Chapter Seven

How can something so good go so bad
How can something so right go so wrong
I don't know, I don't have all the answers
But I want you back
How many times can I say I'm sorry
You can run, and you can hide
But I'm not leaving less you come with me
We've had our problems but I'm on your side
You're all I need, please believe in me
Something Happened On The Way To Heaven
Phil Collins

Sitting on his ebony throne and watching through the power of a large crystal ball, Lord Hades turned over a second hourglass and sat back to watch the show.

Daniel Jackson found himself at the foot of a dark river bank. The river was black and bubbled with….god knew what…in patches it was ablaze with fire and burned with…god knew what. It smelled bad here in this place, the stench was awful. Daniel held his wrist to his nose to keep the full brunt of the odor from seeping through his nostrils. On the far bank was a sandy hill leading to a wrought iron gate behind which he heard the snarls and growls of Cerberus, the three-headed dog which guarded the Gates to the Underworld.

Do I love her this much?

Daniel looked back at the crag in the rocks behind him and the sunlight streaming through it.

Hell, yeah I do.

Daniel ran down the sandy bank toward the leaky boat and the hooded figure sitting within it. Forever, Eternity and Immortality didn’t mean a fucking thing if Calla wasn’t there by his side. He’d just as soon give it all up and spend Forever and Eternity trying to get through to her here in the Underworld than to be Top Side alone. Looking down at each hand and being mindful to look for them he saw a green tie around each hand. The one on his right hand led forward across the river and to the other side. The one on his left led back to the crag in the rocks. Daniel didn’t know how much time he had but it couldn’t be much.

“Pay me now.” Charon, The Ferryman intoned in a dark voice that seemed to come from some where other than his throat—which, of course, he didn’t have.

“When we get across I’ll give you half the contents of this pouch.” Daniel told him and showed the gold coins he carried. “When we get across.”

Charon motioned toward the rickety leaky boat and Daniel climbed in. The boat pulled away from the shore as the Ferryman shoved off and then steered them across the River Styx with his guide poll in hand. “You don’t have to go.” The Ferryman said. “It is not your time, Daniel Jackson.” Daniel didn’t answer him.

Half way across and the flames around them lit up bright as any funeral pyre, the dark water moved, rocked and threatened to toss the little boat around until it smashed into little pieces. “The water is rough,” the Ferryman intoned, “you must pay me now.” A skeletal hand reached out from beneath the sleeve of a tattered brown robe.

“No,” Daniel told him, “not until we get across.” He held onto the sides of the little boat while the water pushed them around and rocked them and the flames threatened to burn the boat in the water. No way he was going to be left in the River Styx rather than being ferried to the far side. His soul would be trapped in the Dark Water for all Eternity and what good would he be to his wife then?

On the far bank behind the huge wrought iron gates and Cerberus who guarded them, there was screaming, people yelling, moaning and crying. It wasn’t going to be pretty in there and even if it was he had to remember it was just a mirage. Had to keep focused on finding Calla and bringing her out no matter what the Underworld tossed in his path.

“They’re in Tartarus,” Charon explained in a voice that was as skeletal as his hand, “you need not fear, Daniel Jackson, I’m sure Elysian Fields wait for you.”

Tartarus, Eternal punishment from the Gods. What if that was what waited for Calla? What if her soul entered Tartarus and his was judged to enter the Fields? He’d never find her then.

The boat washed itself up on the far bank and Charon turned to Daniel while holding out his hand. Daniel reached into the pouch, pulled out a handful of gold coins and handed them. “If you wait here I’ll give you more.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Charon told him with something that sounded like a smile in his voice. The hood peeked over the top of the bag and gazed down upon all the lovely gold inside. “I will wait, twenty of your minutes, no more.”

Twenty lousy minutes? Well beggars couldn’t be choosers. “I’ll be back.”

“Heard that too,” Charon said and began to laugh as Daniel climbed out of the boat and made his way to the gates.

Scrambling up the bank Cerberus began to snarl, growl and bark at Daniel. The dog—the original Hound of Hell—was a lot bigger than Daniel had imagined. The beast had three heads, all different hounds, the body of a dog and the tail of a dragon. Each head snapped, drooled or growled at him ferociously. Since Daniel Jackson was dead and therefore could not be refused entrance to the Underworld the Gate opened and only a small iron chain stood between him and Hades’ Hound. Pressing himself to the far wall of the long tunnel between the Gates and the Under World, just out of the reach of those slobbering gnashing jowls Daniel inched past the hound with his heart in his throat. Cerberus followed him down the path and soon Daniel noticed it stopped growling and started sniffing.

