Final Mission
Cupid at Heart
They set forth to the Clover kingdom once again, finding Apollo outside his temple. He danced to the beat of the musical instruments like an undignified man, not noticing their presence when they approached.
“You survived,” he spoke in fascination, staring at Hyunmi with shimmering eyes of admiration. He wasted no time, knowing exactly what they required of him. He took the same vial and two copper coins, handing it to the princess.
“I’ll return promptly, I promise,” Hyunmi told her comrades, watching a flicker of anxiety in Seulyi’s gaze. Other than her concern, others were set on her return, expecting the remainder of the journey to stay out of harm’s way.
Without wasting any second, Hyunmi had memorized the order of actions she needed to take. She swallowed the potion, placed the two obols on the tip of her tongue, and waited for her soul to depart. The headache was anticipated, and she was no longer surprised to see herself detached from her physical body. She tapped her foot on the ground, hearing no sound echoing from her action as a spirit. Finally the entrance to the Underworld appeared and she ran through it this time.
“Excuse me, Charon!” She yelled out, her voice echoing through the dark cave. She spit out the obol into her hand, storing one away. She watched the cloaked figure emerge from the misty fog, asking for his payment.
Hyunmi stepped into the gondola, ignoring the dead souls who tried to hold on to her. As Charon pedalled through Styx, the princess thought of what to say. Her heart would've raced in panic, if it was beating.. Despite having no pulse as a spirit, she felt the anxiety of a possible failure. What if it were too good to be true? What if it was exempted from Aphrodite’s desired result?
She thanked Charon when the familiar red entrance came in sight, hopping from the gondola to meet the Underworld rulers. She knocked on the gate, stepping inside when silence welcomed her inside. The sight was no longer foreign, and she knew the two rulers were lurking around to watch her movements.
“I have completed your request. My father, the King of Heart, is alive and well,” she raised her voice, using the authority of a princess she was taught since an early age. Her eyes scanned around the room, masking all of her fear and worries behind her confident expression.
“So you have, mortal,” a grim voice spoke as a black fog clouded by. It dissolved itself into Hades’ human form. Soon after, the red colored smoke floated by, taking the place beside him as Persephone.
“I must say, I am quite impressed at your victory. The mermaids aided you, correct?” Persephone spoke, her eyes luring at the crystal necklace around her neck.
“Y-yes.” The thought of the eerie creatures caused a crack in Hyunmi’s defense. Fear consumed her once again, realizing she was currently in the land of death. Hades and Persephone could imprison her in the Underworld forever, and people would put the mermaids to blame.
“The fact you made it out alive shows your selflessness,” Persephone continued, surprising Hyunmi. She elegantly snapped her long fingers, creating a heap of mist from her hand. Out of the it, a small wooden treasure chest appeared.
Hyunmi’s eyes widened, completely enchanted and mesmerized by the beauty of the small box. Her eyes trailed along as Persephone presented the box right in front of her.
“This is a gift to Aphrodite which I shall have you deliver,” she transferred it unto Hyunmi’s hands. “Along with it I shall give you a warning. A mortal must never open the box, for calamity might be unleashed unto the land.”
There was a new sort of pressure as Hyunmi held the box between her hands, clenching it tightly shut to ensure the safety of the land. “You have my gratitude. I cannot thank you enough,” she spoke, curtsying in front of the two royals. When she lifted her face, a genuine smile encompassed her face, surprising the king and queen.
“Do you truly love cupid to such an extent?” Persephone suddenly asked before the princess moved.
Hyunmi her heels, the long red gown fluttering elegantly with her movement. “Love is a difficult entity to measure,” she answered.
“To what extent should we measure your so-called love?” The queen continued asking, raising a curious eyebrow at the human girl.
Hyunmi prepared the answer before the question was asked, and answered with confidence. “For him, I’d be willing to lay down my life.”
“How foolish of you. Such an exchange will separate the two of you between the world of the living and death,” Hades interrupted, frowning at her pathetic mindset.
