A/N: Hey everyone. I'm so unbelievably sorry that I've kept you waiting for so long. I do hope you'll forgive me. Anyways, here's an update. It is more than likely that this is the second-last chapter of the story, seeing as how it is a relatively short story. Enjoy!
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Part Three; Persephone
Artemis, now alone, chewed his bottom lip nervously, staring at the massive black doors adjacent to where he stood. Once he entered there, his fate would be decided. He just hoped that the King and Queen of the dead were feeling cheery that day. He mentally jogged through his conversation with Eurydice, focusing mainly on the last piece of advice she had delivered to him. Drawing a deep and courageous breath, Artemis approached the smoky black doors. As he raised his hand to knock and announce his arrival, the doors opened without a sound, the silence more ominous than any noise could have been. The man stood dumbstruck, contemplating whether or not he should enter, when a great voice boomed from inside the throne room.
"Enter," it commanded. The voice was male, strong and deep. Artemis felt a chill run down his spine at the sound. There was no doubt in his mind about who the owner of the spectacular voice was. It had to be Hades, Lord of the Underworld.
Bravely, Artemis took a step forward, placing one foot into the room. His body temperature instantly plummeted. He felt as though he were slowly turning to ice. Deciding to ignore the terrible freezing feeling that gnawed at him, Artemis entered the shadowy throne room fully. If he were still able to draw air in and out of his lungs, he would have gasped at the impressive sight.
The throne room was, unlike the rest of the castle, not made of shadows. The floor was solid black cobblestone and the ceiling housed magnificent marble arches, decorated with brilliant gold chandeliers, the only source of light in the rather dark room. On the walls, hung marvellous tapestries, completed with a grey tinge, depicting the greatest of all Greek tragedies; the opening of Pandora's Box, the Trojan War, even the failure of Orpheus. At the far end of the room, slightly raised on a stone platform, were two solid gold thrones, each occupied by a regal figure.
On the left sat Hades, clothed in a billowing black robe, not unlike Charon's, yet much more worthy of royalty. His hair was jet black, hanging in messy curls to somewhere around his proud, thin cheekbones. His eyes glowed pale blue against his grey skin. They seemed to hold an incomprehensible knowledge, something that no one else understood. The way he sat, with his shoulders straight and confident, gave off the impression of deep intelligence. Next to him was a woman, whose beauty could hardly be matched. Her skin was softer and milkier than even Eurydice's and her large eyes were a deep, mysterious chestnut colour, full of intrigue and ancient sorrow. She was dressed in a manner similar to that of her servant, a long black skirt and matching blazer. Her raven locks hung in long spiralling curls, brushing the stone floor around the throne. Artemis noticed, with justified disgust, that a live black spider was dangling from each of her ears, as if they were her choice accessory. After a moment's more observation, Artemis remembered his purpose and bowed his head respectfully.
"Lord Hades," he murmured, "Lady Persephone."
Not a sound was made throughout the chamber. Artemis felt the eyes of the gods boring into the back of his neck and he straightened up. As he caught sight of their faces, he noticed that they each wore a different expression. Hades was frowning, looking almost disappointed while Persephone was smiling with certain wryness.
"What do you want mortal?"
The question was posed by Hades, who was staring at Artemis with a tiny bit of dislike. The man wasn't sure how to reply. Hades was quite an imposing figure and Artemis did not want to upset him. Thankfully, he was saved having to reply by Persephone, who had held up a hand to her husband's lips.
"Hush," she hissed, "You're so intolerable sometimes. It's no wonder we never get any guests." Hades' eyes flashed murderously and he muttered something about 'regretting that stupid pomegranate' as he resumed quietly staring at Artemis. Persephone, still wearing her strange smile turned back to the guest that stood in front of her throne.
"You're new," she said, almost as if to herself, "Interesting." Persephone ran her long fingers down her cheek, as if she were thinking. Hades looked irritably at his wife, then back at the mortal she was surveying.
