The Epic of Traecus, part 2


Where Traecus left off....


Traecus, almost happy at the counsel given to him, ran back to Persephone. When she had heard

what Apollo had said, she told him it was time to go. He went to his cart and said “we're going” to the

sleeping Jason. When he woke with a start, he bowed to the goddess.



She said “Rise, and be comforted. I am your guide to the underworld.”....


Outside Olympus, the final day...


After a sleepless night, early in the morning, the three adventurers began the final, and critical

day of the quest. The team rode out of Olympus with a tide of many screaming immortals, wishing

them good luck.


Not far out of Olympus, the group saw something that wasn't there the day before. It was a

gigantic hill, rolling green, stretching as far as the eye could see. Even the goddess expressed

bewilderment. Then it began to move.


As it moved, they realized their folly. It was the Hydra, a beast with nine heads, and acid saliva,

and it breathed fire. As the creature rose to tower over them, the hero noticed the spa in which the

tyrant king Menelaus had told him to get a chalice of water. He knew that the water had special

properties, but knew none of them. There was a great many rumors about the properties at the hero's

village. The hero made a quick prayer to Poseidon that the water would help them in some way.


The hero went to stream, drank the water from the Chalice, and grew to be taller than the Hydra.

As he drank the beast attacked.


It first spat acid, forcing the goddess to erect a shield around them. As it realized its attack

hadn't worked, it slashed at them with its claws, each more than two feet long. It also started to snap at

them with sword-like teeth, and while doing this, it was shooting fire from all possible angles. When

Traecus looked back at the river, he saw that it formed into a huge sword, and then it turned to ice. Seeing a perfect opportunity, he grabbed it, and sliced off all nine heads at once. He sighed with

triumph. Too late, he realized that it didn't work. Then he remembered: the heads of a Hydra must be

burned before it grew back. Instead of one head replacing the dead one, two replaced it. Traecus was

facing an eighteen headed monster.


He shouted to Persephone to burn the stumps as he killed it. She voiced her assent. Again

Traecus swung his sword, but while Persephone burned the flailing stumps. The beast took one more

trembling step, then crashed to Earth. Traecus noticed that he began to shrink back to normal size. Once

he was back to normal, the carcass of the beast shrank as well. It shrunk until it became a leather hide

jacket. Persephone told him that as the beasts conqueror, it was his prize. Jason, cowering behind the

nearest stump that used to be a tree until the Hydra burnt it down, ran and congratulated his friend.

Traecus was still coping with the fact that he slayed the legendary Hydra. Persephone reminded him

that he only had one day to finish his quest. The three restarted their mission to the underworld.


They continued the journey for a half an hour when Persephone told them to stop at a glade.

Traecus immediately pulled the reins of the winged horses, forcing them to a halt. She disembarked,

then muttered something unintelligible to the human men. The ground shook and then, a rectangle

formed, and a door formed on the ground. The door rose so it was facing Persephone. The door opened,

and Traecus almost fell. The door was not leading to the other side of the glade, but to a staircase,

leading into the Earth. Persephone walked forward through the gate and walked down the stairs.

Traecus motioned for Jason to stay and watch the horses, but he was cowering behind a tree. With a

grim resignation, he began the trek down to hell.


Following Persephone's footsteps, he went down a lengthy corridor. It felt like an hour, but then

there was a bright light. Not a happy kind of light, but a cruel, red sort of light. At the bottom of the

stairs, he gaped with horror.


It was a huge cavern, with no end in sight. The only light was that of giant volcanoes. They

were placed, almost accidentally, exactly ten leagues apart. The screams of the condemned could be heard from anywhere, the hero concluded. Persephone looked very grim. She said that she had never

seen the fields of punishment so filled. Traecus noticed that her hair had changed from a light brown to

black, and her lips also were painted a dark hue. Its what my husband wants me to look like, she said

darkly.


She told the hero that Elena, the kings lover, would probably be found in the Fields of

Asphodel, the place of eternal indifference, for people who had just lived, not good, or bad. She pointed

to a huge palace. Do not go near there, she warned. She told him that her husband didn't like heroes at

all, and always had vigilant guards near it. She also cautioned him of the three Furies. They were

creatures that shed tears of blood, as well as being half women, part beast. They are shape-shifters.

They could take the shape of any beast imaginable.


She pointed to a huge area, fenced by a moat of fire, barbed wire, and Cerberus, three headed

dog of judgment. She wished him good luck, and not to stop for anything. Not even her. She explained

that the Furies could read minds, so they could see what you fear most. They can pose as me, and trick

you into going to the palace. Also, the waters of the river Styx could help you, but always remember

that impregnability comes at a price. With that, good luck. I will meet you at the mouth of the Styx. Go.

Remember, time is different here. It moves slowly, so you have more than a few hours. Give it an Earth

day at most. Go.




End, Part 2