Elysium
2034 Words
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Mila and Aurelia have returned to the River Styx. The golden entrance to Elysium is just a step away. They enter it without any further ado. And the first thing they saw is a valley covered with trees with golden leaves. They are shining from the halo floating above. From the top of a plateau, they watch how the castle of Elysium looks like Olympus.
Reminiscence is written all over their faces.
“Let's go,” says Mila as she summons a dark cloud under them.
“We can use our powers here?”
“Yeah.”
“So, our souls and body are—”
“Together, yes. The Asphodel Meadows is the only place we cannot use our powers.”
“That's a relief...”
“Yes, but that also means that our enemies can too.”
“Oh, that's right. We ought to be careful then?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I'm ready for anything.” Aurelia cracks her knuckles and looks around. She sees nothing out of ordinary. “So, why have we come here? Did you figure out the clue?”
“Yes. ‘Where the sky has bounds.’”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that the next riddle is in the Halls of Elysium. You still remember the ceiling when we came here, right?”
“Uh...” Aurelia is trying to recall. “Oh, I think I do. It's like the moving paintings in Olympus.”
“Exactly. So, the sky there has bounds.”
“But it could be any of the three realms, right? They have skies that have bounds.”
“Well, I'm not sure. Sometimes riddles can be tricky. It might mean a lot of different things for us but for the maker of it, he can decide on the answer.”
“But that's unfair.”
“I know. That's how riddles work. Don't rely on what the person said to you but also you have to read his mind.”
“Speaking of which, uh... I don't think I told you yet.”
“About what?”
“I took your advice about reading books because I had nothing to do in Asgard. I found out that I can modify memories.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I tried it once.”
“Wait, who did you try it on?! That's dangerous.”
“To myself, of course.”
“How did it go?”
“Not much but I tried making myself believe that I had a pen in my pocket. I thought I did but no.”
“That's awesome, my sister.”
“It's nothing awesome,” Aurelia disagrees, brushing her hair over her ear. “I can't even use it against gods.”
“Everything is not about fighting. You can use it for good things for the people someday. I know it.”
“We'll find out...”
Mila holds her sister's hand as they get closer to the gates of the castle. As soon as they land, they knew something is wrong.
“What is this smell?” asks Aurelia.
“I don't know.”
The golden gate of the castle opens by itself and there lies the answer to their question. The hall is littered with rotten food, spilled liquor, and ashes.
“What the h*ll happened here?” asks Aurelia as they come in.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” says Mila, calling her pitchfork.
Aurelia calls her Mjolnir. “What are these piles of ashes?” she asks in a whisper.
“They're the remains of the warriors.”
“Warriors of what?”
“The souls of Elysium.”
“They can die?”
“Living in Elysium is like a second life. But soon, these ashes will rebuild themselves. It just takes time.”
“What about the people we know? Are they here? What about—”
“Danae? Yes, she might've fled with the rest but still, she won't talk to us.”
“Why?”
“The souls of the dead cannot speak with the living.”
“But what about that time in Asphodel?”
“You saw the consequences. In Elysium, it will be much graver.”
“Okay,” she nods depressingly.
“That's why the only one we can talk to is Rhadamanthus, no one else. He's the guardian of this realm.”
“And he should here, right?”
“Yes.”
They search around this vast hall but found nothing, not even a trace. They can't tell apart from one ash to another and to whom they might belong.
“Let's keep searching,” says Mila.
Back in Asgard, the training ground is getting riddled with fresh craters again. This time, it is getting covered in mud as Dany summons a huge amount of water to fight against demigods.
Eleanna is observing from the distance under her pavilion. Her head is rested on her palm as her elbow is on the arm of her chair. A servant holds a bowl of grapes for her and she eats them slowly. Aiko is standing beside her although she has a chair of her own. She's looking worried about her son.
“Sit down, my lady,” says Eleanna. “He's gonna be fine.”
Aiko looks at Eleanna for a moment. She eventually listens to her. Sitting on the chair, she's still worried. Her young boy is fighting against a dozen of demigods that are accustomed to fighting more than him. Even so, he has powers. It gives him an advantage.
He makes a water tornado that lifts him off of the ground. His eyes glow blue, so bright like they're stars. Water serpents start to form around him. All of a sudden, he gets knocked away by a demigod's sneaky punch.
Aiko stands up worrying and was about to teleport to tend to her son but Eleanna stops her by holding her arm. She shakes her head and raises her other hand. A servant blows a horn. The demigods retreated to their pavilion.
