Asphodel (The Underworld Trilogy)

Rocking onto my tailbone, I fling my leg out as hard as I can and blast Zeus with the heel of my foot in the shin. Despite putting all of my effort into kick, it doesn’t even phase him. He doesn’t even flinch. I hear the puzzled tone in Zeus’s voice. “What the?” Then he lifts the tablecloth and looks me dead in the eye. His eyes are pools of blue with puddles of green around the irises. I scowl at him, angrily.

Mom shifts behind me. “Zeus, what is it?” The tablecloth rustles and a creak erupts from mom’s chair as she bends over. “Persephone!” she yells. “What on earth?”

I turn my head toward her, narrow my eyes, and try to breathe. Then I scramble out from underneath the table as they both sit up. I shoot daggers between them with my eyes. I don’t know what to say to whom first. Zeus stands and bursts out in a jovial, fake laugh. “Happy Birthday, Princess!”

“Zip it Zeus!” I shout.

Mom flies out of her chair and her abrupt departure sends the wooden seat crashing to the floor. “Don’t you talk to your father that way! How long were you under there?”

“For the whole damn conversation!”

“Don’t you take that done with me, Persephone!” Mom places her fists on her hips. “You’re supposed to be in school!”

“Well, thank the God’s I came home! If I hadn’t maybe then I would have never found out that I have liars for parents!”

“Don’t you dare,” mom gasps. Behind her I hear Zeus breathing heavily as mom and I continue to bicker with one another. She wags her finger in my face and I fold my arms across my chest. Suddenly a hiss and a sizzle interrupts our heated discussion. I glimpse over my shoulder and Zeus’s face is crimson, his jaw clenched and sparks fly out of his fingertips. He lifts his hands slowly as ball of thin white lines flash and swirl like a cyclone. He palms the lightning bolt. “ENOUGH!” I throw my arms up over my head, prepared to duck and cover.

Just as he raises his arm preparing chuck the bolt into the wall, mom rushes to his side and gets a firm grip on his arm. “Zeus! No!” She yanks hard on his raised arm and he slowly lowers it. “Calm down, Zeus,” she soothes him. Zeus lowers his head and meets my mother’s gaze. The bolt vanishes and he lets out a long, winded sigh.

“I’m done with this!” I run from the kitchen, ignoring mom and Zeus.

“Persephone! You come back here now!”

I don’t listen.

This is one time where I’m not going to be her naïve obedient daughter. This is one time where I’m not going to do what I’m told.

In my room, I lock the door, and then pace back and forth in front of my bed. The contents of my room blur in my vision. Sea green walls, cherry furniture, the white throw rug, pretty soon I feel like I’m partially blind because all the color swirl together. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe my mom. Most of all, I can’t believe that I hadn’t caught on to what was going on sooner.

The doorknob to my room turns abruptly. I stop mid-pace and glare at the brass knob as mom turns it with more force. Then she slams her first into the door. “Persephone! Open this door now!”

I don’t even want to hear her voice right now. I need to think. And besides, I know exactly what she’s going to say. She’s going to tell me she did this to protect me. I don’t mom knows what the definition of “protect” is.

Over the centuries she’s watched me wake up screaming—terrified. She’s watched me suffer through sleepless nights. She’s watched me live in fear of every seventeenth birthday, and the whole time she knew why the voice was coming to me. What kind of parent let’s their child suffer like that? What kind of parent watches their child in pain and keeps the secret of why their child is in pain in the first place?

The doorknob jingles again. “I’m serious Persephone! Open this door!” Mom turns the doorknob so hard I think it might snap off.

“No! Leave me alone!”

“Pack your thi

ngs!” she shouts through the door. “We’re moving!”

I grind my teeth and a lowly breath leaves my slotted lips. “I am not moving again!”

Part of me thinks this a ruse; mom is just saying this to get me to open the door.

“Oh yes you are!” She tries twisting the knob again. “I’ve already purchased the plane tickets.” She lowers her voice. “This time we’re moving to Vermont. Remember how much you liked it the last time we lived there?”

“I am not moving!” I march over to the door, unlock it, and yank it open. “I refuse!”

Mom is propped up against the frame and she smiles. “Thank you for opening the door.” She brushes past me and sits down on my bed. Heat rises filling my cheeks with warmth and I glare at her furiously. I was right; it was all a ruse to get me to open the door.

Mom pats the spot on the bed next to her. “Sit down. We need to talk.” I ignore her and fold my arms across my chest. She shakes her head. “Quit being stubborn, Persephone.”

“You lied to me!” I snarl.

“Just because I didn’t tell you every single detail involving our moves does not mean I lied to you. I did this to protect you.”