Page 130 of Where Darkness Bloomed
Her mind clawed through the faded fragments of her dream. Achilles had been there, the Underworld. His mother had taken him, and there had been a reason. A secret.
An answer.
“Nothing can be done from Olympus.”
Hermes’s words clanged like a tolling bell, and Persephone’s breath snagged. The truth settled into her with the brilliance of celestial fire. Bright and blinding.
Not Olympus. The answer lay elsewhere.
Silver flashed in the corner of her vision. She turned as Hermes landed in the sun-dappled shade, the folds of his mantle undisturbed, his gaze already fixed on her.
She inclined her head. “Thank you for taking my audience.”
Hermes nodded, remaining uncharacteristically silent. Behind him, Demeter’s furious silhouette still stood in the distance, but Persephone ignored it.
She inhaled slowly. “I must ask you something. But first, I need your oath that you’ll speak of this to no one.”
His eyes sharpened, becoming shrewd. Still, he said, “I swear it by the River Styx.”
A breath of wind sighed through the trees. Oak leaves shivered high in the boughs above them, casting restless shadows on the ground. For a moment, she could almost believe she stood beneath the canopy of the Underworld’s sacred garden.
“As the god of travelers,” Persephone said at last, “you see all who journey. Even those who enter the Underworld?”
“I do,” Hermes replied blankly.
She chewed her lip, then asked, “How would one get there from the mortal world?”
One brow quirked, amusement tugging at his lips. “Mortals are carried there by Thanatos.”
Death. Of course.
“And the living?” she asked, leaning forward slightly. “Has anyone ever entered without dying first?”
A pause.
Then, a flicker of recognition passed through Hermes’s features. Slowly, he shook his head. “Without Hades’s permission, it is impossible.”
Silence gathered like heavy fog.
Then Hermes added, “Zeus will not look kindly on interference with Troy’s fate. Any who attempt it will suffer his wrath.”
“As my mother said,” Persephone replied thickly. “I am no Olympian, and I swore no oath regarding the Fates. My loyalty lies in another kingdom.”
He blinked. Then, after a moment, his gaze grew weighted with something just shy of admiration.
“I would help you, if I could,” Hermes said finally. “But what you ask... it cannot be done.”
A memory stirred.
Hades’s voice, strong and certain.“The Underworld is not easily breached. Only one has ever succeeded.”
Her heart gave a hard beat—like a war drum before battle.
“Ithasbeen done.” Her eyes narrowed. “Once. A mortal crossed into the Underworld alive.”
Hermes was silent a moment. Then, slowly, he inclined his head.“One did.”
Stillness returned, heavy and waiting.
