Title: Let My Love Open the Door
Author: Jennifer Campbell
Rating: PG-13 for regular Xena violence
Characters: Joxer, Xena, Gabrielle, Perdicus, Persephone
Time period: Sometime after fifth season
Summary: Hades' death causes big problems in the
Underworld.
For other disclaimers and notes, please see chapter 1.
#
Joxer didn't know what to expect beyond the faux wall of
glass. A dreaded monster to bite their heads off. A tower
crowded with those who had also unraveled the riddle
outside. Perhaps Hades himself would pop up and blast them
to pieces for daring to enter this sacred place.
In any case, as soon as he passed into the tower, Joxer
dove for the floor with arms over his head. Better safe
than fried or eaten. His nose, already sore from a fall
earlier that day, banged against the floor and started
bleeding again. He hardly noticed, though, as he was
peeking around his arms to see what danger might lurk
there. What he didn't expect, though, was absolutely
nothing out of the ordinary -- and that's exactly what he
found.
Amazingly enough, the tower looked just as it should,
untouched by the chaos surrounding it. The floor was wide
open, with no fixtures or furniture of any kind and, except
for Perdicus, not another soul in sight. Only pure,
gleaming white, everywhere he looked. A staircase rose from
the far wall; it circled the structure all the way into the
spiral's tip. He couldn't see that high up, of course, but
Joxer suspected their destination lay at the top of those
stairs.
Perdicus helped him to his feet with an indulgent grin.
"Paranoid by any chance?"
Joxer huffed. "After all those years traveling with Xena
and Gabby, you learn to be careful, you know. Cause it's a
dangerous life, and if you're not on your toes, you end up
getting skewered by some insane warlord."
"You don't have to tell _me_ that."
When he remembered how Perdicus died, Joxer bit his
tongue. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot."
"It's all right."
"If it helps any, I was killed the same way."
"Really?"
"Yeah, Xena's daughter went a little nuts and ran me
through while I was ..." He gulped hard at the memory.
"While I was trying to save Gabrielle."
Perdicus' expression softened. "You died for her?"
Joxer shrugged. "It's no more than you did. Anyway, I
always told myself that if I was going to go, I better make
it worthwhile. You know, saving the woman I --" He caught
himself, remembered he was talking to Gabrielle's husband,
and blushed. "Anyway, what are we wasting time here for?
Let's get upstairs."
He tried to ignore Perdicus' thoughtful look, as the man
studied him closely with those serious eyes. Joxer cleared
his throat noisily, still embarrassed for almost telling
Perdicus that they loved the same woman, and he headed for
the stairs. He beckoned to his companion.
"Come on, will ya? We haven't got all day!"
Perdicus broke from his trance, jogged over to Joxer and
took the lead. He set a brisk pace up the stairs, skipping
every other one with his loping stride. Joxer panted as he
tried to keep up. Periodically, they passed archways
leading into each level, and opposite each opening was a
narrow slit in the tower's outer wall. One time, Joxer
paused to glance outside, and what he saw stole all his air
away.
"Perdicus!" he managed to choke out.
By now, Perdicus had gotten several steps above, so it
took a few seconds for him to come back down. He, too,
Joxer noted with satisfaction, was breathing hard.
"Is something wrong?" Perdicus asked urgently.
"What do you see out there?"
Perdicus peered out the slit and shrugged. "Lots of
people, milling around the tower. Just like it was when we
were out there. What's the big deal?"
"Look out farther, in the City."
Perdicus obeyed, then gasped. Nothing stood now except for
their own tower. The rest looked as though some monstrous
hand had swept it all to rubble. No colorful splotches of
flowers, as they had grown used to seeing. No streets. Just
mile upon mile of broken glass, gray and lifeless. The
perpetually crystalline sky had darkened to midnight blue,
and occasional lightning bolts flickered in the distance,
with no cloud in sight.
"We've descended into tartarus," Perdicus whispered,
incredulous. "We have to get of here soon, or I fear for
the worst."
Joxer nodded at the swarm below. "What about all those
other people? We can't abandon them here."
"I'd like to help them," Perdicus replied, pointing toward
the City, "but what can we do against _that_?"
"We can all leave through the door."
"First we have to find and open the door. Even then, we
don't know what's on the other side. Could be a broom
closet for all we know." Perdicus ripped his eyes from the
armageddon outside. He whispered hoarsely, "Let's go."
It took them quite awhile to reach the top. Joxer felt his
lungs would burst, but that was nothing compared to his
despair when they found the staircase's end. Their journey
came to an abrupt halt at a blank wall. No archway, no
door. Nothing but cold, heartless glass.
Joxer sat dejectedly on the stairs. "I don't believe this.
We get all the way up here for this?"
"I don't think so. Remember the entrance into the tower?"
