True to his words, the fog begins to dissipate, and we approach a new dock decorated with the skulls of various creatures.
I definitely wouldn't be asking Hades to be my interior decorator any time soon.
As we glide to a halt next to the creepy dock, a small ladder appears out of nowhere, connecting the boat to the dock. I motion for Thanny to go first, to which he smirks and removes his cloak, revealing massive black wings.
With one beat of his wings, he's propelled up and onto the dock. He motions for me to use the stairs, making me feel inferior now.
"Show off," I mumble as I clamber up next to him. Turning back to thank Charon for our safe passage, I find the spot he was just in empty.
"Let's go, Lana. His soul is bound to be close in line to have judgement cast upon it by now. Put some pep in your step."
Running a few steps to catch up with him, I mutter, "You're bossy, Thanny with a Phanny."
He groans in response. "I'm never going to live this down."
The landscape on this side of the river is completely different. There is no sand—instead, there are miles of what you could consider a forest of dead trees and plants. The black forest feels extremely foreboding with the one path through the center lit with what I assume are hellfire torches on both sides.
Just as we cross over the end of the dock and onto land, a deafening roar fills the air, but there is no animal in sight.
"Good thing I brought Cereberus his favorite snack. He sounds cranky," Thanny mutters and halts, turning to look back at me. "Don't move from this spot."
Following his orders, my feet stay glued to the spot as he wanders forward. Holding his hands out, he yells, "Come on, Cerby! Show yourself to Uncle Thanatos."
Choking on my laugh at this beast being called Cerby, I watch in awe as he appears out of thin air, as if a veil is lifted to reveal him. He's massive, easily spanning 20 feet into the air before you would even reach his back. Three hulking heads lower themselves to Thanatos with gaping mouths full of razor sharp teeth and dripping with saliva.
"Yeah, yeah, I got what you want. Just remember who your favorite is," Thanny nonchalantly says to the terrifying beast.
He fumbles with a pocket in his pants as he struggles to pull out a small cardboard container that I'm assuming holds the snacks. From my vantage point, I squint to try to make out what it is. My eyes lock on familiar looking golden arches on the box.
McDonald's chicken nuggets. Oh my goddess. How the hell does he have those just readily available? Does he have magical pockets?
Thanny places the container on the ground, and Cerby's main head lowers to sniff it before yipping happily. Gingerly, his tongue snakes out to grab the nuggets, leaving the box empty in its wake.
Moments later, the furry black beast shrinks to the size of a small puppy that looks like a German shepherd. Thanny bends down to pick him up and calls out, "You can come over now."
Closing the distance quickly, I coo over the cute puppy cradled in his arms like a baby. Reaching out to scratch his fluffy belly, I exclaim "You're so adorable, Cerby!"
"Don't pet—" Thanny's warning is quickly cut off as I make contact with Cerby's soft coat and he stretches out to give me better access. His pink tongue lolls out of the side of his mouth as he lays completely slack in Thanny's arms while I scratch his belly.
A perplexed look crosses Thanny's face as he admits, "He doesn't normally let anyone pet him besides Hades and myself. How odd."
Ignoring him, I put my face close enough to kiss the top Cerby's fluffy head and make a quiet promise, "I'll find a way to sneak you some nuggies even after I leave this plane."
He licks my nose in response and then barks up at Thanny, who quickly lets him down. He wanders off, leaving us to continue on with our journey. Following the god of death, I enter the torch lined path into the dead woods, and my skin pebbles with goosebumps as a cold feeling of dread washes over me.
"How long does it take to get through this forest?" I ask, wanting to escape it as quickly as possible.
"Not long. What will take forever is going through the line of thousands of souls one by one until we find Ash."
Thinking back to Gaia's notes, I respond, "I don't think we're going to have that problem. From what Gaia noted, our souls should call to each other, allowing me to pinpoint his quickly."
"Well, do you feel his soul now?"
Coming to a halt, I try to reach into my core to coax my powers out of me. Feeling the familiar sensation warm me, I fling my senses outward, searching for him.
His soul doesn't call out, leaving my spark of hope diminished within me.
“No…” I answer, trailing off in disappointment.
