Page 59 of Song of Memories

"Well," Eurydice smiled with a calm shrug, "what are we waiting for, I guess?"

Hades nodded in agreement and held his hand out towards the open door, retreating towards the dais. Persephone clapped her hands with glee and took Eurydice's arm while Makaria flanked her other side, both goddesses escorting her towards the door. As they were about to cross the threshold, Hades cleared his throat, effectively stopping them.

"Eurydice?" Hades settled back down on his throne. "I do hope that you shall never return to this realm, as much as your presence has blessed it. Go well. Have faith."

Tears sprang to Eurydice's eyes as she grappled with the weight of such good wishes from an immortal as powerful as Hades. What he said was true; if she made it out of the Underworld this time, as long as there were no 'incidents' like the snake on her wedding day, Eurydice's immortality in the world above would be returned to her. It was an insurmountable offer that Hades had extended to her.

"Thank you for your stewardship, Lord Hades." Eurydice gave him a formal curtesy, feeling in the moment like it was the most appropriate form of gratitude she could offer him. Persephone started giggling, urging them along down the hallway.

"He's such a sap." She winked. "As long as you can appeal to his side of fair judgement, you can get just about anything past him."

"Is that so?" Makaria piped up, her grey eyes sparkling behind her white hair. "I'll have to file that away for the future."

"To be fair," Persephone smirked, "I don't know if it will work as well for you or Thanatos since you aren't sharing his bed."

Eurydice blushed at the insinuation, and all three of them laughed harder, making quick work to catch up to where Thanatos and Hermes were escorting Pan to the gates.

The closer she got, the more Eurydice had to fight the temptation to kick up her heels and start running. What a world of a difference it made to be tackling the challenges of the Underworld with someone that she trusted. If this entire situation had proven anything to her, it had shone a bright light on how little she had truly loved or trusted Orpheus to begin with.

As they rounded the corner and the massive gates of hell came into view, Eurydice caught sight of Pan ahead of them. He was flanked on either side by Hermes and Thanatos, very much mimicking the position that Eurydice found herself in now. Persephone saw her face light up and released Eurydice, nodding in the direction of Pan.

"Go on, young nymph." Persephone winked, and Eurydice froze for a brief second, her heart jumping up into her throat. Then, she was off. She started running, feeling as free as she had felt in eons. There was nothing chaining her to any one place or person anymore; only her choices dictated who she was or what she wanted to do.

And she wanted to run to Pan as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Pan!" Eurydice cried out, her voice echoing off the boundless hills around them. "Pan!" Eurydice started giggling like a child, her feet barely touching the ground as she moved as fast as she could. The wind whipped through her hair, and flowers sprung up in the footprints she left in the soft dirt. Pan halted and turned around, his face wet with tears that he had been freely shedding in Eurydice's absence. When he looked at her, Eurydice could practically feel the warmth of the sun and smell the sweet air perfumed with blossoms as he smiled. Pan dropped to one knee and held out his arms for her, just in time for Eurydice to crash into him at full speed.

They were delirious with laughter, Pan easily accepting the weight of impact and rolling them into the grass. Somewhere above them, Eurydice could hear the small chorus of gods now cheering at their reunion. She tuned it out, settling on top of Pan and cupping his face with her hands.

"My love," Eurydice gasped, trying to catch her breath. "We've done it. We've done it. Hades said..."

"What did he say?" Pan sat up straight, and Eurydice shifted in his lap. He searched her face for any indication of what Hades had decreed.

"He said that you are to be offered the same chance as Orpheus," Eurydice breathed. Her smile was so wide, she thought her face might split in two. "If I can follow you out of the gates of hell, and as long as you don't look back... I can come back to the mortal world with you."

Pan's face morphed from sorrow to glee and back again. A myriad of emotions ran across his face until he shook his head, almost as if he was trying to clear the excess of feeling from his thoughts.

"Are you serious?" Pan looked from Eurydice to the two goddesses she came with. "That is what he said?"

"Every word." Persephone held up her hand as if she was taking a solemn vow.

"I can attest to it." Makaria smiled, finding her way over to her consort. Thanatos kissed her hair and smiled widely back at Pan and Eurydice on the ground.

"About damn time!" Hermes crowed with delight. The wings on his sandals fluttered to life, and he clapped his hands in glee. "I knew that old tyrant had a soft spot for love stories."

"Don't we all?" Persephone looked pointedly at Hermes, who blushed, and Eurydice assumed there was a story there. Pan looked at Eurydice, gently running his thumb over her cheek.

"Are you sure?" His voice was quiet, meant only for her as he ignored the chorus of gods around them. "I don't want to have to put you through that again if you..."

"No, no," Eurydice shook her head and cut him off. "I want this. I want the chance to do this with you. I'm not scared of it." Eurydice started to cry. "You've already followed me to hell and back. The least I can do is make the journey with you one time."

Pan responded by kissing Eurydice, pulling her as tightly to him as possible. He ignored completely that they were being watched; all of his love and undying affection for her poured out into the embrace. That was something about Pan that Eurydice never knew how much she'd appreciate; he put everything in action. While Orpheus had been entirely comprised of words and sonnets, Pan was nothing but action. If he meant something, he proved it to Eurydice without a second thought. It never left her guessing or worrying about his intentions, and that relief alone made Eurydice feel light enough to float.

"Then let's go." Pan grinned, pulling away from Eurydice and leaving her with swollen lips.

Pan helped Eurydice stand to her feet as they were surrounded by the bevy of gods, all of them piling on good wishes and luck.

"You'll do fine!"

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