Soon after Persephone entered the damp tunnel, she lost complete awareness of the Upperworld. The darkness wrapped around her, inviting and as comforting as the songs Demeter sang when Persephone had been a young godling.

She forgot she was the Goddess of Spring, that the Underworld should be the last place she'd ever want to be. In this moment, she couldn't believe she'd ever been happy anywhere else.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and it should have surprised her she could see as if she'd never gone below ground, but it was right. She would have been upset if the opposite had happened.

As Persephone traveled (down, closer to the bowels of the Underworld), she took in the unimaginable beauty that hid below the earth. Rich colors swirled around her. Sprinkled here and there were uncut gems in their purest glory. Their names sat on the tip of Persephone's tongue, but before she could identify them, a new sight stole her attention.

The tentative joy Persephone had felt approaching the rocks now filled her every particle, and she laughed.

The sound bounced off the tunnel walls.

Her small, almost overlooked logic spoke its sense. She needed to be careful. Anything could be down here, and she had no idea where she was going.

But somewhere deep inside of her, she did. Persephone took turns like she'd walked theses tunnels all her life. She didn't flinch when she heard unsavory sounds from crevices she couldn't see. Bone-deep, she knew nothing she came across could hurt her, no matter how it tried.

After walking for a long while, Persephone paused and asked herself where she was headed. As much as she enjoyed exploring the tunnels, she needed a destination.

Home, came the answer that had been driving Persephone since the Oracle had spoken the word.

Where was that?

Her feet walked faster, no input from Persephone. A tendril of fear circled her. This was surreal, almost too much for her to comprehend.

Should she continue or force herself back to the Upperworld?

Rycen had to be nearly dead with worry.

What if her mother returned early?

These concerns weighed Persephone down but didn't stop her onward pursuit. It was like another figure had control of her body, and she was just along for the ride. She could make suggestions but if the one in command didn't agree, she was out of luck.

Persephone calmed herself. So far nothing bad had happened. And she knew this was what the Oracle had been guiding her to do.

If she wanted to get clarity about her visions, she couldn't act cowardly.

The tunnel Persephone was in emptied into a huge cavern. The ceiling above resembled an overcast day, and the strange Underworld plant-life reached out to Persephone. She longed to touch it, but the plants didn't hold her attention.

Before her was a beautiful city made from gleaming, multi-colored gems and minerals.

The sight of it filled Persephone with wonder and pride.

She frowned.

Pride?

Why did her ego need to rear its head at this moment?

This concern didn't preoccupy Persephone for long. Her eyes flicked to a humble-sized palace on top a hill in the center of the city (much like Zeus' palace on Olympus) made of polished jade and the blackest diamond Persephone had ever seen. It was gorgeous, and she wanted to run her hands over the structure.

Persephone's feet dragged her forward of their own will, this time their destination the palace. She struggled but only a little. She longed to walk the halls.

The tunnel Persephone exited from deposited her near the base of the hill the palace sat on. No one stirred on this side of the palace, but Persephone needed to apply caution. The palace guards were diligent and at any moment could appear and spot her. She dreaded her fate if she got caught.

Persephone slunk along the stone wall until she reached a servants' door. She recognized this one from several of her visions and knew she could sneak inside without incident. The servants rarely used this entrance.

The door led her to a small, unimpressive room that held evidence of a long-forgotten card game and a night of drinking. Persephone didn't hang around to ponder how much time had passed since the previous occupants.

But she grabbed the large gray rag on the floor near the exit. Before she took to the halls, she wrapped the rag around her hair and shoulders.

No one here would recognize her, but her attire and features would tip everyone off that she was a goddess. Or at the very least, an upper-dweller.

As much as she wanted to dance through the palace, she knew it was unwise to make her presence known. This place may have felt like hers, but it wasn't. Lord Hades was king of all she saw, and he'd crush her if he caught her nosing around.

Persephone met nobody when she left the room. The hall she was in stretched wide in both directions; both looked similar.

Which way should she go?

What was her goal?

Well, answers.

But how did she go about it? Where in the palace would satisfy her curiosity?

Once more, Persephone walked as if her feet had a separate mind to her own. They carried her down the left hall and up the flight of stairs she met there.

