Awaken (30 page)

             
“A protector,” she labeled her and then narrowed her eyes. “And very hard to read; a strong spirit.  Too strong.  You often become blinded by it.”

             
“Strong is a good quality,” Carmen carelessly defended herself.

             
“Strong is a prideful quality,” Persephone snapped at her, and then lowered her voice quickly, “but one I can appreciate.”

             
She returned her overwhelming gaze to me as I began to grow impatient.  Not knowing how much time had passed, I was anxious to continue.  She stepped towards me and her golden eyes darkened considerably.

             
“I deny you admittance,” she announced with venom.  The finality of her denial caught me off guard, but I soon recovered and took a step towards her with renewed confidence.  Ending my journey at the entrance was not a viable option.

             
“That’s not good enough,” I countered with conviction.  She moved closer still and sneered wickedly at me.

             
“And why do you propose I should step aside and allow you entrance, young goddess?”

             
“It’s the right thing to do,” I affirmed.

             
“According to who?”

             
“Every day I wake up is a day I’ve fought for.  Every mistake, every laugh, every tear, and every sunrise; I’ve earned through years of abuse and pain.  I carry those memories with me as a reminder of who I am and what’s truly worth fighting for.  And if you aren’t able to see that, I’m afraid your soul searching talents are highly suspect.”

             
Her now shining eyes met my gaze and her beautiful features softened.  In that brief moment, I felt her darkness.  Slightly chilled around the edges with a glowing warmth within; it reached out and enveloped me.  The next second it disappeared and she straightened.

             
“You are bestowed admittance.”

              “I think I need a change of pants,” Carmen testified.

             
“Eww.  Spare us the details,” Phoebe attested, making a face.  After Persephone allowed us entrance, she had immediately vanished.  No goodbye, no good luck; nothing.  It was more than a little unsettling, and the anxiety-related nausea churning in my stomach reminded me that I had just held my own against the Queen of the Underworld.  I didn’t know that I had that in me!  I shook out my hands as we continued along a winding path that, according to the map, would lead us through the groves.  I hadn’t realized I had balled them up throughout the exchange with Persephone until a stinging on my palm alerted me that my fingernails had broken skin.

             
“Between the ‘death bridge’ and our little chat with the Queen of the Damned, I’ve decided I should carry a gun at all times; whether it’s to defend myself or to put myself out of my own misery,” Carmen rambled on nervously. “It’s a win-win situation, really.”

             
“I don’t think a gun would do much against Persephone,” Phoebe reminded her.

             
“That’s not going to stop me from trying.  At least I’d go down fighting,” Carmen declared.  I slowed as I recognized the trees that were on my left.

             
“Pomegranate trees,” I said under my breath.

             
“What did you say?” Phoebe asked as she followed my gaze.

             
“I just…those are the same kind of trees that were at the Sons’ Cimmerian Ball,” I alleged. “Remember?  They were around the dance floor.”

             
“Oh yeah, I do remember that now,” she grinned dreamily at a memory only she could see. As we moved forward, I began to notice just how peaceful and serene the Groves really were.  The fragrant aromas of the flowering trees made a convincing case that we were simply strolling through a lush garden; enjoying a nice Saturday afternoon.  Unfortunately, the otherworldly metallic shimmer of every tree reminded me just how far we were from nice Saturday afternoons and lush gardens. 

             
“How much further do we have to go before we make it to Charon’s Marsh?” I asked Phoebe.  She consulted the map, looked around briefly, and folded it up; tucking it away in her pocket.  Carmen and I stared at her as we waited on her answer.

             
“I have no idea,” she shrugged.

             
“What do you mean you have no idea?” Carmen argued, and held out her hand with impatience. “Give me the map.”   As we all hovered over the not-to-scale mini map, we could only speculate as to how far into the Groves we had travelled.  We knew we were headed in the correct direction, but it could be another ten minutes or an hour for all we knew. 

             
“Let’s pick up the pace,” I instructed.  After we jogged what felt like another two miles, the rust-colored dirt of the path began to harden and shift to a charcoal-like black dirt as we finally came to the edge of the Groves.   

             
“Charon’s Marsh should be straight in front of us,” Phoebe surmised.  We wearily stepped off the Groves’ convenient path and noticed that the Underworld had begun to transform into a darker, more menacing landscape as the Groves shrunk behind us. 

             
“I think this is it,” Phoebe said as she inspected the map once more.  We came to a stop at a place where the dirt under our feet met a line of tall grass.  A dense fog hovered above the marsh, masking its true size; the lack of color creating a lackluster feeling in my soul.  Although there were patches of grass as well as shrubs and tall weeds that surrounded the marsh, they were all variations of bronze, silver, and black.  Even the water of the marsh appeared to be dark as midnight as it lay completely still; hiding immeasurable secrets of its own.  The rush of what I guessed to be a waterfall was the only sound besides our own labored breathing from running.  The most disconcerting aspect, however, was the smell. 

             
“Why does it smell like a warm summer’s day when we are clearly in hell?” Carmen articulated my own thoughts with a terrified sheen in her dark eyes.  The soothing fragrance of wild honeysuckle and cherry blossoms filled our senses; a direct contrast to our dismal surroundings. 

             
“Maybe it’s coming from one of the other parts of the Underworld, like the Elysian Fields or the Asphodel Meadows?  Finn said they were considered to be like heaven…” Phoebe brainstormed.

             
“I think you might be right, Phoebs,” I smiled at her, thankful she had been paying attention when Finn explained the map.  I had been too busy trying not to pass out the whole time. 

             
As directed by Finn several weeks ago, we took a right and then followed the banks of the marsh.  I couldn’t fight the feeling of extreme isolation that tightly hugged at my fickle nerves.  Persephone had been the only being we’d met thus far.  Not that I was necessarily chomping at the bit to meet any tortured souls (or even sprightly souls) - but still.  

