Tori stared down at the entrance to the Underworld that was located in Central Park. It was a cold, crisp early morning (about 2 in the morning to be exact) in January, but Tori was only dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. She wouldn't need a jacket in the Underworld.

She didn't have any weapons, only her guitar pushed to her back. Her hair was pulled back into a loose Dutch braid that hung over her right shoulder. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, which condensed in the cold air, she pulled her guitar to the front, playing a melancholy tune, and began to sing.

The very rocks that Orpheus had used to rescue Eurydice rumbled at her feet before opening up. Unlike when she'd gone down to the Styx with Luke, the rocks rose up for form a doorway with a path leading down into the Underworld. That was new, but she didn't mind. Tori stepped through the doorway, pushing her guitar to her back again, and carefully made her way down the path until her feet hit the black sand and the River Styx churned several yards in front of her.

Charon was there, as if expecting her. He looked human enough now, underneath the dark hood of his long robe; Tori had a feeling that would change once they crossed the river.

She kept her shoulders back and chin high as she met Charon's uncaring eyes.

"Do you have payment for passage?" he asked.

Tori reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of drachmas. "Will this suffice?"

Charon looked down at her open hand for a long time. "To get into the Underworld, yes." He waved his hand over hers and the drachmas disappeared. Tori looked up and met Charon's eyes again. They glittered with something she couldn't quite pin down. "But how will you get back out?"

Tori didn't answer, instead she turned away and stepped on his boat. Charon followed, chuckling. "You mortals cease to amuse me," he muttered as he pushed them across the river. Tori stayed standing, though there was plenty of room for her to sit. She kept her head forward, not letting her gaze wander. There was no time for that now, she was on a mission.

When they hit the shore on the other side, Tori stepped off easily, one motion flowing into another. Charon chuckled again. "May Tyche go with you, young demigod."

She wasn't sure if it was meant sincerely or as some kind of sarcastic warning, but Tori didn't care. She was going to get Luke back. Just like Orpheus tried to do with Eurydice. Except this time, she would not fail.

As she approached the gates into the Underworld, she pulled out her guitar again and began to sing the same song she'd sung to move the rocks in Central Park. It wasn't the song she was planning to sing once she got to Hades's palace, but it communicated just as much emotion and longing.

The spirits whispered and turned to look at her, but parted as if in a trance. Cerberus, at first, growled low in all three of his heads, hackles raised. But as Tori got closer and her song became stronger and louder, he laid down and whimpered as Tori easily walked past. Then it was a fairly straight shot to Hades's palace. She played a different tune, something that wouldn't hurt her vocal chords so much, but something that would hold her back from sprinting all the way to the front doors.

As she got closer she was surprised to see how modern it was. It wasn't so much a palace as it was a mansion. It glittered with gold and silver, with ruby, emerald, and sapphire highlights; parts were covered in ivy. Big ornate doors made from ash and stained deep red, like the juice from pomegranate seeds, the columns that framed the doors were wrapped in ivy. It was beautiful. And of course it would be, she just wasn't sure what she'd been expecting from the Lord of the Underworld.

The path up to the doors was also a sight to see. There were two orchards of pomegranate trees on either side of the walkway, each branch overflowing with bunches of the fruit. Lining the path to the front doors were flowers and plants that glowed iridescently, complementing the precious gems that sat alongside them. Just looking at the trees made Tori thirsty, so she set her sight for the front doors and continued her song.

Nico was standing outside those doors, on the porch, waiting for her. He was the one who had gotten Tori an audience with Hades and Persephone today.

She stopped her song and pushed her guitar to her back again as she made her way up the steps of the porch and went to Nico.

She smiled. "It's good to see you."

Nico wasn't as hopeful. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. For the millionth time.

Tori nodded, resolute. "Absolutely."

Still looking unsure, Nico opened one of the doors and slipped through, Tori following after. The inside was just as ornate and beautiful as the outside. It was darker than most mansions, probably because there was no sunlight to speak of in the Underworld, but the torches bounced light off of diamonds hanging in strategic places that lit up the foyer enough you could see everything. It was amazing.

Nico led her through the foyer and down endless hallways—had it been that big from the outside?—until they turned down one last hallway and at the end stood two skeleton guards, both dressed in war fatigues, but one was a soldier from WWI and the other was a Navy Seal.

Initially, they'd crossed their weapons to the doors they stood in front of, but Nico waved them off. They removed their weapons in a military fashion before saluting Nico.

