Inferno Ascended

A statue. A statue of Chriseis replaced the general's body.

"DAFUQ!" This time the expletive came out of his mouth corroded by rancor. "I knew there was some shady plot going on here. And… there is something wrong with that prosthesis! There is something wrong, god."

Hermes sighed heavily.

Alexander, whose self-assured personality had lost its luster since the god's arrival, said,

"It's true. Chriseis always knew there was something wrong with her prosthesis. She said that… 'It had whims.'"

"I sense I'll have trouble reporting this…" the god spoke to himself, quietly. But Glax asked him,

"You are so fast, why didn't you collect her soul as soon as she died?"

"Ah, do you expect me to make a public appearance every time I have to harvest a hero's soul? And then ... I couldn't find the orb, actually."

Glax blinked. "Is that what you went to do that time? In the forest of Valosia?" He mentioned the dream he had, about Glax's near death, interrupted by the god's meddling.

Hermes shrugged, without denying or confirming Glax's question.

Alexandre interrupted, "Sorry… But I'm still here, can you include me in the conversation? What will happen if the god Hermes does not take Chriseis to the ferryman Charon?"

"Charon still exists?" Glax asked.

"Yes, Charon exists." The god gave up on avoiding talking about it. "The old Hell, and almost everything there, has risen. All the old mortals who lived in Elysium, those who suffered eternal punishment, and those without a name… They all ascended along with what you now call Stygia."

"Why?"

"The war, boy. The 'Get Even War', so to speak. I have a proposal for you, Glax. Come with me." Turning to Alexander, the god spoke. "I can't take both of them, but it will be real quick. Can you stand guard here?"

It wasn't as if Alexander really had much of a choice, and the boy nodded to the god.

Glax was curious about what would happen next, although he had not officially agreed to go with the god.

Hermes motioned for Glax to follow him. Going up the stairs where the two Krotons had come from, the god took a helmet out of his bag, and offered it to Glax,

"Put it on. You will need this more than I do."

The object, for starters, did not really seem to fit inside the bag, not unlike the bag that Glax carried with him. But it looked like a much older model than the helmets that Glax had known in Stygia. There was a spare part that the god fitted to the display, a milky, opaque glass that closed the helmet completely, like a diving suit. Glax immediately regretted putting it on. He felt a thrill of anxiety when the locks closed around his neck and he felt suffocated.

"Hey, wait. Can I get that out?"

"Don't be a crybaby," The Olympian, if Hermes could still be called that, turned a key in the helmet. And Glax could hear the clicks and gas being released quickly inside the diving suit. Glax tried not to panic. He just felt a strong tug all over his body, and the feeling of freezing.

Moments later, which Glax didn't know exactly, he felt his feet were on the floor again. The helmet 'depressurized', for lack of a better term, and automatically unlocked.

"Wow!" Glax knew his legs were not wobbly just because the cold almost paralyzed them. His whole body was rigid, and his senses gradually returned.

He felt something warm being placed on his shoulders, warm and fluffy fur. Then the helmet was removed from his head.

That equipment was a transport device. Hermes could use shortcuts between realities, and could bring him with him, using this machine!

"Everything makes sense now!" Glax exclaimed, marveling at the discovery. He understood how the famous Hermes of legends was able to be so fast and be where he wanted to be.

"You can open your eyes if you want," the jovial and amused voice warned him.

Glax remembered that he was no longer wearing the helmet, and opened his eyes. He already knew that he wasn't in the same place as before.

He was in a large room, with majestic columns and frescoes of unparalleled beauty. The scent of pines and apples filled his nose, while his eyes got used to what he saw.

The light coming in through the open balcony looked like the sunset. It confused his senses, as he knew it was still before noon. The dusty appearance, the leaves on the richly decorated floor, the faded colors and the corroded fabrics were enough proof of the abandonment of the place.

He even saw broken furniture, and a completely destroyed balcony. Going to the window, Glax looked at the landscape, as he warmed himself with the heavy blanket.

Outside, he saw snow-covered hills and breathtaking scenery. The palaces as far as he could see, once majestic buildings, were in ruins. Gardens were ruined by neglect and destruction. Only the greenish bronze domes were absolutely intact in all of them.

"Where are we?"

