by Tom Keller
"You bet, Boss," he said, and then walked to the back of the Howitzer and joined the others.
The buildings had indeed been formed up like a town square. There was a large building in the center, with columns and steps made of a white stone. Surrounding it were buildings on all four sides. Also made of stone, although lacking the columns. They were equally dispersed, five to a side, with a dirt road that ran around the center building with access out the four corners.
As I walked into the square, I noticed several of the buildings were open to the street, including two human blacksmiths, and what looked to be a garage full of newly built wagons. One of the other sides contained a row of two story buildings, with open windows on both floors. I shook my head as I walked up the broad steps of the administrative building and stepped inside.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," I said, stepping into a broad room with several desks and tables set up inside. Several of the tables were occupied with a combination of Satyrs and Cyclopes. Walter Ferrer stood at one of them, deep in discussion with a Cyclops I recognized. Walter was a descendant of the God Vulcan and had inherited some of his skills. I had convinced him to come to Hades and coordinate the manufacture of weapons and other items with Acemon, the leader of the Cyclopes he was talking to. He looked up as I spoke.
"Robert," Walter replied, smiling. "Thank the Gods you're here. We're having supply difficulties and we could use your help."
"I don’t know," I said. "Looks like you guys have been pretty busy."
"Stopgap measures at best," he replied. "Damn place is getting out of hand in parts. We've sent out hunting parties, but things are still getting held up between here and the Isle. Diantha's upped our manpower but we still don't have enough wagons or chariots to keep things moving, although we're working on it."
"Yeah, I saw the blacksmith shops and wagons," I said, joining them at the table. He had a hand drawn map of the area in front of him. Much of what the Cyclopes were doing involved a mineral called adamantine, a rare element known to the old Gods. The scythe used by Cronus was made of such a metal, as is Hades' shield. Unfortunately, it was hard to come by, and the mines we were currently drawing it from were near the Isles of the Blessed, on the other side of Hades. "Jim said you were battling Shades. When did that start?"
"Not long after you left," he replied. "I don't know if they realized you were gone or if it was just good timing on their part. Either way they're becoming a nuisance.
"Anyone think to call me," I asked.
"I mentioned it to Diantha," he replied. "She asked me to handle it. Acemon here's got bundles of magical arrows that seem to stop them, and he's working on a few other surprises. We just need to figure out the transportation issue. We have the trucks, but even they can’t drive through a mass of Shades when they swarm. Not to mention that we have to drive them slowly as the horsemen guarding them can’t keep up."
I told them of my plan to bring in the four-wheel drive vehicles. As soon as I could get some drivers trained, we could utilize them to hunt the Shades and Demons. It wasn't that far off from what I'd envisioned, although, to be honest, I hadn't expected things to move so fast. I did mention that, although we couldn’t kill them, we could, at the very least, slow down their progress a bit. It was then that Acemon assured me the weapons he was designing would prevent them from rematerializing for quite some time. I guess I should never underestimate a Cyclops, especially the son of the one that made Zeus' thunderbolts. Sometime later, I heard the clop of horses outside, so I went out to investigate. It was Diantha with two female Cyclopes that looked like bodyguards.
"You've been busy," I remarked, stepping out onto the Square to meet her.
"You did leave me in charge," she replied, getting down from her horse. It was one that I recognized from the stables at Persephone's Palace. Those ridden by the Cyclopes were not. They were half again as big as a normal horse and I'd be damned if I knew where they'd dug them up from. Still they were about the right size for a Cyclops rider. As expected, I saw that both of her bodyguards towered over her when they dismounted.
"That I did," I agreed.
"Get some refreshments," she said to her companions, pointing to a building across the road. "Let the others know our God is here." As they walked off, she gave me a hug. "I missed you."
"You seem to have been doing just fine," I said, eyeing the buildings around us. "A whole town? What have you been up to, and since when do you need bodyguards?"
