by Carly Spade
She chuckled. “Something like that.”
She continued to run her fingers through my hair, and I fell asleep.
I gasped, waking up in my bed in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Pajamas replaced my dress, glasses resting on the nightstand. I didn’t remember changing my clothes, let alone crawling into bed. With a groan, I slapped my hand over my face. The universe played a cruel joke bringing a man into my life, a man who called to every fiber of my being. And I had no humanly way possible of being with him.
Human.
Thanatos said only immortals and…gods could survive the Underworld.
The back of my neck tingled, and I sat up, hyperventilating. Could it be possible? Would he accept me? Was I willing to go to those lengths?
I kicked at the blankets, tripping out of bed as I grabbed my glasses. There wasn’t enough room to properly pace in my bedroom, so I headed for the living room. Sammy was curled up in his favorite cat bed, and his head shot up like a rocket. My bare feet slapped against the wooden floor as I walked back and forth, chewing at my nails.
“You’ve done a lot of crazy things in your time, Costas, but this would surpass them all,” I said to myself.
Sammy followed on my heels, making me stumble several times when he decided to do random figure eights through my legs.
“Just admit it. And stop stalling,” I ordered myself.
I’d been mulling it over long enough. I knew what I needed to do to be with Hades, what I wanted to do. And who likely I needed to make it happen.
“Zeus,” I yelled in my apartment at three o’clock in the morning. The neighbors would get over it.
Silence.
“Zeus, Zeus, Zeus,” I repeated over and over like a toddler having a tantrum in a toy store.
A flash of clouds and lightning sent Sammy running and sliding across the floor, hiding behind a planter.
“What?” Zeus roared, standing in a suit, his hands balled into fists, chest pulsing. “Do you have any idea of the heated meeting I had to leave because you won’t shut up?” He pointed at me and then dropped his eyes to my—attire.
I crossed my arms over my chest, covered only in a tank top with no bra. He squinted, looking around my apartment, lingering on the doorway to my bedroom.
“I like where you’re going with this.” A sly grin slid over his lips.
“Do you have the power to turn mortals into gods?” I sputtered.
He put his hands on his hips. “Come again?”
“Can you—” I played with the lace trim of my pajama shorts. “Turn me into a goddess?”
He squinted at me, walking forward. “Are you saying you want to be Queen of the Underworld?”
I gulped. Queen of the Underworld. Yes, yes, that’s exactly what I wanted.
“Yes, but—” I started.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” He snapped his fingers with a malicious grin. “Done.”
My heart fell to my feet. “Wait. What? What do you mean ‘done’? I wanted to talk to Hades first. To tell Sara…”
“Not my problem. I’m an impatient god who’s been nothing but patient with you. Believe me.” His hand clasped my shoulder, and we stood in Hades’ throne room. Hades sulked on his throne and shot to his feet when he noticed us.
“Why did you bring her down here?” Hades boomed.
Zeus pinched the bridge of his nose. “For the love of me. You two are the most difficult project I’ve had in eons.”
My throat tightened. “What are you talking about?”
Hades’ wings flapped, and he floated down with a scowl. “What did you do, Zeus?”
Zeus slipped his hands in his pockets with the smugness of the Chesire Cat. “What I do best, brother. Meddle.”
Hades’ hands clenched, and the embers on his wings brightened.
“When I found her, I knew she’d be the perfect distraction for you, the easiest to get down here. I put the thought of Corfu into Sara’s head because I knew Hades would be there,” Zeus said, narrowing his eyes.
“What?” I asked through a shaky breath.
“All it took was a little mental push to get you to talk to him, and remarkably, you did the rest. And then it was a matter of getting you to the Underworld.”
My lips parted. “The chains. It was you.”
“Smart too.” Zeus smirked. “Yes. Rupert was so bent on not dying he didn’t even question how magical chains appeared in his room. I cast them with magic that would only break in the hands of dear Stephanie here. Did you think you suddenly became Heracles or something?”
I wanted to crawl into a corner and cry.
