The Ferryman

The mustang growled down the road with the group squished in it. Azrael sat on Hela's lap next to Lucifer, who eyes were heavy and his mouth in a frown again. He made armor for each of them. But Azrael sat in her old armor which was a slink pale armor with chains hanging from each end and corset tightened around her waist. While Hela had on a flame theme jumpsuit with chain link armor around her waist. Lucifer sat in a maroon flowing blouse, armor corset, and armored leather pants. While Poppy sat in her poofy dress with one corset for armor, Jasper opted for none, just a long leather jacket, and Nanala had almost all the armor you could fit on a human, but she could easily carry. 

Poppy, Nanala, and Jasper sat in the back, with the ginger armor clanging together while Poppy and Jasper kept hitting each other behind Nanala's back. Lucifer gave them death glares, but they only got sneakier at throwing punches. Either than that, the car was eerily silent as if their journey was ending, or rather, Azrael knew her journey with Lucifer was ending. The thought hit her stomach like a pile of rocks and she shifted in Hela's arms.

Lucifer turned the car down a dirt road, as a flash of a mountain stood between trees and an electric field in front of a steel one that protected it. He turned off the road and parked near a ditch where the group jumped out.

Nanala stood anxiously, watching the electric field. "What are we doing here?" the group turned toward the ginger. "Are we breaking into a natural reserve?" Jasper rolled his eyes.

"How else are we gonna get to hell's gate?" he said in a teasing tone.

"You mean to tell me that hell's gate is in a nature reserve that anyone can just wander into?" Jasper was about to answer the ginger when Lucifer stepped in.

He approached her was such care "No, hell's gate is a portal to hell, this is just an easier way to get you in" she still has a bit of fear on her brow "don't worry, you are ok" he touched her jawline "Now" he turned to the fields "let's get you over" Hela pick up the ginger and flew her over while the other teleported through.

They began their hike towards the devil's trail, which led to the gates of hell. The group chugged on in complete silence with nothing but the sounds of nature around them and their feet against the ground. But behind Nanala grew slower and slower and with a hands-on her knees, she sniveled. 

"Give me a moment" She raised her hand, and when Azrael placed her hand on the poor soul's back. 

Hela rubbed her face and turned to the ginger. "we don't have a moment" Azrael waved off Hela's impatient mess and offered Nanala some water.

Lucifer suddenly crouched down before the ginger, offering his back when Hela pushed him out of the way. "no, you will grow weak". She patted her brother's back. "Jasper, carry her" the demon rolled his eyes and replaced Lucifer.

Nanala wobbled on Jasper's back. "why don't we just teleport to the gate?" she asked as Jasper shook her around.

"because" Jasper answered in a bored tone "your infuriating mortal body can't take a bit of transfiguring without something going missing" Jasper's eyes brightened "maybe teleporting is a good idea" Lucifer gave him a death glare as they started moving again "come on, no one here wants to see what Nanala would look like without eyes or mouth or head" Nanala punched Jasper in the arm. 

Poppy began to snicker. "What if she turned into a Tim burton character? That would be funny," Hela decided to join in.

"Ooo like Barbara from Beetlejuice, or rather Adam," Hela joked, but Lucifer nudged his sister to stop. "What?" she struggled. "I have seen it happen," they all snickered, but Lucifer wasn't having it.

Silence fell on the group again as they approached the waterfall. The rushing water had an eerie atmosphere around it, especially in the dead of night. Jasper placed Nanala down onto the slow, moist ground as the group circled the peaceful scene. The waterfall didn't look any different from most, especially since this was the portal to hell. Nanala was confused at the scene, but she knew there was a sense of sinister to it.

All the feelings became too real for the ginger. She was going to walk into hell, a thought that had never crossed her mind so deeply until now. "Should I be scared?" she whispered to herself, not expecting the others to hear.

Azreal placed her hand on Nanala's shoulder. "No" Nanala watched her look to the water. "no demon in their right mind would harm a pure soul. You will be fine" she smiled down at the ginger.

