Days of Boom: Chapter 49



Nolan Swift

XLIX

Tipping the Scales

The pain was the worst part. I had pushed myself beyond my limits before and always made it out fine before. Maybe a little tired and with a few pulled muscles after, but nothing a bit of ambrosia couldn’t fix or a good night’s sleep. This was different; this was the pain of everything you were being torn apart atom by atom and then having all those atoms burned in front of you. I could barely register that Joe was even there anymore and I watched as my body turned to golden dust. After that, all that was left was darkness…I was dead.

“I’m going to have to ask you to follow me,” came a voice from behind me. I opened my eyes and turned around to see a large guy with black wings. His eyes were almost as dark as his wings and I had to look away. It was as if he was drawing me in with those dark eyes, but I didn’t want to go, not yet.

“How will I tell everyone?” Joe asked himself as he hovered over the water. He began to move back toward camp and I jumped in front of him to stop him. Instead, he just moved right through my arms and my entire body.

“Don’t bother calling out to him, they can no longer hear you,” the figure said, motioning to the people on the shore. “I am Thanatos, god of the dead. I am here to bring you to hell.”

“You’ll have to catch me first,” I said and sprinted back to shore or at least I tried. I looked down and saw that my legs were moving, but my body wasn’t going anywhere.

“There is an easy way and a hard way to do this. I pray you do not want the hard way,” Thanatos warned as he pulled a dark scythe from behind his back. Where was he even keeping that?

“There is no way to return, is there?” I asked, no longer running in place. “Not that I know of,” Thanatos said as he swung his scythe and opened up a portal to the Underworld. “Now please follow me.”

There were no more words I guess and I knew I couldn’t stay. The last thing I saw as I turned away from the mortal world was Megan crying. It was a sight I had spent my entire life trying never to see; ironic that it would be the first thing I see at the start of my dead existence. I walked a few steps in front of Thanatos and his wings opened up as we walked into the portal. It felt like he was trying to prevent me from running back, but I knew he was trying to be kind; blocking my view of the world I left behind. It didn’t help, as I would always have those memories in my mind, at least I hoped.

“We are here,” Thanatos said as we entered the Underworld. I saw Cerberus watching all the new souls entering the Underworld. Thanatos however guided me past them all, straight to the Judgment Pavilion.

“Don’t I have to wait in line or something?” I asked Thanatos. “I mean I know I haven’t died before, or at least I don’t think I died before, but cutting seems kind of cheap.”

“You are a special case,” Thanatos said. “Orders from upstairs.”

That made me nervous, especially considering Hades and I had never really seen eye to eye. Not only had I moved one of his souls during my first trip to the Underworld, but I had lost him a soul when I brought Megan back to life. He wasn’t open about it, but every time I visited Olympus during the winter solstice, he would shoot me a dirty look.

“Order, order!” I heard a shout as I entered the room. Abraham Lincoln was smashing a his gavel trying to get everyone to calm down. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but there was definitely some kind of controversy going on.

“I will shoot the next person that speaks out of turn!” Odysseus shouted before pulling out a bow from behind his back. He was seated just to the right of Honest Abe. “Even if you are dead, it will still hurt!”

The other judge was completely silent, sitting in her chair with her arms crossed. At first I couldn’t really make out her face because it kept shifting, but the clothes never changed. As I got closer, he face seem to morph into a visible form and I saw who it was, the person I wanted revenge on most.

“Nemesis, it is your fault I’m here!” I yelled, sprinting forward. I didn’t go far before Thanatos grabbed my shoulders and held me back.

“None of that,” Thanatos said as he took his scythe out and placed the point only an inch away from my ring finger. “Stygian Iron you know. All it takes is one small cut for a soul to be trapped inside it forever.”

After that I stopped trying to fight against the god. He may have looked like a pretty-boy, but he was deadly serious, not a great combination if he isn’t on your side. I stopped struggling and he directed me toward a seat directly in front of all three judges.

“Alright, I’m here,” I said as I sat down in my chair. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Mighty noble of you,” Lincoln said as he slammed his gavel one more time. “I’d like to call this meeting to order. We are here today to judge the fate of Nolan C. Swift.”

