Izaky

A tale of witnessing Hades as a newcomer.

Upon reaching the front door of Hades, you could exchange a tale of much heroism splendor to pay for the ferry man shipping you over to the realm of the vanquished. “Hello.” you say politely. “Lovely day, isn’t it?” the ferryman says, pointing at the brilliant blue sky. “It certainly is.” you reply. “So, are you one of the so-called ‘heroes’ that the town is praising so highly?” You say “I suppose I am. How did you know?” The ferry man says “I lived in that village for five years, before I learned to swim. The Old Man did terrible things in my name, and when he left, I took over.” “So, you’re the Ferryman?” “I am.” “What’s your name?” you ask. “Glory, after the river. But you may call me Ferry if you’d prefer.” You say “What were there to happen once I reach the other side of the tide?” The ferry man says “I heard a rumor that there will be a small paradise on the other side of the river if it’s floods. One for each of the God’s children. Perhaps you can find your place there.” You say “I will embrace the Hades life.” The ferry man says “Oh I will bet you’ll find it quite ravishing over there.” You take your place on the ferry. You say “Thank you.” The ferryman nod’s his head. “Alright then, best of luck to you sir!” You nod your head in thanks again, and get on the ferry. The ferry slowly moves out into the river, as you sit down on the side. You look over at the other side, to see a beautiful wooded island with a small castle on it. You spot a small dock extending out into the water, and a woman standing there with a long flowing red dress, holding onto the dock. You say “This is Margaret! She has been waiting there for you, all those years.” “Hello my love.” a voice says behind you, and you jump up startled. You turn to see a beautiful girl, tall and slender with long black hair and brown eyes.You say “And this is Elizabeth, my former life long lover. Hello, love!” “Hello, Ghoul” Elizabeth says coldly “Sorry…” you say, realizing you’ve disturbed her sleep. “No, that’s fine. We must make due with what we have.” Elizabeth walks over to the middle of the boat, and slowly sinks into the water. “It’s not fine.” she says quietly, so only you can hear. She turns to face you. You say “So this is all that the Hades life gets up to. Man, I would have been here sooner..” “Don’t worry about it, you’re here now.” You look over at the small island, and spot Margaret coming towards the dock. You stand up, and give a small wave. “Oh, there you are. I’ve been waiting out here for quite some time.” She says, walking up onto the dock. She extends her hand to you, and you grab it and slowly rise off the ground, before taking her other hand and walking onto the island. “Just follow my lead. I’ll do the talking.” she says, turning around and walking away. You follow her as she leads you to a large house, smelling strongly of flowers. “This is the house of flowers.” she says proudly, opening the door and walking inside. You step into a large, open room with many tables, all covered in flower petals. A few people seated at the tables raise their heads to stare at you, but Margaret quickly makes sure they return to their activities. You walk over to a table covered in blue petals, and sit down. You say “Margaret, will you accustom me to the customs of this realm? I feel quite inspired and wanting to live here.” “Oh, of course!” she says. “I’ll be dressed in blue. You can wear any flower you like.” She takes off her green dress, and slips into a blue one. You say “Wow, I could really do with some mead before I start making everyone’s acquaintance” “I’ll get you some” she says. A couple of the people stare at you as you walk away from the large table, but others wave to you and you feel quite welcomed. You head to the bar, and see the barman staring at you. “Uh, Margaret said you should bring her some mead, so…” he says, before turning to the person next to him. “Did you see that? He wished for mead without ordering anything.” The person next to him nods, and you feel a surge of anger. You walk over to the bar, and stare the barman in the face. “I wish to speak to the barman.” you demand in a low, threatening voice. The barman gulps, and politely gets you a frosty mug of mead. You nod your thanks, and walk over to a secluded table. You take the first sip of mead, and then begin to get nervous. You feel someone staring at you, and look up. “So…” starts Margaret, “I’ll be living here.” You nod your head respectfully. “I also wish to thank you for saving my life, and giving me a second chance at it.” she continues. “Is there anything you require?” you ask politely, wondering what type of favor you could perform for her. She thinks for a moment, and smiles. “I have everything I could need. But, I’m sure you understand, a girl still needs her friends and their parties.” she says. You smile, and wonder how you should go about this. You say “I promise you I will come across nicely, or at least, nicely enough for me to hold a foray of parties here” “I’m sure you will.” she says. You walk over to the girl, and put your arm around her. She’s immediately receptive. “I promise I’ll come across well enough.” you say. She looks into your eyes, and nods. “Good.” she says. You kiss her passionately, and she kisses back. After a few moments, you pull away. “I’ll see you later.” you say. She smiles, and nods. “I’ll be waiting.” Now! time to explore the rest of the isle! Grab a flower, and get to it! You grab a petunia and continue onward into the darkened valley. You walk along the path, and into the dark valley. The air is much colder here, and you shiver in your light clothing. You say “Hey, this is a pretty big place for an afterlife scenario I find.” A large, shadowy being appears from the trees, and stares at you. “How did you get in here?” it asks. You stare at the being in front of you. You say “I was taken across by the ferry man, as I am sure, that have many.” The shadowy being acknowledges your explanation and allows you to pass. the being says that you best be on your way from the valley, as there is only room for more experienced Hades dwellers there. Unknown voice says “Don’t let him fool you, he will be no friend to you if he can befriend the likes of us.” You say “What was that? I’m hearing voices” “I’m sure you are. Good luck on your way, but stay on it.” You nod, and walk on, deeper into the dark valley. “Thank you” you mutter to yourself. You walk for a long time, before seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. With newfound energy, you hurry towards the light. You find yourself at a large stone door, which opens to a staircase. You begin to descend the stairs, and find yourself in a room far, far below the one you just left. There’s a small table down here, with a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling. There are about twenty or so seats around the table, although you’re the only one in them at the moment. You take a seat, and you’re joined by another soul. A girl about your age, her long brunette hair tied back in a ponytail, sits beside you. Her eyes flicker open, and she smiles. “Hey,” she greets you. “Hey,” you reply. “You’re new, right?” She asks. “ Yeah, how did you know?” “Everyone’s so nice here,” she says cheerfully. You think for a moment. “We’re in a hell, aren’t we?” you ask. The girl laughs. “Of course not! This is just like any other high school, only everyone’s so nice here!” she laughs again. You ask “What is your name?” “Hazel.” “Well, Hazel, what grade are you in?” “Oh, I’m a senior, of course.” You smile. You say “Have you been dead for a long time?” She answers that she has been here for four years.

