Clever Collector, but not completely true. Your solution was partially correct, and would have been completely embarrassing if it were not for you new traveling companions. There was more to the river than just souls, but a spiritual aether, which acted as water would, flowed with them. It was in this fluid aether that the souls were guide along their path as it course through the layers of hell. The nature of the river at this point at least would allow souls in, but not souls out. Hence your weaponry infused with souls, could easily slip past the aetherial ice. But the Grecian Trireme ship? It would treat the Aetherial ice as a solid, and certainly be more of a drag through the river of souls than the Collector would have suspected. Did he forget the purpose of such a ship? Should it so easily pass through the river bottom to top and top to bottom, then upon boarding such a vessel that would treat the river as air, they would sink back to the bottom of it all! Oh, and there was one thing left unsaid, for the clever to find the meaning of why it was left unsaid. 

Fortunately, there was one amongst them who, broken the surface of the ice causing for the winds to break and shatter the frozen river once inside the cave. This act of elemental magicks, well to be noted for it was Kalico who was first to mischief, and yet outwitted the Collector and perhaps all the rest to let the boat surface far easier, and certainly sail faster. A show of cataclysmic forces of nature, worthy of the name Typhon. Keep an eye on this one, trouble will draw to him like a moth to flame, or perhaps like static cling to a cat.

A fair show to the two heros, old warriors of their gods, valiant forces that they were. One to fend off his attacker, and the other crack the ice. One of them shall come to lead the group most certainly, but in which direction shall they pull? Two commanders best forge a path together, lest they cause a civil war to sprout.

Finally the spiritualist, the medium and shaman who honored the traditions of the old world. Before the gods there were spiritual forces, originally the children of the Five and One, and of the Five of the Five and One, only the Three and One remain. This was the great mystery that none could explain of how this world came to be. They gave credit to the gods, and yet they too were created from mortal men who were infused with a divine soul and ascended into their immortality. The One of the Five and One left the world, having created all it needed to do. It is what mortals and the gods call Fate. A watcher from beyond which had set a definite series of events to unfold. An author which had put down the pen. The rest of the five are also named by mortals. There was Death who's true name was Void, representing the original state of everything and the final state of everything. Life, our adventurers have met, who's true name was Eternity, representing both time itself and the time we have between the voids. There were the forces of Order and Chaos, and finally there was Equilibrium, or Justice as they say, who keeps the balance between all things. Perhaps if these champions were demigods of knowledge they would know of who it was that saw their trials: the Four of Five elder beings of the universe. Show proper respect to the man in blue next time you meet time.

The Stone was silent, not dead, but quiet as a rock may be. As expected through it all. In the end, they had finished the first labour, to retrieve the boat from ice and begin the process of navigating it into the first layer of hell. Uxzan took a paddle of the dozens of oars on the Greek ship, but they would need more than just one rower did they expect old Charon to ferry souls one at a time? No that is too much work, for too many were too wicked for their own good. So in the masses they go, but then again, Charon was merely a representation of the man in blue one of its favoured mortals who was given an unusually long life-span until the man asked for a retirement. So this was not the river styx, but as the winds helped propel the boat forward deeper into the darkenss of the cave where light was swallowed.

It was at this passing where our demigods could feel a bit of something in them die. Not quite literally die of course, but certainly an ill feeling manifested as if something was slipping away. Back into the light now, where the river runs slowly with ice flows, a fake sun to radiate their way through the thicket of these cold haunted woods. They were in Limbo, the first layer of Hell. The easiest way to tell was to notice the change of scenery from dark cave to virginal Norwegian forest. The boat also changed accordingly, from trireme to longboat, sporting a fierce serpent's head in lieu of those odd eyes and ramming hull. They should probably expect their ship to do this with every change of layer, as it was the only way through each.

---

"A new set of heros."

"Turn back now..."

"Others gone before you..."

"Save yourselves..."

"Abandon this foolishness."

"Your Gods cannot help you here."

"The Gods did not save us..."

the voices of the long dead damned, floating in the phantasms from past the hardy trees. They could do no harm to you, their forlorn voices only suggesting the imminent doom that shall be upon them. Spirit dressed in a variety of clothes, but most of them pagan in their own ways. They were those who rejected the gods and favored naturalism, or perhaps thought the gods were unneeded. A few were dressed like farmers, some like soldiers, and many others. Certainly a haunting effect, but since they lacked corporeal form, they were only agents of self-doubt. The winter shall try your soul, this realm shall break your spirit. Do you push on ahead knowing this was only the first layer? Or do you turn back now and live as demigods? You are already gods amongst men... Why become Gods amongst Gods?

"The King rules here, not your gods."