Solstice

by P. J. Hoover

My mom tried to trust me. She let me venture out into the wide open spaces. And maybe I felt oppressed then, too, because I left her every chance I got. I had friends who met me and helped me sneak away. I had other gods vying for my attention. And though I toyed around with the idea of one day picking one to spend my life with, not Hermes and not Hephaestus and not Ares drew my interest. Though Ares was always the most persistent.

  I saw my mom in the morning. She told me she would be spending the day traveling the earth in Apollo’s chariot. As the goddess of all living plants, my mom had responsibilities way bigger than most of the other immortals. And so she left, and I met my friends in the meadow.

  “Have you heard the rumors?” Peisinoe said.

  “What rumors?” Aglaope asked.

  I leaned forward, wanting to catch their excitement. After all, it wasn’t every day my mom left me alone.

  “The Underworld is leaking into our Earth,” Peisinoe said.

  “Leaking?” I asked.

  Peisinoe moved her head forward so all four of our heads nearly touched. “They say monsters are coming out into the world.”

  Thelxiepeia put her hand to her mouth. “Monsters!”

  Gods, she was always such a drama queen.

  Peisinoe nodded. “Through the caves around Mount Othrys. They’re coming out into our world. The gods are all trying to control them.”

  I covered my mouth. “My mom should know. She’s out there.”

  Aglaope looked over at me. “Persephone, that’s what your mom is doing today. She’s checking to see if the rumors are true.”

  Aglaope had taken every opportunity possible to make me feel stupid. Of the three, Peisinoe was the only true friend.

  I shook my head. “She’s just on a random patrol.” But the idea made sense. Monsters escaping might be momentous enough for my mom to leave me alone.

  Aglaope tossed her hair over her shoulder. “You are so naïve, Persephone.”

  “I am not,” I said, even though I knew it was true. But with my mom controlling my every step, how could I not be? “What caves, anyway?”

  And Peisinoe told me.

  I waited until they left; I made an excuse about needing to help some dogwood trees blossom. And then I started walking. Maybe I was naïve. And overprotected. And if so, then what better way to begin my escape from that shell than to see exactly where these monsters were coming from anyway? Maybe I could help stop them.

  It had taken over an hour to get to the caves. Not only was it through scrub and rocks, but it was halfway up a hill and hidden behind a couple boulders. In fact, I almost gave up on finding it entirely, but then I felt the waves of heat. And I followed them until I found the mouth of the cave.

  It took a bit of convincing myself, but I finally summoned the courage to go inside. I took one step and then another and entered the blackness.

  “Haven’t you heard the rumors? There are monsters around.”

  I turned at the sound of the voice even though it was too dark to see. “I’m not scared of monsters,” I said, though my heart went into overdrive.

  He laughed. “Really? Then why is your voice shaking?”

  Deep breath. Whatever I’d gotten myself into here, I was a goddess. I could handle anything thrown my way. “I’m just cold,” I lied.

  Another laugh. “Maybe you should come closer then.”

  And I walked closer.

  He took one of my hands, and electricity shot though my entire body evaporating any chills or fear trying to hide inside me.

  Now, back in his home, I run a hand through Shayne’s inky hair, remembering it was longer when we first met. But otherwise, he looks exactly the same. Immortal. And perfect. “I remember. My mom was furious when she found out.”

  Shayne laughs. “And nothing ever changes, does it.”

  Things had only gotten worse. “She started the rumor,” I say. “She said you’d kidnapped and raped me.”

  “And she turned your friends into Sirens,” Shayne says. “They never got over that.”

  They hated me afterward, even Peisinoe, spinning the kidnap and rape story out of control. Everyone believed it.

  I shake my head, remembering my mom’s ensuing wrath. The barrenness of the earth for months at a time. The droughts. The ice storms that froze the earth over. That she knew I wanted to be with Hades made her actions all the more extreme.

  “My mom never changes,” I say. “But I still don’t get how I’m Persephone and Piper.”

  Shayne takes a sip of wine. “And I don’t have that answer.”

  “So who does?” I ask.

