Chapter 10

Persephone

"Mistress, please eat something," Aspasia, my new maid, said not for the first time that day, nor the last I was sure. I was laying on the bed I had awoken on, not ready to yet face what had happened.

"No," I said yet again.

"You must be hungry."

I didn't bother answering that one. Of course I was a little hungry. Who wouldn't be after missing a day's worth of food? But the promise I had made to Mother just days earlier wouldn't leave my mind. Though I still didn't know her reasons, I knew I trusted her much more than I trusted Hades or anyone working for him.

I still felt weak from the day before. Even sleep hadn't helped, and everytime I thought about it, I felt sick with fear. I tried not to think about it.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" asked the woman patiently.

"Not unless you can stop me from feeling so tired."

"What do you mean?"

Aspasia's voice was quiet and mild, never giving any indication of what she was actually thinking. Somehow, I trusted her even less than I trusted Hades. When he showed emotions, at least I knew they were genuine. I didn't trust her, so I didn't answer her.

Aspasia stopped pestering me with questions, and I once again fell into a deep slumber.

I once again had a strange dream. I dreamed I was lying on the Earth and slowly sinking into the dirt. Normally, I didn't like small spaces and would have been terrified. But instead, I felt comfortable. I felt at home. It was like the loving embrace of a mother to her small child. I hadn't felt this safe since before my memory stretched back. The pain I had been feeling didn't completely disappear, but it eased.

When I woke up, I was surprised to realize that I actually felt stronger. Not to my previous strength, of course, but better. Well enough to get up, at least.

My curls had turned to snarls, my robes were disheveled, and the makeup on my face had smeared. I walked to the basin of water that was there for my disposal and washed my face. It was relieving to have a clean face again. Next, I tried to tackle my curls. My scalp stung after attempting to tame the first few locks. Just as I was about to throw my comb away in disgust, Aspasia walked in.

"My Lady," she said, giving me a small curtsy. "Shall I have a bath drawn for you?"

I eyed her suspiciously, wondering if she was mocking me behind that cool expression. No, I finally decided, she was just being polite. I nodded. In less time than I would have thought, a large tub was set up in the middle of the room and warmed water was brought in.

I disrobed and lowered myself into the water. The temperature was perfect, warm without being scalding. I took my time cleaning myself, enjoying the heat on my stiff muscles, and, after I was clean, just soaked in the warmth. Eventually, I got out and slipped on the robe that was laid out.

I wanted to wear my dress, but I couldn't seem to find it anywhere. Aspasia must have taken it away, I realized. Annoyed, I opened one of the many wardrobes in the room and searched for a dress. As I had noticed before, they were all colors that would compliment my complexion perfectly. At random, I pulled out a long peacock blue gown and tried it on. It fit flawlessly. I blushed when I noticed the low neckline, but knew that grown women usually wore dresses such as this one, and sometimes with much lower necklines.

I went back to the wardrobe and pulled out an emerald green shawl with golden tassels. Though it wasn't near where the dress had been, it seemed to have been made for it. I hesitated, not wanting to wear it. Then again, it would be a shame not to wear it with this dress. On impulse, I looped it through my arms, marveling at the soft fabric and the shimmering color.

Following that same impulse, I did my hair in a simple bun, with a few curls hanging around my face, and put some jeweled combs in it as decoration. To complete the look, I added golden earrings, bracelets, and necklaces that I found in the jewelry boxes.

I walked up to the long, gilded mirror that hung next to the wardrobes and inspected my appearance.

The dark color of the dress provided a stunning contrast to my gold hair and jewelry, and it seemed to fit my surroundings as well as it fit me. The long cut and high waist accentuated my trim figure and statuesque height. The shawl added a flair of elegance. Unlike the fancy clothing I had worn to Zeus' banquet, the overall effect was one of grace and understated richness. In this dress I was no longer a girl, I was a woman. A queen.

Queen of the Underworld, I thought in disgust, turning away from the mirror, Hades's queen. I may have looked the part, but I never wanted to act it.

Yet, as I walked around my room, I almost couldn't help it. The training my mother gave me in acting stately and elegant came back. I had usually ignored her, and had just moved about my life as I chose. In this dress, however, my old instincts wouldn't work. If I ever wanted to wear this dress correctly (which I didn't,) I would need to be smooth, majestic, imposing.

After a moment of thought, I removed the shawl and all of the jewelry to simplify the ensemble. I wasn't about to let beautiful things distract me from the ugliness of the Underworld.

I considered the dark dress in the mirror. Even alone, it made me fit my surroundings better than I would have wished. After a moment's thought, I removed it and pulled out a plain, white chiton. The bright white was distinctive enough against the gray stone to make me feel comfortable. It was odd, since I usually preferred not to stick out of the crowd. But here, I felt as though it were the only way to be true to myself.

