Heaven vs. Hell vs. Death

Hello, there. My name is Styx. She whom the Underworld's deadliest river is named after. At first glance, I seem like a your average six-foot-tall, dark-skinned and long-haired, voluptuous woman sporting stylish urban gear. Yeah, that's the image the world sees when looking at me. However, as is the case with most people, there's more to me than meets the eye. For starters, I'm not human. You see, I am a Goddess. One of the Goddesses of the Greek Underworld, actually. That's right. One of the denizens of the netherworld.

A long time ago, I was one of the Chthonic Ones. Along with Hades, Lord of the Underworld, his Queen Persephone and the gods Morpheus, Mors and Thanatos, and the Erinnyes, the Spirits of Vengeance, I ruled one of the most dangerous of realms. A place where demons and devils feared to tread. That was a long time ago. Then Yahweh, God of the Covenant and His Faithful Angels came and destroyed it all. They wiped out the Pagan gods and goddesses of every culture and religion. Monotheism was the new world order.

I assisted my Lord Hades in the war of the gods against Yahweh, His Angels and the Primordials, the ancient elemental monsters He brought out of the Void to help him wipe out the Pagan gods and goddesses. We fought valiantly. But in the end we lost. Countless gods and goddesses lost their lives. I watched my friends Hades and Persephone die. And then I too fell, slain by a horde of Angels after a Primordial nearly devoured me. I was dead. Then Lucifer Morningstar, Yahweh's most powerful creation and estranged son resurrected me from the nothing I'd become. He saved me and brought me back to life.

Lucifer Morninstar restored my divine powers. He even placed my eternal essence within a mortal woman's body and set me loose upon the world. In exchange for giving me life, power and sentience, all he asked was my loyalty. Lucifer Morningstar wanted to dethrone his father Yahweh, the God of the Covenant. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it alone. The Dark Angels of Hell had been fighting the Faithful Angels of Heaven for eons. Neither side could claim a definite victory. Which is why Lucifer was resurrecting the ancient gods and goddesses and getting them to join his Legion of Darkness. So far he had resurrected Apollo, Greek god of the Sun. Athena, goddess of Might and Wisdom. Ares, Lord of War. Artemis, goddess of the Hunt. Thor, Scandinavian god of Thunder. Odin, Lord of the Norse Gods. Anansi, Lord of Tricksters and Spider-God of the Ashanti People of Africa. Malice, God of Trickery in Haitian folklore. Hercules, god of Strength and Military Power. Kronos, god of Time. Poseidon, god of the Sea. Gods and goddesses from many cultures and religions were being resurrected by Lucifer's incredible power, which was second only to that of Yahweh.

By the power of Lucifer Morningstar, I lived again. I found myself in a new world. That of the twenty-first century. Mankind had changed a lot in the thousands of years since I last saw it. They had put men and women on the moon by means of advanced space machines. They had the Internet. They were mapping their genetic structure. They were trying to lengthen their lifespan. They were different, yet still the same. Wives still nagged husbands. Men and women still distrusted and hated one another. Lust and emotion along with passion often prevailed over reason in the minds of human beings. The strong still ruled the weak. Treachery still filled the hearts of women and the hearts of men as it did thousands upon thousands of years. Humanity had better technology, and toiletries, yet they were still the same. I can't say I am surprised.

Currently, I'm striding through the streets of Boston. I arrive at Boston Common, and walk through the soft, dry grass. It's a beautiful, sunny day in early May but I can't see nature's beauty. For I am preoccupied. My mate has gone missing and no one knows where to find him. And, oh yeah, I'm pregnant. With twins. A male and a female. That kind of adds to the urgency of the situation, don't you think? I scan the city with my hyper senses, and I sense a great many things.

