Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Thirty-Five

WATER

Just after breakfast, Mason, Aileen, and I made our way to the barn to get the horses ready to leave. Kalani and Alex hadn't been present at breakfast since Kalani still felt too weak and confused to move around the castle, so Mason had taken them breakfast. I was worried about Kalani, I worried she wouldn't remember who her friends were or what her mission was.

Aileen, on the other hand, looked perfectly calm and centered. She was now taking a black stallion out of his stall and quickly placing all the equipment she needed for the ride. I watched her in awe at how natural and calm she looked. The black horse was eyeing me closely and I was getting the impression he didn't like me very much. I knew Poseidon wasn't just the god of the seas, he was also the god of horses and yes, I did have a certain connection to them, but I was guessing Thunder was the exception.

I took a grey horse and copied Aileen's moves before getting on the horse and making it move forward. "Wow, you're a natural. Have you ever done this before?" Mason asked behind me. He was eyeing his horse nervously as Aileen inspected all of the things he had put on the horse.

"I did when I was very little, but I guess I have always felt very connected to horses. My father's influence, I think," I said with a shrug and my horse huffed.

Aileen giggled but didn't say anything. I was guessing she had heard what the horse had said. I was still a bit envious I couldn't understand animals as she did. Only dolphins and horses, but it was still a bit confusing to me. 

Once Mason had managed to get on his horse, Aileen quickly jumped on the black stallion's back and smiled. "Let's go. I brought water and food just in case so I think we're all set. You have your blade?" She asked as she eyed me closely and I nodded my head as I placed my hand over the pocket of my jeans.

"Always."

In a moment, the three of us were off. 

Aileen led the way as she headed towards the front gates and rushed past them, out into the thick, slightly dark forest. Mason and I followed closely behind as she galloped towards the River of Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. She moved along the river towards the River of Styx and came to a subtle stop in front of a very wary-looking bridge. 

"This is the bridge to cross over to the Fields of Asphodel. We have to cross one by one, the bridge can't take the weight of all of us at once. And remember, keep your eyes straight ahead, don't look down or you'll be drawn to the power of the river. The River of Lethe is the river from which judged souls drink from to forget their mortal lives and head over to their afterlife. If you fall, you will forget everything," Aileen warned seriously as she looked at Mason and me.

Once the two of us had nodded, she turned her attention forward and Thunder began to move. My back stiffened as I heard the bridge under Thunder's hooves creak, but Aileen kept on moving and she didn't stop until she reached the other side. 

I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until Mason shook me and motioned towards the bridge. "Go first, I'll go after you," he said nervously. He was starting to look a bit pale and I wondered if he was considering turning back.

In the end, I nodded my head and moved my horse forward. Taking a deep breath, I kept my eyes fixed on Aileen as I motioned the horse to walk forward. The bridge creaked again, making me flinch but I didn't look down. Aileen's eyes kept my gaze locked in place and as soon as I reached the other side, she smiled and nodded. "Great. Now it's your turn, Mason," she called from where we were waiting.

Mason looked uncertain as he eyed the bridge with doubt. "Don't think about it, just keep moving forward. Keep your eyes on us," I said, trying to encourage him.

He took a deep breath and nodded his head before leading his horse towards us. 

He held onto the reins so hard that I could see his knuckles start to turn white. Even as he reached us, all the color had drained from his face and he looked about to faint.

"Hey, it's alright. You made it," Aileen whispered encouragingly as she nudged her cousin. Mason didn't say anything but he gave her a tense nod.

"Alright, let's keep going," she said after a moment and continued leading us.

"Do we have to cross any more rivers?" I asked as I eyed Mason who still looked sick. 

Aileen shook her head, "Nope, the River of Phlegethon is on the other side and it separates this part of the Underworld from Tartarus. Unless you want to go to hell, there's no need to cross it. But the Oneiroi den is very close to the river of fire."

No one said anything else as we followed Aileen. In this part of the Underworld, the Fields of Asphodel, were normal souls having a normal afterlife, as if nothing had changed from the living world. They were souls who didn't live extraordinary lives, souls who were both good and bad and were now sentenced to repeat their lives all over again. I shuddered and looked away as I saw a man walk out of a building, looking tired and miserable with his big coat and a briefcase in his hand. I really hoped I didn't end up like that. 

I lost track of how much time had passed since we reached the fields but the more we moved, the more endless the afterlives of mortals seemed. Aileen didn't look worried as she led us into a forest with no path and stopped her horse. She jumped off and sighed as she waited for us to reach her.

