The Heart of War Chapter 5: Pulp Fiction

By now the dreams where much stronger, the sky still fell and yet it all was different. Now there was a voice calling at me, begging to be heard but I refused. Never on purpose. Until one night when I heard it, “Please, Oracle Child, listen and help. We are at war and I fear we will not win. I need you to collect everyone. We have lost contact and I am not even sure that you can hear this. All I need you to do is find who ever you can- mythical- and bring them. Hurry he is almost here, lastly, protector you must save us from them. For, Ayx, it is-“ The voice was cut off before I could hear the rest. Despite his desperation I ignored the voices pleading and continued on as if nothing had changed.

I was on the verge of insanity so I went to see if my favourite cryptic trees felt like shedding some light. “All I ask is that you help me know what is happening.” I pleaded the large group, Aretha stood forward, “Before you find out if we help, you must figure out if you will.” The spirts left a new group of trees in their place.

There are many times I thank my grandfather of being paranoid this day was one of those. I was sitting in a forest on the outskirts of town when a girl slightly younger than me ran into the clearing out of breath. She looked behind her and, seeming relived, sighed and sat. I took this time to study the girl, her jet black, emerald green hair was pulled into a side braid, her bright green eyes were constantly darting around and her hand was clutching a charm on her necklace like she was afraid it would disappear at any moment. She moved in the blink of an eye, her hair suddenly down and her dress transferred into a shirt, I cleared my throat as softly trying not to scare her. It didn’t work, she jumped “Sorry, I was just wondering what’s wrong?” She looked at me for a while before answering “That you know, war child, I am Dysis the daughter of Pandora. I was told I was needed, for what, that could be many things. I’m never notified of the important stuff.”

“If you are who you say you are then why am I to trust you?” I tilted my head, a sure sign of my confusion, how was I to trust someone who was born of one so deceitful? “Do and you stop everything, don’t and well, it doesn’t happen.” I turned to her, pissed as hell, “Who are you to say what I am and am not doing. That is my choice, so Dysis, no I don’t nor will I ever trust you.” The word trust was sneered as if it hurt to say.

For weeks I treated Dysis like the plague, if ever she was near, I was never there for long. One day it seemed like she had enough, “Okay, I don’t care who my mum is. You don’t trust me because you don’t trust.” I tried to stare at her defiantly, she saw through me, “You hurt so much that you don’t remember how it feels not to. The cold is no longer painful, its refreshing, the feel of an ice pack against a bruise. You lock it all in a box, don’t speak of it, don’t feel it, it didn’t happen. When you want to trust someone a voice tells you that they’ll hurt you more than you hurt before. If you ever even close to think about it you can’t breathe so it becomes a story to you, a story that makes you remember, makes you cry, so you don’t. So you get tough or you look tough, fast, but you were young you didn’t know what was happening just that it hurt and you didn’t like it.” I stifled a tear at the truth in her words, she glared at me, “So yeah my mums why you don’t trust me. Listen I don’t care you’ll deal and I’ll help so shut up and pay attention.”
I reluctantly sat “So your grandfather decided that he’d reincarnate mum because ‘something’ might go wrong. She fell in love and, well, I happened. Your granddaddy knew you don’t trust well so he took away the deceitful heart and replaced it with this straightforwardness then changed the lying tongue and made it so that I could never lie. But hey for all you know, I’m lying right now. Just know I’m not and I don’t care.”

“So what do I have to do?” Dysis looked at me annoyed, “Come on, your very thick, have you ever asked yourself why the creatures only visit at certain times?” I thought it over, still oblivious, “No its happened a lot there was that time with Cherry and that time …” “With Cherise. So why? Oh and this one is fun, why does she look so familiar?” “She’s just a human, and she just looks like my mother.” She laughed “Think about it girly, bye.” Dysis left quickly.

Okay, its not that big a deal, she’s just been there the one time it happened and friends with a nymph. A nymph! That’s it. I thought to myself.

“Aretha, friend of mine, spirt of the forest I call you here.” A breeze whipped through the trees and the girl appeared, “What is this of? Your sister perhaps?” I looked up at her alarmed “What is it? What’s wrong with Harmonia?” The nymph barely looked up from the flowers she had sat in, “Oh not that sister.” She then realized a mistake “I don’t have another sister.” ‘Oh and this one is fun, why does she look so familiar?’ I stared at Aretha and she diverted her eyes, “Are you speaking of Cherise?” her silence spoke volumes “I must go.” I left almost as suddenly as the brunette had arrived.

