Persephone Read online

  “Okay.” I couldn’t help but laugh at how flustered Cassandra looked.

  She glared at me and took another sip of her latte. “Anyway, why did you ask?”

  “I was just curious.”

  She nodded, and I was surprised she accepted that as truth so readily. At school an exchange like this would have resulted in me being grilled mercilessly, but she knew I couldn’t lie. How had I not realized that before?

  “Let’s go shopping,” Cassandra said, nudging her plate to the center of the table.

  She showed me all sorts of stores where people made beautiful things for the sake of doing something they enjoyed. I browsed the jewelry stores and the handmade clothes.

  I could shop for fashions across time. My hand skipped over a blue Victorian gown and stopped on a green tunic. In school, wearing something like this would be ridiculous, but here people would just assume I was from Ancient Greece.

  “You going to get anything?” Cassandra asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

  “Not today.” I tucked the tunic back into the rack. I was comfortable in my own era of clothing.

  “All right. Well, I have to head back to the palace. Do you remember the way back?”

  I nodded. “I’ll be back in time for my history lessons with Hestia.”

  Cassandra grinned. “Good girl. I’ll see you in court.”

  I watched her leave, and then meandered through the shops, doing my best to ignore Thanatos. It was weird shopping with a guy following me. As the light from the sky grew stronger, more souls and Reapers crowded the shopping square, so I made my way out to the riverbank. I avoided the Lethe; I didn’t trust myself not to do something stupid like fall in. Instead I walked along the Styx back toward the castle, watching Charon’s little boat move along the bank.

  “You’re not afraid of me, are you?” Thanatos asked when he caught up to me.

  “Why?”

  “You keep speeding up when you see me behind you.”

  “Sorry.” I slowed down.

  Thanatos fell into step beside me, his dark robes seeming out of place against the vivid colors of the Underworld. “I’d forgotten.”

  “Hmm?”

  “What it was like to frighten someone.”

  “I find that hard to believe. I mean, you’re Death!”

  He smiled. “No one down here has any reason to fear death. They’re all immortal or already dead.”

  “I’m sorry if I’ve been rude.”

  “Don’t be. I wouldn’t want a guard following me either. It’s kind of condescending, really.”

  “I’m glad someone sees it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the protection, but I thought I was supposed to be safe down here. I’m not safe enough to walk to a coffee shop by myself?”

  Thanatos nodded, pushing his hands into the pockets of his robe. “Tell you what—don’t think of me as a guard. Just think of me as a friend. We’re just walking together, okay?”

  I smiled. “Okay.”

  We reached the palace, and our footsteps echoed on the marble floors. “I’ll be around if you need me,” Thanatos reminded me. I waved, heading to my room for lessons with Hestia.

  She came right on time. The goddess was soft-spoken and diminutive. After looking askance at my papasan chair with her smoldering gray eyes, she created a side room for our lessons that contained a simple wooden table and two wooden chairs. The most interesting thing in the room was the fireplace.

  Then she took one of the seats, motioning for me to take the other. In her soft voice she gave me a brief rundown on all the living gods and proceeded to tell me the history of the gods of Olympus. She spoke for precisely one hour and fifty minutes, leaving ten minutes for questions.

  I had a splitting headache by the time I got to the throne room. It didn’t help that I was nervous. Rhad and Minos had already taken their seats. Their voices rose and fell in murmured conversation. Moirae glared at me and sat in her chair with a huff. I ignored her and waved to Cassandra.

  “Where’s Hades?” I asked.

  “Here.” Hades appeared out of thin air at his throne.

  “You have got to teach me how to do that.”

  He grinned, and the carved wooden doors set in the intricately carved stone arches burst open. Aeacus led more souls than I could count through the door.

  “Now we’re back to the throne room,” Aeacus said. “You’ve met Moirae, of course, but now allow me to present the rulers of the Underworld: Lord Hades and Queen Persephone.”

