by Carly Spade
“What’s happening?” I asked through a husky breathy.
He nuzzled his nose against my jaw. “You’re becoming the Queen.”
My hair stayed its same chocolate tone but grew down to my hips in shimmering waves. My ears itched, and when I pressed my fingertips against them, they came to a point. He turned us so I could look down at his throne. Another raised beside it, white and shimmering in stark contrast to his dark, ghostly one. He lowered us to the ground, leading me over to the throne, my throne.
He moved his hand through the air, and my own reflection stared back at me. He slipped the glasses from my nose. My eyes were glowing and cranberry-colored. He swirled his hand around my head and a crown of two feathers wrapped around my forehead. They sparkled and glowed bright white.
I gasped. “I half expected a flower crown.”
“Flowers don’t suit you.” He places his hands on my shoulders from behind me. “I can’t give you wings, but you have such a fascination for them, this was the best I could do.”
I beamed.
“Besides, you’re allergic to pollen.” He winked.
I laughed and stared at my reflection. It was me. I knew it was, but I wanted to cry over how beautiful the image was.
“Do you like it?” He asked.
I turned and cupped his face in my hands. “The word like doesn’t begin to justify how elated I feel.”
He pressed a hand against my back, guiding me to my throne and motioned for me to sit. The armrests felt cool and smooth against my fingers. Carved into the white marble were cypress trees, flowers, and a singular serpent.
He smiled down at me. “Welcome to your Kingdom, my Queen.”
I sat on my new throne, in my new world, pieces of my hair floating in my peripheral vision. The reality of it all hit me like a backdraft. My heartbeat quickened, and the pace of my breathing followed.
“Stephanie,” Hades said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
His white eyes gazed down at me, begging me to confide in him.
“I thought this through, I did, but now that it’s real, my brain is trying to catch up. I’m a goddess now. A queen. With responsibilities I’m completely unaware of.” I looked up at him, vision blurring with tears.
He frowned and knelt in front of me, taking my trembling hands into his. “Did you think I wouldn’t guide you? We’ll work through this. Together. You’re married to the second most powerful god of Olympus. You’re right. Responsibilities come with it. But I promise you. I won’t rush you into anything.”
I scooted forward, pressing my forehead against his.
“I’d done my duties alone for eons until—” He paused, a crinkle in his brow. “I won’t mention her again. The point is, I can handle anything you feel you cannot.”
“Like torturing bad guys?”
He looked taken aback. “I would never have thought of putting that burden on you.” He stood, pulling me up with him. “I wish to give you the Fields if you’d have them.”
“What would I do?”
He slipped his arm through mine, patting my hand that rested on his bicep. He led me to an entry in the cave I had yet to see. “You’d guide souls to their eternal paradise. Something tells me they’d be more at ease seeing your face over mine.” He half-smiled.
We stopped at a black entrance covered with fog.
I closed my eyes, imagining the serene looks on their faces when they realized death might not have been so bad after all. “I’d be honored to have the Fields.”
He waved his hand over the entrance. Bright blue skies, lush green fields, flowers, waterfalls. Pure paradise. My heart soared.
He dipped his lips to my ear. “You have the power to visit someone here if you wish. But only once.”
I turned to face him and my throat constricted. Mom. “How do I change myself to look normal? She hasn’t seen me since I was a kid. She’d barely recognize me as an adult, let alone like this.”
He caressed my temple. “Simply think it, and it will be.”
I closed my eyes, a tingle starting from my hairline traveled down to my toes.
Hades smiled down at me and slipped my glasses on. “You don’t need them anymore, but they suit you.”
Out of habit, I adjusted them and then did a turn for his perusal. “How do I look?”
“Like a goddess.” He brushed my bangs away from my eyes and gestured at the Fields. “Go take a look at your new realm. And talk to her. She’ll be pleased to see you.”
