The Haunting of Guaritori Diolco, Part 15

A Prophecy of Doom

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Nyx (Helea/Shutterstock)

“We do not yet know if Tartarus has truly joined our enemies,” said Zeus. “But he must have released Arke. There is no other way she could be here. And that is a more serious deviation in its own way than his willingness to father Iskios.”

“Arke, is it true that Tartarus released you?” asked Hecate.

Iris’s sister couldn’t free herself from Hecate’s spell, but she did manage to spit in Hecate’s direction. “Why should I tell you anything? You will keep me a prisoner forever, regardless of how cooperative I am.”

“Perhaps we could find you a somewhat more congenial prison than Tartarus,” said Zeus, but the way his sparking rage dominated his eyes as he looked at her made me doubt his sincerity.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” said Arke, meeting the rage in his eyes with the defiance in her own. “I know more than just how I escaped from Tartarus. I know other secrets—such as the whereabouts of my sister and even of Prometheus. But that knowledge will cost you dearly.”

Watching the shadows twist just beneath Arke’s skin, I doubted whether we could trust anything she said. From what I could tell, Hermes felt the same. But I also felt his wish to believe her with all his heart. He needed to find Prometheus just as much as I did.

“I can offer you more,” said Zeus, smiling in a way the memories of Hermes revealed was more like Dionysus at his most maniacal than like the king of the gods. “I can offer you your life. Tell us what you know—and be sure you neither lie nor omit—or die.”

Arke laughed as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “I am immortal. Do what you will, for even you cannot change that. I will return, no matter what.”

“Yet Hermes died,” said Zeus, watching carefully as she glanced at the corpse and her eyes widened in shock. “Ah, I see that you didn’t know that particular secret. Whatever schemes your allies are birthing have unbalanced this plane. That which was truth as firm as stone is now as malleable as air. Perhaps you are still immortal. Perhaps you aren’t. Shall I blast you to ashes, put them in an urn, fling the urn to the bottom of the sea, and see if you can rise, phoenix-like, from those ashes? Even if you are immortal, you would need help in such dire circumstances. And if you are not, well, perhaps you prefer death to Tartarus.”

Arke did her best to make her expression neutral, but even though Hecate had bound her body, slight tremors ran through it. “There were. . .bargains made before my release. If I betray my allies, I will be destroyed.”

“Yet only a moment ago, you were willing to bargain with us,” said Hades. “You were either lying then, or you are lying now.”

“I was gathering information. I wished to see what my secrets was really worth to you, how much you would offer me.”

“It seems pointless to gather such information,” said Hecate. “You must know that you will never be able to give it to your allies.”

“I will,” said Arke, smiling as the shadows twirled within her lips. “When this palace is a smoking ruin, and Olympus itself no more than a pile of broken stones.”

Static electricity made my hair stand up again, but with a commendable amount of self-control, Zeus didn’t blast Arke with lightning bolts. Instead, he turned to Heracles and said, “Take her away and lock her up in one of the storerooms. We will deal with her later.”

After Heracles had dragged Arke away, Hecate looked at Zeus with concern. “My spell will hold her for a while, but someone will need to keep watch over her. We can’t have her escaping and roaming around Olympus.”

“I will set an appropriate watch,” said Zeus. “Apollo or Alatheia could tell us if she was lying, but in that kind of situation, I suspect she wouldn’t speak at all. We need to find our answers elsewhere. Perhaps those still imprisoned in Tartarus will speak to us.”

“If they are still imprisoned,” said Hades, looking down at the floor again as if he could tell from Olympus what they were up to.

“Those titans who fought against us are not known for their subtlety,” said Zeus. “That is one of the reasons we beat them to begin with. If they were free already, I suspect that we know.”

“Even if they are still prisoners, they will have no more motivation to speak to us than Arke does,” said Hecate. “Unless you offer them freedom—which I do not recommend.”

“You were never just a naysayer,” said Zeus. “I assume you have a counterproposal.”