"Well then," he blurted, "What are we waiting for? Send him to the judges, or shall I get Cerberus to come and fetch him?" Persephone rolled her eyes and shook her head ever so slightly.
"As much as I'm sure old Cerberus would love to play a game of fetch, this boy does not look like a frisbee to me."
"No, but the poor thing is hungry."
"Absolutely no feeding guests to the dog!" Persephone exclaimed, her eyes full of anger, "Perhaps I should deal with the boy. Why don't you…go count spirits or something?"
Hades stood up and for the first time, Artemis noticed how tall the god was. He seemed to tower over eight feet. Lord Hades grumbled as he stalked out of the throne room, his robe fluttering around where his feet should have been. Like Eurydice, he seemed to float when he walked. As Hades left the room, Artemis took note of how the temperature of the room returned to normal and he no longer felt as though he had taken a nap in a deep freezer. It was as if Hades was an air conditioner that could not be turned off.
"Thank Zeus for feminism," Persephone muttered to herself before turning back to Artemis about to pull him from his reverie. "You must forgive my husband. He really is a good god, but he doesn't seem to understand some things. He doesn't know what death does to those who are still alive. Although, I am thankful for that. I fear that if he understood emotion, the world would be overpopulated."
Artemis stared at the goddess, captivated by her intelligent words. He nodded quickly and respectfully. Persephone's sly grin reappeared as she studied Artemis, perhaps more intensely than before.
"What is your name boy?"
"Artemis," he answered in a voice that did not betray his nerves. Persephone looked thoughtful once more. She lifted one hand to tuck a stray strand of hair away from her face. As she did so, the spider that dangled from her ear jumped onto her hand, weaving through her slim fingers. For a few excruciatingly long moments, Persephone seemed preoccupied with her pet, before she realized that the habit of playing with a spider was disturbing Artemis, who had never liked the little eight-legged creatures.
"Oh," her cheeks turned pale pink, "I'm terribly sorry." She dropped the spider and it scurried off into a dark corner. Artemis blinked a few times, utterly bewildered by Persephone, who once again called him closer. He obeyed, just barely, taking two steps towards the golden throne.
"You share a name with the huntress," Persephone stated once Artemis was standing still once more, "I find that interesting. You must have impressed someone along the way. As I said, you're fresh." She stared at him with such intensity that Artemis was sure she could see right through his façade of cool and collected.
He said nothing in response, and so Persephone continued. "Who instructed to you come and visit?"
Artemis bit his lip. She didn't sound unhappy, but she certainly did not give off the air of one that was pleased. He had quite liked Eurydice and did not want to get her into trouble, but something in Persephone's eyes made him think she already knew the truth.
"Eurydice brought me," he said, "But I only found her on instruction from Charon."
There, that was an alright answer. At least Eurydice could share eternal punishment with someone. But Persephone did not look miffed in the least. Instead, she nodded knowingly.
"Tell me, how did you convince the girl to bring you here?"
"I…I talked to her about Orpheus."
"Ah," Persephone sighed, "Very predictable, hardly worthy of recognition. But you're here now, and that is something immensely impressive. I don't usual keep guests for so long. It is funny though."
"Pardon?" Artemis was confused. He saw absolutely nothing funny within the room, not with the dark and macabre mood Hades had set with his mere presence.
"It's funny," Persephone repeated, "That you would speak about Orpheus when you're exactly like him, only less musically inclined, which is quite saddening. Music around here is absolutely dead."
Artemis blinked stupidly, ignoring the pun, which caused Persephone to giggle softly. How had she known? Had Eurydice somehow told her? No, it was impossible. He recalled her instructions, to be clear and to the point. Enough was enough. No more stupid lapses in concentration and thought. Clear and to the point.
