KC – You are so right! My mistake. I guess I just got into the groove of referring to everyone as a brother or sister. Thanks for the correction! (:

joelle – Oh, good. That was my biggest worry with Henry's perspective. I've never tried to write in the view of someone who is so angst-ridden before. Thanks for the review!

bookworm123456 – Thank you! That truly is great praise from someone else who enjoys writing. I think I've clicked on and read your stories, but I can't remember if I reviewed. I'll go back and check. (:

DyanneV – Thank you for reading and reviewing! (:

The Goddess Test Series belongs to Aimee Carter.

2: Katherine Winters

I could feel her the moment she stepped foot onto the land of Eden Manor. The ground itself seemed to welcome her back. Diana had returned after eighteen years – a short time for me, but a long time for the earth that fed off of her care. I lay back on the canopied bed in my bedroom, staring up at the dip in the middle where the fabric fell a little bit. And with her was the girl. The one that was going to be tested to become my queen.

I couldn't decide whether or not to go to the window. I doubted that I would've even been able to see the gates of the manor, which is where they would be standing. I had to see this girl that Diana was offering. If she was anything like her sister…. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to get my mind away from the girl who had left me a thousand years ago. The moment I decided to get up, I could tell that they were already pulling away. But I continued moving, going to the window that I had stood at just the day before, when Calliope was trying yet again to move my affections to her.

There was a knock on my door. Expecting it to be Calliope, I started to call out to leave me alone. "Henry, can I come in?" It was a woman's voice, but it didn't belong to Calliope. It was my other sister, Sofia. Technically, we weren't all related to each other. An outsider might look at our ramshackle family and see it as a bunch of inbred monsters. But in truth, not a single one of us shared blood, except for when they were, very literally, a child of another.

"Yes," I called out to her. I looked up when she entered, her face a mask. "What is it, Sofia?" I asked.

"Have you seen Calliope? I haven't crossed her path today. She asked to be told when Diana and the girl were coming." I shook my head, and she sighed. "Diana has returned to Eden Manor. She brought her daughter to the gates." She added quietly. "I just… It might seem out of line to you, Henry, but I wanted to make sure that you really listened. We are a family. And it'll be broken without you in it. Please try."

I shook my head a second time. I couldn't go a single day without having one of my brothers or sisters coming near to see if I really was going to give this a chance. I had promised Diana, hadn't I? I'd sworn to her that I would try. If anything, Diana needed this from me. And so I would do it.

But I'd already told her that I wouldn't love her, not this new girl that she brought forth. Not Persephone's sister. There was no one that could match her. But Diana had told me that I would love her. There was no piece of me able to love anything else, but I wasn't going to crush her hopes. Diana would realize, when it all came to light, that it was not her fault. That she could have done everything different, and it would not change the outcome.

"I've promised Diana." I told her.

Sofia was silent for a moment, and then I heard her footsteps and the swing of the door as it opened. "Don't do this just to humor Diana. She means it. And if you do exactly what you did with the last girl, Hades," She warned, "This will be the end not only for you, but the hope of the council. I hope you keep that in mind." I didn't turn to face her. I bit my tongue to keep from lashing out at her. The door closed softly behind her.

I stood at the window for a little while longer, staring out into the gardens that Diana had tended for centuries. I could feel it bubbling inside me. The anger. I had always tried to keep it locked down. The others were prone to the same human emotions I was, especially when we lived in such a close proximity to humanity, but anger had always managed to really connect itself to me. With a muted roar, I turned and punched the wall beside the window.

The council had decided everything for me. And yet they all came to me and told me that it was my duty to make sure that their hopes weren't crushed.

Hope was a fickle thing. It was there one minute, elating a person, only to deflate and let them fall to their death. The council depended too much on hope nowadays. It seemed that I was the only one that was able to give it up. Mine had dissipated years ago, when Persephone gave up her immortality for Adonis.

# # #

I spent a good portion of my free time in the ballroom when Walter and Phillip were out. It was a large room, big enough for the entire council and then some, but I liked it best when it was silent and I was alone.

The silence didn't last for long, though. I could hear the sound of Ava and James, rushing to get to the ballroom. I heard the sound of Ava's ridiculous shoes, and James's muted words as they rounded the corner.

"There you are," Ava said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. James came after her, pausing to look at me. I narrowed my eyes at the two of them.