This pattern continued several times (her feet always talking the left path available) until she was further in the palace than she'd ever thought she would be. Here, she came across more individuals, but none stopped her. Somehow, she blended in with the palace staff.

The most peculiar female figure rounded the corner ahead of Persephone, and Persephone slid into the darkness of a nearby doorway where she continued to study the figure.

Half the figure's body (hair and face, too) was blacker than tilled soil and the other half as white as sea foam. Her body's pleasing shape was offset by the waves of malice and irrationality that wafted from her.

The breath caught in Persephone's throat.

She knew this creature, though she'd never seen her in a vision. The familiarity with which her mind responded was on par with if she'd just run into Demeter. Though it made no sense, the figure before Persephone had been in her life from the first breaths she'd taken.

A small, red being, thinner than a young nymph, scampered up behind the figure Persephone knew but couldn't place. The creature was a daemon. Persephone had never come across one or had it described to her, but she knew she was right.

"My Lady, you aren't supposed to be here," the daemon said.

The striking figure's gaze roamed the hallway, and Persephone pressed herself deeper into the shadows. She knew she hadn't been seen, but from the way the figure was looking at the hall that could change.

Persephone shuddered at what the madness lurking below the figure's surface could do to Persephone.

"My Lady," the daemon pleaded. "Lord Hades said—"

The figure whirled on her companion. "He does not command me in my home."

The daemon shrunk back. She wrung her hands. "I didn't—He just said—"

The figure smacked the daemon. She glared one last time down the hall, and then went back the way she'd come; the daemon on her heels.

As much as Persephone felt she knew that figure, she was equally aware that her life wouldn't go well if she were to stumble across her again. She had to get out of the palace.

She could disappear into the city.

Joy tingled down her spine as Persephone scurried to leave. It'd been so long since she'd seen her glorious city.

How far had her people come? Had it grown to become even more —

Her people?

Persephone choked back a laugh.

How could she believe she not only belonged in the Underworld, but she was ruler over all she saw? Had her sanity snapped?

On some level, it must have for her to be scampering around in the Underworld.

But though concerned, Persephone didn't stop.

She left the palace and took a leisurely stroll through the busy city streets.

For being part of the Underworld, everything sparkled and pulsed with life. The activity seemed endless and the energy surrounding Persephone seeped into her veins. She could do anything, challenge anyone, and she'd win. Nothing was outside her reach.

As Persephone walked, odd snippets of visions floated to the surface of her mind. Her dirty, grappling-for-existence subjects cowering before her as she announced her reign. The end of a gory battle where she'd just beaten the resistance that wanted to keep her uncle's rule. Her helping build a building she'd just passed.

But, if Persephone was honest with herself, the visions felt more like memories. Yet they couldn't be. She'd never done those things.

She needed to go back to the Upperworld. She didn't belong here, no matter how she felt. It'd been a mistake to come to the Underworld.

What had she been thinking?

Persephone didn't turn around. She continued through the city, the sense of ease growing with each step she took.

She sighed.

For now, she'd just follow through with this.

Did she have another choice?

Persephone took a gold encrusted path that must have been the main path through the city and maybe even the Underworld. She took it out of the city, and few beings were out this way. Persephone pulled the rag tighter around herself and sent fugitive glances toward the ceiling. She didn't spot any strange creatures, though she knew they were there.

The many lamps topped with glowing stones along the path revealed the faded colors of the shrubbery and flowers, but Persephone found them as breathtaking as what she was used to interacting with. She reached out with her unfamiliar senses and the plant-life sang back to her.

Persephone fought the urge to veer off the path to touch all she saw. Deep down, she knew she didn't have the time to explore. It was a miracle she hadn't been caught yet, but her luck wouldn't hold out forever.

A bridge came into view, and on the other side was several buildings with dozens and dozens of daemons rushing about. Intermingled with them were transparent figures Persephone realized were mortals' spirits.

Instead of terrifying her, she was curious to see how operations were going.

On quick feet, Persephone crossed the bridge. She marveled at the pitch-black water beneath her and waved at the swirling image of the river's nymph.

The nymph glared and threw several rude gestures.

Persephone wasted no more time than necessary on the bridge.

On the other side of the river, she blended in with the multiple figures, but gently pushed her way to the nearest, largest building. She ambled inside like she belonged and walked through the body-cluttered rooms until she came to the biggest room.

