***
"Beryl, where are you going?"
Beryl looked up. She was dressing in Endymion's quarters, where she had stored all of her own belongings. She did not permit him to leave during the night or while she dressed, but the man had defiantly stayed up all night – as he had every night since she forced him to sleep in the quarters with her or not at all – and turned away when she began to remove her clothing. It only frustrated the queen more, but Endymion didn't care. He would not betray the love of his wife and his own conscience.
"Going to teach that stupid young princess a little about the value of hard labor," Beryl said, idly examining her nails.
Endymion winced a little, but sat in silence. Beryl continued to dress.
"What..." Endymion fidgeted in his position. "What do you do to her?"
Beryl smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know, dear prince?"
Endymion struggled to brush her flippant manner off, but he couldn't. He wanted to know what Beryl was doing to his beloved.
"If you harm her, I swear I'll..."
"You'll what?" Beryl laughed and laid a hand on Endymion's shoulder. She cut her laugh short as she roughly turned the weakened man around, peering down into his eyes.
Such beauty...
"What will you do to me, oh strong and mighty king?" she mocked, staring into his eyes. "Lay your hands on me. I dare you." She stepped back and presented herself.
Endymion turned his eyes away, struggling to hold back his tears. He was not a man of excessive pride, and could let tears flow. But to cry in front of Beryl would be destruction.
"You are powerless, Endymion," Beryl said in a low voice, seating herself besides the king. "Don't make empty threats. You could get yourself hurt."
****
Beryl was surprised to find Serenity already awake when she arrived, seemingly waiting for her as she sat on a rock besides the swift river.
"I have my next task for you," she said, her voice strangely satisfied. "This task requires you to travel to Tartarus. It is a dark, bothersome land, but it is said to have an entrance to the Underworld." She smiled, shaking her head. "There is a river called hateful there – the River Styx. It has water black as pitch. Here," she said, handing the younger queen a small black flask, "you are to collect some of the water from the Styx."
"How am I to supposed to get to Tartarus?"
"It is a small stretch of uninhabited land south of the kingdom of Babylon. Walk towards the south. You will get there." She thought for a minute, then pointed to Serenity's hands. "Do not lose that flask, or you will have failed your task."
***
Serenity felt ready to drop dead on arrival. But she had certainly reached the land of Tartarus. On the way, she'd passed a regiment of Erebese encamped near Babylon, but they allowed her passage and fed her sparingly, as per their orders from Queen Beryl.
Trekking farther into Tartarus, she noticed the river Styx – black as pitch, just as Beryl had said. Serenity collasped. The river flowed strong and fast...over a hill. Only a winged creature could reach it.
In frustration, Serenity hurled the flask as hard as she could.
The flask hurled itself back at her.
Serenity looked cynically at the flask that had landed next to her, then looked up. Standing above her – way above her – was a tall girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail and friendly green eyes.
"Please tell me you threw that at me," Serenity pleaded, for the sake of her sanity.
"I did," the girl said. "You'd almost hit me with it! If my reflexes were not as quick as they were, I would have gotten hit." She put her hands on her hips. "Why did you throw it at me anyway?"
"I wasn't throwing it at you specifically," Serenity explained. "I've been ordered to get water from there—" She pointed to the waterfall. "—and it's obvious that I can't get it."
"Why not?"
"Look. It's for a winged creature to attain to, not a girl in a frumpy gown!" She threw her hands up.
"So in frustration, you cast the flask toward me."
"Yes, but I'm beginning to think I'm going crazy – I imagined it threw itself back."
The girl chuckled. "I'm Lita," she said. "Who are you?"
"Serenity."
"The new queen of Elysian?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Oh, my." Lita put one hand over her mouth. "Did you come all the way from Elysian on foot?"
"Yes."
"That's a week's walk at least."
"I know."
"No wonder you look so awful." Immediately Lita clapped her hands over her mouth. "I'm sorry, your highness. I didn't mean it so hurtfully...only that you look rather disheveled..."
Serenity waved her hand. "No matter," she said. "I do look awful. Don't worry about it."
Lita put her hands back on her hips. "I suppose you could use some help reaching the water..."
Serenity looked up at Lita. "Do you think you could possibly reach that for me?"
Lita smirked. "Alone, no. But with a little help from Mother Nature..."
She knelt next to Serenity and clasped her hands together, closing her eyes as if in prayer. "Jupiter, god of the skies, king of all, lend me the power to help a companion!" she bellowed. "Bless my powers of nature. Jupiter, god of all foreigners, protect a poor soul who travels as a guest in this land!"
This time, the familiarity of that prayer did not escape Serenity. Ami and Rei had used very similar words when helping her in other endeavors.
Lita stood, glowing with verdant power, and picked up the
flask by Serenity's side. She walked
towards the river. Miraculously, a
trail of green foliage grew in her path – in the midst of the dead field.
Serenity gasped.
Once near the bank of the waterfall, Lita placed her hand against the trunk of a tree. The tree bent to her, and she climbed it easily, flask still in hand. Once atop the tree – tall indeed – she stretched out her hand. A piercing cry split through the air, and a few moments later, an eagle hovered above Lita's head. She handed the eagle the flask, and it flew off.
Serenity watched, transfixed, as the eagle circled toward the waterfall and flew through the foam, collecting the dangerous black water, and flew back towards the mistress who'd called him. Lita patted the animal and took the flask, dismounted from the tree, and followed the trail of foilage back towards Serenity.
She handed her the flask, a cheerful smile on her face. "Is this enough water?"
"Yes," Serenity said breathlessly. "I was only ordered to get some, no specific amount, by an evil queen that kidnapped my husband. She made me retrieve the water so I can get him back."
Lita smiled sympathetically.
"That – that was wonderful. Thank you so much. Where did you get the power to do that?"
Lita's smile faltered, and she looked away. "That's a long story..."
"Please, tell me," Serenity said. "I have much time...the one who orders me does not return until nightfall, so I will be here for quite a while. "
Lita sighed. "All right," she conceded, and sat next to Serenity, a field of small flowers growing around her.