Gathering the Army

I've noticed more and more that my writing speed is slowing down..

The entire journey took one day and one night. Though, that was going by the Underworld’s strange and incredibly slow sunrises and sets. If I had to guess, I would say that we flew for a week or so before we came to the entrance of the Fields of Asphodel. In the daylight, when the sun had risen and the air became incredibly hot, we flew low and in the shade of the many spires of Erebus’ city. The enormous black metropolis took a half a day on its own. On one of the few occasions when we landed, I asked Grayson about it.

“Well, think about everyone that’s ever died.” He looked up at one of the spires that loomed over us. “They all had to end up somewhere. If it wasn’t here, it was the fields or the Elysium. But few people get into the Elysium. You have to be really high class to get in there.”

“What’s Elysium like?” I asked.

Grayson pondered this for a moment. “I don’t know, but when I picture it, I see a really green country. No buildings, no roads, no bad smells . . . a lake somewhere in the background.” Grayson stopped speaking as a dreamy look overcame his face.

“I say it’s a beach,” Avra said, walking over to us. Since we had left, she’d become noticeably more comfortable flying, though the color still drained from her face every time her griffin flapped its wings. “At least, that’s what I’ve always thought.” She sat on the ground between the two of us. “What do you think of?”

“Video game arcade,” I replied. Avra frowned at me.

“That’s terrible.”

I didn’t know what to say. The only thing I really saw when I thought of paradise was a bunch of fluffy clouds. But then again, that’s what I thought of when I thought of death in general, and I had never been so wrong in my life.

Movement had brought me back to attention. The spires had small window-like holes in the sides which made them look like skyscrapers. In many of these holes, the dead lingered like eerie stalkers. It made my skin crawl"the way their eyeless faces watched us when we landed. I was all too happy when we called the griffins and were sped off beyond the seemingly endless dead lands of Erebus’ city. By the time the final odd rocks were within sight and the last spire was behind us, the sun had begun to set. After that though, it was nothing but ocean until it had disappeared below the horizon. Our already limited landing zones diminished as the land gave way to water. Occasionally, an island would present itself and we would take some time to rest. Once or twice, we would spot one of those creatures (that Grayson had explained were Furies) and we would have to fly low under the cover of mist.

Eventually, the first few signs of land could be seen at the edge of the horizon.

“We’re almost there!” Grayson had to shout over the sound of the wind and waves. By then, the first golden tinges of the sun were bursting forth from the horizon and we were near enough to the land that we could make out high cliffs with rows of dead trees dotting the tops of them.

Jack took me as close to the cliffs as he dared and we passed along them, effortlessly. Our group of black winged beasts finally came to a crevice that split the cliff wall in half. Without guidance, Jack swiftly cut into it and then we were skimming along the narrow corridor. After that, we came to the beginning of a forest where the trees were all dead. Jack was breathing hard and the heat was rising in the pit of his stomach. I could feel it on my back.

“We’ll land here,” I called.

One by one, we dropped below the tree line and landed on the loose grey dirt. The griffins released themselves and started to trudge alongside us deeper into the wood. As my feet dug deep into the soft dirt, I noticed this place was starting to seem oddly familiar in that déjà vu sort of way. The trees were arranged in an unnatural grid-like pattern, one after the next. The clouds of dust here blocked the light, as if it was saturated with ash. I started to wonder if maybe there was an active volcano somewhere near. Avra started to cough, and then Grayson. Finally, I found my own throat smothered. The coughing fits continued, and the trees were beginning to look like moving creatures with their spidery branches. Past them, the sky was growing darker " not with the usual blue that came with the night, but with a blackness that seemed abnormal.

It started to get colder, and my hands groped for the edges of the leather gear for warmth. I was starting to get annoyed at Hypnos and Thánatos for not telling us it would be like this, but then again the entire plan had been formulated in about twenty minutes. The gear I wore didn’t even have sleeves.  I shivered and glanced up at the trees then quickly back down. I kept having the strange feeling they were watching me. The image of wandering eyes cracking to life from the dead bark kept popping up in my mind. The further in we got, I noticed another movement of the trees and I couldn’t tell if it was just me, or if they really were moving away from each other, forming a wider path. I rubbed my eyes and hoped it was just a trick of the light.

