DIMITRI

  He carries a knife. Hermes explained to the boy inside his mind while his teacher was trying to get some sleep on the raft. So peaceful he looked, even when he was hiding secrets from him.

  And he could see how tightly he was holding the black covered blade.

  You have seen, haven't you? Hermes moved closer to the boy. And leaned his head on the top of Dimitri’s stiff shoulder.

  One simple move and every god stays speechless, o trembles from fear at the sight of the toy knife.

  ‘’Do you want me to give it to you?’’ Asked the boy, and the god chuckled.

  ‘’Finally, you are getting quick.’’ A sharp compliment from a god, but that meant nothing to Dimitri.

  ‘’What does it do exactly?’’ The boy turned right behind him to see Hermes now with a dark chalice, trying to drink from the cold river the water of the remaining souls.

  ‘’Tasty’’He spat as he finally took a sip from it. ‘’Would you like some? It’s filled with agony and despair.’’

  Now the boy narrowed and looked away, realising slowly that he wouldn’t get any answer from his lips.

  ‘’Stop’’Muttered Teacher in his sleep with his shoulders now shaking.

  With his instincts still working, the boy rushed to him and pulled out of one of the bags a heavy blanket, while he was also whispering to the teacher to simply calm down.

  ‘’Huh, are you sure that you can do this?’’ Hermes asked from right behind him.

  Dimitri nodded and moved slowly away from his teacher.

  ‘’Can you answer at least one question?’’ Dimitri’s gaze moved to the tired and trembling teacher, back to the human chicken form of a god.

  Hermes took one last sip from the chalice before he threw it once again into the river.

  ‘’How did you two meet?’’

  Hermes moved closer to him as he seemed to think about the right answer.

  ‘’Well, meeting is a complicated thing, but long story short’’He muttered. ‘’I offered her immortality and shelter. In return, she offered herself to me’’

  Dimitri stopped thinking for a second and looked at the god, shocked. ‘’Offered herself?’’

  The god replied with a grin. ‘’Well, yes, we spent centuries of passion and pleasure under the moonlight.’’

  The boy thought for a second about his teacher actually kissing and touching lovingly the gigantic chicken that was now in front of him. It might have been the truth, but his teacher did not seem to share that kind of passion.

  ‘’The truth now’’ Dimitri grunted.

  Hermes’ mouth frowned, and he replied once again. ‘’Well, we did share nights together, but mostly it was her losing in stupid games.’’

  ‘’So’’He turned back to his teacher.

  ‘’You were friends’’His lips realized slowly what he just said.

  And with that, the god vanished, leaving them alone.

  The knife. It was just there, on the teacher’s hand. So easy to take it. But then, the teacher finally woke up and turned to the boy.

  ‘’What’s wrong?’’ He asked the student.

  ‘’You still have nightmares’’ He replied with honesty, while his gaze found the view in front of him mesmerizing. A gate made of black stone, people engraved with such detail, while the white hands of ghosts were trying to get on the other side of the closed gate.

  ‘’Welcome to the entrance of the underworld,’’ the teacher announced and stood up to show a bottle made of glass.

  ‘’What is this?’’ Dimitri asked.

  ‘’The blood from the sheep’’Replied the teacher as he handed it to his student. ‘’You need to do the ritual.’’

  ‘’What ritual?’’ His voice reached higher than it was expected.

  But the Teacher did not answer as he sat back once again with the necklace that belonged to Hermes growing, getting the form of a giant staff with a pair of dark wings flipping from the top while the two snakes from below began crawling to the base.

  Are you sure you don’t want this? Dimitri thought.

  ‘’What’s the point of it? I still have power, but not to beat her. ‘’Hermes explained. ‘’It’s not about physical pain to her.’’

  For a second, the teacher turned back to Dimitri, as if he could listen to the communication between the boy and the god. At the end, the teacher shrugged.

  ‘’About earlier,’’ the teacher said.

  ‘’I told you, it’s alright.’’ Dimitri didn’t want to speak about that part again. He didn’t want his teacher’s excuses anymore.

  But the silence was actually killing him more than everything else around him. So the boy thought of asking the teacher questions.

  ‘’The gate is being guarded by Thanatos, the god of death’’ The teacher interrupted the boy’s thoughts.

  Dimitri blinked and looked up to see that at the top of the gate was a cloaked, cold figure.

