Psyche and Eros - Part Ten

Psyche arrived outside the Palace. There were no guards, because let's face it, what's the worse that can happen? Someone break in there and kill the dead? Not a very smart move at all, especially when Hades would probably kick their butts anyway.

Psyche went up to the huge doors and knocked.

'Hello? Any body home? Hello?'

Somewhere deep from the interior of the palace she heard some footsteps on a marble floor, and a door open. More footsteps, more doors, sound of someone descending a marble staircase, another door opening, shutting, footsteps ... then, the door slowly creaked open.

'Um, hello?' Psyche asked. 'I'm looking for Queen Persephone.'

'You've come to the right place then,' said a beautiful lady at the door. 'I am Queen Persephone.'

'Really? You open your own door?'

'Well, it's the servants day off. Which is strange, I haven't had a visitor in one thousand years, first day I give the servant off and you arrive.'

'I guess that's Fate then.'

'Really? It was of those bitch Fate sisters then was it. I'll kick their boney asses if I catch them. Which one was it? Clotho? Lachesis? It was Atropos wasn't it! That bitch always had it in for me.'

'Um, I didn't mean it was one of the Fates, I just meant it's bad luck.'

'No such thing as luck when you're a Goddess. Anyway, what do you want? If you're selling something I'll kick your ass too.'

'Um, no, I'm not selling anything. Aphrodite sent me here.'

'Oh, really? What does she want this time? A cup of sugar? Some man she couldn't get her talons into? Don't tell me, let me guess, she wants to borrow a dress because she's got tired of running around nude in front of everyone at last!'

'No, she sent me to get some of your beauty, as she claims she's looking a little old and haggard room nursing Eros.'

'Oh sure, I'm going to make myself look ten years older just to boost her rotten narcissistic ego.'

'Well, she won't let me see Eros ever again if I don't take some back.'

Persephone looked at Psyche and took pity on her. She had heard about the rough time Aphrodite had been giving her, and decided to help Psyche. So, she took the box Psyche had brought with her, and placed some infernal sleep in the box.

Psyche then took the box back, thanked Persephone and began her journey to the surface again.

She got back to the river Styx and the ferryman was in dispute with one of his passengers.

'I've already paid you one oboe,' said the passenger.

'The fare was one obol, not an oboe. Besides, this is not an oboe, it's a clarinet.'

'It's the same thing.'

'It is not. A clarinet is a single reed instrument, while the oboe is a double reed instrument. Not only do they have different timbre and texture, the reeds on an oboe are a lot thinner than those on a clarinet.'

'You must be kidding, they're both of the woodwind family. Be happy with the oboe I gave you.'

'It's not an oboe, it's a clarinet and you're supposed to pay an obol. That's a gold coin, not a woodwind instrument.'

'Look, what do you think the oboe is worth?'

'The clarinet?'

'Yes, the clarinet then. What's it worth to you?'

'Well, I can't play one.'

'You can always learn.'

'Learn a woodwind instrument. I'm dead, I can't blow into this without any breath. This thing is useless to me. I have to take you back to the other side.'

'Excuse me,' interrupted Psyche. 'Can I catch a ride back to the other side?'

'Sure, if you want to wander the world forever, never being able to interact with anything,' said the man with the clarinet.

'Everyone in the boat,' said Charon. The man tried to resist, but Charon picked him up and put him back in the boat. Psyche got in of her own accord.