             
The constant roaring of a nearby waterfall caught our attention as we strained to see through the fog.  Knowing that we were getting close to the River Styx, a ball of jitters had manifested in the pit of my stomach.  I was almost 100% sure Nadia would be lurking near the river she was connected to, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to ruin my chance of completing my essence.  It was only a matter of time.  I looked at Phoebe and Carmen with regret as I remembered what I hadn’t told them yet.

             
“There’s something I haven’t told you guys yet.  Nadia is in fact a river nymph.” I continued hesitantly, “The River Styx is the river she’s connected to, so there’s a pretty good chance she’ll be here somewhere.”

             
Watching for their reactions, I was taken by surprise when Carmen burst into a fit of giggles.  Phoebe’s green eyes darted towards me with worry written all over her face. 

             
“Carmen?” I addressed her apprehensively.  Maybe this place was getting to her.  She stopped laughing long enough to focus her wild eyes on me.

             
“Of course!” she acclaimed; throwing her hands up as she flashed a deranged smile at me, which was emphasized by the maniacal look in her eye.   “Of course it’s her river!  This is wonderful!”

             
“Carmen…” Phoebe tried, but Carmen didn’t hear her.

             
“I was just saying to myself: What would make this diabolical journey even more exciting?  The wicked Princess of the Underworld, that’s what!” She clasped her hands together with joy as Phoebe and I shared another concerned look.

             
“Come on, Carmen, let’s keep moving,” I urged her. “We’ll deal with Nadia if we have to.  Until then we’ll stay on course.”

             
“But I want to see her!” she pouted.  To mine and Phoebe’s dismay, she began to call for her at the top of her lungs, “Nadia!  Nadddddiiiiiiaaaaaa!”

             
Phoebe immediately clamped a hand over Carmen’s mouth and delivered a stern message in a hushed whisper.  Carmen nodded her head obediently and Phoebe carefully released her. 

             
“Let’s keep going,” Phoebe advised gravely as she clutched Carmen’s hand and pulled her along.

             
The sound of the waterfall continued to become louder and louder as we came upon an imposing hill dotted with boulders.  We climbed the hill with laborious slowness; weaving in and out of the multiple rocks and avoiding smaller boulders that just our weight could dislodge and send rolling down the hill.  Carmen had grown especially quiet and reluctantly followed Phoebe’s lead.  I was getting more and more worried about her deteriorating mental state.  I couldn’t tell if she was in shock, or just couldn’t digest everything that was happening.  Either way, I hoped that we could snap her out of it before it was time to go back.  I would never forgive myself if Carmen became trapped here.

             
  As Phoebe and I worked together to heave Carmen over the crest of the hill, we noticed that we were unexpectedly facing a wide river of angry, black water.  Unable to discern the riverbed, I had no idea how deep it was or what challenges waited beneath.  The torrent was so powerful, it dislodged several large rocks while we looked on and quickly carried them downstream.  Suppressing my fear and keeping a keen eye out for Nadia, we continued following the riverbank until the roar of the waterfall could no longer be heard. 

             
“Oh my God, Stasia, look!” Phoebe clamored, and pointed excitedly across the river.  My mouth dropped and tears instantly sprang to my eyes.  What lay across from us brought only one word to mind: ‘Paradise’.  Its effect on me was instant and overpowering.  I had the strange impulse to negotiate the river’s violent waters in order to immerse my soul in the euphoria that waited on the other side.

             
From our position on the bank, the vibrant colors were shockingly intense.  I took in the bright flowering trees, fields of golden wheat, lush orchards, and what looked to be a cluster of shimmering buildings that all appeared to blur and shift when I looked directly at them.  Shadowy forms in the distance drifted lazily back and forth, as if enjoying a walk in the park.  The intoxicating aromas we smelled earlier were slightly stronger, and it was clear now where they had been coming from. I was utterly mesmerized by its beauty and I knew without a doubt that we were looking at the Elysian Fields; the place where the divine souls reside.

             
I could sense it far better than I could actually see it.  Just as I’d felt the warmth of darkness, I could feel the cool breeze of divinity.  It washed over me like a summer rain shower; cleansing and revitalizing my soul.

             
“The Elysian Fields…” Phoebe exhaled.

             
“It looks like Candyland!” Carmen’s hysterical giggle brought me back to reality.  I wrenched my attention away from the wonderment in the distance and focused on the reason I had come; the River.  I scanned the landscape, still surprised we hadn’t encountered Nadia, but found something almost as disturbing.  Lining the banks of the river was a thick mass of intertwining vines.  The gleaming white hue of the vines created a daunting barrier between me and the raging waters.  They were the very same vines that spiraled around the lightning bolt of Nadia’s menacing trace. 

             
Assuming that nothing was what it seemed in the Underworld, I had a disturbing feeling that the vines were not to be underestimated; especially since I would have to wade through them in order to reach the water.  According to Finn’s instructions, I was to submerge my body in the river; allowing it to take me downstream, over the waterfall, and into the marsh.  Although the river’s current was much faster than I would have expected, the part that involved my body falling over a large waterfall was what was creating a precise pain in my temple.

             
I returned my attention to Phoebe, “After I’m in the river, take Carmen back down to the marsh and wait for me there.”

             
“What if you get into trouble?”

             
“If I’m not out in thirty minutes, you and Carmen should continue to the Gates without me and get out as soon as you can.”

             
“No.  I’m not leaving you,” she frowned at me in disagreement.

             
“You have to take care of yourself and Carmen.  I’ll be fine.” I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

             
“You should listen to her,
Phoebe
,” a cynical voice responded.  Her slight frame stood amongst the white vines; a smug look on her young, angelic face. 

             
Bianca.