Page 21 of The Dread Queen's Bargain

“I’m assuming your mother never told you there was a prophecy surrounding your birth?”

Persephone’s eyes went wide.

“No! She didn’t.” Hades could see the wheels turning in Persephone’s mind. “You mentioned the Fates yesterday when we were talking to Zeus.”

Hades nodded, exhaling slowly. “There was a prophecy when you were born that you were the consort of the Underworld that was promised, the ruler of everything beneath the surface…the Dread Queen.” Hades swallowed thickly and watched as Persephone’s mouth dropped open. She attempted to speak several times, blinking rapidly as she put her fingers on her temples and started to hyperventilate.

“Easy,” Hades cautioned. He leaned forward and gently started rubbing calming circles on her arms. “I know that is a lot of information, but whatever you want it to mean, it can. No one will force you to do anything.”

“Did you not want me?” Persephone blurted out.

It was Hades’s turn to look shocked as she stared at him. Of all the reactions he expected her to have, this was not one of them.

“What? No. Of course not. I didn’t know you until a few days ago.”

“You never came to seek me out. Not once. Why wouldn’t you introduce yourself centuries ago? I’ve been stuck in the fucking mortal realm with my mother for eons, always feeling like I was being crammed in a shoe that was too small. Did you not want to share your precious fucking throne? Was I somehow not good enough for you?”

Persephone started to spiral, wrenching herself away from Hades’s grip and launching off the bed. She hastily tied the old chiton around her body and started for the door.

“Persephone!” Hades bellowed, chasing after her. “Wait! There is so much that you don’t know.”

Persephone spun around on her heel, grabbed the cup by the fireplace, and threw it at Hades. It hit him square in the chest, staining his clothes with wine.

“All I know is I’ve been fucking waiting for something for the past thousand years,” Persephone hissed, her eyes full of tears, “and I didn’t know what that was. So you can imagine my immense disappointment upon discovering that I’ve been waiting for you. And you never even bothered to fucking say hello!”

“That is not fair,” Hades growled, stepping closer to Persephone. “You have no idea what Demeter—”

“You don’t know anything about Demeter!” Persephone screamed. “But I do! Because I’ve been stuck with that frigid excuse of a mother. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.” Persephone turned around and started stalking towards the hallway. “And don’t fucking follow me!”

Hades watched as she disappeared, slamming the door shut so hard that it ricocheted and stayed open. He sank back down into his chair with a groan, running his hands through his hair.

What am I supposed to do now? he thought glumly. He had never been so out of his depth in all his life, even when he first started ruling the Underworld. After a few minutes, Cerberus padded inside the bedroom, placing his heads on Hades’s shoulder.

“Hey, old boy,” Hades cooed, scratching behind one of Cerberus’s set of ears, “You’d better go follow Persephone. Make sure she doesn’t get into too much trouble, okay?”

Cerberus said nothing but licked Hades’s face and bounded out of the room, clearly off following Persephone’s scent to wherever she’d gone.

8

Persephone left Hades’s home as fast as she could, wiping at the tears in her eyes.

Don’t act like a child, Persephone reprimanded herself harshly. You need to figure out where to go from here. Going back to the mortal world is out of the question. The last thing I will do is run home to Demeter with my tail between my legs.

There was only one other place in the Underworld Persephone knew of, so it was the only place she thought of to go to. It also happened to be the best place in all the realms for a woman with a confused and broken heart.

I’ll go to Hecate’s. Persephone made her mind up. To her relief, the path in front of Hades’s house twisted and began rearranging in a different direction as soon as she decided. If Hades was right about anything, her powers were somehow connected to the Underworld, and it was altering itself to her whims.

Persephone put on a happy, smiling face and attempted to compose herself as she walked. She had only known Hades for a few days. There was no logical reason for her to be so already attached to him and to feel betrayed by the fact he’d never sought her out.

“Fucking Fates,” Persephone muttered as Hecate’s house came into view. “I’m sure they’re somehow to blame in all of this.” Smoke came out of the small chimney, and Persephone freshened her appearance with a small glamour. She already knew she should always expect Hecate’s house to have guests.

She stepped into the courtyard and cautiously walked forward, waiting to see if she triggered any wards or magical protections. When no strange forces knocked her off the property, Persephone shrugged and quietly knocked on the door. She could hear some voices inside.

Fuck it. Persephone gently pushed the door open and made her way to the kitchen. Two goddesses were sitting at the kitchen table—Hecate and a white-haired goddess Persephone had never seen before.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked politely, preparing to leave if her presence was unwelcome immediately. Hecate brightened upon seeing Persephone, offering her an all-knowing smile. Hecate motioned to a seat at the table, clearly already anticipating her arrival.

I don’t know how she does it. Well, witchcraft is the answer to everything with Hecate, isn’t it?

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