Chapter 6
Charon and the Hell Hounds
The passage out of the mountains was a hardship enough taking nearly a week to climb out of the depths of the thick forest and reach the edge of the mountain. Traveling north was dangerous and after miles of rugged terrain the hours of walking turned into days, the days turned into weeks. Soon the weather began to grow colder as winter began its deathly hold He had walked so long and traveled so far north that as he entered the very outskirts of the forest he hardly noticed it.
The large valleys that seemed to envelop the numerous trees as the forest seemed to stretch as far north as land would permit. Letting his eyes take in the full effect of all his surroundings he knew that finding Charon, let alone a single raven would be impossible. The demonic voice of the Kobalos seemed imprinted in his memory, “the raven will find you”. He wished that he could just keep moving. Waiting was almost like asking Kyros to give up. Time was his enemy and the longer it took for him to reach Amee the sooner she would learn to accept the fact of the possibility that Kyros was dead. Fighting the urge to drop into a pile of soft grass and wait there until a raven was a temptation. But like he had done with the Kobalos he walked into forest until the trees began to grow close together. They swayed like silent giants making echoing sounds through the quiet forest. Pushing in deeper until the trees grew so thick that each step had to be taken around clumps of bushes or around a tree. After climbing up a steep hill he stood at the top as he scanned the area looking in the tree line. “Alright, raven, raven, need a raven,” he almost sang as his eyes fell in disappointment as nothing seemed to stir in the trees. Patiently standing there as the sun sank in the sky he could almost smell his own stink permeate off of him like a coat of mud. Heading even deeper into the forest he stopped when he came across a small field with large dead logs.
The night was cold as his hands shook uncontrollably the rocks smacked together as small flicks of sparks shot from the end of his flint and metal. “Come on,” he yelled as he scraped harder and faster. The pieces of the rock began to chip off as it grew smaller. Finally a large spark caught in the middle of the dead grass and smoke began to rise slowly. Feeling the first smile cross his face in what felt like a century, he began to blow slowly on it. The fire caught and after several questionable minutes it soon crackled in the lonely night. Balling himself into a tight ball, he curled under his brown robe shivering violently. The night was freezing as small flakes fell between the trees. “Come on stupid raven I don’t have all the time in the world,” curling in tighter he closed his eyes. Maybe if he just closed his eyes he would still be able to hear anything approach.
“Kyros,” his body was freezing as he began to raise his head. He found himself buried under two feet of snow. Pulling himself out from the depths he heard the soft voice again dancing on the wind. “Kyros,” surprisingly he found his body was dry as he emerged from the snow. All the trees were dead and gnarled leaving nothing but barren branches. The sky almost seemed dead and gray as he stared around at the empty forest. No bushes, no grass, just tall dead trees surrounded a flat carpet of untouched snow. He stared around as the trees seemed to stretch until the horizon. “Kyros,” came the wind again as he seemed to spin in his spot. He spun around until he saw something that made his jaw drop. Amee stood twenty yards away from him. “Amee,” he said in such disbelief as he rubbed his eyes several times before he realized that it was true. Standing as gorgeous as the sunrise her white dress shone like a fresh pearl. Her hands were crossed in front of her as her eyes seemed to be able to melt the snow itself. “Amee, you’re . . . you’re . . . back” she gave the tiniest smile as she turned and disappeared behind a particularly large tree. “Amee wait,” leaving the Bow of Apollo and his sword behind he chased after Amee as the snow crunched beneath him. “Amee,” he screamed as he saw her moving quickly in the distance between the trees. Her finger beckoned him as she gave a soft giggle. “Come on Kyros,” she said in such a high pitched voice it sounded as if she was having the time of her life. “You got to hurry up,” she cried as he tried to run at full speed to catch up to her. “Where are you,” darting around trees, his vision a giant white blur heading further from his campsite. “You gotta catch me Kyros,” it was almost as if they were playing hide and seek together.
He had completely lost her as he found himself at the edge of a tall mountain staring above a sea as a black as the night. The waves crashed over the side as if the titans were wrestling in the very ocean. He tuned to see that Amee had crossed a wooden bridge. There she stood on a small portion of land that had separated from the mainland. “Amee, how did you get free? How is this possible”? She laughed as her golden locks fluttered in the wind as she gave a final smile, “come get me”. Gripping the bridge, Kyros appeared worried as it swayed in the breeze appearing to be seeing its final days. With a deep breath he began to cross the bridge, “just stay there I’m coming for you”. He kept going until he reached the middle of the bridge. The wind began to blow harder as he turned to see the smile turn to anger as Amee had lost her gentleness. She had a dark cloud around her as her face seemed to turn almost demonic, “you’re too late”. The bridge gave a loud snap as he began to panic, and then the bridge snapped splintering in half. Falling with the edge of the bridge he grabbed on to the boards as much as possible. He collided into the rock shelf. His hands gripped the boards harder as he tried to recover from the blow. Looking up he saw Amee standing on the edge staring down at him. “What’s going on, I don’t understand”? Her face contorted in rage, “you were always so thick . . . never good enough”. The wood began to groan as it splintered slightly. “Help me, I am going to fall,” “good,” she shot back at him. The board snapped as Kyros struggled for every second. “Kyros,” he looked up at her as she shook her head, “in case you don’t get the hint . . . don’t come for me . . . go back”. The board snapped as Kyros fell into the sea below. Each side of the broken board held in his hand as the frozen water engulfed him.
