“Whoosh. Whoosh,” Nick whispered.
I turned to him and saw that everyone did too.
“What?” Nick looked at us.
“Shhh. You might disturb the water.” Aaron’s eyes threw daggers at Nick.
Nick shrugged. “It’s the sound it should have been making anyway.”
Leave it to Nick to lighten the mood. Mason shook his head with a grin. It was the second time I’d seen him smile since we got there; but then again, none of us had anything to smile about.
“What happy memories did you give the reaper?” I whispered to Mason, not wanting others to hear. I knew he couldn’t give me the exact ones, but I knew he could tell me a little bit about them and what triggered those thoughts.
Mason looked at me, surprised that I had asked such a question. “The first one was about my mom. It was during the time before Nick’s mom came into our lives. She was happy and so was I. We didn’t worry about the supernatural. We were living normal human lives.”
“And the second?”
“You, Sky, and my family. Remember when we had Thanksgiving dinner together at the cabin, right before you were taken by one of the vultures?”
“I do. How can I forget that night?”
“We were so happy, laughing, smiling, and talking about what normal people talked about and do. I hope we can get to that point one day.”
I caressed his face, wishing I could give him reassurance, to say something he could hold onto, but I couldn’t. We were far from being normal. And if by some miracle, we were able to bring Zeus and Poseidon back from the dead, then just maybe we could have a chance. Zeus and Poseidon could rule what was once theirs, and the descendants of gods could just be that.
“I like your happy memories, Mason. Maybe one day….” I had no words left to say. He knew as well as I did that it was nearly impossible, but we all could dream about it. There was still hope.
Soon after, the boat anchored. Once again, the reaper zapped into the air and appeared at the end of the boat.
“I’m not giving you anything from me, you creepy skeleton,” Amanda huffed, but I could see fear in her eyes when it turned face to face with her. I could imagine Amanda having chills down her spine, seeing through the emptiness, hoping nothing hideous would pop out from it.
“Don’t do anything hasty,” Zara warned. “We don’t want to disturb the peace. I don’t think it wants anything. It’s just escorting us out of the boat.”
“Oh.” Amanda cowered, letting out fake laughs.
Everyone got off the boat except for Nick, Mason, and me.
“Bye,” Nick said to the reaper. “Don’t want to ever see your face; or maybe I should say don’t want you to ever see my face.” He chuckled at his own joke as he jumped to shore.
“You get off first.” Mason gestured by giving me a slight tug behind my back.
Once I got off, I looked behind me. My heart started thumping faster, anticipating something bad happening, or Mason having trouble like the last time.
“You may go,” the voice said to Mason.
As soon as Mason’s one long stride got him off the boat, he tugged the reaper’s cape down to his level and put his face into that empty space. “For the record. I didn’t ask for your permission.”
I was afraid of what the reaper would do after Mason let go, but thank goodness nothing happened. Sometimes Mason could be arrogant and bold in a given situation. It was a part of him that I was attracted to. The boat started to drift backward, and a second later, it disappeared.
Mason was fired up today, but I couldn’t blame him. I was annoyed too when the reaper toyed with him before he got on the boat. What the hell was that for? It was already annoying that we had to go through a lot to get to Hades; anything more was just fuel for the fire.
“Now what?” Noah piped in, staring into pitch darkness that was covered by mist from the ceiling down.
“Be patient. It will appear,” Zara stated with excitement, but there was fear in her eyes. Just like the rest of us.
“What will appear?” Everett asked.
Amanda pointed straight ahead, looking stunned. “That.”
As the mist evaporated like a slow moving curtain, a giant double door materialized. I could only see the thick, gold door and nothing else. It was almost as tall as the ceiling and as wide as the cave. I felt so tiny compared to the grandness of it. With fancy, intricate designs and inscriptions, it was beautifully crafted.
“Want me to knock on the door, or can I ring the doorbell?” Nick chuckled.