"You may not have realized this," she said, her voice raised. "But Hades isn’t exactly Olympus. Gaea's got some sense of humor making you the God of this dismal place. Wild beasts were roaming the open fields and deserts before you even left. Now, these Shades and Demons start showing up. If it wasn't for my two… bodyguards, as you call them, I doubt the road between here and my palace would even be open. And it's not just there. More have been seen in other parts of Hades. Those spider things that are loyal to you do their best, but it's not enough. We needed the extra manpower to keep the roads open."
The spider like Demons she was referring to were the guardians of Hades. Tartarus had them as well, but the ones up here were not as ferocious and lacked the scorpion like tail those below sported that made them so deadly. Still, they were a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, their purpose was to prevent Souls from escaping the place, not necessarily to protect those that stayed inside. While they recognized my authority, they weren't here to fight Shades. They were more like guard dogs. If the Shades threatened a part of Hades they were patrolling, they'd take action, otherwise, there wasn't a lot they could do about them.
"I can see that," I replied. "But you could have let me know sooner."
"You're supposed to be on a quest, aren't you?" she said, sounding irritated. She put her hands on her hips. "I would have let you know if things got out of hand, but for the moment, we're handling it."
"I'm not questioning your actions," I replied. Well, I was, but I figured now was as good a time as any to let it go. "Nice outfit, by the way."
Dressed almost like a Roman soldier from an old 60's flick, although styled to fit her female form, she was wearing a short dress, with interlacing white cloth and dark leather. The cloth looked almost like silk. She wore leather armor as well, but it had been designed to fit the female form, with areas to accommodate her breasts. She also wore sandals, with leather thigh and knee guards to protect her legs. Her two bodyguards had worn similar attire, although Diantha's armor had streaks of red dyed into it.
"You like it?" she asked, her expression softening.
"It looks good," I said. "I'm guessing it's functional as well."
"Very," she replied. "Not too constricting when riding and I needed some protection in case we ran into rogue Demons. The Cyclopes made the material after I designed their first sets of clothes. Now, about the town. Come, let me show you around."
She took me by the arm and led me down the street, pointing out the shops she had put together to manufacture wagons and other items to be used by the Souls residing here. She explained that she added the extra manpower as the Cyclopes were busy enough doing their own work. When we passed the corner, she pointed out rooming houses and other places that she had designed for their comfort.
"Wait a minute," I said, stopping her when she pointed out a building. "The Temple of Aphrodite? Since when do Souls need a brothel, or even a bar? They're dead, aren’t they?"
"Don’t be an ass," she replied. "You've been to the Elysium Fields. Those Souls get platters of food and drink all day long. Just because these came from the Asphodel Meadows, why should they be any different? Besides, they work for us. Why can't they enjoy their down time by drinking and screwing like those prissy assholes on the Isle of the Blessed. They get to do it all the time. It's not these Souls fault that they weren't special in life. Sometimes, it's just the lot you get when you're low born. Besides, it was you that told me to find good people and that's what I did."
"Point taken," I said,
then grinned. "I did put you in charge, after all."
"I'm glad you finally remember that," she replied, chuckling. "Now, before we go on, what news of your quest?"
"I've got a few leads I'm working," I said, smiling. "We'll see how they pan out. No way to tell for sure though. But it looks promising. In the meantime, I've also got a few ideas to help down here. I think we can get a handle on our Demon and Shade problem, but you'll need to hold down the fort until I can get things rolling. I still need to discuss a few things with Walter and Jim. I hope that works for you."
"It will do," she said, leaning closer. "As it must. But remember your priorities, my Lord. God of Hades you may be, but I really don't want to be stuck down here forever."
"Well it's a good thing you can’t really die then, isn't it," I quipped. "The entrance is still jammed, and I doubt I could even I could get you a line pass until things get moving a bit."
"Ha-ha," she replied, sarcastically. Then she led me by the arm across the street and toward an alley. "Some God you are. Fine! Let us go then, there is still one more thing you must do before you can return to the human world."
