Part 2: Chapter 10

Ariadne

Darkness was what I first noticed when my eyes opened.

I could feel myself standing somewhere large yet enclosed. There was no form of light anywhere, not even an ember of fire or a streak of the light of the sun or the moon (depending on what time it could have been at this moment). I could sense immediately that I was not alone, that there were several other people, maybe even more than several, all around me. In fact, their strange presences seemed to almost suffocate me.

Then, it was the sounds that flooded into my ears which provided further evidence that I was not alone in this eerie darkness. My attentions were immediately on the sounds when I realized that there were all sounds that was predominantly full of grim feelings; there were crying, there were moaning, there were sniffling, and there were hardened mutters.

However, past the sadness and grief and pain and what not, something was overlaying these dreary sounds. It was none other than a thick and dense quietness, which held the most noticeable emotion that was heavy in the air; the feeling of emptiness. The feeling of emptiness was everywhere. It came in all directions; in front of me, behind me and from every sides. It seemed to be close and far, faint then loud, and it sounded somewhat like an echo or an ensemble.

I began to feel uncomfortable then, at the prospect of being in some strange world.

Now my mind started to act up, popping with questions on where I was and what was I doing here. What was this dark place which I had no idea where it was? How did I end up here? Where exactly was here? How long had I been here? I had been in Argos just a while ago, watching Dionysus…

And like a snap of fingers, everything suddenly came back to me all so suddenly.

Perseus' shield…

Dionysus running…

Trying to stop my husband…

Looking into the eyes of the horrifying Medusa…

Everything slowing down, becoming blurry and blank…

Emptiness…

The sudden remembrance was like a sudden jolt to my heart.

No, that statement seemed too unsuitable at this given moment, because I realized then that I could not feel my heart beating.

Alarmed by this discovery, I immediately placed my hand above my heart, pressing it firmly to my breast over the leopard pelt material of my dress. As I did, I prayed immensely in quiet murmurs under my breath that I did not just feel emptiness – almost the same sort of emptiness in this very place – within me. It could not be. I could not be…

But I felt nothing. No heartbeat, no pulse, no warmth, no anything. I was completely still, completely cold and completely silent from the inside. Trying to delve deeper, I was dismayed and disheartened to find further evidence that there was nothing inside me that was alive anymore, for I could not feel a rush of blood – which would have held the very essence of my life – through my veins.

At that moment, I reluctantly thought back to the last memory I recalled before I had suffered fully under Medusa's curse. I remember my line of sight coming in contact with that of the severed gorgon head, and I recalled how horrifying and inhumane it had looked that my heart stopped at the very sight of it, both from shock and fear. Then I recalled the sensation of being frozen solid when I felt my entire body go stiff and rigid, thinking in dismay that I had instead fallen victim to the trap that I had initially wanted to save my husband from. And finally, I last remember the look on Perseus' face when he was about to strike a short sword he drew from inside the shield at me, just as I could feel my whole entire body hardening before becoming numb and lifeless. Perseus' eyes had held the expression of cruel intention, but it quickly turned into shock, surprise and horror when he laid his eyes on mine. But by then, it was entirely too late.

I was in a complete disarray of confusion and disbelief. I knew now that I could no longer deny – no matter how I wanted to – the fact that I was… dead.

And if I was that, then that could only mean one thing; the one thing that would answer the question that had been bothering me since I had first opened my eyes a short while ago.

I was now in the Underworld.

Thoughts of rage, sadness and despair started to cloud my thoughts then, sending me into a disarray of messy thoughts of my current state as a soul in the Underworld, where I knew I would be sentenced to final judgement to determine my afterlife. But no matter how hard I tried to desperately let out the feelings that were starting to burden me from the inside, I could not feel the emotions that had implanted those thoughts in my head, because I no longer had an alive and beating heart to help me feel.

With no way else to express the emotions I – honestly – so desperately wanted to express, I could only let out a long sigh, wondering why the Fates must do this to me.

But as I was so deep in thought, I had not realized that the strange presences of the multitude of strangers around me were actually moving forward. I had only realized when I felt someone bump into me, the movements of that unknown someone slow and sluggish, as though walking for them was such a heavy and burdening task. In the darkness, I could only look in the direction that the others were moving forward to, hearing the shuffling of feet and the grim sounds made by the strange presences, who I knew by now were other souls like me.

