The boat glided through the silky black river cutting through it with ease, although, as I looked over the side of the boat, white bones of different shapes bobbed to the surface then submerged as the boat glided past sending small ripples out into the world. I quickly looked away, not keen on seeing something that would scar me for the rest of my life. The boat ride was eerily quiet, the ghosts on board seemed to start taking a more solid form the longer they stayed on the boat. The moment I tried to see them, however, they still vanished from sight. I couldn't help but shudder at the eeriness of it all, it felt like my brain was short-circuiting from all the tricks my eyes were playing on me. Charon remained at the other end staring out into the distance like he could already see the gates to the underworld; clutching onto the golden bough given to him as payment. 

I half turned in my seat hoping that we were close but only the river stretched out before us and darkness lay ahead. It was a strange thing, to be in a place I could only have imagined to exist a few days ago, that the boat beneath my hands was as real as me. I was in the underworld, a place that not many could just walk right in and live to tell the tale.  A startling screech ripped through the quiet darkness; the hairs on my arms and neck rose and I held my breath waiting for an attack. My heart hammered against my rib cage, I didn't dare to move my head but my eyes frantically searched for the source of the sound. 

Isabella beside me did not seem jittery or uncomfortable at all, her eyes were solely on Charon - no, they were on the golden bough he clutched for dear life. I guess whatever it was out there wasn't enough of a threat to warrant a response. Still self-conscious of how rigid I'd turned I forced myself to relax and unclench my jaw. 

"What's the story behind the bough?" I whispered in Isabella's ear, needing a distraction from the madness around me. It felt rude to start speaking loudly when the ambience was serene, besides I didn't need the thing that made that noise following us because of me. 

"It's not much of a story really," Isabella whispered back, her eyes never leaving that bough, "They say it's from Roman mythology but the Greeks and Romans all believed in the same gods, so it's like you say tomato and I say tomato. Anyway, a demi-god wanted safe passage into the underworld and the oracle Sibyl of Cumae said it gives whoever holds it safe passage through the underworld and whatever dangers may lay within. The Bough is sacred to Persephone, Hades' wife." 

I leaned in again careful not to jostle the ghost who'd moved to stand next to me, "And how exactly did it fall into your lap?" 

Isabella shrugged, "A few trades here and there with other demi-gods or gods will do the trick. Everybody wants or needs something." 

"Are you going to get it back?" I dared to whisper as I watched a distracted Charon. If Charon had it now, surely the moment we stepped through the gates of the underworld we'd be charred meat for Cerberus and any other creature or god without it. 

Isabella picked the underside of her nails seemingly uninterested before answering, "Maybe."

I had no idea what she was planning and why she was truly here but she'd gotten me this far and if I was honest with myself I needed her. Lost in thought I didn't notice as the river became narrow and that a riverbed had emerged until it was practically screaming at me.  On either side was the same black sand I'd encountered at the start of the boat ride. Junk cluttered the riverbank, filled with old trinkets, amulets and gauntlets. Then came the ghosts, these were not the same as the ones on the boat. These were fully formed, armour wearing ghosts who stood to attention in neatly formed lines. An army, a platoon of ghosts lined the riverbank each one more miserable than the next. 

"Is this normal?" I whispered to Isabella who was now standing at the edge watching them as the boat sailed past. 

"No, this is not normal." Her face went hard as she looked over to Charon, "What's going on here?" 

Charon smiled showing his grim yellow teeth, "That my dear, is not your business."

He was in on it, whatever it was that kept Thanatos out of the underworld. I wasn't a complete idiot, I knew that this was an army, their purpose is what I wasn't sure of.  The boat gained momentum forcing me to grab hold of the sides in a bid not to fall in. The story of Achilles rang through my head, one of the only survivors after being held in the River Styx by his mother. This water was not like any ordinary water, it was too dangerous to risk any part of my body skimming the surface.

A docking pier appeared and the boat glided until it was sideways on, Charon hooked a lever to the side of the boat and gestured for us to get out. 

"You have now arrived at your destination: The Underworld, thank you for your payments and enjoy the rest of your afterlife," Charon said in a chirpy flight attendant voice all while his face remained devoid of emotion. 

I didn't waste time hanging about this crazy old guy and stumbled onto the pier, backpack in tow. Isabella pushed me forward, towards the looming twelve-foot black iron gates of the underworld, at the top, it said 'Welcome To The Afterlife', much like the gates of a theme park.

"Hades must have a sense of humour," I said dryly to Isabella as we approached. 

She didn't respond, not even a scathing look. 

"Oookkk," I muttered under my breath as I followed her up to the gates. 

It wasn't what I was expecting at all, Cerberus was nowhere in sight and ghosts milled about as orders were being barked to them by three ladies with whips. Occasionally one of them would let their whip loose with a resounding crack against the floor and the ghosts would all shuffle forward quickly in fear. 

"The Erinyes," Isabella said as a way of explanation, "They don't usually look like that but I guess that's the flavour of the month." 

"Who?" I hadn't heard that term before, not that my familiarity with greek gods and creatures were extensive. 

