Page 23 of The Dread Queen's Bargain

Hecate hissed, and Persephone’s face contorted, realizing she might be spooking Makaria. Hecate answered begrudgingly. “He will be. There’s not a better fit, and you know it, Seph, so don’t give me that face. Don’t scare her off.”

“I’m not!” Persephone’s heart sang in her chest at the familiarity of Hecate calling her ‘Seph.’

“Scare me off of what?” Makaria perked up, her eyes dancing between the two goddesses.

“Thanatos is… Well, he’s not the most welcoming…” Hecate chewed on her words and licked a bit of honey off her finger, mulling over her response. “He’s been through a lot.” Persephone kept a neutral expression as Hecate defended Thanatos. Even though she was hardly an expert, Persephone jumped in to try and ease some of the damage.

“Thanatos and Hades are close,” Persephone offered up. “Even then, there are things that Thanatos won’t tell Hades. He’s not known to…open up.”

“Eternity is a long time to think that people hate you. To feel like you don’t belong,” Hecate murmured, waving her fingers over the table and refilling their cups again.

“What?” Makaria looked at both of the goddesses with a stunned expression.

Persephone knew it was premature for her to act like an expert. Still, as someone also thrown into the world of the gods below, she wanted to offer up whatever wisdom she could—and she knew a lot about the gods of Olympus and their prejudices. With one look at Hecate, she saw Hecate nod gently and encourage her to go on.

“Cumulatively, I’ve spent more time in Olympus than in the Underworld. It’s not my fate, but that’s…a work in progress.” Persephone waved her hand. “The gods on Olympus, Makaria, they despise Thanatos. In some ways, more than they hate Nyx or Hades. He’s the one thing that every pompous immortal fears.”

“Death,” Makaria whispered, the ichor draining from her face.

“Don’t be fooled.” Persephone’s smile turned a little wicked. “All gods fear death. Even more than the mortals.”

“I thought he didn’t kill anyone?” Makaria interjected, her voice sounding fierce.

“He doesn’t.” Persephone shrugged.

“Then why do they have so much resentment for him?”

“They need to blame someone.” Hecate gave her a grim smile. “The Fates make the decision who lives and who dies, but the gods won’t openly despise the Fates. Then they’d really be asking for it.”

“So… Thanatos becomes their scapegoat.” Makaria sighed.

“He doesn’t care terribly about the Olympians’ opinion. None of the Underworld gods do.” Hecate shrugged. “Even down here, there are some people who bar their doors or look the other way when Thanatos passes. He’s the god of death, the sword of Hades…”

“The destroyer of souls.” Persephone made a tsk sound. She didn’t appreciate that moniker.

“I didn’t think that he…killed, though?” Makaria muttered confusedly.

“He doesn’t destroy mortal souls, Makaria,” Hecate murmured. “When it comes time for a god to die, however, that’s when…” she stuttered.

“If I don’t prove my worthiness then…then it’s Thanatos who…” Makaria trailed off, and neither Persephone nor Hecate said a word in response. “I’m supposed to work with the man who could be my own executioner?”

Persephone gave her a soft smile, her heart aching with empathy for the young goddess. “He won’t be. You’ll be able to prove yourself. I can tell.”

“I have to be honest with you.” Makaria’s voice sharpened a little. “All I’ve heard for the past day is several goddesses telling me ‘not to worry about it’ without offering me anything tangible. It’s a little anxiety-inducing.” Makaria tossed back another sip of her wine.

“It’s not our place to tell you everything,” Hecate reminded Makaria gently, “especially when it comes to the matters of the dead. It will be Thanatos who does that when the time comes.”

“Well, when is that?”

“Soon,” Persephone chided. “You were just saying that you’re overwhelmed with everything that’s happened. You really want to go to work right now?”

Makaria scoffed angrily, even though her words had no heat. “Well…no.” When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

She swallowed more wine and avoided eye contact with the other two goddesses. Persephone reached across the table and grabbed her hand; she didn’t appear as confused as Makaria because of centuries of dealing with Olympians. She felt as torn up inside about her position in the Underworld as Makaria did.

“Listen here.” Persephone was firm. “Don’t think for a second that you’re doing this alone, okay? I know there is a lot of information coming at you, but we’ll help you figure it out piece by piece.”

Makaria smiled as Persephone told her everything she wished someone would say to her.

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