Chapter 16

Eurydice followed Orpheus inside, going through the long, elaborate hallway that led towards the banquet hall. When she stepped inside, she noticed how similar to Perseus”s dining room it was. The room had the same layout, with a raised dais and an elaborate, long table in the center. There were massive braziers in each of the four corners of the room, already lit and burning with the thick, cloying scent of a heavy, artificial incense. It made Eurydice”s eyes water as she rapidly blinked through some of the smoke.

The walls were covered from floor to ceiling in elaborate friezes and murals, all of which were pertaining to the stories of Orpheus”s mortal life.

Eurydice heard Orpheus talking to some of the house staff in the far corner of the room, so she took the opportunity to get a little closer and examine the artworks. As she studied them, she couldn”t quite put her finger on what it was about them that seemed odd. There were depictions of Orpheus on the Argo, many images of him singing or playing the lyre, even a very elaborate painting of the moment where Apollo turned his back on Orpheus.

Then Eurydice realized what it was about all the artwork that was different. None of them featured her. When she had fought with Orpheus earlier in the week, she distinctly told him about how disconcerting it was to be surrounded by depictions of her own death. Now, all the work in the dining hall was still very flattering to Orpheus, but Eurydice and any tales of their time together had been removed. Eurydice leaned a little closer to the wall, gently reaching out and running her finger through some of the oils. She let out a quiet gasp when she pulled her hand away and the paint was still wet.

He had these all redone recently. Eurydice was surprised by the gesture. Orpheus was being very hot and cold with her, but having all the artwork in the house repainted was certainly the boldest step he”d taken in trying to win over her affections.

”Eurydice?” Orpheus”s voice was suddenly right behind her.

”Oh! Gods!” Eurydice spun around, pressing her hand to her heart in surprise. She smeared a little bit of paint across the bodice of her draped gown. ”Shit,” she cursed, looking down at the mess and then towards the painting, ”I”m so sorry. I didn”t know that they were still wet, and I...”

”Don”t worry about it, my love.” Orpheus smiled gently. He reached out and ran his finger through the painting, deliberately smearing his own carefully portrayed face. Orpheus streaked paint down the front of his own tunic, only looking up at Eurydice to smile.

”See? Now we match.”

Eurydice”s heart flipped inside her chest; the seeds of hope that had feebly taken root in her mind that very afternoon dug in a little deeper.

”The painting though… Orpheus, I feel terrible. I didn”t know that it was still wet.”

Orpheus gently grabbed a hold of Eurydice”s hand and led her towards the banquet table. It had been elaborately set for two, with lit candles, a fresh amphora of wine, and a myriad of meats and cheeses.

”It”s only a decoration.” Orpheus shrugged, nearly completely out of character from what Eurydice had come to suspect from him. He pulled out her chair for her, and Eurydice sat, unable to keep some of the pleasant surprise off her face. ”I had them redone after you told me how you felt about all the artwork in the house.”

”That was very kind of you, Orpheus.” Eurydice beamed at him as he took his seat. Her body was flooded with relief. This was the Orpheus that she could be married to. This was someone that would”ve captured her affections when she was living in the mortal world. She wouldn”t be concerned about being seen with this man; this was someone who she could be with, and no one would question the legends.

”It was the very least I could do.” Orpheus shrugged modestly. ”Quite honestly, I was rightfully very embarrassed as soon as you pointed it out to me.” Orpheus served Eurydice a plate, and she nearly fell out of her chair. There was a very small voice in the back of her head trying to remind her that Orpheus was only displaying the barest amount of manners, nothing exceptional, but she ignored it.

Orpheus and Eurydice fell into an easy conversation. It shouldn”t have been remarkable, but it registered to Eurydice like she was suddenly existing in a whole new world. Who was this person who nearly broke her nose feeding her a piece of fruit in the garden, not even an hour ago?

Perhaps Orpheus was nervous with Makaria around.Eurydice”s thoughts quickly defended him. He might not be the only person who is a little overwhelmed at the sudden attention of the entire Underworld on his relationship.

Eurydice popped a bit of bread and cheese into her mouth. ”What happened when Apollo revoked his favor?” She asked the question quietly, wondering if it was too inappropriate to ask. ”You don”t have to retell the story if you don”t want to, of course.”

”No, no, I don”t mind.” Orpheus wiped a little bit of wine from his lip. ”You”re my wife, Eurydice. There”s nothing from my life that is off limits for you. It”s a fair question, anyway, seeing as it was that day that Apollo decided to send that snake to our wedding.”

