Tartarus Thief | ONC 2021 [ROUND 2 WINNER]

Chapter 9

The wounds on Vita's arm burned like fire with her hands bound behind her back. It didn't help that the Erinye kept shoving her forward as if they were in a hurry for something.

Gwen had been left behind at the mountain, eyes wide with shock. The Erinye had barely even glanced at her. But she had kept her mouth shut. The scroll was still safe.

"Ouch! I'm going, I'm going." Vita glared at her guard after yet another push.

"Hurry up, worm. You've wasted enough of my time." The snakes on her head hissed eagerly, as if happy about having caught their pray. Or excited about what they'd get to do to her. Her flail, with its steel tips, scraped across the stone path.

Vita's stomach constricted as the door of the Asphodel Meadows came into view. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd be punished, but the Erinye's smirk told her she'd better be prepared for the worst.

It'll be fine, she kept telling herself. The worst they can do is hurt me. I'll just have to see it through. One day it'll all be over and then I can find Barny.

But the words did nothing to soothe her as the guard pushed her into the Hall of Judgement. She felt the eyes of curious souls all around her. Even the judges had stopped their work momentarily to watch the scene. Vita felt her cheeks burn as she stared straight ahead, to the charred door that contained Tartarus. Her fingers curled around each other behind her back.

The smell, sulfur and smoke, hadn't been pleasant before, but now it made her want to puke. The heat made the cuts on her arm singe even more. Her legs carried her towards the lava-stream, which she knew would lead to the slums. She'd heard the screams. Soon, she'd be one of them.

"This way, worm."

Vita nearly tripped when the Erinye pushed her to the left, away from the slums. She led her into a hallway Vita hadn't spotted before, right next to where the Erinye had stood guard.

When the empty, crumbling halls made way for walls decorated with red paint – or blood? Vita shuddered – and engraved columns and urns the size of people, she suddenly understood with frightening clarity where they were going.

The Erinye shoved her again, as she'd unconsciously slowed down. The flail-tips scratching the ground sounded louder than ever in these empty halls.

They came to another door, though this one was not charred. It was made of dark-grey stone and etched with screaming faces; their mouths wide open in frozen terror. Vita held her breath as the Erinye opened it and pushed her inside.

The office was huge, but Hades still seemed to take up all the space, his mere presence suffocating anyone who dared step inside. He stood tall, looming over her. His long, bone-white hair fell over the reinforced shoulders of his inky robes. In his left hand he held a double-tipped spear as tall as himself. And his eyes... They were black. Completely black.

Vita gulped.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you." His voice was low and rumbling, making Vita wonder if he was the one who had caused the earthquake that destroyed the slums, with nothing but his voice.

The Erinye dropped to one knee beside her, turning her bleeding eyes to the floor beneath her Lord's feet. Vita hesitated, unsure whether she was expected to do the same.

Before she had a chance to decide, Hades stepped forward, looking her up and down.

"My Erinyen call you a troublemaker. How long do you think you'll last being a troublemaker in my realm?"

It took all her strength to stay upright, as her knees buckled underneath her. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling, but she didn't avert her gaze.

Hades smirked. "Yes, that's what I thought." He turned to the kneeling guard and held out his long, bony fingers. "Her records."

The Erinye flinched. "My Lord, we haven't been able to find them."

The grin froze on Hades' lips. "What?"

"Her records are missing," said the Erinye, the snakes lying flat on her head.

His black orbs flashed to Vita. "You are a troublemaker. Where are they?"

Her mouth felt dry, tongue scraping over her lips. "I... I don't know."

Hades stepped closer until he hovered over her. "You were found sneaking into Tartarus. I know you took them. Tell me where they are and I might go easy on you."

Vita took a shuddering breath, before saying, "I don't know where they are."

He stared at her a few moments longer, though it felt like an eternity as the air trembled around them. Then, all of a sudden, a grin spread across his face. "You think you're clever, don't you? Take her to The Sanctuary."

In a split second, the Erinye had jumped to her feet and grabbed Vita by the arm to drag her out of the office.

They stormed through the hallways, Vita doing her best to keep up as the Erinye squeezed her arm painfully. To her surprise, they left Tartarus, went through the Hall of Judgement and back into the Asphodel Meadows. Her snake-hair stood up high, hissing to anyone who came too close.

"Where are we going?"

"Shut it, worm."

In the Meadows, they turned right and walked straight towards one of the mountains. Straining her neck to see the top, Vita wondered if that was where they were going. But the Erinye didn't stop. Not when the mountainside in front of them was unclimbable, not when they got so close Vita thought the guard might fling her at it. Still she kept going, until –

Until they went right through.

Vita's jaw dropped, marvelling at the cave they now found themselves in. "Did we... Did we just walk through a wall?"

The Erinye scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

Looking over her shoulder, the mountainside had completely vanished, making way for the mouth of a cave. An opening that wasn't visible from the outside.

"Got a new prisoner for you."

At the back of the cave, veiled in darkness, sat three Erinyen, looking much more ragged and fierce than the one that still crushed Vita's arm. All three grinned, their snakes hissing, before one stood up to open the door behind her. She peered through the gap, then stepped aside.

Vita's guard finally let go of her arm, only to shove her through the doorway so violently that she tripped and landed flat on her face. Grass tickled her cheeks as she groaned. She pushed herself up just in time to watch the heavy stone door slide shut behind her.

Shit.

She banged her palms on the stone, but no response came. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure they could hear it on the other side. This door was more like a boulder.

"Hello."

Vita started and turned around. "Oh. Hi."

A boy stood staring at her, a lazy grin on his face and a dreamy look in his eyes, as if he wasn't really conscious. He looked to be about her age, though that didn't say much in the Underworld. His robes were as white as hers and his hair hung in dirty blonde strands over his shoulders. "Welcome to The Sanctuary."

Vita frowned. "Yeah. Thanks." She turned back to the door and moved her hands over it in search of a handle, or a button, or anything that might help her open it again. Erinyen or not, she had to get out of here.

"Why are you trying to –" The boy tilted his head to the right, his eyes still dull as if he barely realised what was going on. "Oh, you wish to leave?"

"Yes, I wish to leave. Could you give me a hand, please?"

"No," said the boy. "You'll stay with us forever."

A/N There we go, prompt 39 is now officially part of the story as well. xD 13,700 words down, 6,300 to go. I can do this?