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Steph's music had led to many wonders unveiling themselves to her throughout her travels. Revealing themselves as they drew closer to experience the beauty of her music. Today however, was the first time she found herself equally enraptured by her audience. The dark haired girl among the throng of nymphs swayed with the music, eyes closed as she listened to Steph sing. She stood out among the nymphs as the only human in the clearing, but even in a crowd of humans she wouldn't go unnoticed. Her features were similar to the rare merchants traveling in caravans from far lands. Those merchants were always richly dressed and glared from between a wall of armed guards. This girl was alone and dressed in simple clothes similar to Steph's own.
The last notes of her lyre hadn't finished dissipating before she was crowed by the audience of nymphs all closing in with demands and requests. Pleas for favorite songs or invites to join the dryads for a walk the forest among the trees, or to lay among the naiads in the shallow waters. Most days Steph welcomed the company, today she found her attention drawn to mystery of the dark haired girl. Trying not to be too obvious she whispered to the nymph closest to her, "Who is she? I've never seen her here before."
The nymph followed Steph's gaze, then with a knowing laugh in her voice whispered, "We don't know, she appeared from nowhere and says nothing yet somehow always seems to know what we're thinking. She's never cruel with it, she'll stop fights before they begin or help anyone in need, but won't utter a sound. Since she's never given her name so we've been calling her Cassandra."
"Cassandra." Steph savored the word, the way it rolled off her tongue as pleasantly as any song. She absently thanked the nymph and walked across the clearing, ignoring the chorus of nymphs hushing each other behind her. Cassandra had her back to Steph, listening to a naiad babble about her favorite of the songs Steph had played. Cassandra turned when Steph got close, but looked surprised to see her approaching. Steph didn't allow herself the moment needed to hesitate. Without thinking she said, "You're beautiful."
Cassandra's eyes widened in surprise and Steph felt her face flush and burn as their audience gasped and whispered. The option to retreat was lost so Steph forged ahead, letting her heart lead her. "I love you, and I want to know you. If you'll let me."
Cassandra looked around the clearing for help or advice from the nymphs, but none were forthcoming. The scene was too intriguing to stop, any singled out would run off laughing into the trees to share the drama playing out in their small forest. Soon the clearing was occupied only by the two women, the trees and rivers watching unseen from the shadows. Cassandra looked around with fond exasperation then sat, patting the grass beside her. Steph followed her down, ready to prove her sincerity.
For a minute they did nothing. Cassandra examining her while Steph reminded herself to breath. She'd made the overture and now she would allow Cassandra to direct. Instinctively her nerves expressed themselves by making her fingers pluck at her lyre, bringing gentle music to sit in the clearing with them. Steph stopped abruptly when Cassandra brushed her hand against Steph's. At first she thought she was trying to quiet the playing, until Cassandra moved her hand so it copied the shape of Steph's, each finger becoming a shadow of her own as they touched feather light against the strings.
Smiling, Steph asked, "Do you know how to play?" Cassandra shook her head and Steph moved closer, resting the lyre between them. "It's simple, you hold it like this," she supported it from behind with one hand, "and pluck at the strings like this." She played a chord and placed her hand back, waiting for Cassandra to place her hand on top again. She did, carefully mimicking the example Steph set. Once her fingers were in place Steph slid her hand away and after a second Cassandra plucked at the strings. The same chord rang out and her face glowed with joy. Watching her, Steph felt a smile of her own. "See, it's simple."
She placed her hand so it would play a different chord and as she waited for Cassandra to copy her again began to speak, "I don't actually remember the first time I heard a lyre. Music has been a constant companion my whole life," Cassandra placed her fingers beside Steph's and together they played another chord, "but I remember always loving it more than anything else. More than light or warmth, music was what gave me reason to live. It's beautiful." They continued playing. One chord at a time, a slow hesitant song. "I do remember the first time I truly played a lyre though. I'd held them before, but a child's hands are too small to do more than pull at a string or two. The day my mother determined my fingers were long enough to play, it was like I was finally allowed to breath."
Steph barely needed to guide Cassandra's hand anymore as they played together, the disconnected notes growing into a pattern and creating a simple melody. "Music is easy to love, I make my living from how easy it is to adore." Steph pulled her hand away and Cassandra continued the simple melody they'd been playing together. She smiled with unbridled joy as her hand played, stopping after a minute to smile at Steph. Steph smiled back and slowly took hold of the hand Cassandra had been playing with, intertwining their fingers and letting their palms rest together. "Yet every day I discover some new aspect to it I never knew before and fall deeper in love with it all over again."