“Arke’s magic—both the rainbows and the darkness—suggests that her allies are in the Brotherhood of the Rainbow. We might get more answers to some of our more pressing questions if we returned to the plan of trying to capture some of them.”

Oh, good—I was afraid the former gods had forgotten the idea of using me as bait to capture some of the brothers!

“Easier said than done,” said Hades. “We’d have to be sure the ones we caught were real humans, not the facsimiles that formed almost the entire army which invaded the Underworld. Still, that may be our only option.”

“We might not be able to lure them out,” said Zeus. “If we think Tartarus has somehow been compromised, our first step should be to restore it—and the elder power from which it has been derived. Since this plane was created, his role has always been passive. Only very recently has he begun playing a more active role.”

“And if he has already released the titans and other prisoners?” asked Hecate.

“We will go prepared,” said Zeus. “After all, we did win the war against the titans, remember?”

“They didn’t have such an elder power fighting with them,” said Hades. “We have no idea how strong he might really be.”

“Primal Eros, the creative power behind most of this plane, is stronger,” said Zeus. “So is Nyx, to whom he passed the scepter. Of that, I am reasonably sure. And both dwell in the Underworld now, so we can recruit them on the way to Tartarus.”

“A bold move,” said Hades, nodding slowly. “But what makes you so sure that they will join us? Eros acts through those who channel his power, such as Aphrodite and young Eros, her son. That power is everywhere on this plane, but as for Eros himself, when was the last time he stirred from the Cave of Night? I cannot remember any point at which he has done so since you took the scepter. Nyx is more immediately active—but more as a giver of advice than as a combatant.”

“Gaia might be more willing to help,” said Persephone.

“Perhaps,” said Zeus. “She has been known to act on behalf of her children and their descendants—which is practically all of us, except for a very small number of other elder powers. But she disapproves of my keeping the rebellious titans imprisoned and has fought against me on their behalf. She visualizes a world in which all of her children live together in peace—a world that will never come to be.

“I doubt she would fight on the side of the Brotherhood of the Rainbow, but I also doubt she would fight for me unless I made concessions I cannot make. No, Eros and Nyx are both more likely to agree to help. But we must make haste if we are to strike before our enemies execute the next step of their plans.”

I was about as eager to return to the Underworld as I was to have someone pound nails into my hands—but I didn’t have much choice. Zeus wanted Hermes to go, but Hermes only seemed to be able to maintain himself inside my body, close to the magic he had inadvertently torn out of himself when he sought to give it to me. My one consolation was that he could manage that magic without giving me a headache.

I’d have been happier if all the former gods had accompanied us, But Zeus didn’t want to leave Olympus unattended for such a long time, and in any case, some of his kin were currently on Earth, having been summoned by humans.

“Medea has assembled many talented spell casters and warriors,” I said. “Perhaps they could be invited to this plane—”

“Mortals are too fragile for this kind of work,” said Persephone. “Medea could probably survive, and you can, because of the power of the Philosopher’s Stone within you. Aside from that, no mortal could hope to survive if the worst happens, and we must battle the titans. If you call any of them friends, allow them to remain in the safety of their own plane.”

“We will not need them,” said Zeus. “Those we have here, together with my other brothers and sisters, will be sufficient.”

As if on cue, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, and Hestia entered the throne room, ready for battle. Nervous as I was, I couldn’t deny that the presence of such mighty beings was reassuring.

Hera, queen of the former Greek gods, projected more authority even than Zeus. Her origins were earthier than his. Prior to their marriage, she had been a protector of cattle, among other things. But now, wearing a silver crown glowing with light that seemed to be borrowed from the moon and stars and draped in a garment that looked like white clouds woven into cloth, she seemed to have been born a sky goddess—and a queen. She showed no obvious sign of the grief that gnawed at Zeus, though whether that was because she assumed Hermes would be restored or because Hermes wasn’t her son, I had no way of knowing.

