by Aimee Carter
It seemed to last for ages, but only a few seconds later my feet landed on solid ground. James loosened his grip on my shoulders, but my legs trembled so badly that I clung to him even though all I wanted to do was thwack him upside the head.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he said cheerfully, and I glared.
“I will get you for that,” I snarled. “You won’t see it coming, but when it’s over, you’ll know what it was for.”
“I look forward to it,” he said, and at last I felt steady enough to stand on my own. I bit back my retort as I looked around, and my eyebrows shot up.
We were in a massive cavern, so big that I couldn’t see the top. The only way I could tell it was under the earth—besides the harrowing journey I’d barely survived—was the lack of sunlight.
Great. Apparently Henry lived in a cave.
Instead of the sky, rivers of crystal ran through the rock, providing a glowing light that illuminated the entire cavern. Giant stalagmites and stalactites joined together in rows of columns that couldn’t have possibly been natural, and to my relief, they formed a path to a magnificent palace made of shiny black rock that looked as if it had grown out of the side of the cavern.
“If I may,” said James. “On behalf of the council, let me be the first to welcome you to the Underworld.”
I opened my mouth, but before I could say a word, Henry’s enraged cries filled my ears, and I fell to my knees as the world went black.
Chapter Two
Gift
Henry appeared inches in front of me, his face twisted with such fury that I shrank back. He was in the Underworld, surrounded by the same crystal-infused rock I recognized from my landing, but the cavern wasn’t the same. It was so vast I couldn’t make out the other side, and it was bare except for the massive gate that looked as if it were made of the wall itself.
Henry raised his trembling hands against a thick fog that seeped between the bars made of rock, his jaw set. His brothers, Walter and Phillip, flanked him on either side, but it was clear that Henry was the general in this battle.
“It won’t work,” said a girly voice that made my insides turn to ice. Behind Henry stood Calliope, her eyes bright with amusement. “He’s already awake.”
“Why?” said Henry, his voice strained with effort. “Are you really so far gone that you believe this is the answer?”
But whatever the question happened to be, I didn’t get the chance to find out. Henry and his brothers vanished, and I opened my eyes and sucked in the cool, damp air of the cavern that held the palace. Somehow I’d wound up on my hands and knees, and James knelt beside me, his brow knit as he rubbed my back.
“Are you okay?” he said.
“What happened?” Catching sight of two approaching figures in the distance, I tensed. It couldn’t be Henry and Calliope. He would never let her anywhere near me.
“Nothing,” said James uncertainly. “Did you hit your head?”
I didn’t answer, too busy scrutinizing the two silhouettes. James wasn’t worried, so it couldn’t be Calliope—but had he seen the cavern with the gate? Did he know she was out there, fighting against Henry and his brothers?
Finally the two figures came into view, and relief flooded through me. “Mom,” I called, standing on shaky legs. James steadied me, and I managed to take a few steps forward.
My mother, who had spent years battling the cancer that had eventually killed her mortal form, walked toward me looking radiant. I still hadn’t adjusted to the idea that she too was a goddess and had failed to mention that to me for eighteen years, but at that moment all I cared about was filling the hole that had grown inside of me during the six months I’d been gone.
“Hello, my darling,” she said, embracing me. I breathed in her scent, apples and freesia, and hugged her tightly in return. I’d missed her more than I could have possibly put into words, and as far as I was concerned, no one would ever talk me into leaving her for any length of time again.
“What was that all about?” said a second voice. Ava. My best girlfriend and the reason I’d met Henry in the first place. Another one who’d lied to me about being mortal. “Kate looked like she was having a fit.”
“It’s nothing that can’t be controlled with a little practice,” said my mother, touching my cheek. “I see you got plenty of sun. Did Greece treat you well?”
She let me go, and Ava swooped in for a hug and a squeal. “You look gorgeous! Look at your tan—I’m so jealous. Did you dye your hair? It looks lighter.”
I searched over her shoulder, but the path that led to the obsidian palace was empty. Henry hadn’t come to greet me after all. My heart sank, and I avoided James’s stare. I didn’t want to see him gloat. “What do you mean, something that can be controlled with a little practice?”
“Your gift, of course.” My mother’s smile faltered. “Do tell me Henry explained this to you last winter.”
I gritted my teeth. “From here on out, how about everyone assumes that if Henry was supposed to tell me something, he didn’t. Sound like a plan?”
“Probably didn’t think you’d survive long enough for it to matter,” muttered James.
Ava ignored him and looped her arm in mine. “You’re grumpy today.”
“You would be too if you fell through a hole in the floor and wound up in hell,” I said.
My mother took my other arm, and James trailed after us as we headed toward the palace. “Don’t let Henry hear you call this place hell,” she said. “He’s very touchy about that sort of thing. This is the Underworld, not hell. It’s where—”
“—people go after they die,” I said. “I know. He told me that much. Where is he?”
Even as I asked, I had a sick feeling I knew exactly where he was.
“He and a few of the others had a matter to attend to,” said my mother. “They will be back before your coronation ceremony tonight.”