Cassandra studied her, and Steph allowed her to. She felt as Cassandra's eyes pierce her deeper than any others had before, reading her heart with the same clarity as the Fates knew her life. With careful grace, Cassandra lifted the lyre from Steph's lap and laid it in the soft grass, then leaned forward and kissed Steph. A soft press of lips before pulling away and studying her again. When Steph leaned forward to pursue her lips they came to know each other. Over hours, days, months, and years they found new secrets and aspects of one another. Falling in love again and again and again.
***
They were revisiting the clearing where they'd first met. It was impossible to pass through without stopping after the nymphs begged a song and had grown into a favorite resting place when they traveled. Greetings and news had been exchanged and now most crowded Steph to hear her songs. She settled down to play and instantly the nymphs quieted, over the crowd she saw Cass wave a brief goodbye as she walked away for some space after the press of the crowd's enthusiastic greetings.
Steph sang until Cass's return signaled the end of Steph's concert and the nymphs swarmed Steph again, asking for more news and details on rumors mentioned before. The talk continued with a few breaking off to greet Cass as she waited by the riverbank until a high sharp scream of pain cut the air and all noise ceased. Steph's heart froze when Cass collapsed and the naiads backed away with screams of fear and terror. She pushed through, catching sight of a long scaled shape sliding back into the water next to Cass's bloody ankle.
Fear seized her and she rushed forward, clutching at Cass and pulling her weakening body close. She felt as her wife flushed with fever and trembled from the venom's vile workings. Crushing Cass close she begged to Olympus, "Apollo if ever once our songs pleased you, heal her. I will sing of your deeds and praises until my throat is ash and my fingers worn to bone if only you let her live." Tears streamed down her face and dropped onto Cass's cheeks beneath her. Cass reached up with her free hand and cupped Steph's cheek, giving a gentle smile as she wiped at the tears with a thumb. Steph pressed the hand into her cheek, holding the touch close, and felt as Cass's hand went limp, and her world became dark.
She wailed. Her cries of agony stilled every bird and creature so the only sound any could hear was her grief. Blind to the world she wept as the body in her arms cooled, until her voice became ragged and torn and barely recognizable as human. She held her wife's body and drowned in the agony of her grief.
Exhaustion silenced her cries when she fell unconscious and into a restless sleep. She reawakened with the morning light, still draped over Cass's body and noticed a figure sitting by her head. A young naiad, barely more than a child, held Steph's lyre and watched her. Steph glared and croaked out with a voice hoarse from crying, "Go away."
The naiad did nothing but watch as Steph resumed her grieving, quieter due to her abused throat. Hours passed and the sun's light grew, but failed to chase away the chill claiming Cass's body. When the sun reached its apex the young naiad asked, "Are you going to play?"
Hatred for the child filled Steph. The emotion built up like poison on her tongue, dripping form every word as she answered. "I will never play again. All the pleasant music I played for gods of Olympus wasn't enough to spare my wife from a cruel death. If it cannot even grant me this one boon why should I ever sing again."
The naiad was distressed by Steph's answer and asked, "If she lived you would sing?"
"I would sing until my throat is ash and play until my fingers were bone. I would never stop filling the world with music if it meant Cass lived again."
The naiad leaned forward. "I know where the dead reside. If I show to way to you and you bring her back will you sing?"
Steph's grief paused and she stared at the young naiad watching her back with earnest intensity. Steph eased into a sitting position mirroring the naiad and asked, "What are you saying?"
Voice low so as to not be overheard the naiad said, "My mother is Styx. If I show you to her and you follow the path her waters make you'll be where the dead reside. You can find your wife and after you steal her back you can sing again."
Doubting the hope being offered her Steph asked, "Are you telling the truth?"
Offended, the naiad answered with a simple, "My mother is Styx, she tolerates no lies." She held out the lyre and Steph accepted it.
"Where do I go?"
The naiad pointed upriver. "Walk along the shore, never letting the waters leave your sight. You'll find the House of the Dead and its king."
For the first time since Cass was lost Steph felt the stirring of emotions other than despair. She had no oil to anoint the body or tools to build a pyre, but she stayed long enough to wash the blood from Cass's ankle and lay out her body. She pressed a kiss to Cass's lips, one filled with promise, as soft and gentle as the first one they'd shared in the same clearing ages ago, but chilled by unforgiving death. After their lips parted she placed a coin in the same spot. "I will not abandon you, wait for me."