For some reason, I followed their lead. I did not know where I was going to head, but something told me that I had to follow.

I began to walk in the same direction they were going, taking small steps carefully to keep my pacing on par with theirs. I was mindful to not bump into anyone, not exactly liking the idea of coming into contact with another dead soul; feeling them all around me was creepy enough to send a non-existent chill running down my spine.

After a short while of walking to wherever I was walking to, I found myself coming to an edge of a stream. Or what I had thought was a stream at first, but then discovered that it was actually a river. A vast, long and scary river that was as pitch black as midnight and had heavy and thick fog floating above it. There seemed to be no end to this river, and the fog was so dense that I could not see the land on the other side – or if there was even land there to begin with.

I continued walking to where the ones in front of me were heading to, and I immediately caught sight of something that was approaching the river banks out of the dense fog. With curiosity, I could make out the shape of a long boat, ferried towards the banks by a tall but slight-hunched shadowy figure.

When the boat stopped, the souls in front of me started to move forwards, the first one, who was an old and graying man, standing right in front of the ferryman.

"Open your mouth…" the ferryman, who I saw now was not at all a shadow but was instead wearing a long cloak with the hood drawn up, commanded to the soul in a grim and gravelly deep voice that sounded so worn and dreary.

I watched as the soul opened his mouth slowly, and the ferryman inserted his fingers inside. I was at first appalled at the thought that the strange creature would put his thin and bony – almost skeletal – fingers into my mouth, but that thought was suddenly pushed to the side when I noticed him taking out something from the soul's mouth.

Even in the darkness of the Underworld, the object in the ferryman's hand shone, glinting like a diamond in light. Upon further inspection, I began to realize that the shiny object was in fact a silver obol.

And that was when I remembered all my lessons on funeral rites that I had as a child. I recalled clearly that when a person has drawn their last breath and have been prepared for their funeral, a silver obol had to be placed underneath their tongue, as a form of payment to the ferryman, who I realized now was Charon, for their voyage across the river Styx to enter the land of the dead.

But fear and worry suddenly took over when I remembered what would happen to those deceased who do not have a silver obol in their mouths. Due to having no form of payment to Charon for their voyage, they were disallowed from crossing the river Styx, and would have to wander around aimlessly on the entrance banks of the river for a hundred years.

My own fingers flew to my mouth as I continued to move on, coming closer to the ferry. With hurried movements, my fingers searched my mouth thoroughly, feeling under the tongue especially.

If my heart had still been beating, I swear it would have stopped at this very moment when I discovered that I had no silver obol in my mouth.

Even being heartless, I went into a state of frantic panic. What was I going to do? I had absolutely no way to pay off Charon, since it had seemed that I did not receive a proper burial when I died. I wanted to wonder why, but found that too insignificant to bother my thoughts. What was bothering now was the thought of how I was going to avoid being caught, because I most certainly did not want to wander as a lifeless shade for the next hundred years among the multitude of souls that were always coming in on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, before I knew it, the soul in front of me had boarded the ferry, and I was now face to face with the ferryman himself.

Underneath the hood that casted a dark shadow that masked his face, I could make out his features. To my surprise, Charon did not look like a fearsome daemon or a horrifying creature of the netherland, but instead had the appearance of an old man with a long white scraggly beard and bags under his eyes. He looked daunt and sullen and very ancient, with really sunken dark eyes that was hollow of emotions and many age lines marring his face, which would be the most noticeable indication of his immortal existence.

Just then, Charon finally spoke in his voice of gravel. "Open your mouth…" he said.

I felt panic rise within me once again, and I discretely gulped a lump that was forming in my throat. For some reason, I thought I could feel my palms turning slick with nervous sweat and my heart starting to race in anxiety, but that had clearly been a figment of my own imaginations, my mind playing a trick on me at this worrisome moment.

When I did not do as he said, Charon said again, this time with slight command in his deep voice, "Open your mouth…"

I had half a mind to not follow his orders, wanting to keep my mouth shut to avoid shame. But I knew from the no-nonsense tone of his voice that he was not a patient person, and that I would be damned if I did not do as he said another time.

