Chapter Text
“So, this is Elysium?” Orpheus shaded his eyes, trying to get a good look around through the blinding neon that cast everything in teal light. The low buildings, though cramped together, were nicer than he had expected.
“Yup” Zagreus responded, dusting off his slacks and breathing deeply. He seemed glad to be out of the winding alleyways of Styx as much as Orpheus was, despite how confident he acted back in the gloom.
“It’s so... bright.” Orpheus was surprised by this, too. Hadestown was dark and desolate, according to the rumors. Maybe it was just Elysium then, as Zag had said it was better than the other parts of Hadestown.
Zagreus nodded. “Some of the shades, citizens of Hadestown, have said that Elysium has the closest thing to the light of the surface you can find down here, but not by much. I’ve heard the sun’s much brighter than all this” he gestured around and sighed. “I hope to see it someday.”
Orpheus agreed with him. Compared to the brightness and heat of the sun, the artificial lights were merely like a candle’s flame, nowhere near as beautiful. In the glowing blue, It was clear that the melancholy prince’s tan skin had never been touched by the sun’s brilliance.
The young prince motioned towards the rest of the sector. “Shall we?”
As they walked the streets of Elysium, Orpheus looked around at the pristine buildings, at how pretty it was, but how devoid of life. Nothing seemed used or loved by a community. It felt sad. If this was the better part of Hadestown, what must Asphodel be like? How much more downtrodden must it be? How might Eurydice be doing, all on her own again?
“Why don’t you tell me more about her? Eurydice, I mean, since I’ll hopefully meet her soon.” Zagreus’ question shook Orpheus from his thoughts, before leading him back inwards, considering what to say about her.
He smiled as he thought of her, all of her best qualities. “She was the most wonderful person I ever knew. She was beautiful in any season, but the way her hair shone in the summer sun was almost prettier than the sun itself. She made me feel alive! She was smart and brilliant and bolder than me.” He laughed to himself, making the prince smile in turn. “And we sang together, sometimes, under the stars. We wrote some songs together, too. We said we would go through life side by side.” He sighed, remembering everything. Could he hope to get that all back? I have to try, at least, he told himself.
“She sounds lovely.” He looked over to Zagreus, who had been watching Orpheus closely. He looked like he was trying to think of something to cheer Orpheus up. The sympathetic prince walked over to one of the buildings they had gone past and started looking at one of its walls with a puzzled manner, trying to remember something.
Orpheus followed him. “Do you have anyone you feel the same way about, Zagreus? Just wondering.” His tone was casual, but a knowing smile crossed the poet’s lips.
Zagreus blushed, his cheeks glowing faintly red. “Maybe there is.” He tapped some of the bricks, finally sliding one of them aside with a look of satisfaction, revealing a hidden recess in the wall. “Here we are.”
He took a bottle of shining orange liquid out of the compartment and presented it to Orpheus. “For you, mate. Thought this might help cheer you up. Mother has nectar hidden all over in case of ‘emergencies’ but she won’t miss one bottle. Think of it as a token of our friendship!”
Orpheus’ jaw dropped as he took the bottle. “But this stuff is really expensive! Are you sure?” As Zagreus nodded, the poet was already feeling his pockets. “Well, thanks! But I should at least give you something in return.”
He felt something in his back pocket and froze. He had completely forgotten about it during their travel through the Styx. He brought out the red carnation, the one he had given to Eurydice, the same one she had left at the train station. He didn’t want to let it go, but he didn’t have anything else with him, and he wouldn’t be impolite to his guide.
He held the flower out to Zagreus. “Here, you can have this. I was going to give it to Eurydice, but-”
The impatient prince cut him off. “What?! No, Orpheus, it’s alright, I don’t need anything from you. It’s a gift, not a transaction. And you should give that to her yourself!”
The young man looked thoroughly put out by Zag’s words. He sighed. “If you really want to give something to me, why don’t you work on getting your will to sing back? I’d still like to hear one of your songs sometime.”