  I stood and smiled. My gaze traveled over the court. I was vaguely aware of Hades speaking. There were men and women of every age and ethnicity. Their style of dress made it clear they were from all over the world. They watched Hades with rapt attention. I’d expected tears and panic, but except for a few souls fidgeting anxiously, they stood there calm and collected in the face of their deaths. My gaze kept getting caught on the children.

  “Say something,” Hades hissed.

  “Can they all understand me? English, I mean.”

  He gave me an odd look and signaled to Cassandra. She launched into a speech warning about the dangers of the Lethe as Hades whispered, “Everyone you’ve met so far isn’t speaking English. All speech at its base carried universal meanings. Death is the universal translator.”

  “I’m not dead. How can I understand them all?”

  “Uh, you’ve always been able to. You’re a goddess.”

  “No, I can’t.”

  Hades sighed. “Yes, you can.”

  “I’ve taken foreign language classes—”

  “Demeter let you—” He sighed as Cassandra began wrapping up her speech. “Which language?”

  “Latin.”

  “That’s mostly written, and there aren’t any native speakers anymore.”

  “So if the person speaking isn’t—”

  “Look, can you just say something so we can go?”

  “What should I say?” My heart hammered in my throat and my mouth went cotton-dry. What could I possibly say to a bunch of dead people? Sorry you’re dead? Abandon all hope? Welcome to hell? Good news, we’ve got cable?

  I clamped my lips shut. Oh God! What if I actually said something like that in front of all these people?

  Hades sighed again.

  “Do you need a paper bag or something?” I snapped.

  Hades shot me a murderous look, and I realized all the souls were looking at me. I spoke without thinking. “Thank you, Cassandra. I hope you all enjoyed the tour.” Yeah, Persephone, I’m sure they enjoyed the postmortem tour. “Um, have a happy afterlife.”

  Minos jumped in before I could make a bigger fool of myself. “Does anyone have any concerns they would like Lord Hades or Lady Persephone to address?”

  Aeacus led the souls without questions from the throne room. I was relieved to see most of the children go with him. As I suspected, the souls who stayed had been the ones fidgeting throughout the speeches, waiting for their chance to speak. They clamored for our attention. I could sum up their requests in three words: put me back. Unfortunately they used far more than three words. They each told heartbreaking stories.

  “You have to let me go back,” a man in a black tuxedo was saying.

  “I’m sorry, but I won’t do that.” Hades sounded sincere, but it didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t say that he couldn’t do it, just that he wouldn’t.

  The man must have noticed as well. “I’ll give you anything. I’ve got money, lots of money, and I’ve got—”

  “You can’t buy me off.” The compassion was gone from Hades’ voice.

  The man shifted gears and looked at me. “Please,” he whispered. “I have to go back.”

  I looked at Hades, then back at the soul. “I can’t—”

  “No!” he shouted. He rushed forward, ignoring the judges’ shouts. “You can’t say no to me, no one says no to me! I—”

  Hades flicked his fingers when the man reached my throne. He flew backward, hitting the th
rone doors with a thud.

  “Minos,” Hades said in a calm voice, “please see to it that this gentleman gets settled.”

  I stared at Hades wide-eyed. “Is that code for something?”

  Hades gave me a look. “No, it’s not code for something. The man just died. Bargaining and anger are part of the process. He’ll be fine. Next!”

  By the time it was over, Hades was gripping my shoulder, keeping me in my seat until the last soul left the room. When his hand left my shoulder I bolted out of the throne and ran for the door.

  Hades waved Thanatos off and followed me as I fled from the palace. “It gets easier,” he said when I finally came to a halt in the center of the castle gardens.

  “How?” I gulped, blinking back tears. “I mean, there were children, and they all wanted—” I couldn’t finish.

  He opened his mouth, closed it, and ran his fingers through his hair. “You get used to it. Those people, they’re upset for the moment, but when they adjust—”

  I made a strangled laughing sound.

  “I’m serious,” he said. “Follow me.”

