"Good, you're finally awake." I heard when I stirred from my sleep.

My arms felt like lead beside me but, with effort, I raised them to rub the exhaustion from my eyes. I turned on my side with a heavy sigh and found Hades sitting in one of the lounges in my suite, parchment spread around her. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you to wake. You were asleep for several days and I was getting worried, but Hypnos assured me you were fine." She sighed and moved the parchment off her lap, revealing her pale legs that shined in the torchlight.

I looked away as I felt my cheeks warm. "I didn't know it was possible to sleep that long."

"Neither did I, not without a curse, but I forgot how taxing the journey here is for someone unlike us."

"What do you mean?" I risked looking back at her and saw she hadn't fixed her peplos, so I tried to focus on her face. The sight of her long legs would just add more content to my dreams.

"For chthonic deities, it is easy to return to the Underworld. We each have our ways. I have my chariot, for example. That's why I wish I had known you were coming. I would have gladly spared you the harsh journey."

"It's not your fault that I needed to be here so soon." I sat up, the silk sheets falling away from my body, and goosebumps spread across my skin. I ran my hands down my arms in an attempt to brace myself for the cool air. The short chiton I had changed into before sleeping was not proper attire for the Underworld.

"I'll have some warmer clothes made for you, but for now..." Hades stood gracefully, the dark peplos falling to her feet, and removed a torch from the wall. She walked past me to the fireplace I hadn't noticed was there and dipped the torch against the wood, lighting a fire immediately. "This should help. I'm afraid I'm quite used to the temperature. I know it's much cooler here than Olympus."

"It's fine, Hades," I murmured as I watched her eyes quickly glance at my legs as she straightened herself. I pulled one of the sheets off the bed, still warm, and wrapped it around myself securely. My eyes went back to the lounge and the pieces of parchment strewn across it. "What were you working on?"

"Maps of the palace for you. I know this is a very confusing place and I don't want you to get lost should you ever decide to explore without me or any of the others. Speaking of the others, they'll be glad to know you're awake. They've been making plans for you." Hades moved to gather the pieces of parchment.

"Oh?" I chuckled when she dropped a few. Not even goddesses were graceful all the time.

"They want to show you the Underworld and their own part of the realm."

"Sounds fun."

"I wish I could spend more time with you, but I'm afraid I have very many things to do. I help Aeacus, Minos, and Rhadamanthus judge specific souls when their placement is uncertain or when they petition for replacement and the judges deem it worthy to actually see them. Sometimes I have to sort out disputes between deities."

"Really?" I had turned back to look at the fire, but as I raised my arms to warm my hands, the sheet fell to the floor.

Hades didn't sound like she noticed. "Yes. Believe me, we are family here. We love each other, but arguments happen between the closest of people. Regardless, it keeps me very busy, so I'm afraid I may not be the best host. All of my servants have been specifically told to treat you with the greatest respect, even Markos."

"Well, I suppose that's good. I don't mean to trouble you, but I'm feeling surprisingly hungry." I turned and saw she was standing behind me, holding the sheet in one hand and the stack of parchment in the other.

"Of course. I have time to show you to the kitchens. Would you like to change into something warmer? I suppose you could borrow something of mine, though it's mostly all dark colors."

"And to think I remember you saying that I look good in black." I took the papers and the sheet, but placed them on the bed.

"Oh, you remember that?" It looked like color rose in Hades' cheeks, but it could have been the firelight.

"I do, and thank you for offering, but I think I have something." My eyes swept the room as they searched for my bag of belongings.

"Your things are in the wardrobe. I took the liberty of having them washed while you were sleeping."

"That's fine." I searched the wardrobe for the peplos I had brought with me to Eleusis, a beautiful red fabric woven by Athena, and the himation my mother had given to me. I hadn't brought any other himations with me so it would have to do. "I'm afraid I don't have any sandals. I ruined the only pair I had."

"I'll make some arrangements for new garments and shoes."