She had only gone a few steps when the young naiad called out, "Good luck." Steph broke her stride to look back and wave, and her journey began.
She walked along Styx's shore, never letting its waters leave her sight. She traveled a great distance in light of the living world, resting rarely. When thirsty she drank from the flowing waters, when hungry she took only what she could find along the river banks. If the vegetation alongside the water became too thick she waded through the stream rather than lose sight of it, ignoring the chill that permeated her bones after.
When the leaves of the trees began to turn she finally reached the shores of the River Styx. The river surged outward from a yawning maw in the earth. Churning and roiling its waters dampened the air, covering all the stone surrounding its entrance in a treacherous layer of slick water. It was an unspoken threat to any who dared approach, that any who entered before they were called would be made to join the restless dead. Steph held her lyre close, the only tool she carried, and entered the dark earth.
She walked along Styx's shore but the path was dark. No lights guided her way and the river's roars echoed off the cave walls all around her. She pressed onward, stepping carefully and following the sensation of the damp ground beneath her feet. She continued blind until the glow of pale lights in the far distance appeared, glints of it shining off the Styx. The light grew just enough for her to see she'd entered an impossibly wide cavern with no visible end. She stopped to take in the sight, every inch of land within was covered with shades. Fear made her shy back, but she imagined Cass ahead, trapped among the dead and quashed the emotion, finding the courage to press on.
She walked along Styx's shore, navigating through the trapped shades. Most moved aside to let her pass unimpeded, but some were too trapped in their misery to acknowledge her. There was temptation to search among the shades for her wife, but Cass would not be among the forgotten dead. Cursed to wait one hundred years until the ferryman took mercy upon them. She slowed when she reached a dense crowd shades pressed against the bank. She forced her way through them, keeping the Styx in sight and shivering as the chill of death pressed against her. Her progress slowed as the shades became less yielding, pushing back as she neared the point they congregated around. She shoved and pushed, desperately keeping her attention on Styx so she didn't lose sight of it.
She fought until the crowd ended and she nearly tripped onto the open ground. A tall figure draped in rich dark cloth stood at the fore of a boat, the shades leaving a wide berth of space around him. They approached the figure one at a time, pressing a coin into his waiting hand before stepping onto the boat.
Steph hesitated. The path was clear, but the ferryman was an imposing figure. He reminded her of merchants she and Cass had bargained with in the past. Cass had done all their bargaining, silently evaluating the ware's merchants laid out before laying coins down one by one and waiting for the sellers to accept her offer. She imagined Cass before the ferryman full of confidence as she walked forward and pressed her coin into his hand, ready to leave the banks of the Styx behind. The image gave her strength and Steph walked forward. An oar stabbed the ground in front of her, sending a ripple through the shades as they moved back. Charon looked down at her and held out his hand. She swallowed, and said, "I have no coin, I gave my last one to my wife."
The ferryman's fingers curled shut as he pulled back his hand. The oar continued to block her path. Steph straightened her back trying to give off the same confidence she imagined Cass had shown. "I'm not boarding your boat, I'll be moving forward now." He stared a moment longer with no discernible expression then removed his oar from her path. She walked past and the next shade ducked forward holding out its coin. Charon accepted it and the congregation of the dead moved forward again, boarding the boat. Steph looked back to ask, "Did my wife pass through?" He nodded once then ignored her in favor of collecting his toll from the shades.
She walked along Styx's shore, leaving behind the throng of the dead as she descended deeper into the earth. She continued until she felt the ground rumble beneath her feet. She stopped, trying to keep her balance and wait out the tremor. The intensity only grew and Steph worried the ceiling may collapse on her when a great beast stepped forward from the shadows ahead.
Cass had never liked animals. Despite how easily Steph charmed beasts to fawn on her with her music Cass had never been able to understand them as easily as she did people. Dogs especially had been a source of stress, she struggled to tell the difference between a happy pet and a territorial stray and always balked when one approached her, waiting for Steph to charm them or tell her what to do. The guardian of Hades stalked forward from the archway leading to the Underworld, its growls making the earth around her feet tremble. She looked up at the towering monster. Three headed Cerberus towered above, three sets of eyes from its dog heads fixated on her, body tensing as it prepared to pounce on her like a hound before it ripped apart a hare.
