Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Three

Water

I could tell the pendant meant a lot to Alex just as I could tell Aileen felt hurt and useless to do anything but watch as her friend gave up the one thing she still had of her parents.

At some point, in the beginning, I had thought Aileen and Alex were sisters, genuine sisters. They might not look a lot like each other, just the hair and skin tone, but the way they seemed to know what the other one was feeling or thinking shocked me very much. I had only read of twins being able to do that and even then, I still had my doubts. But with Aileen and Alex, it was different, much more than just a mere read of eyes.

Interrupting my thoughts, Kalani yelped and grabbed onto my arm as the boat moved from side to side after a ripple of water passed under us. I looked at her, feeling slightly uncomfortable when Aileen was sitting in front of me and could see everything.

"Sorry," she murmured as she quickly placed her arms on her lap.

I didn't say anything as I felt a lingering gaze on my head, and when I looked up, I saw Aileen's fiery eyes boring into me and Kalani. She quickly turned away and kept her attention on the journey ahead.

Charon had gotten us midway towards the other side as he hummed under his breath. I couldn't decipher the tune, but something about it seemed familiar.

"So, kids. What are you doing here?" Charon asked as he looked at us with a curious gleam in his eyes.

"We were sent here," I said, just as Aileen said, "I'm coming home."

She blushed and quickly turned away as if embarrassed to have said that out loud.

Charon chuckled and nodded his head. "This has always been my home too. My mother, Nyx, sent me here as a peace offering with the Underworld King. Since then, I have spent most of my time in this river. At first, I thought it was gloomy and lonely, and I tried to get out of it as much as I could, even have kids of my own, but I always came back. There's something about these dark waters that calls to me," the old man explained.

"Do you have to help a lot of souls cross every day?" I asked and Charon scoffed.

"I'd say. I'll probably have someone waiting for me as soon as I drop you off. It's a nasty job sometimes, but I do enjoy it," he said with a smile as silence fell over us.

We didn't say anything the rest of the way. Mason and Alex were still wrapped in each other's arms in the back of the boat while Aileen tried very hard to avoid any contact with me. Kalani, on the other hand, didn't seem to want to lose sight of me. I had a feeling she wasn't hitting it off with the rest of the group after the scene they had witnessed when they reached us, but I really didn't want to play babysitter. Much less anything that could look wrong in Aileen's eyes.

I had meant to talk to her after she had given me the serum, but she had rushed off so quickly that I couldn't reach her when I followed after her. And when she came back, it was clear that the last thing she wanted to do was to talk when we still had to get to the Underworld. Even so, I made up my mind to pull her to the side to talk at the first chance that I could.

"Here we are, children," Charon murmured as the shore came into view. On it, I could see the dark sand that ended further up as it turned to dirt and a thick, dark forest appeared in front of us with no clear path as to where we were supposed to be headed.

Aileen let out a sigh of relief and was quickly on her feet as she walked towards the other side of the boat where we were supposed to hop off.

Taking out my compass, I opened it to see where we were supposed to go next. My eyebrows furred together when I realized that the arrow wasn't pointing anywhere in particular. In fact, it was spinning on its own axis and the picture on the lid was still the one of the Underworld's castle.

"Um, Aileen," I said and she turned to me. "I think you should come and see this."

She walked towards me and slowly looked down into the compass. Her confused expression mimicked mine as she thought about what it meant.

"Sir, Charon," I began as I got to my feet when the boat came to a stop. "My compass isn't working. Do you know which way the castle is located?"

Charon grinned in amusement and shook his head. "I have never put a foot inside that castle, boy. It's only for guests and souls who seek judgement. But you don't need directions, you have all you need, right there," he said as he pointed past me.

At first, I thought he was pointing to the compass and I was about to tell him that it wasn't working, but then Aileen looked up and her eyes widened.

"She's the master's daughter, which means, she's your ticket to getting into the castle. If she is who she says she is, then it won't be a problem, but if she's lying... well then, you're in a bit of trouble yourselves," Charon said with a peal of slight laughter before shaking his head. "Now, I must be going, so please step out of my boat. More souls need my services," he said after a moment.

As soon as the words left his mouth, all of us got out of the boat and stood at the edge of the shore as the boat floated away, out of sight.

Gulping, I turned to face the others and realized Aileen was already walking away. Cursing to myself, I pointed to her and everyone quickly moved to catch up.