"Thank you!" I called as I went into a separate room to change out of my chiton and into fresh clothes, using the same jeweled fibulae my mother had gifted me to fasten the clean peplos. As surprised as I was to find that my hair had stayed in its pins while I slept, I removed the pins, letting my mahogany hair tumble down my back in their absence. Even with the added layers of clothing, the stone was unforgivingly cold, and I shivered as I passed by the hearth, my body craving light and warmth.

I would have to learn to do without.

"If you stay long enough, I hope you'll be able to navigate this place by yourself."

"I'll be sure to study them. I'm not one for needing to rely on others, but you've probably realized that." I followed her out of my room and made note of trying to remember exactly what room it was.

"I picked your room because it's the nicest room that is also close to everything else, for convenience. Well, I suppose not everything, but the major things. The grand library, the entrance, the kitchens, and the grand dining hall are all near here. Do you read? Oh, what am I saying? Of course you do. Well, if you enjoy reading, I'm sure you'll like the library. I've been collecting for a long time and the books have accumulated. I'm afraid they aren't all in our language, though."

"That's fine. I'm well-versed in many languages. Athena helped raise me and she made training top priority, for the mind and the body."

Hades raised her eyebrow, clearly impressed. "A scholar and a warrior? Not something I'd expect given your talents."

"Not many do, and I admit I have none of Athena's prowess, though I like to think I would be able to defend myself, should I ever need to."

"I take it you've never had to?"

"Not until recently..." I trailed off slowly, trying to keep my mind from going back to Eleusis, my father reaching for me.

"The times have certainly changed. When I was truly introduced to the world, it turned to chaos shortly after. Tell me, Persephone, how do you kill a god?" Her dark eyes were shining, indicating a riddle.

"You can't." I decided to humor her. "How?"

"You replace them."

"Oh?"

"We are a family of usurpers. We steal what we want from others. Your father took the throne from my father, and my father took the throne from his. The Titans replaced the Protogenoi, the primordial gods, and we replaced the Titans. You know where they are now and in the future, who knows? Maybe our children will overthrow us and chain us in Tartarus for eternity, right next to the Titans. I can only imagine the cruel irony of it, the look on my father's face as Zeus is chained beside him."

I mulled over her words, thinking about who could rule the realms. None of my brothers or sisters came to mind, save for maybe Athena. She had inherited much of her mother's wisdom. "So... do you have any children?"

Hades' mouth formed a delicate 'O' as her eyes widened. "Me? Oh, certainly not."

I blushed at my forwardness. "I apologize. I didn't know if you were wed or had any... consorts."

Hades was blushing, too. "My duties usually keep me from having any semblance of a personal life, I'm afraid. There are other reasons as well... Ah, here the kitchens are!" She pushed open a door and ushered me inside. I was surprised that the rush of air that spilled out was warm, and my skin tightened into goosebumps from the sudden temperature change.

Ghostly servants stopped their tasks to bow to Hades and chorused to both of us, "My lord, my lady."

"I have to be leaving soon and I would like all of you to take care of our guest while I'm busy. Give her anything she asks for, except food or drink of this realm. I don't want her bound here." She leveled her gaze on me. "Please don't do anything rash while I'm away. I'll return later this evening, although I suspect we may have some guests arriving once they hear that Persephone is awake."

I grinned at her caution. "Farewell, Hades."

She moved to leave but paused. "Oh, I almost forgot! Can someone have her fitted for more clothing and footwear today?"

"Of course, my lord." Markos gave a curt bow as he entered the kitchens from a different door.

"Good, you're here, Markos. Remember what I said about manners? Treat her with the utmost respect or I'll be forced to leave you out of this year's visit to Elysium."

"I will be sure to. As I said, I didn't know that you yourself had extended an invitation to Lady Persephone and I know how you are with the other gods above."

Hades pursed her lips. "That's true. Now, I really must be going!" She stepped back to me and gave me a chaste, cool kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye!"

I smiled numbly and waved, pressing my fingertips to my cheek after she had gone. Even though her lips had been cool, I could feel the kiss searing into my skin. It couldn't mean anything, could it? The Olympian goddesses and I kissed each other often and nothing was meant by it other than friendship. After all, Hades could favor only men, or she could be like Athena.

