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By the gods, she loves Alex so much, she’s never loved anyone as much in her life.
She was so beautiful, so incredibly stunning and gorgeous. While Astra can’t imagine wanting her for her looks alone now, it had been what had drawn her in at first.
Those short brown locks.
Those warm brown eyes.
That beauty all nymphs had been gifted upon creation, but none that could compete with her Alex.
And Alex, in turn, had been drawn to her music at first, the superficial reason people loved her for as much as a nymph’s beauty is what people loved her for.
The cheerful tones of a ukulele filled the air of the sunny meadow, Astra seated in the shadow beneath one of the trees. It was a beautiful day, so beautiful it inspired her to play, and as always that meant she wasn’t alone.
Animals were drawn to the joyful sound, making them joyful in turn. Squirrels were chasing each other up and down trees, a stray dog was wagging her tail off as she listened intently, birds were sitting above her and singing to the instrumental tune, almost making up for the absence of her sister’s singing voice.
Playing solo would never compare to playing with Alura, the notes of each other’s talents filling the other with joy like their own instrument could never. Apollo had gifted them each when they were young, Alura her singing voice, Astra her ukulele, and as the daughters of muse Calliope they were more than capable of utilizing it.
But it was still nice to see the gleeful gathering around her, and that was enough for Astra to keep playing.
Until she spotted a figure standing against a tree, stopped short at her sheer beauty. A nymph, an oak nymph specifically, had been drawn to her, and Astra’s eyes had never laid upon someone as stunning as her.
“Why did you stop?”
Her voice was as beautiful as the rest of her, like silk to her ears, and somehow she loved the sound even more than her sister’s. It was different, it wasn’t because of a gift, it was just who she was. “Your beauty distracted me.”
The nymph smiled, approached Astra in all her naked glory. “I’ll let my beauty distract you some more if you keep playing,” she said teasingly, and sat down beneath the tree opposite her.
She was trouble, Astra could tell, but she never did mind a little trouble. “What do I call you?”
“Alex.”
“Alex,” Astra repeated, the syllables passing her lips for the first time, the first of many times. She’ll whisper it in admiration, she’ll scream it in passion, she’ll call it out in desperation, but then it was experimental and utterly inspiring. The song she started was different, filled with happiness still, but with an added loving warmth, like stepping into a warm bath.
Astra sounded better with Alex around.
They’d connected quickly and been together for years, each day was as much a joy as the next. Her intelligence was appealing and made for great conversation, challenging her to think critically about that what she thought she knew, and teaching her about the way nature works. In turn Astra told tales from the world neither of them could access, played her music, and showed her a vulnerable side she wouldn’t show to anyone.
And oh, her voice, Astra loved playing along to her singing, to make Alex sound even more ethereal than she already did on her own.
Her mischievous streak too, how she’d always find a way to get the two of them into trouble. Her schemes were rather innocuous, enough for Astra to see how it could be entertaining, and wanting to participate in whatever madness she concocted this time.
Her plan to use Astra’s music to get a particularly nasty senator to undress publicly had been her favorite by far, but it was of course too ridiculous to prove, and they’d gotten away with it.
It had been the superficial reasons to draw them together, but those were far from the reasons why they’d remained together.
Until that one dreaded fateful day.
“Astra…” Alex wheezed, panting out her last breaths. “I love you… Remember that…”
Astra cradled her close to her body, shaking her head stubbornly despite the tears leaking from her eyes. “Stay with me, Alex, please,” she begged, but something inside of her knew it was useless, so while there was still life left in her eyes she said, “I love you too.”
That spark of life faded almost the moment the words fully left her, like Alex had been holding on to hear them, to be reassured that she was loved.
Astra let out an agonized wail, holding the now lifeless body in her arms and clinging to it harder as she cried out, over and over again, like a prayer to bring her back to the plane of the living.
“Alex!”
Astra’d cried until no tears were left to fall, until her voice could no longer scream, until all she could do was surrender to reality. The reality that her love had died, long before her time, because of something as simple as a snake bite.
If only she’d charmed the snakes with her music.
If only she’d picked a different path to walk.
If only she’d paid more attention.
But life goes on, and after she’d awoken she had no longer cried, she’d merely felt numb. Gone was the joy she used to bring to others. Not even her sister could cheer her up; the moment she stopped singing was the moment Astra fell back into her grief, and ultimately it would only serve to make her more miserable.
If people thought the ukulele was an instrument that could only play tropical happy tunes, they had another thing coming when Astra lost the love of her life. She carried an air of agonizing music around her wherever she went, tunes so heartbreaking and sad both humans and animals who heard it weeped.
The birds were no longer chirping along, instead occasionally dropping from the sky, unable to keep up their flight out of sheer depression. Squirrels hid in their trees, curling up to sleep just so they could avoid this melody. The stray dog had followed her around for a while, trying to console her to no avail, eventually whining and howling along.
It was so depressing that Zeus himself felt compelled to descend to Earth, affected as much as anyone. “I swear, if you do not stop playing this emo crap, I will electrocute you.”
Empty eyes had looked up at him then, her music never ceasing. “You’re welcome to try.”
The deity rubbed his temples and groaned. “What is it you want, Astra? I’ll give it to you, whatever it is, anything to get you to stop.”
“I can’t stop, there is no point without Alex.”
“That’s not my territory, that’s Hades’. Have you tried swooning the guy? He’s always depressed during summer, I’m sure he’d let you get her back in exchange for some loving.”
Astra scrunched up her nose in disgust at the thought of giving any guy ‘some loving’; the only one she’d give that kind of attention was Alex. “I resent the implication.”
“Music, Astra,” Zeus drawled. “Play the old sap a love song, get your love back, stop playing depressing music, everybody wins.”
