I possibly thank her for everything she was willing to risk for me or even repay her for her kindness? Honestly, I had no idea how to go about either one of those, but I vowed that I would try.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Lawson
I was sitting in Venom just drowning away my sorrows when I noticed a small group disappear into one of the back rooms, I’m not sure why they had even caught my attention but I couldn’t shake the feeling something sinister was about to happen.
I slammed back the rest of my beer and just stared at the bottles that lined the back wall behind the bar, there was suddenly a loud crash coming from the direction the group had wandered down. The Cyclops that was manning the bar swiftly catapulted himself over and landed on the floor with such a force that the ground literally shook.
During the night, all the creatures had their appearances altered just in case an unsuspecting human happened to stumble upon the club, but all pretences were down during the off hours, where only those who were already in the know were allowed entrance.
He ran towards the commotion, but unfortunately his effort was only in vain, as the moment his hand turned the door knob, a heat wave was released, followed by a huge surge of flames.
He was engulfed instantly and his screams ripped straight through me, I could see the group as they stepped over his large, charred body, with their faces conveniently covered.
