Persephone the Daring

by Joan Holub

  Persephone grinned back. “Thanks.” She liked decorating. Her room had a daisy theme. Her throw rug was shaped like a daisy, and so was her mirror. Even the Orpheus poster and the picture of Hades were edged in frames with daisy designs.

  Eurydice pointed to a box of loose silk daisies on the floor in a corner of Persephone’s room. “What are those for?”

  “I was thinking of using them to make a divider curtain between my desk and the rest of the room,” Persephone explained. “But I haven’t gotten around to it. I was going to tie the daisies about every ten inches on long strings that would reach from the ceiling to the floor. You’d be able to see through them like with a beaded curtain, but they’d still visually divide the space in my room.”

  “I love that idea!” said Eurydice. “Got any string?”

  “You mean you want to help me string the daisies? Now?”

  Eurydice nodded enthusiastically. “Sure, why not?”

  “Okay,” said Persephone. “Thanks!” She did have homework, but nothing that couldn’t wait till tomorrow night.

  They’d only strung a few strands of the daisy curtain, though, when Eurydice got an idea for a different room arrangement that she wanted to try. They moved Persephone’s bed at an angle. But that also meant they then needed to move the dresser, the rug, a chair, and some other random stuff.

  Adonis had curled into a ball and fallen asleep at the end of Persephone’s bed. He didn’t twitch a whisker when they moved it. Noise and people running around never bothered him a bit. In fact, the more noise, the happier he was. He was the best, cutest kitten ever!

  After they moved the furniture, the two girls stayed up late chatting, sharing ambrosia chips and dip, and laughing about silly stuff. Persephone told her new friend about the Truth or Dare game that had led to her asking Orpheus for his autograph.

  And Eurydice told her about life as a pop star, and that she’d first met Orpheus in second grade! So then Persephone told her about the first time she’d really talked with Hades. (In a cemetery!) And about how her friends had thought he was bad news at first.

  Eurydice was easy to talk to. She also had amazing decorating ideas. Ideas that kept them busy till Persephone’s mom got home around ten.

  “Oh, Persy, I’m having so much fun!” exclaimed Eurydice as they were putting on their pj’s. “You know what? I should stay all week. Then we could get your whole room fixed up cute. I have a lot of ideas, but I travel so much with the band that I don’t have time to decorate my own room. What do you say?”

  This megastar girl wanted to spend every night this week at her house? And help decorate her room?

  “I say yes!” said Persephone.

  Eurydice reached out and gave her a quick hug. “It’s like we’re best friends after just a few hours of hanging out!”

  “Yeah!” Persephone agreed. Eurydice had even given her a special nickname—Persy—as if they really were BFFs. Hades was wrong about this girl. She was supernice. And it was going to be fun to hang out with her all week long.

  The next morning, however, Persephone frowned at her room as she got ready for school. In all the excitement of being with Eurydice last night, she hadn’t realized how much had been left undone.

  Half-started decorating projects and strewn daisies were everywhere. And she wasn’t so sure she really liked the new furniture arrangement after all. Plus, they’d completely forgotten to listen to the garden flowers singing that duet!

  It was only Tuesday though. Eurydice would be here the rest of the week, so they could hear the song some other afternoon. And they could discuss the redecorating in the following days as well. She only hoped her mom wouldn’t look in her room anytime soon. It was a wreck!

  After digging around in her scrollbag, Persephone pulled out a papyrus pass she’d gotten the day before from Ms. Hydra, Zeus’s nine-headed administrative assistant.

  “What’s that?” asked Eurydice as she grabbed her own small bag.

  “An Underworld pass. I need to go down there sometime today for a Garden-ology class project I’m doing. The project is kind of a secret, though.”

  “Oh! A secret project? Do tell,” said Eurydice.

  “Hades’ birthday is next Saturday,” said Persephone. “I’ve got a surprise planned, that’s all.”

  “It’s silly for you to go out of your way. Just take me with you and we’ll head there now. Then we can go on to MOA together afterward.”