  ‘’And to open by someone who is not dead, needs the ritual’’

  Dimitri faced the teacher, confused. If he knew that, why did he choose him to do it? Could he just do it? Or was it because the god would realize that it was his teacher who was doing the ritual? And why would that..

  ‘’Did you piss off Death?’’ Dimitri gasped.

  And there was the Teacher’s grimace as if he was actually trying to hide things.

  ‘’He is not Death’’ The teacher corrected his student while music began to whisper to the boy’s ears.

  Why is he called Thanatos then? Dimitri thought to ask, but now it was not the time for those questions.

  ‘’But you did piss him off’’ Stated Dimitri.

  ‘’I met him once’’ Groaned the teacher. ‘’The stupid messenger told me that we would go on a trip, and we ended up in Thanatos’ room.’’

  A picture of lust appeared in Dimitri’s mind after everything the teacher said. He could have actually done that.

  ‘’Stop thinking like that’’ The teacher rasped as if he could read his student’s mind. ‘’All I am saying is that the last thing I want now is for that moth to notice me.’’

  Moth?

  The boy shook his head. So he wanted him to do all the work because he did not want to talk to Thanatos?

  So, he replied with a shrug. ‘’What ritual do you want me to perform?’’

  The teacher did not answer. As if he actually had to know the ritual. But what if he already knew and he forgot it? There was this panic again, with his mind becoming numb once again.

  ‘’The ritual’’His voice shook while the boy’s body was shifting down to the raft.

  Why can’t I breathe? Think, stupid boy, think. He looked right at the glass and was about to open it, but the water turned harsher once again, making him lose his balance, and the glass slipped into the water.

  ‘’I am sorry’’ Panicked the boy.

  ‘’It’s fine, do the other’’His voice was surprisingly calm.

  The other? The boy didn’t even know the first one.

  With his shaking hands, he now grabbed the bag and tried to find anything that could make his mind remember. Herbs, poisons, knives, but there was nothing.

  And when his eyes moved up again, he could see how close they were approaching the gates, the water getting rougher, and the god of Death, lowering his head.

  Would they even be able to get inside if they noticed them? No, the raft would crash, and let the boy drown. The teacher wouldn’t even care to help him out with his pride being on the line.

  ‘’You are so pathetic’’ Hermes whispered near Dimitri’s ear.

  But the boy did not have the time to think and care about what the god was saying, with his entire body getting showered by cold, fat sweat.

  I can’t remember, I can’t think, I can’t….

  ‘’Alright’’ The god grunted and moved close to the boy.

  ‘’Take the small bottle of poppy seeds’’ Commanded the god, and that is what he did. The water made the raft now to jump, making the bag get further away. But the boy was lucky that the heavy jar was still in his fingertips, and the teacher was fast enough to grab the bag before it fell into the endless water.

  ‘’No pressure’’ Lied Teacher, and he took the oar so he could start lowering the speed of the raft.

  Why can’t I remember?

  ‘’Well’’ Hermes pouted.’’You did throw yourself’’

  Yes, but why is it so fast?

  ‘’What did you expect? First, it will go to your knowledge, then your emotions towards your teacher, and then every last detail’’

  Dimitri’s fingers began shaking again, with the jar slipping half by the sweat of his body.

  ‘’Now open it and put the seeds in your hands’’’

  He did what the god said, and he felt his teacher's glare as also the man from above. The god of Death, so close to him. As if it were an actual sign that after that gate, there was no return for him.

  ‘’And now, chant’’

  To Thanatos, so kind and so good, I offer my praise.

  Son of the darkness and the night, of wise Erebos

  The sharp words got out of Dimitri’s mouth, and he felt that bitter, foul taste on his tongue and teeth.

  And raven-haired Nyx, brother of Hypnos who grants a respite

  ephemeral and sweet, O Thanatos, you bring a repose

  of a longer span–an endless sleep is yours to bestow.

  The thick air was getting into his lungs, but it was making him unable to work.

  Beautiful Thanatos, well-wreathed with poppies red as blood,

  black-winged god, fleet-footed one, bearer of the sharp-edged sword

  with which you cut a lock of hair from each who enters Hades’ realm:

  Some call you merciless, hard of heart, O god who takes

  from us those we most love–and yet, dear Thanatos,

  In front of his hands, there was now an eclipse of moths, trying to dance on the tip of his fingers and move their proboscis beneath his nail tips to drink his sweet blood.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Yours is a mercy great and freeing, a boundless comfort,

  a final peace. O god who gives us life’s last blessing, I praise you

  With his numb mind, the boy now let the poppy down to the water with his eyes looking up to his Teacher and to the gate that was opening slowly, and with screams being the sound of the cranky old gate.

