Orpheus turns away from the door when she leaves, and returns to watching over Eurydice. He tries to block out the sounds coming from the main room, but the moment he hears that man’s voice, he can’t help but relive the moment again.
“It ain’t right, and it ain’t fair! You come dancin’ outta your damned grave, all shiny an’ new like winter never laid a damn finger on you. Why do you get to come back, and my wife don’t? What makes you more special than anyone else who rode that train down?”
He turns. Just for a moment. Mr. Hermes was right behind them a second ago, wasn’t he? He needs to find Mr. Hermes. He needs to–
“…should see if you bleed just like the rest of us, too.”
He sees the flash of metal. Hears the sound of tearing fabric. And flesh. He cries out. Eurydice! He catches her as he falls. A few people scream. He doesn’t hear them. The man runs. He doesn’t know where. Eurydice…
Hermes has taken them to a small room in the back. Orpheus lays Eurydice down on the bed. She cries out in pain, and his heart shatters. They both tend to her as best they can. God and man together.
“The blade was poisoned,” Hermes says. “We gotta work fast, boy.” His eyes close and he whispers something unintelligible, but Orpheus understands. He sent a message.
oh she gives him the time to say his piece. she’s only partially listening because she already knows her decision. she’s sat in many trials down below, making her decisions on punishments. most of the alive folks never seem to realise it’s her making those decisions. hades is their keeper, yes, but persephone is judge, jury, and executioner.
“your punishment is beating. and death.” she says quite simply, staring at him. “your punishment in the afterlife is eternal torture in the deepest recesses of tartarus.” and she spots the glint of steel then, the way he shifts and lunges toward her - without hesitation she lashes out to punch him in the nose. oh, she could use her godly powers easily enough, but there’s something satisfying about the sickening crunch beneath her fist. mortal blood stains her fingers as he stumbles back - she does not let up. a backhand across one side of his face, then another, each causing him to stumble again. as she advances he tries to defend himself, and lands a single hit to her face that hardly phases her. somewhere beneath her feet hades roars.
“you think i’m bad enough, just you wait.” she warns, and her fingers end up around his throat lightning fast. she pins him against the bar, nearly behind him over backward in half. her nails dig sharply into his flesh, every inch of darkness required of the queen of the underworld. “i hope you like heat, monster. you’re gonna be burning in it for a long ass time. is this why you didn’t go after me? coward that you are. afraid of me, ain’t you? oh, i can see it in your eyes. you could’a made it easier. could’ve spent eternity with your wife. instead - oh, just you wait.”
she reaches out her free hand and his knife, still stained with red and gold flies into her fingers. she could do it in a kinder way, but there is no kindness in her then. “i’ll see you down below. if there’s anything left of you.” and she takes care of the problem with a fluid motion that only stains her dress just so. she watches his life leave him, waits until she’s certain his shade has left him, before she takes two steps back. she embeds the knife into the wood of the bar, and thanatos is there again to remove the man’s useless body. she nods her thanks.
then, persephone takes a breath. and pours herself a drink.
theartofmadeline
andulkaphoto
ellievsbear
