Here is a little dictionary for you people who know nothing about Greek mythology:
Hades: Lord of the Dead, the blue dude with fire for hair in Hercules
Persephone: Queen of the Dead, unwilling wife of Hades
Charon: Ferry Driver, gets people to Hades (Skeleton dude that rows the boat in Hercules)
River Styx: The river that Charon drives the ferry across to get to Hades. Also called the river of death (I think).
Cerberus: Big, mean, three headed dog that guards the gates to Hell/where Hades is.
Tartarus: The Greek equivalant to Hell
Elysian Fields: The Greek equivalant to Heaven
Disclaimer: I do not own the following items: Any sort of Greek Mythology, Teen Titans, Devon's idea to put Simon Cowell in the story, the movie Hercules, Scott Savol, or American Idol. I do own my plot however, and if you steal it, may you burn in the depths of hell.
Onto the story!
The two friends were silent as they glided smoothly down the River Styx, directed by Charon, a skeleton draped in a hooded black robe. They were in a ferry that was as dark and mysterious as their current surroundings. Even looking at the river would discourage whoever looked at it and dispose of any previous hope that one might have had. If one still had any hope after coming this far. Raven was silently sitting next to her best friend, hoping to find some kind of comfort in his evergreen eyes. She searched deeper and deeper into Gar's eyes, looking for just the tiniest shred of hope, of something that would tell her that they would get out of this together. She found none. She thought back to what had gotten them into this predicament, and then she was hit with a sudden realization. They were dead. They were both dead and they were heading towards the underworld to have their fates decided for them.
"Kori, we have to get out of here now!" The redhead turned abruptly at the sound of Dick's voice, and immediately rushed towards him. He embraced her and looked around desperately for any kind of escape. Around them, the flames blazed, and it seemed like any hope of escape was gone, lost in the fire. Suddenly, they were both distracted by a loud crash, and they both gasped in relief as they saw their other friend, Victor, burst through a door, and frantically run towards them. He grabbed their wrists and dragged them towards the opening where they could see the smoke pouring out and sunlight flooding into the burning building. As they ran out the door, they were almost so overcome with exhaustion, it took all of the energy they had just to get across the street and collapse on the grass, away from the burning blaze. It was then when they noticed there was something missing. Kori's light green eyes clouded over with worry, and Victor suddenly sat up in realization. The three looked at each other, none daring to say what they all knew in their heads. Finally, Dick got enough courage to say what they were all dreading. "Where did Raven and Gar go?" They all simultaneously turned their heads towards their old home, which was almost completely engulfed in flames.
Back inside, Garfield Logan and Raven Roth were both trapped on the top floor or the previous home, and they were trapped in a slightly large room that was slowly being destroyed by the spreading flames. They held each other in a tight embrace, both knowing that it was the end for the two of them. As they held onto each other, the floor began to split, and as the ground beneath them gave away under their feet, the ceiling collapsed above them, and they fell to their deaths. Raven shut her amethyst eyes, waiting for the impact, and when it came, she heard Kori's shriek, Dick's shout of realization, and Victor's shout of horror. Then, she saw a bright white light flash in front of her, and darkness invaded her vision.
As she relived her death, Raven looked around at her surroundings, and shuddered as she studied them deeper. The river that the ferry was gliding across was pitch black, and at a first glance, it would have seemed to be empty. But if one were to have studied it harder, they would have been able to see creatures that were indescribable, creatures so terrifying they were undoubtedly demons, if not spawn of the devil himself. Raven shuddered slightly once again, and stopped looking at the creatures and started thinking about what had happened after their death. Gar noticed this second shudder, and put his arm comfortingly around her, holding her tight. "Gar, you know we're dead now, don't you?" She asked tentatively, not wanting to scare her friend too much. He nodded silently, a grim look on his face. "I hope the others are okay." Raven made this comment much more quieter than her other, as if she was talking more to herself than to Gar. He heard her nonetheless, and nodded in agreement, a small nostalgic smile crossing his face as he remembered his old friends. Kori, always so forgiving, so understanding. Despite her naivety, she was one of the most compassionate people on the planet, and easily one of the most beautiful. Richard, sometimes a loner, but despite that, he would be nothing without his friends. He was dedicated to righting the wrongs, and somewhere, deep in Gar's heart, he knew that somehow, he was blaming himself for his and Raven's deaths. And Victor, Gar's best friend. Athletic, funny, a good friend, competitive, all of those came to mind when he remembered him. A sting of pain entered Gar's heart as he realized how devastated his friends would be when they realized, if they hadn't already, that they were dead.
