She glared up at him, but his expression was just as fierce.
“I’m not fucking Leuce.”
“There are other ways to cheat, Hades!” she pushed against his chest, but the god didn’t move. He was solid rock, an immovable, frustrating mountain.
“I’m not doing any of them!”
She stared at his chest and tried not to cry.
“Persephone,” Hades said her name and she closed her eyes against the desperation in his voice. “Persephone, please.”
“Let me go, Hades.”
He was quiet for a long moment.
“If you won’t listen now, will you let me explain later?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“Please, Persephone. Give me the chance to explain.”
“I’ll let you know,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
“Persephone,” he reached to brush her cheek, and she retreated from his touch, still not looking at him, which meant she didn’t see the expression on his face before he vanished.
When he was gone, the elevator doors opened, and Persephone found the whole newsroom gathered in front of the doors.
“What the fuck are you all staring at?” she snapped.
“Persephone,” Demetri was at the front of the group and jerked his thumb toward his office. “A moment.”
Grudgingly, she obeyed his direction and followed him. Once the door was closed, her boss took a seat beside her instead of behind his desk.
“You don’t have to tell me what’s really going on,” he said. “But you cannot act this way at work.”
“What way?”
“The elevator, the profanity,” he said.
“The elevator wasn’t my fault—”
She didn’t even want to imagine what people thought about the elevator. It was the dining room all over again.
Demetri held up his hand. “Look, I saw the Divine this morning. I know you’re going through some stuff. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”
“No, I’m fine. I need the distraction,” she said.
“No, Persephone. You need to deal with your problems. Seriously. Leave.”
Persephone obeyed, feeling dazed as she left Demetri’s office, gathered her things, and heading to the first floor. She halted, seeing the crowd waiting outside. She couldn’t face them or rehash what was in the paper today, so she entered the elevator again and chose to go to the basement.
She found Pirithous in the maintenance office. He sat at his desk, distracted by something in front of him.
“Hey,” Persephone said.
Pirithous did a double take. Clearly, he hadn’t expected to see her in the doorway of his office. He rushed to cover what he was working on, and Persephone rose on her tiptoes, curious.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing,” he said, and stood awkwardly. “Can I help you?”
He seemed nervous, rubbing his hands on his uniform, so she smiled.
“I need help,” she said. “Can you get me out of here?”
“S-sure,” he said. “You want the get-away vehicle again?”
“It’s not my preferred method of escape, but if it’s the only choice…”
He smiled, more at ease now. She wondered what had him on edge.
“I might have something better.”
Pirithous grabbed his keys, shut off the light, and locked up before leading her to an unmarked door at the end of a hallway.
It was the entrance to an underground tunnel.
She glared at him.
“You made me get into a trash can when you knew this existed?”
Pirithous laughed. “I didn’t have a key then.”
“Oh,” she said. “Well, in that case…”
“Come on.” He gestured for her to enter, and Pirithous closed the door behind them. The tunnel was cement, cold, and lit by track lighting that made everything look pale green.
“Where does this lead?”
“Olive & Owl Gastropub in Monastiraki Square.”
Pedestrian tunnels were common in New Athens, but Persephone had never been in one.
“Is there a reason it isn’t open to the public?”
“Probably because the executives of The Acropolis don’t want to share.”
Huh. That made sense.
“You’re leaving work early today,” Pirithous observed.
“I just need a mental health day,” Persephone said. She didn’t want to explain what was in the paper, or that Hades had come to her work and caused a scene. Luckily, Pirithous didn’t press. He just nodded and said, “I understand that.”
They walked in silence for a little while, and then Persephone asked, “What were you working on earlier?”
“A list,” he answered. “Just some...supplies I need.”
She thought about asking him what kind of supplies, but he didn’t seem interested in talking about it—in truth, he seemed just as distracted as she felt.
Finally, they came to the end of the tunnel, and Pirithous unlocked the door.
“Thank you, Pirithous. I owe you.”
He shook his head. “Haven’t you learned anything about owing people?”
Those words hit her hard, and his question gave her pause, but the mortal was quick to change the subject.
“Be careful, Seph.”
He closed the door, and she heard the lock click into place on the other side.
Persephone made her way through the Olive & Owl Gastropub, exiting into Monastiraki Square, a stone covered courtyard with several pubs, coffeehouses, and a large church. The clouds had thickened in her time underground, and a light mist hung in the air, coating everything in a slick layer of rain. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her dress and headed to her apartment.
It was on the way home when Persephone received a text message from Eliska that Lexa was awake. She changed directions and headed for the hospital instead.
She wasn’t sure what she expected when she had imagined her reunion with Lexa, but when she laid eyes on her best friend, she knew she had let her hopes get too high.
Lexa looked exhausted. She was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her lips were chapped, and her dark hair was knotted, parts of it stuck to her face.
Then there were her eyes.
Unlike her body, they had not regained life, and when she met Persephone’s gaze, there was no spark of recognition. Still, she managed to smile, despite feeling something dark gather in the back of her mind.
Something is wrong.
“Hey, Lex.” Persephone said quietly, approaching the bed. Lexa’s brows drew together, and when she spoke, her voice was low and rasped.
“Why am I here?”
Persephone hesitated and glanced at Eliska for clarity.
“She’s been saying that since she woke up,” she explained. “The doctor says it’s part of the psychosis.”
“Why am I here?” Lexa repeated.
Eliska went to her and sat on the edge of her bed, taking her hand.
“You were in an accident, baby,” she answered. “You were hurt really bad.”
Lexa looked at her mom, but it was like she didn’t recognize her, either.
“No, why am I here?” Lexa’s questioning was more aggressive, and her eyes became unfocused. “I’m not supposed to be here!”