Asphodel Meadows
2400 Words
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The humidity of the swamp forest is irritating Hiroki's neck. He couldn't stop sweating and couldn't stop scratching. It irritates his skin even more. His face is full of distress, standing beside Jasper—who's enjoying drinking and watching from the hanging saloon above the stone platform. They have to lean forward and over the wooden railing to see below. Other drunk tribesmen are doing the same as them. Most of them argue about betting, some are talking about who's the best lady among the eight, and some just settle down, waiting for the opening ceremony to be over so they could proceed to the action. The selection opening ceremony has started. Dancers are dancing to loud tribal music on the platform. Hundreds of people watching from the treetops.
“I need to drink,” says Hiroki, panting.
“Here,” Jasper offers his bottle of liquor.
“Not that. I want water!”
“This is water... with flavor.” He laughs at his own joke.
Hiroki walks away and goes to the bar where the thin owner of the saloon is bored, waiting for someone to order. He looks like he wants to leave his post and have fun like a regular tribesman. He has his reason to restrain himself.
“A glass of water, please,” says Hiroki.
“Water?” asks the owner, massaging his thick, bushy eyebrows.
“Yes.”
“This is a saloon. Why order water?” He tries his best to contain his frustration towards Hiroki's dumb order.
“Juice, then?”
The owner becomes more frustrated although Hiroki's order is something that this place serves. “Comin' right up,” he says, without enthusiasm.
He slices some fruits and squeezes the juice out of them into a mixer. Into a tall glass, he pours it. Ice cubes and a single straw to finish the beverage. It's done and Hiroki sips soon after he pays.
“Thank you for your patronage,” says the owner.
Hiroki nods while drinking. He goes back to Jasper's side to watch the ceremony again. He sighs, saying, “I feel good!”
“You're a man now, Hiroki,” says Jasper. “Don't be afraid to get drunk. Still drinking juice? What are you? A kid?”
“I have my own taste!”
“Nah, you're just a wuss.” He drinks from his bottle and sighs.
“Whatever,” says Hiroki, looking below.
The dance ritual is over. The eight warrior maidens stand on the edge of the platform. They wear no armor but just simple leather tube bras and shorts. Arina stands out the most because she's the youngest among them and the most popular. On the other hand, Zoya is the calmest—like she knows she's gonna win. Among the competitors, she's the only one that Arina is cautious of.
“Yeah...,” Jasper says with a wicked smug on his face. “they all look so s*xy... Maybe I should disguise myself as a medic and ‘aid’ whoever gets injured. It's the greatest plan I have ever devised!!” He laughs until he coughs.
Hiroki doesn't mind him and focuses on Viktor. The warlord is sitting on his throne where everyone can see him. On his behalf, an orator raises his hand so the cheering ceases.
In a loud, mighty, clear voice, the orator announces, “The maidens before you are chosen from the first phase of the selection—where it's for the elders to judge who among the maidens of the Zhlozakia are worthy to be candidates. Now, it is the time for these maidens to truly show their ferocity and power! All of you here shall be their witnesses! Honor them by doing so!”
“Oh, I'm sure I will,” Jasper mutters, laughing to himself. “I wouldn't miss a second gazing at those hot women.”
Out of topic, Hiroki asks, “Where are Philip and Icarus?”
“Oh, them?” Jasper takes another sip. “A noble family sensed their strengths and said that they want their daughters to marry them. In exchange, they'll pay for whatever I spend.” He shows him a golden insignia of a boar. It's a voucher that he has been showing every time he orders something.
“What?!!” Hiroki almost losses grip on his glass.
“I know, right? They could've picked me too. Being a genius is really underappreciated. I belong to the 0.01%, you know...”
“What do you mean about them marrying?!!”
“As I said...” He drinks before saying, “they're gonna have a great time of their lives. Let them be. They're gonna return to us as fully-realized men.”
“Where are they?!”
“I don't know... in a bedroom full of n*ked young maidens, I guess?”
“Ugh... you're the worst, Jasper!”
“You said that a thousand times already—not that I get sick of it.”
Hiroki drinks the remaining juice in his glass and walks to return it to the owner of the saloon. Tree to tree, he searches the parts of the village where the nobles reside.
On the edge of a concrete platform in the middle of the swamp forest.
Far from the place of the event, on the hanging cottage, five young maidens dressed in silk are watching Philip and Icarus spar. The shockwaves of their punches and kicks reach them, making their heartbeats go faster.
One of them says, “They're... so... strong...”
“Yeah...,” the rest of them sigh, smiling from the balcony of their fancy cottage.
“I told you, my dears,” says a fat man from inside the cottage who seems to be their father. He's eating all kinds of fruits on the table brought to him by his servants. “I've never seen them before but I know strong demigods when I see one. These boys can protect you well. All of you can choose who you'll marry. It doesn't matter how many of you they will marry.”
“I call for the blonde!” one of them chooses.
“Me too!”
“It's hard to choose but I'll choose the dark-haired one!”
“I choose him too!”
Then the last one is looking at both of them but looks uninterested unlike the rest of them. She's the youngest and has the shortest hair of them all.
“They're weak,” she says, cracking her knuckles.
“Athena!!” their father yells when she jumps off the cottage and lands in between Icarus and Philip.
Both of them are surprised and stop fighting.
“How about you two against me?” she challenges, punching her fists against each other.
“We don't wanna hurt you,” says Icarus behind her.
“I'm afraid he's right, my lady,” says Philip. “we—”
Right on time, Philip blocks the maiden's kick with his knee, sending him away until he hits a huge tree. With unexpected recovery, she already has a foothold to kick into motion, targeting Icarus. Just as he puts on his stance, she punches his crossed forearms. He feels his arms throbbing in pain right after braking before the edge of the platform.
