Chapter 3 - Zane
When I got the message that another demigod would join us, Thea was not what I expected. She walked in, and I could tell she was apprehensive. I was breathless. She was tiny with long dark black hair, beautiful olive skin that enhanced her emerald-green eyes, skin-tight faded jeans, and brown boots. Her white shirt left little to the imagination when she removed her jacket. She was hot. Gods. She also smelled amazing. The scent of lavender and linen filled my nose while I was helping her with her door.
“Wow!” Ryder commented when I went into the kitchen.
“Whoa, reign it in Casanova,” I raised a brow. “We have to find out more about her. The last thing we need is to piss off her mother.”
“Fuck 'em,” Ryder said.
“You want to start a war?”
“It would get us out of this house at least,” he snickered.
Nico came into the kitchen. “You two are already talking about fucking her, aren’t you?”
“No,” Ryder said.
“Bullshit.” Nico rebuffed.
“She’s the daughter of Athena.”
“Yea, we know,” Ryder said.
“We don’t need another war.”
“That was over two thousand years ago, long before you were born.”
“She was a demigod, just like us. Same rules apply.”
“You’re just mad 'cause it was your sister.”
“Fuck off.”
“You don’t even like her, asshole.” Ryder quipped.
“Don’t let your cock start another war,” Nico growled close to Ryder’s face, then walked away.
“He can be such a bastard.”
“You need to stop goading him.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” A smile curled his lip.
“You’re just as much of an asshole.”
Ryder just beamed and poured us both tea.
“He’s right, though, even though I don’t want to admit it.”
“Shh! He’ll hear you! We’ll never hear the end of it,” Ryder smirked and raised a brow.
“Athena isn’t someone we want to be messing with.”
“She’s nothing like the others who’ve been through here.”
“You can get plenty of girls without..”
He raised a brow, “All kidding aside. There’s something about her; I know you can sense it, too,” Ryder said.
He wasn’t spewing his usual bullshit.
“I mean, I guess,” I pondered. “But that still doesn’t mean we should mess with Athena’s daughter. It could get awkward really fast.
“There’s a reason she was sent here,” Ryder said.
“That’s the way of the gods. You know that better than anyone. Thea’s probably being tested. Gods know no one will ever tell us what their real motives are. Hell, it’s probably for their amusement. It wouldn’t be the first time, and certainly not the last.”
“Thea’s an adult. I say we see where this goes,” He smiled devilishly again.
He was right; even though her mother is the goddess Athena, gods and goddesses have been testing their children for as long as time; maybe this is a test, not just for Thea.
I was downstairs when I heard giggling in the hall upstairs. Nico had brought another girl home and teleported upstairs so we wouldn’t lay into him. He’s the oldest, so he thinks he’s in charge. Add the fact that he’s the son of Zeus; he can be a nightmare to live with. He’s got the overconfidence of his father and the sex drive, too. He’s always bringing girls home. Not that Ryder and I hadn’t brought some girls every so often, but for Nico, it’s almost habitual.
Thea came downstairs after she heard Nico entertaining. She sat at the table, asked for a bowl and spoon, and poured herself some cereal. Thea’s down to earth and doesn’t seem too high maintenance. She didn’t blush when I told her that Nico likes to fuck, so she’s not a prude. The last demigoddess here was a daughter of Hestia, goddess of home, hearth, and domesticity. She was more than a prude; she blushed any time I’d say, gods dammit. She wasn’t here long, thankfully. But that was also thirty years ago.
When Willow stormed through past the kitchen, she gave Thea a once over, the bitch. She’s not supposed to be near Nico, yet he can’t resist her. Her mother, Demeter, forbade her a long time ago. Zeus sided with Demeter, and Willow didn’t take it too well. She’s not happy when he sleeps with other women or is around other women.
Nico was in a mood and left the living room when we started watching our movie. Ryder popped down on the other side of Thea. I noticed he had his hand on her knee. She didn’t say anything. He’s impossible sometimes. I mean, she’s extremely hot. However, that thought stuck in my mind that she was somehow different. I was probably just being dumb; maybe I did want to permit myself to initiate things. The movie ended, and it was getting dark.
