A House of Cinder

Hoping for a benevolent Hades
Or a steadfast Charon
The wandering soul arrives
With but a coin to swear on

There, just above the Stygius
Where once Achilles came
The gates of Infernus
Covered in eternal flame

The ghost, clad in simple garments
Looks down upon the waterbed
And where once was the gateway to torment
The river remained empty and dead

Quick, he wanders down the path
That the old river once drew
Though afraid of Cerberus's wrath
His other options were few

Stopping, his barren sockets widened
Upon this vision of hell, ancient city falling
Held together by belief, once covered in pride and
Now collapsed into ruins, glorious gardens rotting

There, the shadow fell to its knees and wept
The destruction of Tartarus, a secret well kept
All of Hell barren and abandoned, that was what seemed to be
The demons were on Earth; the Underground long emptied.