Page 29 of A Touch of Chaos

She needed that power right now. It would fuel her in her search for Hades.

Persephone turned from the window.

“Is it time?” she asked, looking at Sybil and Leuce.

“You have two minutes,” the oracle said, checking her watch.

Persephone’s stomach clenched, and she took a breath.Just get through this, she thought.And then get to Hades.

“Mekonnen and Ezio will walk out before you,” Sybil said.

Persephone smiled at the two ogres who had positioned themselves in front of the doors. They usually spent their evenings handling security for Nevernight, but today, they would serve as her bodyguards in place of Zofie.

A familiar ache blossomed in her chest.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you up this early, Mekonnen,” she said.

The ogre smirked. “Only for you, Lady Persephone.”

“Time,” said Sybil, meeting Persephone’s gaze. “Ready?”

She wasn’t sure she’d ever been ready. Not just for this but for anything that had come her way, yet she’d survived.

She would survive this too.

Mekonnen and Ezio led the procession, taking their places at the edge of the steps just outside the doors to Alexandria Tower. Persephone followed, hit with the roar of cheers and taunting jeers as she approached the podium to speak. The sound burrowed into her ears, an ebb and flow of excitement and anger, mixing with the rapid whir and flash of cameras.

She took a moment to absorb it, to accept that this had become her reality.

“Good afternoon,” she said, speaking too close to the mic, amplifying the pop and crackle of her voice, but the resulting feedback silenced the crowd with a deafening hiss. She was quiet for a moment, adjusting her stance before she continued. “By now, most of you have probably seen the article printed about me inNew Athens Newsby a former colleague.”

She did not wish to speak Helen’s name, though Persephone knew her statement would only draw more attention to her ex-friend. She could only hope what she had to say would cast doubt on her credibility.

“First, I would like to say that it is true that I hid who I was from you.” Persephone’s voice quivered as shespoke, and she paused to take a breath, saying her next line with far more composure and confidence. “I am the Goddess of Spring.”

There were cheers and some applause but there were also boos and angry chants—Deceiver! Liar!

She ignored them and continued.

“I am sure many of you were surprised to discover that Demeter had a daughter, but my mother was reluctant to share me with the world. She kept me locked in a glass house, depriving me of friends and worshippers. At eighteen, I convinced her to let me go to college. I’m still not sure why she agreed, except that I think she was comforted by the fact that I was powerless—and powerless I was. I could not even coax a flower to bloom. How could I be a goddess when I had none of the attributes that were supposed to make me divine? So when I entered the mortal world for the first time, I felt like one of you. And I loved it. I did not wish to leave it, but sometimes you are called to your purpose, and I was called to mine.”

It had taken time, but Hades had been patient. He had brought her magic to life while showing her that divinity was more than power—it was kindness and compassion and fighting for the people you loved.

The thought brought tears to her eyes.

She paused to clear her throat.

“It was not my intention to cause hurt or harm, and I am sorry if you feel deceived by my actions. I know you must now think us worlds apart, but for the longest time, I truly only ever felt mortal. Even now, I am not asking for sacrifices or altars or temples built in my name. I am only asking for a chance to be your goddess, to prove I am worthy of your worship. Thank you.”

Persephone stepped away from the podium as a chorus of voices shouted.

“Persephone, who is your father?”

“Show us your divine form!”

“When did Hades discover your divinity?”

“Lady Persephone will not take questions,” Sybil said into the mic as Mekonnen and Ezio blocked her from view and Leuce stepped to her side.

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