“Does that matter have anything to do with a giant gate and Calliope?”
Ava stopped short, and I tugged on her arm, but her feet remained planted on the ground. “How did you know that?”
I shrugged. “That’s what I was trying to tell you all—I saw it, just now.”
Up on the surface, seeing visions like that would’ve gotten me committed, but my mother didn’t so much as blink. “Yes, sweetie, that will happen from time to time, and eventually you will learn to control it.”
“Great,” I said waspishly. “Could you at least explain what it is?”
“No need to get upset,” said my mother, and my exasperation immediately dissolved. She may not have been dying anymore, but after I’d spent four years watching her teeter on the edge between life and death, I’d all but forgotten how to be upset with her. Six months away wasn’t going to change that.
“I’m sorry,” I said, guilt rushing through me. I glanced at James, who lingered in the background, his hands shoved in his pockets and his mop of blond hair falling in his eyes. But I wanted answers, not more diatribes about how I had a choice. “What’s going on? Why could I see Henry?”
My mother wrapped her arms around my shoulders, and I relaxed against her. “Why don’t we go inside where it’s comfortable, and then we’ll tell you everything?”
Somehow I doubted that I would ever really learn everything that was going on when it came to my new family, but my jeans were damp from the ground, and the sooner we got to the palace, the sooner I would see Henry. And then—
And then what?
James’s offer trickled back into my mind, circling my thoughts until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. He was wrong. He had to be. I’d survived; I’d passed, and Henry loved me. As so
on as we saw each other, everything would fall into place, and things would be normal again. And I’d feel like an idiot for ever questioning Henry.
The path was shorter than I’d thought, sloping downward toward a courtyard in front of the palace. Instead of flower beds and trees, the ground was littered with magnificent jewels in a rainbow of colors that glittered in the light. Much in the same way that my mother’s gardens were art, this was a masterpiece, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
“Persephone designed it,” said Ava as we approached the intimidating doors. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from a rude retort. I’d never considered how much being in the Underworld would remind Henry of Persephone, and after they’d spent millennia together, there was no way I could combat every piece of her that lingered in his life. But I hadn’t been prepared to face it this soon.
I took a deep breath. Everything would be fine. I was jet-lagged, that’s all, and as soon as I got some rest and saw Henry, everything would go back to normal. Getting angry about every little thing wasn’t going to help.
The entranceway was nothing like I’d expected. Unlike the darkness of the world outside the palace, it was cheerful inside, with red walls and mirrors much like the ones that hung in Eden Manor. This room was smaller though, homier somehow. From the gold accents around the mirrors to the brown leather furniture scattered throughout the corridor, everything was warm. The palace was huge, but inside, it didn’t seem the least bit impressed with itself.
I liked it.
“This is where I’ll be living during the winter?” I said, and my mother nodded.
“This is the private wing of the palace, meant for you, Henry and your guests.”
“There are guests?”
Ava skipped beside me, almost wrenching my arm out of its socket. “Like us, silly. The entire council’s here right now to see your coronation.”
“They are?” My mouth went dry. “I thought it was just going to be me and Henry. And you guys.”
“Of course the entire council is here. Henry will be crowning a new Queen of the Underworld tonight,” said my mother, setting her hand on my back to lead me down another hallway. “That doesn’t happen very often.”
She seemed to know exactly where she was going, and trepidation bubbled inside of me. She must’ve spent time here with Persephone, who had been her daughter—my sister—and her familiarity with the palace was one more reminder of how deeply entrenched Persephone had been in Henry’s life. How deeply entrenched her memory still was.
“Your bedroom,” said Ava, pointing toward an elaborately decorated door at the end of the hallway. I wanted to ask her how she’d known that, but as we drew closer and I recognized the intricate wooden carvings, I nearly choked.
It was the exact same door as the one in Eden that led into Persephone’s bedroom. On the top half was a beautiful meadow, and somehow the artist had managed to create sunlight in the wood. Below it stood the Underworld with its pillars of stone and gardens of jewels, and it was all I could do to speak. “Do you think Henry would mind if I did some redecorating?”
Ava and my mother exchanged a confused glance, but James, who had been quiet up until then, stepped forward. I didn’t want his sympathy though. Or his understanding. Henry was busy, not ignoring me, and he couldn’t have possibly known how a simple door would feel like a punch to the gut to me. I didn’t want him to choose between me and his dead wife; I only wanted to be a more important part of his life now. Maybe it would take some time, but that was time I was willing to put in if Henry was, as well.
I shook my head. Of course Henry would want this. He’d been the one to approach me beside the river to begin with. He’d been the one to protect me during my time in Eden. He was the one who’d helped bring me back from the dead. He was the one who’d stayed by my bedside nearly every waking hour after. He cared. He had to.
That was all before I’d been granted immortality by the council though, said a small voice that sounded suspiciously like James’s in the back of my mind. My mother was Henry’s favorite sister. Maybe he was only trying to protect me for her sake.
