Galen shook his head. “There are always other paths. We are faced with their challenges daily.”
“That is something I have known in my heart to be true, but have never been able to convince my sisters. But the path you chose must have been one of good to earn you entry to Elysium.”
“By the laws of the Underworld, I did nothing to prevent my access into Elysium, but I did not lead an admirable life.” Galen’s smile melted and his stare lowered. “I was not a good father. My son made many mistakes because of my failings.”
“Of what failings do you speak?”
“I was a merchant, and traveled many miles trading goods to give my son the monies needed to lead a comfortable life.”
“I hear nothing deserving of the fate you sought out,” Maiden said.
“In truth, I was selfish.” The light in his eyes dimmed as sorrow took hold. “After my wife passed into Elysium, I did not need to be away from my son. I only did so to drown myself in the comfort of women and forget my own pain. I never thought of my son’s pain, and I did not prove myself as the strong father he needed.”
She held his hand and squeezed it gently. “You did prove yourself. In the choice you made here. You could be free in Elysium, but instead you saved that gift for him. There is nothing you could have done that would be more important than that decision.”
“I could have taught him how to be a man of honor. He deserves the eternal happiness I did not provide him during my time with the living.”
“Galen Argyris.” A cloaked figure stood at the mouth of the hall. “It is time. Follow me.”
“Thank you, Maiden.” He pressed his warm lips against the back of her hand. “I did not know such joy and light could exist in the Underworld.”
Maiden held her hand against her chest, and sadness crept into her as Galen walked to his fate.
Weeks passed, and Maiden’s heart ached with thoughts of Galen’s suffering. So much so that she often snuck into the level where he served his condemnation. She soothed her heartsickness and provided him the joy he lacked.
“I am dreading the day I do not see you again,” he said, his attention fixed on the picturesque villa before them. Smoke swirled around the estate and fire lapped against its outer walls.
“I cannot stay away from you, nor do I want to,” she said warmly as she snuggled up to him.
He blindly searched for her hand and squeezed it gently.
“Let us not spend our time together here. Come with me.” She tugged at his arm, but he didn’t budge.
“I cannot,” he said flatly.
“Do you grow tired of me? Look at me, Galen,” she pleaded.
He strained to turn his face to hers.
“I…I do not understand,” she stammered.
“This is the soul imprint of the events that lead to my son’s damnation. Every day I build this home, and every night I’m powerless, forced to watch the family burn.”
She cupped his face and turned his head back to the fire. “Do not struggle against your condemnation. I do not wish to cause you pain.”
“Maiden, you are worth enduring the pain.” The fire blazed in his soft, gray eyes. “You bring Elysium with you and make this eternity bearable.”
She leaned into him and kissed him slowly. Neither of them breathed as the fire raged behind her.
? ? ?
Maiden’s forbidden romance ensued with the innocent soul who traded his place in Elysium.
True love, this clean emotion, was a virgin to Tartarus. Its light never before touched so deep within the Underworld. Because of this light, this love borne in the condemned depths of the twinkling ice cave of Tartarus, a curse formed. It breathed toxins into the glassy cave walls, creating viscous strings that hung thick and wet. They dripped into its once serene turquoise pools turning them into acidic, milky mazes that coursed through Tartarus’s veins.
The infected level could no longer contain its prisoners, and they tore free. Powerless against the waves of evil beings escaping to claim the mortal world as their own, the Furies watched helplessly as the freed inmates spewed venom throughout humanity. Corruption, plague, and brutality swept the Mortal Realm.
Desperate, Maiden beseeched Hera, Goddess of childbirth, asking her to come to their aid and heal the ailing Tartarus. Hera took pity on Maiden and gifted her with a child, created from the passion of her forbidden love. “You will birth a son,” Hera whispered into Maiden’s ear. “Your son will grow to be a warrior, tasked only to slay the wicked who escaped to the Mortal Realm and send them back to the prison within Tartarus. As he restores the balance, the curse will wane.”
When Maiden first held her baby boy, she felt apprehension rather than joy. “He cannot leave,” she cried, calling upon Hera once more.