"What are you wearing?"

"We're fitting in, obviously," Ava replied bluntly. She reached over and flicked the large headphones hanging around James's neck. "At least, some of us are."

"She didn't seem to think they were out of place." James replied in a low voice. He glanced up at me. "Irene wanted me to tell you her name." He seemed uncomfortable talking to me about this. Of course he would. James had always been adamant that the girls that stayed at the manor be told that they had a choice. He had always wanted to make sure that they were given what Persephone wasn't. But this time, his objections seemed to be starting exceptionally early. "Her name is Katherine Winters. But she prefers Kate." He said.

I couldn't help but smile to myself. Diana had chosen the last name. Winters. I wondered what that meant to her, if it was supposed to be a message to me. "Katherine Winters," I repeated. I found myself liking the name. Someone with a name like Katherine was bound to be poised and put together, with the ability to rule over others and have them respect her.

"But she prefers Kate." Ava spoke up, brushing something off of her shirt. She looked up at me, and said, "She really is pretty… for a mortal." That was something coming from Ava. As Aphrodite, she always wanted to be named the prettiest girl. She wanted to be the most wanted out of the crowd. She wanted to stand out from everyone else for her looks. For her to deem a mortal as physically attractive was a big step for her.

"And she's not one of your dolls," James said. "She's smart. She's compassionate. And she cares." James said pointedly. "Keep in mind that she has options in this deal."

"We haven't even made a deal with her yet," Ava said, rolling her eyes. "The point is, I've invited her to a little party. What she doesn't know is that when she gets down to the river, there won't be a party. It was the only way to get her to come around, I think. Kate doesn't seem like some of the others, Henry. She's a lot more logical than any of them ever were."

"Which is a good thing," James said sardonically.

"Sure, why not?" Ava replied, waving her hand at his words. "What I'm trying to say is that she's going to need proof that you're not just a guy that lives in an expensive manor."

"And how do you plan to do that?" James asked.

"Easy. It's a trick. I tell her that I set her up to remind her to keep away from Dylan. I'll figure out some way to hurt myself, badly. Badly enough that even Theo couldn't save me." She said.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" James asked.

"It's simple. I don't feel pain. I'm a goddess. But I can present myself as Daddy does. Or I can be given a temporarily mortal body, which is why I came to you." She said, her eyes unwavering as she looked at me. "And Henry, when it happens, you'll have to show her that you aren't a guy that's lying to her. She needs to see it with her own eyes. She needs to see you bring me back from the dead."

There was a moment of quiet, and then James spouted, "That's ridiculous. All you will do is succeed is scaring her. She won't come if thinks Henry is some sort of sadistic murderer." He paused for a moment, and then added, "But then again, if you do that and she makes her choice…."

"Hush, James," Ava said, sending a glare his way. Her eyes returned to me. "What do you think about it?"

"I do not care how you bring her here." I replied back, averting my gaze. I wanted them to leave. I didn't want them to stand there and try to talk to me about a girl who would just die in the next three months. I didn't want to risk another girl's life, and I didn't want to give her a piece of me only to have it torn away from me again. "It just needs to be done by the autumn equinox."

Ava started to say something else to me, but I decided that I'd had enough. I flashed away from the ballroom, ending up in my own bedroom. James got the message – I wanted to be left alone. But Ava had never really grasped the idea of privacy. You're so moody. Her voice echoed over to me, rolling around in my head before disappearing.

I decided not to answer her. I waited until her voice was completely gone from my mind before turning to the window, leaning against the ledge. Out there, somewhere, was my sister Diana. With her was the twelfth girl. The last girl. The one that held all of the hope of the council. And my hope, if there was anything left in me.

# # #

"I don't have to swim, do I?" I froze at the sound of her voice. I'd ended up doing as Ava had asked me to earlier. I had showed up in the woods, down by the stream that ran across the back of Eden Manor. Ava and Katherine – or Kate, as she preferred – were closer than I had expected them to be. Kate sounded a little confused, a little indignant, and definitely worried. Immediately, I zoned in on them and their conversation.

"No, why?" Ava's voice was light and airy, as if she weren't concerned. Knowing her, she wasn't concerned in the least. As a human girl, she would seem rude and self-centered, which is how she could be when she was in her goddess form. But I knew that she wouldn't let anything happen to Kate.

