"Hello, Charon, mate," says Zagreus, walking up to the figure with a broad grin and confirming Yvette's guess. "Anything good on offer today?"

H̲̎͛͗ͫ̇͑̏n̩͎͍͐͌ͯ̾̍̃ͅr̗͇̘̩͚̲̯̈́ṙ̨̞̞̜̭̭ͯ̄͂̔a̫͇̘̗̻ͩͭͩͬ̿ͮä͝â̗̼̜͚̺̆̈̄͛̊ͯa͉̰͇͕͖ͮ́ǧ̼̣̪̘̤͎͈͝ḥ̙͕̭̝̻́̽ͫ̐̋ḧ̨͎́ͩ̅hͬ̄͏̤h̃̎ͮ͛̚h̟͇̿͢ͅ.̞̝̉̎̅͐͆̍̍͞.̩͚͌.͕̘̪͈̦̩̠͋

... Huh! That's very intelligible, actually.

"'You'll have to see for yourself,'" she translates, for Zagreus, turning on her eye to look at the boatman. "Hello, Charon. Pleasure to meet you."

"You understand him?"

Hͬ́͐̑҉͉͓͍̳̼̜̝̱r̅̿͐҉̹͇̱̰̪̰̟r̃̂̎̇̐̅ͮ̂͏͖̘̯̘n̨̯̺̫̳̲̰ͮͮ̇̆ͥg̲̖̬̦̭͎̹̑ͨḩ̨̻͚̪̲ͥͯ̾̃ͦạ̵ͩ̉̄̊͊ͮ̂͘h̙̲͊ͩ͗ͧ͛̈́̎ͪ͟ͅh̡͖ͥ̔ͩ̔̒̀.̸̗̩̰ͥ̿͗ͧ̓͞͝ͅ.̥̟͙̅ͧ̍̏̕.̸͉͙͋̍̉̏ͭ̊͒ͅ?̗̭̻ͪ͛ͪ͗̓̿̾͡ ̫͈̹̲͚̓̋͟͞K̈͂ͫͥ̇ͦͤͨ҉̹̳̹̼̼̣̣̻͢h̷̠̖͈̭̼̣͒ͧ̋̈́̎͆̚͡ͅh̵͈͚̙̜̓̏ͯ͟r̴͎̰̩̻͓̲͔̥̣ͬ̉̍ͤͫͬ̚r̡͙͎̄́̃͑ͥ̌̀ŗ͔̦̜̝̤͚̦̣̭͆ͮ̊ͭ̓̊ͯ́r̨͇̼̘̲͓ͮ̉ͧ̌̕r̷̗̯̺̯̳̰͙̻ͧ̾̿͆̀̄̑͋͝͝ͅn̻͉͚͕̜̮̪ͧ̌͆͛͘͢n̢̪̲̟͆ͩ̑̎͟ͅͅn̹͇͓̝̯̜̲̳̭̓ͥ̾̕n̢̛̤̺̗̯͆n̵̢̳̭ͦ.̶̝̯͚͓̓̇̑ͧͦ̈́ͯ͘͢ͅͅ.̈́̐́́҉̰̩̼̯̯̞.̷̫̰̮͎̲̠̟̎ͭ̂ͨͩ͠.̨͖̫̖̘̯̥̻̩ͣͣ̐.̶̰͈͈ͨ͛̒ͥ̈̓̓.̶̘̜̇̍ͯ.̸̱̗͐ͬͩ̀̕͠.̈́͏̬̫͕

"I do. I'm Yvette. I'm, uh. Actually—I̜͈͖̥͍̤̩'͓̘̟̬̞̤͙m͚͉͕ ͍f̳̱̩r̫̣̩̬̭ͅo̰m̫̳ ͇̦̲a̘͎̰̩͍͢ ̤̤ͅm̝̣i̳͔̮̺͘r͙̭r͜ọ̧̪̣̲r̶̪̞̣e̜̩̬̲̝̞͞d͙͓̤͝ ̭̹̘͓̥w͍͎̤̦͞o͉̰̮͇̺̪̝rl̙̘͓̱d̜̝̯̪͙̙͕/E̛̘̖̗a̪̝̩̙̥ͅr͏̱̠̖͍̪̜̯t̘͙̪̫h҉̮̲/̹̖̻̦͟f̱̣͚ḁ̥̹r̡̝̬͓͚̟̗ ̛̳̦͎̭a̳̝̻̩͓̜̬͟w͖̘̹a̹̣̻͇̻̩̣y͇͖̥͉.̹̝̖̦̭"

