“Well, gods, Cassandra, if you’ve got any better ideas I’d love to hear them.”
“My head feels better.” I opened my eyes. “What were you saying about Orpheus?”
“He went public.”
“Yeah, you said that,” Cassandra said. “I think she wants you to elaborate.”
“Cassandra!” Hades snapped. “You may leave us now.”
My eyes widened. It had not been a request. Cassandra blinked, stunned, and shot him a hurt look.
“Now, Cassandra,” Hades said through gritted teeth.
“As you wish, Your Highness.” Her dark hair flared behind her as she spun on her heel to leave the room.
Hades returned his attention to me. “Orpheus has told every major news outlet and his fans about his adventures in the Underworld. He spoke of you in particular.”
“Why?” Any other day I’d be flattered that Orpheus was talking about me, but judging by the look on Hades’ face it wasn’t a good thing. My throat went dry and I swallowed hard. Whatever Hades said next wasn’t going to be good.
“Apparently his wife didn’t make it. He looked at her as she was stepping out of the Underworld. She’s in a coma.”
My mouth dropped open. “That’s not fair!”
Hades shrugged. “No, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Her soul returned to her body, and she’s alive enough to where I can’t reach her.”
“That sucks.” I felt sick. He’d come through hell for her only to mess up at the last second. I closed my eyes. Poor Orpheus. He must feel so guilty.
“Yes. He seems to think you, your mother, or I can help. He’s been telling the world about us. He’s written his whole experience online, and has been interviewing all day trying to get our attention. Half the people think he’s crazy, but apparently some believe him. Or at least they’re all talking about us enough to constitute worship.”
“Really?”
“Great news for your mother and me. Orpheus most likely meant it as a favor, or tribute, so we would be more apt to help his wife. Unfortunately, it’s not good for you.”
“Why not?”
“You haven’t reached maturity. You’re little more than a gifted human at this point, and your body isn’t capable of handling worshipers.”
“Surely there were child gods.”
“Any you’ve ever heard of?”
I blinked, thinking back.
“That’s because we kept them from the public until they were able to handle worshipers. As far as the humans were concerned, they just appeared one day, full-grown.”
“Like my mom?”
“We’re different.”
“I thought you said as queen I would have my own worshipers.”
“That’s funneled through me. I give you enough so you can practice with your abilities, but not enough to hurt you.”
Something in his expression caught my attention. My head was starting to hurt again, but I shoved that aside. “What do you mean you give me enough?”
Hades sighed. “That’s not important right now.”
“I think it is.”
He sighed. “When Boreas attacked you and I breathed my essence into you—”
“The kiss?”
He nodded. “I gave you enough of myself so you could come here without harm. Since it’s supposed to be an exchange, I had to take something from you.”
Vague memories from last night surfaced. “But you needed my consent.”
His grip tightened on my hand. “And you weren’t being cooperative. More important, I didn’t want to take anything from you. What I needed to do to save you was bad enough.”
“I see.” It was silly to feel hurt. Even I didn’t think our impromptu marriage was an ideal situation, but hearing him say it was “bad enough” still stung.
He rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Anyway, I took something I could control, that also ensured you wouldn’t be hurt. You gained powers, but they couldn’t burn through you.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s bending the rules, but it works. I got the idea from Zeus. It’s how he and Hera were bound.” His mouth twisted in a bitter looking grin.
“What do gods usually exchange?”
“It depends. Some did whatever it took to become equals. Some exchanged practically nothing so they could retain their own powers. Others completely drained their spouse of all their powers…” His voice trailed off, and he looked away. “Like Zeus. That bastard took everything.”
I shifted, and he glanced down, looking surprised to see how tightly he was gripping my hand. “Sorry,” he said, releasing me.
I rubbed my hand. “So what did I give you just now? What did I take?”
“Whatever your body couldn’t handle. I didn’t take it, just channeled it through me. That wasn’t an exchange. Your power will continue to return to you until the level of worship dies down.”
“You were in my head?” I wasn’t sure if that part had happened.
He nodded.
“What was that?”
He scratched the back of his head looking embarrassed. “That could become permanent if we were ever to reach equilibrium. Otherwise it will only occur when we’re in contact with one another.”
I laughed. “So if I bump into you I’ll be able to read your mind?” Something in his face made me stop laughing. “What?”
Hades flushed. “Er…intimate contact. In this case a simple kiss was able to suffice.”
I raised an eyebrow. Intimate contact. I gave Hades a speculative look. My cheeks heated when he met my gaze. “Oh. Well…uh…” I changed the topic. “What would happen if you didn’t continue to channel my power?” I swallowed, remembering the agony of last night. “How bad can it get?”
“There aren’t words for what would happen to you.” He averted his eyes. “It would get bad. Really bad. You could kind of…unravel.”
“Unravel!”
“I won’t let that happen. Come to me when the symptoms start, and I’ll take care of it.”
I sighed, flopping back in bed. “Yet another thing I need to be rescued from.”
Hades frowned. “You could look at it that way, or you could see this as an opportunity to use your powers. I’m simply channeling them. They have to go somewhere.”