“I created the perfect opportunity, but Hades sent you right back to the surface.” Zeus shook his head. “You’ve changed, bro. You’ve changed.”
Hades growled, the embers on his wings glowing even brighter.
“Watch it. Or I’ll fry those wings so profusely you’ll only have two stubs on your back,” Zeus said with a snarl.
Everything that happened with Hades was a…lie?
“And then Stephanie called for Thanatos. That was me, by the way. Thanatos is about as social as a doornail. He would’ve never answered you.”
“Oh, my God.” I slapped a hand over my face.
“Hades had you again. Even jumped in the sack with you, and yet, he still sent you back. Remarkable. You two weren’t supposed to fall in love or anything. Quite frankly, I find it disgusting. Who do I look like? Eros?” He shuddered.
I sighed with relief. What I felt for Hades was real. At least I had that much despite Zeus’ crazy involvement.
“Anyway, you should thank me. You’ve got your Queen. A willing queen.” He snapped his fingers. “Here. You’ll need to give her this. Can’t be Queen of the Underworld for an eternity as a mortal, can she?” Zeus plopped something orange and glowing into Hades’ limp hand. “Do whatever you want for her coronation. I got to bolt.”
Hades clenched his hand around so tightly it shook.
Zeus played with the gold pinky ring on his right hand. “By the way, the word in the clouds is that you did Dirty Dancing, brother. Is that true?”
Hades glared. “I thought you were in a hurry,” he growled.
“We’ll circle back to it,” he winked with a grin and disappeared in a flash of blinding white light.
Hades blew out a breath. “Stephanie, I’ll talk to him. Get him to reverse this. He can do it. He’s just an arrogant prick. He tricked you, he—”
The skin between my eyes wrinkled, and I placed a hand on his forearm. “Hades, he didn’t trick me.”
He squinted. “What?”
“It caught me off guard happening so quickly because I wanted to talk to you first, to say my goodbyes to Sara, but I chose this. Me.” I pointed at my chest.
“Really?” His eyes quivered like he was about to cry.
I nodded.
“I…don’t know what to say.” His gaze dropped to his feet.
I slipped a finger under his chin and met his eyes. “You don’t have to say anything, but I’d love to see a smile.”
His lips curled back, revealing his pointed teeth and a wide grin spread across his face. The pastel colors of his aura burst through the darkness. A single shimmering tear rolled down his cheek. He pressed his hands on my cheeks and kissed me. Salt from our tears mixed with the taste of smoke and ash.
He peeled away, keeping his hands on my face. “I’m going to spend the rest of eternity showing you how much I appreciate this, but you need to go back to the surface first. You should’ve had the chance to say goodbye.”
“I can go back? I thought we had to stay here?”
“We do. Zeus seems rather preoccupied at the moment. If he catches wind of where you are, I’ll distract him to give you time. You’ll have to be quick about it.”
My heart thudded against my chest. I cried and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you,” I whispered into his ear.
He blew out a breath into my hair. “Yo
u do not need to thank me.”
“I know you gave it to me as a gift.” I stepped back, wiping my tears away, and clutching the charm necklace in my hand. “But, would you mind if I gave this to Sara? So I can still talk to her?”
He grinned again. His wings were beautiful, but it didn’t compare to the brightness of his smile. “That’s a great idea. Yes. By all means.” He brushed my cheek with his knuckle. “We don’t need it anymore.”
I beamed up at him.
He waved his hand, producing a portal.
“How do I get back?”
“Simply think about the Underworld and a way will present itself. Make sure you’re in an isolated area.”
I started to back away.
“Go and say your goodbyes, Stephanie. When you come back, I’ll give you the ceremony you deserve.”
“I’ll be quick. Say my goodbyes and return to you.” I smiled.
He grinned back. “Return to you. Those are probably the three most precious words I’ve ever heard.”
“More than the words—I love you?”
He stepped forward, his wings peeking out. “Are you saying you love me?”
“Hades, I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t.”
He smiled and yanked me forward, kissing me. “I love you too,” he responded in a whisper. “Truly.”
