24 AD

"That's it, you worthless flying shit, come and get me."

Helix's taunt was followed by an ear-splitting roar. As the shadow beasts mouth opened wide, Helix could see three rows of razor-sharp teeth and to his horror a glowing mass of flame, rising quickly up its throat.

Time blurred as Helix leaped to the right, rolling to avoid the heat storm that descended where he had been standing a moment prior. Keeping a close eye on the beast, Helix ran for the high ground.

Since Ares had changed him, Helix had known he had become much faster, but now he discovered just how fast. The underworld blurred as he ran from the fell beast. Still as fast as he was, the flying hellion was only just behind him. Flame erupted overhead, to his right and then to his left as Helix darted, ducked and swerved to avoid the inferno.

Focused as he was Helix failed to notice the cliff edge until it was too late. Crying out he plummeted into a chasm so dark and deep he could not see the bottom. His body shifted unbiddenly, the sharp pain was over almost before Helix realized what had happened. Still falling he looked up as bright gouts of flame cascaded ahead of the flying monster.

Heat licked at his pelt, sulfur filled his nostrils and eyes causing Helix to cough but to his surprise, the flames overshot him as the beast turned, flapping its massive wings and rising away. His joy at being alive was cut short as he hit something firm but buoyant. Bouncing wildly Helix tried to grab the strange ground. His paws slid without purchase. After a few such bounces, he finally came to a stop panting heavily.

Taking a deep breath he looked around. Even his sharp wolfs eyes could see only a few feet in any direction. With a heavy sigh, he looked up. There was no visible light. In fact, he realized there was no light and no sounds save his own. Swallowing his panic he forced himself to think.

The scent of mildew and mushrooms surrounded him. Sniffing the air Helix decided to follow his last remaining sense. After all, didn't dogs follow their noses?

After some random walking Helix found a faint scent of ash and sulfur. To his great relief, he also discovered that he was not actually on the ground. The strange, bouncy, surface turned out to be the top of a very large fungus. When he finally did make it to the ground Helix was pleased to find that the scent of flame led up a steep path carved into the cliff wall. He was not sure cliff was the right term. It was clearly the side of the chasm but the surface was smooth as polished glass. Each step was carefully chosen as he continued to follow his nose.

While he had no way to tell time, Helix was fairly certain the climb had taken the better part of a day. When he stepped back onto the surface he breathed a sigh of relief. Searching the sky he listened carefully, not hearing or seeing the creature. He wanted nothing more than to lay down and nap. His muscles hurt and exhaustion threatened to overtake him. Shaking his whole body in a very wolf-like manner, he set off up the road toward the fire lit sky.

Step after step, hour after long hour Helix walked. His steps began to slow as he realized that although he had not stopped walking, the distant glow was growing no closer. In fact, nothing had changed. Disorientation hit Helix in a rush as he looked behind him and saw the same stone he'd grabbed to pull himself out of the dark valley.

"Damn it." Exhausted, Helix sat panting slightly.

"It, is such a non-descript word. 'It' could be anything. But, you for certain are damned. Can't say anything about 'it' though."

Helix head snapped toward the voice as he came to his feet. What he saw made him bare his teeth in revulsion. While the voice had been female in nature the creature it belonged to was so unusual that he could not tell anything of its gender. It stood on six short legs shaped something like backward cat feet,  its body was a hairless milky white, a long serpentine tail coiled behind, but the head of the beast was the worst, humanoid after a fashion, with a mouth split both horizontal and vertical with two bright orange chips for eyes.

"What the fuck are you?"

"Fuck? What is this word?"

Helix blinked, the creature's mouth revealed more sharp, needlepoint teeth than he could count and a long narrow tongue, "What are you?"

"What are you? Dog? No. You do not smell of dog. Man? No. Too much hair and you walk like the pawed ones." It tilted its head this way and that studying him. "What are you?"

"I am Helix."