Ẩ̸͎͖̫͚̖̫̺ͨͅͅẖ̢̢̖͕̮̅̇͂̾͗̄h̝͊ͣ̏̑̊ͦͮ̓̕h͒̂ͨ͊҉͉̻̤͇͙͉̥r̨̈́̎̊ͬͯ̉ͬ́͏̗̗͖k̩̲̺͙̏̑̓̋̊̓ͬ̽̄͘͝ͅk̛͖̹͇͖̤̉̂̈͆ͥ̓͆͆̃͘k̴̺̼̥͉̈́͋̿̓̚̕ ̯͎̻̊̅ͦ̾̓ͩ͟ẕ̲̬̟̰̱̯̥ͯͬ̈̈͟͞h̫̬̖̤̣̖̒͞͞h̢̟͕͗͋̌̓͑ͨ͟h̊̒ͧ̑͆̎̋͏̷̗̟͈̼̼̙͍ḩ̮͌͆̎͊̇̂̓ͣ͞e̼̺̭̐̂̏́͞ă̶̗̳̲ͪ̆̇ͯͮh͖̱̤̣̞͎̫̋̀͋ͧ̍ͤ̎̕h̩̻̼̙̆̈ͥ̀͢ḥ̰͕̐͌ͯͧḧ̡̬̱͈͖̹͉͒̆͡h̶̦̲͙̠̟͒͑̎͟ͅh́͘͟҉͉̩̣͈̠̦͉ḥ̢̭̜̠͕̖̬̻ͫͮ̏̓ͅ.̲̞̠͇̤͍́ͪ̈́ͦͯ̅ͤͅ

"Thank you for the offer. I don't think I have any money to purchase them, though, and I... don't think it would be the thing you want if I made my own?"

H̘͇ͩh̶͈̳̰͔̦̠̽ͦͣ͒̽̓̚͢h̛ͪͧͦ̒̚͏͖̮̤͎̱h̥̞͉̞̩̼̜͉̤͆̏ͭͫ̈́ͯ̎̓h̨̦͉̩̞̽́̉̒ͬ̚ḫ̭͕̥ͨ̿̀ḧ́̊́̾̾ͦ҉̲͖̹h̛̺̜̜̤̫̜̍ͨh̛̛̭̟̄̎ͪ̌̈ͥͦ͛hͣ̐̍͒ͨ͟͞͏̙͎̺̦.̨̛̜̗̋̈̔͗ͥ̅̀̚̚̕

"A centaur heart!" says a Zagreus who's been peering through the items on display. "And this, I'm going to bet this here has a blessing, doesn't it," he adds, pointing at a rusted coin.

Ǵ̲̖̻̹̠̲̽̾́͠g̎͛̈͋̅͑̇͏̪̞̤̞̤h̠ͫ̈́͆͡ŗ̢̖̩ͦͫͫ͋̓͐ͣͣę̙̣͚͇̊ͣͧͥͮ̄̔͜ḛ̤̻͖̠͎ͯ͌͗͢ë̵͇̭̓͡ȩ̶̛̹̪̤͕͕̫̺̼̮ͭͤͨ̈e͈̤͎̹̺̱͖̤͋͒̿͂́́ͥͥ̓͟k̢̦͒͌́̏̏̓ͯkͬ̾̽҉͍̫͘k̷̴̼̯̼̥̦̲̅̊k̢̩̗̐̒ͯ͆̊̐̅̌͜k̨͕̰̯͇̟̍̔̒͒̇͐̀͋̇͞ͅͅş̴̤̄̽̀ͮ̋ͨ̚.̏ͩ́̏ͯ͏̘

"I thought so. And it does, Zagreus. Hermes's."

"I'll take both," he decides, counting several coins from the coin purse attached to his belt and offering them to the boatman.

The coins disappear, and now the boatman will not attack Zagreus to the death if the godling takes those two items.

Hooray for that! She wonders what he wants (or perhaps needs?) all of that money for. Well. It's probably not her business, is it. What is her business to ask of the boatman, though:

"Um. I don't suppose you know the way I go to get home, Charon?" she requests, in a small voice.