  Shayne sets his glass down on the end table and reaches to pet Cerberus again. “I’d start with your mother or father.”

  My memories are coming back, filling in the gaps. “My mother is Demeter.”

  Shayne nods. “Who still hates me, I might add.”

  “Let her,” I say. I’d much rather spend eternity with Shayne than with my mom. I felt that way from the minute I met Hades so long ago, and it had driven my mom crazy.

  Shayne nods, and his eyes flicker red amid the brown. “I will. And how about your father?”

  “My father.” I can’t say it. I think of the man from the barbeque dinner. The man whose face looked so much like my own. It’s too much. Too hard to believe.

  So Shayne says it for me. “Zeus. King of the gods.”

  I work my mind around this fact. My father is the king of the gods. Not the king of Earth or the sea or even of the Underworld like Shayne. He is the king of all other kings. The ruler of everyone and everything. And I am his daughter. Every god on earth should bend toward his will—with should being the operative word here.

  As memories flow back to me, I remember plenty of times when gods defied him. I remember plenty of times when I defied him. But I also remember talking endlessly with him over a campfire or by a mountain lake or in the dense trees of a jungle. My father never told me what to do and when to do it. He gave me advice and let me make my own decisions, so unlike my mom and her domination. She controlled everything from the number of ears of corn a stalk might sprout to how long I could spend in the gardens away from her each day. If nothing has changed with my mom, I’m willing to bet nothing has changed with my father either.

  “He made up the thing about the pomegranate,” I say, remembering the story my father told my mom after one of my visits to the Underworld.

  Shayne nods. “Definitely a victory for us.”

  Zeus lied. That was all there was to it. He made up the whole superstition that food couldn’t be eaten in the Underworld. And that if it was, the person who’d eaten it could never leave again. He told my mom I’d eaten six pomegranate seeds and had to stay in the Underworld one month out of the year for each seed I’d eaten. That she should be thankful I could return at all. That he was doing her a favor.

  My mom was livid. She threw Earth into the coldest winter it had seen since the Ice Age. And my mom couldn’t set foot in the Underworld, so Zeus never had to worry about her finding out the truth. I married Hades, and we lived together for half of each year in bliss, while my mom tormented the world above.

  “Did she ever find out the truth?” I ask.

  Shayne finishes off the rest of his wine. “I can’t imagine who would have ever told her any differently. And she did let you keep coming.”

  She did. Even though it pained her each and every time. She adored me all spring and summer and then mourned me when I left. And I endured her all spring and summer, losing myself in the plants and flowers on Earth, and then rejoiced when I departed.

  “They’ll have answers,” I say.

  Shayne smiles, but there’s a hint of sadness in his dark eyes. “They should. All I know is you’ve been gone from Hell for eighteen years now, and all of the Underworld is suffering as a result.”

  My suspicions are confirmed. “Because of me.”

  Shayne pushes some of my out-of-control hair behind my ear. “Yeah, because we missed you.”r />
  We walk back to the River Acheron, and it’s as if lenses have been lifted, making a world where I feel comfortable turn into a world where I belong. The Underworld is as much a part of me as Shayne is. Love for it is rooted in all parts of my body. I ache when I think of all the time I’ve spent away. Time in which monsters have grown strong and boundaries have weakened.

  When we reach the banks of the river, Charon’s face breaks into a smile. I run over and hug him, never wanting to let him go. He’s been my friend since the first time Hades brought me down here, thousands of years ago. He talked to me when Hades was gone. He listened to me blather on about anything, only stopping me when souls demanded his attention. He treated me like a part of Hell even before I was.

  “I’ve missed you so much.” Charon has been like a father to me. I love him as sure as I’m Persephone.

  When we pull apart, tears run down his face, and his already milky eyes seem translucent. “And I’ve missed you, my Queen.” He seems to have a hard time getting the words out, and before I can think, he’s hugging me again like he wants to make sure I won’t vanish.