Nico and Tori stopped just outside the doors.

"Thank you for doing this for me, Nico," she said.

"You're my friend. Of course." His voice wavered.

"We can still be friends after this," Tori assured.

"If my father doesn't kill you first. Or the gods don't kill you for going around them."

Tori pulled him into a hug. "Take care, Nico."

Nico hugged her back, fighting back the tears in his eyes. "I'm rooting for you."

Tori couldn't help but smile at that. When they pulled away, Nico gave her a nod before turning and heading back down the hallway they'd just come without a backward glance. Tori watched him go before turning to face the doors. Taking a deep breath, she grasped the handles and opened both of them.

Inside was a throne room made of polished, glossy obsidian. It was so glossy, in fact, Tori could see her reflection, despite its color.

Hades sat at the other end of the room in a chromium throne. He had to be at least ten feet tall, dressed in a black suit that moved in an odd and unnerving way. Tori was surprised by how much older he looked than she was expecting—probably middle- to late-fifties—with a close-shaved beard and slicked-back hair that was snow white. She had always assumed gods liked to take on younger appearances. Then again, Hades was happily married. Unlike a lot of the other Olympians, he wasn't running around courting people all the time. For the most part; he did have children with mortals on rare occasions.

Sitting next to him, on his right, was Persephone, also ten feet tall, on a throne of petrified wood, adorned with poisonous flowers. She wore a deep green dress that also moved in an odd way, but didn't feel as unnerving as Hades's suit, and her curly brown hair was pulled back by a silver headband braided and inlaid with small gems the color of pomegranate seeds. She, too, was older than Tori was expecting, but perhaps ten years younger than Hades's age.

They both looked at her with cold indifference, as Charon had, which made Tori want to instinctively turn tail and run. But she was here for a reason and she was going to see it through.

Curling her hands into fists, raising her head, and taking a deep breath, she stepped into the throne room and started toward the two gods waiting for her. She tried not to flinch when the doors slammed shut behind her, but she wasn't sure she succeeded. Even so, she continued forward. That is, until she hit a point in the room when their godly auras became too overwhelming, too powerful. They had distinct auras about them, but they mixed and blended into something greater and stronger—their auras complemented each other. (If Tori and Luke were gods, she imagined this was probably what it would feel like to be around them.)

Now that she was closer, she also determined why Hades's suit unnerved her. From where she was standing, she could see ghostly faces moving around in his clothes, as if they were woven into the fabric by some Underworld magic.

Swallowing back her dread, Tori stopped and kneeled.

"Lord Hades," she addressed. "Lady Persephone, I have come to beg a favor of both of you."

The gods exchanged looks before Hades said, "And why should I do a favor for you?"

Persephone placed her hand over Hades's. "What is the favor, child?" Hades shot her an irritated look, but looked back at Tori for an answer.

Tori stood and gulped. "I came to beg you to return Luke Castellan to me, to the living."

Hades leaned forward. "And what would I get in return for his soul?"

Tori had a feeling he was expecting a certain answer, but her hand twitched to her guitar, uncertain if she should pull it out and start playing or offer her song first (which seemed quite inadequate, considering that he would be giving her a life back).

Hades's eyes flickered to her guitar then, like it was the first time he was noticing it. And perhaps he was. The Lord of the Dead sat back with an amused look.

"You wish to sing for his soul? Like Orpheus so long ago? Do you really think you have what that boy does? Do you really think you are as good as that boy?"

Tori brought her guitar forward and met Hades's gaze. "No." Hades began to smile. "I'm better."

Both gods' eyebrows shot up.

"Let the girl sing, Hades," Persephone said, looking over at her husband.

"You always did have a soft spot for poets," he replied not really sarcastic, not really condescending, maybe a little endearing. He turned to look at Tori again. "Very well, if you sing us a song that is better than Orpheus's, I will give you Luke Castellan. On my conditions, of course."

Tori nodded. "Yes my lord, my lady. Thank you." She took a deep breath to steady herself, feeling the nerves creep in. Maybe she shouldn't have been so confident. Better than Orpheus? What had she been thinking, saying something like that! But it was too late now, she had to deliver or Hades might not just keep Luke's soul, but take hers as well.

