The ferryman who carried her across the River Styx was the quietest being Catherine had ever seen. His tattered black garments barely covered his modesty, leaving the rest of his thin, pale body exposed. Charon, the ferryman, rowed slowly, his completely black eyes fixed on nothing. When they finally crossed the river, Catherine paid him with five obols.
She ventured deeper into the underworld, her hand resting on the steel sword at her waist. Sweat poured beneath her silver armor and red woolen tunic. Under the steel helmet, Catherine felt her brown hair becoming damp from perspiration. She was anxious because she knew that at any moment she would encounter Cerberus, the underworld's guard dog, and she would have to face him to enter Hades' realm.
As she walked on the black rocks, she felt a tremor in the ground, and soon after, she saw him: a gigantic three-headed dog. His eyes were completely white, and his hot breath could be felt from a distance. His tail was a greenish snake, and his black fur exuded the smell of sulfur.
Catherine's heart raced. The warrior drew her sword and took a battle stance. Cerberus did not seem intimidated; he looked at the small creature threatening him and approached slowly. Catherine's heart pounded even harder as the dog got closer. She was ready to attack when Cerberus lowered his three heads, raised his hindquarters, and started wagging his snake-like tail. This unexpected reaction left Catherine confused, and a small smile formed on her face.
The warrior still didn't know whether to attack the underworld's guard dog or pet one of his heads. Cerberus stuck out the tongue of the middle head, while the other two panted. Catherine sheathed her sword again and picked up a fist-sized stone she had seen on the ground, then threw it to Cerberus, who eagerly ran to fetch the rock.
Even though she didn't fully understand what was happening, Catherine ran in the opposite direction, heading straight for the cave leading to the underworld. When she was halfway there, she felt the ground tremble again and, looking back, saw Cerberus running towards her with the stone in his mouth. The warrior ran even faster and managed to enter the cave before the dog could catch up. Outside, she could hear Cerberus whining, probably eager to play some more.
She walked for over an hour inside the cave until she reached a fork in the path. Between the two passages stood a massive reddish-colored rock. Catherine sat down to rest.
She removed her helmet, and sweat trickled from her face down to her neck. Her hand rested on the sword at her waist, and she took a deep breath. While resting, Catherine tried to decide which path to take. She knew that one would lead to the Elysian Fields, a paradise in the underworld where virtuous humans rested after death. The other would lead to the Asphodel Meadows, where the souls of irrelevant humans wandered, the most crowded place in the underworld. She knew that to reach Hades' Palace, she had to take the path through the Asphodel Meadows, but how could she know which of the two paths was the right one?
Kneeling on the ground, right at the intersection of the two roads, she placed her hands on the ground. She needed to use her inherited powers to find out which way to go. As a daughter of Hades, Catherine had inherited some of his abilities, and this could help her determine the correct path.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated, trying to calm her mind as much as possible so that her body could correctly interpret the vibrations of that place. That's when she realized. From her right hand, she felt immense joy, a feeling so good it was almost impossible to ignore. Her body almost begged her to follow in that direction. On the other hand, from her left hand, she felt nothing. It was as if there was nothing there.
Catherine opened her eyes, stood up, and put her helmet back on. As much as her irrational and emotional side inclined her to take the right path, she chose the left. The warrior knew that all the joy emanating from the right path could only come from the Elysian Fields. The complete lack of feelings coming from the left was characteristic of the Asphodel Meadows, where all the insignificant souls wandered for eternity.
A few minutes of walking later, she found herself in the midst of a crowd of souls. Some had expressionless faces and stared into nothingness; others had no faces at all. Their features had been erased just as their lives had been completely forgotten.
With every soul she touched, it was as if part of her energy was drained away. She didn't even know how long she had been among the forgotten. Time seemed to lose its significance; it could have been minutes, hours, months, or even years. There was no way to tell.
Catherine felt despair wash over her as she began to forget why she was there. She tried to force herself to remember, but her mind seemed to empty more and more. Gradually, she started to forget even her own name and the features of her own face.
Desperate, she removed her helmet and looked at her reflection in it. The image was not clear, but it was enough to anchor her to something familiar. Catherine took a deep breath and stared at her reflection until she remembered her name.
"I am Catherine," she repeated to herself. "Daughter of Hades, the God of the Underworld, and Polixena, the Trojan princess whom the hero Achilles fell in love with and who was murdered by Neoptolemus on top of the hero's tomb a few days after giving birth. I came to the Underworld to kill my father, who raped her and then abandoned her while she was pregnant, not even bothering to protect her during the sacking of Troy." The warrior repeated these words to keep her memories alive as she crossed the sea of souls. She repeated this hundreds of times until she finally reached the other side.
