Centre of his Universe
Prologue
In the dark chambers he laughed. It echoed in the silence, his queen sat beside him, her head bowed in sadness.
"What is love?", he mocked.
"Is it the way he looks at you?", and his mouth upturned into a grotesque smile. His Queen dared not meet his gaze.
He leant closer to her, "Could it be the warmth of his breath on your skin?", he exhaled and she shivered then and felt like a thousand spiders were running across her body.
"Might it be the secret words he says only to you?" His lips just brushing her ear he said in his rattling voice, "You're mine", and she swallowed hard, tears pricking her eyes so afraid she was of letting them fall.
"Perhaps love is all about the flesh, the touches that feel like fire," and she flinched as he placed his too cold and too cruel hand upon her face. She visibly shook and he grinned as his bony finger trailed a path down her cheek.
"Or could it be how he speaks your name?" and he rose from his throne and stood before her like a shadow. He placed his deathly hands upon her, watched the tears fall like autumn leaves and whispered maliciously, "Persephone."
She gulped but then in a shaking breath, looked him in the eye and said quietly, "One day you will know what love is, you will see that it is more than words, more than touch, more than life itself."
She took a moment and then spoke more harshly, "One day, my King", and she cut the silence with the hatred in her voice, "One day, you will see what it means."
And for the first time in a thousand winters she rose from her throne but could go nowhere except darkness.
...
The sea was rough and Icarus was not the best traveller. He thought standing on the deck would be better than being tumbled around down below, at least the air would be clear and fresh up here.
As he was leaning over, he turned to see Pythagoras approaching and welcomed him with a smile which was returned immediately.
"I felt a bit unwell", Icarus said at the same time as Pythagoras spoke "I wanted to..." and they both laughed awkwardly before Pythagoras said with a wry smile, "How could you of all people feel unwell when you just flew yesterday! Surely that was worse?"
Icarus looked back towards the ocean, almost searching for somewhere that didn't exist as he said softly, "It was like a dream, I felt so free and unafraid..."
He paused, his gaze lingered on the sea before he turned back to face Pythagoras "...and I shall fly again when we reach land."
Pythagoras looked a little concerned, the eagerness in Icarus' voice betrayed his recklessness and he feared that one day he may fly too high. But he remained silent and they both leant on the side of the Argo, looking down upon the dancing waves, occasionally glancing at each other, more said in those silent exchanges than in a thousand words.
And then finally, Icarus spoke, "I feared you'd never forgive me," and his eyes stayed fixed on the sea.
Pythagoras couldn't find the words at first, it was still too new and too overwhelming, the events of the past few days had exhausted and enlivened him in equal measure. Eventually he replied, "When I thought I'd lost you, it was like nothing mattered anymore."
Icarus glanced up and swallowed, seeing the sincerity in Pythagoras' face. "I couldn't live without you", Pythagoras said softly.
Icarus searched his eyes and slowly placed his hand on top of Pythagoras'. Gradually they entwined them, and Pythagoras' heart pounded so much he feared Icarus would hear it though Icarus was in fact worried about the same thing for his heart was hammering too.
Icarus took a breath and said quietly, "Pythagoras..." and he said it, like it was something sacred and treasured... and Pythagoras waited for the rest of the words to come.
Icarus swallowed hard and they were locked in this moment, until suddenly a bellowing voice intruded upon them, "Okay you two!", and they jumped as Hercules appeared out of nowhere, their hands flying apart as he continued, "You're going to be no use to us at all if you can't bear to be a second apart!."
They grinned at each other and then Icarus turned to Hercules and said with a kind smile, "What do you need?"
Hercules placed an arm around his shoulders, muttering something about sails and led him away as Icarus turned back and pulled a face to Pythagoras who smiled softly. He felt the ache immediately, the absence of Icarus like someone had taken his last breath. And it scared him, it scared him to think what he'd do for Icarus. But it frightened him more thinking what Icarus would do for him.
And Hercules pulled Icarus this way and that and Icarus nodded and helped but all the while he could think of nothing else but Pythagoras.
Hercules words got further and further away until it was simply Icarus nodding to silent words, the whole world would soon disappear.
And how that alarmed him that someone could be so important that the very ground could crumble, the sky could fall, the world could turn to stone and Icarus wouldn't care as long as Pythagoras was alright then everything else could be lost.
...
Persephone breathed deeply, a sudden dread washed over her heart because she knew the day would soon come when Hades would learn what love was. And oh how sorry she was that she could not warn them, could not tell them not to believe his tricks, could not stop their world from burning down.
"Love is cruel," she uttered from her dry mouth. "It is reckless and unfair," and she closed her eyes and continued, "but most of all, it is frightening."
And her hand gripped the side of her throne as she watched her King, his twisted face barely glanced up as each lost soul passed by them. He was unmoved by everything. There was no hope here.