Hades' warrior

2. Gold coins and Horny dead men

I still didn't accept the fact that I was dead. Sure, I was standing on a river bank, under the ground waiting for a stranger to appear with a boat and give me a ride to the underworld in exchange for a gold coin that had mysteriously appeared under my tongue, but I still couldn't believe it.

I sat down on the ground and pulled my knees to my chest, making myself as small as possible. I ignored the snickers and the stares I received from the other dead, horny old men.

I could hear distant screams in the back of my head but I couldn't figure out if those were in my head from what happened earlier that day or if it was screams of the other dead.

Muttering increased in the group on the river bank as a few pointed at a cloaked figure on a boat moving towards us. I scrambled to my feet as I removed the gold coin from my pocket. The boat was small. Too small to carry everyone on the bank.

"I am Charon!" The seven feet cloaked figure said as he leaned on his six feet stick, his voice booming. His eyes blazed like they were made of fire and he had an unkempt beard covering up lower face. "All of you who have coins come forward."

He held his hand out as a few women walked forward, placing the coin in his hand and then stepping into the boat. I stood in line, the coin tight in my fist.

When I finally came to the front I glanced at his palm to realise that all the other coins were silver, not gold.

I glanced down at my coin and slowly placed it on his palm. I moved forward to get into the boat but his hand stopped me.

"Where did you get this coin?" He asked as he looked down at me.

I looked up at him before looking back down. My neck hurt. "Under my tongue."

He didn't reply but continued to stare at the coin. He didn't remove the hand blocking my way but instead turned to the ones sitting inside the boat.

"All of you, out." He ordered. The dead looked at each other confused not making a move. "Out!"

They scrambled to their feet and grabbed a coin from his palm as they stood back on the river bank.

"What are you doing?" I asked Charon as he pocketed the only coin left on his palm. The gold.

He bowed a little and waved his hand towards the boat. "My lady, your ride awaits you."

"What?" I asked, confused but not complaining. I had assumed that souls didn't have senses but they did. And a few of these dead folk smelt bad enough that I would rather have someone blow me up again than have to sit in close confines with them.

"The coin, my lady, only comes for the bravest of the folk. The king will want to see you treated like a queen."

"Uh huh," I replied unsure of what he meant but I walked into the boat anyway. I sat on the second bench right in the middle as I waited for Charon to get on.

But just as he was about to, a black crow landed on his shoulder with a note attached to its feet. Charon pulled it out, unscrolled and read it.

"I'm sorry, my lady. But I'm afraid we are going to wait a little longer." He said to me. I didn't bother replying cause I still didn't have the slightest clue what was going on.

"No need to wait, my dear Charon! Long time my friend!" A man walked forward wearing a suit of armour, a group following him dressed the same. He continued. "Wish it was longer."

Among the group was one man who wasn't wearing any armour. He was wearing a cloak with a hood that covered half his face. The man who spoke dropped a few silvers onto Charon's palm and stepped into the boat. He walked to me and lifted my hand up, kissing it gently.

"My lady." He greeted, my hand still in his. I give him a single nod, unaware of what to do. "I'm Lucas Flynn."

"Illiana James," I reply. "Please don't call me "my lady". It is the twenty-first century, you know. It's kind of weird." He chuckled as he nodded his head.

"Mind if we join you?" He asked pointing to the rest of the men on the shore.

I shook my head as I moved to one side of the bench so he could sit down. He did and then nodded his other men onboard.

"Can you tell me what's going on? Why am I the only one with a gold coin?" I asked him as the hooded figure sat in front of us, with Charon behind us.

"Well, it was an old tale that when a person dies and is buried properly they show up at river bank with a coin under their tongue." He explained, his voice softer. "And only the purest of the pure show up with a gold coin."

"I'm not pure. I killed a man." I replied.

"I assume it was to save another?" He quickly asked.

I pressed my lips together as I looked away. I glanced at the river flowing under us. "Is this the river Styx?"

"You know the rivers of the underworld?"

"I've read a few stories." I shrugged. I had actually only read a few. The stories told me of how the gods always got what they wanted even if the women they were after didn't. They sickened me so I stopped. I doubted the knight would have wanted to hear my thoughts.

"No, this isn't Styx. This is Acheron, the river of pain." He corrected. "You can reach the underworld through the Styx too but the Acheron is much faster. Less traffic too."

I stared at him as he burst into laughter.

"I'm kidding. Everyone makes way for Charon. He's like the...um...what's that thing you have up on earth...the thing that goes..." he continued by making siren sounds.

"An ambulance?" I helped him.

"Yes, that's it." He replied nodding.

I lurched forward as we came to a stop. I looked at my right to see a looming palace with gates larger that buildings on earth, with creatures that are roots of children's nightmares as guards and right in the centre of it all, a black dog bigger than an elephant with three heads, snarling as saliva dripped from the edges of their mouths.

"Go on. Get down. We have to figure out whether the god of death likes you or not." Lucas told me.

"How does it matter?" I asked.

"Well, if he does, you will be sent to Elysium or heaven as you people call it."

"If he doesn't?"

Lucas looked at me deeply, "You don't want to know, my l⎯ Illiana."

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