”That was Apollo?” Eurydice”s eyes widened. She didn”t remember much, and she definitely didn”t remember the reason that a snake bit her on her wedding day was because of Apollo. Orpheus blanched as if he”d done something wrong, freezing with a bite of food halfway to his mouth.

”Oh, shit. Yes. That was because of Apollo. I”m so sorry, I thought you remembered that.”

Eurydice waved her hand to encourage him to continue. ”I don”t remember much. It”s okay. Now I do really need to hear the story though.” She finished with a lame chuckle. Orpheus picked up her hand and placed a small kiss to the back of her palm.

”You”re entitled to every story I have. Every bit of me is because of you, Eurydice, and I won”t forget that.”

Eurydice blushed furiously, and Orpheus continued with his story.

He spared no detail in spinning the entire bawdy tale. Apollo had grown angry with some drunk satyrs approaching the Feast of Dionysus, and he rigged a bet that resulted in the death of one of the satyrs.

”A satyr?!” Eurydice gasped, dropping her goblet. Wine splattered everywhere, staining the bottom of her tunic. She cussed and jumped up from the table while several servants rushed over to help clean it up.

”Don”t worry about it. Let them help. Thank you.” Orpheus nodded towards the staff. Eurydice said nothing as she sat back down at the table, suddenly in a mild state of shock. Orpheus continued with his story.

”Pan was there,” Orpheus mentioned Pan”s name without any consequence, but Eurydice”s heart jumped. ”He was furious. Rightfully so. I knew the gods were deceitful and tricky, even downright conspiratorial when it came to their own political plotting and whatnot. I never imagined Apollo to be that cruel, however. That satyr didn”t need to die, and he didn”t need to die the way he did either. I rejected Apollo on the spot, and he revoked his favor.”

Eurydice was staring open-mouthed at Orpheus. ”You rejected Apollo?”

”I did,” Orpheus murmured casually, as if this wasn”t a world changing revelation for Eurydice. ”Are you upset?” Orpheus studied the terrified and surprised look on her face. ”Because what I did, rejecting Apollo—it led directly to your death,” Orpheus whispered the words as though it was a great secret he”d been carrying all his life.

”I... No...” Eurydice shook her head. She grabbed Orpheus”s hands and squeezed them. ”How could I be mad? Orpheus, I”d never heard you tell this story before. Everyone assumed Apollo rejected you first, likely for some ridiculous reason because, you know, it”s Apollo. But you abandoning him? A mortal returning the favor of a god? And because he was involved in the murder of a creature of the forest, no less!”

It was a bizarre sensation, but Eurydice was overjoyed. There were pieces of her memory that started trickling back, of pleasant evenings and long nights spent with Orpheus. She would marry a man who abandoned the gods to defend the deities of the wild, without a doubt. A pleasant weight settled in Eurydice”s stomach, resolving some of the doubt she had been feeling since Orpheus”s arrival in the Underworld. She”d finally heard a story about Orpheus that made her realize—no, it made her remember—why their love had once been, and could be again, the stuff of legends.

Orpheus said nothing, simply chewing his food quietly for a few minutes. When he finally spoke, his voice was solemn.

”It was a cruel thing to see. No matter how many things I”ve seen happen at the hands of the gods, it was...barbaric. How could I sing about something like that? How could I worship someone who was so excited to destroy life? Music celebrates life, even in memoriam. It doesn”t destroy it. I had to walk away, but it meant Apollo”s revenge killed you in the end. I didn”t know how to live with it.”

Orpheus paused. There was a look on his face that Eurydice couldn”t quite place, as though there was more he wanted to tell her but couldn”t. Eurydice leaned closer to him, crossing the small distance between them, and linked their fingers together.

”It”s okay, Orpheus. You don”t need to tell me anything else if you don”t want to.”

”No, no,” Orpheus shook his head, grabbing another bite of food and feeding it to Eurydice. This time, she accepted it gracefully and relished the sweet bite of honied bread.

The rest of the dinner passed simply. Orpheus never talked directly about Apollo again but rather entertained Eurydice with stories of some of his more benign adventures in the mortal realm. Eurydice found herself enjoying Orpheus”s company with every passing story, some of her fears and concerns over their relationship slipping away. His hand kept moving around to touch her, whether he was holding her hand or tracing his fingers on her thigh. Eurydice was surprised to find that in combination with his warm smile and the sudden shift in his attitude, the barely there touches were starting to make her shift in her seat.

After the household staff had removed most of the serving platters and empty dishes, Orpheus stood up and offered his hand to Eurydice.

