Chapter 10: Doron The Invincible

"So what is my payment" The ferryman said as he took a drag from his pipe, that was about as tall as a grown man, that was how big he was.

"An eye of a lesser god" Iris said as she waved her hand to summon roots... nothing happened, which confussed her and Hermes, who knew that Iris could summon those roots of hers at anytime, and anywhere.

"Am sorry las, but lady Styx does not really enjoy plants, it reminds her of goddess Gaia" The ferryman said, and as if to respond to his statement, the river bubbled a bit like it was boiling.

"... So how will I give you the eye then, it's stored in my root space" Iris asked.

"We have our ways of collecting debts" The ferryman said smoking his pipe, for some reason, this statement and his posture made him look like some kind of mafia boss. "So what is the payment for the total invincibility against physical attacks, without him having an Achillies heel"

"This is still up for negotiation." Hermes said as he was the one to negotiate with the ferryman.

"Okay, what are you offering first"

"20 souls of demigods" Hermes said as he brought out a blue looking orb that had what looked like wisps of smoke floating around inside it.

The ferryman seeing this raised an eyebrow.

"Is this childs life that important?" It was understanable, demigods unlike real gods could stilll die and have their souls judged by the underworld judges, for them to be offering twenty souls of demigods just to make the boy they threw into the embrace of lady styx to become invulnerable to any physical attacks was just over kill. 'This is not a negotiation at all' The ferryman thought. This payment alone was enough to make three humans become invulnerable to physical attacks, and even pay the fee for bathing in the river styx, before it was actually free, but due to alot of individuals doing it everytime became to burdersome.

Of course out of all of those that did it only 2% survived, because when bathing in the river, you are actually killing yourself and the pain was complete torture, and you have to keep a certain part of your body outside the river as that would serve as the anchor that would keep you still alive in the world of the living, just that your other body parts that were inside the river would become dead.

So they came up with this form of offering something nice to the ferryman to bathe in it.

What Doron did not know was that Iris had already planned this bath for him before he awakened, just that she was not yet ready to go ahead with it, but due to how the black robes were already trying to kiil him, she decided to do it, at least he would have more chances of survival before he is ready to enter the academy and learn to fully control his powers, and integrate with the world tree.

And why can't they just let him integrate with the world tree, the reason was simple actually. When they integrate with the world tree, they don't actually die, but rather become it's guardian spirit, that's why they need them strong, the gods are not strong enough to fight the beings that the world trees and their guardians fight, that is why gods who harm a potential world tree guardian is instantly killed by others.

"Yes, very" Iris said with seriousness in her tone.

"So the twenty demigod souls are not for only full invincibility am I correct?"

"Yes"

The ferryman hummed as he puffed out a clou of smoke, a literal cloud of smoke that could be mistaken for a real cloud if not careful.

"So what is it?" He finally asked after a long time of keeping quiet, the duo could tell he was talking to Lady Styx.

"We want him to have three life chances" Iris said gritting her teeth. She knew what she was asking for was somehow impossible in a way. Doron being fully invincible was already pushing it, now they wanted three chances for him to be bruoght back to life?.

"..."

"..." Even Hermes was shocked. 'You did not tell me this, you told me you wanted him to be able to escape death twice not to f*cking raise back from the dead! three times for that matter!'

'Even if he escapes death, there is a possiblity that he might have an injury that is hard to cure or recover from.' Iris retorted to Hermes.

'That is why we are doing full invinciblity damnit!'

'It's not full proof!'

Whiles Hermes and Iris were arguing, the Ferryman was also having his own discussion.

'Do it'

'But milady, that would put me in grave danger as Hades would know of something like this happening' The ferryman did not know whether to laugh or cry at this point. His lady was someone who always wanted to be entertained at all times, being the goddess of river that sould needed to cross to reach the afterlife ment that she could not really leave the river, and had to always be arroud it 24/7 as a protector and supervsor, so of course it gets boring.

