Ferry of Woe [malexmale]

Chapter One

Chapter One

*Note: This is part of a series! Read "Inferi" first!

The world is full of mystery.

For thousands of years I have been in existence, and yet, I come across so many situations, so many incidents, occurances, that I can neither understand nor explain. The humans came up with explanations for why they couldn't understand things, which is how we were created.

How gods, myths, legends, folklore, all came into being. We were explanations for things far beyond their comprehension, and even now with science to solve all of their problems, they still came across that occasional experiment that created an orb of light from absolutely nothing. They would test and test and test until they could test no more, and still the light would hover there.

Mystery fascinated me.

Take Cerberus, for example. Somehow, he went from being the rakish playboy to a loving and caring lover. In fact, this occured with each of my brothers over the course of two years. Malachi had discovered his love for Adrian, the half-Titan who'd accidentally stumbled across our world, changing it for the rest of eternity. Theo, my youngest and most obnoxious brother, fell in love with an ex-Egyptian god that he'd gladly let control him. Zelios, the brother who remained most quiet before his voice was stolen by Hades, even found love in the little water daemon, now oracle, he'd been caring for these past years. Even Cain and Abel somehow found the love in each other to try again, to forgive. It was astounding how these pack of ingrates could manage to find something that made them smile, something that calmed their rampaging souls.

And I never understood how or why it happened.

It only took one smile from someone they never even knew they cared about. One life changing incident that made them softer, wiser, and more compassionate.

I envied their good fortune.

What a mysterious anomaly. I wondered what it would feel like to have someone smile at me like I was the most important thing in the world. I wonder what if felt like to kiss someone? To hug someone? To be held, to be kissed, to be loved? How quaint.

I sighed, setting my pencil down across the red leather bound journal, frayed at the corners from the years of use. It was newer, though, compared to the other sixty-eight that sat on the book shelf behind me, just beside my small bed that took up the rest of the half of the room, sitting beside a window that had no need to be blocked by curtains with how dark and empty it was outside. I pinched the bridge of my nose, resting my elbow on the rickety oak wood desk, scanning the papers still spread out on my desk.

Data spreads, soul profiles, amongst several other documents I had yet to look at. I looked up at the old clock that hung over my desk that read it was already three in the morning. I sighed, letting my head drop against the pile of papers, causing them to flutter and rustle, a few falling to the floor.

I almost expected Kyros to come in and scold me for letting everything go flying everywhere in such disarray, but when I turned to look at the door way, my heart sank at the empty space there.

If there was one emotion I could completely comprehend, it was pain.

A hot lacerating sensation that completely engulfed your heart in an embalm of darkness and misery. It hurt more than a dip in the River Acheron. My veins would feel hot, my heart pounding so hard as it made its way into my throat as a lump of sobs that I refused to let loose. I didn't want to cry. I hated how it felt. I hated that choking sensation, the pain that struck so hard that I was gasping for breath. The hot sting of tears in my eyes, blurring my vision, streaking down my cheeks like liquid fire scorching my skin. The headache that came throbbing along with the pain in my heart.