All Astra wanted was Alex back, so Zeus’ suggestion had been worth a shot, and so that is what she did. For once she’d felt something that wasn’t bitterness, or anger, or sadness, but something resembling hope, if a little weak.
The entrance to Hades, to the underworld, was well-known and didn’t take long to find whatsoever, and wasn’t hard to access.
No, the tricky part to this endeavor wouldn’t start until she was actually inside.
The chance of getting Alex back gave her enough hope to put her grief aside, channeling all her love into a song for Hades. It much resembled the melody she’d played for Alex that first time, but it was different, charged with their cherished memories, the tune long since perfected.
Hades had been entranced with her music, no doubt thinking of Persephone in the moment, and there was something melancholic about the way he smiled once she’d finished. “You use Apollo’s gift well,” he praised. “You may have your nymph back. She will follow you on your way out, but be warned: if you look back before you have both made it out, Alex will be lost to you forever.”
And Astra’d smiled for the first time in a long time, genuinely. Just don’t look back, that seemed simple enough. “I understand, thank you.”
He nodded. “Go forth, daughter of Calliope, and do play for me again some time.”
Astra trusts the man - god - to stay true to his word, trusts that Alex was following behind her as she made her way out of the underworld. She wouldn’t look back until she was outside and certain that Alex’d had the chance to step outside too, for Astra didn’t know how far she trailed behind.
The annoying part about the entities of the underworld is that they are floating rather than walking - or at least, that’s what Astra assumes, based on the lack of foot falls behind her - so the only way to check is looking back.
Which, as she established before, she isn’t going to do.
If she looks back now she’s guaranteed to never see Alex again, but if she waits, if she can muster up enough patience to get outside, there’s a chance.
But by the gods, it’s not easy, because her faith in Hades is wavering.
She’s never been particularly keen on trusting people, and she’d been taught not to trust the gods, to always expect an unexpected backlash if they offer a gift, but this was more than that. Astra knows it could have been a test, an obstacle to keep Alex in the underworld, a trap for her to be stupid enough to look back, but it’s created enough doubt to make her uncertain.
Astra won’t have to wait for long however, because finally, finally the land of the living is in sight.
She is itching to turn around once she is outside, itching to be reunited with her lover, praying she’s actually there. Perhaps she should have made more sacrifices to Hades, worshipped him more, because as it stands, Hades has no reason to grant her any wishes.
“Alex?” Astra calls out carefully.
Silence.
“Hey, pretty lady, where do you think you’re going?”
The group of demons in front of her was, unfortunately, in the middle of her path outside, and she was forced to interact with them as they refused to let her pass. “Out,” Astra answered gruffly, ready to get this over with. “Now move.”
“All alone?” Another chimed in, his voice mocking, and the others grinned at his antics.
Astra was less than amused; these creatures weren’t subtle with wanting to plant doubt in her mind, the responses of the others a dead give-away on whether it was true or not. “Yes, all alone, if that’s what it looks like. Are you quite satisfied?”
“We thought you were here for your lady love,” a third commented, having the gal to pout at her. “Hades had no mercy for you, had he?”
Her patience was wearing thin quickly, and she snarled. “Let me pass, or live to regret it.”
The fourth put an arm around his comrades and pulled them aside. “We’re truly sorry,” she said, sounding sincere. “Carry on.”
There was no laughter that time, a seeming lack of mockery, and it had been enough for Astra to wonder if Hades had been playing her for a fool.
The silence stretches on long enough to make Astra nervous, but she stubbornly keeps staring in front of her, decidedly away from the entrance to underworld.
Maybe Alex was trailing behind farther than she’d expected, that must be it.
Surely she’s there.
Right?
The thought of Hades possibly having betrayed her is making her blood boil, and she’s glaring at the tree in front of her. If her eyes could burn things, if Helios would have gifted her heat vision rather than Apollo offering an instrument, this tree would no longer be standing.
Astra clenches her jaw, and she’s about to leave - she won’t look back, she doesn’t want to see the empty space - but then the shadows and light in front of her intensify, indicating a bright light coming from behind her.
Alex.
It must be.
Hades must have kept his word.
Astra spins around so quickly she nearly gives herself a whiplash, and indeed, the shape of a humanoid is glowing brightly, very much in the sunlight, away from the underworld. As the glow diminishes the shape becomes more clear, and Astra recognizes the way this body is shaped.
It can’t be anyone but Alex.
And indeed. A disoriented Alex stands in front of her now, dressed in the same clothes she’s died in: the simple white tunic, dirty from fooling around in the woods, is still stained with residual snake venom. They’re staring at each other in silent astonishment, neither of them fully believing this is reality.
But it’s really her.
Her Alex.
Finally her feet allow her to move, and Astra rushes forward to gather Alex in a tight embrace, nuzzling into the crook of her neck to hide the tears that threaten to spill. Alex, who is alive and breathing. It takes Alex a moment, but then her arms wrap around Astra in return, and she’s missed this feeling.
She’s missed the warmth of Alex’s body.
She’s missed her unique scent.
She’s missed Alex.
They cling to each other for a long time, until Alex speaks - her voice, Astra’s missed her voice too. “You didn’t mope around too much while I was gone, did you?”
Astra pulls back with an incredulous laugh; leave it to Alex to break the emotional tension. “I don’t mope,” she counters.
Alex reaches out to wipe away the stray tears on Astra’s face gently, and she smirks. “That’s not what I heard.”
“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”
And just like that, they are back to their familiar banter, like nothing ever happened. Of course, something did happen, and many nights Astra would seek out Alex to check that she isn’t dead, just like Alex would hold onto her to make sure she is capable of interacting with the corporeal world, but they find comfort and reassurance in each other, and together they live a relatively long and happy life.