The Flames of Hope Ch 31

Chapter 31~Those That Have Left Us
That night, there was a big celebration at the amphitheater to honor our victory over the forces of evil or something like that. I wasn’t really in the part mood and strangely enough, the mess hall was the only place that seemed empty. I leaned back in a chair and just sort of looked up at the roof.

“You know you shouldn’t leave a party without telling someone,” I heard someone say and I fell backward in my chair out of surprise. I managed to get to my feet and prop the chair up without getting a good look at the person that almost caused me a concussion.

“I’m not in the partying mood,” I told him as I retook my seat.

“I know what that’s like. I am always busy with work, I don’t even like most of my family, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t find time to see them when I’m invited. Also, don’t tell them I said that or you’ll find you afterlife to be very painful,” the man said and my head shot up like a rocket. In a seat at the Hades table was a man dressed all in black. He reminded me of Nico, with his pale skin, dark eyes, and a sword always at his side.

“You’re Hades,” I said surprised.

“Yes I am. The gods seem to think I can grant you a request of some kind. Took them long enough to notice you were gone, but what can you do? So do you have any requests?” Hades asked.

“Can I have Megan back?” I asked him hopefully.

“Unfortunately not, souls that die go to the Underworld and can't be brought back. I have to respect the balance of life and death after all. Remember the good times you had with her, I know that from personal experience,” Hades said and I followed his advice. I thought about the time we first met when she saved me from a cyclops, the moment we fought after I got my hammer, how I had gone down to the Underworld to save her. I even remembered all the times she had kissed me on the cheek or the forehead. And yes, my mind went back to that almost kiss before we were interrupted. I also remembered how she had tried so hard to make a deal with Ceto to heal me and our conversation afterward.

“''Maybe one day I’ll return the favor. I owe you my life'',” I heard her say in the back of my mind and then it hit me.

“You make deals right?” I asked him.

“What do you mean?” he said with an eyebrow raised slightly.

“I mean you don’t like to have a debt to someone,” I answered back.

“No, unlike some of the other gods,” he said looking up at the sky and some thunder could be heard. “I pay off my debts.”

“Well here’s the thing. She owes me her life and since you are currently in possession of her life, you owe me something,” I told him and his eyes narrowed at me as black flames seemed to flicker in his eyes.

“I won't just hand her over to you,” Hades said with a grumble.

“I didn’t expect you too. But what I want is the chance to save her,” I told him. “That seems reasonable, right?”

Hades drew his sword and I jumped back in surprise. He slammed it into the crack in the mess hall floor and a gate to the Underworld opened up. He then faced me and pointed down the long tunnel.

“This passage will lead you to Elysium where you will find her. However, it is up to her if she wants to leave. Also, if you look back at any point she will return to the Underworld and remain there for as long as she wants or until she wants to be reborn,” Hades said. “These are the terms of our agreement as I swear them on the River Styx!”

There was a rolling of thunder and Hades pushed me into the passageway.

“Thanks a lot,” I told him and I started walking down the dark passage. It seemed like it was at least a few miles wrong and I started to run town the long tunnel until a bright light flooded my eyes and I raised my hand to block it out until my eyes adjusted. I looked around and looked at all the people here. Odysseus sat telling stories to other heroes by a fountain while I watched two other heroes fighting each other. Around a lake were two people holding hand and hand, one looked like a child of Aphrodite while the other looked like a child of Hephaestus and I wondered who they were. I kept walking around and I could tell I’d been getting a lot of attention from the dead. Odysseus stopped mid story and the crowd looked at me. A large man with a hammer stepped in front of me.

“It is not your time to join us in the Underworld,” he said. “Elysium is not a place for the living.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be Ajax, would you?” I asked the large man.

“So my tales of adventure are still being told to this day. Because of that, we are truly immortal. However, I must ask you to go back the way you came. If you are a true hero then we will meet again,” he said and took his large stone hammer in his hand to show he meant business.

“I’m sorry, but I can't turn back; I’m looking for someone,” I told him and pulled the pendant from around my neck and Road Maker grew in my hand until it reached full length.

“It matters not, but if you think you can defeat me I will let you past,” Ajax said and charged toward me. Souls from all over Elysium seemed to come to watch this battle of hammers. Our weapons collided again and again. At one point he slammed it at me, but I dodged the attack and swept his leg out from under him. As he fell to the ground, I swung my hammer down and he raised his in defense. The wooden staff that carried the rock hammer head was no match for the newer Celestial Bronze and it snapped like a twig. I then held my hammer right up to his head, but I knew even if I hit him, he wouldn’t die.

“Now I’m going to find her,” I told him and walked past. Odysseus walked over and helped his friend up.

“You know you didn’t have a chance,” he said. “That hero is driven by a force more powerful than any of us. Come, let me tell you about the time I sailed home from the Trojan War.”

I heard Ajax complain a bit, as I could only imagine he had heard the story plenty of times. I kept walking around not seeing the person I was looking for until I came to a small hill apart from the large amount of heroes in Elysium. It was different because unlike the beautiful gardens and warm light, this place was covered in snow and the stars could be seen clearly. On top of the hill was a single tree and a girl with silver hair running down her back was sitting against it.

Darkcloud1111 ~Fastest Hero Alive