The Forest Gods' Reign [Published]

Chapter 29: A War of Words...and Other Stuff

Long chapter...hope you like it :)

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I lost track of time as I raced through the forest as fast as I could; all I could think about were different strategies I could use down in the Underworld. I knew I was gong to be at a disadvantage, having never been down there before, and so I had to do everything perfectly if I was going to help Alec and Hermes get Demeter, Persephone, and Cole out of the Underworld alive. The entire war could be lost or won with this unannounced visit, so I wasn't about to go down there without a plan in mind. That would have been quite stupid of me, to tell the truth.

Sighing, I tried to ignore all the prayers of the soldiers that had started echoing through my head again, and I wondered if they knew how annoying and distracting it was to the other gods and I. But at the same time, I knew the first generations of the Greek gods had been even more annoyed because they did have thousands of people worshipping them back then, not just one or two hundred spread thin around the world.

Speaking of past generations, this was only the second time in history that Athena was wearing the helm of invisibility, and this was going to be the very first time that Athena ventured into the Underworld, as far as I knew. I had not had any visions or memories of my past lives doing anything like what I was about to do. Normally only Hermes, the messenger, could travel between the different realms of the gods, though I figured the war gave me probable cause.

I shook my head; now was not the time to be pondering over past generations. Concentrate, Athena, I told myself.

When I reached the giant, cave-like boulder where the rest of the gods and I had first come face-to-face with Hades, I slowed to a stop and glanced around, surprised that Hades didn't have any monsters guarding that particular entrance to his realm. It was a big mistake on his part. But perhaps all of the monsters were down guarding his prisoners, or they were wreaking havoc on my tired troops around the forest. I didn't really like either of those ideas.

So, staying as quiet as possible just in case there really was a monster lurking around somewhere nearby, I strode up to boulder, feeling its cool, rough surface as I tried to find a trigger that would open the entrance. I was frowning to myself, just beginning to get frustrated, when I stepped on a fallen branch, and it cracked, opening a dark hole beneath me. I squealed as I felt my stomach drop, but then I cringed when I hit the hard Earth not a second later. Apparently I had only fallen a few feet underground, although I was now covered in reddish-brown dirt.

I squinted my eyes as I studied my surroundings, but I couldn't see much. In front of me, an earthy staircase descended into the blackness below, but besides that, I was walled in. I took a deep breath, wishing I had brought a flashlight, and then I placed down my own helmet, spear and shield, keeping the helm of invisibility on my head. Shivering from the cold air, I slowly began to strip off my shoes, along with all of my clothes, which were soaking wet from the rain and dripping all over the ground, and they became visible again once they were off of me. After all, I couldn't sneak into the palace very well if I was leaving a trail of water behind me and making weird squishing noises in my wet boots.

It took a few long minutes for me to wring out my clothes while I self-consciously kept a close eye and ear out for monsters, but I knew my efforts would be worth it. Once I had re-dressed, I started to put on my shoes again but stopped when I realized that they were still full of water. I then made the executive decision to leave my shoes there and go barefoot, since I couldn't risk being heard by anyone or anything in the palace, and I didn't have time to wait hours for them to dry out. I even left my armor and shield behind to avoid dealing with the loud noise of clanging metal, and so I would also be able to move more freely. I just hoped that I wouldn't accidentally step on anything sharp on my way down to Hades, and that I wouldn't get into a bloody battle later on down there.