“Hey, not even my wife knows my middle name. I don’t want anyone here knowing it either, especially if I have to spend forever here,” I told Lincoln. He just looked at me funny and cleared his throat.

“We are here today to judge the fate of Nolan Swift,” he said again. “Better?”

“As good as it is going to get,” I said back. I admit that I was being kind of mean to Mr. Lincoln, but it wasn’t like I was happy to be here. Not to mention that Nemesis’ bad luck was what most likely put me here. Every time we thought we had Diane and Silver, they just kept escaping. If that isn’t bad luck, I don’t know what was. Nemesis also looked like she didn’t want to be here at all. She was a god, what was she even doing here?

“So how did a goddess end up as a judge?” I asked her, causing her to shoot me a dark look before leaning back in her seat.

“Jury duty,” Nemesis said simply. “I somehow keep getting it and yet Miss Good-Luck, Tyche, manages to get out of it every time.”

“Gods have jury duty?” I asked. I tried to imagine someone like Apollo sitting in his seat during a trial, listening to music while writing bad poems. Meanwhile some poor soul would be sent to the Fields of Punishment.

“Back to the matter at hand,” Odysseus said, interrupting Nemesis and I. “If we could get back to the matter at hand. Nolan Swift is now bodiless soul, so we need to figure out where to send him. You all know that my vote is Elysium.”

“So is mine; Mr. Swift here has proven himself multiple times in his lifetime. Defeated monsters, saved the Olympians, and protected his friends. Truly a hero of legend. Nemesis, what is your vote?” Abe asked the goddess.

“Fields of Asphodel,” Nemesis said, causing the other souls in the room to riot once again, much like they did when I first entered. Nemesis shot them all a look and they were quiet. “It isn’t like I am sending him to the Fields of Punishment, I am just looking for balance. The Fields of Asphodel may not be good, but they aren’t bad. Just leave him in there and eventually he won’t remember he had a shot at Elysium.”

“Either way she is out voted,” Odysseus said, looking at Abe.

“Yes but I am a god, and a god’s vote counts as two,” Nemesis said. That was something I would have expected to hear from Dionysus. In fact I think I had heard that from Dionysus. “We are still tied.

“That isn’t how it works and you know it,” Abraham said, actually standing up to a goddess on my behalf. “This demigod has done more in his lifetimes then most gods do in their entire existence. Because of that, it would be a shame to keep him out of the Isles of the Blest because you have an OCD problem.”

“Lifetimes?” I asked, turning all their attention back to me. “I’ve been reborn before?”

“You say too much Abraham,” Nemesis scolded. “You know the ancient laws. No soul may know of their previous lives until after their judgment is complete.”

“I apologize, but I cannot tell a lie,” Abe said, straightening his jacket as he returned to his seat. “What’s done is done. We still need a ruling.”

“You both know my answer,” Nemesis argued.

“And you know ours,” Odysseus said back to the goddess.

“Do I have a say in this?” I asked.

“NO!” all three shouted in unison before arguing with themselves. The people in the stands began to take their lead and started arguing themselves. It sounded like a riot was about to happen when the entire room was encased in shadows. A dark figure rose from the center of the room and slammed the end of his staff into the ground. He was dressed in his robes, threaded with the souls of people that had done so much evil in their lives. It hurt to look at it.

“Enough!” Hades yelled as he looked around. “Thanatos, return to your duties; I will oversee this hearing.”

“Yes my lord,” Thanatos bowed to Hades before vanishing into the shadows.

“Now, what is all this noise?!” Hades yelled, turning to the three judges.

“Nemesis is being unreasonable,” Odysseus said, pointing to the goddess of revenge.

“I’ll have to agree,” Abraham Lincoln said, scratching his beard.

“They are the ones being unreasonable,” Nemesis argued. “Nolan Swift here has been blessed with good luck, I’m sure of it. What better way to even it out by sending him to an eternity of neutrality? These two don’t see what I see.”

“And what is it you see?” Hades asked her.

