Do Not Go Gentle

Hanging Out Featuring the Valar

"You're not supposed to be here."

It was like the Mist pulled back from whoever had spoken, and slowly revealed familiar faces in the distance. They were across a river, one that I didn't feel too comfortable being by. In fact, the last time I was here I was nearly burned alive in these waters.

The River Styx.

"Why did you do that, Persie?"

My eyes snapped to the slowly clearing face across the river.

"Why did you try to kill yourself?"

I barely held in the gasp that threatened to escape. I haven't seen this face, scar and all, in years.

"Luke?"

A toothy grin greeted me like an old friend. "Hey, Persephone."

"What is this?"

His smile turned sad as his blue eyes turned downward with something dark swirling in their depths. His scar was the same white line that I remembered, from the top of his brow to the bottom of his cheek.

But there was something different about him. There was a white aura that surrounded his body, and it was currently also surrounding me.

"You're dead."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

Luke nodded, shifting on his feet awkwardly. "Yeah, uh, I've never actually had to do this before, but you're dead, Seph."

"As in dead-dead?"

He nodded. "You did try to kill yourself, so yeah. You succeeded I guess."

I ran my hands down my face, and instead of feeling the calloused hands I felt a strange tingling down my face and into my palms.

Trippy.

"I'm actually dead?"

Luke pursed his lips. "Well, not completely, considering you haven't crossed the River Styx. Souls who cross cannot go back."

"Go back?"

He shrugged. "You're dead, yeah, but that can be altered." He looked at my slight frown and quickly amended, "But that can be changed if you pass through the river."

I eyed the silent stream that passed between us. "I really don't want to swim in that thing again."

Luke let out a laugh. "Don't worry, you won't feel it."

I took a deep breath, readying myself to take the jump. There was a pit in the bottom of my stomach that was telling me to wait, to stop and think about this, but all I could think about was being with my friends and family again.

A voice suddenly came from behind me. "Persephone, please wait."

I turned and stopped. I was in complete awe at who was in front of me.

The woman standing there looked like the goddess of both the night and light all in one. Her hair was as dark as the pit itself, but inside its darkness were twinkling stars that I knew were probably from the night sky itself. Her skin was porcelain and seemed to elicit a glow that no human could ever create.

Even her voice sounded divine. "I wish we did not meet like this," the woman admitted, as she glided toward me. Her white dress twinkled from some hidden light source that seemed to come from within.

"Uh... who are you?"

The smile she responded with was positively blinding. She was far more beautiful than Aphrodite herself, instead of imitating desire, she becomes it completely. "I am Varda."