by Tom Keller
When the tracked vehicle was about as far as it could get, the engine shut down and Jim popped out of the hatch and climbed down the CAT with the Greek General in tow. Then they walked to the dock where Charon and his boat sat with the two of us in front.
"The General walked me through what he needs," Jim said, as he came up to the dock. He looked up at the Ferryman, then pointed back to the mouth of the cavern. "I'm going to walk a line of grenades straight up the middle of the other bank. Charon, sir. I'll need you to hold at the front of the cave until I 'm done firing. There'll be 3 sets of 8 rounds. You'll see and hear the explosions on the other side. I'll raise my arm when I'm done firing and it's safe to cross. Just head straight to where the smoke is, the General knows what to do from there."
"Aye, Lad," the Ferryman replied. "It will be as you say."
"You got everything you need, General?" I asked, as Epaminondas turned to board the ship.
"Yes, and then some," he answered. "These modern weapons are quite impressive. From everything your warrior told me, they will cut a swathe large enough to allow my men to set up the gauntlet." He paused before continuing. "It is a difficult thing, but knowing these Souls are already dead is a comfort. It is a small consolation, but a relief nonetheless. Many of my old warriors wait among them. We will merely be delaying their passage to Hades. Eventually, they will find the rest they so richly deserve."
"That's the idea," I replied.
"Then let us bring these people home," he said, walking back up the gangway to the boat.
As the General stepped onto the ferry, Charon, with the Fury, Meg, at his side, gave a nod. Then the boat full of soldiers began to move toward the mouth of the cavern, slowing as it came upon the entrance. Jim waited until the boat came to a full stop, then nodded at Charon. He grabbed the handles of the grenade launcher, sighted, then fired.
There were a series of pops, then muffled explosions could be heard. As I made it closer to the entrance I could see puffs of expanding grey smoke across the river. After two more series of thumps, Jim raised his hand and Charon sailed across the river, driving his boat up onto the sand. Hoplites jumped out and formed two lines about 5 meters apart, marching at a fast pace into the mist and smoke. When all had exited, their lines formed into a shield wall, facing outward on both sides. A minute later, a small band of six Hoplites led a group of Souls to the bank, stopping in front of Charon. As coins were passed, the Souls began to board the ferry. Suddenly, there was a burst of commotion between the lines and Meg jumped from the boat, her sword raised above her head as she dove into the still smoky center of the line.
"Holy shit!" Jim yelled a minute later. "Remind me not to mess with her!"
"What'd I miss?" I asked, looking up at the artilleryman who was watching the action with a pair of binoculars. That's what I get for not paying closer attention.
"One of those Zombie-like things jumped clear over the Hoplite's shields," he replied, grinning. "She ran him through before he could attack the soldiers from behind. He exploded into a mist of red when her sword gutted him."
"I guess she still had a little fury left in her after all," I said, chuckling. A moment later, I saw Meg returning to the ferry. There was a huge smile on her face as she ran up the gangway into Charon's arms.
"I think maybe I'll switch this gun out for a fifty cal from one of the other CATs," Jim said a moment later, swinging his legs over the hatch. "If any more of those things show up when Charon's on this side, the General might need the support."
"Not a bad idea," I said, holding out my bident. "Charlie's covering the inside entrance for now, so once we get a steady stream going we should be good. Let me know if they need anything else. In the meantime, I've got a few more issues to follow up on so we can get things moving smoothly." I formed a portal and stepped through, leaving the transfer of Souls into Hades to Charon and the others.
Chapter 3
"It's not the Neptune," I said, looking over the pomegranate groves that filled the view from the patio. "But it's better than hiding out in a trailer in Pahrump."
"Yes, it is," Diantha replied, stepping out between the curtains and walking to the railing. She took a drink from her cup, then pushed back a curl of dark hair that fell over her face. "Thank you for this."
"Anytime," I said, walking towards her. "But I still haven’t given up on a more permanent solution."
She looked like the old Diantha again, or at least the young one. It was all an illusion, of course. We were in what was once the palace of Persephone, and down here, I could do anything. Including making Diantha look young again. For the moment, I couldn't duplicate the power of the Dragon's eye that had been destroyed, but I'd promised her that I'd find a way to restore her youth and beauty. A promise that was already proving more difficult than I had hoped.
"There're horses in the stables and I set up a weekly supply run from topside for both the forges and here," I continued. "Sendy is coordinating that so if you want something special, just let her know. Anything I missed?"
"No," she replied, a slight smile on her face. It was the first one I'd seen in a while. "This will do nicely for now."
"I hope so," I said. "I want to make sure you have everything you need."
"Do not worry about me," she replied. "I have been through this before. At least this time I can find things to keep me busy. The staff alone will take time to train, and I am still working with the Cyclopes to educate them in the way of things today."
"I was wondering if you could do something else while you were here," I said, telling her about my plans for the Judges of Hades and having her run the place while I was gone.
"You're not serious?" Diantha asked, her smile fading a bit.
There were three Judges. All the sons of Zeus. Minos, the former King of Crete, and his two brothers, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus. They were supposedly granted their positions by the Gods for their honorable lives. Not my first choice, if you must know. You might recall that Minos was the guy that used to toss kids to the Minotaur for breakfast. But, hey, standards were a little different back then.