  And the boy finally could breathe again, he tried to relax and fly back to the raft.

  ‘’There you go’’’A soft whisper kissed his ear while a cold hand rested on his waist.

  A cold, thin hand. For a moment, he thought that it belonged to his teacher, but he was standing in front of him, with a dark, irritated frown.

  Turning slowly back, the boy felt a presence so familiar and yet so forgetful.

  There was the man, tall with a pale, thin face, dark circles underneath, and lips dry as if he hadn't eaten or drunk water for centuries. Yet, he had a kind smile. His hair was white like snow, while just like his neck, his limbs were shackled with golden chains.

  The boy could have sworn that he had met that man once again. That he had seen the purple moth, which was covering his eyes.

  ‘’Teach-’’Dimitri tried to speak and get away, but he slowly noticed that the teacher did not seem to be afraid of that man.

  ‘’Oh, goody, he woke up’’ Even Hermes was unpleased with his presence

  ‘’Sandra’’The soft voice spoke all happily, letting Dimitri rest down to the raft, and he slowly moved to the teacher, exposing the cloak that it was actually a pair of black moth wings.

  The man embraced the Teacher with a hug, letting his body lean even closer.

  ‘’It’s so great to see you, my, my’’

  ‘’It’s good to see you too’’ Teacher said with his mouth filled with lies. He tried to get away fast, but the man decided to grasp him even tighter.

  ‘’Oh, you haven’t changed a bit, still that pouty look.’’

  And the man’s eyes turned back to the boy.

  ‘’Dimitri,’’ said the man, and exposed his dark wings even more, letting the boy see the naked torso the man was hiding, with deep scars being drawn on his pale skin.

  ‘’Do I know you?’’ asked the boy with a high eyebrow.

  The man replied with a smile.

  And then, he got it. He was there. He was there when he was born. When life is being created, Death is never far.

  ‘’I never expected that you would get a student, Lyssandra.’’ Winced Thanatos.

  ‘’Why is everyone saying this to me?’’ Grunted the Teacher.

  ‘’Tell me, does she still drink hemlock?’’ Asked Thanatos, the boy. ‘’I remember that she would take an entire jug of it and-’’

  ‘’If you are here to stop me-’’ Now, the teacher was actually furious. What was it about the hemlock?

  Thanatos raised his hands and laughed. ‘’Oh, Sandra, I would never stop you, I am actually glad that you called me.’’

  The teacher faced Dimitri with a harsh expression.

  ‘’Oh, maybe that was the wrong ritual’’ Hermes chuckled.

  Dimitri’s face turned as red as the Teacher’s

  You set me up.

  ‘’It’s not my fault that you forgot what to do.’’

  A long pause.

  ‘’Alright, it might be.’’

  ‘’In fact’’ Thanatos yawned and sat on the raft. ‘’I want to help you guide you.’’

  ‘’Guide me?’’ He asked with one hand tight on the staff and the other back to the dagger.

  ‘’You have protection, but the path is still unknown for you.’’

  There was the face of defeat.

  ‘’And you know the way’’ He continued, Thanatos’ idea.

  ‘’Of course. ‘’

  ‘’And in return?’’ His eyes turned back to the boy and moved close to him. His hands leaned toward his shoulder, moving it closer.

  ‘’It’s very boring and lonely in the gate’’

  His eyes kept facing Dimitri’s face and heart. It won’t belong to you soon. Your body, mind, and soul will be his one day.

  ‘’I want him to stay here with me. I will make him immortal.’’

  What?

  ‘’No’’ Both Teacher and Hermes said in sync.

  Thanatos smirked. ‘’I just jest Sandra. I am not a monster.’’

  ‘’Alright, boy, the only thing that you have to do now is kick him between the legs.’’

  Don’t you like him?

  ‘’He always treats me like I am lesser than him, and he still blames me for him being stuck in the gate.’’

  It’s your fault, isn’t it?

  No response.

  Hermes? Chicken? Ram?

  ‘’As much as I would love to travel, my position is here at the gate after you’’His mask frowned, and it seemed as if it was looking at Hermes’ staff.

