Chapter Two
"Than," she whispered and his blue eyes snapped to hers apologetically, "may I have some answers about what is going on?"
"I don't know anything more than I did when... we started. I don't know what to tell you or how to help you," he spat.
She smiled gently, "May I ask questions? I don't want to frustrate you, but I am confused."
His eyes continued to hold her gaze and he gave a small nod. She decided to start with easy questions to promote conversation.
"Where are we?"
He tilted his head at the fact she started with the obvious, "We are in my home deep beneath Hades and at the very tip of Tartarus."
She paled a little at the sound of being in the very depths of the universe but did not interject.
Thanatos continued, "My mother lives here, but deeper, and although I'm often away for long periods of time, I like her to know I am near when there is peace."
"Why did we come here?"
He sighed and moved a book on the table half-heartedly to stack on another book, this time without any of his previous anger.
"I thought…" he stacked another book, "that I could find something in my notes or my books and charts before attempting anything or disturbing anyone. I was wrong. All I can tell is that when I used my power for pulling the souls of the dead across the realms to pull you out of harms way, it pinned you in-between them. As far as anything suggests, an immortal soul is not easily controlled by any power not your own and as a result resisted shifting over. Like I said earlier, if you were a dead mortal, you would have been confused and fallen through to me, now however, you are trapped by the very power that sustains you."
"Would either of my parents be able to help? My father handles all manner of odd coming-and-goings through the realms."
Thanatos looked nervous and reflexively pulled his hand away from hers.
"I was hoping to come to a solution without involving him."
"Why?"
He continued to hold her gaze, but she felt him retreat into his silence again. She was curious at how he ran hot and cold so erratically and proceeded with the same calm queries.
"Are you afraid of him?"
Thanatos scoffed, "No, not afraid of him. He needs me to do my part in this, so I'm too valuable to punish. I just don't want to lose his respect by thoughtlessly trapping his daughter. If we could fix this without him, I was hoping it would make things less of a problem."
They sat together silently as Makaria tried to think through all the tales she had heard in court. If there were any about realm shifting, she must not have found it interesting at the time because she couldn't remember any. Thanatos caught her shake her head at her own thoughts and stood up resolutely. Surprised, Makaria took his hand to help her stand up.
"Well, there's nothing else we can do, so I guess we're off to find your parents."
"Didn't you just say you don't want to involve them?"
"Well, considering we have no other options, it beats sitting around here doing nothing. I'll just have to make it up to your parents for the foreseeable future. What's a thousand years of boot-licking, really?"
"I could go by myself, tell them something went wrong and that I don't know how?"
He looked at her dubiously.
"They would never believe that, and I would probably end up in worse trouble for it. Plus, what if they can't see you at all? How would you get them to help you?"
"I didn't think about that. I don't want to you to get into trouble just for helping me. You rescued me."
He was taken aback by her statement, mumbled something about it not being a problem, and went to retrieve his cloak. She frowned slightly as he disappeared into its folds. Once she was back to herself, she would make certain that he was unaffected by this situation. He deserved that much for saving her. She was certain she could turn the tide of some of the rotten rumors at court as well, if only by going and speaking to him for some of the time. She looked over to where he had picked up his lantern, lighting it while he waited for her to follow. He shifted awkwardly, beneath the shroud.
"Are you coming? I'm going to be in good shape after all this walking."
"Why are you helping me? I'm imperceptible. You could leave me to fend for myself and go on with your life."
He paused, then stated matter-of-factly, "You aren't afraid of me. Also, I caused this. It's the least I can do."
At his honesty, she cast a warm smile that reminded him of her mother. She walked over to where he stood and lifted his hood into place.
"Now, how do we get to Hades from Tartarus? More stairs?"
"We could always take my boat. It's a roundabout way to get there though, the caverns are more direct."
"Ah, well, stairs it is, then."
They returned to the top of the hill and climbed the lone staircase back up the spiral. They climbed to the nearest landing and continued up a different path. This one was more of a long sloping ramp that crisscrossed over the Underworld's numerous rivers. It looked like the aqueducts the mortals had constructed for carrying water except with a flat top for travel. These caverns glowed green from the mythical rivers below and cast odd shadows upward. Thanatos' light illuminated their footsteps in a pool of yellow-orange with the pale green outlining everything else with its luminescence. Makaria was glad that the path was wide, for the edges had no railings and the sheer drop was dizzyingly high.
"I thought the way into and out of Tartarus was more dangerous, with fiery rivers and huge walls and demonic beings."
"It is, the way we went is technically not an entrance, it is a drop."
"It wasn't that hard to climb out. Aren't you worried some… thing will escape?"
"Beyond my home is one of the walls you describe encircled by part of one of the rivers you mentioned guarded by several demons you cannot fathom. Should something escape that way, I'd be very concerned. It's preferable for me to be able to drop in and out without bothering everyone sometimes."
"I understand," she felt the need to elaborate, despite no acknowledgement from her guide. "I have a secret passageway to a remote part of my mother's garden. It's a small wall that follows along the main boundary. The end of the passage is almost invisible unless you're looking for it because the stones blend in to each other."