"But I am," I replied. "You know I have a lot of things on my plate, not the least of which is finding a replacement for your necklace. If I have to do it, I'll be tied up for the next 100 years. Besides, there's things in the human world I have to get back to. Of course, if you'd rather I be doing both than chasing down a solution to your problem, I'll certainly understand, but…"
"Don’t even think about it," she countered, crossing her arms and staring me down. "Fine! What exactly is it you want me to do?"
"I'm putting you in charge, plus I need you to monitor the Judges," I replied, hoping I wasn't pushing too far. "Flag potential recruits, and at the same time make sure everyone's sentenced properly. You understand the modern world. They don't. I've got folks handling the rest of things, so it's just the entrance I'm concerned about. All you need to do is keep a handle on them while I'm gone. You can call Sendy if you think there's something I need to be in on. She can find me anywhere."
Sentencing Souls in Hades sounded like the easy part. There were really only four places a Soul could go: The Fields of Punishment, for those that had committed criminal acts; the Asphodel Meadows for the vast majority of Souls; the Elysium Fields for Demi-Gods and heroes; and the Isle of the Blessed. A kind of paradise, for those deemed worthy. But like I said, standards were different then, so I figured giving Diantha the final say would keep things on an even keel and provide me with an advantage in our recruiting efforts.
"What about Tartarus?" she asked.
Tartarus was a world all its own, and partially alive if that makes any sense. More than just a place, he was a primordial deity in his own right. Although not exactly in the same form as other deities from history. It was also the place the old Gods sentenced anyone that displeased them. Not the kind of thing I was planning anytime soon, but it never hurt to know the option might be available. Assuming Tartarus himself would take them.
"With Tisiphone gone, the old entrance is pretty much closed off," I said. "At least for now. Although I suppose if you can convince Charon's girlfriend to join the team, we could have the Fury fly the ones that really piss me off over the pit that leads there and drop them in."
Meg's sister, the Fury Tisiphone, had once guarded the gate that led to the entrance of the damned, but she'd disappeared during The Fall. Somehow, based on my last conversations, I doubted Meg wanted the job. Not to mention that the tower she once reigned in was destroyed. Of course, one could enter Tartarus from Nyx' palace, now the home of the Keres. But that gate could only be used by her descendants and their guests, or by a God. Souls couldn’t enter that way.
"I'll speak with her," Diantha said, a smile returning to her face. "I might know a thing or two that can convince her."
"Do you now?" I said, with a chuckle. "You know, sometimes you worry me."
"Then it's a good thing you need me," she replied, coming up behind me. "Besides, who else is going to watch out for your interests while you are away, if not for me."
That was one thing about Diantha. As the former Oracle of Delphi, I shuddered to think of the many secrets she'd been keeping over the years. But she was right. However bizarre our relationship could be, she always had my best interests in mind. Not that 9her opinion of what was in my best interest always coincided with mine, but still, her loyalty was never in question. There was also the fact that I was leaving her in charge. I knew she wouldn’t balk at that.
"There is that," I said with a smile.
"Then come to bed while we still have time," she said, wrapping her arms around me. "And I will remind you of why the Eye is so important."
"As if I need reminding," I said, turning to kiss her.
"Perhaps not," she agreed, pulling me toward the bed. "But it is an added benefit."
"I can’t argue with that," I replied, following her back to the bedroom.
****
"Are you sure you won’t change your mind," I asked Diantha about an hour later. We were discussing the ceremony of Kyras' baby, the future Queen of the Keres. It was a significant event, not the least being that it was the first time the Keres would share anything like this with the rest of the Fae community. She'd had the child a few days ago, and this would introduce her to the world.
"As I said before," she replied, pausing at the doorway. "It is better I not attend. Now go. Do your thing, as you would say. See to your dark Queen and Princess. Just don’t forget what I said about Jay."
"It's already taken care of," I said, smiling at her concern.
Meg hadn't been wrong when she said that Death Spirits like the Furies and the Keres had been looked down upon by the Fae in the past. But I'd been working to change that. The Keres were now allies of mine, thanks to Queen Kyras' help in getting me into Hades in the first place. Of course, the fact that I'd been a King of the Dryad long before I'd inherited the crown of Hades, or that her first child shared some of my DNA, didn’t hurt either.
Which was not to say that it was jealousy that made Diantha turn down her invitation. Jealousy wasn't really a thing when it came to the prior Oracle, or any of the Fae, if you must know. Personally, I thought it was because to leave Hades proper meant she'd revert to her human persona. Diantha didn’t relish the idea of looking like an old crone without her necklace keeping her young and beautiful. Especially around other Fae that I had ties with.
But the Jay comment proves my point about her feelings toward me, or at least I think it does. Diantha couldn’t have children, but lately, she'd been watching over mine as if they were her own. Fae females, as a point of fact, can produce asexually, but that didn’t mean that they had to. They had the ability to reproduce sexually as well. In addition, they got to pick and choose those traits they wanted from their partner. So, while Kyras' child might share some DNA with me, that didn’t make me the father, at least not as far as the Fae were concerned, or Diantha. Of course, nobody asked my opinion of the matter.
