Page 55 of Midlife Demigod Unexpected

“We need to get out of the river,” I said.

“Nobody gets out of the river,” the demon said.

“We know Thrain,” I said. “The other problem is, we’re not dead.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you’re the Queen of Sheba. Nobody gets out of the river,”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Aris,” he growled.

“OK, look. I’m not saying we’re going to get you in trouble with Thrain, but…”

“I don’t care if I’m in trouble with a friend,” Aris said. “I follow the instructions.”

“We aren’t dead,” Jane said, the water making her voice weaker.

“Look, Styx is changing the flow of the river. It’s clogged up at the end of the tributary she used to have. Now it’s flowing badly, so she’s opening it up.”

“Why should I concern myself with what goes on in the human world?” Aris asked.

“Because if they get their way and Morel and Styx start killing off all the humans and a zombie apocalypse covers the entire earth, you will get so many dead bodies coming through here you won’t know what to do with them. How are you going to manage all that?”

“So, who exactly is stopping this apocalypse?” The demon asked.

“We would be if you get us out of the river,” Chloe screamed, clawing at the bank.

Our magic didn’t work in the river very well, so we were stuck.

The demon came over to the edge and reached down giving Chloe a hand.

“Why didn’t you say it was Styx? She’s a troublemaker. Always has been and always will be.”

I glanced over at Kartika. “Didn’t I say it like three times already?”

“Maybe demons don’t hear very well?” she asked.

Aris reach forward, grabbed Chloe’s hand and pulled her out of the river. Within a minute he had us all out, laying on the banks of the River Styx trying to catch our breath.

“Is there any cure for this feeling?” I asked. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a semi.”

“Only time,” he said.

“There’s got to be something better,” I said. “We’ve got to go stop the zombie apocalypse back in Cougar Creek. So, what we need you to do is to help us get back to Cougar Creek in fighting condition.”

“There’s only one way to do it, but you may not like the side effects.” Aris explained.

“What is it?” I asked.

“You’ll be bound together for life,” he said.

I almost rolled my eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s not a problem.”

“Hook us up,” Mae said.

“You had me at hello,” Bianca said with a nod.

“Didn’t we just work to unbind the pentacle of time?” I asked.

---