Persephone

Chapter VIII

I heard a hesitant knock on the door and quickly wiped the tears off my face. “Come in!” I looked at the door, expecting to see Hades. I was surprised when a dark-haired, waif-like teenage girl entered instead. My eyes focused on the unicorn rearing up toward the full moon on her purple T-shirt, surprised to see something I recognized in this strange place.
“I’m Cassandra,” she said cheerfully, offering me a hand.
I took it, and she hauled me up to my feet. “You’ve had a good thirty minutes to feel sorry for yourself. Now it’s time to look around your kingdom.”
I bristled, opening my mouth to tell her off, but changed my mind. However angry I was, Cassandra wasn’t the one who should be left dealing with the fallout. I looked her over—she couldn’t be much older than me. Maybe I didn’t have so much to complain about.
After all, I was still alive.
“I’m Persephone.” I’d considered introducing myself as Kora, but I didn’t want to stay down here long enough to justify someone calling me by my nickname. “And yeah, I guess I’d like a tour.”
She led me down the hall, stopping at a set of black double doors across from the room I’d woken up in. “This is my room.” She threw the door open.
The chamber had a living room with a long hall branching off to what I assumed was the bedroom. I gaped as I took in the posters of anime characters plastered to the walls, the picture windows overlooking an unfamiliar skyline, and fixed upon the huge flat screen television hanging on the wall, surrounded by a comfortable wrap around leather sofa.
“Nice! I didn’t know you guys got TV down here.” This might not be as bad as I’d thought. At least I wasn’t going to fall behind on all my favorite shows.
“Every trend eventually dies,” Cassandra explained with a grin. I nodded as though that made perfect sense, and she laughed. “I’m kidding! We have access to almost everything you guys do. It’s just separate. We can call or message each other, but the living are strictly off limits.” She gave me a mischievous look. “Otherwise we might cause a lot of trouble.”
I got the feeling when she said we, she meant her. I grinned back at her. I kind of liked this girl.
She ushered me out, closing the door behind her.
“Does everyone live in here?”
“In the palace? Nah. The souls mostly live in the suburbs. The palace is just for a few special people. Like Moirae, Charon, Thanatos, visiting deities—oh, and now you, I guess. I’m kind of an advisor to Hades, so he keeps me close at hand.”
I nodded, digesting the knowledge that I was standing in some kind of castle. Advisor? Judging by the posters in her room, Cassandra hadn’t been dead for more than five years. I doubted she was an advisor to Hades. Maybe she was his girlfriend? If so, she was taking this whole marriage thing really well.
“Suburbs?” I asked, seeing Cassandra eyeing me expectantly.
She laughed. “We’ll get to those later.”
She led me through the palace, pointing out the impressive dining hall. The entertainment suite surprised me—complete with a computer, big screen television, and every video game console I’d never known existed. It just didn’t go with the ancient decor.
“He gets bored.” Cassandra shrugged. “Eternity is a long time.”
I followed her down yet another long hall, trying to remember all the twists and turns and rooms we’d gone through. “Can I get a map of this place?”
Cassandra just laughed and led me up a winding staircase to a tower. I blinked, taking in the glass walls overlooking a picturesque landscape. I stared at the sky, blue as forget-me-nots. Splashes of fuchsia flowers bloomed against the emerald green grass. Dazzling aquamarine rivers wound their way through lavender mountains.
“I thought—”
“That is would be all underground and cave-like? Yeah, that’s a common misconception. Everything that dies comes to the Underworld. It’s a separate realm, and it’s huge. It would take eternity to see it all, but from here I can give you the highlights.”
“Okay.” I was in complete awe of the beauty of this place. I didn’t see the sun, but felt the sensation of sunlight flooding through the windows.
“So that—” Cassandra pointed at one of the beautiful rivers winding its way through the landscape “—is the River Lethe. Don’t drink the water, bathe in it, or even touch it.”
