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L is for the way you look at me
Love wasn't something that worked for Shams. When she was nine, a boy ghosted her at the skate park. Two years later, she was laughed at for giving a kid flowers. Once she got sick and quit dancing, people started pulling away. When the doctor visits became longer than school vacation, friends gave up.
The rushing water of the Styx echoed in her ears. Paired with the barks of the three-headed hound of hell, it seemed to go on forever. Had she even seen the ferry yet? Did she go in the wrong direction? Memories seemed to slip.
'You have to walk in front, and he has to walk in back. And if you turn to make sure he's coming too, then he comes back to the Underworld. Nothing else you can do.'
Sign here, ×__________
O is for the only one I see
And she did. Signed it in the ichor of the God of the Underworld. How could she refuse? Her one love, the dream boy with the award winning smile. She still remembers finding him, choking on his own blood just past the barrier, arrow lodged in his throat. The feeling of warm, red liquid seeping into her hands never really left.
Please still be behind me. Maybe she was cursed. That would be an easier explanation than unpacking whatever was wrong with her. Blame it on her father and his 'luck' with love. Or maybe the Fates had a sense of humor.
Perhaps this was a trick. A rerun of Orpheus and Eurydice on Hephaestus TV, broadcasted live. Fresh entertainment for some bored gods sitting on their thrones. She wondered what god would want to watch her walk. Her father, maybe? Aphrodite would, maybe forcing Ares to watch. Would there be commentary? 'The tradegy of the century!' Would anybody enjoy? Would anybody cry? Would at least one person in her divine family even send a 'I went to Hell and got this stupd t-shirt'?
V is very, very extraordinary
Would she be looked at as a hero for walking through the Underworld? Would Chiron paint her as a brave and strong individual? Or would she be shunned? Laughed at for demanding Dayo's soul back and coming home malnourished and alone?
She couldn't think like that. If she did, she would be forced to acknlowledge the pain in her legs, the dryness in her mouth, the emptiness in her stomach. How long had she been walking? The Underworld seemed to stretch on forever. Had she really been tricked? Was he behind her?
"I really like that song," he had said. The soft glow of the bonfire illuminated his dark skin in the sweetest glow. His eyes, a deep purple, looked wired. His smile seemed permanent, like everything was humorous to him. "It's… cute."
E is even more than anyone that you adore
He understood her. Held her hand while she cried about prophecies she couldn't speak of, grabbed food from the pavilion when she could barely get up, helped her learn how to fight. She didn't have to hide around him.
"Why, hello there, madam," he grinned, a bouquet of hyacinths in his hand. "Strange seeing you here, I was looking for Will."
"What are you dressed up for?" She laughed, leaning against the cabin door.
"I got us tickets for the theatre. Happy Valentine's day, Ayanfé mi."
Can love is all that I can give to you
What if this was wrong? What if, when she reached the surface, all she had was a corpse? What if Death was inescapable, absolute?
Maybe this was a trick, but not for the reasons she had been thinking. Not a cruel entertainment for those above, but a revelation for the one forced to walk below. What better way to teach a lesson than to endlessly walk, with only the dead to keep you sane?
Love is more than just a game for two
It felt like everything was getting darker. When had she last slept, ate, saw the sun?
She had signed, messed with forces much stronger than her. Was this her fate? To walk with this longing, this guilt, forever? Was this truly what he wanted for her? Was this fair to anybody? Would she ever be the same? Would he ever be the same?
Two in love can make it
She let out a breath. A few tears slipped.
She turned back.
Take my heart, but please don't break it
"It's you."
Deep purple eyes stared back at hers. "It's me…"
"I'm sorry," she choked out.
"Don't be," he smiled. And this smile was so different from the one she loved. It was gentle, soft. "You love me enough to let go. That doesn't make this a tradegy."
Love was made for me and you
And as the sun filtered in through the Door of Orpheus… he was gone.