There was a clearing up ahead. I sensed it rather than saw it. There was a shift in atmosphere and the air became heavier. I stole a glance around the area. There was nothing in sight, but still, something about this place made me uneasy. I could tell the others felt the same way, and even Jack was cooing nervously. He prowled low to the ground beside me, his snaky tail swishing this way and that. I rested my hand on his silky feathers to comfort the both of us.

Then I saw it, and a shock coursed through my heart as I realized we were finally here. In the clearing, amongst the trees that grew higher than the rest of the wood, two enormous spires jutted out at odd angles and formed a sort of triangle with the ground.  The space within the triangle flickered and distorted like an intense heat.

“Is that it?” Grayson asked.

“Idiot,” Avra said, smacking him on the arm. “What else would it be?”

I moved closer to the triangle. I was once again worried that something would spring out at me, but this time it really happened. I stared, wide-eyed, as a winged boy materialized from inside of it.

Thánatos looked exhausted. His wings had shrunken to a fraction of their original size. He looked up at us and smiled weakly. “I am sorry,” he said. “But the process is taking much longer than expected. There were many more challengers than we previously thought, and reconstructing their memories has taken its toll on both of us. We have made progress, but it will take more time.” Thánatos took a deep breath. His skin was beginning to grey somewhat. He stepped back through the gateway returned to the Fields of Asphodel.

There was nothing to do but wait, so we sat down on the ground and did just that. Grayson grabbed a satchel that one of the spare griffins had carried along and produced from its leather confines " an apple. He tossed it to me, and then pulled out two more for Avra and himself. I stared at mine, grudgingly, for a moment before taking the bite that left me with a remarkably bitter taste in my mouth. Neither Grayson nor Avra seemed to mind the taste, but I had never been one for bitter food. I laid back in a sprawled position with the apple in my outstretched hand. Grayson’s obnoxiously loud chewing filled the silence. I thought about tossing the green orb into the wood, but then I thought the furies might find it. I laughed to myself as I realized how absurd it would be if Chiron had some Underworld version of C.S.I.

I raised my arm to throw the apple, but realized it was no longer there. Grayson was staring, dumbfounded, at me.

“How did you do that?” He asked. Avra hadn’t been paying attention, but now her eyes were darting back and forth between the two of us, curiously.

“What?” I asked him, balling my empty hand.

“The apple, it just went fwoop, and it was gone!” He exclaimed. I looked around the dried earth for the apple " hoping it had simply fallen from my grasp " but it was nowhere in sight. “Do it again,” he commanded, tossing another apple my way.

I caught it, and stared down at it like a diamond cutter at a priceless gem. A few minutes passed by as Avra and Grayson watched me, intently. Finally, I sighed, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Grayson groaned and rolled back on his butt. Avra just looked away. I sat there with that apple, staring at it as if it contained the secret of my existence until another figure materialized from the gate. I looked up with bloodshot eyes as Fin stumbled through and onto the ground in a cloud of dust. Then I drew in a sharp breath as I noticed that he wasn’t alone.

Both Fin and Kale had goofy smiles across their faces. Fin’s eyes no longer had that sunken look that hadn’t suited him at all. Together, it seemed a piece of a single entity had been repaired. It was a sweet moment, and we were inclined to treat it as such, though it hadn’t left anyone’s minds that a battle was fast approaching.

Kale practically stumbled around in the dust in an attempt to hug everyone. I patted him awkwardly on the back when it was my turn.

It turned out I didn’t need to give him an update. Hypnos had already shown him what had happened since he had been crushed and sent to a watery grave. Even so, Kale wanted to hear the story from everyone’s view. I did my best to tell him my part of the story and listened intently as Grayson explained how he had appeared in the finals and saved Avra and I from as well as his reckless rescue attempt at Chiron’s citadel. Underneath the looming trees, we told our stories until Thánatos and Hypnos exited from between the spires, both looking exhausted and their wings, miniscule.