I forced the thought aside. I was panicking over nothing. Henry would show up soon, and he couldn’t avoid me all winter. Even if he did have some apprehension about this whole thing, we’d be able to talk about it. It wasn’t like I wasn’t nervous, too.
“This is your home too now, and you should do what makes you comfortable,” said James. “If Henry really loves you, he’ll understand.”
“How could you say something like that?” said Ava, appalled. “Of course he loves her. I should know.”
“Yes,” he said curtly. “You should. If you’ll all excuse me, I have things to do before the ceremony.”
He kissed me on the cheek before breezing past Ava and my mother, and the three of us watched him go. I tried not to let it get under my skin, but the thought of going six months without seeing James after spending all summer with him was hard to swallow. No matter what his feelings for me may or may not have been, he was still my friend.
“I’ll go see what’s the matter with him,” said my mother once James was out of sight.
“Thanks,” I said. “He wasn’t like this while we were in Greece.”
She sighed. “No, I’d imagine he wasn’t.” Giving me a hug, she added, “I’ll check in on you before the ceremony. Ava, stay with her until Henry returns.”
“Planned on it,” said Ava, and once my mother had hurried after James, Ava turned toward me with a sly grin. “So, want to see where the magic happens?”
The look on my face sent her into a fit of laughter, and it was only when I threatened to follow my mother that she sobered up.
“I’m sorry, it’s just—you’re such a prude.”
I didn’t dignify that with an answer. The only time I’d slept with Henry had been after being dosed with an aphrodisiac, thanks to Calliope. While the thought of me failing a test had enraged Henry, part of me held out hope that he’d enjoyed it as much as I had. We hadn’t slept together since, but now that we were married, it might be something he was expecting.
I wasn’t sure which was worse: the thought of Henry expecting me to sleep with him, or the thought of Henry not wanting to sleep with me at all.
Ava finally pushed the door open, revealing a large bedroom suite on the other side. The carpet was soft and the color of cream, and the walls were painted the same rich red as the entrance hall. In the center stood a massive bed on a raised platform, and the sheets were gold. It was perfect, and I hated myself for liking it so much.
“Please tell me someone’s changed the sheets since Persephone lived here,” I muttered, and Ava laughed.
“Of course. I even talked Henry into letting me redecorate for you. I didn’t think the door would bother you, else I’d have changed that, too.”
The knot in my stomach unraveled. “Next time, open with that,” I said, wandering around the room to inspect it. Furniture was scattered throughout, including two love seats, a desk and a vanity, and a great bay window overlooking the courtyard and the garden of jewels. I pulled the gold curtains shut.
A high-pitched yip caught my attention, and I whirled around in time to see Pogo, the puppy Henry had given me last winter, come barreling toward me. His little legs could hardly keep him steady, and his tail wagged so enthusiastically I was afraid he would break it against something.
“Pogo,” I cooed, scooping him up and cradling him to my chest. “You haven’t grown a bit, have you? Where’s Cerberus?” He licked my cheek, and I grinned. Finally something was going right.
“Cerberus has his own job down here,” said Ava from across the room. “I took care of Pogo for you—taught him a few new tricks and everything.”
My grin faded. “I thought Henry was going to take car
e of him.” He’d gotten Pogo for me because he wanted to show me that he intended for our relationship to last, and instead of taking care of him like he’d promised, he’d handed him off to Ava for the summer? I hugged Pogo tighter.
“He gets busy sometimes,” said Ava, and I crossed the room to join her. “Now, this is your closet. I even talked Henry into letting me choose your outfits for you this time instead of Ella.”
Ella, who along with Calliope had attended to me throughout my stay in Eden, had spent the first few months dressing me in the most painful fashions of the past thousand years solely to make me squirm. I would’ve rather spent the next six months wrapped in a sheet than wear the hoopskirts and corsets Ella would have undoubtedly provided for me.
Ava opened a door, and my eyes widened. It was the biggest closet I’d ever seen, complete with rows of jeans, stacks of blouses and sweaters, and an entire wall covered with shoes. There was also a row of fancy dresses, but Ava had mercifully kept those to a minimum.
“I figured you wouldn’t want them, so I stole most of them for myself,” she said as I ran my hand over a shimmering silver gown that I almost would’ve considered wearing if I had somewhere to go. “Don’t tell Henry.”
“I won’t.” I sat down next to the wall of shoes and inspected the nearest pair. Size seven, like me. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone else?”
She was by my side in an instant, and the hunger in her eyes for gossip almost made me reconsider. But I had no one else to talk to other than my mother and James, and I was too embarrassed to go to my mother about this, and James—well, he was sort of the problem.
“Of course,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. “You know you can tell me anything, and I won’t tell a soul.”
I wanted to believe her, but I still remembered the girl in Eden who had tricked me into breaking onto Henry’s property, only to have her try to abandon me there. Her stunt had backfired, leading to Ava dying and Henry offering to heal her if I stayed with him for six months a year. Since then, however, she’d become one of my best friends, and I couldn’t ignore that.