Feeling fear take control of my actions, I reluctantly opened my mouth.

The feeling of his wrinkly and bony fingers entering my mouth was so disturbing that I cringed, and wanted so much to pull away in disgust and gag and retch uncontrollably and violently. But I forced myself to remain still, trying not to think of the uncomfortable feeling of his fingers and the worrisome thoughts of what would happen when he discovered that I had no obol.

I spoke too soon for the latter, for he pulled his fingers out of my mouth then (to my slight relief!) and looked at me with a frown. Again, I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat, looking up at him in fear.

"You do not have a silver obol to pay me…" he said aloud, disapproval clear in his gravelly voice and his hard but emotionless gaze.

I did not reply, unable to find words to come to my heavy tongue.

Charon continued to speak, still looking at me with a look that struck fear within me. "For you do not have means to pay me for your voyage across the river Styx… you will not be allowed to enter my ferry... You shall be placed here on this bank of the river… left to wander for one hundred years…"

"No," I trembled, my voice coming out in a rush of panic. "No, please don't. I beg of you," I pleaded frantically, feeling myself shake in worry.

There was no shift in Charon's expression, and he continued to look at me with a hard emotionless stare. "No…" he intoned simply. "By the laws of the Underworld... you will be forced to wander here until a hundred years have passed… Begging and pleading will not change anything of the decision made…"

Charon then turned, preparing to row the ferry away from the banks and across the river Styx to bring the souls aboard to their judgement. It was then I allowed panic to take over me completely.

"NO, PLEASE!" I cried aloud frantically, desperation clearly heard. "I BEG OF YOU! PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ME HERE!"

Charon turned back to me sharply, and I immediately saw the thunderous look that was now etched onto his ancient features. The look of irritation and anger on his face effectively silenced me, and a new wave of fear took over me then, making me shake uncontrollably.

"Do you not hear my words?..." he seethed in a low growl of his gravel voice. "I already said…"

"Charon, wait."

The new voice that appeared out of nowhere silenced both me and the ferryman immediately, and both of us turned our heads in the direction of the voice.

It was then I saw him.

Nearby the ferry, a deathly pale man with black wings flew down and descended onto the river bank. He had chalky white skin, ash-white hair that fell to his waist and was tied back, and ash-grey eyes that looked so very calm and neutral. His pale features contrasted greatly from the pair of black-feathered wings on his back, which were now folding itself and disappearing from sight, maybe having dissolved into the pale skin of his back.

Fixing his eyes on mine, he approached me, moving smoothly with fluidity that I could not help but gaze in admiration and awe.

I did not know who he was, but I think I did.

"Thanatos…" Charon said the man's name, having confirmed my suspicions. "What is the meaning of this?..."

Thanatos, the very God of Death and the minister of the Underworld, came to a stop right in front of me, but then turned to Charon. "This one is a special case, Charon," he answered. "Our lord gives command that she be allowed to cross regardless."

Hearing that, I was taken aback with surprise. The same could not be said for Charon though, whose face also became even more etched in disapproval.

"But she does not have a silver obol to pay for crossing Styx…" the grim ferryman replied in reason. "Does our lord say why should we allow her an exception?..."

It was then Thanatos looked at me in the eye. Holding his gaze, I could not help but be so entranced by how beautiful and magnificent he looked despite being Death itself, and I began to feel a confusing great attraction towards him and I wanted so badly to be close to him and feel him. But just the thought that he really was Death made me look away, terrified of his presence near me, regardless of the nagging desire that was growing.

I could still feel his gaze on me as he said to Charon, "She is Ariadne, the mortal wife of the Olympian, Dionysus."

At the mention of my husband, I cringed internally, and something deep inside my lifeless body wanted so badly to weep right now, for I really missed my husband terribly and was so pained that I had to be parted from him so suddenly. I also began to feel guilt that I had been so attracted to Thanatos for that short moment when I knew that I truly yearned immensely for my Dionysus.