  Persephone considered this idea. It would save time to go to the Underworld now instead of later. “Okay,” she said. “But you’ll have to wait for me on the banks of the River Styx. Mortals can’t enter the Underworld. It’s against the rules.”

  “Rules schmules,” said Eurydice.

  Persephone gave her what she hoped was a stern look. “I’m not kidding.”

  “Oh, all right. I’ll wait. I don’t mind,” said Eurydice. “Actually I’d love a peek at the Underworld, even if it’s only from the outside. Inspiration for my songwriting, you know?”

  “Speaking of songs, what about Orpheus?” said Persephone, just remembering him. “Should we let him know you’re going to be late to MOA?”

  Eurydice shrugged. “Oh, yeah. I forgot we have a band practice planned. But he won’t mind if I don’t show.”

  Persephone wasn’t so sure. Not wanting Orpheus to worry, she quickly summoned a magic breeze so the girls could send a message to him at MOA. Turned out that Eurydice hadn’t even told him she was spending the night with Persephone! In the message the girls explained that they’d be late, and that Eurydice planned to stay the nights with Persephone all week.

  After the breeze took the message away, the two girls put on their winged sandals so they could fly. And then they were off to the Underworld!

  8

  Roommates

  Hades

  KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

  Hades opened his dorm room door at eight o’clock on Monday night to see Orpheus standing in the hall, his hand raised to knock again.

  “Hey, dude,” Orpheus said in greeting.

  Hades stood back in surprise as the rock star casually walked past him, coming inside without being invited.

  “Uh, yeah, hey,” said Hades, not moving from the doorway. “Can I help you with something?”

  “Oh, sure, bring in my bags. Thanks.” He’d left his two overnight bags sitting in the dorm hall just outside Hades’ door.

  Hades folded his arms, waiting and not saying a word. It was a technique he often used on misbehaving shades in the Underworld. It made them nervous and quickly got them to explain themselves. It worked on Orpheus now too.

  “Heracles said your roommate is gone,” Orpheus told him. He was walking all around the small room, taking it all in. “Okay if I bunk with you for the week?”

  Hades frowned. “Me? Why? I mean, where’s Viper?” He looked up and down the hall, hoping to spot the tattooed bodyguard so he’d come take this megastar guy off his hands.

  “Viper’s rooming with Heracles. They bonded over discussions of weaponry and feats of strength. Hardly even noticed when I left.” Orpheus grinned.

  Hades couldn’t help grinning a little in return. “Well—,” he began uncertainly.

  “And the truth is,” Orpheus went on, “I think the Underworld would be a fascinating subject for a song. I’d like the inside scoop. And the word is, you’re the guy who knows all about that place.”

  He was peering at a map of the Underworld on Hades’ bulletin board now. Across the room Poseidon’s bulletin board had maps of various seas.

  Hades’ brows rose. “Oh, well, okay I guess. But if you do write a song about it, be sure to warn mortals they aren’t welcome there.” He’d managed to calm the Furies the other night, but they’d be riled up again if more mortals came lurking around the Underworld.

  Since Orpheus’s bags were still in the hall, Hades lugged them in and dropped them by Poseidon’s bed.

  “Careful! My lyre’s in there,” said Orpheus. �
�It’s one of a kind.” He ran to the bag, pulled his twelve-string lyre out, and carefully inspected it.

  Hades glanced toward his desk. He’d been catching up on some homework, but he supposed he could abandon it to hang out with his unexpected guest. Only, he wasn’t sure what to do to entertain a rock star.

  Suddenly Orpheus cocked his head, listening intently. “Is that music I hear?”

  Hades nodded. “Some of the guys are jamming in the common room at the end of the hall. And I just remembered I promised to stand in on drums while Poseidon’s away. Want to go?” he asked hopefully.

  Orpheus was already heading out the door with his lyre.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Hades said to his empty room. Grinning slightly, he followed.

  Down in the common room Apollo, Dionysus, and Ares were warming up. They welcomed Orpheus and Hades.

  “Apollo says you’re on drums tonight?” Ares asked Hades.

  “Yeah, so hold on to your ears,” Hades warned jokingly.

