Leon POV

The closer I got, the louder the rap music became, its heavy bass vibrating through the air. The ferryman didn't stir, not even when I stood right beside his boat. He just lay there, one arm draped over his eyes.

"Hey, Charon?" I called out.

He didn't respond at first, and I was about to try again when he suddenly lifted his arm just enough to peek out at me before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" he muttered, "Brooding takes a lot of effort, you know."

"People who brood won't say they're brooding...Uh...so...anyway...we need your help. We're trying to get our magic unsealed."

"Of course, you do." Charon let out another sigh, heavier this time, "Everyone needs something from me. But can't a guy just listen to his tunes and be left alone? It's hard enough ferrying souls across the Styx, and now they don't even pay anymore. It's like, what's the point, you know? Just...go away. Let me wallow in peace."

I stared at him, completely thrown off. This wasn't the powerful, stoic figure I'd imagined. No, this was more like...some kind of depressed emo boy. I had to resist the urge to facepalm right then and there. This is a god? The legendary ferryman of the underworld, reduced to this? I'd imagined someone grim, commanding, maybe even a bit terrifying. But this...I wasn't prepared for this.

"Evelyn, you did say you can like incite people's emotions, right? So...can you?"

"I can, but it's a 50/50." Evelyn answered, "He could either be more gloomy or he could be what we wanted."

"At this point, just do it."

"And what makes you think I want you to touch me?" Charon scoffs, "If I want to, I can report you all for sexual harassment and get you an increased sentence. I'll teleport all of us right to the judge."

"Ah...I'm not risking it then." Evelyn muttered as she backed off, "Viper, aren't you a therapist?"

"I was never certified." Viper finally admitted.

"I knew it, you dumb cat!"

"Certification doesn't disqualify a profession." Barir interjected, "I know a lot of people who were helped and healed by him."

"Let's ignore that for now, Lux, your turn."

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Lux stepped forward, her usual confidence somewhat tempered by the bizarre situation.

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"Charon, I'm Lux, a...former goddess of light." she introduced herself softly, "We would like to request your help us use magic and we are willing to pay."

Charon shifted slightly, tilting his head to glance at Lux. For a moment, there was a flicker of recognition in his eyes, followed by something far darker. The air around us grew heavy, the oppressive aura emanating from him making it hard to breathe. He sat up slowly before scratching the back of his head.

"Well, well, well, I knew I sensed something distasteful around her." he said in a completely switched tone, causing all of us to tense us, "Look who it is. The first god in centuries to wind up down here. How the mighty have fallen, huh? And now you're crawling to me, begging for a favor? Do you not know how pathetic it is?

"Pathetic, I don't-"

"You think you're the only one who's been screwed over by the gods? Think again. My job? It's been a joke for centuries. The gods, your buddies, they decided that I don't need to get paid anymore. So here I am, working for all eternity, ferrying souls across the Styx for nothing. Not a single coin in return. And do you think I get any recognition for it? Of course not."

"Aren't you also a god?" she asked nervously.

"I am, but my status is not equal to everyone...if you think I would help a god for cheap...heck, a former god...hah. When I tried to apply for a higher position, to get out of this pitiful existence, they rejected me without a second thought. No god stepped in to save me, no divine intervention. Just rejection. So, forgive me if I don't feel like rolling out the red carpet for a former goddess who thinks she's better than everyone else.

"You gods live in your fancy palaces in your own private realms, enjoying all the pleasures of existence while I'm down here, forgotten and ignored. And now you're asking me for help? Do you have any idea what it's like to be stuck in a role you hate, with no way out? You are beyond pathetic...you sent him down here." Charon then pointed at me, "And now you need him more than ever as no one is even willing to talk to you down here, your colleagues abandoned you...1 million and 1 request of mine, if you promise it on the Styx, I'll do it."

Shit, 1 million...we got it, it's cheaper than we thought as we expected 5 or so, but that request...let's hope that it's easy.

"What do you want?" Lux asked.

"Simple, help me..." Charon then suddenly paused mid-sentence, his intense gaze softening as if he was suddenly listening to something only he could hear.

The shift in his demeanor was subtle but noticeable. His eyes flicked back to Lux, and the anger seemed to switch to confusion before being replaced by calmness and resignation.

"One million...That's all I need. One million coins and I'll help you." he said all of a sudden.

"And the request?" Lux asked cautiously.

"No need, just 1 million and a sandwich if you have one."

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There's interference, and I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. I could tell something was off. Charon had been building up to something, something that wasn't going to be easy, and then...just like that, he switched gears. There's no way that kind of mood shift happens naturally. Someone, or something, was pulling strings. But why? And who?

The gods rarely make things easier unless they have a reason, and from what I'd seen, they didn't exactly have a track record of being charitable without strings attached. None of this felt right. If there's one thing I've learned in this hellhole, it's that nothing comes easy. And if it does, it's because someone wants something from you. But who was the puppet master here? And what did they stand to gain?

Lux was sent here...does my parent want something out of this?

Or is it Aphrodite? Evelyn is the only demigod down here that has regular contact with their godly parent, so it won't be unusual if it's her, gods don't pay attention to their children that much. At this point...might as well get the magic and figure it out later.