As soon as Philarion is clear of the city, he removes the peasant cloak revealing his Athenian armour and sword. It takes him three days to reach Delphi and by the time he arrives he is hungry and exhausted, not having slept much on the journey and having eaten only the small piece of stale bread that he's managed to steal from one of the street stalls on his way out of Athens.
The Oracle at Delphi, or "Pythia", is a priestess within the Temple of Apollo in the Delphi region. There are many rites that will have to take place before the other priests in the temple will allow Philarion access to the Oracle and he knows that if he goes through these procedures honestly, he will immediately be turned away.
"Stop citizen," one of the priests orders as Philarion reaches the top of the stairs to the temple.
"I am here to see the Oracle," Philarion says in the humblest tone he can muster.
""Very well," the priest answers. "Please remove your weapons and step inside."
Philarion hesitates for a moment, but then does as the priest commands. He undoes his sword belt, hands it to the priest at the door and enters into the temple. The sight that greets him is a most magnificent one. He is standing in the main sanctum of the temple; pillars line the huge hall on either side of him and the entire room is illuminated by enormous braziers of burning coals that sit at regular intervals between the pillars. But the most splendid sight in the area is the statue of the sun god, Apollo, located at the opposite end of the hall. It towers high above the heads of the priests that surround it and is adorned in all many of finery including gold, silk and laurel leaves.
Another priest, slightly shorter than the one at the door, approaches Philarion. "You are here to see the Oracle?" he asks.
"Yes," Philarion answers.
"This way," the priest says and leads Philarion past the statue and into a small hallway decorated with riches and receiving little light save for two flame torches that sit in iron clasps on opposite walls. At the end of the hallway are a set of double doors which Philarion can swear are carved out of solid gold. But before they get to the doors, the priest leads Philarion into a side room. The room is small and quite dark, though a few statues stand around the perimeter and a few stone chairs sit at one side of the room.
"Sit down," the priest orders gesturing to one of the chairs and closes the door behind him. "We must now go through the Rites of Purification. Firstly, why do you wish to see the Oracle?"
"I wish to gain knowledge," Philarion answers.
"Knowledge of what?" the priest asks.
"That is for the ears of the Oracle alone."
"I am sorry but we must know for the wrong question could spell doom for us all."
Philarion thinks for a moment. He knows now that the priest wants every detail and decides that honesty will be the best course of action.
"I am here to ask for instructions on entering the Underworld," Philarion says.
The priest was silent for a moment. "Entering it alive?" he asks finally.
"Yes," Philarion answers.
Doubt fills the priest's eyes. "The realm of Hades is for the dead only," he says eventually. "Not many have entered into it and escaped and those that have paid dearly. To enter uninvited is an act of blasphemy against the gods. Because of this, I cannot allow you to see the Oracle. I am sorry."
Philarion sighs. He'd suspected that telling the truth would result in this. But I must gain access to the Underworld, he thinks to himself. I must steal the Blade of Souls and if seeing the Oracle is the only way in which I will be able to do this, a lowly priest is not going to stop me.
"Very well." Philarion says.
"This way," the priest orders, gesturing towards the door but Philarion has no intention of leaving the temple just yet. He rises from his seat and crosses over to the door where the priest stands. Suddenly he draws back his arm and, with all the strength he has, punches the poor man in the face sending him cascading into the wall. The priest crumples to the floor unconscious, his face nothing more than a bloody mess. Philarion smiles to himself, leaves the small room and approaches the two golden doors that, he surmises, lead into the chamber of the Oracle itself. He places both hands against the gold and pushes.
They opens easier than he had anticipated and he stands looking into rather large but very dark room. It is illuminated only by candles, this creating an eerie orange glow. The air is thick with incense smoke and, to Philarion's surprise, only one priest other than the Oracle is present. The Oracle itself is only barely visible on a bed behind a translucent curtain in the centre of the room.
"Who are you? What are you doing?" the priest demands, striding forward. Philarion grabs hold of the man by the throat, lifts him up and then slams him into the ground before stamping with all his might on the priest's face. He feels the skull crack beneath his boot and it takes Philarion a few seconds to withdraw his foot from the gloopy red mush of blood, bone and brain matter that had once been a human head. He then walks over to the Oracle but before he pulls the curtain aside, it speaks.
"Stop," she says in a sweet hypnotic voice that sounds almost musical. Philarion immediately does as commanded; disobeying the priests is one thing but going against the Oracle herself is something entirely different.
"You seek the Blade of Souls," she says.
"Yes," Philarion answers, unsurprised by the fact that she already knows the reason for his visit.
"I can tell you how to get into the Underworld," the Oracle begins, "but I cannot tell you how to get out nor can I tell you how to get to Tartarus. That part of the journey is up to you."
"I understand. How do I get there?"
"Travel to the Hot Gates at Thermopylae. By the raging sea at midnight, you will find a cave. Enter into the cave and take with you a Pomegranate and two gold coins. Place the Pomegranate into the offering bowl of Persephone and you will be granted access to the River Styx. Give the gold to Charon the ferryman and you will have entered into the Underworld."
Philarion bows. "Thank you," he says and turns to leave. But as he gets to the door, the Oracle speaks again.
"Beware, young warrior," she says. "For if you attempt to steal the Blade of Souls, you will never leave the realm of Hades."
Philarion merely laughs. "Whatever you say, lady," he scoffs sarcastically and leaves the room.