  I hesitantly trailed him through the courtyard. He led me to the edge of the suburbs where the new souls milled around looking out of place.

  “What—” I began.

  “There.” He pointed at an elderly man rapidly approaching the group, calling a woman’s name.

  An older woman turned, her eyes widening when she saw the man. A wordless yell erupted from her lips and she ran to him and leaped into his arms. He spun her around, laughing.

  “See?” Hades said. “It gets better.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  He nodded and walked back toward the palace. “See you at dinner?”

  I nodded. Thanatos came and took his place beside me when Hades stopped at the group of children gathered near the new souls and knelt to their level, speaking animatedly.

  I watched in disbelief as worry and fear left their faces. They smiled when he produced some candy from his pocket and sent them clamoring toward a large playground with adults surrounding it. The adults watched the children with expressions ranging from hope to dread. Were they people who’d always wanted kids, or parents looking for their children? What would that be like, watching every day, half hoping you could see your children again, half terrified because it meant their lives would be over?

  I watched the playground for a long time, waiting until each child was claimed.

  Chapter XI

  “There you are!” Cassandra exclaimed, dragging a gorgeous blond woman with her. “Persephone, Helen. Helen, Persephone. Come on, we’ve got a lot to do.”

  “Like what?” I followed her back to my room.

  “Helen designs the best dresses, and we have to go over everything you’ll need to know about the ball tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be out here if you need me,” Thanatos reminded me.

  Helen and Cassandra were babbling to one another at the speed of light about fabrics, colors, and cuts. All I knew about dresses was that they came from the mall. “I think I may need you,” I whispered to Thanatos in trepidation.

  Thanatos grinned at me. “No way in hell.” He winked as my door closed.

  Designing a dress didn’t take long in the Underworld. Helen tapped my shoulder, and I was wearing a princess cut gown. She frowned and made adjustments here and there, tapping my shoulder each time.

  “Are you Helen of Troy?” I asked. Her golden eyes warily turned to me and she nodded.

  It was strange being in the same room with the face that launched a thousand ships. She was pretty, but it wasn’t her face that stood out to me. It was her hair. It was a beautiful shade of red and blonde that combined to make a golden color I’d never seen before. It fell down her back in luxurious waves. I’d never had a problem with my hair before. I considered it to be my best feature, but seeing Helen’s hair, I was jealous.

  “You have pretty hair!” I blurted out. My eyes widened, horrified I’d spoken aloud.

  “Thank you,” she said warmly. “Want to try it out?”

  “Huh?”

  A floor-length mirror appeared in front of me and I glanced into it, startled to see my hair the same golden tone. I stared at the two of us standing side by side in the mirror, and something about the reflections bothered me.

  In a flash I knew what it was. “You look like me!” I reverted to my blonde shade. “I mean, not the hair color, obviously, but we look alike.”

  “We do share a father.”

  I was momentarily dumbfounded before I remembered: Helen of Troy was a daughter of Zeus.

  “Okay, we’re done here.” She tapped my shoulder, and I was wearing a pair of black shorts and sleeveless blue t-shirt, made of thin waterproof material.

  “What?” I looked at my outfit dumbfounded.

  “Time for your self-defense lessons.” Cassandra grinned.

  Helen smiled. “I’ll be by tomorrow night, right before the ball.”

  They’d hardly left when Charon entered my room.

  “Good afternoon,” he called in his jovial voice. “You ready to learn how to kick ass?”

  He walked me through basic self-defense moves. I remembered most of it from the class I’d taken a few years ago. Charon reviewed how to escape different holds and grabs.

  “Can I meet some of the heroes?” I asked when he wrapped up the lesson.

  “Sorry, sunshine. Most heroes choose to drink from the Lethe. They tend to have tragic lives. Now they can finally rest.”

  “Oh.”

  He laughed at the obvious disappointment in my voice. “Who were you hoping to meet?”

  I flushed. “I was a fan of the Hercules show when I was younger.”