“No. You must tell it your saddest memory. Then it will let you through,” Zara explained, heading for it.
The fog that had covered the door was now floating on the ground. I couldn’t see my shoes.
“I’ll go first.” Zara’s cape swayed across the whiteness, and as always, Tara followed her.
I had thought the door would open, letting in one person at a time; instead, Zara went straight through the door. I guessed the door was an illusion.
When only Mason and I were left, I suggested he go first. Again, my reasoning was that it might not let him go through once I was in. Seeing Mason walk through it as I stood alone gave me goose bumps. I didn’t want the same bad experience happening again while we were separated. Thinking of my parents, and the reason why I was there in the first place made me braver and more determined.
“Give me your saddest memory.”
“I have none.” This time I decided to speak out loud instead of in my mind.
“Give me your saddest memory. You must give one to enter.” His tone was louder and more demanding than before. It was the same being. I could never forget the gruff, cold voice.
I didn’t want to give it mine, so I gave it what popped into my mind, another reason why I was there. “My saddest memory was the day the gods were divided. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were once strong and united. They balanced their world with love and devotion to their people. Now, everything is gone because of greed and revenge. Nothing good can ever come out of these evil feelings. Look at where we are now. Almost everyone is dead. Where is Olympus, your home? Over time, the gods will be forgotten. They will only be a legend, a myth, and a story told from generation to generation. Some stories will be made up, and some stories will even be lies. This is truly tragic.”
“That is not your memory.” His tone was so fierce and strong that it made me jerk.
The voice was trying to intimidate me, but I wouldn’t let it. “Yes, it is. It might not be my personal memory, but it is a memory of the present.”
I didn’t know if my answer would be acceptable, but I got an answer when the door seemed less apparent. Thank God! Becoming one with the door, I walked right through. But never would I have ever imagined seeing this.
“Give me your saddest memory.” He demanded.
“The day the assholes killed my mom. They didn’t need to kill her. She was innocent in all this. The war was between the gods, not the humans.”
He didn’t say a word after that, just let me through. Once I was on the other side, the first thing I saw was the fog. It was too dark to look further, but there was just enough light to see the walls of the cave and boulders, and the ceiling that was just as high as on the other side. But I was most stunned to see Amanda crying.
Spotting Nick next, I was just about to ask him why he wasn’t consoling Amanda from her cries when I saw him crying too. What the hell? And so were Everett and everyone else, except for the Oracles. Though they looked somber, their eyes glistened with liquid.
“What’s going on?” I placed my hand on Amanda, but she didn’t look up. She continued to sob as tears poured down her face.
“We are weaker now. The reason is, we are affected by the emotion we gave away,” Zara explained, sniffing.
“How do you stop this?” How wrong I was to think I might not be affected. My heart ached without warning, the kind of pain that ate me up, cutting into every piece of me—my bones, my muscles, my
heart, and my soul…till it felt like I wanted to rip my heart out to stop the pain. Then the tears came, blinding my vision, and I had no idea why I felt this way. There was no memory from the past playing in my mind; it was just the feeling of sheer, unforgettable sadness.
“Not you too,” Sarah cried, rubbing her tears away.
“Wh…where’s…S…ky?” Everett had a difficult time with his words from weeping too much. I wondered what his saddest memory was, but I could take a guess and I would probably be right. I was pretty sure it was about losing his mom.
“Damn! I never cried so much.” Nick stood beside me. “Don’t tell anyone about this. This will ruin my reputation. I’m crying like a sissy, and I can’t control it.”
“Maybe Sky can stop this.” Aaron gasped, and his breath quickened from trying to stop the tears.
I wanted what Aaron said to be true, but I also didn’t want Sky to see us this way, especially me. It would break her heart. Maybe she would be affected too. I was also surprised to see how much the color of our skin had changed. Placing my hand out in front of me, it looked like a zombie’s hand—dull and dead. I knew pieces of us would die and our powers would weaken, but I didn’t know we would look like this.