Was it possible for your heart to grow so large it sprung from your ribcage?
“Go,” he said. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
The portal swallowed me up, and I appeared back in my apartment.
It was strange how familiar surroundings now felt foreign. Sammy scampered over, meowing and flicking his tail. Sammy. What was I going to do about him? I picked him up and nuzzled my nose into his fur. Cradling him in the crook of my arm, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and dialed Sara.
“Stephanie?” Her voice answered in a panic.
A lump formed in my throat. “Hey, Sara. Can you come over? Like, now?”
“Sure, but is everything okay?”
“Yeah, but I’d rather tell you what I need to tell you in person.”
“I haven’t heard from you in days, and when I do, you get all cryptic on me?”
I pinched my eyes shut. “Please, Sara.”
“Be there soon.”
I took a tour of my apartment, putting it to memory. What a stark contrast it was to a kingdom under the ground. Explaining all this to Sara was going to be like a trip to the dentist. Never look forward to it, but necessary to avoid pain later. I hoped she’d understand. A knock sounded at the door, and Sara barged in as soon as I opened it.
“What the hell is going on, Steph?” Dark circles were under her eyes. It looked like she hadn’t slept.
I set Sammy on the floor and smoothed out my dress as I stood up. “I’m marrying Hades.”
“My ears must be playing tricks on me,” she said, chuckling. “Because I could’ve sworn, I just heard you say you were going to marry the god of the Underworld.”
“You heard right.”
Her jaw dropped. “Why would you do that? Are you out of your mind?”
“I love him, Sara. From the moment we met at the resort, I had this feeling. I can’t explain it.” I stood still when she started to pace the length of my living room.
She stopped and pointed. “Wait a minute. If he’s King, that will make you—”
“Queen. I’m going to be Queen of the Underworld.”
“You know how crazy this all sounds, right?”
“I do. But I wanted to tell you, Sara. To say bye. I can’t stay here. Being up here now is defying Zeus.”
“Wait. You said you were going to be Queen. You’re making it sound like you already are.”
I clenched my jaw. “Zeus kind of jumped the gun. I only wanted to ask him if he could do it. He took my ‘yes’ as a concrete answer and literally snapped his fingers. I planned to talk to you first and Hades. Everything’s happened so fast.”
She grabbed my arms. “And you can never come back?”
“I don’t know.”
She started to cry, which was a rarity for Sara, and it tugged at my heart.
Removing the necklace, I held it out her. “Sara. We can still talk. Whenever we want or need to.”
She took it with a sniffle. “It won’t be the same, but this helps.”
I fought back the waterworks, not knowing what else to say.
“He cares about you. A lot. It was written all over his face. His actions,” she said with a weak smile.
“He does. This feels right, Sara. I’m so sorry.” I hugged her.
She wrapped her arms around me. “Don’t apologize. This is your life, and I want you to be happy.”
Tears burst out.
“If you can ever come back, you better find me.” She peeled back and shoved a finger in my face. “Promise me.”
“You know, I will.”
She stared at me, her bottom lip trembling before she hugged me again. “You’re so crazy, but I can’t stop you from doing what you feel is right. God of the Underworld or not, if he hurts you, I will figure out a way to smoke his ass.”
I laughed. “Listen, I know you hate cats, but would you please take Sammy?”
Sara narrowed her eyes, looking down at the furball strutting between the two of us. “Fine.”
“Thank you. It makes me feel better knowing he’ll be with someone he’s familiar with.” I glanced at the time. “I need to go.”
“Already? Is there some midnight clause or something?”
“I have no idea, but I also know that Zeus can be a real ass when he wants to be.” I hugged her again, sighing.
She shoved her face into my shoulder. Given our height differences, she had to bend halfway from the waist. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Who was she telling? “Trust me. I’m waiting for the morning I wake up next to a man with ember wings and have the worst case of impostor syndrome known to man.”
She lifted her head, pieces of her black hair falling over her eyes. “Ember wings?”