"Yeah. So what?"
Without a word, Perdicus set his palms flat against the
wall and pushed _through_. He winked at Joxer and walked
in. Joxer shuddered; it just looked so unnatural. Still, he
felt hope returning to his heart, and he dragged his
exhausted body up and followed Perdicus through.
On the other side, they found a small, perfectly round
chamber. Joxer practically bumped into Perdicus' back as he
entered; the young man stood transfixed. It wasn't because
of the window or large wooden door on the opposite wall,
either. It was the woman crumbled in the center of the
room, sobbing uncontrollably. Her long golden hair spilled
over her face as she looked up at them, eyes red and puffy,
cheeks wet with tears. Still, Joxer had rarely seen such a
vision of beauty; only Gabrielle possessed greater power to
steal his breath away. Judging by Perdicus' reaction, not
even his beloved wife could affect him more than this.
"Who are you?" the woman asked, her voice like music.
"What are you doing here?"
Perdicus made not a sound, so Joxer answered. "Um, I'm
Joxer. This is Perdicus. We've been trying to get to that
door, so we could get out of the City."
She sniffled. "Then your quest is futile, for no one can
open that door."
Joxer sputtered. "What?"
"Go ahead," she said dully. "Read it yourself."
Only then did Joxer notice the plaque, fixed to the wall
next to the door. Just like the first one, this plaque
gleamed with bright gold Greek letters. _Another stupid
riddle_, he thought, but he dutifully crossed the room and
read its message aloud.
"Love opens the door
Body and soul reunite
Human touch saves all."
His brows furrowed in thought. "But how can love open a
door? It's not like you can stick your love in the lock and
twist it around. And boy is that a huge lock. What kind of
kind of key fits in that?"
He looked back to the woman for an explanation, but her
attention had strayed elsewhere. Perdicus, finally released
from his immobility, had knelt at her side. Their eyes
riveted on each other in a way that made Joxer want to
heave. They didn't have time for this!
"What's your name, Lady?" Perdicus asked, taking her hand
in his.
"Persephone."
Perdicus sighed softly, kissed her hand. "I've never heard
a more lovely name."
"Wait a minute," Joxer interrupted. "Persephone? Daughter
of Demeter, goddess of nature, and wife to Hades? That
Persephone?"
Perdicus drew back as if stung. "Lady, I am so sorry if I
offended."
She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Not at all, brave
Perdicus. My husband, Hades, is dead, killed by Xena.
Before he left to do battle with Xena, he closed all the
doors to the Underworld, saying he didn't want anyone
uninvited here while he was away, and of course he thought
he would be back. Only he could open the doors, and when he
was killed ..."
Persephone nodded toward the window. They didn't need to
look outside to know what she meant.
"But how are the doors related to what has happened to the
City?" Perdicus asked.
"The Underworld shares a deep bond with Earth. It draws
its essence from the living. When Hades shut the doors, he
closed off all connections, and it was like shutting off a
room from new air. We could all survive for a while,
sustained by what was already here, but once the air runs
out ..."
"We all die," Perdicus finished.
"Yes." She nodded. "I came here to open the door, to save
the Underworld from destruction. But only two things can
unlock it: My dead husband, and true love."
Perdicus looked as perplexed as Joxer felt. "How can true
love open the door?"
Remembering the riddle, Joxer put the pieces together.
Suddenly, everything made sense. "Only through human touch.
Two hands, reaching through the keyhole on either side of
the door. They meet in the middle, and that unlocks the
door. That's the key!"
Persephone nodded. "But on Earth, the door opens into a
cave, on a mountain, far from civilization. The chance that
anyone would come here is small, and the chance that one of
our true loves would come is even smaller."
"That's why you were crying, Lady?" Perdicus asked softly.
"Because you know there is no way out?"
Their eyes met again in that love-at-first-sight way that
simultaneously made Joxer want to heave and made him yearn
desperately for his Gabrielle. If only she and Xena could
know to come to that door, if only he could somehow send
them a message, maybe they would all stand a chance. Then
again, Gabrielle had never loved him like that.
Persephone started to cry again, and Perdicus reached out
gently to wipe away her tears. "It's hopeless," she said
between sobs. "Unless contact with the living is restored
soon, the darkness will come. And then the Void."
"What's that?" Joxer asked fearfully.
Her eyes strayed to the window, and so they all looked.
The lightning had drawn closer, flashing all around the
tower in eerie silence. Beyond that, Joxer could see
nothing. Ink-black darkness had swallowed almost everything
in its gaping, terrifying jaws.
Persephone shuddered, and Perdicus drew her into his arms.
She said quietly, "The Void is the end of the Underworld
and everyone in it. It means darkness forever, with nothing
grounded in reality. All souls float for eternity through a
sea of nothingness. The Void ... is oblivion."
