The past caught me off guard — standing in the passage, arms spread wide.
The future stood beside it, arms crossed on its chest.
And Hades leaned against the wall, filing his nails:
“Alright, sweetheart. Time to choose.”
Rotten, sharp little teeth lit up his greasy smile. I watch him — his body tilted forward, fingers trembling with sweet anticipation. Everything leads to ecstasy; he savors my torment. The other two are unyielding, foreheads tense, shoulders locked. Everything is ready for battle.
“Decide now. Or you stay here forever.”
I’m darting around, trying to escape, but there is no way back and no way forward.
A dark, dreadful cave.
Hundreds of voices beg for salvation.
God. You hear the prayers.
Hundreds of prayers in an hour.
“Save us… save us…”
“Enough! Be quiet!”
I cover my ears.

And I’m running again — tunnels, cave ceilings, narrow passages.
Every time, they’re there.
I run the other way — and there they are again.
Hades starts getting irritated, hissing through his teeth:
“Sweetheart, haven’t you figured it out yet? You’re not getting out of here. So be a good girl.”
He grabs my chin.
“Solve the riddle, darling.”
His eyes travel down my body.
I’m disgusted.
Utterly disgusted.
“What a lovely little body… I can only imagine what it does to men. Right, sweetheart?”
I spit at him.

I’m tied up. He circles me.
But I shake my head — and suddenly, I’m free.
“See, honey? Easy. No one’s holding you.”
Anger stirs in me. My masculine force wakes up: my man pins Hades to the wall, hand around his throat. His whole body is tense — strong, ready to prove his superiority if needed.

I look around — and run again.
And again they’re there.
Five of them.
Again.

A temple.
Inside — freedom.
Freedom.
“Mm… not quite,” says Hades, leaning on the wall again with that same condescending look. “There.”
“Damn. Damn it.”
And I run, and run, and run.
Until I fall, exhausted, onto the bottom of the sea.

He’s here.
He turns toward me… but the wave carries me upward.

Wet, drained, I stare into Hades’ eyes.
“Alright, then. Let’s go.”
The past wraps me in its net. Ugly trolls grip my throat; I look like a puppet. Everything in me reacts the old way. Looks at the world the old way.
Hades grabs my chin again.
I grimace.
“Take your filthy little hands off me.”
“Oh come on, sweetheart, no need to be so difficult.”
“Take your hands off her,” my man says.
Hades adjusts his thin little fingers, grumbling something about my “hero.”
I shake it off — thank God, I’m free again.
My hero shrugs as if to say: Yeah, I’m the hero.

And here we are. I’m free and ready for judgment.
A beautiful, divine woman must shed the shackles of the past and try to—
The Past crosses its arms on its chest, looking at me with a frown:
“Try?”
I wince, correct myself:
“— um… not try. Let go. Completely let go of all the old pain — so I can finally see new worlds.”
New worlds.
I like how that sounds — new worlds.
How beautiful.
I step out of the cave and look back for a moment: everyone is scurrying about, busy with their tasks.
Hades adjusts the flame on his head, getting ready for the next patient.

I smirk:
“You guys have quite the job.”