Cerberus once belonged to Ares it was possible the dog smelled his old Master on Daniel or the Master’s Daughter. Almost sorrowfully the massive beast lay down on the dirt below him and sheepishly watched Daniel pass and head off down the tunnel. Coming out of the Gates on the other side Daniel looked around and found himself in a vast field. It was light here and warm. It almost looked and felt like sunlight but looking up he saw no sun, no sky, no stars, only light without a source. There were mountains and trees, flowers and streams, if you didn’t know you were in the Underworld and that you were dead you might just think yourself still Top Side.

One single path led through the field and he followed it and the long strand of green material which showed him where his wife had walked before him. Calla made it through the Asphodel Fields which was akin to being in limbo and where the unhappy souls of bad children, those who were condemned to death falsely and those who killed themselves remained for a time before moving on. Considering that last prerequisite Daniel felt sure he would find her here but the souls on this road who would talk to him—which weren’t many for they were afraid of angering Hades—told him she passed through with the Lady Aphrodite a few moments before his arrival.

With the fake sunlight still shining Daniel continued his journey. Twenty minutes, he looked down at his watch, he didn’t know if it was keeping the proper time or not but if it was he still had seventeen minutes to find his wife and get the hell out of here.

Passing further down on the road he came to the Vale of Mourning, something akin to the first or second level of Hell. If he ever died, Ares would be condemned to live out Eternity here in this place or worse, he’d be Judged at the Cross Roads and sent to Tartartus. Within the Vale of Mourning were the souls who’d been lustful and famous in war or met their end consumed by unhappy, possessive or obsessive love. Once again, Calla was not here, she’d been led through by her Mother.

Looking before him on the dirt road he was coming to the Dividing Road and the Judges of the Dead. The next souls he met would either allow him to continue this journey where he would pass through the Palace of Hades and to the Elysian Fields or banish his soul Tartarus for Eternity. Suddenly it was as though there were an invisible wall around him and Daniel found he could go no further.

“Daniel Jackson,” a voice from behind him intoned and Daniel turned around to see three people standing on the road. “Why are you here? It is not your time.”

The Three Judges. Standing there with his heart in his throat and doubt in his mind, Daniel Jackson was acutely aware of the fact that, win or lose, stay or go, his Immortal Soul was about to either be Damned or Saved for Eternity. Fifty-four years walking around on planet Earth—among other planets—how had he done? What kind of person was he?

Before him the cold stares of three son’s of Zeus met him;

Aeacus, a son of Zeus and one of his many Lovers, Aegina. During his life Aeacus became the king of the island named for his mother.

Minos and Rhadamanthys were also sons of Zeus by his Lover Princess Europa. Minos was the former king of Crete and his brother, Rhadamanthys, his Right Hand Man.

Each man had proven himself in battle, each man proved himself a hero in his own way and each man was looked upon favorably by the Gods. Having completed their tasks in the Upper World they were rewarded here in the Under World and given positions of immense power.

“I must pass,” Daniel told them.

“We will be the judges of that.” Minos told him.

“Please, I beg of you, I must find my wife.”

“The Lady Callestah will reside with The Lady Aphrodite,” Aeacus began, “you have no claim to her now.”

“I am her Husband. I haven’t given up that claim.” Daniel said to Aecaus. It had been close that was true enough but Daniel didn’t sign those damn separation papers and he certainly didn’t go through with the divorce.

“Why do you seek the Lady Callestah?” Rhadamanthys asked.

“Because I love her and I still have the opportunity to bring her home.” He said in answer to Rhadamanthys’ question. Lastly to all of them, “She doesn’t belong here, it’s not her time, I can save her. Please, you must let me pass.”

The three Judges looked from one to the other and back again as they sorted out the situation telepathically and leaving Daniel out of it. Finally Minos, leader of the three turned to him. “Save her? Interesting choice of words.” Minos said with a slight frown. “That which you seek is in the Palace of Hades, she will not be permitted entrance into the Elysian Fields. If you find her in time you may leave with her but if not she will be condemned to Tartarus for Eternity and you will reside without her in the Elysian Fields. Do you understand, Daniel Jackson?”

“Yes, I do.” Daniel said quickly and looked down at his watch again. Fifteen minutes left. That couldn’t be right! He felt like he’d been walking for hours and that this little pow-wow took at least ten minutes to complete.

“It is correct,” Aeacus told him, “you have fifteen minutes of your remaining and that is if she does not eat or drink in the meantime.”

“What you seek is there,” Rhadamanthys pointed down the path and the black marble Palace of Hades appeared in Daniel’s sights. “Beware all is not what it seems in that place.”

“They will go to extremes to keep her.” Aecaeus warned.

The three Judges disappeared from the road.