“Ok, I can do that! Thank you, Zagreus. But...” He paused, looking down at the flower again, “Maybe you can still hold on to this? Just for safekeeping.”
“Alright, if that’s fine with you. I’ll make sure it’s unharmed.” Zag took the flower, placing it behind his ear. “This alright?”
“Red looks good on you!” Orpheus responded.
Zagreus grinned brightly in return, but his excitement faded as he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. A shade in uniform, a baton stuck in his belt, rounded the corner of a nearby building. He hadn’t seen them yet.
Zagreus cursed under his breath. “A security ghoul! We need to get inside! Don’t let him see you. If we get caught it’s straight back to Tartarus with me. Come on!” The frantic prince tugged on Orpheus’ arm, pulling him into the nearest structure.
“Uh-“ Orpheus tried to protest, looking up at the bright neon lettering above the establishment as they entered Elysium’s Champion Boxing Gym.
Inside a massive crowd was gathered, almost pushed up against the door. Zagreus realized his mistake and went to drag Orpheus out with him again when a cry from the center of the room stopped them. They were shoved to the front of the crowd, to the center of everything, a raised boxing ring and a rather arrogant looking figure standing above them.
“You have some nerve coming back here, fiend! I made it quite clear that if I saw you here again, I would send you right back to the depths where you belong!” The man, tan skinned with slicked-back blond hair, shouted indignantly down at the underworld prince.
“Theseus. I’d say happy to see you, but I’m really not. Still champion, I presume?” Theseus’ face grew red with anger.
“How dare you besmirch my honor as champion?!” The shades at the front of the crowd pushed Zagreus up into the ring, facing Theseus.
“That was only a joke, mate, really. I’m not looking for a fight, I just want to get back to Asphodel, not causing trouble this time.”
The champion scoffed at that. “Not looking for a fight? You provoked as much when you set foot in this hall! The only way you’re getting to Asphodel is when I call security to drag you down, after I defeat you once again!” Orpheus rolled his eyes, This guy talked more than Zagreus.
The aforementioned prince tried in vain a final time to deter the arrogant boxer. “Look, I didn’t even bring my gloves with me. How can you call this a fair fight?”
Theseus grinned wildly as he threw off his own gloves. “Then I will have the enjoyment of beating you with fists alone! The first to fall loses, which will surely be you! Asterius!” The Champion pointed out of the ring, and Orpheus felt himself shrink down as he looked up at the tall, dark skinned man, muscles more impressive than the boxer in the ring. “I trust only you to judge our match, my friend!”
The man exhaled sharply, his gold septum nose ring lifting gently. “Do not worry, short one, I promise to be fair.”
Zagreus sighed. “That’s all I can hope for, isn’t it? Alright.”
As the two prepared to fight, Theseus noticed the red carnation in the prince’s hair. “Where in the underworld did you get such a thing, you blackguard? Probably stole it from someone in Elysium!”
“Hey! This is a token from a dear friend of mine, and I’ll have you know that if you harm this flower I won’t hesitate to put your arm in a sling!” Orpheus’ heart felt warm with Zagreus’ words.
“Ha! Let’s see you try! Have at thee!”
Asterius gave the signal, and the match began.
At first it seemed that the two fighters were evenly matched, both being similar in height and build. But Zagreus was more lithe, and could easily dodge his opponent’s punches, while Theseus was more sturdy, likely to block any incoming attack. And so the dance went. The prince went in with a stomach jab, which the champion blocked, and Zag was forced to duck under Theseus’ arm to avoid his left hook. The shades around Orpheus cheered for Theseus, spurring him on.
Soon Zagreus got a good hit in, splitting Theseus’s lip. The champion shrugged the injury off, grinning as blood dripped onto his shirt, a mad hunger burning in his eyes. As the match wore on, it looked like Theseus was beginning to get the upper hand. The spry prince was panting heavily with the effort of evading his competitor.
Orpheus watched with silent horror as Zagreus staggered for a moment. The crowd roared, only raising Theseus’s confidence. In a spontaneous act of bravery, Orpheus raised his voice above the din as much as possible.