Unlike what Persephone had glimpsed in the rest of the building, this room was bare, dark, and intimidating. Four chairs, all occupied (the occupants were too busy talking to notice her), sat near the center of the room. Two lamps were behind the chairs; offering the only light. Opposite of the doorway Persephone stood by was a larger, illuminated doorway that chilled her the longer she stared at it.

Persephone tore her attention away from the terrifying doorway and focused on the occupied chairs. Three of the occupants were clearly spirits, all former kings from the looks of their garments and stature.

The fourth occupant made Persephone's heart skip a beat. It was the god who'd helped her in Zeus' palace.

Was he—No, he couldn't be—

But why else would he be in the Underworld?

The god who had been in the back of Persephone's thoughts for days was Hades, King of the Underworld.

Persephone bit back a groan. She'd acted so immature in his presence. Then there were the images that had come to her mind as she'd watched him walk away. She was half-tempted to find Tartarus and hurl herself into it in hopes to ease her mortifying embarrassment.

Two beings rushed into the room from a hidden door to Persephone's right. One was a spirit, and the other was a daemon. The daemon shoved the spirit before the four chairs and then tucked itself away in a darkened wall crevasse.

The spirit, a small female who'd died in the prime of her life, shook as the four figures raked their blank eyes over her.

After a long moment, Hades snapped his fingers, and the sound echoed in the room.

The spirit gasped then went rigid as the colors that made up her person swirled as if caught in a drain. The longer they did, the more they disappeared, until the spirit was left a gray, barely visible shell of what she'd just been.

The three sitting spirits all looked at one another. They nodded, and the one on Hades' right pointed at the gray spirit.

"The Fields of Asphodel," he intoned in a deep, emotionless voice.

The daemon that had been waiting rushed forward. It wrapped its fingers around the spirit's wrist and tugged.

The spirit refused to move.

The judge on the farthest left leaned forward, sporting a sneer. "Your placement is final."

"No, no, I understand."

"Then why do you remain?"

Hades shifted, mild curiosity leaking into his expression. He didn't comment, though Persephone thought he should reprimand the one judge.

The dead deserved better.

The spirit latched her desperate gaze onto Hades. "I have children. I'm all they have. Without me, they'll die."

The rude judge snorted. "You can't return to the living."

"I don't want that."

"So, what do you want?" Hades asked, and Persephone was ashamed at how thrilled hearing his voice made her.

"Please, my Lord, help my children. My oldest is almost grown. Next spring he'll be able to take on the household."

The judge who'd declared the spirit's placement snorted. "The nerve to bother the Lord of the Underworld with such mortal concerns. For that, maybe we should change our ruling. Tartarus would—"

"Silence!" Hades said.

The absolute authority he displayed lit Persephone's body alive with delicious tingles.

Hades nodded at the spirit. "You don't need to fear for your children."

The spirit collapsed on the floor. She would have wept if spirits were capable. "Thank you, my Lord! Your graciousness is beyond measurable. Your Lord, I—"

The daemon hauled the spirit to her feet. It dragged her toward the imposing doorway, but the spirit was too engrossed in her gratitude to notice.

The judges and Hades watched the pair leave, but Persephone didn't wait to get a good look at their expressions.

A foreboding sense was building within her, and she knew she had to get back to the Upperworld, as much as she didn't want to.

As stealthily as she'd arrived, Persephone left.

Once a good distance from the judging of the dead, she closed her eyes and begged her newfound Underworld sense to lead her to the quickest, most concealed route out of the Underworld that would deposit her near Rycen.

As they'd done since her adventure began, Persephone's feet moved on their own; dragged her toward her left. The dread she felt lessened as she moved away from the clusters of under-dwellers, but that didn't stop her from running in the direction her feet wanted her to go in. She glanced over her shoulder several times, though she knew she wasn't being followed.

Persephone stopped before a bush that came to her waist and was as wide as she was tall. It's green hue almost looked gray, and the leaves had serrated edges like a hunting knife. This plant bared no fruit, but it smelled sweet like flower-infused honey.

Persephone reached out with her Purpose to gauge the bush and frowned. Not only would the leaves cut, but they were also coated in a deadly poison that could kill most creatures, even gods.

