“I’m dead, Eurydalos,” he revealed. “I had Apollo kill me so that I could be with you. We don’t have to go anywhere now. I can stay here with you forever.”
“You killed yourself just to be here with me!?” I gasped, shocked that he would do such a thing.
“Yes. And I would have it no other way,” he responded as he cupped my cheeks with his hands, pulling my face into his for a deep, lingering kiss. “I cannot live in the upper world without you. I refuse to. So now, I am one with you. Both of us can live together here in the Underworld.”
A smile crept up on my face as the tears in my eyes continued to swell. “I am so happy, Orpheus! You have no idea. Even if I had to remain here alone forever, the fact that you willingly sacrificed yourself to come down here to save me was more than I could ever ask for. I never expected you to make such a perilous journey, but I am forever grateful that you did. It only shows your undying love for me.”
“But I failed you, Eurydalos,” Orpheus stated with such guilt. “If it were not for my neglect, we could be living in the upper world, together now.”
“What’s so great about the upper world?” I replied to him, thinking back on what Persephone had just told me recently. “This place is magnificent. Elysium is unlike anywhere I have ever been in my entire life. Its natural wonders are splendid. We can remain here together forever now, Orpheus. You can play your lyre for all to hear and I can dance to your songs.”
And as if on cue, Orpheus gave me a heart-warming smirk and pulled out his lyre to play it. His music was lively, which was much needed here in the Underworld. And so, I danced to it. I would continue to dance and love Orpheus for an eternity. We have all the songs, dances and the passion between us at our disposal to experience forever, here in Elysium.
I found myself by finding Orpheus. Orpheus found himself by finding me. Together, we foundeach other. And when you have a love like this, what else is there to find?