Caught in Cerberus's gaze Steph gained a new understanding of Cass's fear. She stood frozen, staring at the monster. The guardian of Hades grew impatient and barked with one head, slamming its paw into the stone as its growls deepened and lips curled to expose yellow fangs larger than Steph. Hissing accompanied the growling and along its spine a mane of snakes rose to writhe and spit at her.
It was the sight of the snakes that broke her from her stupor. Cass would have been forced to pass this living nightmare of her death and fears. Riding on Charon's boat it wouldn't have been inclined to attack her, but she would have been terrified all the same. Steph was no great warrior, but she had always placed herself as a barrier between her wife and wild beasts. She had failed to stop the serpent and lost Cass. She would never allow a mere creature to stand between her and her wife again. She clutched her lyre, the only tool she'd ever needed to protect her love, and sang.
The first notes could barely be heard over Cerberus's growling and hissing, but the beast quickly quieted. Her song echoed through the cavern, creating a chorus to sing with her. She sang a tale of a shepherd's guardian, running through the hills alongside its flock. Of its courage as it warded off threat after threat and herded its wards through pastures. She sang of running tirelessly through trees and fields under endless sky until it guided its flock home, safe and protected and allowed itself to rest. Cerberus listened, laying itself onto the ground with a tremor that shook the stone. All three heads laid themselves down and shut their eyes, its mane of snakes coiling against each other as it let itself be taken by sleep.
Steph continued to play, harmonizing with her echo as the beast's breaths slowed. Once it was deep into slumber she inched closer, forcing herself to keep singing as she inhaled the stink of its fetid breath. There was only a small leeway of space between the beast Styx and she wove through it, one careful step at a time
She walked along Styx's shore, continuing to sing peace into the Underworld. She traversed into the depths and forced her gaze to lock onto the waters, fearing what horrors she might see if her eyes strayed. She continued until the sight of plants sprouting along the banks underneath her feet made her stumble to a stop. It was so unexpected her fingers dropped from her lyre and she looked around to be sure she was still in the Underworld. Gloom and shadow enveloped everything, except in this one small patch of life. She was even more surprised when a man, dark haired and handsome, rose from washing his hands in the waters of the Styx.
He looked equally surprised to see her. "You shouldn't be here." Steph stayed silent. It was no small feat to create a bounty life in the place of the dead, and she had no doubt this was a dread member of the Chthonic gods. He approached with a scowl on his brow. "It's obvious you're no Heracles. Whatever heroic quest you've convinced yourself to pursue will fail, leave now and live to play another song."
"No."
The displeasure on his face deepened. "Is that really the only tool you brought with you, you didn't think to bring any form of weapon as well? Your music is beautiful, but this place destroys everything beautiful with time."
"My music is all I've ever needed to live. Spear or sword would be nothing but useless metal in my hands and more likely to cut myself than an opponent."
The god grew even more frustrated by her answer. "Hades guards his home jealously, what foolish notion carried you down here wielding only a song?"
Rather than weaken her determination she felt the heat of the question temper and strengthen her will. Daring the god to doubt her conviction she answered, "Love. A serpent's venom robbed my wife and I of our best years together. Each day without her by my side is no life worth living. I have followed the Styx so I might reclaim the years stolen from her."
The god studied her and his demeanor softened. "I see. I've known others to do worse for less, and far more foolish as well." He came to a decision and waved for her to follow. "If it's for love, I'll help you."
Shocked to receive his aid she asked, "Why?"
The god gave her a sad smile and answered, "Your wife isn't the only one separated from those she loves. My time here is spent pulling my leash taut, waiting at the border for the moment I can leave and filling the hours by making what beauty I can. Your music was one of the only moments of joy I've had in this place that I didn't fight to create."
A stab of unease hit Steph and she said "So you're truly-"
The god of spring interrupted her, "You can call me Dick, it's the name I prefer over any title you might have heard."
After a moment she said, "Thank you Dick."
Together they walked along Styx's shore, never letting it waters leave their sight. They walked in silence. Dick content and Steph unwilling to broach any topic and incur a god's wrath. Gods were as prone to change as the winds and sea. The slightest compliment winning a boon, and any perceived offense transforming it into a curse. He was not the first god she'd met. The nymphs were gods in their own right, but they were closer to mortals with fleeting lives tied to nature. Her songs easily placated and pleased them, but more powerful gods had come in and out of disguise to hear her music. Cass had always spotted them first and stayed by Steph's side whenever they arrived, advising Steph's actions as she read the gods' intent.
