Page 18 of Song of Memories

Orpheus crossed his arms over his chest, puffing himself up to look taller with a pompous air about him. When he spoke, his voice was as clear and melodic as a bell. It made Pan want to crack Orpheus’s skull open to see if it made half as pretty a sound.

“I want to make sure that with my return to the Underworld, the rules of the kingdom will be upheld.”

“Excuse me?” Hades’s lip curled, and dark storm clouds began gathering around his feet. Persephone made no move to stop her husband or rein in his anger. Instead, she also looked down at Orpheus with increased irritation. The trim of her chiton began souring, turning from its rich red color to a darker one, the color of black blood.

“It’s bold of you to imply that there is even the implication that the rules of this realm are not adhered to with the strictest of policies.” Persephone’s voice was sickly sweet. “This is not Olympus. You may have been a plaything of Apollo, but do not treat us like the gods of above.”

Orpheus cleared his throat. “I want a promise that the rules of the Underworld will be upheld…especially the rules regarding drinking from the rivers of Lethe.”

“The rivers of Lethe?” Hades leaned forward slightly. “I see no reason why you would lecture us on those waters.”

Orpheus shuffled his feet, clearly feeling more self-conscious under the direct scrutiny and increasing ire of Hades and Persephone. The sight of it warmed Pan’s heart in a sick and gleeful way that he didn’t feel remotely bad about.

“I am not worried about you, my lord, my lady.” Orpheus dipped his head in a short bow before turning towards Pan. “It is the satyr that I’m worried about.”

Pan saw red, letting out a strangled sound that was half-growl and half-shout. His voice echoed off the rafters as he held himself back from charging towards Orpheus. “This satyr, you foolish mortal, is a god. You would do well to remember that.”

“Pan speaks correctly,” Persephone chimed in, her gaze turning to ice as she eyed Orpheus. “You will show Pan the same respect that you show my husband and I.”

Orpheus held up his hands towards Hades and Persephone in a show of submission. “I mean no disrespect, but I have my concerns. It’s no secret that Pan has pined for Eurydice for centuries. It was Eurydice’s decision to drink from the waters of Lethe…and I want his word that he will not break the rules of the Underworld by telling her what she has chosen to forget.”

“Ah,” Hades looked between Orpheus and Pan. “I see now. Eurydice does not remember your failed bargain. She does not remember your betrayal.”

Orpheus flinched at the word ‘betrayal’ but nodded his head in agreement. “She has been slow to warm up to me since my arrival, but yes, she does not seem to remember how I failed to rescue her from the Underworld.”

“Be careful how you refer to this kingdom,” Persephone hissed. Her eyes flickered with a black flame as her appearance momentarily ebbed away to reveal the dread queen, a skull with long, blonde hair staring back at Orpheus.

“Your relationship is built on lies!” Pan pointed an accusatory finger in Orpheus’s direction. “You only want to make sure she doesn’t remember your betrayal so she won’t leave you.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Orpheus roared. “All that matters is you are not allowed to tell her.”

Pan looked towards Hades and Persephone, who both looked at Orpheus with distaste and anger written all over their faces. After a few tense moments, Hades stood, dark smoke curling around his body as his bident manifested in his grip.

“The laws of the Underworld are as solid as the stone this kingdom has been built upon,” Hades sighed heavily, his voice resounding off the obsidian walls. “If Eurydice chose to drink the waters from Lethe, my hands are tied. No one is allowed to remind someone of what they have chosen to forget.”

“Thank you.” Orpheus gave a grandiose bow. “You are the wisest of the gods, Hades.”

Pan opened his mouth to protest, but Hades sneered at Orpheus and stepped off the dais.

“Do not thank me, Apollo’s favored one. You would do well to remember that your immortal patron was vanquished. There is no support for you among the gods. The rules of Lethe were put in place to protect those who wished to forget horrors done to them, to protect victims and the innocent. They were not written into stone in order to protect perpetrators.”

Hades’s voice was gravel as he advanced upon Orpheus, forcing him to step backwards until his back was against the wall. Hades growled angrily and pinned Orpheus to the wall with a quick movement, his bident making a cracking sound as he shoved it past Orpheus’s head.

“Listen to me,” Hades snarled, his power crackling tangibly in the air. “I am bound by the laws of Lethe as much as anyone else in the Underworld. By law, no one will tell Eurydice what she has forgotten, including Pan.” Hades spared a quick glance at Pan, whose hands tensed into fists at his side. “But know this, Orpheus. You have no sway with me. You will find no sympathy for you here. Consider me very personally invested in Eurydice’s happiness, as a resident of my realm. Is that clear?”

Orpheus’s eyes were wide as he nodded his head rapidly, terror etched into his features. “Y-yes, great Hades. I u-understand.”

Hades dropped his bident and freed Orpheus, jerking his head in the direction towards the door. “Get out of my house. That’s twice you’ve come to make requests of me, poet, and I won’t take kindly to a third.”

Orpheus sprinted out of the receiving room as quickly as his two legs could carry him, not bothering to say another word to Hades, Persephone, or Pan. Hades turned towards Pan, a rare display of sympathy etched across his features.

“I’m bound by my own laws, Pan.” Hades walked back towards his own throne. “No one can tell Eurydice what she has chosen to forget.”

Pan was lightheaded, staring down the empty hallway where Orpheus had disappeared to, suddenly desperate to get out of the Underworld. Persephone stood and held her hands out towards Pan, as if to comfort him, but he shook his head.

“I need to get out of here for a while,” Pan muttered by way of goodbye, slipping out of the great doors and making his way to Greece as quickly as he could.

II

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