Her guide looked back over his shoulder and stopped, his hood falling back.
"That's actually exactly the same situation I mean."
"I know," she slowed to keeping from bumping into him, "That's why I said it?"
He shook his head and started walking again, this time beside her.
"I'm sorry, it's just so oddly specific and I'm not used to having anything in common with anyone. I mainly interact with mortals or the guards and neither is typically up for casual conversations. It's all about business."
"You're not close with anyone else?"
"I'm usually too busy to keep in touch with anyone. When I am able to attend gatherings, everyone is usually seated with their friends, so I keep to myself and indulge in the food until it is polite to leave. Although I do have a good rapport with Charon; sometimes when it's slow we have long talks waiting on the beach. He gives very good advice, but he's in a similar boat as me."
Makaria began laughing hysterically and Thanatos looked alarmed.
"What did I say that was funny?"
"You made a pun!" Makaria chuckled, "I thought it was funny."
Thanatos looked a little bewildered.
"'Same boat'? Because he runs a ferry?" Makaria explained.
Thanatos realized his linguistic choice and immediately rolled his eyes.
"That's what you found amusing? Surely you have a better sense of humor than that?"
"I appreciate all forms of comedy, no matter how low."
"Anyway," Thanatos stressed each syllable to get the conversation back on track, "Aside from Charon, I only see the rest of the gods at festivals, apart from maybe Hermes and your parents."
"Why Hermes?" she asked as they took a right turn that placed them on a ramp with the same incline, which scaled up the wall of this cavern.
"As a messenger, he always passing through relaying messages and visiting everyone. He's always kind enough to keep me informed about Olympus, especially if he's bored. Our jobs are very similar, so we are able to commiserate and talk at length about any number of subjects."
"You're very dedicated to your job. Do you get lonely?"
He gave her a side glance and considered her question.
"Yes, I suppose I do, particularly when I'm not busy enough to be engulfed in my work, but there isn't enough of a lull to go home. I enjoy being around people and working for long periods of time does not bother me. I like my solitude when I can get it to process my thoughts or to experiment. Between those extremes, I don't really have the patience to try to go out of my way to foster relationships with other gods and goddesses, who would most likely complain or think I am rude for being away for long periods of time."
"It sounds to me like you would need better friends if that is how people have treated you in the past. Please know that once all of this is cleared up, that you are always welcome to sit with me at feasts or if you would like conversation in one of the in-between times."
The corner of his mouth twisted into a hint of a smile.
"Thank you, I appreciate the offer. Although, if we can't fix you, what will you do?"
Rather than face that possibility yet, she continued in the vein of their topic.
"I will be your constant companion, so I don't die of boredom."
"But if you die of boredom, then perhaps you'll slip out of this state. So, in the long run, abandoning me may be your only hope."
She shook her head at his weak attempt to shake her off.
"My parents will know how to fix this, even if we have to go through Zeus himself."
Thanatos paled a little, "I'm sure that wouldn't be necessary. Although perhaps it helps that he's your uncle. Have you ever met him?"
"No, but I'm sure my father could make some arrangement. I'm sure he's not as pompous and self-centered as the stories make him out to be. Why, have you met him?"
"Not directly, but I've dealt with him through others. He's… very opinionated. It's easiest to get him to give a fair judgement involved if the normal order of life is disrupted in some way, but otherwise he seems to rule in his own favor. But again, I've never met him personally, so he may have been misinterpreted to me."
They came to an elegantly carved archway that stretch high above them to their left and Thanatos gestured to her that they were turning to follow this corridor.
"How do you get along with my parents? I've seen that you interact mainly with them during events."
"We get along very well when I haven't done anything stupid."
He grimaced and tugged on his hood slightly but did not pull it up into place yet.
"Your parents understand what it's like to be busy and necessary. Your mother and I get along specifically because we both know what it's like to not really have a single place to call home. She is shared between Olympus and Hades, while I'm split between the mortal realm and my place in Tartarus near my mother. She always asks me to keep an eye on your father when she is away, and he will send her notes and gifts that I try to deliver as often as possible. I always try to make the feast of her return because of how happy they both look."
"Yes, I've noticed that more in the recent years. It's like he is no longer restless and…"
"…like your mother has started to breathe again."
"That exactly. I always miss her terribly. I often wish I could visit more than once or twice a summer."
"Maybe you could join me for a few of my trips and see her more often. I would be working of course, so you would be in for a longer journey."
Makaria was pleased at the offer.
"I would enjoy that greatly, I'm very interested in your work after hearing how seriously you take it."
They came the end of the corridor to a where a large chamber opened so large you could not see to the other side and the ceiling was so dark, it appeared to be a moonless sky. A wide river stood front of them with a dozen small black gondolas lining the shore near them. In the distance, Makaria could make out a large grove of trees next to several hills where her parents' home resided.
"Well, we are officially back in Hades," said Thanatos, pulling his hood up to cover him.