"Helix? What an odd thing to call something."

"No, Helix is my name I am a..." Helix thought a moment, what exactly was he?

The creature let out a hissing laugh, "It does not know what it is! Perhaps you are the 'It'?  No matter. I am Azag, the demon of the depth."

Helix fought the urge to start snarling and instead asked, "I need to get to Cruciatus, could you show me the way?"

"But of course! For a price." Azag scurried up onto a nearby stone.

"Price?"

"Everything comes at a price!"

Helix did not care for the tone of the creature. It sounded far too pleased with itself. "What is your price then?"

"You must trade to me something which cannot be bought, a thing without price, but of high value. For this, I will guide you to Lord Hades."

"I suppose it's my soul you want. And if I decide to go it alone?" The wolf already knew the answer before Azag answered.

"Few escape the doldrums of The Valley of the Shadow of Death." Tail twitching and eyes glinting, Azag chortled, "But you can always try."

Helix looked toward the fire far ahead as he thought about his options and what he could give the demon. An idea came to him then, a dangerous foolhardy idea. "Would you take a secret?"

Azag stood a bit taller, "Is it a good secret? Ooo or a bad one?"

"Oh no. I will give you the secret only if you swear to lead me safely through hell to Hade's fortress."

The demon stepped from the rock, standing mere inches from Helix. While Helix was taller even in his wolf form, Azag's nearness was unsettling.

"If this secret is priceless and I can use it, then I will lead you safely to the gates of Cruciatus" It paused, before continuing, "I swear."

The last two words settled into Helix's bones. It was a deep knowledge that Azag was bound by his word as surely as if he was chained.

"If it is not all that, I will eat your soul and leave you not but an empty hair husk." The demon's face peeled back as it spoke revealing more of its terrifying needle teeth.

"Alright," Helix paused for his own effect, "But, I feel like if the stakes are so high then to make it fair if my secret is priceless, I should be owed a favor which I can call in at any time, for any reason."

Azag studied Helix for a long moment. "You are a tricky one. But I think you overextend yourself. If it is a favor I can grant then you have a deal, so swear I."

Helix flashed his teeth, "Agreed." Leaning closer to Azag in spite of his revulsion he whispered, "My secret is this, I am going to kill Zeus and you are going to help me."

The air shuddered with an unseen power as the wolf spoke. Azag recoiled hissing loudly.  "What is this! What are you? The foul god of lighting cannot be killed! Yet..." The demon studied him, "Your secret rings true."

"Take me to Hades, Azag."

The demon shuddered as Helix spoke its name. "Very well. Follow."

Stepping past the wolf, Azag led him to the roadside then forced him to climb through a narrow hole into the earth. Pulling himself up through the hole Helix found himself right where he started next to the road, but this time the fire was brighter and perhaps closer.

"This way."

The demon started off at a quick trot which Helix easily matched. Periodically Azag would glance his way than speed up. Each time Helix matched it with little effort until both were flying up the road at a blindly fast run. Exhilaration filled the wolf in-spite of the circumstances. His paws flew across the bone, rock and ash-strewn ground. Releasing a howl as he passed Azag by a few meters. The demon slid to a stop staring after him.

Realizing he was running alone, Helix leaped and spun back to Azag's side.

"I do not see a fortress."

Azag's head tilted as his fire eyes blinked, "I know not what you are, but I have met no one since my spawning like you. You are fast. Too fast. You are smart. Too smart. You say truly you can kill a god." The demon shook its head, "I am tempted, so tempted to ask a favor of you."

Helix's tail twitched in interest, as his stomach tightened in concern at the creature's words. "Oh? What kind of favor?"

"I am but a lesser demon. Still, I have some small powers. If I was to give not just my favor but my loyalty to you, to help you in your wishes, would you take me back with you into the mortal realm for at least a day?" Longing dripped from every word the demon spoke in its strange disembodied voice.

