Persephone the Daring

by Joan Holub

  Suddenly she got a brilliant idea. She put a daisy stud in her left ear, but in her right ear she hung a single dangly leaf earring.

  Persephone stared at the effect in Aphrodite’s mirror. What would everyone think of her unmatched earrings? she wondered. She tossed her head, causing the dangly leaf to sway. Who cares? she decided. Maybe they’d think they couldn’t depend on her to look the same anymore!

  Getting more and more excited, she decided to go all out with her new undependable look. Time for makeup.

  Each dorm room had two desks, and Aphrodite had converted her spare one to a makeup table. It was covered with an incredible variety of neatly arranged, color-coded makeup. There were rows and rows of nail polish and lip glosses in every conceivable color, all lined up on a silver tray. Plus dozens of little pots of eye shadow, blush, and creams. It was like a mini cosmetics shop!

  Persephone sat in the desk chair and considered what to try. Getting an idea, she tapped a fingertip on a long, slender box. It popped open, and a magical makeup brush flew out to hover in midair just a few inches from her nose.

  “Can you paint a flower on my face?” she asked it.

  The brush did a little flip as if delighted by the unusual idea. Quickly it zipped down to the tray of colors, which Aphrodite had left open. Then it zoomed up to Persephone’s cheek.

  As it got to work, Persephone grabbed a few of Aphrodite’s old Teen Scrollazines and hurriedly flipped through them. When she came to a sketch of a girl whose hair was long and wavy, she paused. It was similar to her own style. Only this girl’s hair was way wilder. It looked awesome!

  The makeup brush finished its job in no time at all. Persephone’s hand shook a little in nervous anticipation as she lifted Aphrodite’s silver-backed hand mirror. At the sight of her reflection, she gasped.

  There were several glittery daisies—orange, yellow, and white—painted on her left cheekbone. Small green leaves and curling tendrils were tucked into the arrangement here and there. The glittery flowers went great with her skin, which already had the soft, natural shimmer that all immortals got from drinking nectar.

  “It’s perfect!” she breathed. She smiled at the brush. “Thank you!”

  The brush bent its bristly tips toward her as if taking a bow. Then it zoomed back to its box. Once it was tucked inside, the box’s lid snapped shut again.

  Now for her hairstyle. Gazing into Aphrodite’s hand mirror again, Persephone softly chanted, “Magic mirror, let me see . . . How would this hairstyle look on me?”

  As her words died away, she touched the sketch she’d admired in the scrollazine to the center of the mirror. Almost immediately she felt her hair begin to move, magically rearranging itself into a style that matched the sketch.

  When she pulled the sketch away, she gazed into the mirror. Her hair looked amazing. It was still long, but now it was lustrously thick and kind of wild. She loved it! But it needed a little . . . something.

  She jumped up and fetched some decorative leafy garlands she’d brought in her bag. Standing before the big mirror on Aphrodite’s closet door, she tossed the greenery into the air overhead.

  “Thread through my hair, oh garland green,

  In the cutest way that’s ever been seen.”

  As the garlands fell toward her, they began to thread themselves into her hair. Just as the last garland slid into place, she heard the door open behind her.

  She whirled around in time to see Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis enter the room. With a hopeful smile on her face, she struck a dramatic pose like she’d once seen a fashion model do in the Immortal Marketplace. Her hair swung smoothly, brushing low to almost cover the left half of her face in what felt like a mysterious and undependable style.

  “What do you think?” she asked her three friends.

  She was excited to show off her new look. But at the same time she was a tiny bit worried. Because it would squash her enthusiasm if they didn’t like what she’d done.

  Aphrodite’s and Athena’s eyes widened. Artemis tilted her head to one side, appearing confused.

  After a small silence Aphrodite said, “I think you look adorable!”

  “I agree,” said Athena. “The face paint is mega-original, and your hair is darling!”

  “You look like a different person,” said Artemis. She didn’t sound like this was necessarily a good thing. But then she smiled and added, “I could get used to it, though.”

  Persephone gave a sigh of relief. Though her friends seemed a little taken aback by her new look, they were also supportive of her desire to try something new.