“Perhaps love isn’t about being together, but rather, about doing what is best for the other, even if we have to part ways.”
The two felt the frown sinking deeper in their forehead, watching the princess bow down before taking another leave. How naive she truly was.
“Who is to determine what is best for the other?” Hades muttered to himself.
“I am certain cupid disagrees,” Persephone spoke, chuckling to herself. As much as the deities above watched the journey of cupid’s lover, the ones in the Underworld were as keen on the progress.
Hyunmi sat in the gondola, ignoring the loud humming of the dead souls. She watched the harmless little box sitting in her lap, ensuring it was locked. What kind of calamities could Persephone have hidden in there? She did not bear enough curiosity to try and retrieve an answer. Her task was to deliver the box, along with the Golden Apple of Discord, and Hermes’ caduceus to Aphrodite. Then, she would finally be able to see Woohyun again.
The thought itself elicited a gleeful smile to spring forth on her red lips. She was extra joyful when she jumped off the gondola, landing on shore with lighthearted steps. She smiled at Charon, waving it goodbye, not forgetting to show her gratitude. The bright entrance to the living world appeared, and with the box clutched in her hand, she followed the light.
The nausea appeared as soon as her soul reentered her physical body. The others called her name, increasing the painful ring in her head. When she squinted an eye open, she noticed her empty hands. The box was gone.
“I-is this what you’re looking f-for?” Sungyeol asked, grinning widely as he held the familiar wooden box in his hand. He rocked his entire body, playing a risky balancing game with the box. The coffee beans caused him to disregard any logic, wanting to follow his curiosity instead.
“Do not open it!” Hyunmi immediately shouted, stretching her weak arms to the march hare’s direction.
Myungsoo took the box from Sungyeol, calmly handing it to Hyunmi. A part of him also feared what would become if Sungyeol watched over it. “Is this Persephone’s Box?” He questioned.
The princess nodded her head, her fingers over the wooden texture. “This is the final item we had to retrieve. We can see Woohyun now.”
The others did not need to see her expression to notice the jovial tone she expressed. If one’s voice could utter a melody of complete gratitude, the princess surpassed it through her encapsulated joy.
They rode the pegasus and chimera once more to head toward their finals destination: Aphrodite’s temple. Heart had returned to the kingdom it once was, as if Hoya’s public trial had never taken place at all.
The five of them strode through the gates of the temple, entering the temple surrounded by Greek architectural pillars. They marched towards the big statue of Aphrodite, preparing themselves to call upon her. But the closer they approached, the more they realized a glowing presence leaning against the side of the statue. Aphrodite was waiting for them.
“I saw you approaching,” she spoke, as strict and vain as the goddess she turned out to be. She did not pretend a friendly persona, giving Hyunmi the cold eye ever since she set her gaze on the mortal.
“So you must be aware of my progress,” Hyunmi spoke, twisting her lips into a rather grim smile. “I have brought with me the three items of your heart’s desire.”
Aphrodite squinted her eyes and folded her arm over the other, watching the familiar looking items carried in their hands.
“First is the Golden Apple of Discord from Spade kingdom,” Hyunmi spoke, cueing Seulyi to step forward.
The servant girl hesitated a little before setting the item in front of the goddess at a few meters distance. Then she quickly ran back to her previous position, glaring a hard stare at the goddess who looked back with equal annoyance.
“Secondly, Hermes’ staff, the caduceus from the Diamond kingdom,” Hyunmi continued.
It was Myungsoo who stepped forward, placing the long staff beside the golden apple’s glass case.
“And finally, Persephone’s Box.” Hyunmi approached the goddess herself, extending her hand to personally hand over the box.
Aphrodite stared at the box, not moving the tilted angle of her head. She maintained an elegant pose, staring down at the princess. “Has Persephone asked you to relay a message?”
“She said it was a gift for you. Mortals are never to open it, for it will unleash malice into the world,” Hyunmi calmly replied, obeying what was asked of her.
“Is that so? And you easily believed her? Foolish girl,” Aphrodite spoke, scoffing under her breath as she stepped away from Hyunmi, brushing her arm against the shoulder. “She was merely tricking you.”