"This place? It's called Olympus. As you have noticed," said Hermes, standing beside him and offering him an apple, "Nowadays these mansions are empty and silent as tombs."

"You were talking about the war. If I put everything I know together, Lord Hermes," Glax paused for a moment without knowing whether he was being too disrespectful. He just didn't want to say 'oh portentous god' like Alexander. "Well, if I put everything I know together, the Titans won the war this time."

"Ah, it was more or less that. The Titans were trapped at the bottom of Tartarus. That is, the deepest and darkest and most desperate place in Hell, the great abyss. And there was an opportunity for them to escape. Who could blame them? They took everyone by surprise. They imprisoned Hades on his own throne, delighted by the anticipation of his much-desired, so-planned revenge. They wanted everything that was taken from them. Let's say… I understand their reasoning."

"In his eagerness to win the war, Hyperion who led the others made a deal with those who lived in the Underworld. If they fought alongside the Titans for freedom from the Underworld, the Old Ones promised everyone would live again and see the light of day again. "

"Well, they won."

"Yes, they won. Aren't you going to eat the apple?"

"Ah, well..." Glax didn't know whether to accept food from a god's hand. He was hoping that Hermes wouldn't notice that he didn't intend to even take a bite of the fruit, but the god openly questioned him. "Can a mortal eat Olympus apples?"

"Eh, I never said these apples are from Olympus. They're just ordinary apples, bought at Echelion," Hermes shrugged. "If you don't want to, return it to me. Sometimes I get my ears ringing after I wear the Wing Helmet. Chewing helps to unclog the ears."

Glax had the impression that they were being observed behind the columns behind him, but he also realized that the person didn't want to be seen. From Hermes' small show of power so far, he knew he shouldn't defy the god's benevolence without good reason.

"The fact is, things are never that simple. After you've lived in the Underworld for a while, the Underworld lives in you. It is like a story that you have shown to know well. 'Once you have eaten food from the underworld, you are part of it.' And so, neither the Titans, nor the dead who fought alongside them, could really leave Hades, can they?"

Glax was about to bite his apple, and stopped with his mouth open, looking at the god in shock.

"Hahahah, that was the face they made. Each one of them. When damn Uncle Hades laughed in their faces, even chained to his throne."

"He's got cojones."

"He was not the guy who got the damn hardest job for nothing."

"Let's see ... He took care of the dead..." Glax started counting on his fingers, Hermes helped him with the facts.

"He dealt with the entire order of judgment and rebirth, with the Primordials with whom he shares the vast kingdoms of Darkness, with the Primordials who withdrew in the skirts of Hades, and Death, Erynies, Moiras, and all his court and aggregates."

"And how do you get into all of this? Sorry, are you a fugitive? I was under the impression that you had obligations to fulfill."

"Ah, I wasn't born to be thrown into Tartarus for my crimes and my hubris. I made a deal. I knew they would need me. And they quickly realized it was indeed true."

'Hm. I will remember how Hermes will always find a good place for himself, Glax thought, but questioned. "What do you do now?"

"Old Hades was the only one who could handle the Underworld and its peculiarities. He is the leader those Three Old Weavers like to hear to. He managed to fix a lot. And as for the Ascended ... They kept their promise. They Ascended Hell... or part of it. But no one who ate in Hell could leave it, if you know what I mean. That is why, without the proper rituals, souls are simply stuck here. They need to be routed to the correct flow. I am usually called upon in special cases, as is the case with Chriseis."

A question popped into his mind, but Glax thought it wasn't the time to ask. Instead, he got to the point.

"I don't imagine that many mortals like me have the opportunity to see what I am seeing today. Or have the privilege of talking to a god face to face. Why did you bring me here, Lord Hermes?"

"I brought you to see something here."

They went down the stairs of the abandoned palace.

The melancholy of that abandoned, and uninhabited place was almost palpable. Glax could imagine that one day Olympus was a place full of life and joy.

The wind was blowing against them and Glax wrapped himself in the shaggy mantle that the god had lent him.

The divine young man pulled on his own hood to protect himself from the wind, as if it could actually hit him.

They came to a building made of black stone. Glax looked up to examine the facade of the palace, impressed.

TO BE CONTINUED