Macaria

Mac ran angrily along the same path as Mel, reaching the palace’s green garden.

The young man with green hair now gathered several fruits in a basket and smiled when he saw the princess. Before he could say anything she screamed.

“Not now, Ask!”

Unfortunately for Mac, she didn't know where to go. She would hate to admit it, but she didn't have half as many friends as Angela, and even Mel managed to keep company with the local dead.

She looked up at the fake stars and all she could think was about how it was on the surface. The stars, the sun, the clouds. These thoughts were also accompanied by fear. She knew very well the type of people that lived above, however she hoped to find those who would be worth it.

“Usually people who dream are sleeping,” said a male voice making Mac wake up from her trance in a jump.

The boy had a jovial smile, although his face showed traces of someone who had just woken up. His skin was black and his hair was curly, looking extremely comfortable to lie in. He was wearing black pajamas with a pattern of skulls. The most impressive thing about the young man is that he was floating hugging what appeared to be a pillow the same size as him.

Despite the scare, Mac smiled when she saw the boy. It was good to see one of the few friendly faces he knew.

“Shouldn't you be working, Hypnos?”

“I should.” The lack of an explanation from Hypnos didn't bother Mac.

“Let me know when you run away from work. We can meet.”

Before answering he yawned for twenty seconds.

“I only kill work to sleep. Just thinking about doing something makes me lazy.”

“Well, my day has already started badly, so, as my friend, I demand your company.”

The young god shrugged and his floating pillow followed Mac's footsteps, even though Hypnos had his eyes closed the entire time.

They walked the streets of the underworld. Despite being quite populous, everyone had a role to play. The city leader didn't like beings who didn't fulfill their roles, so everyone went to where they would be most efficient in their day.

Hypnos nodded to everything Mac said but rarely responded, which was reassuring to her. She didn't want to hear judgments of her actions, just pour out everything she felt.

“And he had time to stay on the surface. I'm stuck in this place with…”

She stopped talking, thinking about how to describe Mel and Angela without sounding too rude and ended up not being able to say anything.

The duo walked along the bank of a river that flowed in the interior of the city. Its water was clear, and almost translucent, with white and green streaks passing by eventually and a light mist emanating from it. Mac always thought that if a river could be a ghost, this is what it would look like.

At that point on the river there was little traffic, the boat used to stop at the entrance to the underworld, where souls descended from the River Styx.

“By the way,” Hypnos said for the first time in half an hour, “Tan is coming back.”

Instinctively Mac tucked her hair behind her ear. Lucky for her, Hypnos had his eyes closed and didn't notice.

“When will he arrive?”

The young man shrugged in indifference.

“How come you don’t know the details of your brother's arrival?”

“He comes and goes. It is a lot of effort to remember details of each trip.”

Mac took a deep breath to gather patience and gave Hypnos a fake smile.

“Let me know when he gets back. He must have a lot of stories from the surface.”

“Why? You always talk about him when he's on the surface, but when he gets here you seem to avoid him.”

The princess couldn't help but blush, something that was easily visible thanks to her pale skin. She hoped Hypnos's lack of attention prevented him from understanding the situation and continued talking.

“So you ask him about surface stories and tell me later.”

He did not answer. The young man had fallen asleep in the middle of the conversation and was only woken up by his cell phone ringing. As he looked at the screen, his eyes widened, showing the first sign of emotion in the conversation.

“I have to go or your father will kill me! By the way, here in the workgroup there is talk that the Erinyes are going to be summoned after you. Be careful.”

Hypnos floated his pillow away from Mac. The girl just stared at the river, wondering when the next surface vessel would arrive.

Her thoughts drifted away again. She wondered if her father would allow her to go out with Thanatos, so that she could both spend time with the young man and fulfill her dream of seeing the upper world.

She realized she was daydreaming again. Without Hypnos to watch her dreams, she let herself go, and lay on the bank of the Styx creating impossible memories.