Charon Unguarded (Ferryman Saga Book 1) Page 12

  ‘Di,’ Charon crouched next to him.

  He nodded a greeting. ‘Charon. Quite the to-do you’ve started.’

  ‘I didn’t start it. This would have happened without my help.’

  ‘Does telling yourself that help you sleep at night?’ He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

  ‘Not really. Look, I just passed on a message that Ra decided not to.’

  ‘Fair enough. But have any of you in your ‘infinite wisdom’ stopped to consider the real reason why Ra didn’t pass on that message, other than simply saving his own sorry skin, of course?’

  Charon felt his face fall. He hadn’t considered that Ra might be playing a bigger part than he’d made out. Now it all rushed through his head at once. He’d taken Ra’s position to be mere cowardice rather than subterfuge. ‘Do you think it’s worth trying to tell this lot?’

  ‘What do you think?’ Dionysus scoffed and took another deep swig. Wine dribbled down his chin on to a crumpled white dress shirt that had already seen better days. The yellowing collar was open and a bow-tie hung over one shoulder. He hiccupped. ‘This lot couldn’t see past their own egos if their lives depended on it.’

  ‘Their lives do depend on it. All our lives do.’

  ‘There you go then.’ He hiccupped again. ‘Charon, you’re a great guy, honest to a fault, but you’re still underground where politics are concerned. This is the way of the world.’ He waved his arm in the rough direction of the arguing deities and took another swig.

  ‘That’s rather cynical, don’t you think?!’

  ‘Is it? Sorry.’ Charon wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic, ‘Change is scary, so they’ll carry on doing what’s been tried, even when it’s failing in front of their eyes because it’s familiar and safe. They’ll claim they had to make ‘tough choices’ and that ‘things have always been that way. Even the mortals do it. For years and years, they complained they didn’t have the right leader, then one comes along that seems to finally fits the bill and the first thing they do is try to depose him. Undermined his supporters, slurred the names of party members, all in the name of getting ‘the right man’ in charge of the party.’

  ‘If you’re talking about what I think you are, didn’t he win again with an even bigger majority? I have to admit they have become incredibly creative about how they define democracy.’

  ‘Creative is one word for it.’

  ‘I know you don’t see it, Di, but I just have to believe it’s worth at least trying to be better than this lot. Otherwise what’s the point?’

  ‘There isn’t one. Listen, lad, I’ve been around a damned sight longer than you and one thing I can tell you is that things don’t change. Time and events are circular. They mirror and overlap, humans act, and while details change two things are constant.’

  ‘And they are?’

  ‘Fear and greed. What else, boy? Sometimes it’s weighted more heavily on one side than the other, but they are always there together.’

  Charon just stared ahead. He couldn’t bring himself to agree with all what Dionysus had said but he had a point. The gods were manifested from exaggerated human characteristics. He knew that, as much as any of the others, and no matter how much they liked to pretend they were above it, the gods were no different. Ra claimed he was acting out of fear, but what if it was greed? What did he stand to gain?

  Charon stood. ‘Thanks, Di. You’ve been a great help.’

  ‘Think nothing of it.’

  As he left the still arguing gods, Charon felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was another text message, but instead of another warning to stay away, this time it was a time and date, and an address.

  CHAPTER 19

  The Whispers in the Dark

  The night was bitterly cold and Charon wished dearly that he had worn a thicker jacket. A week had passed since that meeting and, so far, all had been quiet. If he had been able to get hold of Hermes he might have been able to snag a lift, but they had been ordered to stay away from each other. He checked his watch. Two in the morning. He was going to be late. He had been racking his brains all afternoon over what he could have been tipped off about. Would he finally be able to confront the clown who had been messaging him and tell them politely, but very firmly, to bugger off? Unlikely, but he had been given this information for a reason and it didn’t look like the Olympians were prepared to put their differences aside for long enough to see off this crisis.

  As he rounded a corner into an alleyway he heard two voices whispering heatedly in the darkness. He stopped and crouched against the wall behind one of the big green wheelie bins. Thanks to the council’s two-week rubbish collection, it stank. Listening carefully, he thought that one of the voices was familiar. Very familiar.