“What are you implying?” Hyunmi said, exchanging looks with her friends who were equally confused.
“What Persephone has given me isn’t a part of her beauty, but rather, a powerful yet forbidden magic,” Aphrodite said.
“Why would she possess it if it were forbidden?” Sungjong interrupted, grinning at the goddess mischievously. Something was amiss.
“The Underworld operates in a completely different manner. The power within the box allows you to resurrect someone from the death,” the goddess spoke, smirking as Hyunmi carefully processed her words. “To a deity such as Cupid, the feeling of betrayal depleted him of his energy, likening him to a dying mortal.”
“Are you saying the key to resurrect Woohyun lies in here?” Hyunmi said, staring at the box with amazement. “Why would Queen Persephone warn me of malice?”
“She may be worried of your well being. Opening the box does come with a sacrifice,” Aphrodite spoke, pressing her lips to a thin line. “Your life.”
Hyunmi was no longer surprised at this point. Her heart continued pounding against her chest, fearing every heartbeat may just be its last. Whether it were the mermaid tears or Persephone’s box, every way to retrieve Woohyun seemed to require the high price of her own life. Perhaps the universe didn’t want them to be together.
“The agreement you made with the princess did not speak of such exchanges. You have to keep your promise,” Sungjong chimed in, staring at the goddess with a deadly look in his yellow eyes.
Aphrodite exhaled deeply, and even the small sound bore the ability to wilt dead flowers to life again. “My initial agreement revolved around Persephone’s box, which is the only solution to save cupid. All it requires is the price of one’s life.”
Hyunmi stared down at the box in her hand. Her trembling fingers caused the box to shake along. What was the right decision to make when both options presented a great loss?
“How far are you willing to make sacrifices in the name of love?” Aphrodite continued asking, watching with amusement as the mortal girl stood in a dilemma.
Hyunmi squeezed her eyes shut, remembering her memories with Woohyun. Though they had only lasted for a short while, it defined the happiest moments of her life. She learned the meaning of love, fortunate enough to have found someone who loved her as much as she loved him. To right her wrongs, she wanted Woohyun to recover. She wanted him to regain his strength. She wanted him to live. Because loving someone meant the desire to give them the very best, even when she herself could not be there to witness it.
Hyunmi lifted her head, hardening her stare to the goddess. Aphrodite stood surprised, for it were the most beautiful and purest tears she had ever seen in her entire life. Every drop was a crystallizing fragment of a beautiful diamond, more seldom than a mermaid’s tear, and more precious than gold. It was the tear of a hopeful, yet brokenhearted maiden, which was the rarest of its kind. She watched the princess part her lips to reply her question.
“I am willing to lay down my life,” Hyunmi whispered, clutching the latch of the wooden box.
The others soon realized the reason for her action, simultaneously rushing forward to prevent her from making a big mistake. The scene seemed to move slowly, as if every second stretched out into infinite minutes just to watch their failure elongate into wasted efforts. Every footstep echoed harshly against the barren floor. Loud screams calling for her name resonated in the cold air. Their movements weren’t quick enough, and they watched with desolated eyes as the lid of the box fell open.
A pitch black light stemmed off from the box, shining in a surrealistic bright way that blinded their entire vision. The darkness took over their sight momentarily, hearing the wooden box clatter against the concrete floor, its lid still wide open. They expected the princess to fall along, but instead, heard a familiar voice echo throughout the temple. It called out for her name over and over again with raw desperation.
When vision returned, allowing them to open their eyes, they saw in front of them the majestic sight of pristine white wings, made of pearl feathers, glowing brighter than that of a deity. At the center, resembling an angel himself, the young man held his lifeless lover in his arms.
Woohyun returned the moment Hyunmi departed.
Will this be a happy or sad ending? Hmmmm :)
Yay! Won the bid today! I hope you will enjoy the story~ Would love to know your thoughts, so please do leave comments too~ Thank youuu <3
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