  My Queen. I was Queen of the Underworld. I remember walking the fields of Elysium and the meadows of Asphodel by myself, maintaining order and keeping control. And I even remember Tartarus. Delivering punishment to those damned. I think of Sisyphus and Tantalus and Pirithous. Punishment is deserved for evil like theirs.

  Tantalus cut up his own son and served him in soup to the gods—to my own mother who actually ate it, which explains her aversion to meat.

  Pirithous tried to steal me from the Underworld to make me his bride.

  Sisyphus carved up travelers and guests for pleasure, keeping them alive as long as possible to prolong their suffering.

  They deserved their fates in Tartarus. And I was happy to ensure their eternal torment. I delivered their sentences with pleasure.

  Charon gives my hand a final squeeze and then takes us across the river. I look to the bubbling sorrows, and realize I can see faces with them now, not just hear words. I see Randy Conner’s face with his sadness. I see Councilman Rendon; he wants another chance. I see deaths and miseries and longings, all left behind. But the sorrows don’t tug on me as before. I dip my hand into the water, knowing the monsters won’t harm me, letting them come to me and trying to offer calmness in return. And when my hand touches the water, the monsters disperse, and the mad, frenzied bubbling of the sorrows stops. Within seconds, the River Acheron is calm.

  Shayne and Charon both stare at me.

  “The water hasn’t been calm in eighteen years, Piper.”

  I smile at my name, and Shayne starts laughing.

  He puts up his hands in compromise. “I’ll call you whatever you want.” And then he motions back out to the water. We’re bumping into the dock now, the boat causing the only ripples on the now smooth surface. “Just remember, we need you down here. I need you down here.”

  When we step out, he holds me, and I never want to leave. “I want to be here. Forever.”

  Shayne laughs. “And this is the root of the whole problem. It always has been.”

  I pull back and look at him. “What do you mean?”

  Shayne rolls his eyes. “Talk to your parents. But just promise me one thing.”

  I nod. I’d promise Shayne anything. “What?”

  “Promise me you’ll come back.”

  It’s my turn to laugh. “Promise you’ll take me.”

  Shayne smiles, and more than anything I want to be with him for eternity.

  I smile and give him a kiss. And then I’m moving through the earth and the silver divide again, rising up from Hell back to the Botanical Haven above.

  Chapter 37

  Awake

  I check the clock on my FON; it’s Sunday afternoon. While it felt like an eternity in the Underworld, it’s only been about twelve hours of real time. And aside from me, the Botanical Haven is empty; my mom isn’t home.

  My parents are gods. I am a god.

  I look at the plants in the Botanical Haven around me and realize, from the changes in weather we’ve been having, half are on the verge of dying. A raw humidity presses in from all sides; the glass is so wet with condensation, I can’t see out. At the sink in the back, I fill a glass of water for myself, drinking the whole thing and refilling it before turning to the plants. They need moisture, so I throw open some windows. When I open the window, I notice dark clouds hanging in the west over the Hill Country. But they aren’t moving. They stay still like a threat that could descend on Austin in a second.

  The heat pumps in through the windows, and I’m moved by the powers inside me. Around me, life returns to everything. Leaves grow, and flowers bloom. I change them with a mere thought in my mind. Pinks become blues. Yellows become reds. Life blossoms and flourishes, limbs grow to the ceiling, and roots dig out of pots and reach for the floor. The Botanical Haven is a thing alive and under my control. It flexes and bends to my will. I grow vines around the railings and hang flowers from the rafters. Fruit blossoms and then bursts into being on orange and cherry and avocado trees. Vines produce tomatoes and kumquats and black grapes. It’s a power I’ve always had though I’ve never known how to harness it like this.

  A knock on the door shakes me from my zone. My mind immediately flies to Reese, coming to visit again. Knowing my mom isn’t home somehow. He knows I’m Persephone. He’s been waiting for me to find out. He’s been courting me forever, since even before I knew Shayne. And of all the gods who’d pursued me before Shayne, Ares never gave up. Once I made my decision, Hermes and Hephaestus and Apollo acquiesced and recognized me as Queen of the Underworld. But Ares remained unwavering. Biding his time. Always nearby.

