Page 29 of Song of Memories

"I can only imagine," Pan agreed. "It's making me itchy right now being apart from it. Although, the garden is lovely. Your work, I'm assuming?" Eurydice's smile widened until it stretched across her entire face; she looked like a child surprised with extra sweets.

"Yes! Can I show you?"

"Your husband won't mind?" Pan teased, and Eurydice only rolled her eyes, practically skipping down the garden path.

"He's going to be sleeping off that hangover for at least a day. It's for the best, though. I didn't need another night of him pawing at me until he finally gets the hint that I don't want to climb into bed with him."

Pan stopped walking, all of his muscles tensing. His body immediately went on high alert.

"Gets the hint?" Pan practically growled. His magic flared, and he slipped into his satyr form again, scratching at the heavy stubble on his jaw. Eurydice turned around when she realized Pan had stopped following her.

"Oh, yeah," she mumbled awkwardly, "it's fine though, Pan. Don't get upset."

"It is not fine," Pan grumbled. He reached out towards Eurydice and touched her arm, dragging his fingers over her skin until he reached her hand and grabbed it. "Eurydice, please," his voice was pleading, "tell me now. He hasn't hurt you, has he? If he has..." The grass underneath Pan's feet started to die in response to his fury. Pan didn't care if all the gods in the pantheon came after him. Fuck the Underworld and fuck the rules. If Eurydice was being hurt by Orpheus, he'd march right inside and cut the singer's throat in his sleep without a second of remorse.

"No! Oh goodness, Pan, no." Eurydice disputed him, and some of Pan's anger receded. They continued walking through the garden, Eurydice sighing heavily. "It's taking some time for us to...find our footing. I don't remember my life with him, you know? He does remember. Orpheus wants to pick right up as if nothing has changed between us, but I can't do it. Sometimes that annoys him."

"It annoys him?" Pan's lip curled. "I can't imagine that anything about reuniting with your wife after a forty-year separation would be annoying. He should relish the chance to win your heart all over again, Eurydice."

"It doesn't work that way." Eurydice laughed as though Pan had no idea what he was talking about. "We've been in love for a long time, you know? That's how love is after a while."

Pan stopped walking and watched Eurydice bend down to smell some night-blooming flowers. He was dumbstruck by her figure in the moonlight, the way she cared for every growing thing in the garden. Pan had been in love with Eurydice for a hundred years. He didn't think he'd ever stop.

"No, Eurydice," Pan whispered quietly, "that's not how it is. It changes over time—love is always different after years—but it only gets stronger."

"I don't think that's always true." Eurydice gave him a playful look, as though she wasn't ripping his heart out.

"Then that's not love."

Pan couldn't help himself before he said it, and Eurydice didn't respond. She made a small, noncommittal noise and started drifting down the small path again, heading towards another row of fountains.

Eurydice and Pan didn't say anything else to one another, simply enjoying the silence and each other's company for the rest of the night. They communicated without words, merely nods and small touches, and Pan had helped Eurydice grow a small grove of trees at the far edge of the garden before sunrise.

Eurydice excused herself to go to bed just before the break of dawn. Pan couldn't bear to leave until a few hours later, waiting in the garden until he was sure she had fallen asleep.

15

When Eurydice finally blinked her eyes open, her bedroom was glowing with late afternoon light. It was a misconception that nymphs and dryads were daytime creatures. Eurydice found pleasure in being both a day and a night person. When she woke up with a smile on her face, all she could think of was her moonlight walk with Pan. As the memories came flooding back, she ran to the window, thrilled to see their trees blossoming in the sun.

"Beautiful," Eurydice exhaled heavily, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. She turned around and quickly started doing her hair, brushing it out and throwing it up in a braid. While she was finishing getting dressed, her other memories from the night before came rushing back. It hit her like a bolt of lightning, shocking her system and draining it of the warmth she'd been feeling.

"Orpheus..." she groaned, sitting back down on her bed and chewing her lip anxiously. What had he been thinking last night? He had been kind to her and exalted her in front of everyone in attendance at Perseus's party. But drinking excessively? Getting friendly with the serving girls? And Hermes's accusation... Although it couldn't have been an accusation if Hermes said it. Hermes was the god of many things, including a trickster, but the god of messengers wouldn't lie about something like that either.

The great Orpheus, stealing lyrics, Eurydice hissed mentally.

She looked around the small, barren bedroom. She preferred it to the opulent rooms of the manor, but she knew that Orpheus intended it as a slight. He'd hoped that she would be lured into the master bedroom by the embroidered bedclothes and elaborate furniture, but Eurydice would just as soon sleep outside. Still, the spare mattress and small table in the bedroom were a testament to how Orpheus had hoped to drive her into his arms. He said one thing and did another. It had only been a couple of weeks and surely, as her husband, he deserved a little bit more time than that to fall back in sync with his wife?

"With any luck, he's still asleep," Eurydice muttered to herself, brightening her own spirits with the thought of checking on last night's progress.

Eurydice practically floated through the house without a word. Orpheus had his own staff of adoring fans who were willing to do anything he requested around the house, and more than once, Eurydice found herself wondering what 'anything' truly entailed. This afternoon, however, she was given a blessed reprieve when there was no one to be found in the house. It was quiet enough that she could hear the birds in the garden, causing her to pick up her pace.

Eurydice stepped into the sun, practically sighing in relief as the sun warmed her skin. The garden was in bloom like never before, with every flower bed exploding over its confines. Eurydice clapped her hands with joy at the sight of how much gardening she now needed to do. Anyone else would likely be put off at the sight of such an overgrown mess, but to Eurydice, it was paradise. It proved that her and Pan's efforts from the night before had been accepted by Rhea.

Eurydice started whistling a happy tune, causing several swallows to swoop down and start bathing in the fountain. She sat down on the ground in front of the flower bed closest to the door and got to work.

The hours passed until the sun was setting again, Eurydice spending the rest of the daylight in the garden. The space was bathed in pink and orange light as Eurydice took another walk through the elaborate garden, double-checking all her handiwork. She stopped at the small grove of trees, which were already in full bloom, thanks to a little bit of Pan's magic the night before. Orpheus preferred to keep the kitchen stocked with meats and bread; Eurydice was delighted to see that Pan had planted her a collection of apricots, peaches, nectarines, and cherries. She couldn't even remember telling Pan that she got annoyed with Orpheus's preferences for mealtime, but maybe he simply remembered that fruits were her favorite.

The trees were enchanted; Eurydice could tell when she placed her hand on the trunks, and they were blessed with a rapid cycle of growth. She imagined she'd be eating fruit by dinner time and would have a fresh harvest at the same time tomorrow.

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