"I'll come back when he bores me,
but Mama,
not today."
- Daniella Michallen

The halls didn't seem so dark or scary when I had the literal Lord of the Underworld leading the way. The darkness still bothered me, though - it seemed like...like something more than darkness. Like it was a living, breathing thing. I tried for a laugh, but it didn't come out quite right: "You don't like lights, do you?"

Hades turned his head to the side, then turned it more and stopped his long-legged pace when he seemed to realize I was walking behind rather than beside him. When I caught up with him, he replied, "I'm used to it, I suppose. It never occurs to me these days that other people might find it dark." He paused, looking thoughtful as we went. Then he shot me a wry look, "Though I can't say the dead have ever mentioned it to me."

My eyes widened. Since I'd hit the ground in Tartarus my sole goal had been staying alive, and once I'd managed that, my focus had shifted to finding Hades. Now, I was left with questions and things clicking into place - like, namely, right now, the dawning comprehension of what, specifically, being Lord of the Underworld meant.

My laugh sounded wrong again: "You really, uh, manage the dead, don't you?"

"With every breath I breathe," we turned right and it took me a moment to adjust to the brightness of the room compared to that of the halls, but when I did, I looked down at the beautiful green marble with strands of white twisting through it, only to see my reflection stare back at me. I nearly shrieked, it shocked me so much. Instead, though, I held back my scream and merely jumped out of my skin.

"Are you alright, Persephone?" Hades stared hard at me, seeming to try and find the problem.

I tipped my head to the ceiling, trying not to think of the probably thousands of pounds of dirt hovering above us, and let out a quiet sigh. Scared by your own reflection, Persephone. Wow. To be fair, though, my eyes had peered back at me in the ridiculously shiny marble floor, and I was dirt-streaked and stained, and my hair was uncharacteristically gray with sand. "Fine," I tried for a smile at Hades, "Just scared of my own reflection." I gestured to the floor.

He looked like he wanted to laugh, but was suppressing the urge, the way his lips were pressed together and his brows turned in. But all he said was, "You have nothing to be afraid of in my realm, Persephone. Absolutely nothing, and you can hold me to that."

"Realm?" I asked as we continued through the room, taking another dark hallway.

"After me and the original Olympians overthrew the Titans, Zeus, Poseidon, and I divided up the parts of Earth, so to speak," he explained. "Zeus wanted the sky, and Poseidon liked the oceans, so I got what was left - the Underworld."

"Sounds like a crappy deal for you," I said, frowning. Who would choose the Underworld? No real sunshine, no life, just darkness and Tartarus and marble and souls from what I'd seen.

Hades shrugged, giving me an apathetic look. "It is what it is, and if I'm honest, I don't think there's something else better suited for me."

He didn't seem upset about it, but I couldn't lie: I was a little bummed for him. "So you like it, but don't you ever feel like your missing out on, well, life?"

"I don't know," he said, "Things down here keep me busy enough, and I didn't like the way the world was when the Olympians ruled over it. I suppose I might like it more that they've lost most of their power and don't rule anymore, but there's so much to be done."

I sped up and walked backwards in front of him, smiling. This time, I knew it came out right. "Well I have to show you it all, then."

His eyebrows lifted, and he had this look on his face that just - I had to laugh. "Like a tour guide?" he asked dryly.

I clapped my hands, beaming. "Yes! Exactly like that - and see! you know what a tour guide is, so you're not completely out of the loop!" I lied.

"Persephone," my name rolled off his tongue in a smooth drawl as he came to a stop at a black, wooden door and leaned against the frame. "When I said I don't spend much time aboveground, I didn't mean it as I haven't been topside since ancient times."

I let out a breath, rolling my eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Lord of the Underworld, I had no idea. Not like we met when your dog decided to bulldoze me, or anything." He opened his mouth to retort, but I spoke before he could. "Where is Cerberus?"

"Guarding the gate the to Underworld."

I looked at him, dumbfounded. "Well he's not doing a very good job, the sweetheart."

Hades squinted at me, like he hadn't heard me or was very confused. Honestly, the guy was so old it could've been either one. "What do you mean?" Confused, then.

I spread my arms out as I spoke, "I literally fell into your realm, so he can't be doing a very good job gate-guarding."

Hades gave me an amused little smile, his eyes bright even in the dim hallway. "That's not the entrance," he said. "It's a portal. I use it to take Cerberus on walks. The entrance a soul would come through is at the front."

I gave him another look, half dumbfounded, half indignant. "You take that precious dog through that - through Tartarus? What could possibly possess you to take him there? Better yet, what possessed you to put a portal that leads into Tartarus?!" I was near shouting as I stood across the hall from him, my hands balled into fists at my sides.

"Persephone, I can portal to anywhere in my realm, faster than any evil thing in Tartarus could get to me or Cerberus. Besides -"

I hit him lightly on the arm, arching a brow, "Hey, who said I cared about your well-being?"

He was wide-eyed. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened, and I thought there was a little bit of pink in his cheeks.

I smiled at him, "I'm kidding. Now," I gestured to the door he was leaning against, "Is this my hotel room?"

Hades visibly relaxed, and retuned my smile with an uptilt of his lips. He turned the knob, the door swinging inwards. "After you."

I took a step inside, then another. The room was brightly lit, and seemed to rotate around the plush-looking, massive canopied bed in the center. The black floor was cold underneath my feet, and my attention got snagged on every piece of furniture: antique-looking things, carved and beautiful and eggshell white. The contrast from the dark bedding and floor was almost jarring.

I walked to the vanity table, dragging my fingertips lightly across the surface. "Wow," I whispered. I'd never gotten to stay in a room so nice. My room at home was boxy, with a creaking bed and a big dresser swallowing up floor space. My dorm at university had been messy and I'd been too busy to put much effort into decorating. I drifted to the massive bed, flopping down on it. I turned my head to the side, grinning up at Hades who was leaning against the doorframe again. "I might move in," I told him.