“Why?” I gazed longingly at the translucent water and pressed my hand against the cool glass. I’ve always hated swimming, and all the water I’d ever drank came from a faucet, but something about the sparkling water called to every fiber of my being.
“You’ll forget things. Sometimes when a soul comes here, their death was traumatizing, or maybe their whole life sucked. This river gives them a chance to forget the things that would otherwise haunt them.”
“Like Oreithyia?”
Cassandra hesitated. “She’s an extreme case. There are different levels of memory loss. The Lethe can take away all memories associated with a singular event or person, or wipe away their entire lives, and everything in between. Some memories go deeper than others. Boreas knew she would be coming here so he…made it difficult. He doesn’t like to be forgotten.”
I didn’t ask how. I was having a hard enough time dwelling on what could have happened to me. I didn’t need further details.
“We also use it on people who’ve done bad things in life,” Cassandra continued. “We take away all their memories, and they serve in the palace or around the Underworld until their sentence is up.”
That didn’t seem like much of a punishment. “Why?”
“For most people, their circumstances contributed to whatever crime they committed. This gives them a blank slate. When they finish their sentence they can live the rest of their afterlife in peace. Of course it doesn’t work like that for everyone, but between me and Moirae we can usually tell who should go straight to Tartarus.”
I didn’t want to hear anything about Hell. It was bad enough it was so close by. “Who’s Moirae?”
Cassandra smirked. “You’ll meet her later. Anyway, the point is, don’t drink from the Lethe.”
I nodded, staring at the Lethe. I wished I could forget the last forty-eight hours, but that wouldn’t change anything. I would still be here and Boreas would still be—
My head shot up. “Could we give that water to Boreas? Make him forget he ever saw me?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t work on deities. You haven’t grown into your divinity yet, but when you do you’ll be immune too.”
“Oh,” I said, disappointed.
“That was a good idea, though,” Cassandra said encouragingly. After a moment’s pause she pointed above the Lethe. “Do you see that mountain up there? That’s Olympus.”
“I thought Olympus was supposed to be in the sky.”
“It fell thousands of years ago when people stopped believing in the gods. Most of them died then. They live above the Elysian Fields on their mountain now.”
“Could I meet them?”
Cassandra shrugged. “You can’t go into the Elysian Fields, but the gods get bored easily. They may come to you. You’re new and interesting.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. So far, having the gods take an interest in me had been nothing but trouble. Cassandra turned me to the left and pointed at another river.
“That’s the Styx, and you see those houses over there?”
I nodded.
“Those are the Asphodel Fields. I call them the suburbs.”
I could see why. Pastel-colored houses lined the streets, with postage stamp green lawns surrounded by picket fences. “It looks nice.”
“Pretty much everyone ends up in the Asphodel Fields. You have to be really awesome to end up in the Elysian Fields, and really horrible to end up in Tartarus. Most people live normal lives, and live a normal afterlife.”
“It’s not what I pictured.” I thought back on the Divine Comedy essay I’d written for English class.
Cassandra leaned against the glass wall. It was so clean it looked as if there was nothing stopping her from falling through the bright blue skies. “The Underworld’s just like the living realm, only more peaceful. We still have stores, but no money changes hands. People had things they loved to do up there, and now they can do it down here without any pressure.”
“I wouldn’t want to work in my afterlife.” I stretched. “I’d relax and…well, I don’t know what, but I wouldn’t work.”
“Well, the people sentenced to the Lethe do most of the work, but the shops are run by hobbyists. Most people don’t want to do anything resembling work at first,” Cassandra said with a smile, “but eventually they get bored and start learning how to do new things or perfecting a skill they already had.”
“I guess.” I wasn’t convinced. “Can I meet Charon?”
“Maybe later. He’s on the other side of the river right now. See his little boat? The new batch of souls should arrive with him soon.” She pointed to a speck bobbing on the Styx.
I peered closely at the River Styx. In the center was a small island of trees. I could just barely see a long wooden canoe-like boat gliding around the island.