Now that I had no tears left to shed, I needed to try to control this urge. I closed my eyes and slid down against a boulder, waiting for Sky. I hoped it wouldn’t be too long.
“Mason?”
I stood up to see Sky looking baffled. I would have too. Having her hand on my arm gave me warmth, easing the coldness and emptiness I was feeling.
“Sky.” I stood up and embraced her, hoping this pain would go away from her touch and presence, but it didn’t.
“What’s wrong with everyone? Why are they crying?” she asked.
Tara stood before us and answered. “It’s our saddest memory. We can’t stop.” She wiped her tears with her cape.
“It’s too much to bear.” Kneeling down on the ground, Aaron’s hand was over his heart.
Sky walked away from me, away from us. “Why are you doing this?” she shouted. “They’ve given you what you wanted.”
“Your friends are paying the consequences of your words,” he answered. I was surprised to hear the being speak aloud. “They are feeling the pain of all gods that have suffered over the centuries. You did not give me your memory; therefore, you do not feel the pain, but your friends will suffer the wrath of your doing.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This being was cruel. Skylar looked at us with tears in her eyes. The sight of her friends bent over and aching from the empty memory that wasn’t theirs must be killing her.
“Stop! I’ll give you what you want. I’ll give you a piece of me.” Sky shuddered, hugging her arms around herself.
“It’s too late, little girl. If you play games, I’ll play them too.” His tone was cunning, and I could tell he enjoyed toying with us. Was this Hades himself, or an evil being that guarded the underworld? I didn’t know.
“Then I’ll give you something else. Anything you want. Just stop the pain,” Sky begged.
The evil laughing sound echoed harshly around us, so piercing that I had to cover my ears. “This is going to be fun,” he said. “Pick door number one or two.”
Sky glanced around and so did everyone else. “What door? There’s no door?”
“Are you too blind to see, little girl?”
Sure enough, two doors appeared behind the darkness, similar to the door that we’d entered through, but the size of a bedroom door.
“If you pick the right door, you’ll get to see Hades. But if you pick the wrong door…well…need I say any more? It was nice playing with you.”
“Okay. I’ll do it.”
As soon as Sky said those words, the pain in my heart stopped. It was as if nothing happened. The tightness that coiled through every inch of me vanished. We all gathered around her and waited to see what would happen next.
“Are you worthy to be here, little girl?” the voice asked. “Let’s find out. But first, let me show you what happened to those who have come before and lost the game.”
The dimmed light grew brighter as the white fog dissipated, showing more of this massive cave. It reminded me of the inside of Mt. Hem when the stalactites fell down on us, so I looked up but only saw darkness. Chills ran down my spine as I imagined what could possibly fall from above.
My body shuddered in fear when I saw what it wanted to show us. Black ashes and skeletal remains of heads and bones were piled up on both sides. There were many little piles, but there was enough to shock the living hell out of me. And I knew everyone else felt the same way when I saw them standing motionless, and their eyes displaying despair and horror.
“Which door, Sky?” He asked excitedly, as if he was giving me a gift I wanted. Two black doors appeared in dark space. One was marked with number one and the other two, both glowing with fire.
At that moment, my fear was replaced by anger. I was mad at Hephaestus for putting us in this position, and I was mad for being this supposed saviour, but having no idea what the hell I was doing. Something bad was going to happen here. My gut told me it would.
Mason must have seen the flustered look on my face. “It doesn’t matter which one, Sky. You know whichever you choose, it will be the one he wants to give us anyway.”
Mason was right. He just reminded me of how cruel it was.
“Sky. We are almost to Hades,” Tara reminded me, her violet irises glistening. “We are here with you. Our powers might be weak, but we are strong as a group. Do not fear my child. Just remember, you have the power of all three.”