"What do you think is going to happen to us?" Gar asked. Raven was slightly surprised, this being one of the first times he had spoken since their deaths, and she looked into Gar's eyes once again.
"I'm not sure Gar. I'm just not sure." She replied looking deeply into Gar's face, trying to find out what emotions he was holding inside of him. She was about to speak again when the ferry sudden stopped, causing Raven and Gar to be thrown forward and almost lose their balance. They quickly regained their footing, and then they both looked around to see why they had stopped. Charon, who had been rowing their ferry, was looking around for something, and when he found it, he grumbled in relief. Suddenly, Raven let out a whimper of fear, and clutched to Gar's arm so hard it felt like she was cutting of the circulation to the rest of his arm. When Gar saw what had frightened Raven so much, he too began to panic. There, right in front of them, was an enormous three headed dog, much larger than the ferry and by the looks of it, much more dangerous than anything they had ever seen before. The heads snapped at each other, fangs bared and saliva dripping from each heads mouth, giving the dog an extremely intimidating look. When the canine spotted the ferry, it let out a screech of anger that echoed throughout the cave, sending waves of fear and anguish down to the pits of the two friends souls. They covered their ears and grinded their teeth together, trying to drown out the painful noise. Charon, however, seemed unaffected by the beast's display of hatred towards the ferry master, and carelessly tossed a large slab of steak towards the monstrosity. One of the heads caught it, and the other two immediately began snapping its teeth at the other, and in moments, they began to fight over the meat. Charon shook his head in disgust and the ferry began its journey once again. As the journey began to drag on, the two anticipated what would be waiting for them at the end of their ride. They began to converse about the possibilities, until they were interrupted by Charon. He spoke in a low, raspy voice that seemed more like a mellowed growl than a voice.
"You two are different than everyone else who has been here. You are the only two here to die together and then ride my ferry together." The two stopped their conversation and looked curiously at the boat captain, wondering what he meant. They must have had confused looks on their face, for Charon spoke again. "I mean you two are the only ones ever to come in here together. Both of you paid with different coins, coins that only special people have. Coins I have only seen a few times before. Then, you both ride the ferry together, which has never been done before. I reckon Hades and Persephone want something to do with you, or else one of you wouldn't even be here right now." Raven and Gar both had quizzical looks on their faces, even though they both understood Charon and what he meant. They were mostly confused at why they were so special and if it was a good or bad thing that the lord of the dead probably wanted to talk to them. Suddenly, the ferry stopped, and Raven looked around, her expression changed to a worried one, and Gar suddenly smiled when he realized what she was doing. He didn't blame her however, as he probably should have been doing the same thing. Charon also noticed her actions and laughed, his laugh echoing off the cave walls, making his laugh sound much more creepier than it might have been. "Don't worry," he said in his deep voice, "Cerberus was only at the first gate." Raven visibly calmed, but still remained close to Gar as they approached the edge of the boat. They stepped off the ferry, and their feet touched solid ground. Raven let out a small gasp as she saw who was in front of them. Hades, lord of the underworld was sitting on a throne draped with skins of some sort. He had on a helmet with horns coming out from the sides, and the helmet hid his eyes, giving the pair a feeling of vulnerability. He was draped in torn black robes, and had a flaming red symbol on his chest that shone out of the darkness. The throne was pointed, and consisted of many pointed black iron spikes. Next to him, was another throne, this one a bit smaller than Hades' own. This one, held a young woman, who despite the fact that she was stunningly beautiful, looked just as evil as Hades. Raven and Gar came to the conclusion that this woman was Persephone. She had flowing red hair and icy blue eyes, but her face was extremely pale and held no feeling. Her eyes bore into the souls of the two that stood before them, and she sneered as she saw them recoil from the two dark gods presence. They were scared of the deities, and fear was what made them strong.