Soon they arrived at the palace of the lord of the dead. It towered over them and Styx's waters disappeared from view flowing underneath the palace. Dick ascended the steps but Steph hesitated at the base of the stairs. The glimpses of the palace she'd caught at a distance made it look grand, but up close its entrance was similar to a temple. Its staircase led to an entryway decorated with multiple capped pillars supporting a carved relief of stone. It showed the Hades with his brothers fresh from battle as they drew lots to decide which realm they would become king of. Kronos's body laid behind them with their spears impaled in his stomach, golden ichor running from the wound and puddling beneath the fallen titan. She almost feared it would drip down and burn her it shone so brightly within the image, and felt renewed fear at meeting the god who displayed such a violent image at the entrance of his home.
She thought of Cass, lovely and kind and beautiful. The callouses growing on her fingers as she learned the lyre, of the soft off-key singing voice she only ever allowed Steph to hear. The gentle lips against Steph's own, saying she loved her in all the ways words never could. Cass who stood by her side through any trial and was only absent from this one because death had stolen her. Steph thought of her wife, and entered.
She followed the god of spring through the halls and marveled at the grandeur. The exterior of the palace had been intimidating, but the interior was opulent beyond expectation reminding her Hades was also the god of wealth as well. Every surface displayed decorations that would put any king to shame, mosaics more complex and detailed than Steph thought possible unfurled in every direction. Every wall was covered floor to ceiling with painting of heroic acts, a choice that surprised Steph until one series of paintings depicting a hero's life ended with his violent death. Another series ended the same way. She realized every hero depicted was one who'd failed to obtain divinity and joined the ranks of the dead. She stopped looking at the paintings and made sure she didn't trail behind Dick.
The lord of the dead sat on his throne surrounded by attendants reading off reports from arms full of scrolls. They'd barely passed the threshold before he flicked his hand and all his attendants fled, leaving him space to rise from his throne. He didn't even glance at Steph, his one eye saw only Dick as he smiled at the sight of him. The smile contained no warmth or love, only pride and satisfaction. "My Persephone, its been so long since you've left your garden. What brings you back to our home?"
He reached out a hand to touch the god of spring but Dick shoved it away. Strain and irritation became a part of Hades smile, but before he could rebuke his husband Dick spoke, "I bring a guest to our palace." Hades finally acknowledged Steph, allowing his gaze to fall on her. His smile vanished and he glared, his one eye blazing with fury.
She bowed and said, "Lord Hades, I come with a simple request."
Hades answered immediately, "No. I always allow my own subjects to approach with supplications, you are not one of mine and I owe you nothing. You did not enter my home uninvited," his glare rested briefly on his husband before returning to Steph, "so I will not force your departure. You may rest unmolested tonight, tomorrow you will find your way back."
He turned to leave but Dick blocked his path, growling out, "You will hear her request Slade."
Dick stared up defiant and Hades matched his anger. Neither gave ground and Steph felt small vibrations begin to shake the foundations of the palace. Dust and debris showered around them before Hades sighed and all the threat in the air dissipated and the earth became stable once more. He turned to Steph and said, "Despite how impossible he is to please you have somehow won my husband's favor, make your request."
Steph was displeased at becoming a piece in a game between gods, but it was a small price to see Cass. She knelt before the Lord of the Dead and asked, "My wife's best years were stolen from her by a serpent's venom, stealing away the years we still had together. I could not bear her loss and found the path to present myself as a supplicant before you. I ask you release her from your kingdom and let her return home with me."
Hades scoffed. "You are not the first and you will not be the last to lose a loved one. I have no say in who Death takes, I merely preside over the dead after. If you truly couldn't face life without her there are far simpler paths to reunite with a love one lost than pretending to be a supplicant when you've brought no gift or offering and are only a beggar. No, she is mine." Steph opened her mouth the protest but Hades next words echoed throughout the chamber and silenced her. "The dead belong to me."
Since losing Cass Steph had felt despair, numbness, fear, dread, longing, and hope, but for the first time since Cass had been taken from her she felt rage. She rose from her knees, back straight. "I apologize oh great and glorious king," she gave him a deep mocking bow. "I meant no insult, I simply meant to emulate your own actions. After all, everyone knows the tale of how you bravely stole your husband away while no other god was watching." She heard Dick stifled a laugh and kept talking. "I did not think you were so consumed by greed you would refuse to loosen your hold on one subject. After all, while me and my wife may spend the years you would grant on the surface above, all mortals return to your kingdom in the end."
