The elevator came to a halt, and Persephone stepped into a well-furnished and luxurious living room. The place was covered in rich fabrics, textured rugs, and fine artwork.
Persephone felt on edge as she moved into the space, thinking that the God of Music might appear out of thin air just to scare her, but as she rounded the sitting area, she found Apollo in an adjacent room. He was naked, relaxing in a giant bath. When he saw her, the god stretched out, resting his feet and draping his arms over the edge of the bath.
“Ah, Lady Persephone,” he said. “A true pleasure.”
“Apollo,” she acknowledged.
“Come, join me!”
“Did you not just warn Madame Selene of Hades’ wrath? He will cut your balls off and feed them to you if you touch me.”
Apollo chuckled, as if he thoroughly enjoyed the visual Persephone had just given him.
“Would you deny me what I am due? I bought and paid for you, after all.”
“Then that is your loss,” she replied.
Apollo chuckled, narrowing those inky violet eyes.
Suddenly, the elevator doors opened again, and three nymphs entered the room. They were dressed in shimmery slips. One carried a bowl, the other a tray of various bottles, and the last a stack of towels.
“Put the oils in the bath. I have waited long enough,” Apollo snapped as they approached.
The nymph with the tray didn’t seem at all anxious by the god’s rudeness. Her movements were unhurried and precise. She sat the tray down, chose a bottle, and measured the oil with the cap. When that nymph was finished, the other scattered rose petals into Apollo’s bath, and the last rolled up a towel and placed it beneath his head. Once the nymphs were finished, they left the room soundlessly.
“Did Sybil tell you where to find me?”
Persephone glared. “So, you do remember her name.”
He had refused to say it before.
The god rolled her eyes. “I remember the names of all my oracles, all my lovers, all my enemies.”
“Are they not all the same?” Persephone challenged.
The god frowned, his face growing stony. “You should be more careful with your words, especially when you are here to ask for help.”
“How do you know I am here to ask for help?”
“Am I wrong?”
She was silent, and the god laughed.
“So tell me, Lady Persephone, what do you want that your lover will not offer freely?”
Life.
All of a sudden, Persephone felt a rush of heat through her body. She hated that she was here, hated that she had come to Apollo for help. Hated that he knew she was here because Hades could not give her what she wanted.
“I need you to heal my friend,” Persephone said. The words felt like thorns on her tongue. She knew she should not say them or ask Apollo to defy Fate...but here she was.
Apollo stared at her for a long moment, and then he threw his head back, laughing. Persephone despised the sound of it. The tone was off, full of false amusement. Except that when the god looked at her again, his eyes sparkled.
“And why would I help the journalist who slandered my name?”
Persephone’s hands shook, and she clenched her fists to keep him from noticing. After a beat of silence, she spoke.
“Because. I am willing to bargain.”