Anna? "The Hell are you doing here?" I'm not sure if it still counts as a pun when we're basically in Heaven. I know, I was shocked that I got in too. Apparently it works really differently in Greek mythology.
"Elsa, I'm here to bring you home." She walks towards me, her steps hesitant, a hand on her heart as a few tears start to fall from her eyes. Of course her hand is on her heart. It was just on mine – well I have no idea how long it's been, but it was on mine.
"No thanks. I'm good." I take a massive sip from a wine skin that is always conveniently nearby whenever I wish it. Being dead has its perks.
She lets out a blubbering sob. "I swear it wasn't me, Elsa. I didn't. I wouldn't."
I stand, towering over her, and take the few remaining steps between us in a single stride. "You did. You ripped my fucking heart out, Anna. In more ways than one. Now get the fuck out of here, or I'll make you."
"I'm not going anywhere without you. I love you, Elsa. You're everything to me." She looks up at me, her eyes unblinking as she meets mine. I don't care how much I've always loved staring into those sea-colored things. The pouting isn't doing it for me.
I let out a derisive snort of a laugh. "Right. I kill the people I love all the time. Your story would be a lot more believable if you hadn't dropped the facade there at the end. I saw you, Anna. I saw the real you. Right before you killed me."
Her eyes shut as she tries to blink away her tears. "I'm not Notos."
"The hell you aren't!" A blade appears in my hand and I hold it to her throat. "Leave. Now. If you don't, you're dead." Wait, is she already dead? How did she get here? Can I still kill her? Now is not the time to show weakness in the face of my greatest enemy. I still can't believe it. All those years, biding her time, just so she could get her revenge when my powers finally manifested. I should've known. There's no other reason she would have stayed with me through everything.
"Do it." Her eyes lock on mine again, tears pouring out unheeded. "Do it and I'll come right back and spend eternity with you. I don't care how it happens, I just care that I'm with you. I love you so fucking much."
Do it. My hand won't move. She deserves to die for what she did to me. "Why?" Why what? Why should I kill her? Why won't my hand move? What am I even asking her.
"Why what, Elsa?"
Damn it, I was hoping she could tell me. "Why did you do it? I thought you loved me." My voice cracks as tears stream down my face. I can't do it. I can't kill her. No matter how monstrous she is, no matter what she did to me, she's still the woman I love. I toss the weapon to the side and it immediately melts into a puddle of water.
She stands on her toes to kiss me. I resist, refusing to budge an inch. She places the kiss on my collarbone instead. "I do love you, Elsa. I didn't do it. It was Notos. He'd been possessing me. I don't know for how long, but it was the second time it had happened. I just have gaps with no memories of what happened. This time, it apparently lasted for two days. I swear I had no idea. If I'd have known, I would've done something to keep me far away from you. I would never hurt you, not if I had any control over it."
That can't be true. I saw her face. It was Anna. It wasn't just a trick, it wasn't just her body, that was Anna, I know it. "I can't believe that. I know what I saw, Anna."
Her hand meets my cheek, caressing it, urging me to bend down so she can kiss me. "It was my body, but I wasn't there. As soon as she killed you, I was able to fight free. Persephone said that Notos is dead. I killed him. I avenged you, Elsa. I'll take you to him if you need proof."
"Fine. Take me to him. I do need the proof. I can't believe you, otherwise."
Her eyes clench shut, as tears flood them, spilling out. "Okay. If that's what you need. Persephone said I can take you out of here, and that he's stuck at the river Styx. It's on the way. We can find him, and you can ask him if he's the one that did it, and if I knew anything."
"All right." I finish off the wine skin. It will just refill itself, but I'm going to need some serious intoxication if I'm going to be spending this much time with my murderer. "Lead the way."
She turns and pauses. I can almost hear her biting her lip as she tries to figure out how she got here. She doesn't turn back, or even say a word, but I know her, I could always read her like a book. At least I thought I could. If she's telling the truth, and she certainly seems to be, then maybe I still can, but I need something more. I love her, and I want so badly to just believe her, but it's so hard to shake the image of the woman I love holding my heart in her hand as the world fades away.
"I don't know if I can," she finally says.
Of course. She can't prove it at all. She did do it. "What do you mean?"
"Persephone said that you had to leave of your own will. Maybe just wanting to go to the Styx to see him isn't enough. She did say it wouldn't be easy." A sharp crack of a laugh falls from her lips, as tears begin to flow again.
She's laughing? She really has lost it. "I'm not going to just say that I'll leave. I'm here in paradise, why would I want to go back with you?"
She winces as she turns to me again. That clearly hurt. "If I did it, why would I come here to get you?"
I had been wondering that. "To torture me. You likely thought I got off too easily. If you take me away, maybe you can make me suffer forever, instead of having an eternity of ease and luxury."
She bites her lip again, her gaze falling to the ground, studying the field of white flowers. "Jasmine."
