~*~

It felt like hours had already passed and yet there was no sign on Eurydice. Orpheus/Axel played yet another song in the lyre and yet he refused to sing. He sat on a huge boulder near the river where they first arrived.

"My Lord," said someone in the multitude that gathered around him in a matter of minutes since he started playing, "will you not grace us with you voice? Surely, you have a voice that's blessed by the Muses themselves seeing that you have the talents of the great god, Apollo."

"I'm sorry." Orpheus replied, "I'm just not in the mood to sing today, that's all."

He continued to play 2 more impromptu songs until he decided to stop and look around for a place to eat. Before he could even move from his spot, the crown began to part in the middle and about a dozen people went forward and served him with different Mediterranean cuisine.

"What's all this then?" he asked, a bit confused.

"Well, you have to eat, don't you my lord?" said one of the servants, "Besides, a Prince of Thrace doesn't deserve to die in hunger, not with your talent sire."

Thrace? He thought to himself. Oh yeah, if my memory serves...the original Orpheus was the son of a Thracian King, Oeagrus and the eldest Muse, Calliope. And since I'm back in ancient Greece, that means I took on his life.

He sighed to himself and thanked the servants for the food. He ate gingerly, wondering how Eurydice was doing. He then decided to ask the crowd if they knew anything about her whereabouts.

After he ate, he continued to play a new song for the anxious crowd that gathered around him. He then stopped suddenly and looked at them.

"I'm sorry for stopping so suddenly." He said as he put down the lyre, "But I was wondering if you knew where I could find someone named Eurydice."

"Why? Who's she to you?" someone from the crowed asked, a feeling a bit irked.

"An acquaintance of mine. She was supposed to find me but I guess...she must've lost her way. Anyway, I'm getting worried, I need to find her as soon as possible."

"But what about you songs, your grace? Is she that important that you'd stop your performance and leave your admirers straining to hear your music?"

Orpheus was taken aback. He didn't expect them to say that and he didn't know how to answer.

"Play us another song!" said one.

"Forget about the girl! You have to play us another song your grace!" said another.

"The gods have blessed you with a voice that can tame nature itself and a talent for music that can woo the heart of even the greatest of Titans; the great god Apollo even tasked you to share your gifts with the people around you, will you disobey the will of the gods?" shouted a woman from the front row in which the multitude had followed her pursuit, demanding Orpheus to play more songs.

"Enough!" the servant from earlier shouted, silencing the rest of the crowd as he turned yet again to Orpheus, "My Lord, surely these people do not understand the worth of your music. Let us travel back to Thrace where the Royal court can experience your music in its finest!"

"That's absurd!" said one finely dressed woman from the side-lines, "Come back to Athens with me and my companions. There, your music will not only be admired, but you will be praised and adored by those who know the worth of fine art."

"Nonsense! He's better off at Crete!" a man with a bronze laurel said with a whip of his toga, "The king there absolutely loves music! He'll make you the heir to the throne if you play for him your best songs! He'll even let you marry his daughter, a beautiful princess who's both witty and skilful!"

The people started to shout altogether and threatening to kill each other because of his music. They started to look feral and dangerous that Orpheus grew scared of these people...they might even attack him if they had the chance!

In desperation, he took his lyre and started to play an impromptu song about calmness, the gentle breeze of the wind and the naiads dancing around as they celebrate the coming of a mild rain-shower.

The mass calmed down and listened intently to the message of the song. It was like they were hypnotized, charmed even, by the sweet serene songs he was playing. Orpheus on the other hand was thinking of other things.

Just a moment ago, thousands of people demanded that he kept on playing and some even expected him to come with them to present at their royal courts. He should've felt honoured.

But he didn't. He hated it.

He hated the way everyone always expects him to do they want. He hated the fact that they claim to know what's best for him and yet, they barely even know him. He hates it when he's being bombarded by expectations just like what his dad had done to him a few years ago. With great talent, comes greater expectations and even greater headaches.

A thought then struck him.

The pressure that he's feeling as Orpheus...it's the same one he felt as Axel.

And that must be the reason Lord Morpheus had given him this name in the first place. This is their point of similarity. This is the intersection wherein his personality of being Axel clashes with his shadowed name being Orpheus.

A new light had shone inside his fazed head as he better understood himself from another's point of view. Because he was gifted with numerous talents, he let the expectations of others drive him along the path that they wanted him to take. Just like any other gifted people, he let them pressure him along when he should've used his gifts to acquire what he needed in the first place. It may seem wrong to others, but he needed to find Eurydice as soon as possible so they can get back to Fiddler's Green.

He now knows what to do and a smirk played along his lips as he abruptly stopped playing once again capturing the attention of the crowd.