I bit down on my lip with a nod, feeling those excited jitters I felt when I was about to do public speaking. The grass felt soft under the weight of my ballet flats, hugging my feet like a cloud with each step. Birds chirped from tree branches, and bubbling brooks streamed over rocks in a nearby river. Where was everyone?
A couple trotted out from a thicket, dressed in white linen, holding hands. A young couple. They couldn’t have been any older than early twenties. They looked as carefree as children. Before the world influences you and the harsh realities settle in. A calm pooled in my abdomen that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt. The Fields were mine to oversee now.
Further in, houses sat on hills overlooking the water. Dozens of more people crossed my path of all ages, genders, and races. No one frowned, or cried, or yelled. It was never-ending; the edges of the horizon blurring against the sky. How was I supposed to find her? Hades said to think it, and it will be. Worth a shot. I closed my eyes and imagined my mother’s face. When I opened them, she sat on a bench underneath a tree. A cypress tree. How ironic.
I knew she wouldn’t recognize me right away, but hoped deep down she’d know it was me. I clasped my hands behind my back and walked up to her.
“Marianne?” I asked, dipping my head to meet her gaze.
She looked over her shoulder, squinting at me. She rose to her feet, eyes narrowing to slits.
I stepped closer and took a deep breath. “It’s me. Stephanie.”
She searched my face and, gradually, the widest smile I’d ever seen on her brightened her eyes. She leaped from the bench, hugging me tightly and weeping. “Stephanie? Is it really you?”
I suppressed tears, hugging her back. The smell of her shampoo still clung to her brown hair, and hundreds of memories flooded my thoughts. “Yes, Mom. It’s me. I can’t believe you recognized me.”
She peeled back, pressing her hands to my cheeks. “It took me a moment, but I can see that little girl in your eyes. You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman, Steph, my word.” She played with my hair that matched hers and ran a finger down my nose that resembled Dad’s.
“Are you happy here, Mom?”
“How could I not be?” She smiled, but then it morphed into a frown. “Wait—if you’re here that means you’re—”
I grabbed her hands. “No. I’m not.”
“Then, how?” Her eyes blinked with the speed of a hummingbird.
I took a deep breath. “Let’s go for a walk.” After slipping my arm through hers, I walked her to the lakeshore. She’d always had a deep love for life on the water. Part of me wondered if it was why Dad ended up in a lake house in Alaska. To be reminded of her.
“After the fire, I struggled for years, not blaming myself. The arsonist. It was his fault, but I kept circling back to: if I’d only been there.” I stared at the small fish bobbing underwater for the tiny gnats floating on the surface.
“Oh, Stephanie,” she said, resting a hand on my face. “You couldn’t have done anything. You were a child. I’m glad you weren’t there.”
“Do you remember Grandma saying she thought I could see people’s auras?”
She nodded. “I loved my mother and always thought she said such absurd things. And now here I am in the Underworld.” She chuckled, picking up a rock and throwing it in the water.
“She may have been right.” I couldn’t blink, watching the ripples from the rock cascade in expanding circles.
“What do you mean?”
“The colo
rs I see in most people have some form of vibrance yearning to push through, but the arsonist…pure black.” I took my glasses off, letting the stem roll between my fingers. “It’s something I’ve always been able to do. Search for that good in humanity. He was the only one I couldn’t see it. It drove me to keep that hope alive. It’s what led me to my…husband.” One step at a time. Telling her flat out, I was Queen of the Underworld, might have been a bit jarring.
Her eyes teared up, and she pulled me into a side hug. “Who is he? What’s his name? Where’d you meet?”
“A few months ago, I went on vacation to Greece. We met at the resort.”
“Greece. How romantic,” the beaming in her brown eyes made my heart melt. It’d been so long seeing the expression of a proud parent.
I licked my lips. “His name is Hades.”
“Hades? The same as—” She looked off into the distance.
I couldn’t drag it on any longer. “Mom, I married the god of the Underworld. This Underworld.”
