9. Apollo
In the Underworld’s garden, fall cast its enchanting spell, transforming this part of the garden into a breathtaking display of fiery hues and muted tones. The trees stood adorned in a tapestry of crimson, amber, and gold.
A mosaic of fallen leaves carpeted the ground, their earthy scent mingling with the cool, musty air, while shafts of soft, diffused light filtered through the canopy above, casting dappled patterns of shadow and illumination across the ground below. Despite the melancholic beauty of the season, there was an undeniable sense of tranquility that permeated the garden, offering peace to weary souls seeking respite from the trials of the Underworld.
Seated upon a weathered bench, Apollo found himself surrounded by the faded grandeur of fall. He gazed into the distance with a heavy heart, his thoughts consumed by memories of Geri. The echoes of her laughter, the warmth of her touch—each recollection served as a bittersweet reminder of her absence, a void that seemed to grow with each passing moment.
As the spectral souls drifted past, their insubstantial forms stirring no interest in Apollo’s despondent gaze, he yearned for Geri’s presence beside him. Her absence weighed upon him like an anchor, pulling him deeper into the depths of his longing.
With a sigh, he closed his eyes, willing himself to find peace amidst the melancholy beauty of the garden. But try as he might, his thoughts kept returning to Geri, her image haunting him like a ghostly specter in the twilight realm of the Underworld.
He looked up and saw Orthrus, the two-headed dog who guarded the Underworld along with his cousin Cerberus. The divine being padded toward him, his obsidian fur shimmering. “Hello, Lord Apollo.”
“Orthrus,” Apollo greeted and rubbed one of Orthrus’s chins.
“You don’t look well, my lord,” Orthrus remarked.
Apollo offered a weary nod. “I suppose I don’t. It’s been a trying time.” He admired the autumnal scenery, taking in the vibrant colors of the garden. “I must say, I quite enjoy the look of fall here,” he remarked.
“Ah, yes, it’s all thanks to Queen Persephone,” Orthrus nodded his heads. “She likes to mirror the seasons of the Upperworld here in this part of the garden.”
“She has quite the eye for detail.”
Orthrus chuckled softly. “Indeed, she does,” he agreed, before they both fell into a contemplative silence, surrounded by the serene beauty of the garden.
Apollo’s mind flickered with memories of Geri. “Have you seen Geri recently?” he inquired, trying to mask his longing.
Orthrus nodded, his two heads swaying in unison. “Yes. When Queen Persephone goes to the plant shop in the Upperworld, I accompany her.”
His heart skipped a beat. “How is she?” he asked, unable to conceal the eagerness in his tone.
Orthrus responded with a shake of his heads. “She’s not quite herself lately,” he admitted. “I can sense a shift in her aura. Something seems amiss.” One of his heads glanced up suddenly. “Lord Hades is looking at us,” he announced, a hint of deference in his tone.
Apollo followed his gaze briefly, acknowledging the presence of the ruler of the Underworld. He guessed that Hades was standing at the window of his office.
“Thank you, Orthrus,” he said, offering a nod of farewell. “I’ll see you around.” With that, he turned and left the garden, leaving Orthrus behind.
He teleported into Hades’s dimly lit office. The room was suffused with an eerie glow emanating from torches mounted on the walls, casting flickering shadows across the wooden furniture. The air was heavy with the scent of ancient parchment and the faint aroma of brimstone.
Hades sat behind a large oak desk, his form shrouded in darkness save for the faint outline of his figure. His piercing gaze met Apollo’s as the god of the Underworld acknowledged his arrival.
“Apollo,” Hades intoned in his deep, resonant voice. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”
“What, I can’t just visit my friend whenever I feel like it?”
The god of the Underworld cocked his head to the side. “Well, as your best friend, perhaps I should tell you that you look like shit.”
Apollo burst out laughing—the first laugh he’d had in a while. “Wait, you admit it? I am your best friend?”
The corner of Hades’s mouth tugged up. “What’s wrong, Apollo? Why did you come all the way to my realm to mope?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, scowling.