  “You all look fantastic!” she told them in return. “I love that red chiton on you, Artemis.”

  Artemis preened, seeming pleased. “Thanks.”

  Persephone noticed that she wasn’t carrying her quiver. Aphrodite and Athena must’ve succeeded in talking her out of it. And if she wasn’t mistaken, the chiton Artemis had on was one of Aphrodite’s. Aphrodite had so many clothes that she kept some of them in Artemis’s spare closet. She’d obviously convinced Artemis to try this chiton on—and keep it on.

  “Last one to the concert is a rotten egg!” someone called from the hallway.

  “Let’s hit the road,” said Aphrodite, her blue eyes sparkling.

  Wildly excited about the fun they were going to have, the four goddessgirls dashed from the room.

  4

  Starstruck

  Persephone

  AFTER JUST A FEW STEPS down the hall, Persephone stumbled, very nearly falling in. The left side of her hair kept flopping over her face, making it hard to see where she was going. But it was worth it to look so different. Tonight she was breaking out of her dependable box! She just hoped she didn’t trip and break her neck in the process.

  Just before they reached the stairs to head down, she skidded to a halt. “Oops! I almost forgot.” She turned and darted back into Aphrodite’s room.

  There she quickly pulled a small sheet of blank papyrus and an ink-filled feather pen from her overnight bag. Finding the drawstring purse she’d brought that matched her dress, she stashed everything inside it. She was going to need this stuff to get Orpheus’s autograph. If she dared to follow through with Atë’s dare!

  Outside in the Academy’s courtyard a fleet of chariots was waiting to take everyone to the concert. The MOA logo and a thunderbolt were emblazoned on the side of each chariot. Principal Zeus had ordered enough transport to carry the entire student body.

  Persephone’s friends called her over to the silver chariot they’d chosen to ride in. It had four pink seats and was hitched to three silver unicorns. Aphrodite quickly put a spell over the chariot, so their hairstyles wouldn’t be blown around by the wind as they flew.

  Soon the goddessgirls were departing the Academy, which stood atop Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. With a burst of speed their chariot whooshed upward. Artemis held the reins, guiding the unicorns as they soared through a cloudless blue-black sky. Stars sparkled overhead like diamonds. It was a magical night.

  Still, as they drew closer to their destination, Persephone grew tense. How was she going to get Orpheus to sign her papyrus?

  Ever since last night, she’d been imagining various scenarios. Like lying in wait for him in his dressing room at intermission. Or catapulting herself onto the stage after the show. Each method she considered seemed impossible, terrifying, or embarrassing. Or all three at once!

  “Right, Persephone?” she suddenly heard Athena ask.

  “Huh?” Persephone looked at her friends, wondering what she’d missed.

  “We were just saying that you don’t really have to do that dumb dare from the sleepover,” said Artemis.

  “No one will care if you don’t get Orpheus’s autograph,” Athena told her kindly.

  “I know that,” said Persephone. Honestly! Did her friends think she wasn’t daring enough to follow through on a dare?

  Should she do it, though? After all, she usually did follow
through on things. So if she got the autograph tonight, would it actually mean she’d made the dependable choice? The exact opposite of the kind of choice she wanted to make? Phew! This was getting confusing!

  “Atë shouldn’t have given you such a hard dare to do anyway,” Aphrodite went on. “In Truth or Dare the dares are supposed to be things you can do right away during the game.”

  “I’m not worried. It’ll be fun,” Persephone insisted, knowing she was sealing her fate. She smiled brightly even though it was giving her a stomachache to even think about approaching a mega–pop star like Orpheus.

  All too soon the MOA chariots were landing on the lawn in front of the new Orpheum Theater in Greece. Torchlights gleamed everywhere. Out in front of the theater there was a huge marquee:

  PREMIERING TONIGHT:

  THE ORPHEUS ROCKS THE GODS

  CONCERT TOUR!

  Dozens of MOA students were already streaming inside for the concert. Immortal students from other schools around the world had been invited as well. The four goddessgirls joined the throng, heading for the stairs that led up to the theater.