"Oh, dear," Markos whispered as he looked down at my feet, clicking his tongue. "You aren't wearing any shoes."

"I ruined the only pair I had. I didn't think to bring others." My stomach rumbled loud enough for him to hear and he raised an eyebrow. "Sorry!"

"After you eat, we'll have you fitted. Is there anything you would like?"

"Just some fruit is fine. How do you even get food down here?"

"Oh, the deities make sure to bring supplies down here when they return from the mortal world. Between the Underworld's temperature and the way it tends to... preserve things, the food stays fresh for quite some time."

"Ahhh," I murmured as I watched the servants set out a handful of different fruits. "No, I don't need that much. This is fine. I'm not used to eating very often."

"No? I thought the Olympians liked to have their fill and more of everything, including food," Markos replied, his tone dry.

"Well, I'm not very much like my siblings, do you think?"

"That remains to be seen."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Markos pursed his lips unhappily.

I watched him with guarded eyes as I took a bite of fig. "Markos, really, I don't see why you harbor such animosity towards me when I have done nothing to you. I can't be bothered to care if you don't like me, for whatever your petty little reasons are. I grew up in Olympus, a court of saboteurs! I never enjoyed their games, though I became adept at them, and I would prefer not to have to act like them while I'm away. So, for Hades' sake and your own, at least act like you like me. Don't you want to see your family or whoever else is waiting for you in Elysium?"

The kitchen servants sucked in a collective breath as they waited to see how Markos would react. He puffed up his chest but then deflated and said nothing.

"Good, I'm glad that's behind us. Now, may I ask what the animosity is about?"

"Hades protects us but we protect Hades." Markos said quietly, and the servants behind him nodded their heads in agreement.

Honestly, I had no idea what a bunch of dead human souls could do against monsters, Titans, or gods, but I said nothing of the sort. "I harbor no ill will towards Hades. She is my savior. I don't know her very well yet but I think... I think I would like her very much if I did." I fought not to have my cheeks burn.

The servants started smiling and whispering to one another and Markos quit frowning. "Very well. As Hades asked, I will call someone to have you measured for new clothing. You can finish eating and I'll return shortly."

"Thank you, Markos!" I called after him, the echo of his footsteps fading away and continued picking at the fruit set out before me.

"If I may be so bold, when did you meet Hades?" One of the kitchen servants asked quietly.

"Only recently, when she visited Olympus. Even then, I didn't know who she was. I was very surprised when I arrived here."

Some of them chuckled lightly. "So were we."

"I really don't want to be rude to Markos, you know. He seems very hostile towards me for no reason. I would rather not seem like an Olympian."

"It is fine, my lady. Markos is just peculiar about the gods. I don't know why."

Footsteps were heard coming closer to the kitchen again and the servants dispersed quickly as Markos returned. "I've found someone to fit you. Whenever you're ready, I'll take you to her."

"I'm ready." I said quickly, withdrawing from the counter. "I don't want to be wasteful so I would offer to have you eat this, but... Do you even eat?" I glanced at their slightly transparent forms cautiously.

"No, we don't. Thank you for the offer, though, Lady Persephone."

"If you would follow me..." Markos raised an eyebrow and gestured to the door.

"Yes, of course. Where are we going?"

"Your room. Charis is waiting for you there."

"Oh, alright. Thank you," I murmured as I followed him quickly, my feet never making a sound as I breezed across the stone. "Hades drew me maps of the palace so, hopefully, I will be able to find my way around in no time and you won't have to deal with me as much."

Markos harrumphed his agreement and continued making the same twist and turns Hades had taken me through to get to the kitchens. I tried to make mental notes of the patterns on the floor, the number of doors and torches, and what the rooms with open doors held. I wish I could have said the hallway we ended up in looked familiar when he said, "Here's your room. I have other things to do, but if you need anything, there is a rope in your room that you can pull to summon one of us."

"Thank you, Markos. Be free of me!" I laughed as I waved after him and entered the suite. It was noticeably warmer than when I had left it and I noticed a pile of logs next to the fireplace, which must have been Hades' doing.