She made a small ‘o’ shape with her mouth, staring at the water before smiling. “My daughter is Queen of the Underworld?”
I leaned back. “How are you taking this so well?”
“Come here,” she said, leading me to the water’s edge.
She slipped off her sandals and rolled her pant legs, dipping her bare feet in the lake. I did the same and sat next to her.
“I know all of this exists because I’m here. You were always so special. Your grandma’s intuitions frightened me. She always told me you were destined for great things. Things beyond this known world. And here I thought she meant you’d travel the universe as an astronaut or something.” She half smiled, swirling her toes. “So, it doesn’t surprise me that my daughter, the little girl who once gave a cookie to a man yelling at a waiter because she could tell he was having a bad day, would end up in such a position.”
“The position of a fated eternity in the Underworld?”
She shook her head, resting her hand on my shoulder. “You spent your life always seeing the good in people, only to now be the first thing a good soul sees when being led to their afterlife.”
Mom had a way of putting things into perspective. “I missed you.”
She hugged me, stroking her hand over my hair. “And I, you. But I’m so glad to hear you did alright without me. I knew you’d be fine. Hades. He treats you well?”
“He goes above and beyond. Better than any human guy I’ve ever dated.” I bit my lower lip. “I feel calm when I’m with him. Like I finally have nothing to worry about it.”
She continued to smooth my hair as we both stared at the still water. I knew our time together needed to wrap up.
“I have to go, Mama.” I hadn’t called her that since I was four, but sitting here with her as she played with my hair made me revert to my youth.
“I know. I’m glad we got to see each other one last time.”
I leaned back, sniffling. “You know this could only happen once?”
She nodded, brushing her fingers through my bangs. “We all know. The departed must move on.”
The departed. A fate I no longer had.
“You’ll be good for this place. Far better than the other woman.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Other woman? You mean Persephone?”
“Yes. She grew to be a tyrant. Rushing people here. Not giving them time to let the idea of them being dead sink in. She didn’t care.”
I frowned. Hades failed to mention that detail. “I’ll be different.”
“I know. And you willingly married Hades. For love. You are special, Stephanie. Don’t ever forget it.” She kissed my forehead.
“Goodbye,” I said, barely above a whisper.
She disappeared into golden shimmers, the wind carrying it away. I sat motionless with my hands in my lap before closing my eyes. When I opened them, I was back in the throne room. Hades sat up when I appeared. The sight of his face warmed me. Like he’d been holding his breath the mere minutes I was gone, unsure if I’d return.
“Did it go well?” He asked.
I nodded. “I missed her. It was nice to be able to say goodbye. Thank you.”
“Steph, again, there’s absolutely no need for you to thank me.”
He spoke the truth, as he always had, and it made my stomach flutter. I pushed my glasses further up my nose and realized I’d forgotten to transform myself back.
He patted my throne, motioning for me to sit. “I have some news for you.”
His robes shifted, falling over his form in perfect folds as he turned to face me. “While you were gone, I had a talk with Zeus—and Thanatos.”
I crossed my legs, leaning in. “Oh?”
“We made a deal, that once a year, you and I will be allowed time on the surface for no longer than two weeks.” His glowing eyes pierced mine.
“We can—we can go to the surface? I’ll be able to see friends? Family?” I tried to hold it back. I really did. The excitement was too much to contain, and I let out a high-pitched shriek, leaping over the armrest of my throne to hug him.
He grunted as my shoulder shoved into his chest, and he slipped an arm around me. “I knew you’d be pleased…” He let his last word trail off.
I peeled back. “There’s a catch, isn’t there?”
“I’ll be duty-bound to uphold Thanatos’ role while on the surface. So he too can take a break. Only me, though. Not you. Not ever you.”
I kissed him with the tenderness of a fresh strawberry. Every minute spent with him reminded me why I chose to do it all in the first place.
He pulled away. “There’s one more thing.”
