Chapter 36: Onward
The Dark Triad woke up, feeling refreshed. The last battle had been stressful to be sure, but no one had been injured. One-on-fours never worked out too well for the one. It just proved that they were coming closer as a team. And that's what they'd need to be for the ordeals ahead: a team.
Dark Pit woke first, as usual. He climbed a tree so that he could watch the sunrise. They had made camp at the edge of the forest, and this would be the last chance he would get to watch the sunrise from a high vantage point.
He smiled when he heard rustling behind him. She always tried to watch the dawn with him.
"Hey" Aria said as she made it into the tree.
"Hey yourself," Dark Pit replied.
"Are you ready for this?"
"For what?"
"For seeing her grave again."
Dark Pit answered with solemn silence. They would arrive in Xintut sometime that night. Dark Pit honestly didn't know if he was ready for what needed to be done. But he knew that he would have to do it. After all, part of being a man was doing what needed to be done, no matter how much it hurts.
"I thought as much," Aria told him.
"Her death stings worse than an open wound. And I've had plenty of those."
"Everyone goes through something that hurts them. I never had my mother."
"Neither did she."
"Just because it happens to a lot of demigods with goddesses as mothers doesn't mean that it hurts any less."
Dark Pit looked at her. He had suspected that she was a demigod for some time, but to hear her actually admit it was something else entirely. And she knew that her mother was a goddess.
"You know more about your childhood that you let on," he told her.
"Crap," she said under her breath. Apparently, she'd just realized her slip of the tongue.
"Who's your mother?"
"I can't say."
"Do you not trust me?"
"I…" she went silent. Apparently, she didn't really know the answer to that question.
"Aria," Dark Pit said. "I know from experience that trust is an integral part in a relationship. I've trusted you with my secrets; it's time to trust me with yours."
Aria didn't answer. Apparently, she really didn't want to answer that question.
"Alright," Dark Pit relented. "Trust is a two way street. I trust that you have a good reason for keeping the information back."
"Thank you," she replied softly.
Together, they watched the sun rise.
Dark Triad was packed up and ready to go before the sun had even been up an hour. It would be a long shot, but they were certain that they could be in Xintut by nightfall. That way, the next day, Dark Pit would do what he needed to, then they could finally get on with their quest. The group wanted so badly for this quest to be out of the way.
However, there was another issue that needed to be attended to.
"That man yesterday," Magnus started. "I don't know what to make of him."
"Join the club, pal," Dark Pit said.
"Whatever he was," Gaol put in, "it doesn't bode well for us."
"What do you think that little flame display was?" Aria asked.
"Whoever he's working for doesn't want anyone to know who it is," Dark Pit supplied.
There was a moment of silence. These Dark Agent attacks didn't bode well. Whoever was hunting them didn't want them to enter the Underworld. But why would that be? No one wanted to know the answer. Of course, they were bound to find out anyway.
Another thought occurred to Dark Pit. How had the Agents known of their mission?
"Hey guys," he said.
They all looked at him as they walked.
"How did these Dark Agents know of our mission anyway?"
That put confused looks on all four faces.
"I truly don't know the answer to that," Gaol said.
"Yeah," Magnus added. "We told no one of our mission during the separation."
"And I doubt Aria's a blabbermouth about important subjects."
"Got that right," Aria said.
All eyes turned to Dark Pit.
"Really?" he asked. "Do you even need to ask?"
They all turned their heads away. Apparently, no one was brave enough to accuse Dark Pit of being a rat. Good thing, too. It wouldn't have ended well. Well, not for them anyway.
Dark Pit started thinking once again. Who could have let it slip to the Dark Agents that they were headed to the Underworld? No one outside the Dark Triad knew of the mission. Dark Pit's eyes went wide. No one outside the Triad knew except…
"Our employer," he said suddenly.
"What?" Magnus asked.
"Our employer was the only person outside of the team that knows the details of our quest," he stated matter-of-factly.
"You don't think…" Gaol didn't finish.
"I never really did trust her," Magnus said.
"Agreed," Dark Pit put in.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Aria said. "Back up! What about an employer and not trusting and whatnot?"
Dark Pit sighed. "Remember when I gave you the details of the mission? I told you that our employer broke in. She was cloaked like a common thief. If not for the money, I wouldn't have even given her any attention."
"I'm sure the money wasn't everything," Aria stated.
"True," Gaol agreed. "The conversion of souls into monsters is a practice that should have ended with Hades' demise. But it didn't. That's why we accepted the mission."
"Does the factory even exist?" Dark Pit questioned. "If our employer sold us out, then how do we know that any of what she said is true?"
"The dark ones that have been hunting us are proof enough that there's something in the Underworld that we're not supposed to find."
"But what?" Magnus asked.
No one knew the answer to that question. With those disturbing thoughts, they headed for Xintut. Hopefully, everything would fall into place there.
The sun had long set by the time they finally arrived at the town. It was just as Dark Pit remembered it. It was surrounded by a wall, and had buildings that were place in an orderly fashion along a gridded road plan. Just seeing the town hurt. Even though it was late at night, Dark Pit could still see enough that it drove the painful memories to the front once again.
Luckily for them, the gates were still open. However, the team stepped up their pace anyway. The guards looked like they were positioning to close the gate for the night. However, when the guards saw the group running to get to town before the gates went up, they waited. They didn't look happy, though.
"Wait a moment," a guard called as they passed. "What is your business here?"
"That's personal," Dark Pit said.
"Why did you arrive so late?"
"We've been traveling all day," Gaol supplied. "We didn't know if we'd make the town in time or not."
The guard looked them over suspiciously. "As long as you don't cause trouble, you're welcome here. However, if you do cause trouble…"
Dark Triad got the idea. They headed into town to find an inn. It wasn't easy, many of them were full. However, when they reached the central plaza, they found one that wasn't too full. They went inside.
Aside from a few drunks, the lobby was empty. Most of the guests had probably gone to sleep for the night. And the visitors to the bar had likely gone home. The room itself was simple. There was a fireplace on the left wall, a stage on the right wall, and a bar and door on the back wall.
Dark Triad approached the bar. There was a bartender there. He was middle-aged and kind of short, with graying-brown hair. His face was pleasant though, and spoke of someone who was good at being courteous.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"We need two rooms," Magnus said. "Preferably next to each other.
The man looked at his guest book. He flipped a couple of pages. He then compared it to a piece of paper. Dark Pit couldn't see what was written on it. Finally, the man said:
"You're in luck, the last two rooms available are right next to each other. Go through the door, turn right, and it's the last two doors on the right. Enjoy your stay."
With that, the men took the room keys and the team headed to the door. They followed the bartender's instructions and found their rooms. Magnus and Gaol said goodnight and vanished into their room. Dark Pit opened his and went inside, Aria just behind.
"Are you sure that you're ready for tomorrow," Aria asked him.
Dark Pit thought long and hard. Was he really ready to see Lilia's grave? Was he ready to admit how he failed her? Was he ready to move on? The answer made itself very clear.
"Yes."