As he wandered deeper into Tartarus, Ginrius began to understand why he was the best envoy for it. The prison was as infernal as the legends that surrounded it, and barring its tormented residents, it was apparent how a fire G.o.d would feel right at home there. Hades wasn"t bossing him around in his home turf, he was simply being practical.The architecture employed a lot, if not all concepts dreaded by the living. The constant twilight was born of the firestorm that raged eternal, alongside volleys of burning bodies supplied by the Underworld. Valleys and crags were of white-hot igneous, laced by magma that sprawled into rivers, waterfalls, and even a central lake where the d.a.m.ned drowned. The rest of the complements were either fiery or pointed, including its fauna of misplaced foliage. Even the G.o.d Apollo would sweat his b.a.l.l.s off in this region, and that guy literally walked on sunshine.
Still not keen of the welcome, Ginrius hurried down the winding steps of perdition. Fire G.o.d or not, he knew that the sooner he was out of there, the better. The last thing he needed was a reminder of his destination if Zeus ever got the best of him, and on that note, finding the Erinye helpdesk improved his chances. If he could mobilize them, and then get one as guide to the right prison cells, his work was as good as done.
Fortunately, the wardens weren"t very hard to find. They were everywhere, and they stood out with their dominatrix armor, wings, and crowning protrusions. Ginrius singled out the least busy—least hostile—of the bunch, who managed the line of the d.a.m.ned with the least amount of spear thrusts.
"Excuse me," the G.o.dsmith called out in approach.
The Erinye poked one last soul before giving him attention. She wasn"t the least bit surprised at seeing an Olympian, much less amused of it. "What do you want, new G.o.dsmith?" she said bitterly, before turning away to resume her duties.
The reception made it all even more awkward, but Ginrius knew the urgency of the matter, and he was not in the mood to tolerate att.i.tude. He proceeded with increased volume—and tone. "Lord Hades requests your presence in the Underworld."
"Really now?" she wheeled around to reply in kind. The irritable warden looked even more terrifying now, with her wings spread out and her eyes tilted beyond comfort. Much more, her spear had now abandoned its quarry and was held at neutral stance before Ginrius. The rest of Erinyes gave the G.o.d p.r.i.c.kly homage as well.
Ginrius looked around and fought the urge to fidget. Instead, he clasped his hammer at the ready. "Really, yes," he said without falter.
"Under what circ.u.mstance?"
"Under the circ.u.mstance that Zeus threatens the entire domain."
That last line shifted the mood completely. While the Erinyes didn"t quite drop the hostility, it has now found a new mark, something apparently way more threatening than a G.o.dsmith and his puny hammer. One of them sounded a horn so loudly, it probably reached the farthest corners of Tartarus, all while the rest formed two strict files and redirected towards the egress.
In the following moments, the burning skies were blotted by darkness as hundreds of other Erinyes flew out to join their comrades. The impressive, winged army of Tartarus then started marching off to battle without a second"s notice.
Ginrius hurried to catch up with their acting commander, who turned out to be the same Erinye he spoke with earlier. "Wait! I"m going to need at least one of you to guide me."
"Guide you for what, G.o.dsmith?" she said, again showing the least bit of concern.
"I"ve also been tasked to mobilize some of the t.i.tans. A guide to their cells would make this easier."
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Mentioning the t.i.tans seemed to have struck Erinye nerve, at least for a moment, before it became just another curious afterthought. "Forgive us, G.o.dsmith," she replied. "But if the threat is the G.o.d of G.o.ds himself, there is simply no room for us to spare. Our ranks are spread thinly enough between the vanguard and the staying wardens."
He was disappointed and ready to argue, but Ginrius knew she was on point. Defending the Underworld would be pointless, if all heck broke loose in Tartarus and stabbed them in the back. Minea"s well-being must come before him, and for that, he was willing to risk everything.
"Hephaestus visited the Tartarus periodically—to check the integrity of his bindings," the Erinye continued. "If you search his memory, I am certain you will find your way." After that last comment, she flew away with her brethren to the upper floor, leaving him nothing but gust and sooth.
Ginrius watched as the armada swarmed the exit like a plague, filled at least with some hope for a more favorable outcome. Again left to his devices, he tried to reconnect with the previous G.o.dsmith"s memories, homing in on its deeper pa.s.sages about Tartarus" layout.
It seemed that his luck had finally run out. Hephaestus hated the place enough to forego most of its images. And it didn"t help that his visits were also decades apart.