  ‘I don’t care what you have to do, get him off the case! You said reporting him would get his nose out of this!’

  ‘I thought it would. I underestimated him. How was I to know he’d finally grow a spine?’ the familiar voice whined.

  ‘He’s your friend.’

  This statement piqued Charon’s curiosity enough to peer over the top of the bin. Two figures stood opposite one another under the flickering orange light of a graffiti-covered street lamp. He couldn’t see their faces, but he had a sneaking suspicion that one of them was Hermes. He needed to be certain. Looking around on the ground at his feet, he found an old baked bean tin which hadn’t quite met its target and threw it down the alleyway. It clattered against a bin a few feet away from them. A terrified cat yowled and sped off into the night. The pair stopped talking and turned in his direction.

  Charon felt sick. It was Hermes. He didn’t recognise the other one.

  ‘Hmm, just a cat,’ said the taller one.

  ‘Now he’s played the hero and had a taste of being sent on a fruitless mission he should be happy enough to go—’

  ‘You think so? We have no idea what went on in that forest, and now the dragon is dead we have no way to find out. I have a lot riding on this. If I fail, you fail with me. Odin and his bearded idiots will flay me if I am caught.’

  ‘I didn’t tip him off, Loki. Charon’s having some sort of crisis. Thinks he can play the hero.’

  ‘I know that. Odin only went to Ra because he didn’t know how to contact Zeus but if it hadn’t been for Ra’s clumsy taste for the dramatic, nobody would have been any the wiser. All he had to do was not say anything. But oh no, call a meeting and draw attention to us, then your friend had to eavesdrop and come over all noble.’

  ‘What do you want me to do about it?’

  ‘Find out what he knows, get rid of him, and report back. I’ll be in contact in two days to hand over Idunn’s apples. They’ll need to be delivered straight to Ra. I’ll tell you where to leave them. I can’t get away easily right now. Odin is watching me. He’s always watching me.’ He spat, wiped his mouth and carried on.

  ‘Do I want to know what is special about these apples?’

  ‘Idunn was able to sneak through a cutting from her tree in the crossing. It’s taken her years to finally get it bearing fruit that can replenish the powers of the Aesir. There’s not enough magic here. Who knows if there will be another crop. Ra wants them for himself.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Seriously? Do you not read? The apples are the secret to the Aesir’s strength and vitality. Ra wants them to boost his own power. Plus, it will mean the Aesir won’t have them when the time comes. Ra will be able to boost his power while the Titans and Giants deal with his enemies and rivals for him. He won’t even have to use his own power to flood Midgard.’

  ‘Midgard?’

  ‘Here! This godsawful place of decay, no magic, and no end. Hel’s domain is quite homely by comparison if you ask me. I just want to go home. So do you.’

  ‘But do we have to—’

  ‘This is the price which must be paid. See to it.’ Loki turned and walked away. Once Charon was certain he had gone, he emerged from his hiding place.

  ‘Charon!
What are you doing here?’

  Charon’s face barely moved. His ‘friend’ was going to pretend he was just passing through. Very well. Two can play that game. Rage was building. He needed to find out how much Hermes knew. How deep had the rot set in?

  ‘Just out for a walk. Thought it might clear my head. Jet lag, you know.’ He paused. ‘Why not come back to mine tonight? I have something I need to speak to you about.’

  ‘Your sofa again? I won’t be able to move in the morning but why not. How was the trip?’

  ‘Enlightening.’

  CHAPTER 20

  The Enemy Bares its Teeth

  The kitchen light flickered and buzzed after Charon hit the switch and put the kettle on. His head was reeling and he’d hardly said a word on the way home. Where should he start? He could hardly begin with, ‘Hey, Hermes, when were you thinking about telling me that you and Loki were behind this whole mess?’ He would have to be subtle.

  ‘Coffee?’

  ‘Yeah, go on.’ Hermes flopped down in one of the kitchen chairs and yawned.

  ‘You okay?’