  I glance around a tall tree and look through the glass. But I don’t see Reese. I see Chloe. I rush to the door, unlock it, and throw it open. Chloe’s standing there with her arms wrapped around herself, shivering even though sweat beads down her face and arms. The humidity’s so thick, the air around her seems hazy.

  “Chloe!”

  She doesn’t move. I grab her and try to pull her in, and she finally lets me. I take her upstairs, drape a blanket across her bare arms even though it’s well over a hundred, and start some coffee brewing. It’s only when she’s sitting there at the table that she finally seems to realize where she is.

  “Piper.”

  “Hi.” I fill a cup of steaming coffee and slide it over to her. “You’re shaking.”

  Chloe nods. “My body can’t seem to keep up with the temperature changes.”

  My mind can’t seem to keep up with anything. “It’s like autumn is coming,” I say.

  I try to think of something to keep the conversation going. Having Chloe here with me soothes something deep inside me. Like everything else about my life is off but Chloe is still the same. She’s just been freaked out recently; that’s all. She’s getting better. “If autumn is coming, that’ll blow a lot of scientists’ global warming theories right out of the water.”

  “My mom says people used to play in snow,” Chloe says. “They skated and made angels.”

  I think of the frozen River Cocytus, of doing just that. “It sounds like fun, Chloe. Maybe if we went far enough north—”

  Chloe smoothes the top of her bandana. “You think there’s still snow anywhere?”

  I want to tell her about kissing Shayne on the snowy banks of the river. I want to tell her about blowing icy breath. And trees with icicles. And a glacier beyond the ocean. I want to tell Chloe everything. “I’m sure there is. I think there are winter wonderlands just waiting for us.”

  She pats my hands. “That sounds so nice, Piper. Like paradise.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “Just like paradise.” I’m trying to find a way to start. To explain the oddities which have become my life.

  But Chloe doesn’t give me the chance. Instead, she looks at her arm. “My tattoo keeps changing.”

  I’m looking at it, too. Pure black. Ebony. And it spells o
ut a Greek word I read clearly as Fate.

  “It’s probably just the light,” I say.

  Chloe’s holding her coffee cup with both hands, but she hasn’t taken a sip. I pick up mine and put my lips to it, hoping she’ll take my lead and do the same. But she sits there unmoving, her eyes still fixed on my arm.

  “Did you know Hannah Reed is pregnant?”

  So Chloe’s heard about the classroom incident, also. I’m sure it’s all over the school by now. “Yeah, I was there when she told everyone.”

  “Do you think she’ll keep the baby?”

  I try to grasp what Chloe is saying. “Yeah, I think she’ll keep it. She misses Randy a lot.”

  Chloe nods and finally takes her eyes off my arm and looks at me directly in the face. “Randy misses her, too. I asked him about the baby.” She sets the coffee mug down in front of her.

  I hold my breath. Chloe’s been talking to Randy Conner again from the dead. But Randy is in Asphodel; he shouldn’t have any memories of who he is.

  “He wants me to tell Hannah to keep the baby.” And then Chloe’s hand flies out like lightning and grabs mine. “But what if she doesn’t listen?”

  I don’t look down, but her grip is icy. “You can’t control other people, Chloe. You can’t make her keep it.”

  Her clutch loosens. “Do you think the baby would go to Hell? Do you think Hannah would go to Hell?”

  I pry my wrist out of her hand, and she hardly seems to notice. I don’t want to think about Hannah or her baby. I want to stop this conversation now and get back to Chloe. To me. To us. “Hannah will keep the baby.”

  Please, Hannah, keep the baby. Because I don’t want Shayne to have to judge something so small and innocent. The way I used to help him judge all souls which came to the Underworld so long ago. He’s had to judge alone for the last eighteen years. He’s had no one to share the burden with.

  This seems to be good enough for Chloe. “Randy asked me to do something for him.”

  I hold my breath. “Something like what?”

  Chloe picks up her coffee. Finally. She takes a long sip, the steam pouring out around her lips. “He asked me to kill his father.”