Calla was damned and he was Saved, well that just didn’t seem fair now did it? If they couldn’t have Forever in the Upper World they should be allowed to have it here in the Under World. The Lady Aphrodite had to know what was in store for her Daughter so why would she lead Calla into the Under World in the first place? Those condemned to Tartarus, according to myth & legend, were being punished by the Gods. What had Calla done that was so horrible all the Gods would punish her? And, by the way, which Gods? Zeus and she had an adversarial relationship but Zeus wasn’t here, he was back on that planet where they’d left him with Callisto. Poseidon, his brother, was alive. Ares was alive and surely would not site idly by while this fate was passed upon his Daughter. And Hades? Hades never seemed to have a problem with either of them. The rest of the old Greek Gods while dead had escaped the fate of the Under World by transferring their energies to Calla when she was a child. Calla, in turn, passed them along to their children. Just who was condemning her? The only Gods here were Hades, Aphrodite and Eros. It had to be them, didn’t it? Or maybe it was just one Goddess’ will which condemned Calla to such a sad fate? Even if that were true the question remained; why?

Calla was an adulteress but so what? He was an adulterer and he was still passing into the Elysian Fields. She slept with her Father, not always something looked upon kindly by the old Gods but it was something which could be overlooked if there was cause and Calla had plenty of that on her side. Calla was a drug addict again, so what? He was a drunk, at least for the last several months and he’d struck his daughter and made his sons’ life so unbearable that he left home. Calla was a murderess, she killed Psyche and, let’s not forget accidental as it may have been she also killed her own Mother. One more time, Daniel said ‘so what’? He’d done own share of ending lives, Kanan, Eros, David and countless others on countless other planets in the service of his country. Not to mention the very young and pretty girl he sodomized and killed with his own hands—well, perhaps the Gods figured it wasn’t really Daniel Jackson it was David Jackson who’d done that deed. Still they were his hands and not David’s. Tit for tat they came down pretty evenly as far as he could see so why Damn her and Save him?

Walking to the Palace of Hades and quickening his pace he thought about the times Calla flat lined on the operating table. Popular Urban Legend held that when one died one saw a bright light, was that what she saw? Or did Calla see her Mother? Aphrodite, on the few occasions he’d run into her, seemed aloof but willing to make amends. Perhaps she wasn’t.

That was what Psyche screamed at her while they fought to the Death in hand to hand combat. Was it true? Calla, at her heart, felt that it was. Daniel knew that much. When Ares offered her the anklet so many years ago she’d refused it at first and it was Daniel who made her take it. At the time, Calla refused it not because she didn’t want it but because she felt unworthy of it.

IF it was true and IF Calla saw her Mother when she flat lined on the table….

How did she get Calla to come here so willingly? How did Aphrodite, Lady of Love and Light, get her Daughter to turn her back on her children so easily?

The fake sunlight beat down with a viciousness Daniel had never known. His throat was dry and he was rapidly becoming dehydrated as he sweated out his bodily fluids. Thankful there was no pack on his back during this journey but wishing for a canteen of water Daniel ripped off his shirt and tied it around his head to keep the heat away as he wiped the sweat off his brow. The Palace was within site but it seemed no matter how fast he went he didn’t seem to get any closer to it. Still he kept following the long strand of green cloth hoping he’d find his wife in time.

Looking around him as he walked through the sunlit open fields on the dirt path, Daniel Jackson had little reason to disbelieve the things he’d learned during his college years about Greek Mythology, the Under World was exactly the way it had been described to him in so many texts. If they were true then he was entering the home of the God who was absolutely the least liked and favored by the rest of the Ancient Greek Gods. Hell, They’d take Ares over Hades any day of the week. That wasn’t very good. Ares wasn’t exactly the Favorite Son among that group.

Hades God of the Under World, God of Death whose very touch caused ones’ heart to stop and their soul to depart from their body was a much feared and very powerful God. According to Myth & Legend, Gods, Garden Variety Immortals and Mortal people alike all avoided speaking his name for fear they would attract his attention. In temples built in his name worshipers, followers and those family members of the Newly Departed often sacrificed black sheep while averting their eyes from both sacrifice and altar. The blood of the sheep dripped into pits and those praying to him would bang their hands on the ground or chant loudly to keep Hades from hearing too clearly.

What did Hades want with Calla? It had to be something otherwise why let Aphrodite have her way so easily? Why let Psyche cross the River Styx back to the Upper World and let her wreck havoc on them? Hartley, well, he was an apt pawn now wasn’t he? With his background, his greed and his obsession, it was easy to use him to push Calla. What about him? Hum, what about Daniel? Did they conspire with Bacchus to make him drink the wine, take those women and throw everything into utter Chaos? How far back did it go?

Maybe, maybe, Hades wanted what every other male did. He wanted to finally be able to touch her. He’d been Witness to Ares’ first bout of sex with her, he stayed and watched and made sure she sealed the deal. Maybe that pushed Hades too far and he wanted his own taste of her.

Too many variables. Too many whys and hows to think about. His feet and legs starting to show the strain of the walk and the Palace not appearing any closer he pushed forward.

End Chapter Seven
Tarnished Heroes:Something Happened on the way to Heaven
Continue to
Chapter Eight