A tall, blonde woman in a business suit walks near me. She's in quite a hurry. I can smell that she had sex with a female co-worker before leaving work today. They did it in a dusty room, too. Such poor taste but thrill seekers rarely think ahead. A good-looking black man walks nearby, holding hands with an equally alluring black woman. They look at my round, pregnant belly and smile. I smile back. They look good together. I feel a pang of regret. Where is my mate? Who is he, you might ask? None other than Deimos, the immortal son of Ares, Greek God of War. Lucifer assigned him as my guide in this strange new modern world.

The Deimos I knew back in the old days was an impulsive prankster eager to outshine his brother Phobos and please his father Ares, the bloodthirsty Lord of War. He who made a coat out of the skins of war-like men and warrior women he killed. The Deimos of modern times was a sophisticated individual possessed of great charm and knowledge. He was an exquisite, patient and wonderful guide as I walked through the world of man. In this life, he had acquired great wealth and power while masquerading as a mortal. When Thanatos, God of Death, seized power in the Underworld, Deimos was forced to play ball with him. I laughed when I thought of that. Thanatos is a punk. A loser who thinks he's better than he is. He's always been jealous of Lord Hades and didn't waste any time stealing his throne when he died.

The Deimos I knew in modern times was passionate, and shrewd. He made an alliance with Lucifer Morningstar against Thanatos, the God of Death. Deimos and Lucifer wanted me to get rid of Thanatos and become the Ruler of the Underworld. In my new position, I would be able to use all of the Underworld's forces to aid Lucifer in his war against the Princes of Heaven and their father Yahweh, the God of the Covenant. This was the bargain and I fully intended to carry my part of it. I just hadn't intended to fall in love with Deimos. We fell in love. I chose him as my mate. How I longed to tell him that I carried his offspring within me. Unfortunately, I couldn't find him anywhere.

I was deep in thought when suddenly, I sensed something was amiss. When I looked up, time had stopped. Everyone in the city, and indeed the world, simply stopped moving. Like someone had pressed the cosmic Pause Button. Before me stood a tall, good-looking young black man in a business suit. I instantly recognized him. Even before I saw his pearly white wings and bright yellow eyes. Lucifer Morningstar. The Renegade Archangel. Lord of Light. Prince of the Air. First of the Fallen. My savior. He stared at me grimly. In my chest, my heart wrenched. Something had happened. I went to him, and pressed him for answers.

With reluctance, Lucifer told me the news. When I heard him, I fell to my knees. No, it couldn't be true. The Devil looked at me sympathetically, but went on anyway. Deimos, my beloved Deimos was gone. The Disciples of Thanatos had captured him and brought him to the Underworld, where Lucifer Morningstar couldn't follow since he had no power over that realm, which Thanatos claimed as his own. My Deimos was in mortal danger. Thanatos would torture him, then strip him of his godhood and immortality before finally destroying him. And this I couldn't allow.

When I rose to my feet, my whole body had begun to glow. I was on fire, and I didn't care. Lucifer asked me what I was doing. I looked at him calmly, and told him I was going to rescue my future husband, the god Deimos, from the clutches of Thanatos, God of Death. Today, Thanatos would die at my hands. Lucifer calmly reminded me that the entire Underworld and its legions of monsters, demons and evil spirits along with the dark gods and goddesses who served Thanatos were doubtless waiting for me. I smiled at the Devil, and told him that by the time I was done with them, the Underworld would be empty of all life. Lucifer insisted on going along with me. He wanted to help. I saw the pain in his eyes. He blamed himself for what happened to Deimos and me. I gently touched his cheek, and told him not to worry. Deimos and I owed him so much. He gave me life, and gave the chance to find love and purpose where once I had nothing. He had done more for me than anyone else had in all of eternity. I was eternally grateful. However, I wasn't the type of woman who let anyone fight her battles for her. Especially when some fool hurt the man I loved. This, I told Lucifer in a tone that brooked no reply.

The Devil nodded, and let me pass. I willed open a doorway between realities, and stepped into the vortex which would carry me from planet Earth, the Abode of Man, the Realm of Life, to the Underworld, the Abode of Thanatos and Realm of the Dead.