"You're right Lady Persephone," Artemis began, "I am here because I lost a loved one. She was…is very important to me, and I would like to get her back. Her name is…"
"Holly Short," Persephone interrupted, "I know. In fact, I've been expecting you. It amazes me how quick you've come. In fact, it impresses me. You're wife put up quite the struggle with Charon. He brought her straight to me. She refused to believe she was dead. Nearly bit Charon's head off, although that wouldn't have made the wall of great tragedies. She kept yelling about Artemis, and I thought she was speaking of the huntress. Until, of course, she called me Frond."
Artemis smiled to himself. That was definitely Holly, still spunky in death. He stared up at Persephone, whose expression was still etched in stone.
"Please my lady," he continued, "I would give anything to see her again. I have to."
"Yes, yes of course you do," Persephone said with exasperation. She stood up and took a step towards her mortal guest. Artemis felt a wave of relief sweep over him. Was she going to take him to see Holly? That would be wondrous. However, when he caught the expression on Persephone's face, all relief flooded out of his body faster than he ever thought possible. She was grinning again, her eyes playful and dangerous.
"Of course I'd let you see her Artemis," she smiled, "But first you must prove yourself worthy. There are few who can do such a thing. I have…high expectations."
Artemis gulped. Persephone snapped her fingers and Eurydice appeared in the corner of the throne room. Her eyes went wide when they rested upon Artemis. She looked scared and amazed all at once. Artemis tried to ignore her looks, which clearly screamed out 'You're insane', and looked back at Persephone, who had seated herself on the throne once again.
"What is my task…your majesty?" He quickly added the last part, eager to get as many 'good' points as possible. Persephone tapped a finger against her pale lips.
"You, Artemis Fowl, will attempt to tame Cerberus."
He heard a low groan come from the corner in which Eurydice was standing and became instantly afraid. He had good reason though. There was nothing fun or inviting about taming a three headed, carnivorous dog. Not to mention, one that probably hadn't eaten much in a century.
"If you succeed," Persephone continued, "You will be reunited with your love. I will send both of you back to the land of the living, granting you with immortality, until she perishes again. You will die together. However, if you fail, your fate is in the hands…or rather the jaws of Cerberus. I hope you do not disappoint. Eurydice will help you prepare. You have five hours."
Persephone turned to look at her servant, her face an unreadable mask. Eurydice nodded and approached Artemis, grabbing his wrist. She quickly bowed to the Queen, Artemis following her example, and snapped her fingers. In an instant, the man found himself back in the tiny cottage on the shores of Styx. Eurydice had already thrown herself onto a chair, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.
"You're crazy," she muttered in the general direction of Artemis. "Do you really think you can actually tame Cerberus?"
"It's been done before, no?" Artemis asked, mostly just to reassure himself. Eurydice let out some sort of shrieking sound, looking as though she were having a mental debate. Choice one, rip her own hair out in frustration. Choice two, ring the neck of the annoying mortal.
"Three times," she hissed, "Hercules, Hermes, and…Orpheus." The last name had her voice holding much more sorrow. She was barely able to speak it.
"So," Artemis said, breaking the spell of sadness, "Why can't I do it too?"
"Don't be foolish!" Eurydice slapped the back of his head and, although she had delicate hands, it had hurt. "You are not a god like Hermes. You are not strong like Hercules. And you are not as talented as Orpheus. You do not even have an instrument."
Eurydice fell silent and Artemis fell into thought. There had to be some way. Hermes had beaten Cerberus using water from the river Lethe; perhaps he could do the same thing and make Cerberus forget what he was guarding. But that would most likely not work. Persephone would be unimpressed, and that would spell out disaster for him and Holly. Eurydice had to know something that could help him. He looked up at her and found that she was staring right at him with a pitiful stare.
"What?" He looked back at her quizzically. The amount of pity in her eyes grew.
"You're doomed."
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A/N: Well I hope you liked that! And I sincerely hope it was worth the wait. Review and let me know what you think. I'm also taking a poll. Happy ending or tragic? I have ideas for both, so let me know what you want. Cheers!
-Liv xoxo