"I can't swim. I never learned how." I wanted to step out and tell Ava that this was too much. If she felt that uncomfortable just coming onto the property, then she definitely wouldn't like what was ahead. Ava could be cruel sometimes. In her own words, some beauty is pure cruelty.

I started to step forward, but then I heard Ava chastising me. Watch it, Henry. She warned. Everything is fine. Don't go getting your boxers in a twist. I rolled my eyes and ignored Ava. She was the only goddess I knew that could so easily become one of the humans. The rest of us struggled with a mortal form. I figured that it had to do with what Ava stood for – love was such a human emotion.

I could hear Ava giving her soft, light laughter. It probably wasn't as calming as it should have been. I'd learned from Dylan that Ava was having a little trouble accepting Kate. Even he had thought she was beautiful, and that had gotten on Ava's nerves. She was used to being the most loved, the most beautiful in a room. And with James, Dylan, and me depending on her, she wasn't feeling very goddess-like.

I stood in the trees with Cerberus, the dog of the Underworld. On the surface, he looked more like a Great Dane. I heard Ava's words hanging in the air. I was sure that Kate was starting to panic. Any human would, when they were faced with their fears. Kate didn't like water, and now Ava was leading her onto the property by way of the river.

I slowly moved towards the river. It didn't take me long to find them in my sights. Ava had taken off her clothes. She was wearing a very form-fitting bikini that honestly didn't hide very much. I heard Ava warning her to stay away from Dylan, and then she turned to the river. I realized what she was going to do just before she did it. Ava hadn't exactly told me a plan on how she planned to injure herself. All I'd known was that I was supposed to be down here, ready to prove that I was god of the Underworld.

Ava dove into the river. She knew as well as I did that the first few feet of the river's bank were extremely shallow. I could hear the crack as her skull hit the rock. I saw Kate wince as the sound echoed over the river. Ava's body floated to the surface of the water, limp. I knew it myself – if she wasn't a goddess, she would be dead. Her soul would be making its in place in Elysium. Instead, she was waiting.

Katherine Winters stood on the river's bank. I couldn't see what she looked like, just that she was fairly tall and thin and she had brown hair, completely different than her sister's blonde. I could see, almost imperceptibly, that she was shivering. I didn't know if it was from the cold or from what she had just witnessed. But she didn't move. She stood there for a second longer, her back to me as she faced Ava. And then she was moving, heading straight for the river that frightened her. On her way to the river, she kicked off her shoes as she ran along the waterline, trying to keep up with Ava. The current in the river was mediocre – not very strong, but if she wasn't careful, Kate could fall victim to it. She stood there for a moment before wading into the water.

In all my years of ruling over the Underworld, I'd rarely seen a showmanship like this one. I'd seen people dive in after others, people that they didn't even know, to save their lives. But those people were never scared of water. Not the way Kate was. And yet she was facing her fears because she thought that Ava could die if she didn't do anything.

At the moment, Kate didn't look very graceful. She floundered in the water, which I knew was cold with the beginning of fall. She tripped forward, splashing into the water and sending a wave over Ava's limp body. She stayed under for a few seconds before her head emerged. She let out a gasp of air, and I found myself struggling to stay put. Ava said that she would handle this. But what good would it do if Kate befell the same fate she thought had taken Ava?

But Kate wasn't going to give up. I could see that from where I stood. She struggled through the water, hands grabbing at Ava's arm. She managed to maneuver the two of them out of the river and to the bank. Kate pulled her up onto the dry land, away from the muddy bank, and then knelt next to her.

The scariest part for me was the feeling that coursed through me when she said Ava's name. Kate was scared. She may not have admitted it out loud, but I could see it. She was frightened for her life. And that did something to me. Kate gently called out Ava's name, and I fought with myself to keep from coming out too soon. I didn't need to frighten her even more. I didn't get the chance. Already, Kate was moving, leaning over Ava's body. I figured that she was checking for Ava's breathing. She wouldn't have any breath left in that body of hers.

I watched as Diana's daughter turned Ava over, knotting her fingers together as she pressed down on Ava's chest. She paused for a second, and then shook her head. She moved to give Ava's body another round of CPR, but then she froze. She had to see the wound on Ava's skull. It was definitely broken, skin torn away and blood seeping through that blonde hair of hers.