“I see a child of Hermes that has been far too blessed in his life and doesn’t need any more blessings now that he is dead,” Nemesis declared.

“How am I lucky?!” I yelled at the goddess. “I am trapped in the Underworld, far away from everyone I love. My daughter will grow up without a father and my wife will be left alone without me. You think just because you three want to send me to Elysium or the Isles of the Blest, that that makes me lucky. You are just sending me to another prison.”

“Then it is settled, the Fields of Asphodel is the best place for you. You won’t remember a thing,” Nemesis repeated. “The scales will be even.”

“Will they? Pull out your scale again and see how lucky I am,” I told her. She just looked at me with daggers in her eyes. I was telling her that her specialty, her realm of power, was wrong; that she had made a mistake. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You want my judgment so much, then I will grant your request!” Nemesis raged and pulled her scale from her pocket. She held the scale in front of me, but they didn’t shake back and forth like they had last time. This time the bad-luck side of the scale dropped like a rock; I thought the thing was going to break.

“Is that thing working right?” Odysseus asked. “Looks like someone has been messing with your scale to me.”

“That is impossible,” Nemesis said. “This is my symbol of power and no god besides me is allowed to touch it.”

“Then you were wrong,” Odysseus commented. “We all make mistakes sometimes. I remember the time my entire crew was turned into pigs because they ate some sacred animals. Classic.”

“Do we have a verdict Nemesis?” Hades asked her. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scale. It was like if she looked away for even a second, it would bite her. Nemesis pulled the scale out of her sight and placed it back into her jacket.

“Elysium,” Nemesis almost spat. “Or the Isles of the Blest, whichever you prefer.”

“Then we have come to a decision,” Hades said as he slammed his staff into the floor to once again gain everyone’s attention, as if the souls of the Underworld had forgot about him. “Nolan Swift shall be sent to Elysium. Also, because of his service in his other lifetimes, shall be allowed to enter the Isles of the Blest. This is an honor reserved for only a select few. Do you have anything to say Nolan Swift?”

“I’ll escape,” I said. The souls in the room began to whisper to each other and the judges looked even more confused. No one looked more confused or angry then Hades however.

“Excuse me?” Hades addressed me.

“You heard me,” I told him. “It doesn’t matter where in the Underworld you send me. I’ll escape and find my way out of here. I’m the fastest hero alive, so don’t think I won’t run out of here just because I get the five star treatment.” “You aren’t alive anymore,” Hades warned. “You are in my realm now and there is no escape. Keep speaking to me with such disrespect and I’ll send you to the Fields of Punishment myself!”

“You can send me to Tartarus and I would find a way out,” I yelled back at him.

“You can’t stop a guy with nothing left to lose. I’ll do anything if it means getting back to them.”

“Is that all you have to say?” Hades said, his eyes burning with dark flames. “No, I also think you are a bad dresser,” I told him as I looked him right in the eye.

“If that is how it is,” Hades said and slammed his staff down. The entire court was covered in complete blackness and I felt like I was falling. The wind blew me around as if I was in a tornado and I could hear something moving in the shadows. Then just as suddenly as the shadows appeared, they were gone and I was standing with Hades in his throne room.

“I was expecting something a little more…torturous,” I said as I examined the throne room and then at Hades. “You aren’t going add me to your robe are you? Maybe make me a hat instead.”

“Silence!” Hades said and I found myself unable to speak, maybe from fear or maybe Hades had done it. Hades didn’t say anything for a long time and began messing with his keys, the Keys of Hades. I had heard stories; everyone had heard stories about those keys. “Something has been stolen from me and I want it back. Do you know anything about this?”

I pointed to my mouth and Hades waved his hand, allowing me to open my mouth again. “Why would I know anything?” I asked Hades, but he looked like he got angrier. “Because for the last week, you and your friends have been shielded from my sight and the sight of any god. That takes strong magic, so please forgive me if I suspect that you don’t know anything,” Hades growled, almost like a hellhound.