Tori dug deep inside her, conjured up every memory of Luke and their time together, whether it was good or bad, and then sang. She told the story of their love, all they had given each other, her loss. Much like the great poets of Ancient Greece and their epics. Her voice echoed in the throne room, through the halls of Hades's mansion, and if the dead echoed it back, she wouldn't have known, for she was lost in her song.

When Tori was finished, she opened her eyes and gazed at the two gods before her. Persephone's eyes had softened, and she had taken Hades's hand in hers. Hades kept his steel mask on, but Tori could see it in his eyes, feel it in his aura, her song had been good. Better than Orpheus's.

Persephone turned to face Hades. "I think you know what I'm going to say, Hades."

Hades looked at Persephone. "Yes, I think I do." He lifted her hand to kiss the top of it before turning back to Tori. "I will let you take Luke Castellan's soul back to the living. On one condition: You are not allowed to look behind you until you exit the Underworld, or he will once again belong to me. Forever. There will be no second chances. Do you understand?"

Tears flooded Tori's eyes and she stifled a sob. She pushed her guitar to her back and kneeled. "Yes, thank you, my lord. My lady."

"As soon as you leave my home, he will be there, behind you," Hades warned as Tori stood.

Tori bowed again. "I understand. Thank you again." She turned to leave, the doors swinging open for her. At first, she was afraid she was going to get lost in the maze of hallways, but a skeleton guard appeared at her side, this time dressed in Grecian fatigues, and guided her to the large double doors. The skeleton warrior opened the door for her before saluting. Tori saluted back, feeling almost obligated, before stepping up to the lip of the door.

She paused there, looking down at it, readying herself. This was the true moment she distinguished herself from Orpheus. Okay, so she sang a nice tune for the Lord and Lady of the Underworld. So what? Could she make it back to the surface without looking behind her? Knowing the story probably helped, but standing here at the threshold of such a big task before her, she had a feeling there was a reason Orpheus had looked back in the first place.

Taking a deep breath and lifting her head, she stepped across the threshold. She stopped again, letting the door close behind her, before continuing forward. She strained her ears, trying to listen for the sound of footsteps behind her, but she could hear nothing.

Okay, that was fine. Hades only got a bad rap because of the domain he commanded. Otherwise, the old stories portrayed him as a strict, but fair god. Fairer than any of the other Olympians, anyway.

Tori continued down the path, keeping her eyes straight, not even looking at the pomegranate trees or the bioluminescent plants or the glittering gems. She had to keep her eyes straight ahead or they might wander.

As she came closer to the line of spirits, she realized she might have to start singing again. Before she could grab her guitar, however, she noticed they were staring at her, which got her heart going. As she got closer, without asking or needing to sing, they parted and continued to stare with wide eyes and blank looks. It was unnerving.

Perhaps it was because Luke was behind her.

Or perhaps it was simply because she was alive and they knew she didn't belong. Perhaps Luke was still in Elysium. Perhaps Hades had fooled her.

Tori growled and squeezed her eyes shut, furling her hands into fists.

No. He was there. Luke was behind her, she just couldn't sense him. This had to be part of her task, Hades's condition. It would be easier not to look behind if she knew he was there, and Hades knew that.

Gritting her teeth, Tori opened her eyes up again and continued forward, through the crowd, trying to ignore their stares.

Cerberus didn't even bother her as she exited. When she could see the path that led to the exit, her heart lifted a little. But sunk again when she realized she would have to cross the River Styx again.

Charon was waiting. Now that he was on this side of the Styx, underneath his hood was a skeleton. The soldiers she could handle. For some reason, looking at Charon as a skeleton made her stomach tighten painfully.

"My, my, my," Charon drawled as she approached. "An audience with Lord Hades and Lady Persephone themselves. I can't tell if I should feel sorry for you or not."

Tori wanted to say that none of his comments were helpful, neither was his tone, because she honestly couldn't tell if Charon was saying that because he could see Luke behind her or if it was because he pitied her for letting Hades fool her into thinking she could actually ask a favor of a god who owed her nothing. And it was absolutely infuriating. The urge to turn and look behind her grew stronger, but she fought to tramp it down.

"I suppose you don't have any more drachmas, my dear," Charon said, breaking her from her spiraling thoughts.

"I can sing for you, too, if you'd like," she said, trying to not sound as desperate as she felt. She just wanted to get to the surface as quick as possible, before the urge to turn around became too overwhelming.

Charon grinned. At least, Tori thought he did. It was hard to tell with a skeleton because they were always grinning, but the way light threw shadows onto his face, it made it look like he was grinning…if that made any sense whatsoever.

