(Ah, the chaos approaches. You gotta love it.)
The field they came to was covered in a thick layer of tall grasses and fragrant flowers. On the way down, the daughters of Oceanus met them and decided that they would like to pick flowers too. Each had blue-green hair, like the sea, and wore clothing of similar colors. The nymphs were very hyper about the wedding, and they would not stop talking.
As Evie picked her flowers, she came to find their endless chatter quite annoying. She told Artemis, who shrugged.
"They're always like this. It'll get worse at the wedding though, I can tell you that much."
"When is the wedding, anyway?" asked Evie.
"Three days from today. It's supposed to be the biggest celebration for the gods this year." While they were talking, Evie and Artemis were slowly walking away from the crowd of gossiping girls. The sun was getting higher in the sky, and after a while it was time to eat.
Of course, because she was itching to go hunting, Artemis offered to go and get some game in the nearby woods and prepare it for lunch. The nymphs didn't even shut up long enough to hear what she was saying, much less care. When she left, Evie walked away from the group, and went for a little walk on her own.
She had gone only about fifty paces, when the sounds of the nymph's voices had died behind her. Evie removed her sandals and walked barefoot on the sun-warmed ground. The flowers and grasses were tall, and came up to her waist. The sky was cloudless and bright, and the air was sweet.
After a while of walking like this, Evie came to an area with short grass and flowers. She realized how far she'd walked away from the group, and turned to walk back. As she did, though, she smelled something wonderful, and continued into the short grass.
Evie soon stumbled upon a beautiful flower, more majestic and grand than anything she has seen so far. Its petals were black, but reflected the light in many different colors. The smell coming from it was many different smells in one, like the nectar of the gods had many different tastes. She knew that this was the one, the narcissus flower that would lead to her "doom". But even while she thought this, another part of her wanted to pick it, to hold it to her face, feel its petals.
The nymphs had realized she was gone, and had been following her slowly. Now Evie could hear them again, but she paid them no mind. After all, she wouldn't have to listen to them for long.
She kneeled to the ground, broke the stem in one swift movement, and then quickly stood up. Nothing happened. (Maybe this is the wrong one,) she thought.
But her thought came too soon. The ground began to shake and tremble, and the ground began to crack. The nymphs were in hysterics, screaming and running about as if the ground was swallowing them up instead of just shaking and cracking.
It looked as though a canyon of sorts had formed from the ground, and then a black carriage, drawn by strange reptilian-like flying horses, burst forth from the opening. To avoid the hooves kicking out at her, Evie tried to step back, but since the ground was still shaking she only managed to fall back on her butt. She was amazed, but only a little frightened, and so let out a loud, "Holy shit!" at the spectacle.
The carriage flew up, then turned around and headed straight for the girl. Evie stood again, a bit hesitantly because the horses were kicking and flying so recklessly that she thought they'd hit her. But Hades was a better driver than that, so when he grabbed Evie by the waist and lifted her into the chariot, she wasn't harmed at all.
Now came the part that she didn't expect. In order to go straight into the crevice he had just created, Hades had to fly directly down into it. Evie had gone on roller coasters before, but she had never liked them all that much. This was like a coaster, with Hades' arm as her seatbelt, except she was standing and there was utter darkness all around them, with the occasional scream or squeal from the horses (if that was what they were).
She tried to scream, or yell, but her breath had been taken away from her, which only made things worse. Suddenly, after what seemed like ages, the chariot was pulled into it's normal horizontal position. They had reached the bottom, and it wasn't the most graceful of saves, so the bottom of the carriage smacked the rocky bottom of the underground floor.
It was now that Evie realized how fast they were actually going. It was lighter down here, due to the eerie glow of iridescent mushrooms on the walls and ceiling, so she could see the things around her. They passed over a total of five rivers. The first was the Acheron (river of woe), then the Cocytus (river of lamentation), the Phlegethon (river of fire), the Styx (river of unbreakable oath), and the Lethe (river of forgetfulness). Their dark waters (except for the Plegethon) looked like shiny black ribbons in a dreary gray world. Charon was busy rowing more souls down the rivers, and paid the speeding chariot no mind. Cerberus' three heads were all sleepily lying on the floor of the cavern, and they pricked up their nine ears at the approach of their master.
Within seconds, the cart landed roughly onto the ground, and Evie stumbled out, still dizzy and breathless. It was then that she had her first look at her new home.
