The next time Persephone visited, she brought Yuri a jeweled clip so that she could pin back her thick hair. The girl had been so grateful, she threw her arms around Persephone and then quickly backed away, apologizing for being so forward. Persephone had only laughed and said, “I like hugs.”
The two had been friends ever since.
“Is...something happening today?” Persephone asked.
Yuri smiled. “We are celebrating Lord Hades.”
“Why?” She didn’t mean to sound so surprised. “Is it his birthday?”
Yuri laughed at that question, and Persephone realized how dumb it was to ask—Hades likely didn’t celebrate a birthday or even remember when he was born.
“Because he is our king and we wish to honor him,” she said.
There were several festivals celebrating gods above ground, but none of them celebrated the God of the Underworld. “We’ve been hopeful that he will soon have a queen.”
Persephone paled. Her first thought was who? And then, why? What had given them the impression that they might have a queen?
“A....what?”
Yuri smiled. “Come now, Persephone. You aren’t so blind.”
“I think I am,” she replied.
“Lord Hades has never given a god so much freedom over his realm.”
It was then she realized Yuri was referring to her.
“What about Hecate? Hermes?” she argued. They each had access to the Underworld and came and went as they pleased.
“Hecate is a creature of this world and Hermes is merely a messenger. You...you’re something more.”
Persephone shook her head. “I’m no more than a game, Yuri.”
She could tell the soul was confused by her statement, but Persephone wasn’t going to argue. She knew the reality of her situation. The souls of the Underworld might see Hades treatment as special, but she knew it for what it was.
Yuri reached into her basket and offered the goddess a pomegranate. “Even so, will you not stay? This celebration, it’s just as much for you as it is for Hades.”
The shock of Yuri’s words went deep. “But I’m not...you cannot worship me.”
“Why not? You are a goddess, you care for us, and you care for our King.”
“I—” she wanted to argue that she didn’t care for Lord Hades, but the words wouldn’t come and then her attention was drawn away by a chorus of voices.
“Lady Persephone! Lady Persephone!”
Something small but powerful rammed into her legs, and she almost fell into Yuri and her basket.
“Isaac! Apologize to your—” Yuri paused, and she got the sense the souls in Asphodel had already started calling her by a title she didn’t own. “Apologize to Lady Persephone.”
The child in question withdrew his embrace from Persephone’s legs. He’d been followed by an army of children ranging in age. Persephone had met them all before and played several games with them. Joining them were Hades’ dogs, Cerberus, Typhon and Orthrus. Cerberus clasped their large, red ball in his jowls.
“Sorry, Lady Persephone. Will you play with us?”
“Lady Persephone is not dressed to play, Isaac,” Yuri said, and the boy frowned. It was true that Persephone hadn’t been prepared to play in the meadow. She still wore her work attire—a form-fitting white dress.
“It’s perfectly alright, Yuri,” she said, and reached to lift Isaac into her arms. He was the youngest of the group, she guessed only about four. It pained her to think of why this child was here in Asphodel. What had befallen him in the Upperworld? How long had he been here? Were any of these souls his family?
She shut down those thoughts as quickly as they came. She could spend hours thinking about all the reasons any of these people were here and it did no good. The dead were the dead and she was learning their existence here really wasn’t so bad.