Meanwhile, the information of myself caused a change in Charon's stoic expression. A look of surprise slowly etched onto his features, and he looked at me in somewhat disbelief, as if he could not believe that I was Dionysus' wife. To be honest, I could not blame him, for who else would believe that a mortal woman would have been married to a god when she herself was not immortal, and dead for that matter?

A few seconds of silence passed before Thanatos suddenly remarked, "It is the king's orders, Charon. We must not waste time."

A gruff 'hmph' sounded from Charon as he continued to look at me skeptically, but then he grunted, "Very well…"

Relief flooded over me, but I still felt the tension of the exchange. I stayed rooted onto the ground I was standing on, feeling solid as a rock from the tension. I tried to get myself to calm down, and I managed to move when Thanatos beckoned me to get on board the ferry.

I averted my gaze from Charon's face, not wanting to see the look of disapproval and annoyance on his grim features. I took a seat in an empty spot of the ferry, trying hard to ignore the stares of the other souls on board as I maintained my sight on my bare feet. From the corner of my eye, I saw that Thanatos had boarded the ferry as well, coming to stand beside me.

Finally, Charon rowed off. He ferried at a pace that was not too fast and not too slow, the dark waters of the river rippling as the ferry glided smoothly on top of it. I could almost hear the ripples of the water echoing throughout our surroundings, and the almost non-existent faint sound of the fog floating above it around our heads. I looked down my side at the river below, and was taken aback by the fact that I could not see my reflection in the dark waters. Not even my shadow or the outline of my silhouette was shown.

The ride on the ferry was full of tense silence, coming both from me and the rest of the souls on board. We did not look at each other, instead caught up in our own array of thoughts. But even if no words were exchanged between the lot of us, I had a feeling that our minds was plagued with the same thought.

What would happen when we stand face-to-face with the God-King of the Underworld himself?

The thought of meeting the one god that all of us had learned from young to fear was enough to make quaver in fright and dread.

All of a sudden, I felt the ferry hit a bump, and I looked up to realize that we had reached the other side of the river. I was surprised, not expecting the ride to be over so soon. But then again, I may have been so lost in my own world that I might not have realized how much time exactly had passed by.

One by one, the souls started to get off the ferry and onto the land that seemed to be overshadowed by more fog, which seemed to be a constant element here in the Underworld. I waited until the rest of them had gotten off, before getting off myself, relieved that I did not have to be so close to Charon anymore (I swear that he had been glowering at me throughout the ride).

When my bare feet touched the dry and dusty ground, I was about to follow the others, who were walking away into the fog to more areas unknown. But before I could, I heard Thanatos call me out from behind me.

"Wait."

On command, I stopped myself from taking a step and turned to look at him. The God of Death was looking at me neutrally, and I noticed Charon starting to row away back to the other side of Styx.

I did not speak, keeping quiet and waited to hear what he had to say.

"You are a special case," he said to me informatively, approaching me at a slow pace. "And therefore, you require immediate judgement."

I felt confusion arise in me then, wondering what he had meant by 'immediate judgement'. But before I could ask him a question regarding the matter, Thanatos extended a hand and placed the tip of his pale pointer finger right in the middle of my forehead.

Darkness took over me then.

Author's Note:

I know I have more than five stories that takes place in the Underworld, but this has got to be one of the most difficult Underworld scenes I have written, mainly because this is the first time I wrote of the Underworld from a mortal's perspective. Many research had been put into this chapter. In addition, the scene where Ariadne had been very attracted to Thanatos is a nod towards the fact that Thanatos had been described to be a very beautiful person - despite being Death - so that he would be able to attract souls of the deceased to follow him to the Underworld. The deities are not really affected by his beauty, considering that all of them are beautiful, but since Ariadne is a mortal, she would feel an intense desire towards him immediately.

I guess you could say that Ariadne had either fallen in love or lust with Thanatos for that very brief short moment. But of course, her heart - regardless of whether it was still beating or not - would always belong to Dionysus.

So finally we come to the Underworld in this fanfiction! I can't wait for the next chapter, where it would mark the first appearance of two very special characters, and one of them would be a new friend of Ariadne in her life in the Underworld. Can anyone guess who are those two that I am talking about ;)

See you on Monday!

Muse of Fanfiction