I looked up. “I could use them for anything I want?”
He chuckled. “Within reason.”
“Good. Let’s go after Boreas.”
He sighed. “You’re in no shape to go after Boreas.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted, swinging my legs off the bed and standing. Black spots swam in my vision and my knees buckled. Hades was beside me in a flash, helping me back onto the bed.
“Give yourself some time to recover. Take it easy today. Okay?”
I nodded. “Tomorrow—”
“Persephone!”
“What is with you?” I demanded. “First you snapped at Cassandra, and now me?”
“Cassandra overstepped.”
I drew my eyebrows together in confusion. “She’s Cassandra. It’s just what she does. You’re the one who’s acting strange.”
He let out a breath and his shoulders slumped. In that motion I saw all the tension he had been trying to hold at bay ease out of him. “Persephone, you could have died.” He didn’t meet my eyes. “That much power, so fast, before maturity…” He made a helpless gesture with his hands. “That could have burned straight through your soul. You could have been destroyed, and it caught me off guard. You’ve been out for a week, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure you would ever wake up.”
“You saved me,” I reminded him, reaching for his hand. He gripped my hand so hard I was afraid my fingers would break. “I’m okay, and I’m going to be okay, because of you.”
“I’ve been around since the beginning of time, and I’ve never been afraid until I met you.”
I didn’t know what to say so I shifted closer. We sat together on the bed holding hands, until
I could no longer keep my eyes open.
“I don’t want to go to sleep again,” I muttered.
“You need to rest,” Hades reminded me. “You can’t afford to be at half strength.”
“Don’t leave.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
He wrapped an arm around me and launched into a story about the demigod Arcus, who killed the first werewolf and was reunited with his mother in the stars. I fought to stay awake, listening to his sonorous voice, but soon gave in to sleep, leaning against his shoulder.
Chapter XX
When I woke up a few hours later, Hades suggested it would be good for the souls to see me around the kingdom, if I was up to it. I was ready to get out of my room, and after making sure I was steady on my feet I took off to find Cassandra. She wasn’t around the palace, so I decided to head into the suburbs.
I found Thanatos. His eyes looked so relieved when he saw me that I gave him a hug.
“You’re okay,” he whispered thankfully, hugging me back.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble—”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
I waved to Charon as I walked along the river. He drew along beside me in his ferry.
“Want a ride?” he asked, challenge flickering in his eyes.
“Where are we going?”
“Around. I thought I’d show you the rest of your realm.”
I nodded and he helped me into the boat.
Thanatos grinned. “I’ll catch up.”
“How are you liking the palace?” Charon asked as he pushed off the shore.
“I love it here, though it’s not at all what I expected.”
He nodded. “There’s a dark side to the Underworld too.” He motioned to the water. “This river is made of the tears of the souls as they leave the living realm.”
I thought of Hades. “I know there’s a dark side.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry about the souls we used for practice. I dumped them all back in the same place—I just never expected you’d end up over there with them.”
I shrugged. “You couldn’t have known.”
“Yeah, well, Hades has put a stop to that part of our lessons.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Charon rode into the steam made by the river of fire and the river of ice meeting in the marsh. “There’s the shore. I’m not picking up any souls right now,” he said, answering my unspoken question. “Though with you in here, they may come a bit more willingly.”
My cheeks heated, and he grinned at me.
“Hades is a good guy,” Charon said after a moment’s silence. “He’s got a dark side too, but it’s nothing for you to be concerned about. He’s good. He’s not like the Olympians.”
“I know.”
He stared at me for a moment. “I think you do.”
Charon rowed me back toward shore and told one of his stories before dropping me off with Thanatos. I was still laughing as I walked into the flower shop.
The souls greeted me, expressing their concern. They all knew something had happened at the palace, just not what. I assured them I was fine and filled my flower orders. Helen dropped by at midday, pushing her way through the well-wishers to get to the counter.
“When did I get so popular?” I asked her, laughing.
“Since you became Queen of the Underworld.”
“I don’t think it’s that,” I said, pushing her behind the counter before she offended anyone. “They aren’t asking for anything.”
“I didn’t mean that. You’re our queen. When someone messes with you, they mess with all of us.”
“Oh.” I smiled. “That’s so sweet.”
“It’s going to make Hades even more obnoxious,” Cassandra said, appearing behind Helen. “Feeding his heroic ego and all.” She only sounded a little bitter.
I smiled at her, unable to find the words to apologize for what had happened.
“You need a crown,” Helen mused.
I laughed. “I’d feel ridiculous wearing a crown. Oh my gods, what if people bowed to me? I’d be so embarrassed.”
“When did you start saying that?” Helen asked.
“Oh my gods?” I shrugged. “I guess I’ve been spending too much time with Cassandra.”
“Never a bad thing.” Cassandra laughed. “Hades would die of embarrassment, too. He’s never been into the whole power-trip thing. Still, you shouldn’t be too embarrassed. You’re the queen.” Her tone was light, but I heard an undercurrent in it that made me nervous.