“Let me guess,” I slumped back. “Zeus?”
“You know him so well already.”
I flicked the air. “I knew one like him in high school.”
“He requested a yearly performance from us. The dance. In front of—the entire family.” Hades pinched the bridge of his nose with a grimace.
“Is this his way of trying to humiliate you?”
He dragged his hand down his face. “At every turn.”
“Doesn’t seem so bad—the entire family? How many gods and goddesses is that?” My heart leaped to my throat, choking me.
He blinked. “I’ve lost count.”
I went silent.
“Steph? Are you okay? You have that same look on your face right before you passed out.”
I slunk further into the throne, dreading the thought of thousands of people watching me.
He kneeled in front of me, resting his hands on my knees. His touch sent a wave of calm like a gust of wind at the beach.
“You’ll be fine. If the god of the Underworld, known for his brood and menace, can find his inner Patrick Swayze, you should have no problem dancing the dance with him.”
I smiled, morphing myself into my Underworld form. His face brightened, a harsh breath escaping his nostrils. “You’re right. A small price to pay to be able to go to the surface. Besides, I can’t wait to see the look on Zeus’ face when we own that shit.”
He chuckled, running his finger over the point of my ear. The touch made my toes curl. “Are you certain you can be happy down here? Truly happy? With me?”
I moved forward until my knees brushed against his ribs. “Low self-esteem doesn’t suit you, Hades. I hope to change that. See the version of you before you became battered and torn.”
He gripped the back of my neck and kissed me, swallowing any other words I might’ve said.
Once we came up for air, I narrowed my eyes. “Cerberus doesn’t sleep in the bedroom, does he?”
Hades stared at me wide-eyed before letting out a hearty chuckle. “The Underworld has become much more interesting.”
“And I’m Hungry Like the Wolf,” I said, giving a wicked grin and running my hand over one of his shoulder blades.
He smiled back. Smoke, embers, and burnt feathers flittered the air as his wings escaped.
One year later…
&n
bsp; My eyes fluttered open, and I turned on my side. It shouldn’t have surprised me. The bed was empty except for me, but it didn’t disappoint me any less. I smoothed my hand over the black silk sheets where Hades’ imprint was with a sigh. There was a devastating volcanic eruption in Indonesia, which meant he and I worked overtime.
I slipped from the bed, swirling my hand around myself. The satin nightgown clinging to my body morphed into the Queenly attire.
I tried to convince Hades to let me pick up some of the slack when the Underworld got overly busy such as it was now. He insisted he’d rather be the one losing sleep, not me. The man could be so sweet sometimes it made my teeth ache.
I took a seat at my desk, smiling to myself as I grabbed a piece of parchment. Hades had taught me how to write in calligraphy. Though I could communicate to him in any way I chose, old-fashioned note passing continued to be my favorite. After scrolling what I wanted to say, I held it up. The paper burnt away in floating bits of embers and smoke before disappearing entirely.
My pet scurried from the other room, slipping on the floor several times as it tried to gain traction. Pluto looked like a mix between a Pomeranian and the Chesire Cat. Wide mouth, with an elongated tongue. Poofy blue striped fur. It was the kind of ugly you couldn’t help but find adorable. Hades created him for me when he realized how much I missed Sammy.
“Good morning, boy. Ready for breakfast?” I scratched the top of his head.
His tongue fell out onto the floor, caking it with drool, and his forked tail whipped back and forth. I conjured a bowl of kibble, and he shoved his entire head in it.
I made my way to the hallway, scooping my steaming coffee cup from the maker I’d created for myself. The smell of vanilla and cinnamon wafted through the air. The caffeine in coffee would do nothing for me anymore, but it was simplistic normalcy I wanted to keep around. I made a bone the size of my arm appear in my hand, and whistled down the hall, the high-pitched sound echoing off the walls. Cerberus came barreling around the corner, and I tossed the bone. He charged past me, all three of his heads snapping excitedly.