"What?" Is she calling the flowers jasmines? I don't know what jasmine normally looks like. No, that's silly, I'm sure she means the puppy. What does Jasmine have to do with anything? If she really wasn't there that whole time, then she wouldn't even know who Jasmine was. That just proves it all the more.
"Jasmine can tell you. She's waiting just outside the gate to Hades. She helped me do all of this, because she knew – eventually – that I wasn't the one who killed you. Leave with me, talk to her, and we can even still see Notos on the way, just promise that you'll come with me. Please, just believe me, Elsa. I love you." She takes in a shuddering breath as she looks up at me, tear-filled eyes silently pleading.
Okay. Say yes. Do it. Come on, Elsa. What's the worst that can happen? You get tortured forever? You've been through worse. I can't force the words out. I only shake my head.
She falls to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "Please, Elsa. I can't go on without you. You're my everything. I need you."
"Anna." That's it. I don't comfort her, I don't touch her, I just say her name; it's all I can manage.
She looks up, her tears and sobs slowing enough that she can talk. "What can I do? Every ounce of proof I could provide requires us walking out of here together. I'll do anything." Her hand slides into her pocket, as the spark of an idea glimmers in her eye. "I can't give you proof, not until you decide you're willing to accept it enough that you'll come with me, but I can give you a big romantic gesture if that will help at all. I had it on me when Notos took over, so I'm not sure where the ring is, was kinda hoping it would just magically be in here, but Elsa, I need you to know that I want to spend the rest of eternity with you. Marry me. Please." She picks a nearby flower and bends the stem so that the flower acts as a makeshift gem on an oversized ring and holds it out to me.
Well, fuck. "Propose again when we're back home and I might say yes."
She bursts into a grin, sniffling as she wipes the remaining tears from her eyes. "So you'll come home?"
I nod and take her hand, pulling her to her feet. "I will. I'm not ready to commit to anything more, but I'll leave with you."
A hole in the air opens up a few feet away from us. "I guess this is the way out." She lets go of my hand and leads the way. I think she might be scared that it would count that as dragging me along. This has to be consensual. I step through, followed just after by her. She throws her arms around me. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you."
We're standing in a featureless cobblestone road, almost imperceptibly slanted on a gradual slope, somehow lit up in an almost black void. "Which way?"
"I guess we go up." She gestures, pointing along the road, and starts the trek, reaching back for my hand.
I don't take it, but I follow after her, already wondering if I made the right choice.
She tells me she loves me at least a dozen times as we walk. I'm not ready to return it, but I know I still do. I almost say it a few times, but I manage to stop myself. I need to see something first, anything to corroborate her story. I need to know that she isn't the one who killed me.
After a couple hours of walking, we arrive at a river. I remember crossing it just the other day. Notos should be here. "Should I make a boat?" I ask.
"No. I don't know how that might work here. We should get Charon to give us a ride across if we can. Maybe he can take us directly to Notos."
So she's not trying to get out of it. That's a good sign at least. A boat hits the dock. I hadn't even noticed it cross. A man completely concealed by a cloak steps out to face us. He's certainly a far cry from the last time I saw him. New stylist?
He pulls the hood down, revealing a sunken face, with burning eyes, and a long scraggly beard.
"Holy fuck, he has a face!" Anna shouts.
I can't help but laugh at that. "That's what he looked like last time I saw him."
"Leaving so soon, Elsa?" he asks, an affable smile visible through his bushy beard.
"Then why the grim reaper thing with me? What the hell, Charon!" Anna gesticulates wildly, clearly finally at her wits' end.
"I take many forms," he answers, his voice an elongated groan, filling up the massive cavern. "I'll admit I was suspicious of your motivation here, so I stayed silent and watched. I see you've decided to take one of my charges away. I do hope you'll be taking good care of her."
"I will." Better than last time I'd hope. Anna reaches into her wallet and hands him a coin. "Could you please take us to where Notos is? We also need to cross, but we need to see him first."
"One coin for all that?" He continues to hold his hand in front of her.
"Fine." She grabs three more coins and stuffs them into his palm. His fingers immediately wrap around them and he deposits them into the confines of his cloak. "Is that enough?"
"Of course, dear lady. All aboard, it is so rare I get to take anyone this way."
We file onto the ferry and he sails us across, stopping just before we'd reach the other dock. "This will be him, then." He gestures with the paddle, pointing towards a hand waving helplessly just over the surface.
"Could we talk to him?" Anna asks.
"If you must." Charon shoves the oar under the surface, and draws up a wispy figure on the end of it. "There's not much left of him."
"Brother," a voice hisses, scarcely more than a whisper. "I ended you and now you escape." There's no inflection, each word comes out almost as if it's a completely separate thought. "This is not over."
"It is," Anna answers. "Drop him back in. He's no use to anyone anymore. Let him wait his century."
