Chapter 28

“Are you lost?” inquired the God Of Death after finally getting irritated of the soul’s constant walking.

“Yes. Where am I?”

“Welcome to The Underworld,” said Thanatos, who touches its name on his parchment. "You must be...hmmmm...very surprised at what you see here," he continued. As he touches the name, he sees in his head all the details about the soul.

“Actually, I am. You said I am in The Underworld?”

“Yes. The land of the dead. What is your name?”

“Uhhh. I am...John. John Isaacs.”

“Yes, of course,” said the god with a grin of someone who just knew a secret. Thanatos is a benevolent god despite being from The Underworld. However, the one thing he detests mostly is lying and not being trustworthy. Besides, there is no point lying in Hell, especially to him.

“How did you die?” asked Thanatos, still testing if the soul will lie further.

“Died? Uhhh. I was poisoned, yes. My family did it, so they can inherit my fortune. That is what happened,” replied the soul.

“Why? Are you a rich man, uhhhh, what is your name again?” asked the god again. He pretends that he forgot the name, as he looks at the soul with contempt.

“It's John Isaacs. Yes, I was rich. I helped a lot of people, and my family envied me for it. That is why they killed me, so they can take what I've worked hard for,” answered it without a break in his voice despite all of it being untrue. "How about you, who are you?" it continued, not knowing it is a god he is talking to.

“I am Thanatos, the God Of Death.”

The soul goes silent. The guilt of lying through his teeth before a deity weighed down on him like a strong gravity of some great heavenly body. To feel at ease, he told himself, "Nah, he is only the God Of Death, he can't possibly know if I am lying or not."

“It must be very unfortunate that your own kin murdered you, Supanat, just to get your fortune,” Thanatos said as he continues to touch the name.

Upon hearing the name that Thanatos said, the soul felt uneasy. He wants to respond but can't form the right sentence.

“Oh, apologies. Your name is John Isaacs. I mistook you for someone else,” responded Thanatos while looking at the soul.

“Yes. My name is John Isaacs. Yes.”

Thanatos looks away at it. He finds Charon slowly approaching the banks where they are waiting.

Charon welcomes Thanatos to his boat as soon as he stops. The soul approaches as well but The Ferryman rebukes him and blocks its way with his paddle.

“Let him in, Charon,” said Thanatos. Charon did not say anything in reply and moves away his paddle so the soul can get in.

“Let's go to Phlegethon first,” announced Thanatos as Charon starts rowing away from Cocytus.

“Aren’t you going to the other gates, my lord?” asked Charon.

“Hmmm, nothing registered yet on my list from the other gates, so let’s go to Phlegethon first.” Thanatos answered.

“As you wish, Lord Thanatos.”

The Ferryman pilots his boat with such finesse that his passengers are completely relaxed. The boat itself is enchanted in that it can withstand the harsh conditions of all the rivers: it doesn’t chip away despite the high salinity level of the waters from Cocytus, and it can certainly bear the burning waters of Phlegethon. It, too, has an invisible field that prevents souls trapped in the water of the rivers to come and board the boat while it is moving.

“You can stop here. This will not take long” said Thanatos when they reach the center of Phlegethon. The sound of the roaring fires in the water terrifies the soul in the boat.

“Did you really think you can lie to me, Supanat?” asked Thanatos in a cold and terrifying voice.

“Wwwhaat…aaarrree…yyy,” said Supanat, stuttering in fright.

“Your name is Supanat Arnanth. You were celebrating with other criminals when you drowned in the sea. You did illicit activities when you were alive,” narrated The God Of Death calmly, without looking at any notes or reference, as he is stares Supanat in the eye. “Among the things you did is being an illegal logger, who destroys nature in any way. By doing so, you offended a good friend of mine – Artemis,” he continued. His hands crossed in his chest, embracing his shiny sickle and with his black wings outspread.

“I…I di…,”

“Do you know what I do to liars, Charon?” Thanatos asked. The Ferryman, who is silent at the back of the boat, looks at Supanat, not with mercy, but as if to say to him “I hope you’re ready for what’s next.”

“What, Lord Thanatos?”

“I take them here for a swim,” replied the god. Supanat, weak with fear, suddenly dropped to his knees.

“Fffffooorrgiv…,” said Supanat, mustering all his courage to speak and beseech the god for forgiveness. He moves towards Thanatos on bended knee and with his hands clasped together. However, The God Of Death did not answer. Instead, the god’s eyes turn black. At once, Supanat’s mouth disappears and becomes plain skin that is part of his face. With a flap of his wings, Thanatos lets out a strong gust, throwing Supanat off the boat. At the instant he lands on the water of Phlegethon, Supanat feels as if he is being burned in a furnace, but without a physical form to burn. It was pure pain – an everlasting torment. He wants to scream, but he cannot as he not only lost his mouth but also his voice. He swims to Charon’s boat to try and get back, but the field on it pushes him away. Thanatos flaps his wings again, and a stronger wind pushes the soul to end of the river, just a few meters away from the entrance to Tartarus.

“Let’s go to the Gate of Shades,” said Thanatos afterwards. His eyes are back to normal as he folds his wings again.

“Yes sire,” Charon replied. He circles his way back, past the Stygian Marsh and Acheron, and parks at a small skirt of land in Avernos – The Lake Of The Dead. “Do you have souls to attend to here, my lord? The bank is empty.” asked Charon as Thanatos alights his boat.

“One. A Psychopomp is on its way to get him from the Human World.”