Psyche
She was unchanged, as if moments rather than months had passed since we’d last seen each other. Her arms were crossed, and she bore an irritable expression, as though I had interrupted her at a game of dice.
‘Well?’ she said, not remarking on my sudden arrival. ‘Do you have an answer for me?’ The serpents of her hair writhed and flicked their tongues.
I recalled the question she left me with.What is it that makes a true hero?
I stared at her blankly. I had forgotten her challenge in the flurry of everything else. ‘I … well … A hero is one who stands between humanity and the gods. Who acts without fear.’
I was aware how weak and watery this sounded, even to my own ears. Without hesitation, I turned and began to walk swiftly down the long avenue lined with cypresses, hoping decisive action would make up for my rambling.
Medusa scurried after me. ‘Not bad. Nothing about killing helpless monsters, I’m pleased to hear, though I’m sure you could do better. And yes, you don’t have much time. I’m aware of your plans, the queen informed me. There are things I must explain, so slow down!’
Medusa was shorter than me and struggled to keep up, panting her instructions. Begrudgingly, I relaxed my pace.
‘Make your way through the forest, then to the banks of the River Styx,’ she said. ‘There you will meet Charon the ferryman. Once you offer payment, he will take you to Persephone’s palace. You must not speak to anyone you meet, although they are permitted to speak to you. I shouldn’t need to tell you not to talk to strangers, but y—’
‘Aren’t we talking now?’ I pointed out. Ahead, I could see the bridge that separated the line of cypresses from the dead forests that lay beyond.
‘Pert, ever pert! I’m your psychopomp, which you should be grateful for. How could you forbid conversation with a psychopomp? My purpose is to guide you. Persephone will be able to speak with you as well, and I advise you to treat her with respect if you value your life. And don’t say anything about Adonis. Persephone is very possessive of him; he was Aphrodite’s toy before he was the queen’s, or that’s the rumour at least. Anyway, there is one more thing I must warn you about.’ Brown eyes flashed towards me, her hair writhing. ‘The Underworld knows you don’t belong here, and it will devise ways to pull you in deeper. Be watchful, and remember not to speak to anyone you might meet.’
I breathed the cool air, feeling my muscles work. The last time I had walked this barren road, I had been a ghost. It was easier to navigate the roads of the Underworld with a mortal body.
‘Tell me more about Persephone,’ I pressed.
Medusa laughed, a hollow sound. ‘She is a just ruler, but ruthless to those who cross her. Once her husband Hades tried to take a lover, a nymph named Menthe. Persephone solved the problem by turning her into a shrub. Every now and then, shepicks leaves from Menthe to brew into tea.’ Medusa grinned, as if she relished the idea. ‘So it goes for anyone who opposes her.’
‘Then it’s good I have her favour. Are we near Cerberus yet?’
Medusa shot me a glance. ‘No, he is farther ahead. Why, do you have some plan to slay the hound of hell? One last attempt to win renown as a hero?’
‘No,’ I replied. ‘I like dogs, that’s all.’
‘She likes dogs,’ Medusa repeated incredulously, then cackled. ‘Do you think he’ll roll over and show his belly to you? You stink of mortality.’
‘I brought a honey cake to distract him,’ I told her.
Medusa looked almost impressed. ‘He does like those,’ she admitted.
We had reached the end of the cypress road. Ahead was a small path winding through a forest of stick-like, leafless trees, but no birds stirred the silence.
Medusa halted. ‘I can only lead you this far. You must find the rest of the way yourself.’
She was silent for a moment, long enough for me to turn and study her face. She had transformed throughout our conversation, becoming more like the nymph she must have been during the first part of her life. Her features were smooth and even, her eyes ordinary rather than the slit pupils of a cat, though they were still the same familiar shade of brown. Her hair no longer writhed and snapped at the air, but instead fell in a profusion of locks around her shoulders.
‘You have changed,’ the nymph called Medusa said to me. ‘You are not what you once were. The girl who appeared to me before was brash, headstrong, and more than a little full of herself. There’s a certain kindness to you now that can only come from pain.’
‘Is that so?’ I asked.
‘Yes. I am familiar with it. Why do you think I was so kind to you when we first met, when I knew you as nothing more than my murderer’s granddaughter?’
I stared at her, uncomprehending.
Medusa continued. ‘At first, I wasn’t sure why Persephone sentmeout of all the souls under her command to fetch you, but now I understand. Your grandfather killed me, and I burned with hatred for him, but our encounter has changed you for the better. Now you can become something more than what you might have been, and I can move on from my terrible grief. Persephone has wisdom. If she was merely ruthless, she would never reign here in the kingdom of the dead.’
A wind stirred in the airless Underworld, rattling the bare branches. Medusa tipped her head back and allowed it to take her, sweeping her up into the colourless sky. Her soul dissipated like smoke from a fire, and I was alone.
39