"You have come together. That is different." Despite Hades' look, he spoke just as a normal man would have, but his voice reverberated off the walls of the cavern, making it louder than it really was.
"Yes, I have never seen this before." Commented Persephone, looking down at the two, a touch of curiosity creeping across her face. "Shall we judge them as one, since they decide to become inseparable, even after death?" She asked, a delighted sneer replacing her curiosity.
"No. They shall be judged alone, just as any other human soul. The fates will prefer this more, having them both here at once has probably angered them more than necessary already." Hades replied, his voice turning icy as he regarded the pair who had remained silent as the god and goddess decided what to do with them. "Fine, you shall go in together, but you shall be judged as separate people. The fates will decide if you will go to Tartarus or the Elysian Fields, where you will live the rest of eternity." As he finished, the ground started to shake and Raven grabbed Gar's hand for support, which he squeezed, and as they looked on, the wall in front of them cracked open and slowly slid apart. There, was a large circular table with three hooded figures sitting down, and there was one empty chair that faced the rest. The two walked towards the opening, and they could hear muttering from the three figures as they realized that they had two people to judge. The pair reached the table and gave each other a glance that showed neither one of them wanted to be judged first. Raven was about to open her mouth to say that she would do it, but before she could, Gar silently sat down in the chair and got ready for his condemning. Raven was about to object before Gar stopped her and said,
"Let me go first, that way you know what's going to happen to you. If we both end up in the same place, then at least I'll be there to meet you. Hey, we died together, and we'll end up in the same place together too." He gave her a reassuring smile, and she smiled back, but suddenly leaned down and gave him a tight embrace, which he gladly returned. As they broke apart, one of the judges stood and began to speak with a familiar voice. (By the way, thank you Devon, for this next idea, although I will not be using all of it!) Gar gave Raven a weird look, and he saw that she had the same expression on her face. Both of their eyes went wide in recognition as the judge took off his hood and revealed himself to be none other, then Simon Cowell. "Uh, Simon is one of the judges?" Gar asked, suddenly remembering that the man had gone missing about a year ago. It was all over the news, and Paula had quit judging because she got so upset over his disappearance. He nodded curtly and began to speak again.
"Yes, my judging and insulting skills were know all over the world, and it seems as if they heard of them in the underworld. So I was captured and forced to become a judge of the underworld, deciding if people go to Tartarus or the Elysian Fields." He finished with a look that was indescribable, and either Raven or Gar could tell what feelings were held in that look.
"You know, Paula got real upset after you left," Gar commented, trying to tune down his surprise at finding out the American Idol judge had retired to the underworld.
"Yeah, well, that's her loss." He said half-heartedly, waving his hand carelessly at the mention of his former partner. (Gosh, you're sent to the underworld to judge dead people and you still have a nasty attitude!) One of the other judges grunted a little and nudged Simon, making a gesture and then a comment about not being paid to talk about their own personal lives. The other judge interrupted with something that sounded a lot like 'we get paid?' Raven and Gar heard and couldn't help letting out a small smile, for despite their current situation, finding out that Simon was a judge in the underworld and that he did it for a lot less money than his last job gave him was pretty funny.
"So, are we going to judge them soon, or what?" Asked the judge who had asked if they got paid. Simon sat down and pulled a file from an unknown place, and then he opened it and began retelling Gar's past. He went over the major points, the good and the bad, and finally, he reached the boy's death.
"So, you died in a fire, isn't that right? And you died along with miss Raven here?" Simon asked, realizing the twos connection as he looked at a past memory. Gar nodded, confirming the judge's thoughts about the two. "We are done with you Gar, but you will not be leaving until you have both been judged. You have lived together, you died together, you made this journey together, and now, you will start your new life together." Gar nodded, and stood up as Raven took his seat. The judges began the same process that they had done with Gar, and soon, she began reliving her path as they talked about things she didn't even remember. They talked about the good and the bad, who she helped, and who she hurt. When they were done, Raven stood up and grasped Gar's hand, both waiting for the judge's sentence. Either they were going to Tartarus, or the Elysian Fields. Finally, Simon stood up and spoke. "We have made our decisions, and since both of you have decided to spend your life and your death together, we have decided to send you both to the Elysian Fields, for you to spend your afterlife together." Raven and Gar both let out a sigh of relief, and as soon as they heard the judge's decision, a bright light flashed before their eyes
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a place that could be described as nothing less than paradise. "So, what do you think we should do now?" Gar asked, looking around the lush green field and the bubbling brook around them. Raven's face was lit up with joy and her eyes were shining happily. There was a small town over the small ridge that they were behind, and houses were scattered around as far as they eye could see.