Kate screamed. I hadn't been expecting it. My skin seemed to prickle at the sound and I nearly threw myself out of the woods and to her side. I swallowed hard at the thought. Since when has Hades, ruler of the Underworld, thrown himself around for any human?

Even in her fear, Kate didn't get up and run. Instead she leaned closer to Ava's body, her fingers searching the side of her neck. I knew she didn't find anything, but she went back to work, pumping her hands over Ava's chest. "Help!" She called out, so loudly that Cerberus whined. "Somebody help!"

That was my cue. It was time to go introduce myself to Katherine Winters. She would have no idea what our meeting really meant unless she was extremely smart and up to date on her Grecian myths. Cerberus moved behind me as I walked through the woods, eyes trained on her. Kate kept trying. She knew that Ava was dead, gone, but she kept trying anyway. Once again, I was hit with the wildness of it all. Most humans give up when they realize that it's futile. She called out again. I quickened my pace.

By time I reached Kate and Ava, Kate had stopped trying to bring Ava back. Instead, she had moved farther away from the body and was sitting on the ground, on the verge of dry land and the muddy riverbank. Her eyes were trained on Ava, so focused that I wasn't sure she heard me step through the trees and into the clearing. She pulled her knees up to her chest, holding herself. She was scared to death. Maybe this wasn't the best way to bring Kate onto the property. But it was too late to go back now.

"May I help you?" I stood as silently as I could, looking down at her. Katherine Winters wasn't just pretty. She was absolutely breathtaking. Her hair was dark, not as dark as mine, but close. Her skin was pale and her eyes, which were somewhat hard to see in the night, where glowing either blue or green, I wasn't for certain. Her lips were full and red from her biting on them. Tears shone in her eyes as she looked up at me. There were obvious differences between Kate and her sister, Persephone. But Persephone was born as a goddess. For a human, Kate was beautiful. And that didn't just extend to her appearances. Inside was something much prettier than I'd ever seen before.

Now, I could understand why the council had hope in this one. Why James was already protective of her. Why Ava had a bit of jealousy.

She tried to explain to me what had happened. It wasn't necessary. I had seen it all. But I didn't tell her that. It would just make her panic more. She was already on edge about all of this. I knelt next to Ava's body. My eyes focused on the wound Ava had crafted. They certainly were gory, not something for Kate's eyes. But then again, if she were to become my queen, she'd see much worse. I glanced up at her and couldn't help but feel a little bit of pleasure at the way her eyes were taking me in.

Before either of us could say anything, she looked beyond me. Cerberus had gotten tired of staying behind and had come to join me at my side. He sat down next to me and on reflex, I reached up and scratched him behind the ears. Hopefully, it all seemed very human to Kate. I did not want to scare her more than she already was.

I couldn't help it, I asked her name. I already knew it, but I wanted to hear it from her. She gave me Kate, and I introduced myself and Cerberus. Kate's eyes scanned my face as I spoke. I knew that, to humans, gods and goddesses looked downright gorgeous. Ava had always reveled in the fact. Kate's eyes locked on mine, and she once again tried to explain to me about Ava.

"She's dead." I said, finishing her sentence for her. The words were rough coming from me, and I immediately chastised myself for it as Kate's gaze tore away from mine. She quietly retched, a hand on her stomach as she coughed. I worked to keep my face flat and serious. I would not let her get so close to me, not so soon. I couldn't identify what was shooting through me whenever my eyes met hers, but it was there. I would not give into it. I would not put my hope into a human girl. While she did her business, I fixed the angle of Ava's neck and gently closed her eyes with my thumb and forefinger.

I realized, as she had her back turned to me, that Kate had referred to Ava as her friend. Ava's actions were anything but friendly. Kate was the only one that had showed any sort of compassion in the situation. It struck me as odd. Most humans had no problems pointing out who was cruel. But Kate named the girl that had treated her awfully as her friend. Once again, I was struck by the strangeness of it all. Kate was unlike any human that I had ever met before. Had Diana managed to carve her into a girl that the council would love?

And so I dug for answers. I asked her why she named Ava her friend. She didn't have an honest answer for me, naming it as a joke. She knew it wasn't a joke, just like I did. I asked her why she went in the river after her if she was scared of water. There was no way to mask how I knew it, so I didn't mention it at all. Kate had said that Ava didn't deserve it. Humans were so focused on fairness and what they deserved. But very rarely did I see a human who had gone out on a limb because they didn't think someone else deserved a punishment.

