Page 96 of Flowers Near Me

“Hold on.” Heart pounding, Persephone asked, “What do you mean bysooner?”

Demeter’s throat bobbed. “He asked me for my blessing for your marriage.”

Persephone’s head spun. Air left the room. Tiny stars danced a jig across her vision.

“What are you talking about? When did he contact you?” Hand on her stomach, she waited for her blurry sight to sharpen and slowed her breathing. Hades had asked her to marry him, but it was playful banter, not a proposal.

“Before all of this happened. He reached out saying he consulted with the Fates and that you two would be married and he wanted my blessing. I, of course, said no, and he said he’d marry you, regardless. I thought I’d protected you from him. I even had Hermes block all Underworld Unlimited numbers in our phones’ contact lists. I should’ve known he’d find some other way.” Demeter shook her head and peered out the window.

“Fates… Mom. What does this mean? That I’m destined to marry him? Is this how it works among gods? Fates decree then we obey?”

With a grimace that did nothing to diminish her beauty, Demeter replied, “Afraid so. There’s usually a high cost to fight it and you’ll lose.”

Persephone’s mind reeled.On top of feeling awful—both physically and mentally—this was quite the earth-shattering revelation.

Do I like him because it’s destined to be so?

Why am I not more mad about this?

“I-I’m not sure what to think. I’ll admit I’m fond of him.” A thought struck her.Does he only like me because he thought he had no choice?The blood in her face retreated and her stomach lurched.

“Sephy, I know this is a lot to take in. I was hoping there was more time.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. Wiping at soaked eyelids, Persephone stifled a cry.

“Oh, honey. We can fight this. You don’t have to marry him soon. There are ways we can delay this.”

Persephone swallowed, then sucked a breath through her mouth. She grabbed a tissue. “He only likes me because he knows he has to.” She blew her nose, then dropped her head in her hands. The motion caused the mounting pressure in her face to throb painfully.

Her mom rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Oh, my sweet Sephy. No. You’re a goddess of immense value. Any god or goddess would be thrilled to wed you. If he wasn’t interested in the first place, he never would’ve consulted the Fates. Us gods only do that when we desire something so desperately that we’re afraid it’s an instrument of our demise.”

Of course she’d think that. “You’re terribly biased. You don’t know what he feels.” She leaned more of her weight onto her mom, feeling tiredness pressing down on her. She was going to need to sleep again soon, and it made her so angry. This conversation had been months in the making—she was desperate for it and had to fight through the pull of whatever this illness was.

Her mom released a long exhale. “Sephy, dear, I know how gods think. I’ve been a goddess for far too long to claim ignorance. He’s locked onto to you and will never let go.” Demeter continued brushing her fingertips up and down Persephone’s back. “You’re a goddess. I’m sure by now you’ve figured out that we don’t do anything we don’t want to.”

Persephone managed a soft laugh. She’d seen as much with the gods and—to be honest—realized that few could force her to do anything unless they convinced her first. She leaned towards her mom, Demeter’s warm chest and arms wrapped around her. As she melted into the embrace, the tears stopped.

Demeter kissed the top of Persephone’s head, and both goddesses released each other. “Let me get Laura in here to check on you before I go. I’ve come here and riled you up.”

“I’m glad you came. Thanks, Mom.” Demeter portaled away, leaving Sephy to contend with her conflicted feelings.

Her mom’s support—albeit closer to sympathy—chipped her spirit. Hades had sent her away without hesitation and now her mom pitied her. Worse, her mom thought Hades had damaged her. What would her mom say if she knew how easily Hades had let her go? A raw, unrelenting ache saturated her chest.

I’m weak and alone. What can I do?

Months ago, she was poised to become Olympus’ next mogul. Now she’d be lucky if she could stand long enough to brush her own teeth.

Before she’d fallen asleep,Persephone had told Laura a quick, stilted version of her conversation with their mom. After Persephone’s long nap, Laura returned with a pot of tea and an eagerness to hear more.

“She saidwhatnow?” Laura stared slack-jawed at Persephone as she sat next to her in bed.

“He’s my Fates-ordained husband, apparently. Asked Mom for her blessing before I signed the contract with Eurydice. Mom knew and tried to save me from it, but was too worried if she meddled, it’d cause more problems.”

Laura laughed, then slapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, but that’s archaic. Right? I believe in the Fates or whatever, but didn’t that type of divination die out a long time ago? Do the Fates bill gods when they’re consulted? Does Mom have them on payroll?”

Persephone released a small, airy laugh despite feeling like a shell of what she once was. “Perhaps they make them sign a statement of work before fortune telling?”

“How are you feeling about this? Are you okay?”

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