"What makes you think I could do that? And why?"

Dropping its gaze to the ground a shudder went through Azag's body, "You came here alive. You do not fear death and seem to know you can go back alive. As for why I have reasons."

Snorting Helix started walking back up the road, "No, I don't think so."

"I wish only a day!" Azag leaped before him, blocking his path. "A day to find my true form. I was not always like this!"

"You're what?"

"I went afoul of my superiors and was punished with this hideous body. Punished to lurk in the blackness of the underworld. Even this firelight hurts my eyes something fierce. It was not always so. My true form is entombed in stone in the mortal's world. If I have a day I can find it. I know I can."

Helix leaned away from the demon, "I will consider it. If you ever get me to Cruciatus like you already agreed."

Azag stiffened, "We are almost there. First the fire."

The demon led him at a much more reserved pace the rest of the way. It did not take long before they stepped onto a wide road, paved entirely in glinting gold. Helix started slightly as a skeletal man brushed past him struggling up the road toward the flames. Then he saw more people walking toward the road from various directions.

"Who are they?"

"The damned. They won't bother us."

Helix watched as another passed, paying him no attention, "Where are they going?"

"They seek their heart desire. To get to it they must pass through the flames. None pass without Hades permission. Still, they try."

Azag started off again.

"What happens to them at the fire?"

"They burn."

As they followed the road, Helix first noticed the smell of ash increase. Next, he realized the fire was getting closer and just ahead it met the golden road. Then there was the damned, walking silently into the flames one by one. 

"Since you are not dead I do not know how this will affect you," Azag said as Helix crouched to avoid the searing heat. "But this is the only way to Cruciatus."

"I know." Taking a breath Helix stood up and stepped into the fire. It was terribly hot causing him to instantly pant. Yet he did not burn. A few quick steps brought him out and up onto a gold platform. Off one side swirled the flames, on the other was a narrow lake of glowing green liquid. A tall thin figure in black robes stood on a raft gently bobbing next to the platform.

"The boatman?"

"But of course," Azag answered, giving Helix another long assessing stare. "You need not worry about payment. He will give you passage as my guest."

The demon strode to the craft and stepped aboard. Helix followed slightly slower. Once fully aboard the boatman lifted his hand's palms down. With the motion, the raft lurched forward, moving surprisingly swift across the green water.

Looking over the side Helix saw the closed-eyed faces of thousands of people. It was eerie. As he stared one of the faces opened its eyes and looked back. The wolf recoiled from the edge to sit in the center of the raft.

The boatman chuckled a low dark laugh. "I rarely transport living passengers. Doubt you will last long though."

Helix looked into his shadowy face, devoid of eyes or any kind of shape, "What do you want to bet?"

***

Hade's fortress, Cruciatus, rose high into the black, starless, void of the above fire, sky. The only light came from the castle windows and gargoyle torches burning to either side of the massive gates.

The demon tilted its head, "The gates as promised."

"So it is." Helix stepped forward, rose up on his hind feet and pushed the doors with his massive paws.

The world imploded and exploded in a rush of color and sensation. There was a violent pulling, similar to the feeling Helix had felt when standing in the Fate but so much stronger. Visions, flickering as if viewed through water swam before him.

"F-father? Eslein?" Helix stuttered as a man and woman materialized in the shifting scene.

The man's hard eyes flicked to him, "You look less like my son and more like a worthless, stupid dog."

Helix felt a sharp jab in his heart at his father's words, a feeling only made worse as the woman hissed in a breath and said, "You are him, the one my sister must kill to free me."

The blurred vision ripped as if being torn like cloth. Through the rip another familiar face appeared, this one more solid than the others.

"Helix? You'll catch your death standing out here talking with rambling spirits." Hades smirked at his own joke, "Won't you please come inside?"

Everything had moved so fast Helix could only nod and follow his mind reeling with information, suspicion and a cold grieving fear.