"What would do you do to have her back?" I asked. Kate looked at me, her eyes confused, and I added, "Back in the condition she was in before she jumped in the water. Alive." There. Why had that been so hard to convey to her?

She sat there a moment, her eyes confused. And within seconds they turned from worried to determined. Kate looked like she had a fight to pick. "Anything."

I knew the moment she said it that I figured that would be her answer. Kate seemed like one that would say something like that without really thinking about the consequences. She was… self-less. That was the word.

I offered her a deal – for her to read the myth of Persephone, and in return I would return Ava's soul to her body. I wasn't surprised that she had already read the myth. Diana's methods were downright obvious sometimes. Kate just looked at me, her eyebrows drawn together at the request. Surely, she figured it was strange.

In the pale moonlight, she looked so beautiful, so open and warm and full of something so inherently good that I could help but step forward and brush my fingers across her cheek. Just like I imagined, her skin was smooth and warm with life. She pulled away from me so quickly that I thought she might stumble into the water. Kate didn't like it; I quickly put my hands in my pockets. What had possessed me to just reach out and touch her? None of the other girls had managed to pull that emotion out of me. Within ten minutes, Kate had given me a whole new set of emotions that I had never really felt before.

I stepped backwards, and Kate's eyes grew. Did she think I was going to leave without upholding my end of the deal? She turned her gaze to look at Ava, and I took that second to disappear. My job was done. Ava was back. Kate had no choice to believe me.

# # #

"It worked!" Ava cooed as she appeared in front of me. I sat in my chair, staring into the orb on the floor. It was a quick shortcut to the Underworld, to my castle there. Sometimes, when I was on the surface, I yearned for the world of stone and crystal below. It was a lot less complicated there. I did my job, I looked at Persephone's crystal garden, and I waited until my century of searching was up.

"Yes," I mused, hands tied together as I looked down at it. Ava stepped over it and stood in front of me, her hands on her hips.

"Henry, be a little happier. I'm pretty sure you've just convinced Kate that you really are Hades."

"Yes, that was the hard part, wasn't it?"

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated," She said, giving me a short glare. She shrugged and went to curl up in her own chair, drawing her knees into her chest. When she did that, it reminded me of Kate, sitting in the same position. But Kate had been scared for her life, and Ava was pleased at what she'd done. "We didn't talk about it on the way back, but I'm sure you got through to her. I mean, it's not every day that you see someone die and come back to life." She joked. "I'm going to be spending all weekend trying to get her to answer the phone. I didn't think she would do it, but she surprised even me. I want to see what she's made of."

I didn't answer. Ava sighed and moved in her chair, leaning closer to me. "Henry, if you don't stop being such a downer, I'm going to go hang out with James. And you know how much of a downer he can be."

I glanced up at her. I didn't know what it was, but Ava and I had always had a strange sort of relationship. For one, she had never tried to get me to be with her. It wasn't exactly a novelty to have been with the goddess of love. I was the minority. And, in a twist that I appreciated, Ava had never tried to change that. Besides that, she had always been honest with me. Next to Diana, she was one of my favorite relations. And interestingly enough, Ava had seemed to like to spend time with me. She couldn't stand Persephone, but she hung around because of me.

Ava stood up from her chair and came to sit in the one next to me. She didn't seem bothered by the fact that she was taking the seat of someone else. Sometimes the council could be overwhelmingly protective of their chairs. She tucked her feet underneath her and put her elbows on the arm, leaning towards me. "I wish you would stop being like that." She said quietly. "You can stop with the broken heart thing, Henry. It's been thousands of years. She's moved on. It's time for you to move on, now." Her voice was just a whisper, but it was like a scream in my head. It was what everyone had been telling me on repeat for well over a thousand years. She reached out and put a hand on my arm.

I gently pulled away from her. Ava had a twisted sense of privacy. Sometimes she didn't care whether everyone in the world knew, but when it came to the emotions of others, especially love, she tended to stay out of it. The one person that could actually do something about it and she refused to step in.

Ava sat back in the chair, brushing a blonde lock of hair over her ear. "You may not want to hear this, but hear me out." I waited silently for her to speak, my eyes turned away from her, focusing on the opposite wall. "It's time for change, Henry." She whispered the word, and then she stood up and left.

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