"Wait," I call. "I was told I could talk to him, keep him there." Anna winces. That's not a great sign. "Were you controlling her this whole time?"
"Not this whole time." I have to strain to hear the words. He's fading.
"When she killed me?"
A strange laugh sounds from him. It's weird to hear a laugh with no emotion behind it. "Why should I answer? I'd rather let you suffer."
"I'll give you a coin to cross if you'll tell her the truth," Anna announces.
I look back at her, unsure if I can trust this. "No. I will." I draw a coin from my pocket. It's how I managed to cross in the first place.
Anna stares at me and nods. Boreas may be looking at me, it's difficult to tell when he lacks eyes. "Very well. For an escape from this pit, I shall tell you. Give me the coin first."
Damn it. I hadn't decided if I was actually going to give it to him. I hand it over. "Fine. Now talk."
"I was controlling her. She had no memory, but she did have to want to stop you, at least at first. I egged on those doubts, but she had them all on her own. Perhaps she'd have killed you without my help."
"I wouldn't," Anna growled. "Not in a million years."
I guess that's enough proof. Jasmine will give me the rest. "Fine. Let him in the boat."
Charon holds out his hand to the specter. "The coin."
I'm not quite sure how, but it leaves the wisp and appears in Charon's hand. Charon then docks us, and Anna and I climb out. "I reckon I won't be seeing either of you for quite a while now."
Anna looks down at the wounds I gave her, wondering if he might be wrong. My conscience eases a bit when we both see that they're gone. "I hope you're right."
As we start to walk away, I can faintly hear Notos insisting that he take him across. Charon's reply resonates through the chamber. "With what coin? You paid to reach this dock."
That's cathartic.
We don't have much farther to go. It's less than an hour's walk until we arrive at a giant wooden door, standing in the middle of the path, with no wall around it. Anna doesn't waste a second and pushes the door open without much effort. Either she's way stronger than I thought she was or that thing is made of Styrofoam. Maybe both.
As soon as I step through, something tackles me. "Elsa!" I recognize the voice. Before I can respond, I feel her lips on mine, her arms holding me tight. Huh. I wasn't expecting that. Fuck it, Anna can't get mad at me today, I kiss back, holding her to me.
"I think your puppy missed you." Anna laughs. It's the first laugh that hasn't sounded bitter since she found me in Elysium.
Jasmine pulls away, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in shock. I stroke Jasmine's hair and look over to Anna. "Can we keep her?"
To my surprise, she agrees. "All right, I suppose I have grown rather fond of the poor thing, but you're going to have to take care of her."
Jasmine pulls back, not quite releasing me, and looks between the two of us. "What are you talking about? I don't know what just happened. I'm straight. It was some sort of spell."
Anna chuckles, her smile growing wider. "Come live with us. It'll be a lot more fun than what you're used to."
She visibly gulps. I can already hear her coming up with more excuses to explain that kiss. She chews on her lips, taking time to consider our offer. "What would that entail?"
"What would you like it to entail?" Anna asks.
"Go easy on the poor thing." I ruffle her hair again. "You know how new she is, we can't just go straight to breaking her in."
"Now you're not being any fun."
Jasmine's face is growing progressively redder. Just what is she thinking about? "It doesn't mean I'm gay or anything," she mutters.
Coming out of the closet is so hard. "Of course it doesn't." I smirk. This is really happening, isn't it?
"All right. But I'm not a puppy."
"Good girl." Anna scratches behind her ear. I swear she wags.
When Jasmine drops back to the ground, I finally notice a woman I don't recognize standing behind her, waiting patiently. "You're not Notos, are you?"
Anna's eyes widen and she gulps. Is it my turn next? Everyone else seems to have something to react that way to. Maybe I need a big revelation about myself too. "Fuck," she intones. "I'm not. I'm the vessel he'd taken. I killed him."
The woman clicks her tongue at Anna. "Now that's just rude. Well, I suppose I can't do anything about it, you are currently under my protection after all. I'll take you back, but do not seek me again, you have broken my trust, and if I have the chance, I will see that you are punished for it."
Without giving Anna a chance to reply, she snaps her fingers, and we're suddenly somewhere else. It takes me a few moments to realize that that place is home. The three of us are seated on the couch in Anna's and my – in our living room. How the hell did she know where we live?
Anna stretches and yawns. "I'm going to bed. Going to Hell and back is exhausting. I hope you'll join me, Elsa. Jasmine, feel free to sleep wherever you feel comfortable."
I stand and take Anna's hand before she can go to our room and pull her into a kiss. I was such an idiot. I should've known she would never hurt me. "I love you, Anna."
"I love you too."
We go to bed, and sleep the sleep of the dead – or the newly resurrected. I'm pleased to find, that Jasmine does, in fact, join us. Nothing happens, not tonight at least, but after everything I've been through, sharing a bed with the two of them is a welcome respite, one even better than paradise.