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“What do you mean he’s dead? I thought you said he was getting stable.”
Hermes’ anger was slowly starting to spill out, covering the grief that grew inside of his chest.
Orpheus was not dead.
He was dreaming.
This was a nightmare. This was some trick from Morpheus.
“We thought he was. Everything was approaching normal until his heart stopped suddenly.”
That’s impossible. That doesn’t just happen.
“We tried to get it to beat again bu-“
“Try again. Do something. Anything.”
“He’s too far gone. There’s nothing more we can do.”
Hermes’ eyes began to sting, feeling the too familiar sensation of dread and panic upon him.
His son had committed suicide.
Hermes didn’t notice his depression.
The pattern had repeated., just as the fates said. 19 years of trying to outrun the claws of the fates and all he had got were his heart shattered into 3.
2 parts were taken by the ones he cared for the most.
1 part was all that was left. 1 heartbreak left.
As the nurse spoke, all Hermes could hear was the howling of his mind.
He failed.
The thread was snipped.
There is nothing worthy being immortal for.
Where did Eurydice go?
Cinnamon will be there.
Persephone is there for me.
Eurydice, poor Eurydice.
What about the boy’s song?
Orpheus, where are you now?
Will Hades spare him mercy?
Hermes sat down in the nearest seat he could find.
It should’ve been me. Without him, I’m drifting endlessly through time once more.
Every day, every night is the same. The same pattern day in, day out.
5 taps of the feather pin on his suit.
5 flicks of the light switch.
5 flips of the chalk he held when he wrote the daily menu on the board outside.
5 knocks on the door before he started the day.
5 5 5 5 5
Everything was in 5s to him and
it had been
5 minutes
since he heard that
Orpheus was dead.
Five, the age Orpheus was when Hermes took him in from Calliope.
Five, the number of months Eurydice stayed.
Five, the number of times Persephone had been given an intervention for her alcoholism.
Five, the number of times Hades had threatened Hermes for “interfering with his worker’s willingness to work.”
Five.
It would always follow him.
Because nothing ever changes, not even five.
Not even death.
Not even Hermes.
Then again
Maybe there’s a 4 before
the five and after the
five maybe there’s a 6
maybe there‘s a decimal somewhere
maybe there’s someway to finally
move on from five
and let 6 tears fall down
feel another 4 emotions
let 5.5 seconds pass before he stood.
Because maybe the cheerfulness of the boy’s spirit was affecting him or maybe he was losing it.
But he would no longer be just a 5, for the sake of Orpheus, he would be something better.
He would make things right for Orpheus, for everyone, for himself.