  ‘Just dandy. Why?’

  ‘I just could have sworn I saw someone giving you a hard time. Did you know him?’

  ‘Nothing to worry about. Just a low-life after my phone.’

  It was a good thing Charon had his back to him. It meant he wouldn’t have seen Charon’s rage. He thinks I’m an idiot. Why hadn’t he seen this sooner? Thinking back, Hermes had done nothing but discourage him from following his conscience since this whole thing started. He had taken the look on his face when they had gone to spy on that meeting for fear. What he hadn’t considered was why he might have been afraid.

  Charon sat on the opposite side of the table and kicked off his walking boots. ‘Really? He was talking like he knew you … Like he was blackmailing you.’

  Hermes’ face fell. ‘What are you accusing me of?’ He stood up and paced.

  ‘Nothing at all,’ Charon said. He didn’t need to, Hermes’ face told him everything he needed to know. ‘But this is not the usual reaction to someone asking about your well-being.’

  Hermes stopped pacing. ‘You wouldn’t understand,’ he whispered.

  ‘Try me.’

  ‘Where would I start?’ Hermes raked his fingers through his hair and scrubbed at his face.

  ‘So, there is more to it?’

  ‘I can only tell you my part. You have to promise that it will go no further.’ Hermes continued to pace up and down the kitchen.

  ‘We’ll see. I can keep your name out of it, but if it’s something we need to deal with, we’re going to have to tell the right people. You can start by telling me who you were talking to.’

  Hermes punched a wall in frustration, ‘Loki.’

  Charon almost choked on his coffee. ‘The Loki?!’

  ‘The one and only. And he’s every bit as slippery as his reputation would have him out to be. He makes promises and tells you what you want to hear and then once you have done as he asks, he has you.’

  ‘Hermes, what did you do?’

  ‘You don’t understand. He promised me he could help us get home. We can go back to our own lives—’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘It was me. I let the Titans out. I … was sick of being my father’s flunky and I wanted my power back. I was going to take us all home and leave Zeus and his squabbling siblings here to rot.’

  ‘And now?’

  ‘And now the Titans have no interest in helping us. They’ve cast their lot with Loki and the giants. Loki is working for someone else. I don’t know who, or what he intends.’

  ‘So, you not only released our deadliest—’

  ‘Not ours, Zeus’s—’

  ‘You think it matters to them!?’ Charon picked up his mug and hurled it past Hermes’ head so it smashed against the wall where Hermes had punched it. China flew everywhere and the dregs of his coffee ran down the wall.

  ‘What was that for?’ Hermes whined. ‘I’m a victim of circumstance—'

  ‘Stop lying! I heard you, Herm. I know exactly what Loki said. Did you agree to come with me so you could find out what I knew and then get rid of me for your new friend?’

  ‘You could join us. I could give you a better job than ferry—’

  ‘Do I look stupid? You have no clue what Loki has planned for you. No, this must go higher. If you cut ties with Loki, I will try to keep your name out of it …’

  ‘And what? Have this hanging over me from both directions? No thanks! I made my choice, Charon, and I offered you a slice of the pie.’ He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘What did the dragon tell you?’

  ‘How do you know about that?’

  ‘Some of the Norns are on our side. They told us you’d been there but the dragon’s magic meant they couldn’t hear what was said. The other Norns, the ones who remain loyal to Odin well, they can be dealt with later. Are you going to cooperate?’

  ‘No. I don’t think so.’

  ‘Then it looks like I will just have to dispose of you too.’ He grabbed the cleaver from the magnet on the wall and moved in on Charon.

  Charon leapt from his chair, lifted it, and hurled it at Hermes who dodged. There was only one way out of the kitchen and Hermes had moved between it and Charon. He grabbed the handle of a small wooden chopping board and swung it at Hermes, knocking the knife out of his hand and allowing himself time to slip past Hermes while he scrabbled on the floor for the knife. The board hadn’t been the most elegant of weapons but it had done the trick. Trouble was, Hermes was coming in for round two, and Charon had now disarmed himself.