"Listen up." He said with a compelling voice, "I'm not going to play a single note until anyone can tell me any information about Eurydice."

They called it a bluff and just waited till Orpheus started playing again. They know how musicians can't live without playing their songs, it's just their nature. What they didn't know was the Orpheus wasn't just a musician, he was also a soccer player; that being said means he can stay put without playing a single note because his life doesn't solely revolve around music unlike most artists.

"If that's how it's gonna be, then so be it." he made himself comfortable under the shade of a near-by tree and flashed the people there a smirk that said, I'm-not-gonna-do-anything-until-I-get-what-I-want.

After about an hour or so, one of the people in the crowd began to speak.

"Alright! I'll tell you what I know. Just promise me you'll start playing again if I do."

Orpheus nodded his head and listened intently to the man.

"Eurydice is a young demigod, the daughter of Apollo and a mortal woman. They say she's as beautiful as the dawn and is as talented as her father." The man said.

I remember now. According to Mr. Gaiman, Eurydice was a half-blood. She was rumoured to be just as beautiful as Orpheus' songs –a perfect match for him even.

"Well, do you know her whereabouts?" he asked hastily.

"They say she's trapped inside the dense forest, just north of here. But I warn you sire, don't go near there. The forest belongs to a group of crazed wood-nymphs; if they hear your song, they'll abduct you and force you to play for them forever. Your best chance of getting to her is by waiting for her here, where it is safe."

But it was too late. Orpheus ran towards the said forest with thoughts of only Eurydice. If something would've happened to her, he doesn't know how he could ever live with the guilt. And besides, there's something in him...something strange and powerful that pulls him towards rescuing her.

What's happening to me? Why do I feel so strange?

There was nothing he can do now. He ran faster with his lyre strapped behind him. He could hear the mob running after him but they can't seem to catch up to him. He made a few quick turns to shake them off while he kept on veering in the same direction due north. When he was sure the crowd was gone, he stealthily made his way to the very edge of the said forest.

There, a lush canopy of laurel, olive and cypress trees gathered about the terrain. It was so beautiful that it made him ignore the mischievous giggles from all around.

"Eurydice?" he called out, "If you're out there, please answer me!"

Nothing, just the sound of the cicadas minding their own business from the trees. He called out again and again hoping to find the said girl, yet he was astonished that he wasn't discovered yet by the crowd that followed him earlier.

There was still no sign of her anwhere and despite the warning the man gave him, he still took the risk of taking out his lyre and played a song about seeking for someone you can't find. The song was so powerful that it tore apart the Mist (the veil in which the gods and all mythical beings use to hide themselves from mortals) and made every single mythical being in the area visible as they stood there transfixed by his serene song...

Despite the sudden sense of danger he now feels, he continued to play hoping it'll be loud enough to get Eurydice's attention.

By the end of the song, every nymph, centaur and satyr stared at him with hungry eyes...they wanted to hear more. This alarmed Orpheus because of the murderous eyes of the tree-nymphs. Before they could even react, he bolted inside the forests, running deeper and deeper until he found himself completely lost.

"I'll lead you out..." a few voices echoes from the trees around him. Somehow, the surrounding felt a bit eerie and unsettling. "...just play some more songs Sire."

Just then, a horde of nymphs –human-like creatures with either brown or green skin and red pigmented eyes with black hair, wearing chitons made up of grass and leaves- suddenly bursted out of the trees and was headed straight towards him.

Orpheus didn't have enough time to think, he simply ran. He ran blindly through the woods as the area started to get darker and darker. Yet, as an athlete, he willed himself to run faster and faster than ever before. When he couldn't hear his pursuers following him, he took a risk and looked behind him just as a hand pulled him to the side.

The pull was a bit too strong causing him to fall ontop of someone. When he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of silver orbs staring back at him.

"Eurydice!" he yelled as he pulled her in a hug, relief washing over him. "Gods, if you only knew how worried I was!"

"Y-you were?" she asked as they pulled away. Orpheus noted how gorgeous she looked right now and he couldn't help but smile.

"Of course I was." He then stood up and offered her his hand, "Let's go, this place is getting more and more dangerous for us."

Eurydice nodded and took his hand. Once she did, the symbols on their hand started to glow along with them.

Before they knew it, they were back in Fiddler's Green, still in their own Greek attire.

"How's Ancient Greece?" Lord Morpheus asked from behind them, "I assume you had a fun time there."

~*~

Sorry for the really late update guys, but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter ^^ I'm doing my best to continue all of my stories so just stay tuned :3

And if you happen to like this one, please COMMENT, VOTE AND SHARE THIS STORY WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

Again, thanks a lot minna~