Page 88 of The Sun and the Star

‘Hey, don’t do that.’ Will touched Nico’s face, stared into his dark eyes. ‘Yousurvived. You continue to survive. You’ve been through more in your fifteen years than most people will endure in an entire lifetime.’

Nico looked away, but Will knew this grumpy ball of darkness –hisgrumpy ball of darkness – and he refused to let Nico off the hook.

‘I don’t always understand you, Nico,’ he said, ‘but I do know that you’re resilient. And in that sense you arejustlike this garden.’

Nico shifted uncomfortably. ‘We shouldn’t be talking. Trying to be sneaky, remember?’

Still, he didn’t protest Will’s assessment. He even sounded a tiny bit pleased.

Will decided that was progress. Nicohadbeen through a lot, but as Will watched the crystal petals floating to the ground from a nearby flowering tree, he felt a renewed sense of hope. This place seemed impossible. Yet here it was, thriving in a land of darkness and sorrow.

He supposed that darkness and lifecouldcoexist …

Nico touched his shoulder. ‘I think she’s gone inside. Let’s move.’

They followed the gem path through a grove of trees that looked like skeletal hands, which were both awe-inspiring and a little frightening. Each new sight took Will’s breath away, like the velvety vines draped from the boughs of an amaranthine oak, or the veranda covered in moonflowers and surrounded by emerald prickly pears.

Nico guided him towards the centre of the garden, where a large orchard encircled a three-tiered fountain. A syrupy-sweet odour hit Will’s nostrils.

‘What’sthat?’ he asked.

‘The pomegranate trees,’ Nico said. ‘Menoetes didn’t specify whatkindof fruit he wanted, so why not a pom? They’re Persephone’s signature fruit, after all.’

Will frowned. ‘If you eat one of Persephone’s pomegranates, aren’t you’re stuck in the Underworld forever?’

‘Pretty sure that doesn’t apply to creatures who arefromthe Underworld,’ Nico said. ‘But, even if it did, it might be kind of romantic. Like sending a message:You’re stuck with me.’

‘I think we need to work on your definition ofromantic, my love.’

Nico’s ears blushed. ‘Let’s grab a couple of poms, then head back to the donkeys. Sound good?’

When they reached the pomegranate trees, Will nearly lost himself in the beauty of their emerald leaves and glittering fruit, festooning the branches like ruby ornaments, just begging to be plucked.

‘Perfect,’ he murmured to himself.

Nico walked up to the nearest tree and grasped at a pomegranate.

His hand went right through it.

For a moment, Will thought he was seeing things, his head swimming from the heavy perfume of the trees. But then Nico tried again. Again.Again. Each time, his fingers went right through the fruit like he’d turned into a shade from Asphodel.

‘What’s wrong?’ Will asked.

‘I don’t know!’ Nico hissed. ‘This doesn’t make any sense.’

He tried other pomegranates on different trees with no luck whatsoever.

Will’s nerves tingled. He thought about what Nico had said – how the fruit wasn’t as dangerous for creatures from the Underworld.

‘Have you ever actually picked one of these before?’ he asked.

Nico scowled. ‘Well … no. I was just given some seeds.’

Will looked at the red fruit hanging above him. Maybe they were meant to be picked only by potential victims from the world of sunlight. He gulped and stretched out his hand.

His fingers grazed the smooth, cool rind. The fruit was so large it barely fitted in Will’s hand.

He pulled.

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