K̛̻̻̲̥̩̥̭̘͔ͤ̈ͫ̊͆̓h̴͎̰̱͎ͪ͗ͣ̇̎̃̽ẖ̱̭̖̍̓͐̂h͖͎͙̲̽ͧ͐̋̈́́͗͘͡t̮̙̜̩͔̝͚͌̈́̽̑̈͜ťͯͤ̽̂͋҉͉͜t̵̥̺̤̲̬̜͚ͧ̽̊̌̀t̥̞̙̯̦̺̖̫̾ͩ́͋ͨ̅̚t͓͇̳̉ͧͨ͆̓ͪͦt̲̗̯̥̾̉̆̏͂̒ͫt̛̐̄͗̒ͦ̔̉́҉̮̣̱̫̭̣̦h̫̥̠͊͒̋̄̒ͤ̀̕͡ë̷̷̫̙̇̉͂̌͊ͥͨ͢eͫ̿͏̘͎͈̗̤ę͉̫̱͙̋ͯ͌̃̕e̸̮̤̤͎̐ͬe͈̤̘̮͒̽̔͟e̶͙̭̺̤͈̳̭͒͑͢͞h͈̹͍̟̻ͮ̄̋̊ͩͭ̋̌̒.̈̓ͧ̉͏̻͈̳̼͖̖̙̝͎.͑̏͌͋̉̉͏̴҉̪̤͚̤̪̲̤.̶͓͕̲͎̹̺̳͕̒̑͝ ̧͓̰͓͓̲͓͓̤ͬ̿̄ͬͅG̓̾̐̋̑̌̅҉̟̤̫͓̗͓͓̫͙͝r̷̬̖̥̞͈̺̜͓̄̋͊́ͯ́̀y͚̭̲͙̽͠y̞͙̫̥͕͊̽̚͟͜͡ͅy̵̟̩̤͇̘̟̓͂ͮͣ̚y̢̰̮̤̹͉͍͊̎̒h̰̥̠̰͎̺̯͂͋ͣ̅ͭͮ̅͟h̷̖͔͖̞ͯ̍h̴̗͛̈̿ͯ͒ͧ̔̀͟h͎̯̺͚̥̰̘̔̎ḩ̗̆ͬͬ͛́h͚͍͓̝͚̹͇̖̬͌̿͂͋ͪ͞.̢̭ͧ̄̽͛̍ͮ͞

"No need to apologize, thanks anyway. Figured I might as well ask."

H̥̫͚̳̣͇̬̳͒ͮ̈́̔̃̋͟͞ȩ̲̠͍̠̠̣̯̟̒̈ͥ̀ẖ̷̡̡̭̭̮͈͌ͬͥͫͅͅh̅͌͘҉̲͞h̑̆̉ͬ҉͙̼̺͈̼̕r͂ͦ̌͐̾͝҉̪͇͕̝̪̖h͕̹̻͑̒ͫ̂̍̓ͫ̇ḩ̫̃̃̆̿̄h̒̑͗҉̮͕ḧ̜͎̞̱̘̮́̀h̔̅̌̒̓̾̉҉̡̛͎̖̟̤̳̲̘̲ḩ̸̬̥̈̈̍ͯ͞r̥̗̥̜͉̼̗̿ͤͯͨͨ͌r̼ͬ̂ͯr̭͈̜̫̘ͮ̆̓͐͑̉́r̨̹͉͔̄ͭͯ͂ͮŗ̗͍̂͡.̵̜̖̦̮͙͈̻̔̐̾͞

"You, too."

Well, now she went and made herself all sad, that's inconvenient.

"So it'll be our boss battle next?" she says to Zagreus, in an attempt to distract herself.

"Yeah. Let's see what Hermes has on offer, though..."

There is a breeze, one not unlike someone just ran past them at a speed so blinding they could not even catch a glimpse of him.

"Hey, Coz! And who's your friend there? Not that you can reply, of course. Anyway, glad you found me in Charon's stuff, here, good on you. Good luck with Theseus!"

Yvette lets out a little snort, a little amused. He speaks very quickly and sounds like he's in a hurry.

"Doesn't waste any time, does he," says Yvette, charmed.

"He does not, although until recently I only knew this by hearsay."

She gives a little affirmative hum, then adds, "Okay, go pick. I think I've got the sun-blast ready. And if not, well, I have practice at playing saboteur without it, now."

So he picks something, and tries slashing at the air with his sword a bit to test it out. He's noticeably faster.

"Ready as I'll ever be. This run, anyway." Onwards to the coliseum.