“That’s just a technicality. Once this Boreas thing blows over—”
“You’ll still be Queen of the Underworld.”
Wait, what? That didn’t sound temporary. This whole thing was supposed to be over when Boreas was no longer a threat. My mind flashed back to waking up next to Hades. Do I really want this to end? “What if Hades wants to marry someone else?”
“He could take a mistress, but marriage is a forever thing in the realm of the gods. You guys don’t die, so you never leave your posts.”
“He told me marriage doesn’t mean—”
“It doesn’t. Not in the sense you’re talking. You could date other people, and so can he. There could be absolutely no love involved, like Zeus and Hera. Or it could all just be political, but it’s still permanent.”
I didn’t know what to think about that. “So I’m queen…forever?”
“You’re a good match for Hades,” Helen pointed out. She hesitantly touched a white lily. “This is so pretty.” She saw me looking at her. “Oh come on, you can’t see it? You two are perfect together, aren’t they, Cassandra? Life and death. You balance one another.”
“Persephone!” A stern looking brunette called from the counter. “What happened to you? The palace has been abuzz with rumors all week!”
“Hello, Gloria,” I said with a smile, handing her an arrangement of tulips. She and her band of joggers had been my first customers. I brushed off her questions, unsure what Hades would want me to tell anyone. “How’s the husband?”
“Oh, he’s doing well, thank you. He went on a fishing trip with the rest of his group. I’m thinking of taking a baking class while he’s gone.”
“That sounds like fun! I’ve always wanted to learn how to bake.”
We made small talk for a few more minutes. I couldn’t believe I’d ever been intimidated by the Underworld. It was just like the living realm. Life went on, so to speak. People were still people, and they continued to do the things that made them happy.
I handed an arrangement of daisies to a Reaper. She smiled and thanked me, leaving the shop with a quick glare in Cassandra’s direction. Cassandra narrowed her eyes, then turned pointedly away to talk to Helen.
I rejoined Helen and Cassandra, who were looking at me with amusement. “Baking?”
“What? I think it would be fun. I could make pretty cakes and—”
“Ah, more decorating.” Helen laughed.
“You know all of their names,” Cassandra observed, after watching me talk to a few more customers.
I shrugged. “It’s a flower shop. People talk when they place orders, and you learn a lot about them.”
“We need to go to court,” Cassandra said. Her voice made it clear she was dreading seeing Hades.
I wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders. “It’ll be fine. He’s in a much better mood now.” I yelled a quick goodbye to the souls and waved to Helen before walking back to the palace with Cassandra.
“Hi, Moirae.” I headed over to my throne. Cassandra took her seat. Hades hadn’t arrived yet.
“How are you?” Moirae asked me. Her voice was too close.
I turned my head and jumped when I saw her eyes a hairsbreadth away from mine. “Good, thank you.” I smiled at her, unsure whether I was more surprised by her presence or her sudden kindness.
“You handled Orpheus well. The souls could use a compassionate touch.”
“Th-thank you,” I stamm
ered, looking at Cassandra in surprise. She looked just as shocked as I did but flashed me a discreet thumbs up. Moirae smiled at me and took her seat. A moment later the door opened and Hades walked in, followed by Aeacus and Rhad.
“Ladies,” Hades said with a nod.
I smiled at him as he sat beside me. He inclined his head at the judges, and the doors opened, revealing the souls who had recently finished with Orientation.
“Now we’re back to the throne room,” Minos said cheerfully. “You’ve met Moirae, of course, but now allow me to present the rulers of the Underworld: Lord Hades and Queen Persephone.”
We stood, and the souls awkwardly chose whether they would bow or nod. Modern day customs didn’t allow for much exposure to royal etiquette. I grinned at them and they relaxed visibly.
“Welcome,” Hades greeted them in his booming voice. “We wish you a happy afterlife.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He’d taken my corny sendoff from my first nerve-wracking day at court and run with it, using it at every court.
“If anyone has any questions or concerns, my fellow judges and I would be more than happy to assist you while we get you settled.”
“May I speak to the queen?” a woman called from the back of the crowd.
“Of course.”
Minos led the remaining souls from the room. Only a handful chose to stay and have concerns addressed by Hades or me. I was intrigued by this woman and leaned forward as Hades motioned her to the floor.
“Miss—er, Your Majesty—”
“Persephone is fine,” I assured her.
She nodded. “I died in my sleep.” She paused as the gravity of that statement caught up with her. “I, um, died in the middle of the night.” She blinked back tears as I murmured my condolences. “I had a baby three weeks ago, and she’s still in my house. No one knows that I’m—” Her voice caught. “She’s all alone. Please, is there some way I could go back?”
Hades shook his head solemnly. “No. I’m sorry.”
“Please! I don’t have family in the area, and I don’t have many friends. Her father was killed during his deployment, and if I don’t get back she could die before anyone finds me!”
I nodded. This was exactly the sort of situation I could handle. “Moirae will take all your information down. We need your address, phone number, and if you have a spare key hidden anywhere that would be helpful. I will send someone—”