I stared into the pit of darkness behind the metal , and for a moment my heart was pulled back by fear . A screaming inside of me told me to not descend into hell just for Aphrodite to renounce me , again . But I wondered to myself , if I valued my love more than my life , or if my will to survive was enough to keep me from my divine husband . Would knowing love , even for a short time , be enough for me to die fulfilled ? Eurydice had once found herself at the gates of the underworld for love . She was loved by a half god , but she was desired by death even more . She had fallen in pain to the underworld only to find herself at the mercy of her lover ’ s ambition . And when he was only mere steps from becoming her saviour , he yielded to the curiosity and impatience in his heart , and from this – she had died all over again . And as she fell back into the teeth of Hades , she thanked only that she had been loved . She did not even consider all that she had lost , nor wondered what her life would have been if Orpheus had never named her his muse .
I knew how easily I could die on this journey for love . But I couldn ’ t give up on my love story , however much I knew I should . I began my walk to the pits of hell .
After hours of travel , I came across a castle of jet-black stone stretching outwards into the purple sky and lit by the fiery flames of Tartarus .
‘ You breathe . Why do you travel to this realm of the dead ?’ a voice , sweet as honey , but made bitter by the constant presence of death , called from behind me . Persephone , Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld stood in her dress of flowers and her crown of bones .
I bowed to the Goddess and explained the plight that had led me to hell . She did not flinch as I told my story , and her eyes only revealed a growing recognition . She knew the pain of love , and the danger of the gods . When I finished my tale she drew from her side a box , decorated with dark jewels and clasped shut .
‘ Do not open this box Psyche , take it to Aphrodite but do not open it .’ Her order rung through me a familiar temptation as to when I lit the lamp to reveal my godly husband , and as if hearing my internal struggle , the goddess brought my chin to her eyes . ‘ This will be your final journey to our realm , I wish you great luck with your quest , but I fear it will be over quite soon .’
As I began the journey upwards my eyes did not leave the box in my hands . From the lid I could hear the faint hum of muffled screams , they were the screams of my people back in the mortal world . I knew to obey the words of gods . I had learnt that now , but my wonder threatened to tear itself from my skull and pry open the box as I stood unmoving and unable to stop it .
Only the first woman , Pandora , knew of my plight . She had been tasked by the gods from her first breath to take a sealed vase and to not open it for any cause . But the gods who had raised her knew of the torture this demand would bring , as they had breathed into her the trait
Bethany Issatt 63