in Tartarus, locked away forever by Zeus.
But Hades made a bargain with them.
Freedom from Tartarus in exchange
for their guardianship of his palace.
They swore an oath to him by Styx’s waters.
If they caught you…
no one knew what happened.
There were no survivors
to tell that tale.
A Dangerous Idea
But even the stories of the Gods in Grey
did not deter me or cause me any fear.
When your fear is an existential threat
like the Olympians, or madness from
never being able to rescue either
of your parents, other fears seem
trivial before it.
I filled a big flask with nectar.
I put together a bag of simples,
the few herbs and flowers that
I had managed to turn into
something useful. I added
the map I had been creating.
And then began to consider Cerberus,
the guardian of the gate.
I could take him some game,
but I knew his skill at smelling
intention. It was his preternatural power
to be able to tell the purpose
of every visitor to the Underworld.