Her bow had been mocking at first but now she held it. Her tongue had stolen her wisdom and now she was terrified at what she may see if she looked upon a god's rage. She saw Dick's feet as he moved to stand in front of her, making a shield of his body. Another minute passed before Hades asked, "What reason do you have that I should allow your request?"
Steph simply stated, "Without my wife, there is no music."
She obeyed as Dick indicated she should stand and saw Hades sitting on his throne and staring down at her like a lion before it dropped from a cliff to snap the neck of a deer. "Show me. Play a song worthy of her life."
Steph met Hades gaze. He'd showed no rage, only amusement as he demanded she perform. She held her lyre close. Its strings familiar in her hand, the feeling of a life long love. One she'd had no choice in but pursued nonetheless, desperate to deepen her connection and know it more intimately. A love born in the first song she'd ever heard, the first note she'd ever played, the first glimpse of Cass in that clearing all those years ago. And she sang.
She sang of love yearned for. Of the insatiable need to comprehend its every working more than she needed air or sun. She sang of loss, the hopelessness and despair echoing in their absence, and of the small spark of hope that blazed within knowing she might find it again. The desperation of clutching that spider's thread of possibility in frozen fists. Overcoming the fears and doubts, reaching for the lost joy. She sang of the memories serving as her guiding light, and her song carried. The notes echoed and resonated throughout the palace and out into the far corners of the Underworld. Her song made all the torturers of Hades pause so they might hear her music and remember loves they once had.
She sang and was heard, and when the last note faded she felt twin trails of tears running down her cheeks. She had no opportunity to wipe them away before Dick held her tightly to him, the tears soaking into his clothes. It was the first living touch she'd felt since losing Cass and she couldn't stop herself from falling into the hold. All the pain of her loss hitting her anew and she sobbed into the god's shoulder.
She hid in his embrace until the tears ran their course and she recomposed herself. Pulling away she was surprised to see tears matching her own on Dick's face. She dared to touch the god and wiped them away, feeling a pang of guilt that her song had brought such sorrow to someone who had treated her so kindly. He let her then leaned forward to kiss her cheeks and whispered, "Thank you," before stepping back.
The moment was broken and she looked over towards Hades on his throne. Lost in her music she'd missed his reaction as she sang, if there had been any at all it was hidden away. Instead he watched the god of spring step back from Steph and rose to walk towards her. "My husband has found something worthy in your music." He walked past her without stopping and she turned to follow his movements. He stood close to her and she had to strain her neck looking up to see his face. "I will give you what you ask. Your wife will be returned to you, but there will be a cost."
"I will pay any price."
"This one is cheap. She is behind you now," she felt her breath catch and started to turn back but he grabbed he face and forced her to look back at him, "but you can't see her, not until you've both left my kingdom and returned to the realm of the living. Even one glimpse before then and she's lost to you."
She suppressed the urge to slap his hand away and stepped back, he released her without a fight. She wanted to be furious, but the anger was overwhelmed by the hope his words stoked. More than she anything she wanted to turn and confirm the truth. Embrace Cass and kiss her, hold her close, feel those dark locks intertwined in her fingers once more and feel Cass mirror every aspect of the embrace, but she didn't allow herself to cave to the desire.
The god of the dead smirked as he stepped aside. "You've got a long journey ahead, best not to dawdle."
Dick caught her before she left and gave her one last hug. He whispered to her, "She's fierce and beautiful, well worth the journey. One last trial and she's yours again."
Steph failed to find words to encompass all of her thanks and simply nodded. He let her go and she walked forward. When she was at the threshold of the throne room she heard Hades call after her, "Good luck." Instinct nearly made her turn back to give him a departing glare, but she stopped the movement before she'd turned too far. She suppressed the fury the trick made and walked forward, the echoes of the cruel god's laughter fading behind her.
Styx came into sight as she left the palace, but it was all she recognized. The fiendish sights that made up the Underworld had all vanished, leaving behind a barren cave with only a small stream of water flowing past her. A torch she didn't remember picking up was in her hand and Steph wondered if the palace behind her had vanished as well, but didn't dare look back to confirm. She walked along the Styx's shore, never letting its waters leave her sight.