“Fuck!”
“What?” Thea jumped, startled by my outburst.
“Sorry, I have to go. I’m going to be late!”
“He’s got to get to work,” I heard Ryder say as I dashed upstairs.
I threw on the polo shirt, the logo of my father’s company on the pocket, a glaring reminder of the shit I’ve had to do for him. I quickly looked in the mirror, brushed my fingers through my hair, and teleported to the Under Realm. I had another long night ahead of me.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
I popped up next to the docks at the mouth of the River Styx—the northernmost point of Hades Realm. I passed Charon, who looked beat, not that he usually looked chipper. He took his job extremely seriously.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, Zane.”
Of all my father’s friends, Charon was one who always treated me with respect.
“How’s tonight gone?”
“Two more in the river. These mortals don’t want to believe what they call ‘myths’ nowadays. Two obols are still needed to pass safely through,” he sighed.
Charon hated losing anyone to the river. He felt responsible even though my father could change that rule whenever he liked. My father refused, even though we’re living in modern times. He says it's so people take death seriously and don’t forget who’s in charge.
“Hope the rest of your night goes better,” I said, waving and heading to the little office booth on the other side of the dock. In the Under Realm, the souls travel down the river and are judged. Once it’s determined how good a person they were before they died, they get assigned a job and a place to live, no matter what they did in life. There are a lot of former people in business who are working for their retired employees for the rest of eternity. It’s one thing I agree with my father on. Those who were criminals, child abusers, men who abused women, and anyone who committed murder ended up in Tartarus, where they spent their eternity being tortured. It’s where my father likes to go when he needs a release. He tortures souls, then goes and finds a nymph to fuck. He’s a sick bastard.
My father’s newest money scheme was transporting the living to visit their departed relatives. The tours are every month. He’s charging an enormous sum to allow people to travel to the Under Realm and spend a few hours with one of their relatives' souls. They each get a mirror and look into it to determine their true intentions; then, it will show them where their loved one is. After five hours, they get picked back up. The son of Thanatos, Orion, is in charge of the tours, and the son of Hermes, Max, is in charge of booking the tours and handling the mirrors. My aunt, Hecate does the bookkeeping and is teaching me the ropes. She’s a formidable goddess, even though she’s tiny in stature. She has unruly, curly blond hair that she keeps tied up with a bandana-type scarf, and she loves bright colors, which is why our polo shirts are bright purple. My father hates it, but he figures it’s not worth the fight. She hates working for my father, and she hopes to be rid of the job soon. Officially, I’m the one who makes sure everyone gets on the ferry and then, especially, back off. Max and I have had to track someone down a few times. They don’t exactly blend in, so they aren’t hard to find. Those who are souls are a muted version of themselves and transparent.
I came to a commotion when I arrived. Orion had some guy in a headlock and was yelling at him.
“I don’t care who you are!” He spat. “If your dearly departed wife took her own life, you may not go to see her! You were aware of the rules before you signed the contract. Did you think that your witch's potion would fool the King of the dead!”
My aunt winced when he used the word witch. She was the goddess of magic but also associated with witchcraft. Part of her other job was ensuring that anyone claiming to be a witch was genuinely who they said they were and stopping those who would do harm.
“Who did you get the potion from?” My aunt asked, holding the guy by the chin.
“I, I don’t remember.” The guy squeaked.
“For the love of Zeus, don’t lie to me, mortal!” She had Orion let him out of the headlock.
“I said I don’t remember!” The man sneered at my aunt.
My aunt then placed her hand on the man’s head; he stood as still as a statue and didn’t blink. After a minute, she took her hand off his head, and he returned to normal.
“Excuse me, I have to turn someone into a cat.” She said, pursing her lips.
“You know who it is already?” Max had a surprised look on his face.
I have no idea why he looked so surprised; my aunt was the one who got secrets out of most of history's evildoers.
“Yes, of course, she does,” I said.
“A little know-it-all named Simone. Zane, you can cover for me tonight.”
Max went to argue, but one look from Hecate and he thought better of it.