“Caw . . . Caw . . .” his eyes shot open as he listened intently into the morning. The sun was slowly rising in the sky as Kyros removed his hood to see that a light frost had appeared over the ground. He had to wait several seconds before he could finally take in what had just happened. “Caw,” he didn’t even recognize his surroundings until a loud ruffle of feathers could be heard. He sleepily looked up and saw something that nearly made him stop breathing. A large raven sat in a top branch of an overly exposed tree. The bird’s black eyes stared down at him as its claws gripped the branch. Its vision never left his as if it was wondering why he was in his forest. Not really sure if he should move fast, Kyros began to every so slowly rise to his feet. “Don’t worry, I am not going to do anything,” the raven gave a soft, “caw” in reply. Its black beak looked about the size of a grown man’s finger. “I am not going to hurt,” wishing he had said something better at that moment instead of picking up the Bow of Apollo and sliding it over his shoulders. The raven fluffed himself up and with a final loud, “caw,” spoke a clear warning or threat. “I’m not leaving,” Kyros said trying to understand this “normal” situation. Stretching its enormous wings it gave several large flaps as it rose into the air almost gracefully as it swooped down at Kyros. Its claws were small but they cut at his face as he tried to swipe at it. “GET OFF ME,” he yelled as the bird began to peck and tear at his hair. The bird was so fast that it was hard to grab a hold of. The bird’s claw scrapped across Kyros’s eyes nearly tearing his eyeball. He felt his hand connect with the bird. It fluttered in the air a little stunned as it regained its balance.
It flapped to the same branch and looked down at Kyros clearly testing the water. His cuts began to sting, “You stupid raven”! Removing his bow he placed an arrow in the string as the raven twisted its head in a mocking dare. “Caw,” with a quick snap of the string the arrow flew with such precision that the raven was almost struck by it. It cawed loudly in the air, “I’m not going anywhere”! And with those final words the bird flew into the sky as Kyros grabbed his sword and took off after it. Chasing a black bird was harder than he had expected, especially over such rough and rugged terrain. After climbing over a hill that took the wind out of him he had thought he lost the crafty bird. “No please don’t be gone,” scanning the sky for a black bird was difficult with all the tall trees. The Black Forest was a perfect name for it. In the distance a soft “caw, caw, caw,” could be heard it was minuet an ever so faint.
Arriving at two large bushes he stopped when he felt his lungs were about to burst. They were inflamed as each breath felt like broken glass tearing at him. He felt his eyes close as tears began to fill his eyes. He had lost the raven and with the loss of the raven meant the loss of Amee. He wiped at his eyes as the tears began to fall more rapidly, “Amee,” he seemed to whisper to himself. He began to shake as he felt his odyssey was all in vain. The air began to grow colder as his tears froze to his face as they fell. Pausing he wiped the tears away that were rapidly becoming small icicles. The frost began to appear on the trees as a dark fog seemed to be rolling in.
His stomach did a cartwheel as the last ounces of strength seemed to be sucked out of him. A small ship made out of the darkest black smoke was slowly sailing across the forest. A lone figure dressed in robes as black as night held a long pole in his hands making it paddle the air. He steered his ship along its deathly course. Watching from the bushes the raven sat on the ferryman’s shoulder as the ship sailed to Kyros’s campsite.
The very air seemed to freeze as he rested his hand on the tree next to him. He had traveled deeper into the cursed forest. What was he to do now? How does one actually go up to the ferryman of the underworld? It’s not like a mortal simply walks up to Charon and says “oh ferrymen please help escort me to the underworld”. In the seconds that had passed within his thoughts Charon had sailed far away and would be soon swallowed up in the night. If he had lost Charon he might never find him again. Doing the only thing he pretty much knew how to do now. Kyros removed the wooden oak Bow of Apollo and quivered the arrow. He popped out of the bushes and with a quick, “HEY”! He was already out of the bushes and raising the arrow to the hooded figure. “HEY CHARON” the hooded figure turned as the boat made of smoke came to a slow halt. Charon glided off the ship as the raven responded loudly. “I know I am not supposed to be here but I want to make you an offer,” Charon glided towards him as the smoke seemed to follow his every motion. “I need to get into the underworld,” Charon shook his head, “I know mortals can’t go but I need to get into the underworld just for twenty four hours.”