"You must be Lady Persephone!" A spirit jumped up from the corner of the room. "Markos said that you needed to be fitted for clothes and sandals?"

"Markos said your name was Charis?"

"It is." She gathered her things, pieces of fabric and measures, moving towards a stepping stool that had been set up in front of the fireplace. "Have you been fitted before?"

"Yes, I have." I took off my himation and tossed it on the bed, which had been made. "Do you need me to..." I gestured to my peplos.

"If you don't mind."

"I'm used to it." I unclipped the fibulae and stepped out of the peplos and onto the stool. "You know, I'm quite glad it's warmer in here."

Charis set to work measuring my height. "Markos said you need warmer clothes?"

"I do, as well as footwear. Are you employed to make clothing for Hades?"

"No, for cleaning, but my skills with sewing help."

"I don't know how fast you'll be able to make these but I would rather not have to borrow Hades' clothing as well. She offered, but she has offered me too much. I can give her nothing in return."

Charis measured the length of my foot and tried to not look amused. "Oh, I'm sure that isn't true." Before I could ask her what she meant, she continued with other questions. "I brought a few pieces of different kinds of cloth with me if you would like to see what I could make."

"Sure." I stepped down from the stool and dressed myself again while she brought them over to me. I ran my fingers over them and picked my favorites.

"What colors would you like them to be? Hades has the means to dye fabric any color you wish."

I thought of the way the chthonic deities all wore black and how Hades had said it looked nice on me. It must have been the fire that was warming my cheeks. "Black... but I'm also partial to red."

Someone knocked on the door, which turned my attention away from Charis.

"Come in!" I called just loud enough for whoever to hear.

Hecate popped her blonde head in. "I see Hades had you situated in a better room. My, it's certainly warm in here. Are you comfortable?"

I smiled, pleasantly surprised she stopped to visit me. "Hello, Hecate! Yes, she did."

"I'm so glad you're finally awake. I was convinced Hypnos was doing something to you for you to be sleeping so long, but he wouldn't dare cross Hades in such a way."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "What are you here for?"

"Are you almost done?"

I looked at Charis, the question on my face, and she answered for me. "We are."

"Good." Hecate threw a pair of sandals onto my bed. "Heard you needed some of these. We're going on an adventure."

I eyed them apprehensively but returned my gaze to her. "You know I can't go to the mortal world."

"Of course. Besides, who would want to go on an adventure there? It's so mundane!" Hecate laughed. "No, Hades said it would be okay if I took you to my place."

"Your place?"

"Oh, cheer up! It's amazing, though I may be biased. Plus, you'll get to meet some of my Lampades, the ones that are home, at least."

I took the sandals off of the bed and began to put them on. "Hades said it would be okay to go with you? When did you speak to her?"

Hecate waved her hand absently. "On my way in."

I jerked up more quickly than I would have liked. "She's here?"

"Oh, no, she's not. I just visited her at the Hall of Judgment before I got here."

I finished tying the laces of the sandals around my ankles. "Where is that?"

"It's a little hard to explain exact locations in the Underworld, but I'm sure Hades will take you there soon."

I preoccupied myself with making sure my himation was pinned correctly while I murmured, "Hades seems to be very busy."

"She is, but she told me to tell you she wishes she could be here with you."

"Did she really?" Hearing that made my heart flutter, but I forcibly exhaled to calm it. I had never felt this way about anyone, and it was unsettling.

"Yes, but are you ready now?"

I looked wistfully into the flickering flames in the fireplace. "I hate to say it, but I'm going to miss the warmth."

"I'll set up a fire when we get there."

"Lady Persephone, I'll try to have some peploi, himations, and sandals made for you as soon as possible."

"Thank you very much, Charis! Have a good day!"

"You're so kind, my lady. Thank you!"

Hecate offered her arm and I took it, exiting the room into the cold hallway. "So, Persephone, the servants have been speaking."

"What about?"

"You confronted Markos about his rather annoying attitude?"

I smiled when I saw she was impressed. "Nothing too important. I don't want to go about making enemies."