  ‘’ I want you to succeed.’’

  The teacher raised his brow. ‘’Why?’’

  ‘’I was born from darkness itself. Cold, stoic darkness. And yet, I could always find a glimpse of light in my existence. The people’s first breath, first heartbeat, first everything. I enjoyed watching them, getting to know them, but when I was getting too close.

  There was darkness again. The joy in their cheeks vanished. And there was a song from the loved ones. The song was so loud, like a scream, and their eyes began to drip water.

  And I soon realised that this was my purpose. With a scythe that was given to me by my mother, I would reap out the soul and send it here. This was my own purpose for my existence.

  Even if they were gods who were trying to defy the nature of the world, my world, nothing changed. When a mortal’s thread gets cut, there is none to stop me from reaping the soul out.

  And there he was. A buck, bright like the sun, mourning in front of a cold body, his soul already lost. The messenger of the underworld tried to comfort him, I tried to do my job. But the buck defied everything. He was defying nature. And he succeeded in a way. The soul escaped from my hands, and in front of the corpse, flowers bloomed.

  Why would someone defy nature?

  Centuries passed, and the buck fell in love again and again. Defying me, once more. But when you appeared…He refused to return to his own ways. He had a chance to do it. To make a difference once again. But those were his words.

  It would be a punishment worse than death for her.

  The teacher's eye snapped, listening to those words, while Dimitri had one thought in mind.

  His body is covered with eyes.

  The boy wondered if the Teacher could see it too. That his own body was glowing green orbs, looking directly at Thanatos, making him say anything he wanted.

  The wings of his face closed up as the god took a deep breath of giving up, and Teacher’s multiple eyes sank inside his bronze skin.

  ‘’Take it as a gift, Lyssandra of Illium.’’ The god moved closer. ‘’Show me if he was right or wrong.’’

  And with that, he placed a kiss on his cheek and his strange face returned back to me.

  ‘’It’s not every day that I am seeing little Sandra having followers again’’The wings got higher.

  ‘’Followers?’’

  ‘’I remember you having a small flock of them’’The god tilted his head back to ‘Sandra’.

  ‘’You can leave, you know’’Grunted Teacher.

  ‘’Oh, and those little kids, it was a shame when I reaped their souls out when time was right.’’

  The boy could see now that his teacher’s patience was fading.

  ‘’Oh, not only kids’’The god chuckled. ‘’What was the name of the man that was in love with you? And his sister…’’

  There was a twisting movement of his lips now, as if he was actually enjoying remembering about the souls he took.

  ‘’But enough about your love life, do you remember Myrt-’’

  Suddenly, the boy touched the god’s hand, near the chains, without even realizing. As if it wasn’t even his will to do it. But he knew that all this needed to stop. The teacher was about to draw the dagger once again.

  And the god faced the mortal boy, confused, with the wings of his mask creating sudden red eyes all over.

  ‘’Defiant’’ The god spat. ‘’I wonder how it will feel when I take your soul’’

  The boy swallowed harshly, and now, he watched Thanatos flying with his dark wings far from the raft, causing a small wind for the raft to move faster.

  ‘’Good luck, Sandra’’ Echoed the voice

  And there was silence again. The teacher sank to his knees and took two deep breaths while the boy decided to move closer.

  He thought about what Thanatos said about Teacher’s followers. That he had children and someone who was in love with him. But most importantly.

  ‘’You fell in love with a buck?’’ He tried to hold his surprise and was utterly disgusted.

  The teacher had a childish pout. ‘’He wasn’t a buck when I met him.’’

  There was a sudden rage inside Dimitri’s head, and like a stream, it was moving everywhere, and just like that, inside his mouth.

  ‘’Let me get it clear, we are travelling for the realm of punishment because you slept with a human-buck centuries ago’’

  After that, the teacher looked at him all serious, with the boy realizing slowly that he had been caught. He never taught him about Tartarus.

  Thin,k boy, think, think.

  ‘’I…’’

  ‘’What else did Hermes tell you?’’ There wasn’t rage in his Teacher’s tone. Or even an emotion of betrayal or disappointment. There was nothing. As if he knew it from the start that he was talking with Hermes.

  ‘’That you uh…’’

  Does he know about the deal? No, it couldn’t be.

  ‘’That you spent centuries of passion and pleasure.’’

  There was the expression of disgust again, with the Teacher trying to find a nice place to vomit.