"We are in paradise, there is nothing to do but enjoy ourselves." Raven said, sitting down happily on the ground, her violet hair brushing her shoulders lightly.
"Well, it sounds fine to me." Gar said softly, gazing at the beauty that lay before him. "But if you ask me, as long as I'm with you, even if I'm in Tartarus, I'll be in paradise."
Raven gazed back at the boy in front of her, the comment had rendered her unable to answer, so she did the only thing she could do. In one swift move, she moved forward and pressed her lips against his. Gar was startled by this sudden display of affection, but did nothing to break the kiss. He closed his eyes and wrapped his hands around Raven's waist, just as she wrapped her hands around his head, pulling him closer. Gar ran his tongue along the edge of her lips, begging for entrance, which she gladly gave to him. Their tongues battled in their mouths, and their hands began to caress each other, neither one thinking about anything but each other. The need to breathe eventually drew them apart, both of them gasping for air, not daring to speak, both afraid to break the moment. Gar solved the problem by once again kissing Raven, feeling her tender lips and soft tongue caress his own. Raven melted into his embrace, not giving a care to anything else in the world. Their bodies pressed together, actions deepening, neither willing to give up. They were both on the ground, rolling around, becoming more and more needy, both wanting more. Once again they broke apart, but this time, Gar spoke first, stopping Raven's attempt to once again kiss him. "I love you, I've never loved anybody else more than I love you."
"I love you too, and I will never stop," Raven murmured, closing her eyes and laying her head down on Gar's chest, listening to his rhythmic breathing, a silent lullaby, eventually falling asleep. Gar gazed at the dark beauty sleeping in his lap, carefully brushing a piece of hair out of her face, as to not wake her, and he soon fell asleep too, lulled by the gentle breathing of his one true love.
Back at the River Styx………………
"Hello? Anybody there?" A thin, blonde girl with aqua colored eyes was currently wandering around the banks of the River Styx, looking for a single sign of life.
"Do you have your payment?" A voice behind the girl asked, his raspy voice echoing throughout the caves.
"Do you mean this coin?" The girl asked, and when the skeleton man nodded and took the coin, she stepped into the ferry that he was currently standing in and they began their ride down the demonic river. They reached the other bank of the river shortly, but not after having the girl, who, according to Charon, was named Terra, scared half-to-death by Cerberus. She stepped onto the land, and was greeted by the Queen and King of Hell.
"Well, Terra, you seem to have an air of arrogance around you. Why is that?" Asked Persephone, almost as soon as the girl set foot on land.
"W-what are you talking about?" Stammered Terra, knowing perfectly well what the Queen was talking about.
"Don't you dare lie to me girl, I know when one is telling the truth and when one is not, you will regret-"
Hades interrupted her before Terra had a chance to find out what would happen if she kept on lying to the Queen. "Enough Persephone, she will be judged by the fates, and they can make her destiny even worse than you could even begin to fathom. Persephone said nothing, but gave Terra a wrathful look that the girl was not going to forget anytime soon.
Five minutes later……………………………………………………….
"Out final decision, Terra, is that you are going to spend the rest of eternity in Tartarus." Terra barely had time to make a face of utter horror before a red light flashed before her eyes, and she found herself in her own living Hell.
"No…no…it can't be!" Terra stammered, as she looked up into the eyes of pure evil itself.
"Yes Terra, it can be, and it is very real," said Scott "Scottie the Body" Savol.
"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Shrieked a very horrified Terra as Scott began to sing.
Okay, I'm sorry about that, I just had to put it in there. Just for you people who don't watch American Idol, or don't live in American, Scott Savol was one of my least favorite people who made it into the top ten in season four. Just adding a little humor for the people who know what I'm talking about. If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me just say that don't worry, I put Terra through personal torture.
R&R please