#
Author: Jennifer Campbell
Rating: PG-13 for regular Xena violence
Characters: Joxer, Xena, Gabrielle, Perdicus, Persephone
Time period: Sometime after fifth season
Summary: Hades' death causes big problems in the
Underworld.
For other disclaimers and notes, please see chapter 1.
#
Joxer didn't know what to expect beyond the faux wall of
glass. A dreaded monster to bite their heads off. A tower
crowded with those who had also unraveled the riddle
outside. Perhaps Hades himself would pop up and blast them
to pieces for daring to enter this sacred place.
In any case, as soon as he passed into the tower, Joxer
dove for the floor with arms over his head. Better safe
than fried or eaten. His nose, already sore from a fall
earlier that day, banged against the floor and started
bleeding again. He hardly noticed, though, as he was
peeking around his arms to see what danger might lurk
there. What he didn't expect, though, was absolutely
nothing out of the ordinary -- and that's exactly what he
found.
Amazingly enough, the tower looked just as it should,
untouched by the chaos surrounding it. The floor was wide
open, with no fixtures or furniture of any kind and, except
for Perdicus, not another soul in sight. Only pure,
gleaming white, everywhere he looked. A staircase rose from
the far wall; it circled the structure all the way into the
spiral's tip. He couldn't see that high up, of course, but
Joxer suspected their destination lay at the top of those
stairs.
Perdicus helped him to his feet with an indulgent grin.
"Paranoid by any chance?"
Joxer huffed. "After all those years traveling with Xena
and Gabby, you learn to be careful, you know. Cause it's a
dangerous life, and if you're not on your toes, you end up
getting skewered by some insane warlord."
"You don't have to tell _me_ that."
When he remembered how Perdicus died, Joxer bit his
tongue. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot."
"It's all right."
"If it helps any, I was killed the same way."
"Really?"
"Yeah, Xena's daughter went a little nuts and ran me
through while I was ..." He gulped hard at the memory.
"While I was trying to save Gabrielle."
Perdicus' expression softened. "You died for her?"
Joxer shrugged. "It's no more than you did. Anyway, I
always told myself that if I was going to go, I better make
it worthwhile. You know, saving the woman I --" He caught
himself, remembered he was talking to Gabrielle's husband,
and blushed. "Anyway, what are we wasting time here for?
Let's get upstairs."
He tried to ignore Perdicus' thoughtful look, as the man
studied him closely with those serious eyes. Joxer cleared
his throat noisily, still embarrassed for almost telling
Perdicus that they loved the same woman, and he headed for
the stairs. He beckoned to his companion.
"Come on, will ya? We haven't got all day!"
Perdicus broke from his trance, jogged over to Joxer and
took the lead. He set a brisk pace up the stairs, skipping
every other one with his loping stride. Joxer panted as he
tried to keep up. Periodically, they passed archways
leading into each level, and opposite each opening was a
narrow slit in the tower's outer wall. One time, Joxer
paused to glance outside, and what he saw stole all his air
away.
"Perdicus!" he managed to choke out.
By now, Perdicus had gotten several steps above, so it
took a few seconds for him to come back down. He, too,
Joxer noted with satisfaction, was breathing hard.
"Is something wrong?" Perdicus asked urgently.
"What do you see out there?"
Perdicus peered out the slit and shrugged. "Lots of
people, milling around the tower. Just like it was when we
were out there. What's the big deal?"
"Look out farther, in the City."
Perdicus obeyed, then gasped. Nothing stood now except for
their own tower. The rest looked as though some monstrous
hand had swept it all to rubble. No colorful splotches of
flowers, as they had grown used to seeing. No streets. Just
mile upon mile of broken glass, gray and lifeless. The
perpetually crystalline sky had darkened to midnight blue,
and occasional lightning bolts flickered in the distance,
with no cloud in sight.
"We've descended into tartarus," Perdicus whispered,
incredulous. "We have to get of here soon, or I fear for
the worst."
Joxer nodded at the swarm below. "What about all those
other people? We can't abandon them here."
"I'd like to help them," Perdicus replied, pointing toward
the City, "but what can we do against _that_?"
"We can all leave through the door."
"First we have to find and open the door. Even then, we
don't know what's on the other side. Could be a broom
closet for all we know." Perdicus ripped his eyes from the
armageddon outside. He whispered hoarsely, "Let's go."
It took them quite awhile to reach the top. Joxer felt his
lungs would burst, but that was nothing compared to his
despair when they found the staircase's end. Their journey
came to an abrupt halt at a blank wall. No archway, no
door. Nothing but cold, heartless glass.
Joxer sat dejectedly on the stairs. "I don't believe this.
We get all the way up here for this?"
"I don't think so. Remember the entrance into the tower?"
"Yeah. So what?"