You announce “Well, Hazel. This has been a nice visit. But I am afraid I shall have to leave you, for I suspect there is to be some dinner served right about now in the upper realm. Goodbye!” “Goodbye.” she replies. And with that, you stand up and quickly head up the stairs. You turn to see Hazel waving at you. Looking at her, you smile briefly back. Back in Hades’ main realm, you are greeted by Elizabeth. She says, we are about to hold tonight’s dinner feast. I hope you’ve packed an appetite! You nod, and head to your room to get some things. You change into a plain black t-shirt and jeans before heading down to the hall. You see that the doors are open, and dozens of voices echo off the walls. You walk down the hall, and into the massive golden room that lies at the heart of the Underworld’s palace. Over three hundred degrees of forks, knives, spoons and other dining implements are piled in giant piles, with sauce bowls, long-necked bottles of wine, large trays of bread and butter and, ultimately, a large table. The room is lit by a thousand flickering torches, which only emphasize the pulsating, chaotic nature of the room. At the head of the room, on a raised platform, is a large table. Off to one side is an empty seat, and by the door is a large tureen. You’re not sure you want to know what’s in it, but it smells good. You walk forward, past the heaping piles of utensils and past the long row of seats that leads to the table. The camaraderie was intense in this place, so too was the ambiance. You felt it as soon as you entered the hall; a great pride in what you did. You quickly find Margaret and ask here where your seat was. She quickly led you to yours, which sits right by the tureen. Its a rather honorable seat, you have to admit, right at the head of the table. Just then, the room comes to silence as the doors slowly open. A regal woman walks in, carrying an infant. She walks around the room, stopping to wave at each section of seats. When she gets to yours, she gives a small nod, and then continues on. You watch her go, and slowly move your gaze over the room. There is a faint light blue glow to each section of seats, as though they were their own little sections of paradise.