“Alright, you got me,” I replied and I told him everything. I told him about the bombs, how Prometheus had threatened to blow them up if we told anyone, how he was planning on creating a new race of beings that worship the Titans, and how they would use godly energy to make this species. Hades never said a word the entire time and sat motionless. I had hoped that he would at least nod every now and then because as it was, I wondered if he fell asleep. “And that is how my friends and I stopped Bunnies Sun from destroying the camp.”

“I see,” Hades nodded before turning to me. “And if you did manage to escape the Underworld, what would you do?”

“I would send the rest of my afterlife trying to reach my family. I think I read a book about three Eidolons took control of a few automatons; I could try taking control of one at the Hephaestus cabin. Maybe your children can think of something. I don’t exactly have a game plan here, I’ve never been dead before,” I told Hades. “Do you have a better plan?”

“As a matter of fact I do,” Hades said and snapped his fingers. Golden dust began to collect in front of him until it took the shape of a body, my body.

“Is that my…” I began, but was cut off.

“No, it is mine until I say otherwise,” Hades declared. “However, I may be willing to give it to you in exchange for a service.” “Prometheus took something from you too, didn’t he?” I realized. All at once, things started to come together. Hades had brought my body here before it burned up, separating my soul in the process. Then there was Hades; interest in my trial. There was also the fact he hadn’t dropped me into Tartarus after I pretty much insulted him. He needed me for something.

“Sir, we think we found it,” reported a Spartus that had run into the room from the far hallway.

“Show me,” Hades ordered and waved his hand, causing a large flat-screen TV to rise from the floor. He then grabbed a cable from the back of the TV and plugged it into the Spartus. The TV began showing images of Diane and Silver being carried by a large flock of winged monsters and animals. I was glad that we at least captured them, but I didn’t see the thing Hades was looking for. The image then lowered to a hooded man standing at the top of a large open hill. He slammed his fist into the ground and energy radiated from him. The grass around him died and took the shape of a large key hole. Then from the hill, skeleton warriors of all shapes and sizes rose from the ground. A skeleton that looked like it used to be a dragon rose up and flew into the air, attacking the creatures holding Diane and Silver. Skeletons on the ground began firing arrows, causing the birds to scatter and fly into the woods. Diane and Silver managed to destroy the gryphons carrying them in the chaos and fell to the earth, only to be caught by the skeletal dragon. The dragon flew to the horizon while the hooded figure vanished into the woods.

“That idiot is abusing the power of life and death!” Hades yelled as he watched the monitor. “Prometheus will pay for his treachery!”

“He stole one of the Keys of Death,” I said out loud, but Hades didn’t say a word.

“He made another one of his inhuman creations using the power of your keys. That is dangerous stuff.”

“Don’t you think I know that?!” Hades roared, but controlled himself at the last moment. “Would you be willing to return to the Mortal World and bring back what was lost to me in exchange for your life back?”

“Of course,” I told him with all seriousness.

“Even if there is a catch?” Hades asked me.

“Anything if it means going back to my family,” I said.

“Then it is a deal. Just remember that if you tell anyone of our deal, then you will find yourself back in the Underworld forever,” Hades affirmed and extended his hand. I shook on our deal and there was a roar of thunder.

Once again everything went black and I think I passed out. When I finally came too, I looked around and saw fireflies flying around my head. I was on my back in the woods just outside Camp Half-Blood. I got up with a grumble, feeling like I had been mostly dead all day, which I guess you could say I was. I began walking toward the hospital, as I figured that was where everyone would be after our huge battle. Now that I think about, I wasn’t even sure it was the same day. There was no telling how long I was in the Underworld. It felt like I was only there for an hour, but it was already night time. I got to the medical area and asked if Joe was here. The girl told me he was in Dan’s room down the hall and I should be careful as some of the lights were broken. As I got closer, I heard them talking. When I got to the open door, I saw Dan wasn’t dead just yet, but from the faces of the others I knew there wasn’t any good news either.

“What do we do now?” El asked in hardly a whisper.

“I don't know." Joe replied, shaking his head. "But I will tell you this; this isn't over, not by a long shot.”

“You got that right,” I said as I walked into the room. El began to scream while Joe on reflex turned his spear toward me, but when he saw my face he dropped it and turned pale. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”