  He was actually pretty good on drums. Apollo had asked him to join Heavens Above way back when the band had first formed, but he’d been too busy in the Underworld. Besides that, he didn’t like being the center of attention onstage. So Poseidon had become the band’s drummer instead. Hades liked sitting in for practices and jam sessions like this now and then, though.

  Once the first note sounded, the time flew by. With Orpheus singing and playing, the band sounded even more amazing than usual. Almost magical.

  “It’s getting hot,” Orpheus noted after a while. “Can you open the windows wider?”

  “Wimp,” Ares teased. “Ask Hades if you want to know what heat really is.”

  Orpheus grinned. “I plan to. I’m hoping he’ll give me some inside info about the Underworld for a song Eurydice and I are writing.”

  “First thing you need to know is that the Underworld is waaay hotter than this. At least near the lava pits,” Hades informed him. Since he was closest to the windows, he got up to fling them wide open.

  “Whoa!” Hades said, taken aback by the sight that met his eyes. “Guys! Come look at this! I think Orpheus has got some new fans.”

  Outside, a variety of night creatures had gathered. Wombats, raccoons, ocelots, leopards, foxes, and more. They were all over the place. Curled up on the marble benches, crouched down in the flowerbeds, lying around on the tiled courtyard floor. Nightingales and owls lined the Academy’s windowsills to listen too. Bats filled the sky, swooping and darting gracefully.

  “Wow! This has never happened before,” said Apollo. He and the others had joined Hades at the window and were surveying the scene in amazement.

  “It’s Orpheus’s music,” said Dionysus. “It’s got to be. It must’ve enchanted them into coming out of the forest to listen!”

  Orpheus smiled and shrugged, glancing at the animals. “No biggie. This kind of stuff happens to me all the time.”

  Suddenly footsteps came pounding down the hall. They got louder and louder. Closer and closer. The boys turned to look just as the door to the common room flew open. It banged the wall so hard that one of the hinges broke.

  Principal Zeus stood in the doorway. All seven fierce feet of him! His eyes were blazing as they searched every face in the room. Slowly he raised a muscled arm and pointed an accusing finger in their direction. Sparks of electricity snapped and sizzled along his arm. Was he about to blast them all to smithereens for playing their music too loudly on a school night?

  The principal opened his mouth to speak. The boys held their breath. Then he smiled. Big. An expression of bliss came over his face.

  “Why’d you stop playing that captivating music?” he demanded in a bemused voice.

  The godboys gaped at him. It seemed no one was immune to the power of Orpheus’s musical skills. Even Zeus—the King of the Gods and Ruler of the Heavens, not to mention principal of MOA—was a fan.

  9

  Planting Seeds

  Persephone

  AS EURYDICE AND PERSEPHONE NEARED the shore of the River Styx opposite from the Underworld side Tuesday morning, they saw a group of girls hanging around there.

  “Who are they?” Eurydice wondered aloud.

  “Good question,” said Persephone. She could tell they were mortal right away because their skin didn’t shimmer. But what were they doing here?

  She dipped lower and read one of the signs they held. WE ♥ HADES! Huh?

  “Looks like your crush has a fan club,” said Eurydice. “Awesome! Now I’ll have some friends to hang out with while you’re off gardening. I kind of hate being alone.”

  Persephone glanced at her in surprise. She would’ve thought everyone needed alone time now and then to think and just, well, be alone. Rock stars must be different, though. They were probably used to lots of fans hanging around.

  The two girls touched down near the ferry dock. Persephone immediately bent and wrapped her sandals’ laces around the wings to keep them from flapping, so she could walk at normal speed. Of course, Eurydice didn’t have to do anything with her laces. Her wings had stopped flapping the minute Persephone had let go of her hand.

  The ferryboat was already coming toward them, having just dropped a load of passengers in the Underworld. A grizzled, stooped man was at the helm. Captain Charon. Persephone waved to him, and he tooted his horn in greeting.

  One of the mortal girls squealed in excitement when she suddenly noticed the two girls. “It’s Persephone! And Eurydice!” she shouted.

