Chapter 6

The next morning, the first thing I did after waking up was call Thanatos to inform him about the call I'd received the night before. Though I was leery of both men, something told me that I could trust Thanatos a hell of a lot more than I could Azrael; that he had my best interest at heart.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line was husky and heavy with sleep. It was also deeper than his already deep voice, something I wouldn't have thought possible.

I mentally cursed, having not meant to wake the man up. "Thanatos?" I spoke cautiously.

"Yeah," a soft groan escaped him."Who's calling?"

"It's Andy. Sorry to wake you."

"Andy?" He must've been trying to get his thoughts together and remember who I was. "No. No, don't apologize. I gave you my number to call me. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. I um… The guy from The Memitim, Azrael, called me last night."

"What did he say?"

"He threatened me. Said if I didn't join them, it would be back for me and those close to me."

"Text me your address. I'm going to send Charon over there to get you," he sounded more alert, as if what I'd told him woke him up completely.

"You don't need to-"

"I'm taking the day off from the office. We're going to keep you safe. I promise." He cut me off; his tone let me know that there was no room for protest.

"Okay."

"I'll see you when you get here. Okay?"

"Yeah. See you soon."

With that, he hung up. I stared at my phone after the call was disconnected and sighed. I texted him my address, then decided to go about my day, as usual, to keep myself busy until Charon arrived.

After what felt like an eternity but, in fact, had only been a couple of hours, there was a knock on the door. I frowned and stared at the only barrier that protected the outside world from me. Could it be Charon on the other side? Or was it one of The Memitim? I jumped slightly when another knock sounded while I was staring.

Pulling up the security camera feed on my phone, I frowned when I saw the woman I'd bumped into on the street the day before.

'Who are you? What do you want?' I sent the message to the display screen on the doorbell. The small chime caught the dark-eyed woman's attention, and she scanned the words.

"I'm Charon. Thanatos said you'd be expecting me. I'm here to gather you and your belonging. Seems you have some safety concerns and could use some help," the woman said in a friendly tone, holding up a work badge with her picture and name on it to the camera.

I swallowed audibly and opened the door for Charon. I had no way to tell if she was lying or not, but I had to take that risk. What other options were available to me?

I shook the question lightly from my head and stepped aside, allowing the other woman to walk into the house. I had to trust that she was telling the truth about being with Thanatos and that her badge wasn't a fake.

Charon looked around the living room as she walked in and smiled when she turned to face me. "Hey, Andy. Nice to see you again."

"H-hey." I quickly closed the door and shoved my hands into my pockets. Using my voice… I was still trying to get used to it.

"So, let's gather your mobile, laptop, and anything you think you might need for a weekend getaway."

"A weekend getaway?"

"Yeah. You're gonna be staying with the boss while I check your devices and try to track down the guy that's been contacting you. You can come back here when I'm done if you want. We wouldn't want you leaving your place forever if you don't want to."

"Oh. Um… you guys aren't trying to trick me into joining you or anything. Are you?"

"What?"

"It just seems kinda weird that after I talk to Thanatos, I start getting phone calls."

"Did you give your number to anyone in our building?"

"No," I shook my head. "I just gave my personal email to Hel so Thanatos could send me the $700, but that's the only personal information I gave out while there."

"Then we have no way of contacting you by phone. Nor do we have a number to give out to anyone to call you. And even if we did have your number, we wouldn't give that information to anyone. We don't do things like that, Andy. Thanatos really does want to help you. We all do. That's why I'm here to get you. The Memitim are no joke. They're dangerous people."

More dangerous than a group of people that lose track of kids for twenty plus years…? I thought to myself.

Biting back my snide remark as it popped up in my head, I hesitated a moment before nodding. I wasn't sure what it was about this woman and Thanatos, but I felt like I could trust them.

We grabbed my belongings and left the house. I locked the door before following Charon down the porch steps and to a black hearse. The sight of it caused me to freeze in my tracks.

Charon raised an eyebrow and nodded her head towards the vehicle. I sighed heavily, got in on the passenger's side, and put on my seat belt.

"A hearse?" I waited until Charon got in the car and closed the door to question her.

"I think it's fitting, seeing as how I send souls that want to rest in the afterlife across the River Styx."

I nodded slightly and stared out the window as Charon started driving down the street. Somehow her explanation didn't sound as if she needed to be taken to a psych hospital for inpatient services. Maybe there was a part of me that believed all this stuff was real.

"How long have you been with The Ferrymen?" I inquired after we'd been driving for about an hour.

"Since I was a baby. Thanatos took me when I was a newborn and raised me. Hades trained me, though."

So there was a time when they weren't losing track of kids. I thought bitterly. "Wow. How long ago was that?"

"A little over 600 years ago."

"W-what?" I looked at her incredulously. Thanatos had told me that Reapers stopped aging once they got their scythes, but it was still hard to believe this woman was over 600 years old.

"Yup. I completed my training and got my scythe on my 25th birthday. So, I get to be 25 until I'm ready to retire."

"Whoa. So you have an actual scythe?"

"Well, mine is more of a pole similar to the one the original Charon used when he ferried souls across the river. Even though we call them scythes, they're not all actual scythes. It's kind of a misnomer. Thanatos uses a bow and arrow, for example."

"A bow and arrow?"

"Yeah. And his receptionist, Hel, uses a sickle."

I let out a breath and slumped in my seat. While the information was minimal, it still held great weight.

"I know. It's confusing and weird."

"Where do you keep them when they aren't in use?"

"Mine is a pendant on my necklace. Thanatos' is a tattoo. Hel's is one of the hundreds of charms on her bracelet. When they aren't activated, they are hidden as everyday objects that no one would think twice about."

"Is the security guard, Frank, a Ferrymen too?"

"Yeah. Everyone who works in the building is a member of The Ferrymen."

"I see." I remained silent for the rest of the ride, processing the information I was just given. Maybe I was missing something important about the whole reaper thing after all…