The field they came to was covered in a thick layer of tall grasses and fragrant flowers. On the way down, the daughters of Oceanus met them and decided that they would like to pick flowers too. Each had blue-green hair, like the sea, and wore clothing of similar colors. The nymphs were very hyper about the wedding, and they would not stop talking.
As Evie picked her flowers, she came to find their endless chatter quite annoying. She told Artemis, who shrugged.
"They're always like this. It'll get worse at the wedding though, I can tell you that much."
"When is the wedding, anyway?" asked Evie.
"Three days from today. It's supposed to be the biggest celebration for the gods this year." While they were talking, Evie and Artemis were slowly walking away from the crowd of gossiping girls. The sun was getting higher in the sky, and after a while it was time to eat.
Of course, because she was itching to go hunting, Artemis offered to go and get some game in the nearby woods and prepare it for lunch. The nymphs didn't even shut up long enough to hear what she was saying, much less care. When she left, Evie walked away from the group, and went for a little walk on her own.
She had gone only about fifty paces, when the sounds of the nymph's voices had died behind her. Evie removed her sandals and walked barefoot on the sun-warmed ground. The flowers and grasses were tall, and came up to her waist. The sky was cloudless and bright, and the air was sweet.
After a while of walking like this, Evie came to an area with short grass and flowers. She realized how far she'd walked away from the group, and turned to walk back. As she did, though, she smelled something wonderful, and continued into the short grass.
Evie soon stumbled upon a beautiful flower, more majestic and grand than anything she has seen so far. Its petals were black, but reflected the light in many different colors. The smell coming from it was many different smells in one, like the nectar of the gods had many different tastes. She knew that this was the one, the narcissus flower that would lead to her "doom". But even while she thought this, another part of her wanted to pick it, to hold it to her face, feel its petals.
The nymphs had realized she was gone, and had been following her slowly. Now Evie could hear them again, but she paid them no mind. After all, she wouldn't have to listen to them for long.
She kneeled to the ground, broke the stem in one swift movement, and then quickly stood up. Nothing happened. (Maybe this is the wrong one,) she thought.
But her thought came too soon. The ground began to shake and tremble, and the ground began to crack. The nymphs were in hysterics, screaming and running about as if the ground was swallowing them up instead of just shaking and cracking.
It looked as though a canyon of sorts had formed from the ground, and then a black carriage, drawn by strange reptilian-like flying horses, burst forth from the opening. To avoid the hooves kicking out at her, Evie tried to step back, but since the ground was still shaking she only managed to fall back on her butt. She was amazed, but only a little frightened, and so let out a loud, "Holy shit!" at the spectacle.
The carriage flew up, then turned around and headed straight for the girl. Evie stood again, a bit hesitantly because the horses were kicking and flying so recklessly that she thought they'd hit her. But Hades was a better driver than that, so when he grabbed Evie by the waist and lifted her into the chariot, she wasn't harmed at all.
Now came the part that she didn't expect. In order to go straight into the crevice he had just created, Hades had to fly directly down into it. Evie had gone on roller coasters before, but she had never liked them all that much. This was like a coaster, with Hades' arm as her seatbelt, except she was standing and there was utter darkness all around them, with the occasional scream or squeal from the horses (if that was what they were).
She tried to scream, or yell, but her breath had been taken away from her, which only made things worse. Suddenly, after what seemed like ages, the chariot was pulled into it's normal horizontal position. They had reached the bottom, and it wasn't the most graceful of saves, so the bottom of the carriage smacked the rocky bottom of the underground floor.
It was now that Evie realized how fast they were actually going. It was lighter down here, due to the eerie glow of iridescent mushrooms on the walls and ceiling, so she could see the things around her. They passed over a total of five rivers. The first was the Acheron (river of woe), then the Cocytus (river of lamentation), the Phlegethon (river of fire), the Styx (river of unbreakable oath), and the Lethe (river of forgetfulness). Their dark waters (except for the Plegethon) looked like shiny black ribbons in a dreary gray world. Charon was busy rowing more souls down the rivers, and paid the speeding chariot no mind. Cerberus' three heads were all sleepily lying on the floor of the cavern, and they pricked up their nine ears at the approach of their master.
Within seconds, the cart landed roughly onto the ground, and Evie stumbled out, still dizzy and breathless. It was then that she had her first look at her new home.