I was just about to go back to laying around when I heard an angelic sound. Music. Music like I had never heard before. Melodies floated through the air, weaving images and emotions that tore into my soul. It called to me. It called to everything. It called for everyone to come and hear its sorrow.

Weariness forgotten, I followed the sound to Hades's throne room. Inside was a familiar looking godling who shone like the sun. He was playing a golden lyre, tears flowing freely from his eyes. He couldn't be a god, I realized. No god would dare to come here. He must be a mortal, or, at the very least, a half mortal. Then it hit me. He looked just like Apollo, my half brother and would-be husband. This must be his son.

I envied him his ability to create music so effortlessly, and yet so powerfully. With the extensive musical instruction I had received at my mother's request, I knew that this young man had achieved a level of musicianship that few gods could even aspire to. And he was mortal.

The music stopped, and I came back to myself. I shook my head to clear it. The music had almost woven a spell of melodies. With the music done, I took my eyes off of the man for the first time since I entered and looked at the throne. There sat Hades. His dark hair was a mess, his clothes were ratty. His disheveled appearance provided a stark contrast to the immaculately groomed young man.

I expected Hades's face to show some sort of emotion. Even he must be touched by the sorrow that was so plainly written across the troubled face of the youth. But no. He sat completely unaffected and even looked skeptical.

Hades shifted indifferently to a more comfortable position on his throne. Neither he nor the young man were aware of my presence yet.

"Your loss is regrettable," Hades said in an apathetic voice to the man, "but you'll understand that I cannot bend the rules for you. There are laws in the Underworld, and you've already broken several just by being here. You'll just have to wait until you die to see your…?"

The young man licked his dry lips and said in a cracked voice, "Wife. She was-is-by all rights should be, my wife. I love her with all my soul. I miss her with all my being. If I waited for my own demise before I could see her again, she wouldn't be my wife any-" His voice broke, and he gave a dry sob.

"I believe that I already made myself perfectly clear," said the heartless shell. "You'll have to leave now."

I couldn't bear to stay silent any longer. "What happened to your wife?" I asked, stepping out into the open.

"Persephone! What are you doing here?" Hades asked, bewildered. He rose to meet me and put his hands on my shoulders, attempting to steer me firmly away. "This isn't anything that you need to concern yourself with. It's just a small issue for my attention."

I shrugged him off and kept my focus on the youth.

"What's your name?" I asked him in a tender voice.

"My name is Orpheus. I am the son of Apollo, and my wife, Eurydice, was bitten by a snake. She perished. She is my life, my support, my whole reason for existing. I will do anything to get her back. No trial is too arduous, for she is worth every pain." His very voice was music, broken as it was. The emotion was almost tangible.

Tears were falling freely from my eyes now. I couldn't bear the thought of this man being separated from what he loved for the rest of his life.

And Hades was the only one with power to restore Orpheus's wife to him.

I turned to Hades, and impulsively took his hand in both of mine. I stepped closer to him, as I had not too many nights ago, and gazed straight into his black eyes. I started to form a long, logical argument, but the look on Hades's face stopped me. His eyes were on my hands. He looked startled, but not unpleasantly so. I realized that I didn't need logic to sway him. I unclasped one of my hands and took his other hand.

"Please." It was barely a whisper.

Hades opened his mouth to say something. I knew that look on his face, the look that said that he was about to do what he wanted, whether I liked it or not. It was the same look my mother got when we argued. Then… I don't know what happened. All I know is that Hades looked down at his hand encased in mine and lowered his head, brushing a slight kiss across my hand.

"As my lady commands," he murmured.

I shivered and pulled my hands away with a jerk, suddenly frightened by the contact. Hades looked rather piqued at my reaction. He didn't say anything, though.

"Orpheus," Hades motioned him forward. "I still cannot directly defy the laws of the Underworld, but I can give you a chance. I will release your wife to you on one condition: that you leave the Underworld immediately. Eurydice will follow you. If you look back at her for any reason before you are both out of my domain, you will die, and Eurydice will return to her final resting place. Do we have a deal?" Orpheus nodded mutely.

Hades summoned Eurydice, but not without a look that said he thought it was a bad idea.

A beautiful young woman with flowing hair entered the room. She held her arms out to her husband. "Orpheus!"

Orpheus grew pale at the sight of her. Without a word, he turned and ran out of the palace. Eurydice followed, calling out to her husband to wait for her, begging him to stop.

I watched the door until I could not hear her calls any longer.

I had forgotten about Hades's presence until he spoke to me.

"Persephone, please understand that this may not end well. You must-"

"Stop." I kept my back to him. "Just stop. The chances of success aren't what matters. What matters is that you had an opportunity to show some mercy, but you would have passed over it."

I walked out without another word or without meeting his eyes.