Page 37 of His in the Dark

“Thanos,” Hades says. “He takes the souls to Hermes, who guides them to the entrance of the Underworld.”

The silent man merely nods. The darkness that surrounds him is uncanny and I do my best to avoid his gaze.

We leave the gate behind. A river winds through the realm, its waters moving under a current.

“The river Styx,” I say. I have heard legends of the river Styx. There is not a soul alive who has not heard those stories. It could also be a way out. A glimmer of hope rises in me and I search within myself.

Hades nods. “Charon steers the ferry, but he only transports those souls who have proper payment.”

“Payment?”

“Two coins for his services, and the soul is buried. If no payment is given, they are left to wander the shores for all eternity.”

“Two coins? As in they must be buried with them?”

“If they would like help in the afterlife.”

That does not strike me as fair, but I keep this opinion to myself.

“And once the soul crosses the river?”

Hades glances down at me. “The soul stands before three judges. They determine the soul’s place in the realm and send them along according to my governance.”

“To eternal suffering?”

“Or to eternal peace,” he adds, again glancing at me in a way that makes my soul stumble.

“What’s beyond the river?” I dare to ask, keeping my voice even.

“Death,” is all Hades answers and in his tone I swear he must know the reason I asked. I stare straight ahead, avoiding his pining gaze.

The river falls away, and we come upon more fields.

“The Asphodel Meadows. For souls neither good nor evil.” Hades’s voice is beginning to sound strained. “They may drink from the river Lethe, which washes away the memories so that the soul may be reborn.” His tone is almost one of boredom.

“Is something wrong?”

This time, when he glances down at me, there’s a certain sharp anger in his eyes. “No. Of course not.”

I look away. “This is your realm, then?”

“This is only the surface of my realm.”

I don’t know what possesses me. It could be courage, or it could be the past days feeling like an eternity of hours.

“I want to see the rest.”

To my surprise, Hades does not deny me. I push away the uncomfortable thought that I am the only one denying myself this freedom.

“Come, my queen” he says, and turns on the path.

I ignore the way he addresses me, purely grateful for the change in scenery and smitten by the questions that gather in the back of my mind. This realm is vast and orderly, so different from Olympus, so different from the Earthly realm.

I am not certain how we enter the palace, that stands tall of old stone in the distance. I only know that it’s not outside, as the path was. We walk down a long hallway instead, passing arched doorway after arched doorway.

It’s odd how the ground moves and how each corridor appears. As if space is not of what I know it to be. One step is nearly a mile.

These are the dens of heaven and hell, I think, and my heart pounds with how close they are. How visible.

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