Poseidon wore a crown of white gold decorated with pearls and coral. Like Zeus, he preferred the look of a distinguished, older man, and the grayish hair of his beard rippled like the sea, as did his toga, which reminded me of sea foam. In his right hand, he clutched his trident that could raise tidal waves if he struck the sea or create earthquakes if he struck the land.

Demeter looked less imposing crowned with barley and wearing a gown reminiscent of the green of new growth in spring. But she was as beautiful as her daughter, Persephone, and an impressive amount of power radiated from her.

“She comes from a long line of earth goddesses and ultimately derives her power from Gaia. She cannot be easily overcome in battle, despite her less formidable appearance,” said Hermes.

Hestia looked even less military, almost grandmotherly. She wore no crown, and her gown was a simple white. Yet in her hand she held a brand burning with hearth fire. Hermes didn’t need to tell me that was a potent force against evil.

Together with Hecate, Persephone, and what was left of Hermes, the newcomers made a formidable group, a force greater than what Zeus had been able to deploy against Cronus and the other titans the first time. The trip to Tartarus began to seem a little less like a suicide mission.

We all rode Hades’s chariot back to the Underworld, entering by a chasm he created with his bident. It took us a while to reach the Cave of Night, which lay far deeper in the Underworld than places like Hades’s palace. I got the impression that even Hades didn’t often venture into this region. It was Hecate who led the way, taking a confusing route along the bank of the Styx, which flowed deeply and darkly right next to us. I couldn’t have found my way back out if my life had depended on it.

When we finally reached the Cave of Night, standing before it and staring into the darkness made me shudder. I felt as if this place had been here so long that it must have been one of the first created regions on this plane. All around me, reality felt soft, as if the presence of elder powers widened the range of possibilities.

“Eros, Nyx, come forth, for we have need of your aid,” said Hades in a solemn tone. His words echoed but produced no immediate response.

“The last time I was here to consult with Nyx, it took her some time to respond,” said Zeus. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure us—or himself.

“Perhaps we should have started with Gaia,” said Persephone.

“Patience,” said Demeter. “Gaia would have been faster to respond. She remained closer to her children than Eros did to his creations or Nyx to her former subjects. But Zeus is right—she would aid his cause only if he would release the titans. Either Eros or Nyx might give us less conditional help.”

I wasn’t sure how long after that we waited, for I seemed to lose all track of time.

“It is said that primal Chronos—Time—lives near here, too, and that his presence makes time flow differently than anywhere else on this plane,” said Hermes. “But he is so impersonal that he cannot be addressed, not even by Zeus.”

Yet another fact I’d rather not have known. Perhaps I’d read too much science fiction, but the idea of Time as a sentient being, however remote, was unsettling.

“You’re sure there’s no way anyone could communicate with Chronos?” I asked. “Time seems as if it might be a good power source for beings up to no good.”

Hermes didn’t immediately answer my question, further unsettling me.

“It is said Cronus tried to draw on the power of Chronos and was unsuccessful. It is also sometimes believed that a manifestation of Chronos is the power that rules the Elysian Fields, but no one has ever proven that. Fear not! There is no way that someone could draw power from Time, and, despite what the literature on your plane suggests, beings cannot jump forward or backward in time. Time is linear. It is a one-way street. It can locally be speeded up or slowed down, but even that is an effort not worth the amount of energy it would take to accomplish it.”

“Who calls us?” asked a female voice that sounded like a whisper. Yet its words shook my entire body. I didn’t think Nyx was trying to exert herself, but every syllable radiated immense power.

“I, Hades, and all my brothers and sisters call you on a matter most grave,” said the king of the Underworld.

“I will give advice,” said Nyx in the tone of one granting an immense favor. “But you may not like it.”

“She is potent in prophecy,” said Hermes. “A comment such as that from her give me reason to be worried.”

Why did everything always have to be hard?