She looked back and saw those millions of forgotten souls wandering for eternity once again. Catherine put her helmet back on and continued on her way.
She walked for several more hours until she spotted Hades' Palace. It was a massive structure with walls of black rock, located on a floating island hovering above the Tartarus, where evil humans were sent to be tortured for eternity. Catherine felt close to exacting her revenge, close to confronting her father and making him pay for what happened to her mother. She just needed to figure out how to get to the palace.
She approached the edge and saw Tartarus far below. She could see rivers of lava and souls being tormented by creatures working for her father. A naked woman was being whipped by a two-headed monster, and she screamed in pain. Down there, Catherine could see a spiral staircase that led from Tartarus to the floating island where Hades' Palace was. Although it was a path, Catherine didn't want to descend there. She knew it would be impossible to escape Tartarus alive.
She looked around and knew once again that she would need to use the powers inherited from her father to cross. She looked down again and closed her eyes. She concentrated as she raised her hands forward. In Tartarus, the river of lava began to grow restless. The magma slowly rose, creating small lava towers that solidified shortly after, forming a path for Catherine to cross. When the passage was ready, the warrior ran over the newly formed path, aiming to cross as quickly as possible. She ran as fast as she could and leaped to the floating island. She was panting but had made it; all that remained was to enter Hades' Palace and confront him.
She entered the main hall and saw no one. Not even a monster guarded the place. Catherine was relieved that she wouldn't have to face anyone other than her father.
"You could have just called me; I would have come to you. There was no need to make this long journey," a voice said. Catherine turned around and saw a man in a black robe, with a necklace of precious stones around his neck and a gold ring on each hand. His skin was completely pale, and his eyes were deep black. His hair was as black as his eyes.
Catherine drew her sword and prepared for battle.
"Do you really think a mortal can kill a god?"
"Is it you? Hades?"
"Yes, of course."
Then, Catherine ran towards Hades, screaming, and tried to strike him with her sword. The god easily dodged and looked at her with a smile.
"I'm proud that you've made it this far. Among all the children I've had with mortals, you're the only one to set foot in this hall."
"You raped her, you didn't help her when she needed it, I'm going to kill you," Catherine shouted and attempted another strike that was easily deflected.
"Forgive my lack of memory, but who was your mother?"
"Polixena, the Trojan princess. You raped her," Catherine yelled.
"I remember her. She summoned me and asked that I arrange a final meeting between her and her beloved, the late Achilles. Obviously, I had to charge a price. What else could I ask of the most beautiful Trojan than to surrender herself to me? She was happy to consent. I'm delighted to see that this agreement produced such a beautiful, yet fierce, offspring."
"Liar!" Catherine shouted, delivering another strike that was easily parried. "You could have prevented her murder."
Catherine was crying now.
"I'm a just god, and I don't interfere in mortal quarrels. When your mother's soul came to me, I judged her based on her deeds."
"Where is she?"
"The fifth daughter of the King of Troy, a woman who did nothing but arouse Achilles' desire. She seems entirely forgettable and deserving of the Asphodel Meadows."
"What? How could you send her there?"
"Polixena wasn't important enough to deserve Elysium, nor bad enough for Tartarus. Asphodel is the ideal place."
"Damned, I'm going to kill you."
"You won't, dear, you don't have the strength for that. However, there is something you can do to help your mother, if you want, of course."
"What are you talking about?" Catherine was confused.
"I have plans to rule beyond this stinking world full of the dead. I feel that a daughter with your determination and spirit could be a great ally to my purposes if well trained."
"I'll never help you. I hate you," Catherine shouted.
"I don't need your love; I need your sword and for you to learn to use the abilities you inherited from me. Help me with my plan, and the Underworld will be yours, then you'll have the power to rescue your mother from Asphodel."
Catherine thought for a moment. What choice did she have? She certainly couldn't kill Hades; deep down, she had always known that. If she trained with him and grew stronger, she could potentially turn against him in the future. At worst, she would be the princess of the Underworld and could help her mother escape from Asphodel. It was a relatively easy decision to make. She just needed to endure Hades for a few more years until she was strong enough.
"All right, I'll help you if you promise me that I'll be able to get my mother out of that place."
"My dear daughter, we have a deal," replied Hades with a smile.
Junio Salles