"Let's take a break. Our horses need water and I'm starving. It's past noon," she said with a shrug as she opened a bag her horse had been carrying.

My eyes widened and I shared a look with Mason. "What? How long have we been riding?" I asked as I jumped off my horse.

Aileen shrugged and looked at her watch. "All morning. About four hours."

Mason chuckled and shook his head. "And how far is the Oneiroi den? Are you sure we can make it back on time?" 

Aileen bit her lip nervously as she pulled out three aluminum bowls with food inside and placed them between her hands as she used her powers to heat them up.

"Hm, yeah. I think so. I mean, we're a bit past halfway so I think that gives us enough time. As long as we don't stay long with the Oneiroi I don't think we'll have any problems," she said with a shrug as she handed us our bowls.

Mason still looked unsure but he didn't say anything as he grabbed a fork and started eating.

A couple of minutes later, Aileen collected our trash and disintegrated it into ash before wiping her hands and letting it fall on the ground. "Shall we go?"

I nodded my head and we all got on our horses. 

...

We finally passed the last afterlife of the field and were now entering a thick forest. Aileen led the way as she guided us through with two fireballs illuminating the way for us. 

After a couple of minutes, she stopped and looked at us. "We need to continue by foot. We need to climb a cliff to get to the Oneiroi. Don't worry, the horses will be safe here," she said as she noticed our unsure looks. 

Once the three of us had gotten off our horses, Aileen led us out of the forest and my eyes widened when I saw the cliff. At this moment, I really wished Kalani were here with us, she'd be able to lift us up and get us to the other side safely. 

"Let's go. We don't have all day," Aileen called as she reached the wall of rock and started to climb. Mason and I shared a look and he shrugged before following after his cousin. In my mind, I cursed at myself for being so scared of heights. 

Aileen seemed to know what she was doing as she reached the top and helped Mason up in no time. I was still around halfway up when I stopped and shook my head. "I'm not sure I can do it," I called without looking up nor down. I knew that if I looked up, I would be disappointed to see how far I still had to climb and if I looked down, I would be too terrified to move again.

"Yes, you can. Come on, Andrew. We're running out of time. Remember our training. If it helps, keep your eyes on me, I'll be waiting for you up here," Aileen called back and it took all my willpower to look up. 

Her silver eyes were looking at me with encouragement and reassurance. She didn't look so far away but I was getting tired. Come on Andrew, pull yourself together, I chanted in my mind before I was able to take one more step.

After what seemed like an eternity later, Mason took one of my hands and pulled me to the top and I felt as though I was able to breathe again. I closed my eyes as I placed my hands on the ground and tried to calm my racing heart. I didn't know how I was going to get down but at least I had made it all this way.

"Okay, we're almost there," Aileen said softly and I looked at her. She had her eyes fixed on a cave a couple of meters downhill. There was smoke coming out of a hole on the top, making it look like a small volcano. 

"Let's go," Mason said as he offered me his hand and helped me to my feet. 

The three of us walked down the hill and I was surprised this part of the Underworld felt much hotter. I imagined it had something to do with the river of fire that wasn't probably very far away. 

When we reached the mouth of the cave, I shared a look with Aileen as I placed my hand in my pocket and reached for my blade, just in case. She slowly shook her head and stepped into the darkness of the cave.

Inside, it was warm and you could hear the humming of a creature echoing along the walls. But the darkness was too thick and dark that it was impossible to see anything. We were moving further in whilst listening to where each of us was stepping. 

"Aileen, why don't you use your fireballs to illuminate the cave?" Mason asked a couple of feet away from me.

Aileen didn't answer right away, but when she did, her voice sounded unsure. "Because the Oneiroi don't like the light."

"But we can't see anything," Mason urged and finally, I heard Aileen sigh before she appeared a couple of feet away from us with two fireballs in her hands. She raised her arms and let the fireballs go as they floated around us, illuminating our surroundings. 

Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed in the cave before the silhouette of a creature fell from the ceiling and landed on the ground with a loud thud. Swiftly, I reached for my blade and took it out so that it extended into a full-sized sword.

Aileen gave me a look that said I should put it away but it was already too late. Two other thuds echoed in the cave before heavy footsteps made their way towards us. Slowly, three figures came into the light and Mason stiffened next to me.

"Who dares enter our home and disrupts us from our sleep?" A loud, powerful, deep voice echoed all around us. As they walked deeper into the light, I could see their exposed, built torsos with scars all around them. They were much taller and stronger than us. Their hair was short and pitch-black as were their eyes that stared at us with nothing but coldness, and behind them, on their backs, two huge wings like those of a bat's were open wide.