“Interesting,” he remarks as he stands. “The lady has guts to catch us by surprise.” Philip has returned to the ring. “Let me teach her a lesson, Philip.”
“Might be a bad idea,” he replies.
“It's been a while since I faced someone wanting to show off.” His calmness is intimidating.
Although she doesn't know him, she feels the seriousness in Icarus's words. Philip sits on the edge, deciding to observe.
Asphodel Meadows—the part of the Underworld where the souls of the innocent dwell. Live life without heroic feats or live a life without serious sins, will buy your soul a ticket to this domain of the Underworld. Some say it's a great place to be and some say it's torment. In here, the souls of the innocent wander without purpose.
It's a different world in here. It seems like there is an infinite sky above but there isn't. It's all grey, thick with fog, as well as the distant pine trees on the other side of the river. Its waters look like flowing smoke, going around and through the mossless rocks and boulders.
His hands holding water from the ghost-like river, Darius brings it closer to his dry lips. His mind already imagines how cool his throat will feel.
“Stop!” Mila shouts, hitting the back of his head. The water he holds has been spilled. “You id*ot!”
“What's the big deal?!” he shouts back.
“This is the River Lethe!” she explains, furious by how rudely he responded. “You would've forgotten about everything!” She hits his head again to be satisfied. “That's how souls of Asphodel lose their memory!”
“Ugh!” he jolts, flicking his hands to get the water off, though it didn't, completely.
Mila goes ahead crossing the knee-high river, holding Hera's hand. He half-smiles, knowing Aurelia is following behind him. He turns around and flicks the water on her face.
She's wrinkling her nose like how a tiger bares its fangs, growling, “You dumb—”
“Hurry, both of you!” Mila shouts from the other side of the river. “Huh?” she asks herself, hearing struggling and growling behind her. Darius and Aurelia are fighting like children. Mila sighs. “This isn't the time for both of you to flirt around,” she teases, without sounding like she is.
“What?!” they react violently and stop fighting.
“You two, behave or I swear, I will chain both of you in the Depths of Tartarus! It's only an hour away from here—just so you know.” She frowns as seriously as how she said it.
“It's his fault!” Aurelia reasons just as she reaches the shore.
“I don't care about whose fault it is. If one of you makes a mistake, it's on both of you!”
“Great,” Aurelia rolls her eyes.
“That reminds me,” says Mila, her face turns calm when she looks at Hera. “Take this, Hera.” She gives the little girl a piece of an unrefined black metal ring with lace going through it. Mila removes the string puts it around Hera's left index finger. It fits nicely. “This is Tartarian Steel. Don't ever wear this off while you're in my Realm.”
“Okay,” she answers, nodding and wondering. “but may I ask why, my lady?”
“All this time, nothing happened to you because we have protected you using Cloaking. Humans cannot resist the curses dwelling in every corner of my realm.” She smiles a little, remembering someone. “Well, except for your brother of course.”
Hera smiles back, asking, “He has been here?”
“Yeah, but not here. We went to Tartarus.”
“Leo is so cool, isn't he?”
“He is.” Mila sighs, smiling. “Alright, listen up.” Her voice becomes serious. The other two are behind them, already paying attention. “No one will break away from me unless I say so. You could get lost and be trapped in here forever until you get ghosted away.”
“Ghosted?” Aurelia repeats, muttering it. She clears her throat shaking off the fear off of her eyebrows.
“Yes, and none of you would want that, right?”
Her sister looks to the side, afraid to admit her anxiousness. Darius tries hard not to show fear.
“Good,” Mila nods. “Now, both of you behave or I will be the one who'll ghost you away.”
As she told them, the three are staying close to her. Perhaps a little too close. Behind, Aurelia is looking here and there, paranoid of any noise that the random critters of the forest make. At her side, Darius looks straight ahead, looking like he's holding his breath for half an hour now.
A rustling in the trees above startles Aurelia. Unconsciously, she grabs Darius's arm and pulls him close to her as she watches an owl leaving the tree. Darius swallows, startled by how she pulled him. He doesn't act like he minds but he's minding a lot how her skin is pressing against his.
“It's okay,” he whispers to her. “I'll protect you.”
“I don't need your protection!” she growls at him.
“Then let go of me!” He pulls his arm from her but she gets startled when bats screech as they fly above them, pulling his arm again.
“This place is creepy!” she squeals.
“Scaredy-cat,” mutters Darius.
“I'm crippled now, okay? I'm not as strong as I was supposed to be.”
Darius frowns, rolling his eyes as he looks ahead. He whispers so she's the only one who could hear. “It's gonna be okay.”
Her chest jumps a little, gasping shortly. To the ground, she looks as they walk. “Okay.”
The pine forest ends after a short march. An endless meadow stretch as far as they could see. Still, the sky is grey but looks like there's a sun above them, illuminating the clouds. At any moment, the place looks like a storm is approaching. But in this land, there is no rain. Even so, the grasses thrive.
“The grasses,” says Darius. “they're grey like—”
“The Hades District,” Mila connects. “I remember it as well, Darius.” She sighs.
“It looks like this land. My home...”
He walks ahead and Aurelia lets go of his arm. The grasses brush against his knees. Kneeling, he touches the grass and remembers all about the place he missed.
At the distance, there are dirt roads and a few barns. Souls that look like blue candle fires are wandering across the meadow. Where to? Nobody knows.
“Let's go, Darius,” says Mila.
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- Writer