“Anyway,” Cassandra continued, “there’s a few other rivers beyond the Styx, but you have no reason to visit them. If you go past the suburbs you’ll run into a river made of fire called the Phlegethon; that marks the boundary to Tartarus.”
“Sounds like a great place for a swim,” I muttered.
Cassandra laughed. “It’s not as bad as you’d think. There’s a fail-safe, so it doesn’t burn the souls on this side of the river. It actually feels pretty cool.” She paused, considering. “But then I am already dead. No telling what it would do to you. Anyway, you can go anywhere in the suburbs, the palace, and the gardens, but no matter where you are, stop when you get to water.”
I almost wanted to object—who was Cassandra to tell me where I was allowed to go?—but I suppressed the feeling. Beyond the river of fire was Hell. Not a place I wanted to go sightseeing. I didn’t want to risk touching the Lethe, and if I recalled correctly, Cerberus, Hades’ three-headed monster dog, guarded the other side of the Styx. If Cassandra said an area was off limits, I didn’t intend to take any chances.
“Okay. I think I can handle that.”
Cassandra beamed. “Great! Now let me show you the coolest part of the Underworld.” She led me back down the stairs, through the palace, and opened a set of double doors with a grin. “This is the throne room.”
I stepped inside and stared in awe. It was massive and carved entirely from white marble. At the center of the round room were two thrones cut from a solid black stone I couldn’t identify. Two small chairs of the same material sat off to either side.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“I know. You never get used to it. The court of the dead is held here about twice a week. Moirae hangs out over there.” She motioned to a chair on the left of the throne. “I’m over there.” She indicated the chair to the right. “You and Hades will be right here.”
I looked at the thrones. Surely they wouldn’t have added a throne for me. I wasn’t really queen, and I’d been here for less than twelve hours. But why have two thrones? Cassandra hadn’t hesitated before pointing to her usual spot, so it wasn’t as if she typically sat there. I wondered at the mentality behind having an empty seat beside you for all eternity. Who would want the reminder that they were alone?
I mulled that over while I followed her back to the hall with the bedrooms. I caught sight of a man making his way down the long hallway. “Who’s that?”
Cassandra followed my pointed finger and narrowed her dark eyes. “Hey you!” She jogged through the entertainment room to the hall.
I followed closely behind her, studying the man. Something was off about him. He was tall, wearing robes the same disorienting black I’d seen on Hades, but that wasn’t what stood out to me. Light seemed to bend around him, as though he was sucking it out of the room.
“Reapers aren’t allowed down here.” Cassandra frowned. “How did you get clearance?”
“From Thanatos. What about you? Do you have clearance?” he asked in a snide voice.
Cassandra bristled. “I live here.”
“Ah yes, Hades’ pet soul. I almost forgot. What about her?” He motioned to me.
“None of your business. She belongs here, you don’t. So shoo!”
“I’m Persephone.” I was determined to be polite, no matter how snide he sounded.
Cassandra sighed. “You don’t have to talk to him.”
“I’m Zachary.” He gave me an appreciative once-over. “You must be new here.”
“I am.” I made myself meet his eyes. It was hard to look at him directly; my eyes kept getting distracted by the strange bends in light around him. “Nice to meet you.” I extended my hand.
“No, Persephone, don’t!” Cassandra reached out to block the Reaper’s hand. His fingers brushed mine and I fell to my knees screaming. Fire laced through my veins. Something ripped inside of me, trying to break free.
“Shit! She’s alive?” Zachary sprang away from me, hands in the air.
“Yes, she’s alive, you idiot!” Cassandra yelled. She knelt beside me. “Hades!”
I gasped. My arms were crossed over my chest, gripping my shoulders to hold myself together. My vision swam. I doubled over, my head nearly touching the stone floor.
“What happened?” Hades appeared in front of me. He knelt beside me, a frown marring his otherwise perfect face. He touched my shoulder and I cried out. Something within me shifted and suddenly the pain was gone.
I stared up at him, breathing hard. “What—”
Hades was already on his feet, turning on the Reaper. “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t know she was alive, I swear!”