Those were the words I needed to hear. Tara may lack words at times, but she spoke when I needed to hear her wisdom. “Open door one,” I commanded. I wanted to cuss at it and call it names, but it would probably just laugh at me, and what good would that do? I needed to prepare my mind and save my energy for what was to come.
At first nothing happened. All was silent as we waited and anticipated the reaction. Then the door thrashed opened with a loud bang, startling everyone. I jumped and my heart leaped out of my chest. I knew he’d done that on purpose, to give rise to our fears. As my pulse skyrocketed and my heart slammed against my ribs, we huddled closer.
Seeing nothing but darkness through door one heightened my awareness, and the mist that slowly crept out, like a thin layer of clouds, spreading and covering our feet, brought another level of fright. The ground started to shake, then a sound like thunder boomed, getting louder…louder…until it sounded more like a stampede.
My imagination got the best of me as I envision buffaloes charging for us. Roaring sounds burst in the air when a dozen of the Cerberus’s offspring tried to charge through at once. I would have preferred the buffaloes, but instead, we got Hades’s guard dogs.
Their glowing red eyes were what I saw first, then their vampire-like teeth, and last, three heads to a body. With serpent’s heads on the tips of their tales and lion-like claws, they looked like they could rip us to shreds as they dashed toward us, as if we were a gourmet meal.
“Hades’s dogs. I should have guessed.” Zara quaked, standing next to Tara. Extending both of their arms up, they were creating a shield. Blazing light engulfed us.
“You should have guessed sooner, but I don’t think it would have mattered.” Nick’s eyes glowed, ready to fight. “Here puppy, puppy. Let’s play.”
Aaron’s hands and body lit up like a torch, while Colin and Sarah had their arrows and swords ready.
“Here they come!” Amanda bellowed. There was fear in her tone.
They were a lot bigger than what I had imagined. Seeing that the shield was holding gave me relief, and the breath I was painfully holding released with a long sigh. But when countless beasts kept coming out of the door, I knew there was no way that the Oracles could hold that many from breaking through the barrier, especially when I saw the shield getting smaller and the light flashing like a wire that had gone wrong.
<
br /> “Get ready to fight!” Zara yelled. “We can’t hold anymore.”
“Stay close, everyone. If we stay in this circle, we can cover each other’s backs,” Mason directed.
Then it was chaos. There was no room for fear, no room for doubt. At that moment, it was life or death. The eyes of the pack of Cerberus’s offspring burned like fire; their jaws snapped as they snarled, and their tails whooshed like whips.
Mason and I held up both of our hands and used our lights together, to rip the bodies of the ones darting toward us in half.
“Watch out for their tails!” Colin alerted. Using his sword, he sliced through a hissing tail. The beast growled in pain, only to turn around and show all three sets of teeth.
“Holy Zeus! Fire is blowing out of their mouths.” Sarah held her shield up to cover Ian, Tim, and herself. Tim got up when given the opportunity and willed his power to throw a long, sharp spear right into the beast’s mouth. It collapsed to the ground from being injured, then Sarah sprang in front and chopped off its head.
“I could use some water here!” Ian bellowed. He was completely surrounded by fire.
“Not a problem.” Noah drew water from the mist with his power and put out the flame. Then Aaron brought out the fire from his hand and turned the beasts into ashes. “Fire against fire,” Aaron said.
“Duck, Aaron,” Noah ordered. It was the coolest thing to see. Noah and Tim shot out countless icicle darts. They flew in unison, penetrating the beasts’ bodies and freezing them in place; some were even caught in statue positions in the air. They shattered when they hit the ground, then liquefied. It was a smart move. They had just created more water to manipulate.
Too busy watching Noah and Tim, I didn’t know what had happened to Aaron until I turned to leap away from the tail that would have crushed Mason and me. Aaron hadn’t seen the one from behind. Zara wrapped her cloak around him, concealing Aaron just as fire engulfed him. Within a few seconds, Zara let go. Aaron was back to himself. He was lucky; the only thing that saved him was the fact that he was descendant of Apollo.