"Oh my, no need for that. I heard you a moment ago," Charon said.

Tori was momentarily stunned (which was actually nice because it took her mind off the thought of turning around). "You did?"

Charon nodded. "I'll let you pass this once without paying. Not because I'm particularly kind, but because I liked your song."

Tori wasn't sure whether to say thank you, but she said it anyway because it seemed like the right thing to do. She stepped onto the boat, making sure to face the path that led to the exit. She stood, like last time, not trusting herself to sit down, and making sure to leave enough room for Luke to stand as well. When the boat hit the other side of the shore, she continued forward.

She wanted to sprint all the way up the path, but the feeling of dread was making her body feel heavy. Even on the sand, she couldn't hear Luke's footsteps, and she was beginning to doubt if he was even there. The boat hadn't rocked after she'd stepped in, so she wasn't able to tell if another body had stepped in with her.

Now, as she approached the path to the living, her heart began to beat out of her chest. Her whole body felt like lead, and the doubt that Hades was playing a trick on her grew like a cold stone in her stomach.

The god had seemed genuinely touched, but perhaps that had been a ruse as well. Maybe she had talked herself up too much, hadn't delivered, and now Hades was punishing her for being overconfident. Gods did that all the time to demigods and particularly egotistical humans whose hubris was pride, who thought they were better than the gods.

She forced one foot in front of the other, struggling to breathe. It felt like something was sitting on her chest. Her body felt heavier and heavier the closer she got to the exit.

Half-way up she almost turned around.

The doubt had become overwhelming, flooding her senses. Her head started to turn instinctively, but she caught herself at the last minute, both hands flying up to the side of her face, acting like blinders. She forced her body to face forward again, but she couldn't move any further.

With a strangled sob, her knees buckled and she hit the ground. She finally understood why it had been so hard for Orpheus. No one truly understood because ever since Orpheus, no one had attempted what he had, what she was currently trying to do. Everyone she knew, everyone she talked too had said the same things she felt: How could he have turned around at the last second? I wouldn't do that, now that I know the story.

But Tori knew the story. She knew it all too well. Yet here she was, cowering and shaking only a few yards away from the exit because the doubt had filled her up. She felt ready to burst. There had been, and was, absolutely no indication Luke was behind her. It was absolutely silent, it was as if she was completely alone. And she couldn't bear the thought of coming all this way, singing her heart out, and going back with nothing. She couldn't bear knowing that she had to live in a world without Luke. Again.

Still sobbing, she forced herself to crawl. Her eyes strained from the effort of her keeping her gaze from straying from the path. Every step was more painful than the last, but she managed to make it just a few feet away from the exit. It had opened up upon her presence. She could smell the winter air, feel it on her skin. She could see the outlines of the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

She paused here, though. This was it. If she stepped out and didn't look back, Luke would be with her again.

Would he? He would. Wouldn't he?

If this was a trick, and she stepped out, then she would lose Luke. She couldn't do that, could she?

But if she looked behind her, she would lose him anyway.

No, but if he wasn't there in the first place, shouldn't she go back and demand Hades keep his agreement?

But if she turned around and Luke was there—

Tori let out another sob, her head falling again. She was still on her knees, but had fallen to her elbows now. She was so close, so close! How come she couldn't get her body to move, dammit!

She felt pressure on her shoulder. With a gasp, she looked up, expecting to see Luke. Instead, she saw a man, little older than herself. No one she immediately recognized. Well…he actually kind of looked like someone from Broadway, but that didn't seem right because there was no way he could be here. Also, this man was translucent. Maybe she was hallucinating?

The man had short, straight brown hair and soft, kind eyes. And when he smiled, Tori's heart settled a little. He wore a vintage-type off-white polo that was tucked into vintage-looking grey slacks, held up with suspenders. Tied around his neck was a red bandana. The man stood, and Tori noticed he had a lyre in his hand.

With a small gasp, her eyes flew back up to his face. "Orpheus?"

The man smiled again, beckoning her forward. Tori, afraid to stand, forced her body to crawl forward, closer to the exit.

As she got closer, first she realized that the season had changed—had she really been down there that long? No, she'd seen the night sky not a moment ago. Still, outside the sun was shining, the trees bursting with flowers. The air that blew toward her was warm and smelled of spring. Then she realized there was another person waiting just outside the exit, also translucent. A woman, again about Tori's age, and someone she thought shared similarities to someone on Broadway.