“It’s probably best not to get into it,” I said, squeezing her shoulder. “I’ve got to go turn in my apartment key and talk to work, still.”
“What about your dad?” She asked.
It felt like a knife to the gut.
“I haven’t seen him in years. He was pretty clear he wanted to be left alone.”
She nodded and crossed her arms. “You better get out of here before I hogtie you to the banister.”
“Call me on that thing whenever you want. Except if you’re in the bathroom. That could be awkward.” I grinned.
She laughed. “Go on. Get.” She jutted her head, her eyes glistening with tears.
After giving Sammy one last scratch of his head, I slipped out the door before Sara held me to her word. Making up lies to my landlord and job came easier than they ever had. Part of me wondered if the moment Zeus snapped his fingers, I became a different person. Given I still played scenes to Dirty Dancing in my head and thought of song lyrics to replace sentences, I wasn’t completely gone. I hoped I would never be.
My boss at the state police teared up a little. I couldn’t be sure if it were because he genuinely would miss me or miss one of the best civilian examiners they’ve had. His words. Not mine. A part of me would miss working cases, but considering where I’d be for the rest of my life, there’d be no shortage of mystery. I got to leave with the knowledge of knowing Earnest Fueller after years of searching, of wondering, was officially guilty. It was more than enough to put me at ease.
Standing in a desolate area of Lincoln Park in the middle of the night, trying to figure out a way to ‘think’ myself back to the Underworld, was new for me. I pinched my eyes shut, touched the side of my head like Professor Xavier, nothing worked.
Underworld.
Underworld go, I need.
Okay, thinking like Yoda didn’t work either. I blew out a breath. What if I imagined a way to the Underworld
? I closed my eyes and thought of the first thing that came to mind. A golden escalator appeared leading underground. The stairs made the familiar clicking vibration sounds of any run of the mill escalator. I tested it with the tip of my toe before stepping on. Step-by-step, it took me down to the Underworld to an awaiting Hades.
He leaned on a nearby column, a small smirk on his face. “An escalator? Interesting choice.”
“It was the first thing that came to mind,” I said with a shrug.
“You could’ve picked a cloud, a Pegasus, a—”
After hopping from the last step, I stood in front of him and tore my glasses away. “I could’ve come down here on a Pegasus? You’ve got so much to tell me, buster.”
“In due time,” he said with a half-smile. “First, I believe a ceremony is in order.”
My chest tightened. This was it.
He led us over to his throne, taking both my hands. We faced each other, and I shivered. I stared up at the god I’d grown to love and regretted nothing. Still didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous about becoming Queen of the Underworld.
Swirls of smoke, fog, and embers encircled us. We lifted from the ground, floating so high up, we almost touched the cave ceiling. He showed me the glowing orange substance Zeus gave him. It looked like a sugared crystal.
“Ambrosia,” he whispered.
He broke a piece off, placing it in his mouth and dipped his head down. His lips smoothed against mine, transitioning the bite of ambrosia. It melted as soon as it hit my tongue. He kissed me, holding me against his chest. A blast of white light burst from my chest, a cascading tingle starting from the top of my skull, traveling down to my toes. I didn’t dare open my eyes, trusting him, giving into it.
He broke away from the kiss, pressing his lips against my ear. “You need to say it out loud, Stephanie. Zeus made you Queen, but to receive the power that goes with it, you need to claim it.”
My eyes fluttered open. “What do I say?”
“I claim the Underworld and its King, as he claims me.” A fire roared in his gaze, making my stomach clench.
“I claim the Underworld and its King, as he claims me.” The words flowed from my tongue like a practiced melody.
He graced me with another smile, his wings sprouting from his back. He kissed me again with a ferocity that tugged at my inner tigress. I wrapped my arms around his neck. The smoke and fog grew denser. The feel of cloth skirted down my legs, and I broke from the kiss, looking down. A flowy cranberry-colored dress replaced my clothes. I held my left hand up, watching an intricate piece of gold jewelry start as a ring on my finger, attaching to a bracelet, and stopping at an armband.