Covered in mud, Dany stands up and groans in pain. He looks at where Eleanna and his mother are. Sniffling, he tries to contain himself from crying. With his freshly-summoned water, he cleans himself and goes to the pavilion.
“I'm sorry, Mom,” he says, getting embraced by her.
“You did good, my son.”
“Lady Aiko,” says Eleanna. “please don't treat him like a weak boy.”
She lets go of him and bows at Eleanna before saying, “With due respect, my lady, it's my job to worry about my own son.”
“I'm not saying you should worry. I said that you must treat him as a warrior that can stand up on his feet.” Eleanna looks at the boy. “Isn't that right, Dany?”
“Yes, my lady,” he bows. “I'm a warrior. A warrior that can stand on his own to protect others.”
“See?” she asks, looking at Aiko.
Later that night, Aiko is sleeping in the same room as her son. He's very exhausted and looks like he could sleep until the next sundown. She keeps brushing his hair with her hand and looking at his face.
“Don't worry, Dany,” she whispers. “Mom's gonna be always by your side.” Then kisses him on the forehead.
As they always do at the start of every day in Asgard, Aiko prepares her son for another day of his training. She's kneeling as she fits him in his armor. It's late in the morning but not late enough for his training. He had plenty of sleep but not enough. His muscles are sore and he's trying to look strong for his mother. No matter how he tries, a mother can see through it.
“Don't push yourself too hard, okay?” she says, foxing his armor.
“But Lady Eleanna said I must... So that I'll become strong like Father.”
“It's okay to be weak, my son. You're still a child. You should be out there playing with other kids. Training to become strong can wait.”
“But Lady Eleanna said we don't have time to play because—”
“Shh,” she shushes him, putting her finger on his lips. “All I wanted is the best for you. I'm your mother and everything I do is for you. Do you understand?”
He sighs, looking down before saying, “Yes.”
She hugs him and stands up. “Alright, let's go to Lady Eleanna.”
They leave and walk into the halls of the palace. A lot of deities and demigods are paying their respects to her and her son. It took nearly ten minutes until they have arrived at Eleanna's office.
“Good morning, Lady Eleanna,” both of them bow as they stand in front of her desk.
Eleanna is busy checking the papers at a ridiculous speed but quietly. “One moment,” she says. After a minute or so, she's finished. She sighs before saying, “That was quite a lot. Alright,” she nods, standing up from her seat. “let's go to the library, Danny.”
“Oh,” says Aiko. “I thought today is combat training like in the sched—”
“Well, I changed my mind. I need to educate him on a lot of things.” She narrows her eyes at Aiko.
“As you wish, my lady,” Aiko bows. “I'll change him first then I'll bring him back to you as soon as we're done.”
“No, it's fine. He has to get used to wearing armor all the time like all of us do. A warrior must be prepared at all times. So, Lady Aiko, you can proceed to your duties in the palace. Meanwhile, I'll look after your son for the rest of the day.”
Aiko is hesitant for the moment. She's about to say something but the face Eleanna is suggesting that she should just shut up and do what she says.
Bowing, Aiko says, “If that's what you want, my lady.”
“Thank you for understanding, Lady Aiko.”
Dany looks at her mother as she smiles at him, telling him that it's fine. “Do well, my son,” are the last words she says before turning to leave through the door.
It's when she's already out of sight that she puts on a face of sorrow. She feels like she's not his son's mother anymore because, for a long time, they've been together.
In the library, scholars of different fields educate the young God of the Sea. The lessons they teach him are advanced. He's doing all he can to catch up but it drains him so much to the point he felt dizzy just when lunch came about.
“Alright, that's enough,” says Eleanna. “Let's have lunch.”
Dany smiles in relief. Not a moment later, the servants brought chairs and a foldable table covered with a white blanket. The servants with carts full of dishes, food, and beverages roll into the library. Eleanna and Dany don't have to do anything but sit on the chair and let the servants serve them. Dany is new to this so he's quite shy. He's hesitating to eat the beef stew right in front of him.
“Go on,” she says.
So, he takes the fork and knife. Right before he could touch the food, he's already swallowing. The steam of the food is rising to be inhaled by his nose. He has never smelled nor seen this kind of food before. He takes a bite from it and his eyes widen. After that first bite, he craves more.
Eleanna notices how fast he's eating. She says, “Slow down or you'll—”
Then he desperately needs water. There's already a fruit juice in a glass beside his plate. He uses his power, controlling the liquid to his mouth.
- Writer