"Oh, shit," I said, turning the corner and seeing what reminded me of a scene from a Zombie apocalypse movie. Hundreds of Souls, all gathered in one place, looking exactly as they did at the moment of death. It was not a pleasant sight.
I don’t know how they did it in other Underworlds, but whoever had set up Hades in the beginning had really mucked it up for the common people. If you were a warrior, or one favored by the Gods, you got to spend eternity in the Elysium Fields, doing what you'd done best back on Earth. Hell, if you were great enough, you got reincarnated, and if you did that two or three times, you moved up the block to the Isle of the Blessed. There you got to spend eternity in your own version of Paradise. Not too bad of a deal, really. Of course, criminals and others had special places of their own as well. Not as nice, but they got what they deserved. Although I must admit, the Vale of Mourning had me stumped. I'm not sure why, but trust me, you don’t want to waste your life on unrequited love. It can be a real bitch.
But as for the common man, or woman, they too had their own land in the afterlife. A dismal and dreary place called the Asphodel Meadows. There they just milled about, totally oblivious to those around them. Wandering for eternity like a blubbering idiot. If you were lucky, you might have a moment of reason and stop to talk to somebody, but it was usually short lived. The real bitch was that you got to spend that eternity in the exact form you had when you died. Fall off a horse and get trampled? Legs broken? No problem. You can slither your way around the afterlife. Lose your head? Hey, you can carry it… if you can find it. If you died of old age, that's the way you stayed.
Anyway, you get the picture. That's what stood before me. Some two to three hundred previous residents of Asphodel. The one saving grace in all this was that, if you were lucky, someone did talk to you. Better yet, if it was one of my folks, say someone like Diantha, then you might get a chance for a better afterlife. Of course, that's where I came in. Hey, this is Hades. It may not seem like much, but it is my realm, and when you're down here, it's good to know the King. As such, I was the only one that could change their appearance. I could fix their wounds, change their age… Hell, I could do damn near anything. Of course, it was just smoke and mirrors, but that's all anyone needed down here. That's not to say I just waved my bident and everything was hunky dory. No, that would be too easy, even for me. I had to do this individually. Which meant I had to touch each one and reverse their condition. It was taxing, but it was the only way.
"They have all taken drink from the Mnemosyne, the pool of memory and have agreed to serve you in the afterlife," Diantha said as I looked over the crowd. "You can begin whenever you are ready."
"I figured that," I whispered. "You sure you got everyone. I wouldn’t want to have to come back if I miss anyone."
"I was trying to save you from having to return," she said, whispering back.
"I'm sure you were," I replied, and then began to move through the crowd.
As I touched each individual, a spark of magic emitted from my fingertips. As it passed through them, their wounds began to mend. Hollywood special effects folks would have loved it. Although I have to admit it was kind of creepy when broken bones pop and stretch and then correct themselves as their cuts and gashes close up around them. Old folks turned young again and the infirm straightened their backs, each Soul going to their knees in thanks as my touch made them whole. Occasionally I would run across one that looked young and healthy. As I was nearing the end, one girl, particularly, caught my eye. She looked to be about twenty, long black hair with freckles under her eyes. She was quite beautiful, and aside from her pale skin, looked as alive as anyone could who had made the long journey to the Underworld. I stopped as she knelt before me.
"How did you come to leave the land of the living," I asked, trying to be delicate. I already knew the answer, that came with the title, but it never hurt to be nice.
"Poison," she replied in a hoarse whisper almost too soft to be heard.
"Come child. Let us make you whole again," I said, taking her head into my hands. The magic began to work immediately, and her eyes sparkled as color returned to her skin.
"Thank you, Lord Hades," she said, grasping my hands as her voice returned.
"Call me Robert," I said, kneeling beside her. "I'm glad I could help."