Aileen seemed to be in a trance as she walked with her hands, one over the other as they held the compass in front of her chest. Her eyes looked hollow as she moved forward and she didn't say anything when we reached her.

"Aileen?" Mason asked in confusion, but she didn't answer. She was too caught up in something else to notice our distance.

"Just follow her, I think she knows what she's doing," I said and everyone shared an uneasy look before nodding their heads and stepping forward.

We didn't say anything as Aileen took the lead and kept her pace consistent. It didn't take long before the five of us reached a gate and I almost choked on my breath when I saw it.

In front of us was what looked like a neverending gate that extended to all sides. At arm's reach were two double doors encrusted with precious gems of all colors and sizes. Big red diamonds were placed on the center of each door and the golden door handles gleamed under the dark light of the Underworld.

A shiver ran down my spine as Aileen walked towards it without a care. She didn't care about what she would find on the other side nor about the consequences of opening that door.

Her fingers reached for the doorknob and slowly twisted it open before she pushed it open. I held my breath as I prepared for the worst. My fingers were already moving towards my blade in my pocket, expecting an attack.

But nothing happened.

As soon as Aileen opened the door, a strong breeze flew past us and it was as if Aileen had been awakened by it. She turned to us with a confused expression on her face and then back at the door. "When did we get here?" She asked in confusion.

Mason was quickly by her side, taking her arm in his hands and closing his eyes to see if there was anything wrong with her. After a second, he opened his eyes and shook his head. "She's fine. I think her instincts took over," Mason said without taking his eyes off his cousin.

Aileen looked at him as if he were mad but she didn't say anything. Instead, she turned towards the door and walked closer to it.

On the other side, I could see that the dark forest we had been walking through had disappeared and there was now a field with many flowers and a path from the door that disappeared over a hill.

She walked through and everyone watched her stiffly as they waited for her sign of approval. "All clear," Aileen said with a sly smile as she motioned for us to walk through.

"I'll take the back, just in case," I said and no one contradicted me as they rushed to the other side where it looked much safer than the dark forest we had been walking through.

Once everyone had stepped to the other side, I walked through the door and closed it behind me. I had a feeling that it was closed for a reason. To keep something out.

Or maybe, to keep something in, the thought crossed my mind, making me shudder, but I quickly pushed it away.

"What now?" Alex murmured slowly.

Aileen shrugged and followed the path with her eyes, "I'm guessing this path leads to the castle."

"You're guessing, or you know?" Kalani said tightly, making me stiffen.

"I hope," was all Aileen responded as she continued walking.

We reached the top of the hill a couple of minutes later and Aileen inhaled sharply as she stopped. Quickly, I made my way to the front to see what was wrong and my eyes widened when I saw a black carriage embodied with gems and with red curtains on it. A short man was standing in front of the door, his tall hat made him look shorter than he was and as soon as he saw us, he straightened his suit and pulled out his gloved hand to open the door of the carriage.

"Miss Aileen, we have been expecting you," the man said kindly as he bowed at the Princess of the Underworld.

The black horses that were standing still in front of the carriage neighed and Aileen quickly stepped forward. I was about to grab her arm to tell her we needed to be careful, but she was already reaching the chauffeur with a nervous smile on her face.

"Where are you going to be taking us?" She asked slowly.

The chauffeur smiled and nodded towards the path. "I am merely here to spare you some time. Your father felt your presence in his realm and he is eager to see you, child. He sent me here to find you and take you to him straightaway," the man said kindly and Aileen's eyes gleamed as she turned to us and nodded her head.

"Let's go, we'll be fine," she said before stepping into the carriage and the others followed after her.

I hesitated for a moment as I considered continuing on foot, but I knew it was best to stick together, no matter where we were headed. So with a sigh, I pushed myself forward and got into the carriage.

Alex, Aileen, and Mason were sitting on one side while Kalani had an empty seat next to her. I sat down, and soon, we were on our way.

I couldn't stop looking at Aileen and at the way her eyes seemed to gleam. Her excitement was obvious as much as her nervousness, but she was happier than I had seen her in a long time. I felt my heart tighten when she realized I was looking at her and her smile instantly faded. She turned away and looked outside the window and remained quiet the whole way to the castle while I watched her with pained eyes and a hollow feeling inside my chest.

After what felt like hours, the horses began to slow their pace and my eyes widened when a couple of gates appeared in front of the carriage. They were open for us to pass through and soon, we stopped in front of what appeared to be a dark-stone castle, the same one that had appeared in my compass.

We had arrived to the heart of the Underworld.