Vampire Greek: The Burning King

“I brought the Oracle to Elysium not too long ago, but she wouldn’t answer any questions I asked her. It’s unnatural for Delphi to stay with the host after death.It seemed to have bonded with her soul. She glowed green like a beacon of light, and wouldn’t speak at all.”

“Oh, Can I go to Elysium, please?” asked one of the shadow men.

“Your life was worthless. You’ll be heading to Asphodel.” Charon replied. “And it’s not my choice to make. Your soul will go wherever it deems it should. If you can already tell where you’re going you can stay with me to be judged. The latter is not the best option, believe me.”

“You seem kind of mean.” said Caitlyn.

“Child, you have no clue how mean I can be.”

“At least we know Delphi is still with the host. Now we need to find out why.” Willa replied.

“You’ve died before,” said Charon. “I can sense it. What made you worthy of becoming a goddess?”

“I.. I don’t talk about it. Itt happened when I was young, and it was very traumatic-”

“Silence.” Charon interrupted. “I’ve already stopped caring.”

Willa and Caitlyn sat huddled together in front of Charon while the dead stayed on the far end of the boat out of fear. They finally reach land and Charon pulled his pole out of the water. He outstretched his dark skeletal arm and pointed towards the caves.

“Go. I can’t tell you which one you are supposed to go to, your soul will lead you to the right place. You two,” he pointed at Willa and Caitlyn. “Stay with me.”

One by one the shadow people exited the boat, while some exchanged nervous glances with Willa. As they approached the caves their forms started to glow and they disappeared as they entered the cave. This continued until there was only one shadow left, and he didn’t seem very eager to make a decision.

“What are you waiting for?” Charon growled.

“I’m trying to figure out which one is Elysium.” The man explained. “Most people went to the left one, but most people are average, so that can’t be Elysium. On the other hand, the lady that walked into the right one was very snobby and stuck up, there’s no way she’d get into Elysium.”

“If you don’t decide in the next five seconds I’ll throw half of you in this river and give the other half to Cerberus.” Charon demanded.

“Okay fine!” The man replied, holding up his arms and walking towards the left one. “I’m going, I’m going.” Finally, he turned into a small burst of light and vanished.

“Elysium is on the right. Delphi shouldn’t be too difficult to find.” Charon motioned for them to get off the boat.

“Wait, we have our own personal quest as well. We were the last to receive prophecies from Delphi. I was told to see my mother, who is down here somewhere because of Zeus, and Caitlyn was told to see her father.” Caitlyn grabbed Willa’s hand and smiled.

“And why is her father here?” Charon asked, his face cracking into a smile. He knew.

“It’s not important. What is important is that we find them quickly and continue on with our quest.” Willa replied, dodging the question.

“You make it sound so easy. Are you certain you’ll be able to leave them again?” Charon reached into a bag and pulled out two silver coins. The girls both nodded mutely while he handed them the coins.

“These are special coins. They’re worthless and meaningless, like everything is, but I have given them a temporary purpose. They will serve as a guide to your loved ones in Asphodel. One side will get hotter the closer you get to them. You will have to split up, the coins will get confused if they are in close proximity to each other. Do you understand?”

“We do.” Willa and Caitlyn replied. They looked at each other and smiled because they said it in unison.

“Then go already!” He snapped, pushing his boat away from the shore. “I have a job to do.”

Caitlyn and Willa turned to the cave that led to Asphodel.

“How long do you think it will take to find them?” Caitlyn asked Willa.

“I don’t know. It shouldn’t take too long because of these, but remember, this has to be brief. We can hug, talk a little and say proper goodbyes but we need to find the Oracle too.”

Caitlyn nodded. “I won’t waste time.”

They grabbed each other’s hand and walked through the cave together, the darkness being replaced by a warm orange light that caught them off guard. Willa blinked but kept moving forward until she bumped into a dozen people, all with puzzled looks on their faces.

“Newly dead?” An old woman asked them.

“Um… yeah. Yeah we just came through this little cave and...” Willa turned to point at the cave entrance but it was gone. The only thing behind her was more people. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of people. Caitlyn’s hand squeezed Willa’s and she turned back around.

“Excuse us.” She said politely as possible while pulling Caitlyn away. She looked around for an open area but there weren’t any close by, so she bent down to speak to Caitlyn.

“Are you alright?” Willa asked her. Bending down

“I’m okay, but look at my coin!” Caitlin held the coin flat, showing one end. She slowly turned it around and the edge began to glow bright orange. “I gotta go this way to find my dad.” She told Willa. Willa looked at her own coin and raised it up high, turning around like she was looking for a signal. The edge turned orange and grew very hot. Willa stared at it closely and she could see steam rising from the end.

“Let’s try to meet close to here in a few minutes okay?” Willa asked Caitlyn as she moved her hair out of her face. She nodded and they hugged each other tightly before turning around and facing the huge crowd of people. Willa watched Caitlyn until she disappeared into the crowd with her head down, staring intently at the coin.