“It is done,” Hypnos said. He sat down, cross-legged on the earth and drew a deep breath. The folds of his muscles rippled strangely like a mirage, though I guess things like that are normal for a god of sleep. Even though he had the physical appearance of a young boy, his breath, his eyes, even his voice seemed old beyond imagining. “There were many, many challengers. I had not known the challenges had gone on for so long. When Chiron had assigned us the duty of guarding Hades’ chamber, we had no idea how quickly time would pass.”

Thánatos took over, as the stress of talking seemed too much for Hypnos. “We were used to blindly following orders, though it shames me to say so. We thought nothing of it when Chiron came to us with the orders. And now, looking back, I should have realized that Hades would not have need of protection. He controlled the dead, and the dead are all that exist in the underworld.” Thánatos flickered for a moment like a scene from an old black and white movie. “And now, this. If we could have died, we would have ended our existence the day we discovered the truth in a happening upon Hades’ true, diseased form.”

“He was drugged,” I cut in, remembering the way the great Lord of the Underworld had sat in his chair, unmoving.

“Aye, by Chiron.” A bubble of anger had risen quite suddenly in Thánatos’ voice. “Had it not been for that usurper, the Underworld would still be in balance.”

“I believe we can start bringing the children through,” said Hypnos. He clapped his hands together, and the portal began to spasm and warp. The first few children stumbled through like newborns. The rest were able to trudge steadily. They all wore ragged clothes that only vaguely resembled tunics and shorts. I stood up from my place on the dirt and allowed as many of them into the space as could fit. However, it was clear that there would not be enough room. They kept funneling through, children of all shapes, sizes, races. Two at a time, then three and four " they stared around at the trees with frightened looks and most began to cough violently. The griffins had taken to the air and were circling the area. Some of the children were pointing at them, curiously.

“Everyone!” I yelled, clapping my hands together. Very few of the children were paying attention, though. Grayson shoved his fingers into his mouth and blew a shrill note and instantly, the babble stopped and all eyes were on me. “Alright, you should all know, more or less, why you’re here.” I glanced over at Hypnos who nodded. “So, in that case, I don’t see any reason for a big speech"”

“Chiron has ruined our deaths and taken the underworld for himself,” Grayson said, standing on a rather large tree root. “He wants to rule the Underworld and then once he has that, he’ll take over the world of the living!”

I shot a look to Avra who shrugged. Some of the children looked hesitant over the statement. “Are we going to let him do it?” A few of the children sounded a muffled no. “Should we sit by, and watch as that white faced freak has his way?” A few more no’s. “Well, we aren’t, and for those of you too chicken to play the game then you can just turn tail and head back to the Fields. Now, is anyone chicken?” This time, nearly everyone shouted “no!” Grayson looked around until he found me and winked confidently. I rolled my eyes. “Are we gonna let Chiron at the Underworld until everyone who dies has to make their way through the games just to get a decent spot in the Fields?”

“No!”

“Is Chiron gonna let us all have like we know he wants to?”

“No!”

“Good, because the ship is ready to sail!”

At that, the mass of children scrambled past us and followed the group of griffins that squawked and flew off in the direction of the coast. It took a long time for all of them to clear out, as there were just so many. When they had all gone though, Grayson hopped down and got slugged in the arm by Avra.

“What are you talking about?” she asked. “We have no idea if any of that is true.”

“It’s probably true,” Grayson said, heading off towards the coast.

Avra watched him leave then turned to me looking like she wanted to complain, but then groaned and followed after him in a huff. I couldn’t help but grin.

Back through the creepy wood, over a large expanse of purple-black grass, and down a steep path to a sandy beach, Hermes was waiting for us in his boat. Tiny waves lapped at the boat and the sand, lightly. At first, the children were a little apprehensive towards the dead, though I could understand why. They weren’t the easiest on the eyes. I pushed past the lot of them until I got to Hermes and realized a fatal flaw in my plan.

“We may need a bigger boat,” I said.