“We have reason to believe that Tartarus has abandoned his normal neutrality and is releasing prisoners,” said Hades. “What can you tell us about that?”

“When Chronos first stirred, and the creation of this plane began, the chasm of Chaos and the great pit of Tartarus formed, but without much consciousness in either. Yet there was darkness in both, and my earliest form dwelt within that darkness. It is said that I sprang from Chaos together with shadowy Erebus, but it was not Chaos who created me. I created myself and Erebus.”

“Why is she so long-winded?” I thought.

“Getting to the point is not one of her strong suits, as you would say,” replied Hermes, who sounded as if he had to stifle a chuckle. “Have patience. She will at some point say something useful.”

“As my consciousness became more distinct, I imagined myself to be a dragon who laid an egg. My imagination became real, and from the egg hatched Eros the golden, first born of all creation, first spark of true life. From the same egg hatched my new incarnation, so that I was simultaneously mother and sister—and for a time, wife—to Eros. Inspired by Eros, I lay with Erebus, producing Aether and Day, spreading light as I was fated to do, though I myself had none at first. But once there was Day, I became Night. Thus did the first order come from Chaos. And thus did I, in my final incarnation, become like a daughter of Eros.”

“This is why humans have such a hard time drawing our family trees,” said Hermes. I could feel him smiling inside me like a mischievous child.

“This we already know,” said Hades. “We would be much in your debt if you could tell us something that we don’t yet know.”

“Tartarus has developed more consciousness,” said Nyx. “The process was begun by a woman named Eriopis, whose patient cultivation produced dark fruit.”

“Iskios,” I muttered. Zeus and Hades both glared at me, but if Nyx was perturbed by a mere mortal speaking in her presence, she gave no sign.

“Not just him,” said Nyx. “Once Tartarus became more accustomed to his new sentience, he reached up from his own domain, through Erebus, through the Underworld, to the brightness above, a brightness he had never until that moment experienced. As he continued to expand his view, he encountered a visitor to this plane, someone who should never had been admitted but was. You know him as Occultus. Through him, Tartarus was able to lend his power to what you call the Brotherhood of the Rainbow. It was that lending that ultimately caused the event you refer to as the Catastrophe.”

“That can’t be!” I said. Hera gasped at my impertinence, but again, Nyx’s mood didn’t seem to change at all.

“Eriopis, daughter of your past-life self, didn’t tell you everything. After Tartarus removed Iskios from her body in order to bring him to term without risking her life, Iskios spent much longer within the darkness of Tartarus than the term of a normal human pregnancy—years, in fact, because Tartarus was no Gaia. It took him time to understand how to mature a fetus into an infant. But those years gave the Brotherhood time to prepare and then strike. Iskios, like other semi-divine children, matured fast once he was actually born, but his birth occurred after the Catastrophe, even though he had been conceived long before.”

“Can the damage done by the Catastrophe be reversed?” I asked.

“Perhaps, but such a cataclysm created a ripple effect. Many threads are tangled and knotted so badly that they cannot easily be restored. More than a human lifetime will be required. You have more pressing concerns.”

“How may we return Tartarus to his original condition?” asked Hades before I could say anything else.

“Even I cannot say for sure,” replied Nyx. “But this I know. Paradoxes must be resolved. Iskios must willingly become a member of Olympian society. And Guaritori must die. If all three of these events do not come to pass, the Brotherhood will do enough damage to make the Catastrophe look like a minor inconvenience.”

“But—” began Hades.

“I have said as much as I can say,” said Nyx. “If I reveal more, I might increase the likelihood of disaster. What I have told you already must be enough for now.”

I couldn’t see any more—or any less—than I had before. But I felt Nyx’s sudden absence, and a cold chill ran through me. A colder one followed it. I shuddered as the reality of my situation grasped my heart in its chilly fingers.

Nyx had just signed my death warrant. Even now, Hades eyed me as if trying to figure out what the most efficient way to kill me would be.

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