“Yes, aunt,” I beamed. I love throwing small victories in Max’s face. He’s got this job because his father Hermes, who guides souls to the river, is my father’s closest ally.
My aunt smiled and teleported.
The door to the office squeaked on its hinges, and I sat at the little desk with all of my aunt’s papers. She was meticulous at her job, insisted on keeping everything on paper, and told me that computers were the mortal way. It’s annoying as all the hell. If I ever am allowed to take over, I’m switching to computers, no question. I checked everyone in.
“What is that man’s name?” I asked Orion as he stepped into the office. The man was outside on a chair near the side of the building, waiting to be collected and taken back to his home.
“Stevenson,” Orion said. Orion was about my age in demigod years and was about a head taller than me. He was rail thin and had buzzed black hair and black eyes. He had a very ‘don’t mess around’ look to him. None of the passengers usually made trouble. Mr. Stevenson didn’t get the memo. Thanatos guides those who take their own lives to drink from the Lethe River and forget who they were when they were among the living. They live peacefully in one of the valleys in the Under Realm. My father doesn’t punish those who have taken their own lives. They are lost, suffering people whose lives were tormented in one way or another and deserve to be free to live a quiet afterlife. My father can be an asshole, but he does have his redeeming qualities.
“Stevenson,” I repeated and found his name on the list. I went into my aunt’s large file drawer, took out his folder, and stuck a red tab on the corner, ensuring he couldn’t book another tour. I closed the drawer, and Max entered the office with a black cardboard box.
“New shipment of mirrors from Aeacus,” he said, putting the box under the table near the window. Aeacus is one of the judges of the newly deceased.
“Those don’t look like the normal shipment,” Orion noted.
“I don’t know, man, this is what was dropped off. I’m not going to ask Aeacus why the mirrors look different. She looks at me weird whenever she talks to me.”
“She must know you’re hiding something,” I teased, and a curl escaped my lips.
Orion snickered.
“Shut up, man,” Max bellowed.
“Are all the other passengers ready?” Orion asked.
“Yep, ready to go. Max picked up the last of the previous shipment and followed Orion out the door.
The boat took off, giving me time to review some papers my aunt had left. My father was implementing new things regarding the tours he offered, adding some unique experiences for the afterlife tours.
New Opportunities for Our Guests.
We will now offer our guests the opportunity to experience some of the wonders the afterlife offers. During the afterlife tour, guests will now experience the lovely landscapes and tours of the Under Realm's finest neighborhoods. (Zane)
“Fuck!” I stopped reading after I saw my name. I love being told that I’ll be getting more responsibilities on my own. I’m sure my aunt intended to tell me, but she wasn’t expecting to leave tonight.
The next line read: Special exclusive opportunities for our platinum club guests. We are building luxurious condominiums in the next year, and our guests will be able to not only tour these exclusive communities but put their name on a waitlist for an extra fee; of course, the cost will not be refunded to the family if the newly departed is judged not worthy.
The majority of those who can afford these tours are not the best people. My father knows many will be put into jobs below their station after being judged. This is his way to get more money from them, giving them false hope. Even before they step foot on the ferry with Charon, my father is screwing with their lives. He doesn’t believe in redemption.
The river is forked, with the left side for the souls being transported and the right side for tours. The river is long and winding, which gives the souls time to accept that they are no longer living. An enormous glowing Cypress tree separates the river's two forks—a constant, blinding reminder of my father’s magic.
“Zane,” Thanatos called.
“In here,” I called back.
Thanatos looked nothing like his son. He was tall like Orion but had wavy brown hair that touched his shoulders and a very friendly face and demeanor to match.
“Hey, Zane, I need a favor.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I need you to go and bring the sisters their dinner. I have another three tortured souls to meet, and Charon is on his way down the river.
“Sorry to ask. Just leave the food outside the door and knock three times. Make sure to clear your mind before you approach.” He looked at me like he was sorry he had to ask me. He was another of my father’s associates who always cared about my well-being. He had kind of a sad look on his face.
A shiver went up my spine. I closed my eyes and said, “Sure.”
I was off to see the Fates.