Atticus was caught up in the frenzy and confusion of the past few moments. Not sure what to expect, just hoping to find a way out of the mindless waiting of the hallway, he stepped over the threshold after Thanatos. After he stepped through, he cast a look around the new hallway with some apprehension. The hall in front of him was markedly shorter and more finite, with only a few dozen doorways. Above each door was a bronze plaque with scribbles of languages whose meaning or pronunciation Atticus couldn't even begin to guess. He then turned back to where the door was he had come through, but behind him was an empty hallway with more doorways.
In confusion, Atticus turned back to Thanatos who was making his way towards a door with familiar Greek script above it. It read simply "Hades." Finally, Atticus felt like he knew what to expect. He remembered the stories his mother had told him of their gods and their afterlife. The stories of Hades, the god of the Underworld, overseeing the Fields of Asphodel and the heroes of Elysium came to the forefront of his mind as Thanatos began speaking.
"You know, Atticus, it feels good to be showing someone around in Hades again. We don't have people qualify for this afterlife so much nowadays. All of us tour guides love our trips back home! Poor Anubis -my Egyptian counterpart- hasn't had a trip to his home for quite a long time now, quite sad really." He said this with a quick look of sadness coming over his face. Then, as quickly as it had come, he wiped it away and replaced it with a gleaming smile.
"Enough of that, let's start the first tour!" With an exaggerated flourish, Thanatos opened up the doorway to Hades. A warm, summery glow poured from the doorway. With it came the scent of wheat fields and baked dirt: the smell of home.
Thanatos stepped through the door and beckoned after Atticus. He obediently followed Thanatos onto a dirt path through a field of wheat which looked as if it were in the land of the living. As they walked, Atticus noted the spirits which looked like him who wandered aimlessly through the field. Huge spurs of rock jutted down from a cavernous ceiling overhead, and it was from them that the light emanated.
Thanatos was speaking again. "These are the Fields of Asphodel, as I am sure you figured out. This is where those who are judged to have lived an inconsequential life are sentenced to spend eternity. There is not much to do, but the scenery is nice and it's better than Tartarus, where the most evil of souls are tortured for eternity in ways that are better not to describe on the tour."
He continued. "The judges in Hades review each soul on a case-by-case basis and determine judgement. Rhadamanthus is always trying to get people in Elysium, and Minos always wants to see people punished, but they equal one another out well. They are two of the three judges who will review your file if you decide on Hades."
At this point, their path had taken them to the shore of a glittering lake. On the far side of the lake was a city that very much reminded Atticus of home, but it looked far cleaner. "Over there is Elysium, Rhadamanthus' realm. That is where heroes go after death and judgement. See those islands in the middle of the lake, with the trees and shrines everywhere? Those are the Isles of the Blessed, where the most spectacular of heroes go after earning Elysium three times."
Atticus was bursting with a thousand questions, but Thanatos kept the tour moving along. They came to a fork in their trail. "This trail to the left would lead you straight to the palace of Hades himself. He should be in a good mood right now. His wife Persephone is in for a few more weeks before leaving for spring and summer. To the right is the gateway."
They continued on the right path for a little while longer until they came to a large iron gate with stone walls stretching into the distance on either side. In front of the gate stood a massive three-headed dog. Thanatos walked right up to him and began to rub his belly. He called back to Atticus, "This is Cerberus, guard dog of Hades. He keeps these souls from escaping and other souls from coming through the gate into the wrong Underworld. He's quite nice so long as you don't come too close to the gate."
After a few more minutes of vigorous belly scratches, Thanatos pulled himself away from the hound who whimpered as his playmate walked away. "Man, I miss getting to play with Cerberus! Hades doesn't ever visit him. I'm the only company he ever gets."
With one last backward glance, Thanatos redirected his attention on Atticus. "Alright, that about sums up Hades. You've seen the Fields, the lake and Elysium, and you probably don't care to see Tartarus; so, it's time to make a decision. Do you want to be judged here or continue the tour?"
Atticus thought for a moment. He did like the look of Elysium, and the Fields weren't too awful either. But then Atticus remembered the battles he had fought and the ghastly things he had done in them. He didn't know if that qualified him for Tartarus, but he'd rather not risk it. Moreover, he was reminded too much of home here; he knew that he would always see a shadowed version of his life and he didn't want that for eternity.
"No, this doesn't seem like the right place. Let's continue." Thanatos looked mildly surprised, but he nodded his head. "In that case," he waved his hand and another door appeared just like the one in the waiting room, "let's visit some Vikings!" Thanatos stepped through the doorway as Atticus called from behind him, "Visit some what?!"
This story is, quite obviously, set in the Greek Underworld. One note about naming: I referred to this Underworld as "Hades" throughout to help limit confusion as we move into other stories with Atticus. Though many refer to the Greek underworld simply as "the Underworld" that would be quite confusing as we enter into other afterlives. In this afterlife, we get to see a small slice of what life would have looked like for Atticus in the land of the living and what he did with his life. Atticus grew up in Anatolia, the region which is Turkey today, and was heavily influenced by neighboring Greece in both religion and culture. We see that he fought in wars and was told stories of the Greek pantheon as a child, making much of what he sees in Hades an expected sight. This won't be the case for his other tour destinations, and we will see him surprised much more in the future! As you are sure to have noticed at the end of this story, we will next be accompanying Atticus and Thanatos to the Norse afterlife, what will undoubtedly be an alien landscape for Atticus -let's hope he's ready for chilly weather!