“I didn’t ask if you knew she was alive, I asked what you’re doing here.”
“What happened?” I asked Cassandra when she offered me her hand and helped me up.
“Reapers collect souls and bring them to the Underworld,” she explained.
“Thanatos sent me. I was getting the list. I’m really sorry.” Zachary met my eyes. “I didn’t know you were alive.”
That horrible feeling had been my soul? I stared at Zachary in disbelief. He looked terrified. I followed his gaze to Hades.
“It was my fault. I shook his hand. I didn’t know that would happen.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “He shouldn’t be here at all, and he knows it. You should be able to walk around freely in your own palace.”
“Her own…” Zachary paled. “Oh shit. I mean, I’m really really sorry. I didn’t know we have a queen.”
I opened my mouth to correct him, but Cassandra squeezed my hand.
Hades looked at Cassandra, then back at Zachary. “Go find Thanatos and bring him to me.”
Zachary stumbled away, apologizing with every step.
“You okay?” Hades touched my shoulder and looked me over.
I nodded, shaken. Hades looked concerned, so I cleared my throat and climbed to my feet. “I’m fine.” To my embarrassment I felt myself leaning into his touch. I snapped out of it and looked at Cassandra. “Why did you say this was my palace? I’m just visiting—”
“Nope, you’re the queen,” Cassandra corrected cheerfully. She glanced at Hades. “You want Persephone to have lots of exposure. She needs to be seen by everyone.”
“What did you see?” Hades sounded alarmed.
“See?” I asked confused. My eyes widened as I made the connection. “Wait, you’re the Cassandra?”
She gave me a tightlipped smile and nodded before turning back to Hades. “Nothing concrete yet. I just know Boreas is still looking for her.”
Hades leaned against the wall, brow furrowed in thought. “Do you think he’ll give up if he finds out she’s here?”
Cassandra shrugged. “I can’t be sure. But there’s no way he can get down here. As long as he doesn’t have reason to believe she’ll return to the surface, I don’t see why he would bother.”
“But he may cause trouble on the surface to lure her up.”
She shrugged. “Anything is possible at this point.”
“What do you mean?” I demanded “And I am going back. In three months, remember?”
“I’m already counting the days,” Hades replied dryly. “Unfortunately, you’ll be back next winter.” He looked at Cassandra. “I’ll contact Demeter and tell her to keep her guard up. She can warn her people.”
“Boreas can’t be stupid enough to think we’d let the queen leave her realm,” Cassandra pointed out.
Hades didn’t look convinced. “Well, Brumalia is coming up. That’s as good a time for a marriage announcement as any. If Boreas has spies here, they’ll see her.”
“She is standing right here!” I snapped. “I’m not sure I want to play queen. And spies? I thought I was safe here.”
“You’re not playing queen,” Cassandra began.
Hades cut in. “You are safe—”
“Someone just tried to rip my soul out of my body!”
“It was an accident, and your soul wasn’t going anywhere. You’re a goddess, remember? In a couple of years you’ll be able to shake hands—” he gave me an incredulous look “—with Reapers all day without any problems. You are safe from Boreas and his spies. It’s the rest of the surface I’m worried about. Boreas knows I intervened, but he’s not going to jump to the conclusion that my next step was marrying you and bringing you here.”
“True,” Cassandra said. “Hades has gone millennia without getting married. Why would he choose to share power now? Boreas is probably looking all over Athens for you now, and your people aren’t exactly used to winter.”
I blanched, thinking of everyone I knew up there. “What will he do when he can’t find me?”
“He’ll go after people you know and make them tell him where you are.” Cassandra’s voice was gentle.
“How does he know who I am? Or who I know?”
“He knows,” Hades replied. “He’s never got along particularly well with your mother, so it’s only natural he’d keep close tabs on her whereabouts. I imagine he’s been watching you for quite some time, waiting for you to develop enough of your abilities to survive your abduction.”
