"Wake up, girls! Wake up!" Roger shook the Cerberus's shoulder until their right hand slapped him.

Smack!

He flung off the boat and splashed into the water. His body sunk into the abyss while white apparitions floated around him. All of them were souls of the dead, destined to swim through the river for eternity.

Roger paddled to prevent his body from sinking. Only Hades knew how deep the Styx river was.

As he held his breath in, his eyes widened toward familiar faces. Ghosts of police officers drifted past him like white sheets being blown away by the stiff wind. All of them wore modern-day uniforms, moaning as if their lives were being sucked out of them.

To his shock, Chief Duncan drifted over to him with wide eyes, groaning.

"Chief!" Roger shouted, but Duncan floated away without hearing him. Were the souls deaf in the river?

Past the fallen police flock, Roger spotted another familiar face, which instantly stuck his heart. "Oh, no…… Spencer!"

His dead partner flowed over the dead, emotionless while booing in torment.

"Spencer!" Roger swarmed toward his partner, using all his muscles and strength to get close to him. "It's me! Roger!"

Spencer turned toward Roger, but he didn't answer. Only his moaning came out from his open mouth.

"I'm here with you! Can you hear me?"

Spencer flew closer and closer until his ghostly hollow body floated through Roger. He felt nothing except for the coldness in the breathable water.

As Roger turned around, he watched Spencer joined the others, leaving Roger behind.

"I'm sorry!" Roger held out his hand toward them. "I'm sorry!"

After they disappeared into the void, Roger's heart raced as the coldness pierced through his veins. Sorrow, loss, and despair raced through his head.

Then, from out of nowhere, a hand grabbed his back and pulled him up. He gasped after he emerged from the surface, and his body was placed back on the boat.

Katina, Labda, and Cilla kneeled over him with worried looks.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Cilla cried.

Roger rose on his knees and coughed. The coldness slowly left his body. "I'm fine….."

Cilla pointed her finger at Katina. "It's her fault for pushing you in!"

Katina growled. "Don't blame me! I couldn't help with my reflexes! He shouldn't have touched us in the first place!"

"He could have drowned!"

"It will still be his fault!"

Cilla growled until Roger sobbed.

He sat on the edge of the boat, staring at the dark water. Tears rained down his face like sad raindrops.

"What is wrong?" Labda sat next to him.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Roger wiped his face and sniffed. "I saw them….. All of them….."

Cilla widened her eyes. "Everyone, you know?"

"My fellow officers….. Killed in action by the monsters….."

"We are very sorry," said Labda.

Roger glanced over the river. "They didn't hear me….. I called their names, but they swarm by as if I wasn't there….."

"In the River of Styx, all the souls are mindless," Labda explained. "Once they join the river, they become nothing but its currents.”

Roger turned to Labda with a grim look. "If I die, will I become like them? Just a current to keep both f**king worlds separated?"

Labda and Cilla bit their lips. Apparently, they were sure what to say.

Katina, on the other hand, glared at him. “You won’t. If you die, their lives will be for nothing. You must fight to avoid their fates.”

Roger wiped his eyes again. “I guess so.” He stared at the approaching shore. “We’re almost close to the shore. We better get ready.”

The girls nodded their heads.

*****

"Land-ho!" The skeleton ferryman shouted. "I love saying that!"

The boat bumped toward the shore as it parked next to the dock. Roger hopped off the boat first and looked around. The beach was nothing but black sands around small, sharp rocks. Behind the beach were more sharp rocks, elevating toward the dark cavern ceiling sky. They almost looked like mountains, but not too tall. Just tall enough to block whatever was on the other side.

After Labda, Cilla, and Katina joined him, Charon rowed his boat from the dock. "Well, see ya! Got more souls to escort."

"Wait!" Roger shouted. "How can we call you to cross the river again?"

Charon laughed. "You don't need me! I'm sure Hades will help you! Goodbye! Maybe I will see you again!"

Roger watched the ferryman faded into the darkness beyond the river. Although Charon was a nice skeleton, Roger deeply whether not see him again. Seeing Charon again would mean dying again and crossing the spooky river. No way Roger wanted to die again. He needed to meet Hades so the god of the Underworld can bring him back to life. His world was crawling with monsters still, killing people and destroying cities. If he doesn't return, then avenging the deaths of his fellow officers would remain in vain forever. He must leave the Underworld as soon as possible.

"Follow us," said Katina, stepped forward off the dock. "We know the way."

Roger rushed toward her. "How far is Hades?"

"A very long way," said Labda. "First we enter the Gate to the Underworld, then we stroll through the Black Poplar Glove. After that, the Asphodel Fields, the Hall of Judgement, and then Hades' palace. There will be many undead creatures in our path, but as guardians of the gate, we can deal with them.”

“What about me? I have no weapons.”

Cilla giggled and padded Roger’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry, sweetie. We will protect you.”

Roger frowned. “What if you can’t?”

“Then crawl under a rock and stay there!” Katina shouted. “We’ll get f**ked if you get in our way!”

Roger stepped back a bit, following the Cerberus behind her. She approached a narrow canyon between the stone wall and squeezed her way through it.

On the other side, they stopped in the middle of a dusty field, facing an enormous gate. It was black and probably taller than the Great Wall of China. The gate stood between bricked stone walls that seemed unclimbable. And two torch poles stood on both sides of the gate.

"Is that the gate you guarded?" Roger asked.

Labda sniffed the air. "Yes, but something isn't right."

Cilla sniffed, pointing her nose up. "I smell it too! Someone is here!"

Roger widened his eyes. "Who?"

"Let’s slowly walk toward the gate and find out," Labda suggested.

Katina giggled. "Finally, something exciting to do here!"

As Roger and the girls strolled silently toward the gate, something leaped off the top and landed in front of them.

The creature appeared as a giant bald human, wearing a tunic and boots. However, he has one gigantic eye over his fat nose, barely looming over his upper lip. He held a giant stone club in his left hand.

Roger realized the monster was a Cyclops, a man-eating giant he seen in a few movies. Compared to him and the Cerberus, he appeared to be 30 feet tall. Too bad Roger doesn't have his bazooka.

"Who goes there!" The Cyclops shouted, spitting saliva across the ground.

Katina pointed her finger at the giant. "Who the hell are you?"

The Cyclops crossed his arms and laughed. "The name’s Polyphemus! Get out of my way!”

Roger gulped. This is going to be out of my league.