Persephone

Chapter 8

      I had just returned home from visiting my mother in Olympus, it was the first time I had got to meet my mothers new born children, Arion and Desponia. My brother had been born as a divine horse, I can only assume this was due to him being conceived whilst his father himself was in horse form. Desponia, my new sister, I see a lot of myself in her and she is by my mothers side always, as I once was. Far off somewhere a clocked chimed three. I sat in the front hall awaiting Hades. Six months without him had felt like a century. Quiet music began to fill my head, soft, sweet music. I scoped the room for the source but found none. When I thought about it, I hadn’t actually heard music at all in the Underworld. “Persephone? You look confused?”. Hades spoke from behind me. My heart fluttered and I ran into him, he scooped me up and kissed me tenderly on the lips. “I missed you”. I told him
“My queen, it warms my heart to hear you say that”, he laughed.
“I was just wondering, before you came in, where that music was coming from?”. He looked back towards the door and a look of confusion came over his face as he looked back to me.  “It has been there for almost an hour now, I have no idea where it is coming from”, he told me.
“It’s so sweet, yet hauntingly sad. I haven’t heard anything so beautiful since Apollo…” I pondered allowed. I bit my lip and looked at him, he turned away from me but took my hand in his as he lead me out of the room.
      All day my head had been filled with the magical music, making it hard for me to concentrate on anything else. When the music had finally stopped, the silence felt strange. “It’s stopped?”, said Hecate, who had been sitting with me for the past hour or so. Just as I began to stand up, Hades had come through the door. He looked puzzled, which somehow seemed amusing to me. “Just after that music stopped playing I found Cerberus asleep at the door”. Now I knew why he looked confused, Cerberus was Hades’ three headed guard dog, who never slept. “Do you think it has something to do with the music then?” I asked. Before he got a chance to answer, Minos, one of the judges of the dead, had came into the room in a half run. “Pardon me”, he said, “there is a man here who wishes to speak to you directly”.
“A man?”, asked Hades.
“Yes sir, a mortal man, he came to us pleading for the release of a soul”. We both, Hades and I, walked quickly out of the room with Minos and Hecate following closely behind us.
      We didn’t walk far before we saw the man sitting on the bottom step across from the front door. He was sitting with his shoulders slumped and back to us. Minos stepped forward and told him to stand. He obediently done so, turned and bowed courteously to us. As he looked up I saw his eyes were red and swollen from crying. My instinct was to go and comfort him, but this was a matter for the ruler of the Underworld, not me, my role here was queen, and I was not to appear weak. “How did you get here?”. Hades voice was strong and stern, it gave me chills to hear it. “I journeyed through the four rivers sir. I played my music for payment”. The mans voice was barely a more than a whisper.
“Your music? We have heard this all…” I said, looking to Hades who gave me a look to stay quiet.
“You play your way into the Underworld. You, who has not yet tasted death, journey here? For what reason?” Hades asked.
“I do sir. I came to plead for my wife’s life”. The brave man answered. Hades let out a sigh before continuing, “Your name?”.
“My name is Orpheus, son of King Oeagrus and husband of Eurydice”. Hades turned to Minos and asked, “Eurydice? You know her?”.
“Indeed, she arrived here this morning. Bitten by a viper”, Minos answered matter-of-factly.
“Then why do you come here young Orpheus? You wife died as she should, you have no claim here”, Hades said coldly. Orpheus cleared his throat, clearly struggling for words. “It was the gods sir. It was they who told me I should come for her. You see, I played my lyre, but my heart would allow me to play only songs of mourning. They, along with the nymphs wept and said I should come. She was unfairly taken. It was our wedding day and Eurydice was innocently dancing in a field…”, he then turned his eyes on me and the tears began to well in his eyes again, “I was watching her from afar, then I saw the satyr. He had been watching her from behind a tree, I ran for her, but she saw him first. He chased her. He desired her. My poor wife screamed for me but I couldn’t get there in time… he chased her into a bush. I saw him run off, and when I got there I found her lying in a bed of snakes. She was already gone”. He sobbed through the last few sentences and I myself could feel the tears start to sting my eyes. I swallowed hard to fight back the tears and looked to my husband. “You will meet her again. When your time comes, for now you will return to Earth”, he said, and I could tell too that he was disturbed by the mans words. “Please, I beg, have mercy…” Orpheus pleaded.
“Go now!” Hades commanded. Minos went to him, putting a hand under his arm to help him to his feet. I watched with the tears rolling down my cheek, but Hades turned and walked away. Minos escorted Orpheus out of the palace, Hecate stood at my side n was also in silence, also with tears in her eyes.

         The music began again, more intense and heartbreaking than before. Without thinking I ran to the door, pulling it open and running out. “Wait!”. I called to the two retreating figures, then ran back inside the door to appeal to him myself. The look on his face was a look I could quite place, disappointment? Anger? “Hades, my husband… Please let her go back to him. This music will haunt me if they are not reunited. Their love goes beyond human capacity, I can feel it in his music.” I took his hand in both of mine and looked deep into his eyes, “he needs her like you need me”. his face softened and he chocked out, “bring him back, his love too.”. I smiled, kissed him and headed back to deliver the news to poor Orpheus. I found them still standing outside the door where I had yelled for them to wait, Orpheus still playing his lyre and to actually see him playing was almost hypnotizing. “Come Orpheus”, I beamed at him, “Minos you will go bring Eurydice to me.”. Minos bowed and darted off, whilst Orpheus dropped his lyre and almost pounced towards me, reminding me of a young pup.  We didn’t have to wait long in the main hall for Minos to return with the young woman. When she saw her husband she ran for his open arms but was stopped short by Hades. “Eurydice stop”. We all looked at him in confusion, then he went on, “Orpheus, you have journeyed were no mortal has before. You have won the favour,” then shot a loving look to me, “and hearts of the Gods with your music and bravery. There are irrevocable laws in place however that prevent me from simply allowing Eurydice to leave the Underworld. If you Orpheus, have trust in your Gods she can return.”. Both Orpheus and Eurydice let out a sob of happiness that made me smile, then I realised what the condition would before her return. I stepped forward, looking back at Hades then approached Orpheus and took his hand. “You really must trust us”.
“I do”, he answered without hesitation.
“Eurydice will follow you to Earth, but you must not look back for her, or in here she will stay. Go now”. He picked up his lyre, looked at his wife then left. Hades came to my side, put an arm around my waist and nodded for Eurydice to leave shortly after.
      I truly believed they would make it back together. However I later learned that after walking through the Underworld, getting through the four rivers and reaching the portal of the Underworld, Orpheus could contain himself no longer and looked back. Of course that brought Eurydice right back here. It is tragic, but laws put in place by the Moirae will allow her no more chance to return… but they will meet again.