Chapter 3051: The Mercury Chronicles (48)

Dick and Jason both felt a headache coming on, but they had no other choice, so they decided to take it one step at a time. They resolved to launch a sneak attack and knock the three-headed dog unconscious; while still a bit violent, their intention was to help the Olympian gods, so they assumed Hades wouldn't hold it against them.

Of course, this was mainly because they had a father who was a high-ranking archangel in Heaven; they wouldn't be afraid even if the lawsuit reached God Himself, so they felt quite emboldened.

Even so, they had to make the necessary preparations. Most of the magical items here had been looted or destroyed, but they managed to pick out a few usable ones under Faust's guidance. Then, before sunset, they arrived at the Samaritan Gorge.

They didn't even need to wait for sunset; as the sky darkened, a massive black Underworld gate shimmered into existence. The deathly aura leaking from within was so potent that almost every living creature in the entire gorge had fled.

They carefully waded through the brush and made their way up along the stream. When the last glimmer of twilight was swallowed by the dark, the towering black gate truly descended before them.

"Are you afraid?" Dick asked, looking at Raven.

Raven didn't know if Trigon could stand up to Hades, but she shook her head, smiled at Dick, and said, "I'm not afraid."

Dick smiled back at her.

The newly formed teenage team became a few inconspicuous black specks before the massive Underworld gate, vanishing into the thick, death-choked black mist. The realm of the dead welcomed a few more uninvited guests.

As soon as they stepped through the gate, the group was stunned by the sight before them. This wasn't the vast, lifeless plain they had imagined, but an endless field of wheat.

Although the sky was dim and the clouds hung low like the precursor to a storm, the wheat ears shimmered with a golden light, adorning the place like a golden ocean.

"How is this..." Dick said, puzzled.

"This is the Queen of the Underworld's back garden. Persephone is the Goddess of Grain, and wheat is her symbol—her favorite flower. This wheat field has existed for thousands of years, forever in this state of harvest," the toad Faust explained. He was indeed an expert in this field; he had an explanation for everything.

"It's quite unique." Jason seemed moved, gazing out at the field, but Faust quickly interrupted him. "Alright, kid, now isn't the time for that. That big dog will surely be here soon..."

"What is this?!" Jason suddenly retracted his foot. He looked at the mud clinging to his shoe; it was very moist and a deep, dark red.

He crouched down, pinched a bit of the soil, sniffed it, and stood up with a grave expression as he looked into the distance.

"Blood..."

Jason's words sent a chill down everyone's spines. Raven gripped Dick's hand tightly, but the wheat stalks, taller than a person, blocked their view, and they couldn't see a thing.

"Should I fly up and take a look?" Raven asked.

Asha stopped her. "I'll fly up in my true form. The Light-entity's true form is just a mass of energy; even if it gets attacked, it won't be hurt."

With that, she transformed into a Parallax-like entity about the size of a human, floated up, and peered into the distance.

Then, she swooped down, covering her mouth in disbelief. Her eyes widened as she looked at them, and she pointed in a direction, whispering, "There's a corpse over there."

"What kind of corpse?"

"The corpse of the three-headed dog!"

The group hurried over, and after running a few steps, they saw the mountain-sized corpse of Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound, which had breathed its last.

Faust the toad hopped out of Fiona's hand and onto the corpse, hopping twice before saying in disbelief, "How is this possible? Someone dared to kill Hades' pet?! And right here on his own turf???"

"Well, at least we don't have to deal with it now." Jason stepped forward to examine the body.

"Normally, killing a three-headed dog requires blowing up all three heads, but this corpse had its heart ripped out directly. It's hard to imagine what kind of person could withstand the attacks of three heads and rip its heart out."

But soon, Jason looked puzzled. "No, wait. That's not the dog's blood."

Asha clearly noticed it too. "The dog's blood didn't flow that far, and the color is much darker."

The others looked around and found that the three-headed hellhound had indeed bled quite a bit, staining a patch of ground black, but it hadn't spread further. Moreover, the dried blood was a standard black rather than dark red, which didn't match the color of the mud they had seen earlier.

Asha flew up to check again, but other than the corpse, she saw nothing. The bad news was that the Underworld gate was no longer visible either.

This was a maze. Jason turned around and stared through the gaps in the wheat stalks; there was no way out, only layer upon layer of more wheat.

"Follow the blood," Jason said. "Follow me."

The others followed him, Jason stepping heavily into the blood-red mud, pushing aside the wheat stalks as he walked forward.

Suddenly, a massive silhouette appeared on the horizon.

They quickened their pace, the mud becoming softer and wetter, the smell of blood constantly filling their noses.

Jason pushed aside the final layer of wheat stalks.

Before their eyes stood a massive wooden stake planted in the blood-red earth, and upon it hung an equally massive female corpse, blood constantly streaming from its eye sockets, staining the entire land red.

Faust the toad let out a shriek.

"Persephone, Queen of the Underworld!!!!!"

