Songs are Stories

Here Comes The Sun - Part Two

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter... Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here... Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say... It's all right...

Zeus supplied Louis with a tent, a bundle of food and one gold coin before he sent them off on their journey. Louis turned to look at the enormous temple of the Gods one last time before he and Gáta began the long descent from the peak of Mount Olympus.

For three days and three nights, the pair hiked through the snow-covered trees, trying to find the place where Zeus had told them they could find Hades and speak to him. Zeus had told them that the underworld, the realm of Hades, was usually impenetrable by mortals such as themselves, but there was one way that he may be able to cross over into the realm of the dead and find Persophone.

The River Styx.

Louis' jaw dropped when he finally saw the enormous cave that the river was supposedly located in; a huge chasm of dark stone leading deep into the ground. One of the borders between the land of the living and the land the land of the dead. Gáta lead the way, the tips of her paws and whiskers fizzing with sparks as she stepped lightly on the rock. They had only been walking for a few minutes when the sound of rushing water filled Louis' ears, and he gasped when his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness.

A huge river rumbled through the cave, spitting foam and froth against the stone walls and hurling itself against every obstacle, crashing through them. As Zeus had promised, there wasn't another living person in sight, but who was to say how many dead souls were waiting at the edge of the Styx. One lonely boat was tied up against the edge of the water, battered by the force of the river. And inside the boat was an even scruffier little man.

The ferryman squinted his eyes when he saw Louis and Gáta approach.

"Who goes there? A mortal?" He yelled, his voice barely audible above the sound of the waves.

Louis stared at the scraggly man who was scrutinising him rudely. "Yes, I am a mortal. I need to get to the underworld."

The man narrowed his eyes and glared hatefully. "Mortals cannot get to the underworld. I am Charon, the ferryman, and my boat is exclusively available to the dead."

Frowning, Louis pulled out the gold coin that Zeus had given him and marvelled at the way it caught the light - giving it a pearly, transparent look. Charon gasped when he saw the coin in Louis' hand and raised his arm to point at it.

"Where did you get that? Only the dead have coins like those... those coins are how they pay for the trip to the underworld..."

"Yes, I know." Louis interrupted and held the coin up again. "I have what I need to pay to get to Hades. Can I go?"

Charon scratched the tip of his filthy beard thoughtfully. "Only if you tell me why you are so desperate to reach the underworld. It's not often a mortal is so well equipped for such a journey, and even less often that they make it this far."

"I'm trying to rescue Persophone."

Charon stared at Louis like he had three heads. "What!? Impossible! Nobody defies Hades, only the power of Zeus would be enough to..."

Again, Louis cut off the ferryman mid-sentence. "We have the power of Zeus." As if she understood what Louis meant, Gáta sat down innocently and shook her feline head, sending sparks of electricity bouncing across the stone floor.

Charon gawped and stepped aside wordlessly, pointing at his boat. "You have proven yourselves worthy." He murmured, his voice slightly shaky and nervous. "Just be sure not to take up too much space on my ferry - it's very full today. And give me your coin."