“You can do it, Zagreus!”
Both fighters heard him, causing them to momentarily freeze. But this interjection seemed to bother the champion of Elysium, who looked out into the crowd.
“Who dares cheer for this villain, this black-hearted creature, in my own arena! Why you despicable- Ooff!! Why you!”
This small distraction was all Zagreus needed to get the upper hand. His fist met the boasting man’s stomach, causing him to fall back, hitting the ring’s floor with a thud!
“Knockout.” The huge judge rumbled. The crowd erupted, cheers and boos mixed together, though most shouted in favor of the new winner.
“Thank you for believing in me, my good shade!” Zagreus called as he jumped out of the ring, grabbing Orpheus’s hand and exiting through a side door. Outside, free from cries of the masses, Zagreus couldn’t help from laughing with excitement. Orpheus joined him, the prince’s laughter proving infectious.
“Did you see Theseus’ face back there? He was furious! I’ll have to watch my back next time I’m in this part of town, he might just try to kill me for that.”
As their energy died down, Orpheus had a question on his mind. “Why did you call me shade back there? ‘My good shade.’ Does that mean something here?”
“No, I wanted to keep up appearances. If the workers here were to find out you were, you know, not from Hadestown… well, it wouldn’t be pleasant. I’m just trying to protect you.”
Orpheus was about to thank him, when a loud GONG like the ringing of a clock bell rang. He was confused, as he hadn’t seen any clock towers in Elysium. He hadn’t seen any clocks, actually. It was impossible to tell if it was day or night without the sun. Zagreus glanced around, as if for something in particular. Someone, it turned out.
A young white haired man in a crisp black suit emerged from a nearby alleyway. His cold, serious expression made Orpheus shrink, but did not deter the prince’s joy. A mischievous smile settled on his face as the stranger approached them.
“So all of that commotion was your doing, Zagreus? I should have guessed.”
“Why, if it isn’t Thanatos, Mr. Hades’ expert in death. It’s good to see you, too.”
Thanatos scoffed, “Oh knock it off, Zag, I’m his top mortician, not some hitman. What are you doing here? It isn’t spring yet, to my knowledge.”
The way the two Hadestown natives spoke to each other held a deep familiarity, more than just that of acquaintances, and- was Thanatos’ face looking a little red? Orpheus saw that Zagreus seemed to be blushing lightly as well.
“I’m not trying to leave, Than. Quite the opposite, in fact. Just helping a new friend with a little crisis of his.” Zagreus gestured towards Orpheus, who waved awkwardly at the stone faced professional.
Than’s face morphed to an expression of shock as he looked the poet up and down. “Really, Zagreus, a mortal?! If Mr. Hades finds out, both of you will be in trouble. Do you have any idea how serious this is?”
Orpheus cleared his throat gently, ready to make his case. “Please, Mr. Thanatos, I just want to find my muse, Eurydice. She’s in Asphodel, we think. I don’t want to cause problems, just to get her out of here.”
Thanatos sighed. “I wasn’t going to report you anyway. I understand that I can’t stop either of you.” He turned to Zagreus again. “Be careful, ok, Zag? You know how much tighter security is in Asphodel.”
“I do. And thank you, Than, for understanding.”
Orpheus smiled as the mortician nodded. “Right then. There’s a change in the guard, you should be able to slip through the Lethe if you're quick.” Zag nodded that he understood, and the two travelers started towards the wall. “And Zagreus. One more thing.”
They looked back, and it appeared Thanatos was trying his best not to let the pink on his cheeks spread further. “The flower looks nice.”
The flustered prince reached up to touch the carnation, smiling. “Thank you, Than.”
With one more nod, Thanatos walked back into the alleyway, vanishing in the shadows. For a moment, the blue lights around them flickered green. After that, they continued in silence.
Orpheus walked up next to his dear friend, a sly smile apparent. “So, is that who you meant before?”
Zagreus’ blush deepened as he glanced away, smiling. “Maybe,” was his response.
Orpheus chuckled to himself as they approached the next wall, and the destination of their journey.