It rumbled to a stop after a few seconds and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was as though it had been there all along. The soil had settled back down around the foundation of the building as though it had never been disturbed.
The building itself was heavy and old, built from thick stone slabs and covered in green moss. It was tall, wide and formidable with a thick wooden door right in the middle. I lifted my hand and rested it on the brass door-handle.
“Should we go in?” I asked tentatively.
“Well, of course,” Hecate replied. “What else would we do?”
She sidled confidently past me and opened the door, gesturing for us to enter. Ares went first, followed by the rest of the group.
“Well?” Hecate asked me with a raised eyebrow. I gulped and stepped inside, holding my husband’s arm.
We were in a large darkened room with no windows. As my eyes grew accustomed to the dark, I made out several figures in the back, seated behind a table. Three people. They watched us intently as they waited for us to approach.
“Come closer,” a gravelly voice instructed. “You must approach and be judged.”
Cadmus wrapped his arm around my waist and whispered in my ear.
“It will be fine, my love. I promise.”
A low laugh rumbled from behind the table and as we approached, I saw that it came from the man in the middle. There were three, all in long gray cloaks. The man in the middle laughed humorlessly again.
“You are fortunate,” he pointed out, his gaze fastened to me. “Because you are here in a pack. Most face death alone.” He stroked his long gray beard with gnarled fingers. “But you are not dead. This is most interesting. Hecate, why have you brought visitors?”
He shifted his stare to her, his eyes an icy blue, not unlike Hecate’s own. She met his without flinching.
“We are in search of someone,” she answered vaguely. “Several people, in fact. The Oracle of the Dead told us to begin our quest here. So, here we are. In fact, perhaps you know. Have you seen the Olympians pass through this room?”
He threw his head back and laughed again, a chilling, unnerving sound.
“If the Olympians were here, I doubt they arrived in the traditional fashion. No, we have not seen them. Until now. There are two in this room.” He fixed his cold stare on my parents.
“Are you here to find your colleagues?”
Ares nodded solemnly. “Yes, we are… as well as my granddaughter. Have you seen a small girl? She has eyes the color of Harmonia’s.”
The man in the middle shifted his gaze back to me and locked his eyes with my own.
“Such a unique color,” he observed. “But this is the first that I have seen of them.”
“But the Oracle said that she was here!” I interrupted. “She must be.”
“I didn’t say that she wasn’t,” the man replied calmly. “I said that I have not seen her.”
“But that’s impossible,” I cried. “Everyone passes through you. Everyone must be judged—“
Hecate touched cool fingers to my arm. “Harmonia,” she warned. “Remain calm.” She looked back to the panel of men.
“Shall we begin?”
She was brisk and businesslike. And they ignored her.
“I am Rhadamanthus,” the one in the middle said coolly, then gestured to his right. “This is Minos.” He gestured to his left. “And this is Aeacus. We hold your fate in our hands.”
“I am not unaccustomed to having my fate rest in the hands of others,” I answered.
He almost seemed to smile, but it wasn’t comforting.
“Good. Then we shall begin with you. Step forward.”
I moved forward, releasing my hold on Cadmus. I instantly felt alone as I stood in front of the table.
“Closer.”
I took one more step.
He rose from his seat and circled the table, standing in front of me.
“May I?”
Without waiting for an answer, he lifted my hand and held it lightly within his own.
Instantly, my hand began glowing, just as if someone was holding a flashlight to my palm. Every vein in my hand was illuminated perfectly and the light quickly spread up my arm and throughout my entire body until I emitted a soft glow from head to foot.
He smiled, still holding my hand.
“You have a pure heart,” he said as he closed his eyes. “There is no subterfuge or malevolence here. You are brave and true.”
He reopened his eyes and dropped my hand.
“You are free to go.”
“Where should I go?” I asked tremulously.
“Anywhere in the Underworld that you wish,” he answered. “You have no restrictions.”
He looked past me dismissively.
“Next?”
I stepped to the side as Cadmus walked forward. He was handsome as he stood quietly in front of Rhadamanthus, waiting to be judged. I realized once again that there was nothing that he wouldn’t do for me. He was literally traveling to the depths of the underworld just to accompany me- to help me save our daughter. My heart overflowed with warmth, just as Rhadamanthus spoke.
“You are a worthy mate for your wife,” he rasped. “Your heart is strong and brave. You do not shirk from that which you are meant to do. You may enter.”
The second that he released Cadmus, my husband strode to my side.
“See?” he asked quietly. “Everything is fine. We will be on our way soon.”
We watched quietly as everyone else was judged. I was not surprised at all to find that every member of my family and each Amazon warrior were judged with the same traits… brave, strong and true.
Finally, it was almost finished and only Hecate remained to be judged.
“Hecate?”
Rhadamanthus held out his hand and Hecate lightly placed hers within it, standing proudly in front of him. She had been judged by him thousands of times before so this process was routine to her.
I watched as her body lit up and every vein was exposed, the warm glow reflecting from the angles of her lovely face. Rhadamanthus grew still as he examined her and with his free hand traced a vein from her wrist to her heart.
“This is very strange, Hecate,” he muttered. “Very strange. I’m sorry.”
Her eyes snapped open.
“Sorry for what?” she asked curiously.
He dropped her hand quickly as if he no longer wanted to touch her and moved back behind the table, rejoining the other two.
“You have deceit and betrayal in your heart,” he announced. “Your soul is not pure.”