“Kid, I ferry thousands of souls every day. Do you realize how impossible that would be if all I had was this boat?” Hermes couldn’t help but have a quick chuckle over the look of confusion on my face. He waved his hand out at the sea as if gesturing to something, and suddenly, a mass of waves collided against each other and up from the depths of the dark water, a hundred or more boats emerged. The event was so grand in scale that I had to take a step back and draw in a sharp breath. All of the black boats, with figureheads resembling a three-headed mastiff ran aground on the sand with a crunching, grinding sound. “Welcome everyone, to the ferry service. This voyage is on the house, though a return trip will cost all of you, one obolus.”

Everyone looked around at each other in bewilderment.

“No? Never mind then.” Hermes motioned for everyone to gather on the boats and soon, they were filled and ready to go. Jack had landed and now resided comfortably on my back. A few of the other children who had made to the finals stayed behind as well. Hermes called, “All aboard!” like a train conductor then cast off and soon the enormous army of children was guided out into the sea. The few that stayed behind were picked up and carried off by the spare griffins we had brought with us, along with Kale and Fin who hadn’t moved five feet from each other since exiting the Fields of Asphodel.

Once the boats had become nothing more than small dots, Jack spread his wings and prepared to take flight. Before I had a chance to push of the ground, though, a girl landed on the sand in front of me. Her hair was blonde and something about her seemed strangely familiar.

“Hi, I’m Sarah. Sarah McDonald,” she said, thrusting her hand forward and nearly tipped over from the off balance of weight between her and the griffin that was clamoring to stay tied to her back. I shook her hand and did my best not to laugh uncontrollably. Funny thing; I knew more about this girl than she probably knew about herself. She apparently didn’t notice my strain, as she smiled and bravely shot off into the sky, kicking up a clot of sand in the process. Soon, I was kicking off and just like that, our journey back had begun. I knew where we were headed and I knew what we would encounter . . . at least I thought I did; an army of immortals, and after that, Hades’ palace. Whatever happened between and after those two events were beyond my sight.

The sun had risen and now and hovered over the horizon. I couldn’t understand how something so fake could be so oppressive, but regardless, the unnatural wind was behind us and would carry us fast. The water; too vast an expanse to be considered a river stretched off nearly endlessly. We glided close to the water where the air was cooler, but as we flew further and further out to sea, the waves became too high and forceful for Jack’s rather delicate wings. I could only wonder how Hermes and the boats were fairing. However, when I caught up with them, Hermes seemed to have no trouble whatsoever navigating the vicious waters.

Reassured, I motioned Jack to take me up higher, where the others glided on the winds. So far, so good, I thought. My plan was working. A few elements I would probably have to make up as I went along, but otherwise I was pretty confident we could do this. The only thing to do now was wait for the war to start.  

Reviews

[Star Wolf]

Another excellent chapter. I enjoyed it. You're doing a great job here.

[HorrorMaster]

Very good chapter. Im looking forward to see this book into a movie. I love the fantasy of this.

[WriterSki7]

A very good chapter. You have already heard my previous complaints and compliments, so they will do little to avail you here. Albeit, I can say there are a few places where a dash should not have been used. Something I think you should look out for.

[Coyote Poetry]

This chapter is amazing. A very good description of the place where Soldiers may go. Will it be paradise or more hell. My father was Native American. He wanted to go to the great hunting ground where men would hunt and have great conversation and wait for brothers of War. I like the complete chapter. In my time with other Soldiers we had too much time. We discuss war and purpose. Funny part we never found the real answers to make us feel we were doing the right things for Government who treated us with little concern. A very good chapter. Thank you.
Coyote

[James Watts]

Another fine installment.And now you have me waiting for the war to start lol. I am sure it will be one hell of a brawl. You have it building up to a climax that the reader can actually feel.

[Dutch Jr.]

True, your pace from chapter to chapter gradually slows, but that's not always a bad thing. Once you've got the readers attention, you would probably want to slow the pace down, and build tension.

Overall, a nice, well-written (of course) chapter. Ready for the next.