  He ducked into the hall cupboard and held the handle closed from the inside. Looking for something to defend himself with, he tried to calm himself as he heard Hermes creeping up the stairs. The iron was no good. It was heavy but he would have to get close to the swinging cleaver to use it with any effect and throwing it would be ineffective. It wasn’t exactly aerodynamic. He fumbled around in the dark and came across something hard and angular and attached to a long metal pole. Then he remembered. It was one of the set of golf clubs Hel had bought him as an anniversary present. He can’t have taken them out more than three times since he’d owned them and Hel had threatened to sell them, and him with them, if he didn’t start using them. Never had he been happier to find them than now. He felt for the sand wedge. It had a nice sharp edge and would deal a blow heavy enough to knock Hermes out. He hoped.

  Quietly as he could, Charon opened the cupboard and slipped back into the living room. Hermes would soon figure out that he hadn’t gone upstairs and come back to look for him. Walking backwards, he tried to figure out the best place to defend from but didn’t see his ‘cat’ curled up on the floor and trod on its tail. It woke with a scream, swiped its claws down Charon’s leg and sank its teeth into his ankle. The yell must’ve been heard from upstairs as Hermes came thundering back down, cleaver in hand, and a glazed look in his eyes.

  Hiding around the corner so he couldn’t be seen from the stairs, Charon took his chance and swung the club as Hermes crept past. It struck Hermes on the back of the neck, hard enough to daze but not render him unconscious. He had to hand it to the manufacturers, they were tough clubs.

  Hermes pulled himself to a crawling position and felt the back of his neck. There was no blood but that blow would leave a nasty bruise. Charon tried to circle round him, leaping over the sofa, and hurling everything he could at his former friend.

  Hermes managed to get to his feet despite this effort and gauged Charon’s attempt to get past him, hurling the cleaver which sliced his arm as it sailed past. Charon aimed another swing at Hermes. As if in answer, Hermes grabbed the TV from its wall mount, yanked the cable from the wall and threw it at Charon, hitting him squarely in the chest and knocking him backwards into the wall. He felt something warm and sticky trickle down the back of his head as he slid down the wall, hugging the TV. Hermes stood over him with the cleaver.

  ‘You cou
ld have joined us, you know. Claimed a nice cushy spot on Olympus. But you had to be difficult—’

  ‘Don’t give me that, Hermes. If I hadn’t found out what I know now, you’d have let me drown with everyone else. You offered me a spot on ‘the team’ to ease your guilt.’

  ‘Far too clever for your own good. My father and uncles really should have made better use of you. I can’t back out now. I have too much to lose. You, however, had everything to gain and still threw it away. Oh well, too late now.’ Hermes leaned over him and lifted Charon’s chin with the blade.

  ‘It’s called integrity, Hermes. Maybe you should look it up? You start by not selling your people to weasels like Loki.’ Charon’s head spun.

  Hermes laughed. ‘I’ll be certain to pass that message along. Were you not listening? Loki is working for someone else.’

  ‘Heard.’ He didn’t need to think too hard about who. Who else but Ra? ‘Don’t care. If you’re going to kill me Hermes, just get on with it. Only dodgy villains in bad films stand around gloating about it.’ Charon felt the golf club under his legs which were now pinned by the TV. He shoved it off his lap and grasped the handle. Unfortunately, Hermes saw this and stepped on the handle, trapping Charon’s fingers.

  Hermes leaned down and began to prise it out of his grasp and Charon saw his chance. In one movement, he swung his free fist into the side of Hermes’ head and his right knee up into his throat. Hermes toppled to the floor, making gagging noises and clutching at his neck, and Charon, ignoring the deep gash across his arm, struggled to his feet, taking the club and the cleaver with him. The knock on his head was making him feel sick and dizzy. Looking down at his former friend he wondered what to do with him. No one would blame him for eliminating a threat in his own home but there was one important difference between him and them; he would not kill another to save his own skin. Hermes had been willing to drown billions just to see home again.

  He pulled out his phone and called Zeus. This had to go higher and he would not hesitate to drop Hermes right in the cacky! Then it went black.