  “He had a show?” Charon raised his eyebrows. “I only caught the cartoon.”

  “I loved that cartoon!”

  “Don’t let Hades hear you say that.” Charon laughed. “Or that you’re a fan of Herc.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s been bad blood between those two ever since Hercules stole Hades’ dog.”

  “Cerberus? The myth called that a loan.”

  “It was. But Hercules never brought Cerberus back, and now he’s drunk from the Lethe so he can never tell Hades where to find him.”

  I blinked. Everything dead came to the Underworld. If Cerberus had never returned… “You mean there’s a three-headed dog running around on the surface?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. You seem to have a pretty firm grasp on the basics, so let’s see how you do.”

  “Do? Like…” I struggled to remember the word. “Sparring?”

  “Yes.”

  “With you? Today? I only just started. You and Thanatos weren’t serious about that bet, were you?”

  “No, Thanatos isn’t an idiot. He wouldn’t dare lay a finger on you, and neither will I.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

  “You’re Hades’ wife.”

  I flushed. “Not really, we’re just—”

  Charon waved a hand. “Doesn’t matter. No god in their right mind is going to lay a finger on you unless they want to start a war. We need someone Hades can safely channel his anger at if you get hurt.”

  “I don’t think I’m ready for—”

  “You’re not human. Humans have fight-or-flight instincts. We have only fight. We weren’t designed to be afraid of anything. We created the food chain, so that arrogance is hardwired right into our DNA. You have better instincts for this than you think you do, and the only way I can evaluate that is to see you in action.”

  “Wait. Better instincts? So because I can make flowers bloom, I’m hardwired to do battle?” I laughed.

  “Not every god was lucky enough to get powers,” Charon pointed out. “So don’t knock yours. Every god is blessed with better reflexes, and a touch more strength than the average human.” He frowned. “It was a much more notable difference before humanity discovered vitamins.”

  “I’
m not stronger than anyone.” I wished I could claim otherwise, but some heavy doors gave me trouble. I had no delusions about my strength.

  “Not yet. You haven’t grown into your powers. We’re not talking super-strength, anyway; it’s a pretty tiny boost. And it does correlate to height and build, so chances are while you’ll be stronger than someone else your size, you still won’t outmatch most humans.”

  “Oh.”

  “So let’s see what we’ve got to work with.” Charon snapped his fingers.

  Before I could ask what he meant, a man grabbed me from behind. I threw my head back like I’d been taught, but instead of breaking his nose, my head bounced harmlessly off his chest.

  I slammed my foot down, causing him to grunt in pain. His grip barely loosened but it was enough to twist free. I spun to face him and froze.

  The figure before me was a bent and twisted husk of a man. His skin was gray, bleached of color, and gaunt. I could make out each bone in his face. His eyes sparked with hatred and he came toward me with a guttural growl.

  I sprang backward. “What is he?”

  “This is Bob,” Charon said, his cheerful demeanor seeming out of sync in the same room as the man before me. The thing cut Charon an irritated glare and Charon shrugged. “Not Bob? Meh, no one actually cares what your name is. Bob here is one of the residents of Tartarus. I told him if he could beat you I’d consider letting him out on good behavior.”

  I remembered what Charon had said about needing a safe target for Hades if I got hurt, and my eyes widened. Before I could respond, Bob surged forward and I scrambled to get out of his path. I wasn’t fast enough, and he caught me in my shoulder. I stumbled and his hand flashed out, wrapped around my neck and slammed me into the wall.

  I pried at his hand but his grip didn’t weaken. My vision blurred. I kneed him in the groin and he dropped me with an angry yell. I kicked his knees. He fell to the ground. I rolled to my feet, but his hand wrapped around my ankle and gave me a vicious tug. I fell, my head striking the exercise mat hard enough to see stars. He pinned me to the ground. I squirmed beneath him, trying desperately to escape his grasp, and suddenly the weight lifted off me.