𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓾𝓷𝓮𝓼

Chapter one

          The rays of sunlight nearly blinded me, over 100 years of living and the burning sensation when I first wake up in the morning is still one of the dreadful parts of my day-to-day life. I rubbed my eyes, my vision now hazy and simultaneously creating a burning feeling. Next to me, the weight of a body, Dante. That same giddy feeling I typically get seeing him erupted in me, I gently stroked his hair (that didn't last that long as his hair was embedded with knots). I stood up, taking some time to gain my vision before walking over to the bathroom. My hair knotted over my head, the light brown locks resembling a birds nest. Before Dante woke up, I ran a brush through it and proceeded to change. I always tried to look my best for him, I never felt good enough for him. My ego, which used to be so big before him, somehow got settled after I met Dante. I suppose I realized that he is so young and so perfect, it took me years to be decent. He doesn't even try, I guess I finally got lucky. 

      I heard him shuffle in bed, followed by a slight discomfort sound. I suppose it's time for new curtains, seeing I'm not the only one affected by the stupid light. I walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom as Dante was getting out of bed. I smiled, the kind of smile that the light comes from deep inside the eyes and your face is just engulfed with happiness. You can feel that kind of smile, it crawls from deep within you. Even with hair matted over his eyes, his eyes that were drawn out and torn between dream and reality. He was cordial, I realized every waking moment my love for him was verbatim.

    "Mornin, sunshine" Dante had a weird mixture between southern and geordie accent, even though he had lived in Greece his whole life. I guess that was another odd quirk about him, one of many. His weird accent, mixed with the scratchiness in his voice contrasted rather well. 

    "How's the almost birthday boy?" I teased, his birthday would be tomorrow and I had the perfect present picked for him. Well, that and the news I planned on dropping on him today.

    The news that I was immortal. While a lot to take in, and I was not even sure he would believe me, I was simply hoping for the best. If he did not believe me, I would simply say it was a joke and go about my day. That was the game plan, at least.  

   He scoffed, he was not an avid believer on birthdays, and we had a small chat about how we would celebrate. He insisted he just wanted us two there, and while a kind gesture, I didn't want his big day feeling like any other day. 

    Well I suppose it won't be considering the news I'm dropping today, while I would tell him today, if it grants him into an existential crisis then at least it won't be his birthday. Maybe the idea his wife won't ever die will grant him serenity, I was not sure. In the years we have been married, the thought never crossed my mind. Nor have we ever conversed about it.

This day was fairly normal, I went to the store, did some last minute birthday shopping, cooked dinner, nothing that stood out about today. Except for the fact I was showing Dante extra affection just to prepare him for what I was planning to tell him. As the night settled, I was putting my right leg into my pajama pants, Dante in the room with me. Things were silent, and I knew just the conversation to change that.

   "Hey, can we talk?" I asked as I slipped my other leg into my silk pants, the coolness comforting me in a way. I was beyond nervous, my teeth cluttered like a boneyard falling amongst themselves. My anxiety clasping under my hallow chest, escaping to a place more beautiful than here.

   "Yeah, sure, whats up?" There was that damn accent, I started to realize all the things I loved about him a lot more predominately now like I was noticing what I may loose. Fear struck me like lightening and my heart beat like a drum against my rib cage. 

    I sat down on the edge of our bed, so far off the edge I was convinced I may fall. Well, I was hoping I would fall and distract him from my confrontation. 

   But when I started to tell him, he did not seem to mind. In fact, he was attentive and his only question was "how?" How did I become immortal from birth but keep the figure of a 22 year old? I was not expecting to explain that story for some odd reason, it had not crossed my mind until he asked for it. Not that I was upset, just caught off guard. 

   So I explained it all to him...

My mother, who was simply a citizen in Ancient Greece, resided by Mount Olympus when she was pregnant with me. A single mom, as my dad died in the Trojan War, heard about the tale of the River Styx. The River Styx, a common tale known for giving Achilles almost immortality, my mother was eager to test the waters. After I was born, before she took me home from the hospital she drove to the River Styx and dumped me by my heel much like Achilles' mother. Though, unlike her, she made sure each part of me was coated head to toe and I would never die. In most cases, although, this would make me God-like. But my mom was a regular citizen, and she fought to keep me "normal". My mother, who was not supposed to learn and know the secrets of the River Styx, had to pay a price. If I was going to keep my youthful look, she would have to go to Tartarus to spend the rest of her life there. This, while depressing for her, she loved me so dearly she gave me up to Zeus to be raised among a different family where I would never age past 24. 

     Needless to say he was shocked, and for a couple of minutes he stayed silent, stared at the floor and let everything make sense of itself. I could practically see the gears working in his brain, twisting and turning, taking pit stops to the River Styx and such. His leg bounced at 54 miles per hour, he was anxious. Dante took a deep breath after awhile and looked at me, his eyes weakening under him in the pale light.

   "Take me there, to the River Styx."

    I paused, completely dumbfounded by his request. Had he not heard the story? Of how my poor mother died at the hands of Hades and Zeus to spare my life. I was not mad, just baffled on why a man like Dante would request such.  

    "Why?" One question of many, I decided I would address the elephant in the room. Why would he even want to go there in the first place? I had described it to my best ability, the waters were rough but crystal clear. You could see the bottom, parts of it had bodies laid across it. The river itself was surrounded by rough patches of hills and mountain sides. Often times, it is depicted as being struck by lightening and people crying for help. Now the waters are clam (for the most part). Though, bodies do still lie there as it leads the underworld.

   "I want to become immortal with you. Wouldn't it be great? We would live our lives, together, never have to worry about mortality. We would never die." He got this sort of glow in his eye and this wide smile that glowed from the inside out. It drew tears to my eyes, tugged my emotions from my inner soul until I ached physically. I could not let myself break, promise him an impossible journey. Then for what? To break his heart when I tell him I will not travel to the underworld? 

  I hugged him, tight, and I felt him gently rub my back through the fabric. 

    "I can't do that." I spoke into his sweater and he shook his head in understanding. 

The rest of the night was silent, but we slept closer than ever that night.