'Hades would not know, so will Thanatos, their areas of reach in the underworld is limited as they can't control Tartarus, Gaia's domain, Nyx and Erebus's domains and mine, so you send the boy back to the world of the living three times, it's jsut three times, nothing more.' Styx said telepathically to the ferryman. 'And the souls of the Demigods will be used to replace the three times he was here, it seems the girl was smart enough to know this.'

The ferryman just sighed and knew that he was screwed. If Hades or Thanatos later find out about this, he was dead for sure.

"We accept"

"..."

"..."

Hermes and Iris who were still arguing where shocked hearing what the ferryman said.

'They agreed?' Was both their thoughts as they never thought that they would really accept this proposal.

"On one condition" The ferryman said raisins his wrinkly hands as and slowly brought close to the duo. When his hand was on the sandy floor and close to them, Iris and Hermes saw what looked like a pendent with a ball in the middle of what looke like a locket, inside was a black liquid that looked like it was not following the laws of gravity as it moved in any direction it liked, up, left, right, down or just floated.

This was clearly a drop of the river styx.

"Your champion must wear this when he comes out from the river."

"What is this for." Iris asked warily as she looked at the pendant on the giants index finger. She was weary about the things that the gods usually gave mortals, as it usually brought more harm than good in the lives of the mortals.

"This is none of your bussiness" Was all the ferryman said and dropped the pendant on the floor.

Iris and Hermes looked at each other.

"I don't see a reason for them to do anything bad to Doron, they could have just told Hades or Thanatos about what was happening and you would be in trouble for trying to cheat death not once thrice" Hermes said with the same approachable smile.

Iris knew he was right, she could have the power to command any god fo any pantheon, but not gods that control special areas, or primordial, god kings and gods that control concepts like life, death, and end.

She picked up the pendant and felt that it was really cold to the touch.

Inside the river, a tied up Doron was just floating in theblack water without a care in the world right now.

He did not know why but when Hermes threw him in the river, he was expecting some pain and other things but he was fine, the water was cold and dark , aside fom that, nothing else was wrong with him.

"Hehehe" Doron heard a laugh in the water, since he was just seeing darkness everywhere he looked, he was not really able to know where the laughter came from.

Though he was not sure how he was actually breathing under water, but he could not really talk so he just listened.

"You know, you are the first person that I have actually been intrested in." The voice said. "I usually kill those who I feel are not worthy and allow those who are gain invinciblity, but you, you are the first person that I don't have any other feeling than intrigue."

Doron felt a hand caress his cheek as it slowly made it's way and touched his lips.

"You are something" The voice said as Doron was feeling quite nervous now. He was a twenty year old virgin, and he had never really been this close to a girl like this before, aside Iris.

He felt a warm sensation on his lips as something was trying to pry his lips open. His nervousnes reached a whole new height, as he tried not to let the little amount of blood flowing through his brain rush downwards.

"Open up, don't worry I don't bite... yet"

Doron at first wanted to keep his mouth shut, but as soon as he felt a soft hand rub his bulge over his clothes, he opened his mouth in shock, a little bit of water entered his mouth as something also invaded his mouth.

Out of surprise, he bit down on the slimy foreign object in his mouth as he tasted the most delicious taste he had ever tasted and instantly blacked out.

Styx who just her mouth bitten and her golden god blood flowed into Doron was also surprised that a mere mortal was able to inflict a wound to her.

"Interesting mortal, it seems he is much more different than the other sacrifices, no wonder they are going this far for him."

What she did not tell the ferryman was, Hades had already told her to approve of their three chance revival form the dead on Doron.

Her curiosity then led her to do what she did just now, to know what was so special about this boy. Now she had accidentally fed him god blood.

"Hope it does not show on him, but it would be nice to have a partner like him that has so much potential" Styx had a creepy smile on her face as she moved to the now asleep Doron.

"I guess I can lay claim to him now before he becomes a hot topic in the supernatural world, it's so boring alone here."

Unknown to Doron, he was now married to a goddess, and now had a power that solely belonged to him.