  ‘’Of course, he said that.’’

  ‘’And that you two were once friends.’’

  Those words actually drew attention to the Teacher and showed the boy a shocked, innocent expression.

  Was it actually true?

  The boy moved his head to where Hermes was secretly watching in silence, the feathers on his head, trying to cover his face.

  ‘’He wouldn’t have told you that.’’ whispered the teacher.

  ‘’He didn’t have to, I think it was clear enough’’He admitted and watched Hermes moving slowly close to the Teacher.

  There was a second of regret on the god’’’s form. He did say that he didn’t like Thanatos, and it showed the twisted words he was giving to the Teacher. But Hermes also wanted to try the same. To hurt Lyssandra. Right?

  ‘’I think that he actually wants to help you,’’ Suggested Dimitri, but that changed the Teacher’s expression.

  ‘’Row’’ He commanded, and Hermes vanished from the raft.

  Dimitri followed his instructions and began rowing once again, looking around the dark water, white he could see now, there was not a single land in sight.

  ‘’Cold’’Dimitri rattled out of nowhere. ‘’So cold… lights bright from the ceiling, only to see high up the crystals that are guiding us to the end. But, they are not actual crystals, are they? No, mortality makes your mind so vague, you can’t even see the ferries from above, moving to the cold river that is right above us, with ferry men holding the lanterns. Your mind can’t even see the kingdom that is right above, waiting for the souls to get judged by the three sons of the king of the gods. After the judgement, you would be sent to one of the three realms.’’

  Dimitri shook his head and snapped out of it, feeling a terrible taste inside his mouth, and looked at the Teacher whose head turned to the dark beyond.

  I remember you having a small flock of them.

  How long has he been alone?

  ‘’You are a good Teacher’’ The boy admitted and tried to sit down close to him.

  And there was a soft expression coming from his rough face.

  ‘’When we take your deer lover’’The boy winced. ‘’Can we finally travel to Egypt?’’

  There was the sudden urge for the boy to give up. He wished he could sleep with his eyelids carrying the weight of stones. However, he did notice the Teacher was rubbing Hermes’ staff, trying to put a spell on the boy.

  ‘’Sure’’Lied Teacher and let the boy rest in his lap.

  ‘’She is lying, you know’’Hermes spoke around the forest.

  Dimitri frowned and tried to look around once again, thinking about what he said. He was aware that the god was having a conversation with him, but not about the deal. What if he could tell Odysseus everything?

  Another memory turned to his head. When Thanatos suggested making him immortal.

  ‘’You said no’’The boy spoke calmly. ‘’When Thanatos asked about my becoming immortal.’’

  The god now wore a white wool of a ram around his neck and laughed. ‘’If you think that I actually care about you, you are nothing but adorable.’’

  The boy felt a sort of embarrassment tingling his face while he began walking away.

  ‘’Whatever, it’s done, I will tell my teacher everything’’

  ‘’But what about your memories?’’ The rap flew close to the boy

  ‘’I am sure he will find a way, and when we get back’’’

  He was about to finish his thoughts, but there was a cold hand right at his throat.

  ‘’Oh, my sweet foolish Dimitri, don’t you understand yet?’’His cold voice whispered down to his neck.

  She is lying.

  The boy looked back at the god who was grinning like a fool.

  ‘’Mortals can’t travel back to Tartarus.’’He laughed, and the boy’s heart fell to the floor.

  He would leave him there. He can do it.

  No, the teacher wouldn’t. He would never…

  He tried to defy those thoughts, but he could imagine his punishment already. And it seemed that the god was enjoying it.

  ‘’Well, ‘’He popped his lips. ‘’Not without a god’s help.’’

  There was a narrowed brow coming from the boy. ‘’Was this the plan all al-’’

  The god moved really close to his face as if he was about to kiss him.

  ‘’You belong to me, Dimitri’’ He spat at his face. ‘’Take the dagger from him’’There was his rough command, making the boy’s body tremble, feeling a slither of snakes crawl all over his body.

  ‘’And you will be safe.’’

  What have I done? Was the thought behind the boy’s eyes. And the god noticed it. And he loved it.

  No. No, I can’t show him satisfaction.

  ‘’Tell me, Herald’’The boy stood on the higher ground. ‘’What does this dagger do?’’

  Hermes moved far, and there was an irritating expression.

  However, he finally gave up.

  ‘’It can kill your Teacher.’’