It didn't belong in the Underworld. The Underworld was harsh, yet this was on a different level. The bush must have been taken from Tartarus.

Who'd be cruel enough to bring this devastating plant from that horrid place?

A name danced through Persephone's thoughts, too fast for her to understand.

She sighed.

Did it matter?

She had bigger problems.

The path she sought was blocked by the bush. How was she going to get past it without touching it? The rag she wore would be shredded after brushing against the leaves.

Her Purpose!

Would it work on Underworld plants?

Persephone had no trouble sensing the life and properties of the plant-life, but that didn't mean they'd do her bidding. As similar as it was to the Upperworld, the Underworld was a whole different beast that wouldn't be easily mastered.

Still, she had to try. She didn't want to waste any more time finding another way to the surface.

Persephone focused on the bush and evened her breathing. She tapped into the raw energy of her Purpose and aimed it at the bush. With gentle but firm intent, she willed the bush to part in the middle wide enough for her slim form to slip through.

At first, she was met with heated resistance. If the plant could lash out at Persephone, it would have.

But she didn't let up her kind insistence and before long the bush's resolve weakened. Persephone increased the intensity of her desire and soon saw the two sides of the bush pulling apart from each other.

Her immense joy almost distracted her from her goal, and she felt her power over the plant slipping. She wrangled back her control and urged the bush to move faster.

When there was a hole large enough for Persephone to pass through, she darted into the waiting tunnel entrance. Inside the tunnel, she released her hold on the bush and thanked it for its compliance.

Bitter hate was the plant's response.

The tunnel was much like the one Persephone had taken into the Underworld, though it had narrower walls and a taller ceiling. The air was less stale here but held an undeniable charge Persephone couldn't name yet recognized.

Not that that surprised her. This entire experience had been like that.

"Come now, you're not blind. You can move faster," a low, mystic voice said from in front of Persephone.

A strange chattering responded. It was clearly an animal but not one Persephone had ever heard.

"Really now?"

All at once, Persephone couldn't move her feet. They were stuck to the ground, and every time she tried to move them, agonizing pain shot up her legs.

She cried out.

What had happened?

Just then two figures appeared before Persephone.

The abruptness of their arrival and their general appearance stole her breath.

The first figure was tall and dark-skinned and clearly a goddess. Her hair reminded Persephone of a lit torch, and she swore the figure's eyes kept changing color from the light green to intense blue to the brown of a lakebed. The figure's peplos shifted colors, almost too fast for Persephone to register and several she'd never seen before.

Persephone's eyes darted to the second figure.

Of the creatures Persephone thought she'd come across in the Underworld, a giant bat as wide as the tunnel (and that was without its wings outstretched) and the tips of its ears grazed the top of the ceiling, wasn't one of them. It was both unsettling and beautiful. Persephone's heart almost stopped when its too-intelligent, amber-colored eyes regarded her face.

The goddess curled her rough finger under Persephone's chin and forced their eyes to meet. "Little Goddess of Spring, what brings you here?"

How did the goddess know who she was? Had they met?

Was she at The Deciding?

"I'm—I don't—I didn't mean to intrude."

The goddess glared. "How did you find this tunnel?"

"I don't know."

The goddess snorted. "Try again."

"I—"

The bat leaned in close to Persephone. At first, she thought it would bite her, but then it did the unthinkable: it rubbed its colossal head against her chest and made a low humming noise.

Deep affection overrode her fear of both the bat and the goddess, and Persephone rubbed a hand against the creature's soft muzzle. Closer now, she could see the black marks that streaked the bat's brown fur.

"Too bad I don't have a pomegranate on me," Persephone said.

The goddess' expression blanked. "What?"

Persephone's hand faltered, and the bat huffed. "Did I misspeak?"

The goddess displayed no emotion. "That remains to be seen."

She pulled on a tuft of the bat's fur and then wiggled her fingers at Persephone.

The hold on Persephone's legs disappeared, and she wobbled for a moment before catching her balance.

"Th-Thank you."

"You best be off. This is no place for an upper-dweller."

Clearly, Persephone thought but didn't hang around.

As quickly as she entered the Underworld, she left; didn't even spare the goddess or bat a second glance.