4

Tartarus

The mighty iron gate of the Great Hall of the Styx swung slowly open. A maid dressed in black entered first.

“Rise for Rhea, Queen of the Titans and of all the beings of Tartarus!” she announced loudly.

Echidna and her two sisters sprang from their daybeds, hastily pulling veils over themselves and turning towards the entrance. They knelt and touched their heads to the floor. Even though they could see nothing, all three of them sensed the exact moment when the Queen passed by. Her powerful, menacing aura pervaded the entire atmosphere of their cave like an unspeakable sin.

Echidna couldn’t resist the temptation and dared to slightly raise her head in order to sneak a furtive glimpse. The snake-woman envied many people, but most of all Rhea, not only for her position as King Cronus’ wife, but also for her tall, slim, muscular body, which mixed human features with those of a serpent and a wolf.

The Queen unfastened her mantle and beckoned for the maid to lift it off her shoulders. Underneath she wore a short, black tunic and, from head to toe, her body, covered with golden scales, was adorned with a complex composition of finely carved animal bones, gemstones and golden jewellery, all bound together by a web of thin chains and leather laces. Her golden crown emphasised her two wolfish ears which protruded through the rich blonde hair that streamed down to her waist in waves.

“Welcome to our humble cave, my queen,” Echidna said.

Rhea cast an indifferent look towards them. “Oh, my dear serpents. But what are you doing on this dirty floor? Get up! Unless you have now become so accustomed to crawling in the dirt that you can no longer stand upright.”

She continued past them to the edge of the cistern and stood for a while, staring at her reflection mirrored in the dark water of the Styx. Satisfied, she turned towards the black rock. A smirk of satisfaction twitched on her lips as she noticed that the throne, which had been chiselled there, was now smashed.

“Everything happened exactly as you had planned, Your Majesty,” she heard Echidna say.

“Indeed...” Rhea murmured, moving towards the daybeds. Her long, gold fingers caressed the strings of a musical instrument, slipped around the rim of a cup and fondled a transparent veil. The Queen of Tartarus inspected the area with theatrical movements, some of which indicated curiosity, while others revealed disdain or even disgust. Then, she sat down in an armchair.

“Come here!” she commanded.

The three sisters rushed to obey her and knelt once more before her.

“My husband told me everything. You made him extremely angry.”

“Oh, Your Majesty, we did exactly as you ordered,” Echidna whined.

“Yes, but you broke the rules of the ritual. You spoke when you shouldn’t have spoken and, along with that, you dared to utter words that you ought never to have said; under no circumstances.”

“But we...”

“And you did well, by the Great Creator!” Rhea laughed loudly, and then asked in syrupy tones; “But, tell me... Did King Cronus transform before you?”

“Yes, and he revealed himself to us in all his glory,” the snake-woman replied, unable to hide her excitement.

Rhea changed her tone once more. “Of course, as you might have guessed, this was the first and last time. The king will never honour you with his presence again.”

Echidna hesitated for a moment. Then she mumbled: “This will sadden us greatly, Your Majesty.”

Rhea smiled enigmatically. “Oh, yes! I am sure you will be very saddened.”

“But, on the other hand, we will derive pleasure from the fact that you, our beloved queen, are satisfied with the service we provided for you.”

“Of course I’m pleased. You carried out my plan down to the final detail... But you couldn’t have done otherwise, after all, could you?”

Echidna gulped.

“Besides, everything is about to change, and not only in Tartarus,” the Queen continued. “The day when the Gods and all their loyal followers will be dead will soon come, and we, the Titans, will become the absolute rulers of all four worlds. Then, we will carry our thrones to new, resplendent palaces, which we will build in the Elysian Fields, in the Land of the White Sun and, of course, on Earth. And, then, what else will happen... my dear Echidna?”

“Tartarus will require a new governor,” replied the snake-woman, her voice filled with anticipation.

“Yes,” Rhea grinned ironically. “You have a good memory, despite the fact that you are the one who offers the Water of Oblivion!”

“And, have you decided who is to be the new governor of Tartarus?” Echidna asked.

“I have done some thinking about that, yes. But, first things first.”

“When that day finally comes, I hope Your Majesty won’t forget my two sisters and myself.”

The Queen laughed unkindly. “So, you are hoping for some sort of reward?”

Echidna was reluctant to answer. Her eyes, however, gave her away.

“Oh come now. Don’t be afraid. We are friends! You can talk to me openly,” Rhea coaxed.

“Yes, I admit that we do indeed have some expectations and...”

“Very well! I will reward all three of you properly,” the Queen interrupted her, and smacked her palms together three times. General Varta’s tall figure immediately appeared at the entrance of the cave and behind him stood two Demons holding their battle-axes at the ready.

“At your command, my queen,” General Varta boomed, his face constantly changing form, finally becoming sheet white, featureless apart from a wide grin full of sharp teeth.

The snake-women froze in terror.

Rhea’s grey, wolfish eyes sparkled and her hair flared up as if electrified. Her voice dripped venom.

“For years - for entire centuries - you kept my beloved husband away from me, holding him here, inside your squalid cave, so that he may drink from the water of the Styx and fall into a drunken slumber on your filthy beds. You constantly filled his cup with this loathsome black liquid, immersing him in a world of fantasies, far removed from reality. You are the ones who made him idle and tempted him to forget his true purpose - the dominance of the Universe. You transformed the King of the Titans, the almighty Cronus, into a spineless creature, and... you expect to be rewarded for this?”

“Have mercy on us!” Echidna’s two sisters whined, prostrating themselves still further at her feet.

Rhea’s sardonic laughter resonated throughout every corner of the cave of the Styx. Then her eyes focused on Echidna. “Did you hope to become the Queen of Tartarus, you vile snake? To sit on my throne?”

“You deceived me and betrayed us! Curse you!” Echidna hissed.

“Cut off their heads!” Rhea howled.