Page 26 of The Dread Queen's Bargain

“Because,” Demeter hissed, “the Fates made it very clear that my power would start to crumble if there was no goddess of spring,” Demeter said the title like a curse. “You needed my tutelage to develop the…finer parts of your position.” Demeter gave Persephone another once-over, and she clearly didn’t like what she saw.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Persephone pushed. “Why send Zeus to the Underworld? Maybe you only raised me out of concern for your power, but it doesn’t explain why you won’t let me go now.”

“Because I need you!” Demeter scolded, all her words coming out in a rush. “Olympus has had a vacant seat of power ever since that bitch Hecate murdered Hera. Zeus needs a wife. The god of lightning needs a consort. As much as I am loath to admit it, the harvest needs spring. If Zeus will seriously consider my proposition, my standing is tied to yours. He’d never make me queen of Heaven if my daughter were in bed with the brother he hates the most.”

Persephone nearly fell over. After all this time, after centuries of being forced to live a life that weighed on her every day and kept her trapped, it was all for power. Demeter didn’t even love her. She only saw Persephone as a pawn. Persephone knew Demeter was correct in that Zeus would never make her his consort if Persephone were tied to the Underworld. Persephone’s heart was breaking inside of her chest. No love was lost between her and her mother, but it was another thing to realize that love had never been part of the equation. Her mother would’ve left her to die if it didn’t behoove her to raise Persephone.

Demeter took a few steps back and squealed in shock. The noise was drowned out by the raucous party happening around them. Persephone didn’t know what startled Demeter until she realized it was her. Her fingertips appeared black and dark smoke curled around them. The veins creeping up her arms slowly turned black too. Persephone was practically vibrating with hurt and fury, and her power was rising to stop it. Persephone realized in horror that she didn’t know how to stop it.

She pointed her finger at Demeter and took no small amount of joy in the terrified gasp Demeter made.

“I’m saying this once and only once,” Persephone scolded. “Do not look for me. Do not seek me out. I am no longer your daughter, if I ever was. I’ve been a grown woman for a thousand years, Demeter, and you have no claim over me and my life. I’m returning to the Underworld, where I’ll be staying.” If Persephone hadn’t been partially preoccupied with the horror of the powers she couldn’t control exploding all over Mt. Olympus, she would’ve spent more time realizing how right those words sounded.

“You can’t—” Demeter started to argue, but Persephone raised her hand and poised her thumb and pointer finger together like she was about to snap her fingers. Demeter paled and took another few steps back.

“I can. I will. It’s done.” Persephone threatened Demeter. At that exact moment, one voice rose above the raucous din of the party, shouting and sounding stark raving mad.

Ares. Persephone realized. It’s definitely time to leave.

Persephone didn’t look back as she stormed past her mother. Once she put some distance between her and Demeter, the rage in her veins dissipated, and the black marks vanished from her skin.

I’ll have to deal with that at some point. Persephone looked around the party and realized she couldn’t see Makaria anywhere. Finally, Persephone caught a glimpse of her white hair stepping outside. Persephone was right behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder as soon as Makaria walked into Zeus’s gardens. Makaria spun around, looking momentarily horrified, until she realized it was Persephone touching her.

“Are you okay, Makaria?” Persephone looked at her quizzically and wondered if leaving Makaria alone at her first party on Mt. Olympus had been a bad idea.

“Yes,” Makaria answered a little too quickly. “I’m all right. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“It’s great…” Persephone answered slowly. Her brow furrowed as she took in Makaria’s stilted tone of voice and ruffled appearance. “We need to go, though. Ares just pulled out his weapons, which means this is going to turn into a drunken brawl faster than you can say Aphrodite.”

“Aphrodite? What does she have to do with that—” Makaria was cut off by the sound of a massive crash and a flash of lightning, followed by a chorus of angry shouting.

“That’s our signal to leave,” Persephone said firmly, grabbing Makaria’s hand to pull them back to the Underworld.

Makaria opened her mouth to protest, but she already felt herself disappearing into the air as Persephone yanked them back to the safety of Hecate’s home.

10

Hades poured another drink and put his feet up, sprawling at the immense oak table he used as a desk. Hades’s study was similar to the rest of his home—full of sprawling riches tucked away into small nooks, covered in lush weavings and dark fabric hangings—but it was one of the smaller rooms. Whenever he needed to escape to think, the study’s more intimate space helped him feel less scattered.

The door started to edge open, and Hades sat up at attention before seeing one of Cerberus’s faces poke through. Hades’s posture softened immediately.

“Hey, buddy,” he cooed, patting his thigh. Cerberus’s tongues lolled happily as he pushed the door open the rest of the way and bounded into the office.

“What are you doing here, huh?” Hades started scratching Cerberus’s heads with both hands as the dog tried to climb into Hades’s lap—a challenging feat, considering he was about the size of the desk.

“Weren’t you supposed to be watching Persephone?” Hades pretended to scold Cerberus.

A heartsick feeling took up in his chest when he realized nothing would put Cerberus off task unless Persephone went somewhere Cerberus couldn’t follow. There were no places off-limit for Cerberus in the Underworld, which meant Persephone had left the Underworld.

“She’s gone.” Hades said aloud to no one in particular.

Cerberus was blissed out with the number of ear scratches he was getting, not paying any attention to his master as his tail thumped wildly on the floor.

Hades sank deeper in his chair, trying to understand why it devastated him that Persephone had gone. She asked him questions he had asked himself a thousand times. Why didn’t he try and find her? Did he really believe she was better off without him?

“Even if she was better off without having me as a consort, I knew she was destined for the Underworld.” Hades sighed heavily, still carrying on his one-sided conversation with Cerberus. “I’ve done her a disservice as the god of the Underworld by waiting so long to introduce myself. At the very least, I should have sent Hecate as a steward to ensure Persephone understood her capabilities.”

“I think we’d all be better off if Hecate handled things.” A deep voice startled Hades. He jumped, dislodging Cerberus, who fell into a wrinkled, slobbery heap on the floor. Hades was already gripping his bident when he realized it was Thanatos. He rarely changed out of his hoplite armor, his black hair cropped in a much shorter style than most gods preferred.

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