Cynus

There are actually significant commonalities between Orpheus and Jake, as I'm sure you'll see more of. It's not in their personalities, of course, but in the lessons they've learned about life. Both have dug holes, only to find them empty. Your observations are as keen as ever. This is certainly a turning point for Ethan, but which way will he turn? Will he calm down or will he accelerate toward doom? Yes. That's the perfect way of putting it. "Life has to move. Otherwise, it's death." Yes! First, I adore Jake in this chapter, creep and all. Secondly, this is the point where Ethan finally comes face to face with his choice. Does he continue down this path, realizing that the rabbit hole might just lead to another empty coffin for him to climb inside? Or does he proceed with caution? And you're right, maybe there is more to see.

I really like this interpretation. I'm a firm believer that the reader can shape the story in their own way, and that it doesn't have to be about what the writer intended. When I wrote this scene, I was thinking that one of Caleb's darkest images of Ethan would be what greeted him here. What Caleb fears more after the suicide isn't Ethan not returning his love, it's Ethan refusing to accept the love Caleb has for him. But I like your interpretation tremendously, and I wonder if I subconsciously added a bit of that here, too? Multitudes upon multitudes. I hope the mysteries keep you entertained all the way to the end. Good question here, too. I think the answer will catch you off guard even if you're right.

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"Ethan?" Caleb called. "Ethan!?" "You're calling to him?" Orpheus asked. "Interesting tactic. There's what, billions of people in this city? I'm sure he'll hear you." Caleb glanced darkly at Orpheus. "You're not helping. Where's that guidance you promised?" "I told you," Orpheus replied, "use love." "And how exactly should I go about doing that?" Caleb asked. "Reach out with your heart and find him," Orpheus said. "That's the best thing you can do." Cale

I never saw this comment, so I'm sorry for the extremely tardy reply. "Weightless" may have actually gone a lot smoother if I'd stuck with Clint. Zane was much harder for me to wrap my head around. Maybe I should've thought it through a bit better?

Crying is a necessary release of emotion in my book.

I can say this now. It's never in the text, so this is just my own thought analysis drawing meaning from my writing after having written it. Ethan, Liz, and Jake represent the three ingredients of Magic. Ethan is Will. He is determined to the point of obsession. He WILL get this done. Liz is Emotion. She cares dearly for all involved parties. It's her love for Ethan which makes her hesitate to help him. It's her love for Caleb which makes her want to help him. She's got love in spades. That leaves Jake with Knowledge. He's the most experienced mage in the group, he knows the potential pitfalls better than anyone (as noted here), and it's not necessarily that he read Greek better than Ethan did, it's that he figures out how the myth applies to Ethan's situation better than Ethan did. Ethan read up on his Greek plenty, but it was all Greek to him. And making you cry is for your own good.

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Ethan had stopped visiting Liz and Jake. He didn't want to see either of them ever again, not until he'd succeeded at bringing Caleb back, anyway. They didn't understand anymore. They didn't live in his world, they lived in the world of the living, a world Ethan felt he had transcended long ago. He spent a month outside the city cemetery, watching the patterns of those who worked in and around the place. He paid careful attention to the movements of law enforcement in the area, using a cou

This long, which is . . . how long is that again? I forgot how time works here. Spent too long in the Underworld, I suppose . . . If only Ethan had decided to trust Caleb. Of course, hindsight and all that nonsense is a tunnel-visioned 20/20. Hindsight is what got Caleb into this mess, after all. Indeed. What would happen if an all-powerful warlock and a being who knew the secrets of the Underworld were to get together? Hm... I wonder... I think you've got quite the grasp on Orpheus, my friend. But grief takes a long time, you see. I'm sorry again for the delay in replying. I have only spurts of ability to focus. This cold is absolutely destroying me right now. Will post the next chapter soon.

Thank you. I'm glad you saw all that in here. Makes me feel like I communicated my emotions clearly. I've been free from them for eight years now, but there are still moments when they put something in front of me which gets my blood boiling. Usually it's their bullshit policies toward LGBT youth . . . it makes me almost homicidal. It's been a weekend for funny timing. I agree with you, but it's insane how much the Mormons run off blind faith without questioning the humanity of their statements...

