Again
It had happened again. Despite it all, despite everything they'd worked for, despite all the hints Hermes had tried to give, in the end nothing changed. Orpheus turned around, Eurydice was lost, and Hades and Persephone's vow to try again never stuck.
Again and again, Hermes watched it unfold, and the tragedy never got any easier to bear. The hope they all felt before it was crushed was devastating, and every time, the Fates seemed to ask if this would be the last time he'd run them through the story.
But it wouldn't. Hermes set the story spinning back with a feverish hope and determination to set things right. If they told it just once more, maybe it would turn out well.
All they had to do was try again, and he would see them through no matter what.
Hermes knew it wouldn't be long now. The players had taken the stage, the band was getting in tune, and soon the old tale would begin once more.