She knew that it was my plan to keep my promise to the Keres. That being naming the new heir a Princess of Hades. Which was fine as far as she was concerned, as long as I formally named Jay a Prince first.
"How did he take it?" she asked.
"To be honest, he wasn't exactly thrilled when it happened," I said, chuckling. "Damn near jumped out of his boots when he saw the Key on his chest and felt his new powers. But it was hard for him to argue when he'd been using the title every time he dealt with Demons, not to mention that little excursion down here to fund his Witch hunting team."
Although Jay was an agent with the External Affairs Bureau, the Federal agency tasked with dealing with creatures of magic in the human world, his current assignment was to a 55 team. Those were special teams that operated outside the normal EAB command structure, answering directly to the top tier of the agency. Known in olden times as Witch hunters, these days they chased down evil Demons, and any other magical creature that threatened the human world.
Thanks to some old language used during their inception, they could be funded by their own operations, keeping a part of any treasure recovered from the dark creatures they hunted. During his last mission, he'd needed some seed money to get things going. So, he'd planned an elaborate ruse that, while technically didn’t kill anyone, did defeat the creature he was up against, thereby entitling him to half of any assets recovered. The fact that he'd merely arm wrestled a Cyclops to win five pounds of extremely precious jewels and rare earths might not exactly be what the rule originally intended, but it did fit the parameters. Gotta love the ingenuity. But then again, he is my son, so I may be a bit biased.
As to me fathering a Fae child with the Queen of the Keres, neither of the kids made an issue of it. Since all this began they'd been well-schooled in the way of the Fae. When I told them that I'd promised to educate the child in the ways of the human world, both had agreed to help. Nikki had gone so far as to contact Kyras and offer her support, now thinking of her more as family than just another Fae house.
I grabbed my duffel with Hades armor and threw it over my shoulder. I'd need it later. I did have a part to play in the ceremony, after all. Then I grabbed my bident and opened a portal to meet up with Charlie. He'd found a replacement hound to guard the entrance. With him at my side, and after a few stops to make sure everything would go smoothly while I was away, I was out of here. I'd done enough. There were festivities and ceremonies to attend to. Besides, I really needed to get back to the other worlds to see what was going on.
Chapter 4
"Whoa," I said, appearing in front of the gate to the Palace of Nyx. Technically, the ground I stood on was in Tartarus, but that didn't mean much. It was so far above the realm you think of when the place is mentioned to be another world. Which I guess it was. Trust me. I knew. I'd travelled to the deep pits of Tartarus proper when the palace had first been reclaimed. A long way doesn’t describe the half of that journey. That aside, the Keres had been busy, and they'd had help as well. The last time I'd been here the place had looked okay, but now it sparkled.
Flowers and trees adorned the grassy areas where none had been before. Garden Faeries flitted about as poppies bloomed and fig and apple trees bore fruit. Tents had been set up where food was cooked, and drinks served by the myriad of humans the Keres used as servants. Unlike the slaves of old, these had been given a choice. Serve the Keres faithfully or wind up in the nasty hole they'd dug for themselves in the afterlife. A bonus power the Keres possessed. As you can guess, they weren't exactly the cream of the crop of Souls as servants go. Unless of course murderers were your thing. But they were loyal, and it worked for them, so I suppose that's all that matters.
As for the palace, it had been born anew. The stones and columns were polished to a glossy white and adorned with brightly lit torches, reminding me again how much it resembled the Olympus in its heyday, at least from the outside. Although I would hazard a guess that Olympus never had Death Spirits that looked so… I
don’t know… giddy would be the only word I can think of to describe them.
Then, invited guests started to appear around me. Each escorted by one of the Keres and entering the area by a chariot drawn by magical war horses like those Nyx had used to fly between worlds. With a nudge from the big dog, we approached the gates.
We were stopped crossing the gate by two Nereid males flanked by Keres in warrior garb. They stood on each side of the entrance and crossed their trident-like spears as we approached. As they blocked our way, Meredith Milagre, in her persona as Queen of the Nereid's, stepped up from behind as their weapons moved to allow her to pass.
"Lord Robert," she said, stepping between the two.
"My Lady," I replied, bowing.
"Before entrance," she began. "Let it be known that the presentation of the first born is sacred to our kind. Grievances, both past and present, have no place here and must be forgotten within these walls for the length of her ceremony and until the sun rises the following day. Failure to do so would bring dishonor to your kind and offend all others that attend. Do you agree to abide by these terms?"
"I do," Charlie and I both replied.
"Then enter and share our joy as we celebrate the birth of the new Princess."
I stepped through the warriors and walked a few paces before Meredith called and I stopped to look back. She was walking up to us accompanied by a much younger Nereid female who looked suspiciously familiar. Both wore gowns of gossamer silk with the barest hint of green, a fabric I recognized as spun from sea foam from the Nereid's home.
"Allow me to introduce my daughter, Dione," she said, turning to face the girl.
"Wonderful to meet you," I replied, then looked down. "This is Charlie, also known as Karalos, my companion."