I sucked in my breath, realizing the paranoid sensation of being watched hadn’t been so crazy after all. How long had he been lingering in the shadows waiting for the right time to take me?
“He’s been watching me?”
My voice was shaking. Hades’ eyes went wide and he shot a look at Cassandra. She shook her head and stepped back, arms in the air in an “I surrender” motion. “I’m dead, remember? I don’t do comfort well.”
Everything I thought I’d imagined was real. I shuddered, thinking of all the times it had felt like something was right behind me.
A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped.
“It’s okay.” Hades’ voice was reassuring. “He’s not going to find you here.”
I swallowed hard. “If no gods can come down here—”
“Most,” Cassandra interjected.
I froze. Hades shot her an annoyed look. “You’re not helping.” He returned his attention to me. “Without my permission. And that’s a one-way trip. The only gods who can go back and forth are you, me, Thanatos, and Hecate.”
“I haven’t seen Hecate in years,” Cassandra mused. “She’s still avoiding Moirae. Hermes used to be able to cross realms, but he died.” She returned Hades’ death glare. “Fine, not helping. Got it.”
“So how could he have spies?”
Hades sighed. “Anytime I leave the Underworld, it creates an entrance to this realm. Generally only gods or gifted humans can see it. Humans cannot enter except by death, and gods cannot enter except by invitation.”
“So how—”
“Demigods.” Cassandra chimed in. “They kind of fall into a gray area.”
“Which is why all entrances lead to Tartarus,” Hades explained. “That in itself is enough to dissuade most of them. Furthermore, they can’t cross the river if they fall below a certain moral standard. Since Boreas is one of the few gods out there still reproducing, it stands to reason he has some spies among us.”
“They wouldn’t dare attack you. Hades is a fierce god.” Cassandra rolled her eyes when Hades grinned. “Sort of. No one is going to touch you if they think they would have him to deal with afterward. He does have the unique ability to kill you and then torture you.”
Hades chuckled, and the sound sent shivers down my spine. “Of course, we’re being excessively cautious. Once Boreas knows you’re spoken for, he should simply move on. However interested he is in you, you’re not worth taking on a god of my caliber.”
“Uh, thanks.” I grimaced. “I feel safer already. If you’re such a powerful god, why do you let spies in your kingdom?”
Hades gave me a savage grin. His footsteps echoed in the large room when he walked over to his throne. “I’ve got nothing to hide. Let them see how far they’ve fallen. And in this case it serves our purposes.” He sobered. “Nonetheless, you’ll need a guard. Do we need to add dance lessons into your—” he suppressed a laugh “—combat training?”
His voice was so smug I was tempted to punch him in the face. I liked him better when he was worried about me and being comforting. Not when he was being an arrogant jerk. “Melissa and I took cotillion classes a couple of years ago.”
Hades snorted. “Of course you did.”
“Shut up!”
His eyebrows shot up. He pushed off the throne and straightened his spine. The air seemed to grow heavy and darken, crackling with an electric charge.
“Shut up?” he demanded. “Have you forgotten who you are speaking to? I rule a third of creation! I am the most powerful god left in this world, and I will not be ordered about by an infant!”
I saw Cassandra’s throat bob as she swallowed hard. She stared at the ground fiercely. A part of me felt like diving underneath the throne and hiding like a small child, but something deep within me responded to his show of power.
I straightened my back, tilted my chin up, and narrowed my eyes at him. “Wow, it is shocking you weren’t already married. Look—” I cut him off before he could speak. “I appreciate your saving me and going through all of this effort to make sure the people I care about are safe, but that doesn’t give you the right to mock me or to yell at me. Got it? I may not rule a third of creation—”
“Actually—” Cassandra interjected, but a withering glare from Hades cut her off.
“See to it she’s prepared for the ball. I have much to attend to.”
“Wait a minute!” I protested. “What the hell is Brumalia?”
“Now, Cassandra,” Hades growled.
“Sure thing. We were just wrapping up our tour.” Cassandra grabbed my hand and hustled me down the hall. “Bye now!”