”Would you like to retire with me, my wife?” His smile was open, but his eyes roved over Eurydice hungrily. Her stomach flipped as she realized what Orpheus was implying; he didn”t think they”d be sleeping at all if she followed him to his bedchambers. Their dinner together had been wonderful, and Eurydice was starting to remember what it felt like to love Orpheus for the first time since she arrived in the Underworld. But she wasn”t nearly ready to have sex with him.

”I would,” Eurydice slowly placed her hand in his, and her voice dropped lower, ”but I feel like I need to warn you that if I come with you, nothing else is going to happen between us tonight.” There was a pause, and Orpheus said nothing, simply staring at Eurydice as though he was confused.

Eurydice cleared her throat. ”Physically, I mean.” Orpheus dropped her hand and let out a short, exasperated breath.

”I”m not an idiot, Eurydice, I know what you meant.”

Eurydice fought the urge to shiver; her skin erupted with the sensation of being covered in bugs. All the warmth drained from her body as she watched in confused horror as Orpheus morphed back into the cold, inconsiderate person she”d become used to.

”I want to keep our evening going…” Eurydice struggled to find the right words. She didn”t feel confused any longer; she was furious. That was the emotion that threatened to overtake her and was robbing her of her speech. After all of this, this back and forth with Orpheus, he was going to pretend to be genuine with her only for the opportunity to finally seduce her into his bed?

”Is that what this was all about?” Eurydice snapped, pointing to the remnants of their dinner, strewn out on the table, only a few dirty dishes left. ”You just wanted to fuck me?”

Orpheus let out an exasperated groan, sounding annoyed like he couldn”t find what he was looking for at the merchant”s. He was still acting incredibly blasé, as if he was being inconvenienced.

”Well, excuse me,” Orpheus grunted, ”but I didn”t think you”d take it well if I cheated on you either.”

Eurydice stared at him without being able to say anything. Her mind rapidly flipped back and forth between being completely blank and overwhelmed with rage. Her blood started to boil, and thorns started popping out all down her arms and spine. Wild vines started growing out of her scalp, twisting around her hair and braiding it like she was about to go into battle. Even the breeze picked up around their ankles, all the elements of the wild reacting to the furious nymph in their midst.

”What in the name of the gods is fucking wrong with you, Orpheus?” Eurydice shrieked, jabbing her finger into his chest. ”That is one of the most insane things... I mean... Honestly, all I can say is what the fuck!”

”Oh, please.” Orpheus rolled his eyes. ”I tried to seduce you. It”s hardly a crime. You should be flattered.”

”Flattered?!” Eurydice growled. ”You intentionally were engaging and charming. You were kind to me all night not because you wanted to work on our relationship, but only because you were desperate to fuck me!”

Orpheus chuckled. It was a dark and self-satisfied sound that made Eurydice want to snap his neck. It sent chills down her spine. She didn”t remember much of their time together, but she knew she had never heard Orpheus make that sound.

”You don”t know much about men, Eurydice. I promise you, husbands are only ever trying to get a fuck out of their wives. Or they”re cheating. I chose the former, so I really don”t see the issue.” Orpheus turned around and started walking away from Eurydice, down the empty hall towards his behemoth bedchambers.

”Are you seriously walking away from me right now?” Eurydice shrieked, some of the vines growing all the way down to her ankles and seeking out the floorboards. They chased down the hallway after Orpheus.

”I will talk to you tomorrow. I”m a little too buzzed for this. I”m either going to fuck or go to bed, and you”ve clearly indicated that the former is not an option.”

Eurydice”s breath was coming in uneven gasps. She was feeling naive and furious. The vines receded as quickly as they grew, disappearing from the hallway. Eurydice said nothing as she slowly watched Orpheus”s retreating form, trying to determine if there was anything left for her to save.

Eurydice walked straight out into the garden, making it all the way to the fruit tree grove before she buried her head in her hands and screamed.

Who am I anymore? Who the fuck is Orpheus? What are we doing together?

Eurydice waited until her breathing had calmed down and sighed. She let her head fall back and looked up at the sky, looking for the moon out of habit. It was a full moon night, which meant the creatures of the forest were somewhere under the trees, enjoying Selene and Pan”s attentions.

I wonder if Pan is celebrating in the Underworld?The thought popped into Eurydice”s mind, and then she couldn”t let it go. She didn”t know who she was any more in Orpheus”s house, but she always knew who she was in the forest.

Without a parting thought or a second glance, Eurydice slipped out the garden gate and took off as fast as her feet could carry her towards the trees.