Hope for the Underworld

6

From that day onwards, their lives followed a repetitive pattern that soon formed into a steady routine. While he attended to his duties as the Judge and Ruler of the Underworld, she took to meandering along the never-ending corridors of his enormous palace. They all looked the same and all the chambers were the same empty, soulless shells. It was beyond her comprehension, how he could live like that and not lose his mind. But perhaps it had something to do with his day job, as she called it? He had no time to lounge around, so he did not feel the need for lavish apartments. And besides, what for? He'd never had any guests anyway.

Until now...

Although he didn't specifically forbid her leaving the palace, Cora never ventured outside of its walls; as far as she could see from the windows, there was nothing there but the empty, dusty plain.

She was initially drawn to Hades' study, the only other room that she could find that was furnished and in apparent use. She liked sitting behind his massive desk and for a while amused herself by inventing fantastical stories. In her head, she was writing Hades' adventures from the time of the war with the Titans; she composed stories of his romantic conquests, and the tales of siblings' rivalries, where he was always the hero who won the day.

But inevitably, this pastime soon lost its allure and she returned to absent-minded roaming through the empty corridors. They met regularly for the evening meals and Hades made valiant attempts to divert her by asking about human customs, books she had read and films she had watched, but each time the silences between them grew longer and from day to day Cora was becoming more and more despondent.

As the days turned to weeks, her mood only worsened. She felt helpless. And hopeless. Above all, she feared being stuck in there forever. It didn't matter if THERE meant really the mythical Underworld, or a coma caused by a brain injury.

What if this purposeless existence was her reality from now on?!

That fear consumed her every thought. It paralysed her, shutting out everything and everyone else. It obliterated any sense of reason, making it impossible to think logically and to find a solution. A way out.

She felt trapped.

She lost all hope for a change in her circumstances and there were days when she just kept to her bed, refusing to get up even at meal times. The shadows brought her food, but more often than not, she forgot or refused to eat altogether. And although Hades had told her she wasn't going to change no matter what she did, lack of sustenance and dark moods had a visible effect on her appearance; she lost weight and started looking gaunt. Lack of sunshine turned her previously tanned skin pale, and it only accentuated the dark circles that had appeared under her eyes.

Eventually, she managed to raise herself a little and she returned to aimlessly wandering around. With time, she took to staying longer and longer in the cold emptiness of the palace, sometimes returning only long after Hades had finished his meal.

Throughout it all, Hades grew more and more concerned. Despite the formidable power at his command, for the first time in his life, he felt... inadequate. He had no idea how to help Cora and how to fix her problem. Often, he wasn't even sure what was the right thing to say or do. He wanted to make things better for her, but he was unable to. He felt lost himself, desperately wishing to be useful, to help, yet not knowing how. He exhausted all the possible avenues he could think of, but none of his ideas had born fruit and Cora remained stranded in his realm.

As the time passed, they both existed, suspended in that unchanging routine, until one day she failed to return for the meal at all. He waited patiently, quite used to her lateness, thinking she must have wandered very far and couldn't easily find her way back. Eventually, worried by her prolonged absence, he concentrated on the image of Cora, but all he could sense was... cold emptiness.

'Find her!' he ordered, and the shadows obediently scurried away in all directions.

It took much longer than he would have expected, but finally they located her.

Cora was found on the floor, curled in a tight ball, quite unresponsive. She must have recognised him, but her eyes remained blank and dull, and she wouldn't answer any of his rushed questions. Hades didn't understand why, but it broke his heart to see her in this state. He carried her along the empty corridors, desperately clutching her thin frame to his chest; only now truly realising how fragile she had become while in his care.

Then, he laid her gently on her bed and covered her in blankets, in case she felt cold. 'You must eat something,' he spoke, just to say something and to fill the oppressive silence that had fallen around them, but she did not react in any way. 'Cora...' He leant closer and whispered desperately. 'What can I do?... Please, tell me.' His face a picture of powerless agony; his chest contracting painfully with concern at seeing her like that.

But she did not respond; she only rolled into a ball again, not even trying to stop tears streaming down her face. He stayed by her side, gently stroking her hair until she fell asleep, exhausted. Then he rose and walked away.

He had decided what to do next.