Chapter one The River Styx and the Ferry Man
He woke with a start
That was some dream he thought
He had dreamed that he was dieing and that every one was stood asking him who was his heir he remembered saying something like to the strongest after that it was all blank.
It was then he noticed his surrounding, he was laid on the ground instead of his bed he sat bolt up right and looked around.
He wasn't in his room in the royal palace he was in an open space and a cold wind below all around him. The walls were grey but when he looked again he realised that they were skulls human and animals. He looked up and found the ceiling to be the same.
He squeezed his eyes shut
"Come Alexander wake up." he said to himself
He slowly counted to ten and then opened his eyes; he was still in the cave.
It had not been a dream after all.
He stood up on shaky legs and saw that a tunnel ran out of the cave and somewhere in the distance he could hear the sound of lapping water and the stench of a river filled his nostrils.
His eyes adjusted to the gloom as he followed the tunnel down and onto the banks of the river.
It was then that he knew where he was, he had read about this river so many time in the story of the Iliad it was here that Achilles had his mortality washed away by the River Styx.
People wandered aimlessly the water edges poking
around among rotting logs and driftwood that has washed up along the
shore trying to find the Pauper's Entrance to Hades.
It was
then that Alexander began to choke he couldn't breathe, he gave a
finally cough and out came a gold coin. He thanked those who had
placed the coin there and he didn't have to join those doomed to
wonder.
A blue light came out of the fog and people started to rush forward on to the dock.
A black wooden boat rowed by a single figure dressed in a large hooded cloak made of grey tattered rags around his neck he wore a silver pendent in the shape of a human skull with red rubies for it's eyes.
The boat pulled into the dock and creaks to a stop, the figure stood up and everybody stepped back.
Alexander knew that this was the ferryman Charon. He turns to face the waiting crowd and the wind blows his hood away from his face, they all gasped at the skeleton face peering out at the them.
One by one he beckoned them for forward and began to load the boat.
Alexander paid his gold coin and sat at the back a one seat in front of Charon, on the floor he noticed several gold branches. Then he remember that he had placed one of these golden branches onto Hephaistion's body when they cremated him, Alexander found himself wondering about Hephaistion would he be waiting for him, would he remember him, did the ferry man except his offering. There was a swish of material as the ferry man got in behind him and picked up the oar and he moved away from the dock leaving a small group behind.
They boat moved slowly through the water and in a couple of hours they reached the entrance to the house of Hades.