She still had no idea what was happening to her. The last thing she remembered was walking along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, then she was waiting for that boat in these strange underground caves. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought she was in the mythical world of Tartarus, where those who died went in ancient mythology.
She was led to a room where a long carpet led to a large throne. In the throne sat a man, who was speaking to another man. She didn't recognize the man sitting in the throne, but the man he was speaking to could be identified by any devout christian. She must be dead, for why else would Jesus Christ be standing there in front of her.
As she approached, both men turned to her. The man in the throne spoke. "Because of your good deeds and faith, you have been granted the gift of eternity in the Elysian fields." The Elysian fields? That was Greek myth! What was she doing in the Greek underworld, she was Canadian with no Greek in her whatsoever! And how could Jesus allow one of his followers to go to anywhere other than Heaven or Hell?
She was led to a portal and forced through it. She looked around her and saw nothing but natural beauty. Strangely enough, it reminded her of British Columbia. She wandered around, taking in her surroundings and breathing in the nice fresh air.
She stopped when she came to a lake and sat on a rock at its edge. It was several minutes before she turned to her left and saw another figure sitting by the lake, looking quite sad for someone in the Elysian fields. She walked over and sat by him. "Hi, my name is Ada James. I just got here. It's so beautiful, it's virtually paradise. Why are you so blue?"
"I miss my lover."
"How long has it been since you saw her?"
"I haven't seen him for over two millenia."
"Oh." For a few moments, she was speechless. "I've never had a real lover to miss, so I guess I can't understand how you must be feeling. You were lucky to have had that kind of love once, though."
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Not one lover?"
"Nope. Until I was in my late teens, I was such a tomboy. That, and the kids my age just never seemed to like me. They always laughed and made fun of me, just because I was a little different. Sure I was a little overweight, quite precocious, and a bit of a klutz, but that didn't make me a bad person. Nevertheless, I learnt the hard way not to trust people. When I got older, the men only went for the prettier girls. No one wanted Plain James. Sure, in my 23 years I've had a couple of dates, but never anyone who's ever made me feel really special. Since I'm dead, I guess this means I've died a virgin."
The man looked over at her with such a look of sympathy. He put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her. "My name's Joxer, and I know how you feel. My lover was the only person ever to take the time to see the person I really was inside, not the clown everyone wanted to see."
As the two figures continued talking, a figure in the far-off trees heaved a sigh. He'd loved watching Ada grow up, and killing his great-granddaughter was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. Yet he knew she would be good for Joxer. They would heal each other's pain. She would be there for Joxer while he, Ares, could not. Ares had cried the day Joxer had refused his offer of immortality, and he'd cried again the day they said goodbye. He'd visited him a couple of times in the Elysian fields, but the pain was just too much. He figured Ada was Joxer's best chance at happiness. As long as Joxer was happy, Ares knew he could go on.
Ares smiled as he saw Joxer kiss Ada's forehead. It was a start. He thought, if this is how
Aphrodite felt after every match, maybe her job wasn't so bad after all.
The End.
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