Page 52 of Song of Memories

"He most certainly did." Demeter offered Hades a warm and patronizing smile. "If you are going to allow Pan access to the Underworld's forests, then certainly, you have no issue allowing me access to what is mine."

Orpheus thought he might pass out as another ripple of palpable power tore free from Hades. It was clear that Demeter had meant Persephone when she referred to 'what is mine,' and Orpheus suddenly found himself wishing he hadn't played the games of gods.

"Everything in the Underworld is mine!" Hades exploded, black flames pouring out from his back and underneath his chiton. He leaped forward in the blink of an eye and pinned Demeter against the stone wall, pressing her against the stone with his bident encompassing her neck.

"Everything, everyone," Hades growled, his lip curling, "in the Underworld is mine."

Orpheus thought for a split second that Hades was going to murder Demeter right where she stood. The color drained from her face, and her bravado dissipated. Demeter swallowed thickly and forced another smile on her face.

"It is your honor on the line, dear Hades. What chaos would erupt if the gods discovered that their eldest, the powerful ruler of the dead, wasn't playing by the rules he so closely cherishes?"

"Fuck honor!" Hades shouted, slamming his fist against the stone, dangerously close to Demeter's face. "I'll release the titans and turn all of Greece into the Underworld before I let you anywhere near my wife again."

Demeter stuttered, the fear apparent on her face. "Y-you know how many innocents would get caught in the crossfire if you did that, Hades." Demeter's voice quivered. "You wouldn't allow that to happen."

For a tense moment, Orpheus was convinced that Hades was indeed going to go ahead and murder Demeter on the spot. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared to run through the doors and flee as soon as Demeter hit the floor. Instead, Hades released the goddess and took several steps backward as though he was disgusted to be near her.

"The choice is yours, Hades." Demeter cooed, some of her bravado returning. "You either have to abolish Pan from the Underworld or allow me to enter of my own freewill. As often as I like."

Not a single sound could be heard in the receiving hall. Orpheus finally dared to look directly at Hades, who was staring at Demeter and looked like he was imagining all the ways he could kill her. When he finally spoke, his voice was like stone. It was cold and calculated, and the air around them reverberated with every syllable that came out of Hades's mouth.

The fires in the braziers suddenly went out, casting the room in darkness. Orpheus tried to scramble further into his corner, hiding from Hades's wrath. He could barely see anything through the shadows, only the gleaming fury in Hades's eyes as he spoke to Demeter.

"No one shall enter the Underworld except through me. All the gods of Greece, the deities of the pantheon, and immortals of heaven, all must seek me out for admission to the land of the dead. The titans, the fates, and the shades have more rights than the Olympians between the boundaries of my realm."

The entire Underworld started to shake with the force of Hades's declaration, his power and magic making it celestial law as soon as the words left his lips. Black and blue flames erupted from the braziers, casting little to no light but filling the room with the heat of the fires of hell.

"Anyone here who is not of my flesh, born from my power, or shares my bed, if they have immortal blood, shall perish upon their entry to the Underworld without my explicit permission. I revoke all visitors forthright, lest they plead their case to me." Hades's voice morphed from being full of gravel and brimstone to sounding like silk and oil. "And they shall plead their cases to me on their knees, for whether they rule the skies or the grain or the earth…” Lightning and thunder started to crack and roll from the ceiling above them. “they all become my subjects in the end of their days."

A massive cracking noise shattered Orpheus's eardrum as he rushed to cover his ears, curling up into a ball. A huge flash of light accompanied it, and then there was silence. Orpheus waited for a few precious seconds to see if he was still in one piece, but then he finally opened his eyes out of morbid curiosity.

Hades was sitting on his throne, looking as cool and calm as ever. He didn't have a single hair out of place or a drop of sweat on his brow. All his armor had disappeared alongside his bident. On the floor in front of the dais, Demeter was on her knees. Her hands were bound behind her back with tendrils of smoke and another one was tied tightly around her head as a gag. Her eyes were wide with fear as she trembled before the Lord of the Underworld, all of her previous bravado gone.

"You do not have my permission to be here," Hades cocked his head as he looked at Demeter, his expression suddenly bored. "So be gone."

There was another flash of dark smoke, and Demeter vanished entirely from the hall.

Orpheus leaped to his feet and ran as fast as he could out of the room, too occupied with the fear Hades would destroy his shade to realize his plan had worked.

26

Eurydice was staring out the window of Hecate's bedroom, unable to pull herself away from the view. She had been consumed with the thought of her and Pan together ever since he'd left, unable to get any sleep whatsoever. She had the opportunity to make a decision that was utterly selfish...to choose Pan and her own heart over the overwhelming weight of the expectations of being a part of a famous couple. For the first time in her life, she wondered what it would be like to be selfish.

She didn't take another second to think about it. Eurydice ran straight downstairs and disappeared out Hecate's front door, knowing exactly where she could find Pan.

She journeyed quickly through the Underworld to the forests, praying that Pan was still somewhere in the Underworld. Eurydice breathed a sigh of relief when she stumbled into her favorite clearing, her eyes drifting straight past the flowers she loved so much and landing on Pan. He was sitting with his back towards her, leaning against the oak tree that had sprung up after their full moon spent together.

"Pan!" Eurydice's voice cracked when she called out to him, and she realized her cheeks were wet with tears. Centuries of longing were held in the close gap between them. Pan turned around, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. He smiled at her but quickly faltered, regaining his composure as he walked over to her. He was walking slowly, but his entire body was tense as if he was holding himself back.

"Eurydice..." he whispered the word like it was holy. "Does this mean...?"

"I love you," Eurydice cried out to him. She crossed the short distance remaining between them and jumped into his arms. "I love you. Gods, I love you, Pan. It's enough. It's always going to be enough."

Pan's smile was so bright that it could've outshone Helios himself. It made Eurydice giggle, and her entire body felt lighter than it had in years. Everything about Pan felt right as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him.

"Are you sure? If you need time, I understand."

"Please stop talking." Eurydice shook her head. "I know what I said, but I was scared. I was scared, and I don't want to be afraid anymore. I don't care what other people think, what anyone has to say. I just want you."

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