  “I wonder if Ares is here yet,” Aphrodite said, looking around. “He and some of the guys are hoping to catch Orpheus either before or after the concert and maybe pick up some music tips from him.”

  Persephone walked ahead of her friends a little, her eyes scanning the crowd for Hades. She didn’t see him. He often missed classes to take care of Underworld business, and he’d been busy there all day today. Still, she hoped he wasn’t so swamped in the Underworld that he’d miss out on tonight.

  When Athena said something behind her, Persephone turned to look at her. Unfortunately, her new hairstyle caused her red hair to swing into her face again.

  Oof! She bumped into someone in front of her. “Oops! Sorry,” she said, stepping back. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  “No problem,” a voice replied. A boy’s voice. It was as smooth as silk. Almost musical. Something about it made Persephone’s spirits rise.

  She pushed her hair out of her face to see who the voice belonged to. Ye gods! The boy she had run into was none other than Orpheus himself!

  The show would start in mere minutes. So what was he doing outside the theater? She’d certainly never expected to see him out here mixing with the crowd.

  Stunned, she could only stare, wide-eyed, and stammer. “Oh, uh, um.”

  And then the rock star was moving off, rushing toward a girl with bright pink hair, who was wearing dozens and dozens of bracelets on her arms. “Eurydice!” he called.

  All at once Persephone’s three friends were by her side. “Wow! Was that—,” Aphrodite began.

  “Orpheus?” Athena finished.

  Persephone nodded. And like an idiot she’d just missed her big chance to get that autograph!

  “There you are, E!” Orpheus was saying to the pink-haired girl up ahead. “You’re late. I was worried you wouldn’t show.”

  The girl just giggled and playfully tapped her fingers on his shoulder. “Don’t be such a worrywart, O. I was getting dressed and lost track of time. So how do I look? White-and-black-tastic, don’t you think?”

  She twirled around, showing off the unusual chiton she wore. The entire left half of it was black and its right side was white. A dramatic black-and-white feather boa floated around her shoulders too.

  And just like Persephone, she was wearing mismatched earrings. She’d gone even further, though. She was also wearing mismatched sandals! They were both the same style. However, one was black and one was white.

  “Forgive me?” the girl asked Orpheus in a teasing voice. She batted her eyes, and Persephone could see that they were outlined in thick swirls drawn in black and white too.

  Orpheus smiled at the girl, flashing his perfect teeth. “Natch.”

  Wow! thought Persephone. This pink-haired girl was the opposite of dependable, in her opinion. She’d even dared to arrive late to hang out with the biggest mega–pop star on Earth!

  Plus, although the various pieces she wore appeared casually thrown together, they worked. Talk about personal style! Persephone yearned to be like her. She studied the girl closely, feeling as dazzled by her as Orpheus appeared to be.

  “I think that girl is O’s—I mean, Orpheus’s—girlfriend,” said Aphrodite. As the goddess of love, she had a sixth sense about who liked who. Not that a sixth sense was needed to see that Orpheus and this girl liked one another. It was obvious!

  “Her name is Eurydice,” said Pheme. Her sudden appearance made Persephone jump in surprise. With the help of her new wings, the orange-haired goddessgirl had suddenly whooshed up out of nowhere to stand beside them.

  Pheme’s sixth sense involved the uncanny ability to know when you wanted information about someone else. And she often managed to come along at the exact right moment to supply the specific info you wanted. Like now.

  “She’s touring as backup singer for Orpheus,” Pheme went on in her usual puff-speak. “And you know his hit song, ‘You A-Muse Me’?”

  “You a-muse me, confuse me . . . O, will your heart bruise meee-ee-ee? Oh, yeah!” crooned a girl’s voice from behind Pheme. Medusa had come over too. Now she sang a little more of the well-known refrain.

  A small surprised silence fell among the girls. Medusa could actually sing! And her snakes were boogying to the beat, just like she’d said they sometimes did. Weird!

  Medusa stopped singing and looked at Pheme. “So? You were saying?”