This woman stood angled toward the exit. She had dark hair, down to her chin, and a more weathered, hardened look, but when she looked at Orpheus, her features softened and lit up like a candle. She was wearing a black dress, with a brown vest that was unbuttoned, black tights, and worn black boots. There was a paisley scarf tied around her neck.

"Eurydice?" Tori murmured in wonder. She had definitely lost it.

Eurydice turned fully and stood in front of the exit, extending her hand to Orpheus, who turned to take it and climb out of the Underworld. Tori crawled forward a little more, not wanting to be left behind. She almost cried out, Wait!

Turns out, she didn't need too. They both turned back to the exit, each extending a hand to her. Tori crawled forward a few more inches, just enough she could reach out and grab their hands. Sunlight flashed in her eyes as she emerged…

And then she was standing outside, in the middle of Central Park. The…apparitions were gone. A cold winter wind blew through, causing goosebumps to rise on her exposed skin, and she shivered. The trees were bare and creaked as they swayed in the wind. The night sky was filled with the light from a city that never slept.

Tori almost turned around but suddenly remembered why she had gone to the Underworld in the first place. With a gasp, she faced forward again and walked a few unsteady steps away from the entrance. When she heard the rocks rumble closed, she didn't turn, afraid this might be some kind of illusion or trick of Hades's. That couldn't have been Orpheus and Eurydice, could it? He hadn't made it out with her.

Even when she heard soft footsteps behind her, she didn't turn, too afraid that if she did and saw Luke, he was disappear into the Underworld forever. And she would never forgive herself.

Something touched her hand, and she instinctively pulled away, but only slightly. It touched her hand again, testing to see if she'd pull away, before gently grasping it, very loosely lacing her fingers with theirs.

Blood roared in Tori's ears. Was this still a trick?

Slowly, Tori looked down at her hand. There was definitely another hand in hers. Carefully, she closed her hand around theirs, and they did the same, entwining their fingers.

Tori could hear her heart beat in her ears as she followed the calloused hand up the arm, to the shoulder, up the curve of his neck, to his face, and then met his icy blue eyes.

He smiled.

Tori's eyes flooded with tears. Her free hand came up to hover in front of her mouth.

"Luke."

idk what happened with Hades conception—okay that's kind of a lie. I've been listening to Hadestown A Lot, and actually was listening to it right before I finished this. And I just really liked him and Persephone being older. (Also Patrick Page and Amber Gray are fantastic as Hades and Persephone.) And, as Rick says, mortal minds often influence how a god appears right? (Or maybe that was a fanon thing…either way!) I don't know how popular Hadestown is, but Tori definitely knows of it/has listened to it, so that'll influence her perception of them, anyway.

Also, yes, since I was influenced by such a wonderful musical, Orpheus and Eurydice appear to Tori looking like Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada, who currently play Orpheus and Eurydice in Hadestown on Broadway. I couldn't help myself. I'm too in love with that musical. And no, it wasn't a hallucination, they were really there. Who says he didn't join up with Eurydice after he died, huh? Certainly not I. (Also, two gods? appeared to Percy and Annabeth as Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, so like it's not totally out of left field.)

Fun fact: This was actually going to be the original ending to INAS, but then I got the idea to have Tori break her swear on Styx, and seeing as I wanted to continue into TOA, I thought it prefect that one of her punishments be that she wouldn't be able to bring Luke back. I was actually legit devastated I had to cut this, because before I made that whole Styx decision, Luke was gonna be in TOA, no joke. Alas, as writing goes, having Tori break her swear be a major plot point in INAS worked well for solving an issue I was having with moving INAS forward. So shit outta luck, huh. We could've had it all. But fear not, I have promised a happy ending for them in my OC series, and I will deliver it. It may just…not come when you'd like.

All that said, I was really happy I was able to write this still. Originally, I was going to leave it at that last part and it be the one time Luke didn't trace her scars, but then I realized I could give them an alternative happy ending and write something I had really wanted to write. So it's a bit of a win-win, even if in canon they're not very happy just yet.

Now I can put all my focus and attention into this third installment! Including giving it a forking name lmao. Stay tuned! ;) Never thought about this before, but if you want to keep up with my progress, find me on Tumblr at awayofunderstandingit

As always, I hope you enjoyed! Comments are much appreciated! ^_^

Thank you for reading,
TheBrightestNight