AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 25
The gate was completely overrun with all the beasts that normally lingered at the cave entrance to the Underworld. Had her loyal hound, Cerberus, not been guarding the gates, the Underworld itself would have been overrun.
She watched as Cerberus picked off the beasts with each of its giant maws, flinging them away from the gates.
A centaur ended up in the River Styx, the souls there pulling it down as it fought to free itself. She knew it was futile as she watched the centaur submerge completely, never to return.
The forgotten souls in the river were trying to reach the gates, thankfully being pulled back by the other forgotten souls who were attempting to find a way out themselves.
A cycle that allowed none of them to prevail.
Persephone released her Goddess form, her eyes bleeding black, horns of smoke, fire crown, and long black nails that resembled claws. Black wings similar to Thanatos’ own stretched from her back.
She sensed Devon and Thanatos as they appeared behind her and felt a moment of concern at what Devon may think of her in this form. Before she could think too much on it, a Gorgon cried out and charged her.
Persephone released a huge wave of power that knocked the beasts back as she created a line of blue fire between them and the gates. Some of the beasts had not moved fast enough and ended up scorched. Now, she could breathe a little easier with her fire holding the line of beasts at bay.
She looked at her loyal hound who was in his true form: three heads, eyes of fire, and huge. She moved to her beloved beast and ran her hand along his side to check for any hidden injuries buried in his fur. She felt a broken rib and noticed a deep gouge in his hind leg, though both were already healing. Still, the fact he felt any pain angered her.
“Go rest behind the gates,” she ordered as she rubbed his flank. “I’ll handle it from here.”
Cerberus let out a snort from each head.
At that moment, a beast attempted to cross the fire. It bodily pushed through the blue flames, throwing itself with staggering determination. It flung its limbs out, landing a swipe at Cerberus.
Persephone gasped as Cerberus stumbled back, keening in pain. Furious, she whirled toward the beast that had harmed Cerberus before her eyes. It had fallen back through the fire to the other side after it landed its hit. Still, it jumped at the fire’s edge with its hackles raised, out of its mind with aggression.
She slowly stepped forward through her flames and the beast backed up. Something finally penetrated its haze of anger as she caught the look of fear in its eyes at her approach.
“Return,” she ordered. Her voice vibrated with energy and power, booming with authority
throughout the cave. The beasts started to rile again as if to try to make it past the blue flames.
“Now!” she ordered again, and the line of beasts buckled. The power of her voice physically pushed at the beasts in the front to step back. She took another menacing step forward, her fire coming up around her but not touching her. She knew she was the vision everyone feared. The Goddess of the Underworld.
Wrath personified.
The beasts were nothing like the ones who roamed the cave entrance benignly. Something was happening here, but she had to get the souls moving before she could ponder what had caused this calamity.
She caught movement from the corner of her eye. The souls waiting in the distance to enter the gates. They must be terrified of the beasts. She could do nothing about them roaming right outside the entrance to the Underworld — but they had crossed into her domain and so they played by her rules now.
A rumble of footsteps and she sensed her soldiers flooding the cavern behind her, taking the flank formation. Her guards moved in brutal harmony with her as she marched forward into the monstrous horde.
Some beasts tripped over themselves to recede, while most snapped their jaws at her. Their eyes were wild with fire and malice, spittle flying as they roared at her and her guards.
Her guards, standing at the ready with their shields and swords, awaited her command as she crackled with power. Her flames a living thing that moved with her. She lifted a hand towards the beasts as she pulled her wraiths from the shadows.
The shadow demons that they were, the wraiths moved like liquid through the lines of guards as they focused in on the beasts.
The wraiths were hungry and desperate for souls to consume.
The beasts attempted to fight the wraiths, only to watch as one by one the wraiths devoured their fellow creatures. Their screams were eerie as each wraith burrowed into a beast to feed on their souls, the skin and eyes of the beasts turning to black as they became death themselves.
Before a beast could become mindless and turn on the innocent souls behind them, Persephone order the guards to take them to the river.
They would spend eternity at the bottom of the Styx beneath the unpaid souls.
The beasts who had moved back to avoid the fighting scurried away in fear of the mindless creatures being driven into the river. Perhaps for some of the creatures, part of them had become aware that they had crossed a line as they stared in horror at the display of wrath.