It's almost like our boys are drawn together. Must be the love. And yeah, I don't think she was expecting it, either. Liz has been in a precarious position this whole time. Well, not the same one, but she flits from point to point. Perhaps that's because she's the only one moving forward in time. Ethan's still focused on what was, Caleb's in the Underworld, and . . . well, where does that leave her? Certainly not. He's got it all under control. This isn't stated anywhere in the book, it's just some of my mentality. Liz wrote her story, not me: I liked to think that Liz found something in Jake which she couldn't find in Ethan. She needed someone who was rooted in the present, who wasn't obsessed in fixing something which had already been done. She wants to help Ethan, but she needs stability in her life. She used to have that in Caleb, but Ethan couldn't, not with his mind where it was. So, Jake, in all his ickyness, was the only one who could fill that void for her. It wasn't something she went into easily, though. At least, I doubt it. The child is also probably the result of both being under the influence of something when they copulated, so they didn't even think about birth control. Maybe the magic affected the rate of pregnancy? That is a good thing to wonder, but perhaps he simply opened the door to the darkness he had within him all along? What a beautiful line tagged on the end there. Except maybe Orpheus... you're reading him well. I love how you're considering the possibilities between Ethan's potential routes. Will he make a mistake or stumble into genius? Excellent question! I guess we'll just have to wait and see, eh? Sorry it took so long to get back to everyone. I have a hellish cold, and it is making it difficult to focus on anything productive.

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Caleb sat in the shadow of a building within sight of the Cocytus, still trying to collect his nerves after his horrific crossing of the river. He knew they needed to move forward, now more than ever since they'd finally reached Elysium, but he needed time. He needed to get away from this place, but that was impossible. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the nearby city square, where Orpheus played his guitar to a large crowd surrounding him. The sweet melody danced across the air to tantalize

I love it! Thank you so much for the anecdote. I'm going to retain that for a long time. But man, if I'd encountered that on my mission, I think I would've sneaked out of my apartment at night to find out what was underneath the sheet.

Fuck Mormonism. You make people like me want to end their lives. You preach love and utter rejection in the same breath. It's like a bad breakup where you blame us for your unwillingness to accept our difference. As if we can change. As if we're the ones which are supposedly able to receive some revelation which will suddenly make sense. As to why I wanted to kiss that boy when I was ten. As to why I wanted to kiss that poison when I was eleven a few months later. You claim I am un

I love this. All the different thoughts! I'm so excited for you all to see the end result and find out how it matches up!

The band's all getting together! We've got a hippy sorcerer, a addict warlock, and a witch to lead them all.

A thoughtful analysis to be sure. I wonder if your theories will prove correct? Find out next week, er . . . over the next few weeks on "Rivers of the Dead"!

Amen to that. And now that Ethan's family no longer has the weight of loss on them . . . *sigh*

I'm certain Orpheus gets off on this sort of thing.

Heh. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Just bear in mind, Liz believes losing Caleb is all her fault. She was blinded by her hubris when she thought she was doing the other spell. She's starting to see Ethan develop that same sort of behavior, and she's trying to curb his addiction because she knows how things can go wrong through arrogance. Jake IS a douche bag. Will he change? Now there's a question for the ages. Thanks again!

The calm before the storm. I apologize in advance for 2-10 (which is up, by the way). You never know when you might need Stygian waters. Well, I can promise it's happier than the latter two seasons of Ashes of Fate, but I can't promise anything else. I'm hoping the ending satisfies you, regardless of its tone, and I appreciate your willingness and hope for a bright future for my boys. Indeed . . . survivor's guilt is something I struggle with every day (for a few reasons). Knowing how it feels is easy. Being able to put it into the character? Well, I tried, and I'm glad that someone took notice. That means it's at least somewhat there. The Cocytus is a struggle for many to overcome. It murmurs of unmet expectations, it bubbles with regret. It screams loudest for those who feel their lives are not what they should be. Thank you, Def. I'm glad you also took note of the duality. This is a story of as many journeys through the grieving process as there are characters, and I'm excited to see so many analyses of all the different paths people are on. I bet taking that water of Hate over the Cocytus into Elysium didn't help much, either. May you know that there are both ups and downs to come. Caleb has crossed the river now, and thus those things are behind him. At least, for the most part. Thank you to everyone for reading and commenting!

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