Hey Cherise guess what? You’re my sister!

No that's not right.

Hey Cher, well I found out my mum slept with your dad!

Not that either.

Well my mums a goddess and your dad fell for her then you happened.

No.

Um... I found out that you’re my sister and what's more you’re a half-blood

Maybe. Let's try it.

I phoned my sister, hard to think of her as such, and asked her to meet me in the forest. When she arrived I spoke quickly "Hey, Cherise? Well, um, I think you should know that your, um, mysister." the final important word where rushed and I saw that she did not understand me. I started again "Cher, your my sister." she laughed, "Your kidding right?" she saw my seriousness "Oh. Thats different."

I quickly dragged her to my hide-away, “That’s not all. Come here.” I took her to my photo wall, “Meet the family.” I pointed to a picture of Apollo playing his lyre, Zeus standing proudly at the top of the table announcing for us to dance as Dionysus drank merrily in the corner. “That’s my uncle Apollo, my grandfather Zeus and my uncle Dionysus.” I turned to the next, Artemis hunting as Hermes and I sat planning a prank. “My aunt, Apollo’s twin, Artemis my uncle Hermes and myself.” A flash of recognition shone on Cherise’s face as I turned to the last picture I would show her. This one had a caption ‘The Plot Sucks But These Killings Are Gorgeous’. “My holiday with my great-uncle and his wife, Hades and Persephone.” Cherry looked hesitant, “Where’d you holiday?” “Tartarus.”

“So you expect me to believe we’re siblings, that’s ok maybe a little weird but ok, then you expect me to trust you when you say that either Hades and Zeus are old and wearing it well or your, our, family are a bunch of gods

Traveling to Tartarus and Back

“Yes it would be cool” the two main characters were discussing the outcome of the election and how it could turn out if they decided. “Make it happen for me?” Bobifer asked his friend, Lilith-Roze, “Can’t don't got the pixie dust on me” “Oh” Bobby said as he handed Lilith the pixie dust. She took one look at it before stating, “This will never do.” He then gave her 20 kilos of pure, undiluted pixie dust “We must have it blessed” “TO MADAGASCAR!” “Not Madagascar, why there?” Our questionably male hero sighed, “The lemurs have to bless it” “No this is a different kind of blessing “oh? What must we do?” Lilith then spoke in her most evil voice, which being the daughter of the devil meant it was pretty evil, “we must travel to the under world were we will find what we are searching for, once there WE MAY TAKE OVER THE WORLD” she laughed evilly then coughed. “LET’S GO! Which car shall we take?” “The r8 with the extra boot space” “awesome!” “So are we off?” “Yeah, let's go!” And so the pair set off on a journey to the underworld in their R8 with the extra boot space, they packed their suitcases of raspberry cordial, erroneous amounts of chocolate and season 4 of supernatural and entered the volcano, plunging deep into the depths of the earth.

There they found the entrance to Tartarus the entrance was elaborate and golden. They needed to find a way in. bobby handed Lilith the spanner. “Yay a spanner!” “Find a way in, Lilith! “ “How about I do this? Oi Hades I'm back LET ME IN!” the door opened with a resounding -squeak-. The pair entered the passageway and came to a surprising sight “took you long enough now how’s Perseph? Wait that’s not Hades” Hades runs, and the pair turned to see three giant slides, each with a different symbol above them “what is THAT?” The mighty god who had apparently ran away said, "Those are the pathways of Tartarus. One leads to the city, another to a lava pit and the last to the underworld. No one, not even I, know which is the right path. The symbols keep changing.” The symbols were a square, a circle and a watermelon “watermelon” So they dived down the watermelon path. Down and down the spiral, slippery slide they slid they then landed in the city. "Lilith, you picked the wrong path... ooh, watermelons!" and he ran to the stand “I'm sorry but hey that explains the watermelons,” “guess the symbols aren't as cryptic as they seem. So, how're we getting to the underworld?” “ Um how bout I try something?” "DO IT” "Oh goddess of the night, lord of the under world and Persephone, bringer of flowers I ask you to lead me through the night with a trail of flowers to the home of the god of the dead” she opened one eye "that work?”