Standing up to his full height, Charon’s towering body must have stood at eight feet tall. Charon seemed to look him over like a dog examining a meal. He finally raised his arm and waved it off, “no I won’t go” he screamed. “I need to get to the underworld and I will give you anything for it”. Charon waved his arm again as he turned his back and headed back to his ship. Charon wasn’t clearly interested in anything Kyros had, “I’ll let you take my body”. Charon stopped, “you can use my body to fulfill your eternal servitude”. Charon turned back, “show me where the entrance to the underworld is and I will grant you my eternal servitude you can finally be free of your curse. Charon turned back in disbelief, “I would do anything just to keep her happy”. Outstretching his dead hand towards Kyros, who bite his lip and then with his final thoughts of Amee his hand met with Charon’s. The feeling was instantaneous as his body seemed to erupt in flames. He screamed in a pain as his skin seemed to boil each second seemed like a lifetime. When the pain stopped he had found himself on the ground again as he had done when he had given his soul to the fates. As he lay on the ground he felt cursed and different again, but this was a different feeling like before. It was almost as if he had been sucked of all hope and with a guaranteed lifetime of ferrying people to the underworld upon his death.
Charon turned as bright as the sun and with a flash the smoke had turned as bright as Mount Olympus. The flash faded and soon darkness crept back in and the forest became as dark as it had been before. Charon stood in front of him still and motionless, Kyros rose off the ground. His legs were wobbly and it was hard for him to stand. After he regained his balance, he picked up the bow and arrow returning it to its proper place. “Well are you just going to stand there? A deal’s a deal right”? Raising his two thin skeletal fingers he placed them in the small dark hole in the middle of his hooded cloak. There came a soft whistle on the wind it was soft and faint only for the keenest of ears. And sure enough in the distance a faint barking could be heard in the deepest depths of the forest. He lowered his fingers and turned to the ship. “Where the hell are you going aren’t you going to . . .” Kyros was chasing after the ferryman but fell silent when Charon turned back. He didn’t need a face to show his murderous anger. He motioned his head towards the forest “Are you going to give me a direction”!
The barking and howling began to grow closer, “What the hell is that? Who are those dogs for”? “HEY, are those dogs . . . who are they coming for,” making his way up to the stern of the boat he took the large wooden pole and began to move the boat of smoke “Hey who are those dogs coming for . . .” Charon gave one final look and then pointed to Kyros. Charon began to sail between the trees. The raven on his shoulder gave one final cry as a howl came from only about a hundred yards away. “He betrayed me that bastard,” Kyros yelled as he took off into the trees running from dark creatures. The trees snapped back in such haste as the barking began to advance on him. He was being chased by a mysterious pack but when the advancing grew he tried to run faster. Tumbling down a steep hill he crashed over a large fallen tree and fell into a small ditch. Shaking his head he took off into the thicket. The barking grew louder and then at the top of a large hill a fog seemed to flow down the hill. A shadow streaked across the night, the trees were beginning to grow black as he continued to run. The shadow had four legs and ran like a dog he had never seen. It was a black figure and had eyes red as blood. They shined like blood red lanterns as they advanced on Kyros. He knew exactly what they were but he never thought that he would see them. Charon’s dark figure had nothing compared to these hounds. They had large sets of shaggy hair and were as big as Hyenas. Their teeth were sharp as drool thick as syrup fell from there lips. His lungs burned as saw three more hell hounds appear. Kyros turned his head and saw more dogs running down the side of a large hill. The terror was growing inside him, “I can’t believe he betrayed me”. Wiping his sweating face, he ran down a valley and continued running until his feet pounded. He ran until the sun rose high in the sky and the dogs hunted him the entire time. Deciding to make his way up the hill, he climbed up it took forever and all the strength he could muster until he reached the top. He realized that he was staring breathlessly down at a valley with nothing but trees as dead as ash. Taking a breath he began to frantically make his way down the steep hill into the forsaken valley. Kyros remained unsure of where his plight would take him.