Isabella sighed but indulged me anyway, "They're also known as the Furies." 

Ah, that I did know, "Right, got it." 

The punishers of the underworld. I walked closer to Isabella, well aware that we were intruding and could very well be killed. A short man in a black cloak holding a clipboard walked among the crowd organising them into lines. 

 "You're for Elysium," a pause as he turned to another ghost, "Ah sorry about this, but you're going straight to the Fields of Mourning." 

I watched as the person destined for the Fields of Mourning collapsed onto the floor crying, "That must be a mistake! Check the name again." 

One of the Furies snapped their whip and it curled around the person's wrist, she yanked it once and sent the crying person crashing into a different line. I gulped. We were minutes away from being in contact with the clipboard guy and I hadn't come up with a plan. 

"What are we going to do?" I helplessly asked Isabella, this seemed to be her forte, planning and getting us out of these situations. 

"Just shut up and follow me," She said sidestepping a ghost and funnelling through the crowd.

Casting a quick glance to the man with the clipboard I ran after Isabella, following as she made her way to the gate but somehow avoided the Furies on the way. She paused only a stone's throw away from the side of the gate where a large hole had been carved out. 

"What are we waiting for," I hissed, my eyes twitching at every movement around us. 

"That," she said pointing towards the hole before taking a step back. 

The hole wasn't just a hole, it was in fact a kennel, a very large kennel for the very large black dog inside. Its giant eye opened, then blinked at me. I had it in my right mind to start running and screaming in the opposite direction but again I was rooted to the spot, my body wouldn't move, even as Cerberus's two other heads lifted to face me and all six eyes blinked at the same time. 

"Gooood doggy." Isabella said softly as her hand wrapped around mine then tugged, "You wouldn't happen to have any food in that backpack do you?" 

It took me a moment to thaw out and manage a weak raspy, "I think there's a chocolate bar." 

"Good, I'm going to reach in and throw it at him," Isabella said calmly, too calmly. 

"Are you sure that's going to work?" I squeaked as Cerberus stood up and shook his fur sending his musky odour into the air. 

The three heads moved in unison as Cerberus stretched and took a heavy step out of the kennel. Miraculously, my foot moved, I took an equal step back my eyes never leaving the Cerberus's middle head. He looked the most vicious out of them all. White saliva foamed at his mouth as he yawned showing me his long sharp teeth about the size of my arm. I could feel a weight on my back as Isabella riffled through it for the chocolate bar. 

"How's it going back there?" I asked in a harsh whisper, my head half inclined towards her but my eyes never leaving the monster dog. 

"Give me one sec," she mumbled. 

Cerberus took a long sniff in my direction and that's when I knew I was about to die. He growled deep and low, his three heads bending to look at me now; I was wrong they were all equally terrifying. 

"Got it!" Isabella yelled holding the Snickers bar in her hand. 

Cerberus turned his attention on her, sniffing the air with his big wet nostrils. Isabella was either brave or stupid as she started to wave her hands in the air to and fro as she backed up into the crowd. Cerberus followed but one head's attention remained on me, which didn't stop me from noticing the rest of his giant monstrous body that emerged from the kennel. He had a serpents-tail that was scaled in shiny black armour. It weaved menacingly above its body curling dangerously close to me. 

"You need to get into his kennel," Isabella shouted at me, "There's a back door, once I throw this bar I need you to run."

I nodded at her diabolical plan because I didn't see another way out. 

"Here boy!" she shouted and threw a piece of the chocolate bar right into one of its mouths. 

The tail stopped moving sinisterly and began wagging, Cerberus barked and leapt forward towards Isabella leaving enough room for me to make a dash for it. I didn't hold back as adrenaline pumped through me urging me forward as I ran for the kennel,  when I cleared the threshold of the kennel I turned back to look for Isabella.  She threw another piece in the direction of one of the Furies closest to her and I watched it bounce off the back of her head and land on the floor. She turned around, her eyes glowed red in rage but before she could act Cerberus pounced, crashing into the Fury as a different head sought out the treat. 

Isabella didn't hang about to see her handy work and ran past me, heading for the back of the Kennel. It was dark inside the musky kennel, but there was not much inside apart from an old large blanket that covered most of the space. Isabella knelt on the ground her hands roaming the side of the kennel. 

"What are-" I didn't get to finish my sentence because there was a low hiss as Isabella pulled a hatch open. It was double my width and half my height, Isabella crawled through and I quickly followed. 

On my hands and knees, I shuffled through the hatch, my hands pawing through sand and black goop. I didn't want to think too much about what it was so focused on righting myself once I was through. I looked to my right, to the gate that was still closed and to the commotion beyond as the Furies tried to get Cerberus to calm down. 

"Well don't just stand there," Isabella hissed, "We've got to learn how to open the portal." 

She was right, we didn't have time to waste. I took a moment to scan my surroundings and it didn't take long for me to notice in the far distance a volcano-like building illuminated by a shock of gold light. 

"I think that," I pointed to the building, "Is HQ."