it. I already know that I stand absolutely no chance against a cerberus. No need to tempt the Fates.
We keep walking. The sky doesn’t get any brighter or darker, and there’s no way to tell how long we’ve been traveling. Hours or days. Lethargy has begun to seep deep into my bones. All I want is to lie down for a little while and take a nap, cerberus be damned.
I smell the river long before I see it, the stench of rotting flesh and dead fish wafting across the plain toward us. It smells like hatred and lies, and I wonder if that’s why some vættir refer to the Styx as the River of Deceit. Harpies aren’t the only vættir that can smell emotions, and it makes as much sense as any other explanation.
The terrain shifts from the tall blue grass to charred brown grass. It reminds me of the Mortal Realm, and for a moment I think we must be very close to home.
“Did we cross over?” I ask, my tone hopeful. Cass walks beside me, while the boys lead the way in front of us.
She shakes her head. “No, a lot of the Underworld looks like the Mortal Realm since it was all one world before the drakans created the Rift. It’s only Tartarus that’s bad. The rest of the Underworld is almost normal.”
Just when I’m pretty sure that I cannot take another step, we climb a rise and the Styx is right there, a black ribbon of water cutting through the landscape.
I want to cheer, but it seems wrong somehow. Now the stink of the water is strong enough to make me gag, and I cover my nose and mouth. Blue has the same reaction as me. Cass and Tallon are completely unaffected.
The Styx is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Rivers in the mortal realm are brown and rowdy, their currents full of debris. Even the Acheron was full of motion, the yellow water tumbling over stones in its dash to meet up with the Styx. The Styx is flawless.The black water is smooth and undisturbed, a dark mirror that reflects the blood-red sky overhead. There’s no sign that the water is even moving. The river is a midnight swath that stretches off in both directions as far as the eye can see. It’s still and quiet, and it terrifies me.
Blue marches up next to Cass and peers into the water. “So if I jump in there will I be invincible?”
“Try it,”Tallon says. There’s a teasing tone in his voice. He even smiles a little.
Maybe I’m not the only one excited to get out of here.
“More than likely you’d end up getting eaten by one of the creatures that live in the river’s depths,” Cass says, her eyes scanning the surface of the water.
Blue takes a step back. I know how he feels. If the fear of river monsters wasn’t enough, now that the possibility of returning to the Mortal Realm is so close, I’m filled with an anxious excitement. I never really thought we’d make it out, and now that it’s about to happen, I can’t stop myself from bouncing. The thought of going home after all this time makes me light-headed. Getting to the Mortal Realm will solve all of my problems.
Right now I have to believe that.
Tallon sighs and points to a whirlpool a few feet from the river’s edge. “There’s the portal. I can only take two people at a time, so we’ll have to take turns. I’ll jump in and take Blue and Peep across first, and then return for you.”
Cass shakes her head. “No. What’s to make you come back for me?”
Blue nods. “She’s right. Take the girls first. The cerberus aren’t going to be coming for me. I’ll be okay.”
I take a step backward, away from the dark water eddying nearby. My nervous excitement drains away. I’m not sure I want to jump into a whirlpool. It doesn’t really seem safe. “Maybe you guys should go first.”
Tallon gives me a sharp look. “It’s perfectly safe.”
Cass shakes her head. “Blue’s right. He’ll be fine waiting here by himself.”
I hear what she’s not saying, and my face heats in embarrassment. She knows that I’m scared, and that I’m a train wreck when it comes to defending
We keep walking. The sky doesn’t get any brighter or darker, and there’s no way to tell how long we’ve been traveling. Hours or days. Lethargy has begun to seep deep into my bones. All I want is to lie down for a little while and take a nap, cerberus be damned.
I smell the river long before I see it, the stench of rotting flesh and dead fish wafting across the plain toward us. It smells like hatred and lies, and I wonder if that’s why some vættir refer to the Styx as the River of Deceit. Harpies aren’t the only vættir that can smell emotions, and it makes as much sense as any other explanation.
The terrain shifts from the tall blue grass to charred brown grass. It reminds me of the Mortal Realm, and for a moment I think we must be very close to home.
“Did we cross over?” I ask, my tone hopeful. Cass walks beside me, while the boys lead the way in front of us.
She shakes her head. “No, a lot of the Underworld looks like the Mortal Realm since it was all one world before the drakans created the Rift. It’s only Tartarus that’s bad. The rest of the Underworld is almost normal.”
Just when I’m pretty sure that I cannot take another step, we climb a rise and the Styx is right there, a black ribbon of water cutting through the landscape.
I want to cheer, but it seems wrong somehow. Now the stink of the water is strong enough to make me gag, and I cover my nose and mouth. Blue has the same reaction as me. Cass and Tallon are completely unaffected.
The Styx is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Rivers in the mortal realm are brown and rowdy, their currents full of debris. Even the Acheron was full of motion, the yellow water tumbling over stones in its dash to meet up with the Styx. The Styx is flawless.The black water is smooth and undisturbed, a dark mirror that reflects the blood-red sky overhead. There’s no sign that the water is even moving. The river is a midnight swath that stretches off in both directions as far as the eye can see. It’s still and quiet, and it terrifies me.
Blue marches up next to Cass and peers into the water. “So if I jump in there will I be invincible?”
“Try it,”Tallon says. There’s a teasing tone in his voice. He even smiles a little.
Maybe I’m not the only one excited to get out of here.
“More than likely you’d end up getting eaten by one of the creatures that live in the river’s depths,” Cass says, her eyes scanning the surface of the water.
Blue takes a step back. I know how he feels. If the fear of river monsters wasn’t enough, now that the possibility of returning to the Mortal Realm is so close, I’m filled with an anxious excitement. I never really thought we’d make it out, and now that it’s about to happen, I can’t stop myself from bouncing. The thought of going home after all this time makes me light-headed. Getting to the Mortal Realm will solve all of my problems.
Right now I have to believe that.
Tallon sighs and points to a whirlpool a few feet from the river’s edge. “There’s the portal. I can only take two people at a time, so we’ll have to take turns. I’ll jump in and take Blue and Peep across first, and then return for you.”
Cass shakes her head. “No. What’s to make you come back for me?”
Blue nods. “She’s right. Take the girls first. The cerberus aren’t going to be coming for me. I’ll be okay.”
I take a step backward, away from the dark water eddying nearby. My nervous excitement drains away. I’m not sure I want to jump into a whirlpool. It doesn’t really seem safe. “Maybe you guys should go first.”
Tallon gives me a sharp look. “It’s perfectly safe.”
Cass shakes her head. “Blue’s right. He’ll be fine waiting here by himself.”
I hear what she’s not saying, and my face heats in embarrassment. She knows that I’m scared, and that I’m a train wreck when it comes to defending
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