When the sun began to sink low in the sky he finally came up to a river filled with a black substance. The trees held dead bodies in their twisted and gnarled branches. Kyros collapsed onto a large black stone, ash permeating the air. He fell silent as the dogs let out a long howl as they were mere yards away. There was no way Kyros would be able to continue on. The dogs had brought him down to a valley and a river blocked his path. There was no escape. He had to cross the river somehow. Rising up he gave himself a quick, “come on Kyros,” he gripped his pounding heart and tried to reflect on the purpose for his martyrdom. “Amee needed him” he repeated in his head. She was kidnapped and tapped in the underworld. However what Hades didn’t know was that Kyros was willing to sacrifice everything for her. His life had no purpose without her. He had proven that with every blister popping mile he ran. He heard the dogs drawing closer the river roared from a gradual decline and ran down a large black hole which looked to have a vertical drop at the end. On the other side of the road was another dirt road it seemed all roads led to here either way the hell hounds had brought him to the place. Or had they, what if his judgment was wrong? What if he drops into a cavern and can’t get out, it was not like he had any rope or anything. The hounds were at the top of the slope staring down at him. Their blood red eyes glared at him hungrily as their black tongues licked their chops. Their drool foamed at the mouth. Not really sure if mortal weapons would be able to hurt an immortal creature he took one last look at the bottomless pit. Deciding that this is the best time, he removed the vile from his pocket and downed the disgusting blood. Gagging into his hands he felt the vomit enter his throat. With a deep breath he closed his eyes and jumped into the black river. The dogs had stopped their deadly pursuit.
He sunk into the black goo and it clung to his body. It flowed over the edge and he tumbled down with the liquid. It drenched his entire being as he fell in the bottomless pit. Over and over he fell and soon he hit something thick. He felt several of his ribs snap during the tumble. He screamed in pain as he dropped out of the thick liquid and dropped into a circular cavernous room. The black river flowed counter clockwise across the edge of the room as a large podium sat in the middle with a large iron gate next to it. A large sign written in bones read, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here. Behind the podium sat a hooded figure only this figure’s black hood was not raised over his head. It didn’t seem like it would be able to fit him. He had a sunken and dead skull like that of a giant bull. His long horns protruded up as the Minotaur’s had and his skull face made Kyros wretch slightly. He had a large skeletal tail that curled around the podium like a massive snake. Kyros gripped the sides of the large stone platform and crawled onto the rocky shore. Breathing heavily Kyros seemed to collapse as his heart felt like it was going to explode in his chest. It felt like the very air was dead and stuffy as he tried for what seemed like forever to catch his breath.
After what seemed like several days Kyros began to rise from his rock bed. Finally taking in the room he noticed that torches lined every inch of the surrounding wall. He turned and stared at the figure behind the counter for the longest time. “Who are you,” “silence” bellowed the creature “I will be the only one asking questions now”! The skeletal bull bared his squared teeth “what is a mortal doing at the gate of the underworld . . . how did you find this place”? Kyros stood before him as he tried to dwell on the subject but Minos stepped down from the large podium. He walked like a giant as each step seemed to take all its strength. The tail uncurled from around the podium as it followed its oversized master. Minos came forth as Kyros dripped with the black liquid but as he spoke some of it began to drip away as if gravity was pulling it down at a much faster rate than normal. “I have never seen anything like this in years! You have a pact . . . with whom, how long”?
Unsure of how to answer the question he gave a quick “I’m sorry sir but I,” holding up his hooves. “Wait . . . wait this doesn’t make any sense,” his hooves waved wildly, “You’re just a mortal, you’re not dead! What are you doing here”? “I assure you Minos that I have cause to be here and I can assure you my visit is only temporary. “No mortal is allowed in the underworld,” Kyros wobbled on his knees as he tried to remain firm. “I will give you anything . . . please I’ll be right back here in less then twenty four hours.” Minos moved so close as his bone like nose began to sniff around his face like a dog. Minos retreated, “you don’t even have a soul do you”? Instead of telling Minos about the Fates he decided to play the card he believed would work. “I know which will make it easy for me . . .
won’t dry attention will I”? Minos paused, “I’ll give you this,” Kyros reached around and pulled out the wooden oak Bow of Apollo. Minos reached out and slipped the bow over his hoof, “it’s the Bow of Apollo”. Minos examined it over as his empty eye sockets focused on the gold emblem on the front. He continued to examine it finally pulling away shaking his head, “I am sorry but this is not the Bow of Apollo”.
“No it is,” cried Kyros but Minos shook his head making his horns cut through the air softly. “It is not the Bow of Apollo but it is something special though,” “well if you let me continue I promise I will be back in twenty four hours and you can keep the bow it means nothing to me”. Minos raised his head, “your not going to cause any trouble are you . . . if you get me in trouble”. Kyros shook his head, “I promise in and out,” Minos’s eyes never left the bow. “Do you know whose bow this is actually,” shaking his head Minos laughed, “my dear boy this is the bow of the famous Paris . . . stolen during the Trojan War”. “It wouldn’t matter if it came from the bottom of the ocean from Poseidon’s own hands, can I get in”? Nodding, “yes, but be back here in twenty four hours . . . I will also have to assign you a guide.” Furrowing brow Kyros repeated, “A guide”? Minos nodded, “yes somebody to keep an eye on you”. He paused as he tapped the edge of the bow off his lower jaw. Finally raising his hoof in the air, “I have just the person for you, I believe you know him”. The seconds ticked by as Minos revealed a skeletal smile, “how would you like to meet with your old friend Leopold”?
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