The Judge reclined in their chair with a contented sigh. Their job was not an easy one, so this was a rare moment of quiet. The peace was disrupted by a voice that spoke from the shadows of the room.

"Hello, there my little soul sorter."

It was a taunting voice. One, they had not heard in a long time. They had never seen a God look so tired. One of the ram's horns protruding from her head was missing. Her skin seemed so sapped of life that it appeared almost translucent. Evdokias' black eyes were sunken and it unnerved The Judge that they could not detect any form of life behind them. Her long raven hair had been one of the Goddess's vanities. Now, it seemed thin and disheveled.

They didn't waste breath asking how she had escaped her prison. She was here and had come to them , that was all that mattered.

"What do you want from me?" They inquired.

"Zeus doesn't know that I'm free, and I'd like to keep it that way. If I stay here, he's bound to find out and send me back" She paused, her eyes shifting away from them as if remembering her lightless imprisonment. After another moment, she continued,

"The only place where he'll have trouble finding me is Hellas"

They considered her words carefully. They were true, and her plan would work even better than she thought. Humans had begun to explore the world and new lands had been discovered. The gods did not have as much say in human affairs anymore. Zeus, in his arrogance, had not considered the consequences of keeping Evdokia away from the world of humans. Her monsters had slowly begun to disappear, and so did the ancient heroes, and with them the mortal's faith in the Gods. Considering all that, it would be very hard to find a wandering Goddess who, as far as anyone else was concerned, was still fulfilling her eternal punishment. Of course, that did not answer their question, "Seems a little foolish to reveal yourself to us when we can not help you"

"I've come to you, because it's your job, to sort the souls of the dead. To decide if a soul will be reincarnated, or if the soul will continue on to Hades's realm. You are the only one I trust to deal with the official or unofficial paperwork, that is required for one such as me to visit the human plane." She says picking at one of her yellowing fingernails.

" What makes you think that we will concede to do such a thing?" They asked.

"Because I know your little secret. The one thing that can give Hades a reason to finally feed you to Cerberus."

Anxious fear filled them, it was something they had not felt in a long time. Since the beginning of time, they had judged the souls of the dead. It was rare for them to make a mistake. However, there was only one that might interest the Lady of Shadows.

"Do you presume to blackmail the Judge of the dead?" They demanded.

The Goddess only smirked. She'd played her cards well and now they were trapped. She was smart enough to not tell their secret to Hades herself. And, they were certain that she could find a way down to earth, with or without their help.

She must have known she'd won because she turned to leave while saying, "I'll be back at sunrise tomorrow. Farewell, my little soul sorter." Disappearing once again into the shadows.

-----------------------

Evdokia returned the following morning as promised. She had spent the night nursing her wounds and trying to regain some semblance of her former strength. She was not yet comfortable in the light and preferred to stay with the similar darkness of the prison that lurks inside her. Contaminating her magic.

The Judge sat in their tall chair overlooking the rest of the poorly lit room. The Judge had no gender, nor a particular form or shape. The Judge knew almost everything about everyone. However, they never divulge the information to anyone. With only one exception. Something that could get them in serious trouble. The Judge's cold eyes landed on her as she appeared before them.

"The world has changed much in the time you have been away. They no longer call it Hellas, the humans call it Earth." Their words meant little. Of course, the humans had advanced since she'd been gone.

"Many of your monsters have gone into hiding or adapted to their new environment. Often they are hunted for sport. There are buildings that reach for the clouds and large cities that are like none you have ever seen. The Gods have been forgotten."

Evdokia was a little discontent, but refused to believe so much had changed. Curiosity tugged at the back of her mind. If they thought to convince her to stay away from Earth then they would fail. She raised an eyebrow. With a sigh, the Judge continued, " I have made all the arrangements, in a little bit, a path will open and you will descend to the human plane. I suggest you come up with a human form in the meantime."

Excitement rushed through Evdokia, soon she would be rid of this place. She would see this new world and start a new life. She would finally be free of the Gods and all their machinations. Except, the price of escape had been high. And even now she could feel the terrible darkness pressing against her.