His eyebrows rose at my statement. "I don't think Demeter would like that very much."

I rolled my eyes, turning to stare up at the canopy, made up of a wispy, see-through gray fabric. "Demeter," I said, "may be my mother, but I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. Thanks."

"I never said otherwise," Hades returned easily. We lapsed into silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

I looked at him again, making a face. "It's the middle of the night."

"Actually, it's about five a.m.," he corrected.

I yawned. "I think I'll just lay down for a bit."

He gave a nod of his head. "Cassandra is just down the hall, if you need anything." If you need me, I wondered if he was implying. I rolled onto my stomach and looked at him, returning the nod. He closed the door quietly behind him, and I listened for his footsteps as the sound faded the further he went.

I buried my face in the soft comforter, having one coherent, non-freaking-out thought before I dozed off: I'm probably a little bit screwed.

I scrambled upwards, gasping for breath.

My heart was speeding in my chest, and I didn't recognize the things around me. Whose bed? Whose blankets? Where was the sunshine?

It sunk in slowly, where I was. Last night.

I crawled out of the blankets, stretching, feeling like I should be going back to bed because there was no sun. But if it was five when Hades was here, it was at least the morning already. Cassandra is just down the hall if you need anything.

I opened the door, padding down the hallway, hoping I was heading the right way. It was brighter in the hallway than I remembered it being last night. I began knocking on doors, moving on when I didn't get an answer. Finally, the one at the very end swung open when I knocked.

"Morning, sunshine," Cassandra chriped. Her brown hair hung around her shoulders, framing her face, and she wore jeans and a bright blue hoodie.

"Morning," I replied, noticing her frown. "What?"

She tugged my arm, pulling me into what was presumably her room. "You look like hell, Persephone." Before I could say anything back, she added, "And you kind of stink." She tossed a towel at me from the top of her closet. "Go shower," she jerked her head at the door to my left.

"If you recall," I said, "I fell through a crack in the ground last night."

"Oh, I recall," she returned, pushing me into the bathroom. "I'll have something for you to wear when you get out. Then we'll go eat."

A shower sounded nice. And so did food. I was starving and there was that gray sand caked under my nails still, and I just felt...gross. "Thanks."

"What do you think?" Cassandra was smiling at me like she already knew I liked what she'd picked out.

And I did like it. She'd picked me a short tan skirt with fabric-covered buttons going up the front, a white tank top, and red, faux-leather ankle boots. It wasn't something I think I would've picked myself, but...damn if I didn't look good. I beamed at her, did a little spin. "I think it's perfect. The only thing that would make it better is food."

Cassandra held out her elbow, and I looped my arm through hers. "So how does it feel to be a Goddess?" She asked.

I laughed. "Not much different from how I felt when I thought I was human."

She rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sound. "Persephone, that's because you haven't learned the fun part yet."

I furrowed my brows as I looked at her. "Which would be, what, exactly?"

"The powers, duh," she gave me a look like that should have been obvious as we passed through the room with the green marble floor. "You really don't know anything, huh?"

I bristled, crossing my arms. "I know -"

"I didn't mean it that way, Persephone," she cut in. "I meant you don't know anything about being a Goddess. About the Gods."

I thought about what she said as we lapsed into silence. I tried to remember which hallways and turns we were taking, but they all looked the same, nothing to mark them as different from one another. But the light gradually got warmer, less like the white coolness of fluorescents, and we came to a wide open room with a long table.

Hades sat alone at the head of it.

My chest got tight at the sight of him, the harsh cut of his jaw as he stared off to the side, the dark of his hair and the unbelievable brightness of his eyes as he turned to look at us. I felt like one of those poor butterflies pinned to a collector's board as he surveyed me and then Cassandra.

"Morning, ladies," he greeted.

"I want to see Cerberus," I blurted before I could think better of it. Heat bloomed in my cheeks, and I had to force myself to hold his eyes.

Slowly, slowly, the corners of his lips curled up like he was trying so hard not to let himself grin the heart-stopping grin that he did. "That can be arranged," he was still smiling. "But first, have something to eat."

Cassandra plopped down in the chair on Hades' left, and I took the one at the right. There was an array of food to choose from, and my mouth watered at the stacked pancakes and waffles. I took two of each, smothering them in butter and syrup, cutting into them eagerly.

Cassandra picked up a piece of melon with two fingers from a plate of fresh-looking fruit, chewing thoughtfully as Hades asked, "Anything important going to happen today, Cassandra?"

She swallowed, shrugged. "A plane's going to go down into the Atlantic, orphanage is going to catch on fire -"

My eyes went wide, and when I swallowed the food in my mouth it tasted like sandpaper. "An orphanage? We have to -"

"She's kidding, Persephone," Hades gave me a reassuring look, then turned a scathing one on Cassandra; "Right, Cassandra?"

She grinned at me and all I could think was How can someone joke about that? "Sorry, Seph, forgot about your 'Save Everyone and Everything' attitude." I raised my eyebrows at her. Seph? Save everyone and everything? Then, as she apparently read the confusion on my face, "Persephone is just so long and tedious -"

"It really isn't," I interjected.

"- and as for the other thing" - she tapped the side of her head with a finger - "saw that in here."

For a second I couldn't do anything but stare at her in baffled silence. Who jokes about that kind of thing? I pushed away my plate, no longer hungry. "You said you'd take me to see Cerberus?" I prompted Hades with a glance.

Hades pushed his chair out, standing and taking long gulps from his cup of what I thought was coffee before setting it back down. He gestured with his arm, "Right this way."