Nanala let out a breath of relief and then realized, "why did I need all that training?" Hela leaned on her shoulder.

"crossfire, trying to match Lucifer's skills" she shook her head at the thought "and, well, battle" she nudged Nanala before joining Lucifer, who was trying to find the way in.

Nanala just stared at the group dumbfounded "don't forget Orcs and Balrog, who won't give two shit if you were a pure soul" Jasper slandered behind her with a mischievous smile.

Lucifer threw a rock at Jasper's head. "Stop," he warned before pointing to a little path that moved behind the waterfall. "This way," he mentioned over his shoulder.

The group followed the devil behind the waterfall into a hidden cavern. The water from the waterfall flowed away from it and down the dark cavern that lay out before them. Hela created glowing flames that floated in mid-air before hitting them forward as the group ventured on. The muddy cavern turned into perfectly carved obsidian as they stepped into another dimension. The obsidian had lines of lava, but the light was fading ever so slightly. They came to the mouth of the stream, which lead to a rushing river of fire, and the group stopped just before it.

"Why are we stopping?" Nanala looked at her company.

Lucifer turned to the pure soul "I need to possess you before the Ferryman sees us, a pure soul in hell could cause chaos" Nanala nodded while Lucifer turned to accept her embrace, and they graciously fell in each other arms while an inky black substance coated their bodies. 

Nanatasis emerged from the blackness and wiped off her armor before letting her fingers run through her wolf-cut bob, maroon shirt that a tight corset held in place and flare high slit pants with tie-dye pattern along with knee-high armored boots. 

"gosh," they flickered some blackness out of their hair "good to be back and…" they turned to Azrael immediately, looking over her slick pale white armor with chains hanging from each edge "oh, please take me prisoner" they held their wrist out "I promise not to make a sound" biting their lip, suggestively.

Azrael stared at the scene and turned, "I'm… gonna move away from this," she suggested to the possession. 

Even though the lake was bursting with flames, it wasn't lighting up the tunnel, just an even glow. Souls reach out for their eternal burning, but Azrael kicks their hands back in when a creaking sound comes from up the river. And a slow boat came moving down it, a skeleton coated in black ash slowly pushed the boat with a long stick. His coat dragged behind him, which looked like it was covered in souls trying to escape.

It gave Azrael a long, desperate look before looking at her group. She summoned a white marble coin and tossed it toward the Ferryman, Charon, "keep this quiet" it didn't answer, just waited until everyone was on board before pushing off.

"what is it?" a silvery voice coming from Nanatasis but it was in Nanala's voice "that is Charon, the Ferryman, he transports the deemed who was given a funeral to hell" a deep growl of a voice followed from the same body, "I thought that's what Nat… I mean, Azrael did" Jasper turned to Nanatasis.

"There are different types of grim reapers, the same way there are different types of demons" he huffed, "I thought you would have caught since Poppy is a soul carrier" he shook his head and turned away but Nanatasis kicked the back of his head.

Nanatasis turned to Hela "go now, Poppy and Jasper towards the throne"

Hela jumped into the river of flames while Poppy and Jasper sprouted wings and flew off toward the end of the tunnel, which could be seen. Nanatasis leaned back in her seat, watching Azrael watching the others disappear. Her fingers gripping her arms which had wrapped around herself, nails digging into her flesh. The boat came to the opening of the tunnels and floated on nothing, over rolls and rolls of building-like apartments where demons, fallen angels, and everyone else walked amongst streets of obsidian; Marketplaces, schools, and jobs are all neatly carved into mountains of black and red.

Nanala's voice came barreling through again "Never thought Hell could be so beautiful" she whispered when Lucifer answer "it is a kingdom, not just doom" he answered in sweet words.

Words that reminded Azrael of his words with her. She stood with an ache in her stomach. "this is my drop off" Nanatasis stood to grab her arm, but she had already jumped off before flying off.