A whirlwind of black and purple consumes our heroes as it transports them down to the underworld "yeah, yeah I think so” “no one ever tries the easy way first do they?” the pair set off in separate directions "Oi asshat do you even know where were going?” "I’m going to candy mountain, Lilith. Candy mountain” "Fuck, it’s gotten to him all ready. No bobby candy mountain is this way." she led the drugged on Tartarus air boy away bobby, in a state of delusion, sings his favourite song "TAKE ME AWAY! MILLION MILES AWAY FROM HERE!" Lilith knocks him out "Thank the gods" she then followed the flower trail to a large house inside of the large house were the blessed ones.

However, all doors were locked and out side stood a large three-headed dog "LOOK AT THE PRETTY PUPPY!" squealed bobby in his delusional state "Hey Ceb, I’ve missed you. You want your ball sweetie? Well go get it" Lilith removed the beast with practiced grace and walked up the steps a freshly knocked out bobby leaning on her sholder Lilith knocked on the door, expecting a reply. However, there was none to be heard. "Hell, Perseph, let me in we need to find Hec." with that Lilith banged again the door then collapsed due to Lilith’s enormous strength. The whole house was empty. "Peculiar..." noted Lilith as she looked around. Soon, the light reflected off of a small child in the corner... he looked slightly frog-like..."I see Hecate’s been here." She glanced around "HECATE GET HERE NOW!" a women appeared out of nowhere and stroked the frog-like child's head lightly "hey, hey Hecate’s! What... what's your pet's name?" said bobby to the scary person. "Stefan, and he's my SON!" the house bellowed "Oh bobs shouldn't have done that" Lilith hugged the glaring women "Hey Hecs we need some help but first." she turned to the cowering boy "Bobby this is Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and her son Stefan, hey Hecs remind me how'd that happen?” "Well... let's just say I one day I went to the pond and. I don't want to talk about it. Anyway, what help do you need?” “A blessing, hey Bobby you explain.” "We... we need... a blessing on some pixie dust. God knows why" -hiccup- "Not in the presence of a goddess Bobby, and I think it was to control the out come of the parliment." “Indeed it was. Control of the parliament via pixie dust. Can you help us sir madam sir hecates?" the goddess' hands began glowing "That would All mighty Hecate to you mortal." "Hey, hey calm down Hecs he didn't mean it he’s just flustered in the presence of a gorgeous Goddess such as yourself" the goddess in question easily calmed and nodded "excuse me, I think I need to lie down" and with that, bobby passed out on the ground whilst Stefan laughed "Hey steffy boy." The seeming friend of every god laughed before punching the child, "So what do you think Hecs can you help?” "Of course" and with that, Julia Gillard’s red hair actually caught fire in accordance with its colour and tony Abbott’s Speedos started shrinking so much that he was writhing with pain on the ground. "Brilliant, so I'll see ya later Hecs?" the goddess nodded "What you think you could get us a portal back to the car?” "Of course, but I want to punish bobby first" "how so?" "He has to go on a playdate with Stefan" "DEAL!" and with that, Lilith got transported to the surface in a green uproar

"So do you want to pick some one to get cursed or what?" the frog like boy asked "I... I get to curse someone? Well, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to curse Cerberus..." Stefan snapped his fingers a yell echoed through the portal "No hurting the Ceb!" but it was too late. The doggy had died. Four figures then appeared the first a cloaked man who had seemingly found his way home, the second his wife holding a basket of flowers, the third a witch queen that scared almost all in that room and the last a mortal girl in chorus they yelled "NO HURTING THE CEB!" Stefan began eating the flesh of the poor animal as bobby hid in the corner. He was safe in the shadows "Oh no your not, hey Hec two things, a) get your son to stop eating Ceb and b) help me with a spell?” "Er, sure. What spell?” "Hec an animal died what spell do ya think." the goddess looked embarrassed "Oh that one." the two stood each placed one hand on the beast the other grasped together an ancient language was spoken and the beast rose barking loudly "oh god!" screamed bobby and Stefan in unison. "TO THE SURFACE!" and they started running up a staircase "Don't think this is over Bobifer!" "IT SO IS!" *jumps off cliff* "PROTECT ME LAVA” "Burn him." Hecate and Lilith spoke in chorus “WATER SHIELD ACTIVATE!" yelled bobby, 25 meters from the ground. Then something magical happened… To Be Continued