Page 4 of The Dread Queen's Bargain

Persephone looked up at the massive carving, larger than life, and stared into the empty stone eyes. She couldn’t repress the shudder of heat that ran through her, studying the strong features and long hair. Her thoughts were jumbled, and her heart rate jumped for the first time since venturing beneath the surface.

“He’s a handsome fucker, but portraits are always a little too flattering.”

“Fuck!” Persephone screeched, nearly jumping out of her skin when a voice materialized beside her. She spun around, and her fear quickly turned to annoyance. “What the fuck, Hermes?” Persephone groaned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hermes was grinning from ear to ear, floating a few inches off the ground. Persephone had seen him in his many forms—youth, Olympian, and aged man—but he appeared before her now as the most common form. A beautiful god with bronze skin, angelic features, and curly blonde hair. His winged sandals adorned his feet, but his helm and caduceus were hidden.

“Kore, my endless one,” Hermes crooned, holding his arms out, “it’s not every day that a goddess attempts to walk to the Underworld.” Hermes raised an eyebrow. “Did you think that wouldn’t set off some alarms?”

Persephone shifted her weight uncomfortably, looking anywhere but Hermes’s gaze. She’d complained to him before about Demeter. He’d been supportive, but Hermes talked shit about every god.

“I couldn’t do it any longer. I really couldn’t. She refuses to see me for who I am, and there’s this—” Persephone stopped. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell Hermes about the dark power that had started running through her veins. “I just can’t.” Persephone ended awkwardly.

Hermes cocked his head as he looked at her, studying her. Persephone wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold and fidgety under the weight of Hermes’s evaluation. She knew better than most Olympians that underestimating the messenger was never a good idea.

When he said nothing for several minutes, Persephone finally broke the silence.

“And don’t call me Kore.”

Hermes nodded. “Persephone it is.” He looked towards the massive doors. “Any thoughts on how you’ll get inside? What’s your next move, my sweet springtime?” He fluttered his eyelashes.

Persephone smirked, sauntering towards Hermes and throwing her arms around his neck. Her lips dropped into a perfect pout, and she batted her eyes in retribution.

“Messenger,” Persephone whispered, “thrice great, would you be ever so kind as to help sneak me through the gates of the Underworld?” Hermes held impossibly still for a moment, and Persephone wondered if he would kiss her. He quickly shuddered, broke the moment, and detangled Persephone from him.

“Fuck the gods.” Hermes looked at Persephone with a mix of fear and awe. “They weren’t kidding when they said you were a fertility goddess, huh?” Persephone laughed and flicked some of her hair off her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, my little cherub,” she winked, “you aren’t my type.”

Hermes scoffed and started walking towards the doors. “I’m everyone’s type, my springtime seductress.”

Persephone hid her relief at Hermes’s aid as she stepped behind him. “One day, Eros is going to put your ass on the line.” She smiled. “And I, for one, can’t wait to see the day.”

“Ha!” Hermes rolled his eyes. “I’d like to see him try.”

“He’s got wings too.”

“Only one pair.” Hermes turned around. He pointed to the wings on his sandals and gestured where his winged helm usually sat on his head. “I’ve got two.”

“I think his are bigger,” Persephone smirked.

“It’s all about how you use them,” Hermes grunted, placing his hand on the doors. A burst of green magic illuminated the cavern, flooding the crack between the doors as they began to swing open. “Besides, I don’t think Eros could find anyone strong enough to tie me down.” Hermes grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

Persephone opened her mouth to say something, but the door swung wide. Her jaw dropped as sunlight flooded the cavern, revealing stunning fields beyond as far as she could see.

“Praise the gods,” Persephone muttered under her breath, taking a cautious step forward. “Is this… Is this the Underworld?” She slowly approached the doorway, leaning over the grass as if afraid to enter.

“Ah, beautiful.” Hermes looked out over the landscape. “The doors of the Underworld always look different to those who approach them. It’s typically a bit more fire and brimstone. But the fields of Asphodel are always a lovely sight.”

Persephone was awestruck. The sun was warm on her face, and she could smell the flowers and the grass. It was hardly the barren land of torture and despair that Demeter had promised her. Persephone’s last shred of respect or trust for Demeter was gone in one second—just one glance—out over the fields.

“It’s… It’s beautiful.” Persephone choked out the words, staring out over the idyllic paradise. “How does Apollo manage to get sunlight down here?” She turned towards Hermes. He merely shrugged in response.

“That’s not my territory. ‘As above, so below’? You’ll have to ask Hecate.”

“Hecate!” Persephone whispered excitedly. “Oh, I’ve heard such wonderful things about her. Is she lovely?” Persephone looked at Hermes expectantly. He smiled as if only now realizing how sheltered Persephone had been from the Chthonic gods.

“She is a night terror and fearsome goddess, who most Olympians would do better to fear. She’s hardly a minor deity of the Underworld.” Hermes winked. “You’ll love her.”

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