The silence was overwhelming. She didn't realize how reliant she'd become on the sound of the roaring waters to keep her company. Now it was barely a trickle as it flowed through a well worn path at a leisurely pace. She wondered if it was even the same river, but there was nothing else to guide her path so she walked along the Styx's shore, never letting its waters leave her sight.
She tried to sing once. With one hand carrying the torch she couldn't hold her lyre, but she still had her voice. The sound echoed all around her in a terrible din. Amplifying and changing pitch and tone until it was like the screeching of a battlefield bore down on her. The cacophony was too much and she dropped the torch to cover her ears until it stopped, squeezing her eyes shut as she screamed from the pain. Finally the noise stopped and she opened her eyes, but she didn't see the torch only its light. A jolt of panic struck when she realized it had rolled so it was beside her feet, if it had gone much further it would have been behind her. Carefully, she picked the torch back up. She walked along the Styx's shore in silence, never letting its waters leave her sight.
Each step was identical to the last. The walls of stone all looked the same. Dull gray rock repeating again and again and again so it was impossible to track her progress. She didn't know how far she walked. The flames on the torch never faded, and its fuel never emptied so she couldn't track the time by its light. Neither hunger or thirst pulled at her and she never grew tired. She walked endlessly along the Styx's shore, never letting its waters leave her sight.
She stopped. The sound of her footsteps stopped with her, and she strained to hear the soft sounds of another pair behind her, but heard nothing. Quietly she whispered, "Cass?" and waited. She waited for a sound, a touch, any sign she wasn't alone. None came. She remembered Cass had been bitten in the ankle and reasoned she would be slowed down by the injury. Steph had been walking at a normal pace and likely left her behind by accident. She waited for Cass to catch up and give her a sign to continue. No matter how long she waited, none came. Eventually, she walked along the Styx's shore, never letting its waters leave her sight.
She walked alone, in silence and in darkness. She strained her ears for sound, strained her eyes for lights beyond the torch. She walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. Never letting the waters leave her sight.
The path changed and she almost stepped into the river. The water bent, and when Steph rounded the corner she saw the stone floor rise up into sunlight. She stared with awe at the sight until she heard birdsong echo down the corridor and call her forward. She ran forward, relief that her journey was complete fueling her. She stopped after stepping into the light and breathed in the fresh air, releasing it with a sigh of relief. She turned back to pull her wife close, feel her warmth once more, and saw Cass directly behind her, standing in the shadows of the cave entrance.
Horror gripped her and she lunged forward to grab at Cass and pull her into the sunlight, but she was too late. Cass's form faded into the cave like the last light of sunset engulfed by the darkness of night, disappearing into the cave behind her. Steph pleaded and reached for her but her hands passed through like fingers in smoke. She cupped Steph's face with one hand and leaned forward to press her lips against Steph's own with forgiveness in her eyes, for she had nothing to complain of but that she'd been loved. Cruel fate made it so Steph felt nothing from the touch and watched Cass vanish before eyes. She screamed and ran into the cave, determined to go back and find her again, but the turn in the cave path had changed to an impenetrable stone wall. She howled and fell to the ground, beating her fists against the stone until her blood mixed with the waters of the Styx.
Time was lost to her. She had no idea how many days or hours had passed, but when she became aware of herself again she was sitting in a forest clearing beside a stream of water. She had no idea if it was Styx or a different river. Her lyre rested in her blood and mud caked hands. Slowly, she reached and picked up a stone from the ground and with all her might slammed it against the strings. The resulting sound was a discordant screech, ugly, wrong, and vile.
She slammed the rock again and again, forcing all the world to suffer the sounds of the useless instrument. The clearing filled with nymphs all covering their ears and yelling for her to stop. She ignored them. The lyre's strings would never make music again, but the tool still reflected all the pain and sorrow she felt consuming her. She continued to batter the instrument, and registered in a distant piece of her mind that all the nymphs had picked up stones of their own. She brought her own arm up to strike her lyre again, but before her arm could descend she felt a flash of pain at the back of her skull, and her world went dark.
She woke in a field with no river in sight, but saw a familiar palace in the far distance. She felt a moment of confusion before she heard a soft voice call, "Steph." It was a voice she'd recognize anywhere. One she'd rarely heard but knew better than the strings of her lyre. She turned and Cass waited for her. Steph ran forward and leapt into her arms, knocking her into the dirt with laughter and tears. Together they walked the fields of the Blessed side by side, sometimes Cass leading, sometimes Steph. Neither afraid to look back as the other followed.