"Lord Robert then," she replied, bowing her head as I stood. Then she looked up, her face flush as she grabbed my hand. "I am Euthymia, my Lord. If I may ever be of service, seek me out at the Temple of Aphrodite."
"Thank you, Euthymia" I said, glancing behind me at Diantha, who was suppressing a laugh. I bowed my head in reply and continued my work on the few remaining Souls. As I finished, Diantha came up to my side.
"Someone made an impression," she joked. "Named after a Goddess, if I'm not mistaken. You should consider her offer. She looked quite sincere."
"One of the Graces. She was the Goddess of Joy," I said, sighing. "Didn’t seem to do her a lot of good in her past life."
"Then let us hope she finds it in this one," Diantha replied, taking my arm.
"When did you become such an optimist?" I asked, laughing.
"With you as her God, anything is possible," she said, leaning even closer as she led me back to the town square.
"If you say so," I said, thinking that she was acting a little stranger than usual. Maybe putting her in charge was good for her. She wasn't normally quite so thoughtful of others. Although she had been quite insistent the first time she had me fix the wounds of recovered Souls. Don't get me wrong, it's not that she was narcissistic, but after 3,000 years, one's emotions tended to get a little detached.
Making our way to the administrative building we met up with Walter and Acemon. I brought in Sendy and Jim and we had a quick discussion on logistics. Although we were shipping weapons designed by Acemon's Cyclopes to the Dwarves when requested, their war was still being fought piecemeal. Which meant our field artillery and all of the human components were still based here and hadn’t seen any action. For Jim, that meant training. Which meant we had issues such as fuel usage and resupply of ammunition. The weapons side was slowly being covered by the Cyclopes. Anyone that can make the weapons of the old Gods can throw together a few bullets and grenades, especially with Walters knowledge of human weapons to assist them.
Fuel supply just meant that Sendy would have to bring in trucks more frequently to build up our reserves. The tanks used diesel, but the few trucks we'd brought down used gas, as would the first batch of SXS's when they finally made it here. Eventually, I'd like to have everything just run on diesel. That would make repair and refueling a lot simpler in a battlefield environment. But for now I was stuck with what I had. I was hoping storage wasn't going to be an issue, but Walter assured me that building fuel tanks wasn't going to be a problem.
Because of the upsurge of attacks by the Shade and
Demons, I directed Diantha and Jim to start teaching some of the new Souls how to drive. We only had a few trucks down here, but Jim offered a few of his support vehicles to increase the pace. I would try and send down the four-wheel drive vehicles as soon as I could get my hands on them and get them configured. There was also the issue of weapons training for those that would be assigned to hunt down rogue Demons. I left that for Walter to arrange. Acemon had made that easy as he'd designed arrows and was working on throwable grenades to fight them. That would reduce training time as there was no need to arm those Souls with modern weapons. Many of which probably wouldn't be effective anyway. It would also negate the need for training time to make them proficient. Not to put them down, but most of them had at least some familiarity with bows, even if just as a hunting tool, and I doubted that anyone would have difficulty throwing a grenade. I mean, come on, show me a kid from any era that doesn’t know how to do that.
Chapter 12
"How fares Hades?" Charlie asked as we materialized on a side road across from ZZ's Exotics.
"It's a desk job waiting to happen," I replied, moving across the street. I walked over to the chain link fence and looked through at the half empty lot. Most of the vehicles from the other night's incident were gone, only a few remained. There was nothing to see here, so I moved back into the street. "One of these days anyway. Of course, that assumes we get the place running right again, and now it looks like we're going into the extermination business."
"I do not understand," he said, sniffing at the ground.
"You remember the Shades we ran into near the Arch behind Hades Palace… on the way to Elysium?" I asked. "That first trip we made."
"How could I forget," he replied, now pushing his nose into the air.
"They're starting to multiply," I said, waiting for him to search out any scents. "Becoming a real problem too. We're going to have to send out hunting parties to take them down. Luckily, Acemon has some ideas for weapons that will kick their ass."