“Good, because I’m far too busy today. Now you can?—”
Apollo sighed, then sank down on the nearest chair. “It’s all my fault.”
“Glad to hear that. They say acceptance is the first step.” Hades let out an impatient sigh. “What’s your fault?”
Apollo hesitated. “You’re not going to like what I’m going to tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because…you just won’t. I’ve done something bad, and you’re going to kill me for it.”
“I see.” Hades leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together. “The only reason I would kill you is if you hurt Persephone.”
Apollo wasn’t sure what to say. “Er, no. I mean, not quite.”
“I didn’t really have murder on my schedule today, but I’ll gladly make room for it if I must.” Hades’s onyx eyes pinned him to the spot. “Just say it, Apollo.”
“I can’t…you might not kill me, but Persephone will.”
“Well, if you won’t tell me what it is and continue to waste my time, I might just do it myself.”
“Fine.” Apollo placed his hands on the oak desk. “It’s about Geri.”
“Geri? The she-wolf? Persephone’s best friend?”
“Yes?”
“And what did you do?” Hades’s words held a knife-like edge.
“Something stupid.” He scrubbed a palm down his face. “I fell in love with her.”
Apollo never thought he’d see the day, but the god of the dead’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
“Explain,” Hades said. “Everything. From the beginning.”
With a deep breath, Apollo told Hades the entire story—from the moment they met, right until he left Geri in Mexico.
“I don’t know if she went through with it…I mean, she was so desperate.” He buried his face in his hands. “I don’t want to know…but at the same time, I can’t go on like this, not knowing. Taking a life is unforgivable, but…I still love her. But she also hates me because she thinks I never supported her.”
Hades didn’t say anything for a few moments, the tension in the air remaining thick as fog until he spoke. “Do you want to know the answer? Because I can tell you right now if she did or did not take a life.”
Apollo swallowed the lump growing in his throat. Did he want to know?
“But before you decide, ask yourself this: Do you think she is capable of doing such a deed? Do you truly believe she would kill anyone for any reason aside from defending herself or her loved ones?”
The other god’s words slowly sank into Apollo. While confusing at first, after some thought, Apollo understood what his friend was trying to say: did he trust Geri to do the right thing?
Geri saved my life.
She also loved her grandmother, the woman who raised her to be who she was.
And he knew his answer.
“No. She would never do that. I don’t believe she could kill anyone.”
Hades’s mouth spread into a smile. “You’re right. She did not.”
Relief poured through every vein in his body.
“Then why ask me?”
Hades blew out a breath. “If there’s anything I learned about loving someone, it is that trust must come first. You need to be able to trust your partner, and they should trust you, that you will always have their back and believe the best in you.”
“I…wow, that’s really deep, Hades.”
The king of the Underworld snorted. “Does she love you back?”
“I think…maybe? But she’s just so hurt over the whole thing with her grandmother, I don’t know if she’ll be able to move on. I think…she’s feeling guilty for leaving her grandmother and spending so much time away from her. She didn’t get enough time with her, to tell her everything she had to tell her. And also, maybe her grandmother didn’t prepare her enough for her death.”
“There is never enough time for that,” Hades said.
“Geri needs to accept her grandmother is dead, and that she has to move on. If only…” He scratched at his chin. “Hades, do you think?—”
“No, I already told you, I couldn’t do that,” Hades interrupted. “I can’t bring someone back from the dead, even temporarily.”
“No, but you can give someone permission to enter your realm and interact with the dead, right?”
“I—” Hades pressed his lips together. “Yes. As ruler of this realm, that is within my power to grant. Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”
“Yes.” There was only one way for Geri to get over her grandmother’s death, only one person who could convince her it was okay to move on: her grandmother.
“Now, you just need to bring Geri to the Underworld.”
“I don’t think she’s going to want to talk to me.” Not after he abandoned her in Mexico. While he made sure she had a way home, he still left her there and stormed off.
“Well, then, I guess we’ll have to find a way to get her down here.”
“We?” His head swung back to Hades. “You’re going to help me?”
“Of course.” The god of death grinned. “How does that song go again? ‘That’s what friends are for’?”