  Pheme smiled at her. The two of them were friends and often ate in the cafeteria together with Pandora. Persephone figured they’d come in the same chariot too.

  “Yeah, anyway. So Orpheus believes Eurydice is his muse,” Pheme went on. “Lots of his songs are rumored to be written about her. Including that hit Medusa just sang.” She elbowed the snake-haired girl good-naturedly. “Good singing, by the way.”

  “Thanks,” said Medusa.

  Up ahead a muscular boy with a tattoo of a cobra on his arm walked up to Orpheus and Eurydice. Persephone noticed that his tattoo kept changing shape and realized it must be a magical removable one like those she’d once seen for sale in the Immortal Marketplace. Made sense, because she didn’t know anyone their age with a permanent tattoo.

  “We’d better get moving,” the tattooed boy told Orpheus and Eurydice. His eyes narrowed as he studied everyone and everything in the surrounding area, like he was checking for hidden dangers. Seeming satisfied that all was safe for the moment, he accompanied Orpheus and Eurydice as the trio headed for the back of the theater.

  “Who’s that boy?” asked Athena.

  “Orpheus’s bodyguard,” Pheme informed them.

  Bodyguard! Persephone hadn’t considered that obstacle. If Orpheus’s security guard tagged along the rest of the night, that might make getting an autograph impossible. She wasn’t sure whether or not to be glad about that.

  “His name’s Viper,” Pheme continued. “Because he always wears different snake tattoos.”

  At her mention of the bodyguard’s name, one of Medusa’s snakes stood up straight from her head. When it shaped itself into a question mark, Medusa must’ve somehow realized it because she grinned. “No, Viper, she’s not talking about you,” she told the snake, reaching up to give it a pat.

  Ta-ta-ta-tah! Two heralds had come to stand at the top of the theater steps. They were blowing on long slender trumpets called salpinxes to summon everyone inside. At the sound the girls hurried into the theater. The concert was about to start!

  Inside, stone benches were arranged in semicircular rows facing the stage, which was raised about four and a half feet off the floor. Although the theater was filling up with of immortals (and a few mortals, too), there was still space in an area in front of the stage where there were no seats.

  “Let’s go up front,” said Aphrodite, nudging Athena, Artemis, and Persephone forward.

  Minutes later the curtain rose. And there stood Orpheus. Center stage. A
roar went up from the crowd.

  Strumming his tortoiseshell lyre, he started right in, rocking the theater. Most lyres had no more than eight strings. Apollo’s had seven. But Orpheus’s lyre was specially made with twelve. No one else in history had been able to play such a complicated instrument. Soon the entire audience was dancing and singing along to the beat.

  Even Persephone, who was sometimes too self-conscious to participate, got caught up in the music. She and her friends rocked out when Orpheus and his band played a fast song. During slow songs they swayed and twirled gracefully.

  Copying her friends, Persephone raised her hands toward the stage, curving her fingers together to make a heart shape. They wanted to show Orpheus how much they loved his music. When he finished one of their favorite tunes, the four best goddessgirl friends hugged in excitement, jumping around.

  “This is the best concert ever!” Artemis squealed. Which made them all laugh because normally Artemis wasn’t the type of girl to squeal. Ever.

  Persephone was having a fabulous time! But every now and then she would remember the dare, and in those moments her enjoyment would dim a little. If only she could figure out an easy and unembarrassing way to get that autograph!

  Finally, when she judged that the concert was nearing its end, she decided it was now or never. She slipped away from her friends and began inching closer to the stage. Though it was only a few yards ahead, the crowd was so packed that it was slow going. It seemed that dozens of other girls had the same idea and were jostling to get in position to ask for autographs the minute the concert ended.

  When Persephone was just a few feet from her goal, Eurydice joined Orpheus up onstage for a final duet. Down in the pit the crowd’s excitement rose to a fevered pitch. Persephone was rocked this way and that.

  Without warning she found herself pressed against the front edge of the raised stage. As the duet came to an end, the crowd surged forward, pressing her even harder. Her eyes were on a level with Orpheus’s sandals. Her heart was pounding. This was getting dangerous. She felt like she was about to be crushed!