Page 2 of Song of Memories

Luckily, part of Asphodel contained a great forest. Eurydice wept when Makaria showed it to her. It was full of the spirits of other nymphs and dryads who’d perished. They greeted Eurydice like an old sister.

There were no chains around Eurydice anymore. Her lost memories faded. The idea of another life was merely like an aftertaste to her, something to soon be washed away forever. There was only the untamed wilderness of the forests of Asphodel, tended to by the creatures of the forests under Persephone’s insistence. The Dread Queen’s rise had not diminished her duality. She still took her obligation to the flowers and their spirits to heart.

So Eurydice memorized the petals and what the tips of orchid stems looked like. She helped the trees grow and cataloged every inch of the forest. She filled her days with soft songs and softer melodies, creating a life that had only ever existed in her dreams until then. Erebus’s darkness greeted them all like family, encouraging their night-blooming orchids and sleepy vines. The forest’s denizens brought Hecate every herb or bud she could ever ask for.

When Eurydice thought everything was perfect, it only got better. Pan arrived in the Underworld—still very much alive and immortal—after discovering a workaround that allowed him to visit Hades’s realm. Eurydice wept for the first time since her death, brushing tears of joy off her cheeks, now that her best friend had returned to her. All of the nymphs and creatures of the forest belonged to Pan and she could never forget him.

Eurydice finally had everything she had ever wanted.

It was on a perfect, warm afternoon when everything started to change. Eurydice was lounging on a tree branch, keeping one sleepy eye on a chrysalis that was due to be reborn. Her lithe body was stretched out across the tree like an extension of it, the perfect picture of repose, while her long hair shone like copper in the light.

Telodice, one of Eurydice’s good friends, was among the first nymphs that Eurydice met in the Underworld. She took a liking to her immediately, and they’d been thick as thieves ever since. Eurydice never asked her how she’d come to end up in the Underworld, but Telodice had never asked her either. It was an unspoken rule—it was offensive to ask and could be traumatic to retell.

At this point, I’m not even sure I remember… Eurydice struggled to put together a coherent string of thoughts regarding her own passing but never bothered to think on it for too long. There was always something more fun to be doing.

Telodice was currently sitting underneath Eurydice’s tree branch, leaning against the trunk with her eyes closed. She was humming to herself and running her fingers through the grass before she shot straight up.

“Eurydice?” Telodice’s voice was much too hurried for Eurydice’s liking—she sounded upset. Eurydice glanced down at her friend, who was now nervously braiding her long blonde hair.

“Yes? Is something wrong?” Eurydice sing-songed. Her voice was melodic. It always sounded like she was going to break out into song.

“Did you ever send the herbs Hecate requested to her house? I’ve just realized I can’t remember at all if I did it.”

“Of course.” Eurydice waved her hand like she was shooing a fly. “Is that what you’re concerned about? I handled that a few days ago.”

“Oh, thank the gods.” Telodice giggled happily, a sated smile growing across her face once again. “I thought for a second that we’d forgotten.”

“Do you think anyone forgets anything Hecate asks them to do?” Eurydice asked drolly, joining in with Telodice’s laughter.

This was what the sum of their days looked like—fussing over requests for flowers and plants by the other citizens of the Underworld, lounging in the sun, or dipping into the cool streams that cut through the trees.

Eurydice and Telodice were musing about their plans for the upcoming summer solstice. Even in the Underworld, the celebrations were large enough to rival any of the other festival days.

“Is Pan going to join us?” Telodice asked, peering up through her thick lashes at Eurydice.

Eurydice blushed and nodded her head enthusiastically.

“I asked him last week. He said he wouldn’t miss it. Apparently, he needs to make sure he stops at a few parties in the mortal realm first, but he’ll be here by nightfall.”

Telodice clapped her hands with glee. “Did Menidise decide on a menu yet?”

“She said something about not having enough figs…” Eurydice trailed off as a soft sweep of power rippled through the glade. It was a gentle, encouraging signature, and Eurydice knew exactly who to expect.

As if on cue, Makaria, the goddess of blessed death, appeared through the trees, her shining hair giving her away before she got too close.

“My friend,” Eurydice said as a way of greeting. She propped herself up on one elbow, extending a hand to Makaria. “It’s always good to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure? Do you want more irises for your home?”

“Were the last ones we sent the wrong color?” Telodice piped up.

“No, no.” Makaria shook her head. “The ones you gave me were perfect. Thanatos loved them.”

Eurydice smiled. I highly doubt Death himself cared much for the flowers, but he does love everything that Makaria does, including constantly renovating that house of his.

“Do you need something else for your garden?” Eurydice tilted her head.

Makaria didn’t respond as she stepped fully into the glen. Telodice got to her feet and bowed slightly, addressing the goddess with the proper honorific. Eurydice sat up straighter, frowning when she saw the empty expression on Makaria’s face. A cold shudder ran through Eurydice, something she realized she hadn’t felt since she came to Asphodel...dread.

“What is it?” Eurydice’s voice sounded breathy and frightened. It startled her how much she’d changed and how she didn’t recognize the sound of her own anxieties. Telodice seemed to pick up on it too, quickly glancing between Eurydice and Makaria.

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