Everyone was shocked. Fiona gripped the toad in her hand and said, "What did you say?! This is the Queen of the Underworld's corpse??"

Faust seemed too shocked to speak, while Jason circled the stake to inspect the body. Although the corpse had been enlarged, he could tell the fatal wound was a hole in the chest.

After a long while, Faust finally spoke: "The Queen of the Underworld is dead, yet not a whisper of news has leaked out. Could it be..."

He paused, his voice growing anxious. "Quick, get to the River Styx! We must reach the palace of the Lord of the Underworld as soon as possible; we cannot let Circe succeed!"

At this moment, the ground beneath their feet began to soften, turning into a muddy vortex. Everyone began to sink.

The descent was faster than they had imagined. Before anyone could react, they felt themselves hit the ground.

They appeared on a riverbank. A rushing, torrential river lay before them. It didn't look as mysterious or beautiful as described in myths; one look told them that falling in meant certain death.

"How did you get across last time?" Dick asked, looking at Faust the toad.

"I bribed Charon, the ferryman of the Styx, of course. For a single silver coin, he would ferry a soul across. I gave him 20 coins, and he even gave me a bottle of Styx water."

"So you didn't steal it?" Fiona asked.

"I'd have to be insane to reach my hand into the Styx!" Faust retorted. "Do you know how many vengeful souls are buried beneath this? If you dare reach your hand out of the boat, they'll drag you down!"

"Where did you get so many silver coins?" Dick narrowed his eyes.

"The Greeks put a silver coin in the mouths of the dead. Some poor souls never reached the river to use them." Faust spoke vaguely, but everyone could tell he had likely been grave-robbing. Being turned into a toad was Circe doing the public a favor.

"Where is the ferryman now?"

"I don't know. Usually, he comes whenever something reaches the riverbank..." The toad looked left and right. Not only was the ferryman gone, but the souls that usually drifted back and forth were nowhere to be seen.

"How do we get across now?" Dick asked. "Can we fly over the river?"

"Better not try," Faust shook his head. "Without a boat of the Underworld, you cannot cross the Styx. The anger and fear of countless vengeful souls will devour every soul."

"Fear?" Asha's eyes rolled. She walked forward two steps, looked down at the riverbank, and her mouth began to water.

"We're here to save the gods; it wouldn't be too much to have a meal, would it?" Asha looked at Dick. Dick already knew what she wanted to do and nodded helplessly.

Asha dove in headfirst.

Because the Styx water wasn't transparent, no one knew what was happening beneath the surface. They only heard *crunch, crunch*, and then the water gradually returned to a calm state. The faint wailing and screaming that had been in their ears vanished.

Asha climbed back up, wiped her mouth, let out a burp, and looked at the calm river, satisfied. "Environmental cleanup has been quite effective. *Burp! *"

Faust's toad eyes widened in shock. Seeing Asha's glowing fangs, he shivered and pulled his head back into Fiona's hand.

Raven tested the air and found they could fly, so she simply used her magical power to carry everyone across.

Upon landing, they found themselves on a vast plain. According to Faust, this was the Fields of Truth, also known as the Asphodel Meadows. To the left lay Tartarus, to the right the Elysian Fields, and straight ahead lay the palace of Hades, Lord of the Underworld.

The destination of the Young Avengers lay right there.

But first, they were greeted by another ruin. The judgment platform used for weighing the sins of souls had been smashed by something, and the judge who should have been there was nowhere to be found, leaving only a mess behind.

Faust clicked his tongue, offering no further explanation, and they walked toward the distant palace.

Arriving before Hades' magnificent palace, the group realized the palace gates had been smashed directly. On the fragments were several terrifying claw marks, which didn't look like something a witch could make, though it was hard to say what monsters she might have brought with her.

They stepped over the debris and entered the main hall of the palace. The once solemn and majestic hall had been destroyed beyond recognition.

The further they went, the more they felt that the traces of destruction were too wild; it didn't look like something a witch could have done.

Finally, they saw Hades slumped on his throne.

This once infinitely powerful Lord of the Underworld had lost his head, and his burly body, clad in black armor, had lost all its power, turning cold and stiff.

On his chest was another massive claw mark.

"What is going on here?" Dick stared at the corpse and then looked at Faust. "You said Circe stole the key to the Underworld gate, but this clearly wasn't done by that witch."

Faust seemed to have realized something. He remained silent for a long time before saying, "It might not have been her personally. Perhaps she utilized..."

"Utilized what?"

"The secrets of the ancient gods," Faust whispered. "Last time I came to the Underworld, I inadvertently learned the darkest secret of the gods—Zeus and Hera's first son, their eldest, was imprisoned in the deepest part of the Underworld because of a prophecy of usurpation."

"You mean Circe released Zeus's eldest son? He could actually kill Hades?!"

"Yes. He possesses the purest King of Gods bloodline and is nearly invincible," Faust sighed heavily. "If he has truly been released, the Olympian gods are likely doomed."