Without a word, Perdicus set his palms flat against the
wall and pushed _through_. He winked at Joxer and walked
in. Joxer shuddered; it just looked so unnatural. Still, he
felt hope returning to his heart, and he dragged his
exhausted body up and followed Perdicus through.
On the other side, they found a small, perfectly round
chamber. Joxer practically bumped into Perdicus' back as he
entered; the young man stood transfixed. It wasn't because
of the window or large wooden door on the opposite wall,
either. It was the woman crumbled in the center of the
room, sobbing uncontrollably. Her long golden hair spilled
over her face as she looked up at them, eyes red and puffy,
cheeks wet with tears. Still, Joxer had rarely seen such a
vision of beauty; only Gabrielle possessed greater power to
steal his breath away. Judging by Perdicus' reaction, not
even his beloved wife could affect him more than this.
"Who are you?" the woman asked, her voice like music.
"What are you doing here?"
Perdicus made not a sound, so Joxer answered. "Um, I'm
Joxer. This is Perdicus. We've been trying to get to that
door, so we could get out of the City."
She sniffled. "Then your quest is futile, for no one can
open that door."
Joxer sputtered. "What?"
"Go ahead," she said dully. "Read it yourself."
Only then did Joxer notice the plaque, fixed to the wall
next to the door. Just like the first one, this plaque
gleamed with bright gold Greek letters. _Another stupid
riddle_, he thought, but he dutifully crossed the room and
read its message aloud.
"Love opens the door
Body and soul reunite
Human touch saves all."
His brows furrowed in thought. "But how can love open a
door? It's not like you can stick your love in the lock and
twist it around. And boy is that a huge lock. What kind of
kind of key fits in that?"
He looked back to the woman for an explanation, but her
attention had strayed elsewhere. Perdicus, finally released
from his immobility, had knelt at her side. Their eyes
riveted on each other in a way that made Joxer want to
heave. They didn't have time for this!
"What's your name, Lady?" Perdicus asked, taking her hand
in his.
"Persephone."
Perdicus sighed softly, kissed her hand. "I've never heard
a more lovely name."
"Wait a minute," Joxer interrupted. "Persephone? Daughter
of Demeter, goddess of nature, and wife to Hades? That
Persephone?"
Perdicus drew back as if stung. "Lady, I am so sorry if I
offended."
She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Not at all, brave
Perdicus. My husband, Hades, is dead, killed by Xena.
Before he left to do battle with Xena, he closed all the
doors to the Underworld, saying he didn't want anyone
uninvited here while he was away, and of course he thought
he would be back. Only he could open the doors, and when he
was killed ..."
Persephone nodded toward the window. They didn't need to
look outside to know what she meant.
"But how are the doors related to what has happened to the
City?" Perdicus asked.
"The Underworld shares a deep bond with Earth. It draws
its essence from the living. When Hades shut the doors, he
closed off all connections, and it was like shutting off a
room from new air. We could all survive for a while,
sustained by what was already here, but once the air runs
out ..."
"We all die," Perdicus finished.
"Yes." She nodded. "I came here to open the door, to save
the Underworld from destruction. But only two things can
unlock it: My dead husband, and true love."
Perdicus looked as perplexed as Joxer felt. "How can true
love open the door?"
Remembering the riddle, Joxer put the pieces together.
Suddenly, everything made sense. "Only through human touch.
Two hands, reaching through the keyhole on either side of
the door. They meet in the middle, and that unlocks the
door. That's the key!"
Persephone nodded. "But on Earth, the door opens into a
cave, on a mountain, far from civilization. The chance that
anyone would come here is small, and the chance that one of
our true loves would come is even smaller."
"That's why you were crying, Lady?" Perdicus asked softly.
"Because you know there is no way out?"
Their eyes met again in that love-at-first-sight way that
simultaneously made Joxer want to heave and made him yearn
desperately for his Gabrielle. If only she and Xena could
know to come to that door, if only he could somehow send
them a message, maybe they would all stand a chance. Then
again, Gabrielle had never loved him like that.
Persephone started to cry again, and Perdicus reached out
gently to wipe away her tears. "It's hopeless," she said
between sobs. "Unless contact with the living is restored
soon, the darkness will come. And then the Void."
"What's that?" Joxer asked fearfully.
Her eyes strayed to the window, and so they all looked.
The lightning had drawn closer, flashing all around the
tower in eerie silence. Beyond that, Joxer could see
nothing. Ink-black darkness had swallowed almost everything
in its gaping, terrifying jaws.
Persephone shuddered, and Perdicus drew her into his arms.
She said quietly, "The Void is the end of the Underworld
and everyone in it. It means darkness forever, with nothing
grounded in reality. All souls float for eternity through a
sea of nothingness. The Void ... is oblivion."
#