  Persephone clutched her scrollbag and backed away, a little startled as the girls ran toward them. However, Eurydice dropped her bag and spread her arms wide in greeting. “Hi, everyone!” she shouted gleefully.

  “Need a ride to the Underworld?” Charon inquired as his ferry docked.

  “Yes, please,” Persephone called to him.

  “Will you be okay?” she asked Eurydice before heading for the boat. “I’ll be back as soon as—”

  “Go ahead. I’m fine here,” Eurydice interrupted, waving her away. She’d already begun to sign autographs, seeming delighted by all the attention.

  “All right, then. Back in a few,” said Persephone. She dashed over and stepped onto the ferryboat just as it was about to leave again. A dozen or so shades—souls of the dead—had already boarded.

  “What brings you down here this morning?” Charon asked her. His mournful voice always reminded her of a foghorn.

  She smiled. She’d been to visit the Underworld so many times that she and Charon were friends now. She held up her scrollbag and shook it so the box of hybrid seeds inside rattled intriguingly.

  “I’ve brought a surprise. For Hades’ birthday. But I can’t tell you any more than that,” she said.

  “Glad you’re doing something special for that boy,” Charon replied. “He likes you. I can tell. Wears that amulet you gave him everywhere.”

  “What amulet?” Persephone asked blankly. She’d never given Hades such a gift.

  “The one with the seed in it,” Charon said matter-of-factly, which only made Persephone more curious.

  “What kind of seed?” she asked.

  But Charon didn’t answer. His attention was divided between steering the boat and counting the silver coins in the old burlap bag he kept tied to his belt. All the shades paid him one obol as their fare to ride the ferry into the Underworld.

  Finished with his counting, he concentrated on guiding the boat toward the far shore. Apparently having forgotten her question, he said, “Hades has been stressed out lately. It’s all these mortal fans. They’ve been trying to sneak into the Underworld ever since he went and got his name on some list in.”

  “You mean the Teen Scrollazine poll?” Persephone asked. That was what Hades had wanted to talk about yesterday when he’d stopped her in the cafeteria after dinner! Had he wanted her advice on how to handle these fangirls?

  Charon nodded. “Yeah, a poll—that’s it. Caused this whole problem.” As the river branched into a swam
p, his brow furrowed. It took all his skill to get his boat safely to the opposite side of the river.

  Although Persephone was mega-curious about the amulet seed he’d mentioned, she didn’t want to bother him and cause a wreck!

  When the ferry finally bumped against the shore, she tried again. “Charon? About that amulet—”

  But now he was busy docking. “Underworld station! Everybody off!” he called out.

  There was some grumbling among the shades as they began leaving the boat. Persephone was swept along with the crowd and could only wave farewell to Charon now. She soon managed to separate herself from the shades as they filed past Cerberus, Hades’ enormous guard dog with three slobbering heads. When he let out a roar, gasps rippled over the crowd, and they drew back in fear.

  Persephone wasn’t worried. Because, despite his appearance, Cerberus was actually a big softie. After giving him a pat on each of his heads, she slipped past the shades, who were now lining up to be judged by two of Hades’ helpers.

  A gray mist swirled around her ankles as she set off across a wide field. Parts of the Underworld—like this field—weren’t hot at all. In fact the surrounding mist felt refreshingly cool. Although she liked the sunshine and blue skies of Mount Olympus, she also liked it here in the Underworld, where it was peaceful and shadowy. She could never quite decide which place she preferred.

  When the ground turned muddy, Persephone unleashed the silver wings on her sandals. The wings began to flap, and soon she was skimming several inches above the gloomy swamp.

  In the distance she could see a high green hedge. Beyond it were the Elysian Fields—the Underworld’s most desirable neighborhood. The dead who were lucky enough to go there feasted, played, and sang forever more.

  But she wouldn’t plant her special hybrid seeds in that place. It was already beautiful with fruit trees and meadows. Trouble rarely visited the Elysian Fields, so Hades rarely visited it either. She wanted her flowers to grow in a place where he would see them almost every day.