5/31/13

I will be updating chapters quicker now. So dates will be set up on top of author's notes for the day I post them. All you have to do is find the day you have not read.

I also learned how to write in runes in less then half an hour. I am so proud of myself! :D

This chapter will be having some Greek mythology in it. Enjoy~

o-o-o

Ponyboy walked the busy underworld with the sleeping Ivan, calmly. He passed all of the spirits, moving out of their way, to not disturb them or get the feeling that something went through his body. He kept walking until he reached a river with a large cluster of spirits near it.

The boat was a small, wooden rowboat, which can barely fit seven people on it. No soul was on the boat at all at this moment and it looks like it was the only way past it. On the boat was a cloaked man though. His fingers were long and boney and his face was covered by the shadow that his hood gave off.

The cloaked man looked like it was starting at Ponyboy. If not, through him. But even so, Ponyboy maneuvered around the souls towards the cloaked figure. As he came to the shore of the river, the cloaked man's face was visable. He stared at him with open sockets that were like an abyss. He had no teeth and you can see the edges of the man's skull. He was nearly bald, for the parts that Ponyboy can see, but the little hair that was on the cloaked man heads were all withered and white.

"Do you want to pass the River Styx?" The man asked which was almost a croak. Ponyboy nodded to confirm the question. The man then took one hand off of his oar and held it out like he wanted something.

'River Styx, where have I heard that before?' Ponyboy asked himself mentally.

The man stood there expectedly, still holding out his boney hand to Ponyboy.

At that moment the stories of when he was in sixth grade came rushing back to him. Greek mythology! How could he forget?! Standing before him was none other than Charon, the ferryman of Hades. He had read that Charon only takes dead men to cross the river and needs payment to speed up the waiting time to get across. Only the dead… It was a good thing that Ponyboy was dead. A good thing indeed.

Ponyboy then remembered that he needs to pay Charon or he would be stuck waiting for over 1,000 years. But the question was: What did he need to pay Charon with. He remembered quite well that it wasn't any modern day money. No dollars, no euros, none of that.

'Drachma…' The spirits whispered to him. It was quit, almost wasn't audible. But Ponyboy caught it.

Drachmas… He doesn't have any except for the one that hang by his neck by a string. It was given to him by Vladimir himself on his first birthday that he spent with him and the other vampires.

"Now Ponyboy, this will one day come to use. I know of a few places that still uses it. You will know when the time is right." Vladimir's voice echoed in his mind. Ponyboy nearly forgot that day.

He reached under his shirt and ripped off the string that held the drachma. The golden coin glistened under the dim light as he handed it, hesitantly, to Charon. The pallid hand of his, folded around the coin, as he brought it towards him to inspect it.

"Welcome aboard," Charon said as he motioned them on the boat. Ponyboy stepped in and placed the sleeping Ukrainian on his lap as he sat down. Charon then used to oar to push him away from the shore and the flowed elegantly down the river.

"Welcome to Hell." Was the only words that came out of Charon's mouth as they drifted across the River Styx.