Page 50 of Song of Memories

"Oh, blame me for that," Orpheus snapped. "If you want to start talking about ushering in the gods’ favor, why don't we call Zeus? Or are you no longer his favorite bastard hero?"

Orpheus rolled his eyes and propped his head up a little higher, just so he could finish off his wine. He still managed to spill some, staining the front of his tunic and coloring his lips dark purple. He looked like a disgruntled child who'd gotten into a grape harvest and spent the afternoon gorging themselves on sweet grapes; it was hardly the polished, beautiful picture of the infamous poet people had come to expect.

Perseus hauled himself up to a sitting position, and his eyes widened. He snapped his fingers and pointed towards Orpheus.

"Don't bring me into this if you're not able to handle the heat. I'm the one who has spent my evening trying to come up with ways for you to keep your wayward wife under your thumb. Zeus won't mess with matters of the Underworld; we know that."

"Well, by that logic, Pan shouldn't even be able to visit here either," Orpheus deadpanned.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he sat up a little straighter and wiped the wine from his mouth.

"Pan shouldn't be able to visit here," Orpheus repeated himself, his voice getting louder. "Pan shouldn't be able to visit here!"

"You said that already." Perseus looked bored. "Besides, didn't Hades already grant Pan permission permanently to visit here because the forests were his territory?"

"He most certainly did," Orpheus's sly smile started growing across his face, "because of a loophole. It would be a shame if someone exploited the same logic for their own benefit."

"What are you saying?" Perseus picked his head up as his attention started to pique. "You want to go visit the mortal realm?"

"No." Orpheus shook his head. "However, what would happen if all the gods were able to come and go between the Underworld and the mortal world as they pleased? What if Demeter was able to come down here and visit the fields, the forests, anywhere the plants grow like Pan is allowed to?"

Perseus's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. "Demeter would never leave. She'd be in the Underworld all the time to keep an eye on Persephone."

"Which would…” Orpheus encouraged Perseus to finish.

"Which would infuriate Hades. He'd do anything to keep that from happening and to protect his wife from her mother. There's no love lost between Persephone and Demeter."

"Who do you think he'd choose then? Pan or Persephone, his wife?" Orpheus practically clapped his hands together in glee. Orpheus and Perseus both stood to their feet.

"Hades would choose his wife, no questions asked. He'd revoke the special privileges that he's given Pan because he'd never want Demeter looming around in the Underworld that often!"

"Exactly!" Orpheus crowed in victory, and they nearly chipped their cups slamming them together in a toast. "With Pan forced out of the Underworld, Eurydice won't have a friend left. She'll have the nymphs and a goddess or two, surely, but her distraction will be gone."

"Do you think she'd come right back to you if she knew you were responsible for getting Pan exiled from the Underworld?" Perseus questioned.

"She can never know," Orpheus agreed. "It's not a perfect plan. I'll have to lay it on thick once Pan is banished and go to her to offer support."

"It's risky." Perseus shrugged. He walked over to an end table and poured himself another glass. Orpheus extended his hand out in a silent question, and Perseus refilled his glass too.

"It is, but it's the best plan we got. Murder and maiming aren't viable options, as we established, which means eliminating the competition is the next best thing." Orpheus chewed on his lip, starting to pace back and forth, although his steps were noticeably wobblier after hours of consumption.

"It also relies on you being charming to a weeping Eurydice, who will have been ripped apart by losing another 'love of her life.'" Perseus pointed out.

Orpheus was not immune to the flaws in his plan; it was fallible from the start, as there was no guarantee Demeter would help them either. There was, however, a very good chance that she would for the opportunity to get unfettered access to the Underworld.

"If I don't manage to get Eurydice under my thumb," Orpheus grunted, "everything is lost for me anyway. Do you have any other ideas?"

"No." Perseus shrugged, tipping the last of his cup's remnants into his mouth.

"Well then," Orpheus clapped his hands together and looked out at the rising sun, "let's try and summon a goddess."

25

Orpheus walked through the double-door entrance to Hades's receiving hall with the most bravado than any of the other times he'd entered.

The braziers that lined the door were fully ablaze, causing Orpheus to break out in a sweat as he approached the dais. Hades regularly appeared in the receiving hall to speak to the citizens of the Underworld; it functioned much more similarly to a mortal kingdom than others would realize. Orpheus didn't take the time to set up an appointment or forewarn Hades of his arrival even though it would've been the polite thing to do.

Orpheus was arriving with another goddess after all.

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