I had fixed my hair in an elaborate style involving lots of curls and braids, and the white ringlets that fell about my face to my shoulders made the black mask around my eyes stand out even more. There was something thrilling about wearing something so delicate, yet fierce. It looked and felt like it was made from lace, and magic kept it perfectly on my face, un-moving. The lace pattern was of tightly weaving vines, and a swirling green feather stood up proudly on the right side of the mask, forming a statement flourish. I loved it. I had also strapped Faesforos to my thigh, as Hecate had instructed me to. I would have preferred it to be strapped to my ankle, but I was wearing the gold, heeled sandals that criss-crossed their way up my calf again, plus the dress would have revealed the weapon. I wasn't especially comfortable having a blade that close to my important parts, but I trusted Hecate enough to risk it.
'I think this is it,' said Skop beside me, as the drapes rustled. My heart rate quickened, my palms beginning to dampen as I realized he was right. The curtains were opening.
'Citizens of Olympus! Please welcome your hostess for the evening, Persephone!' But the commentator's words were lost to me as the room beyond the curtain was revealed. Hedone had told me what she had planned, but I could never have imagined something so utterly stunning.
The room didn't look like any of the others I'd seen in the Underworld so far. Its vaulted ceiling was twinkling with stars, and the huge space was dotted with Greek columns, but the similarities ended there. There were no windows, but the walls were the same as the ceiling, deep navy and sparkling with stars. It was as though the floor was floating in the night sky, but I wouldn't have described the room as dark. Atop all of the columns were flames, burning in various colors and casting a soft glow over everything. They were seemingly staying put by magic. Running from the archway I was standing in all the way across the room was a long red carpet, ending at a raised dais. The gods' thrones were all present, and all empty. But the room itself was far from empty. Everywhere I looked I could see people and creatures all dressed in beautiful, grand clothes, and every one of their imposing, masked faces was fixed on me.
Shit. I dropped hurriedly into a curtsy, and a slight applause rippled through the crowd. I took a hesitant step into the room.
'Fucking own it, Persy,' said Skop's voice in my head. I raised my chin and took another step along the red carpet. If I was ever going to walk a red carpet, it would be looking like this I thought. My confidence grew the farther into the stunning room I got. The columns were short enough that the torch-light carried, but tall enough that they were still grand. Delicate gold vines, with little buds that glittered like diamonds, wound around them, reminding me of Zeus's dining room. They were perfect for breaking up the large space, and hiding behind, I thought wryly. Satyrs and tiny women I assumed were nymphs moved between the guests holding trays of drinks and tiny canapés, and the whole room smelled divine. Kind of like strawberries but musky. Excited energy thrummed through the air, an anticipation that was almost tangible. When I judged that I was in the middle of the long carpet, I paused and turned slowly on the spot, making a show of scanning every one, and squashing the relief I felt when I spotted Hedone and Morpheus. Channel what Hedone taught you, I thought. A little arrogance, a lot of grace.
'Thank you all so much for joining me tonight,' I said loudly, and a touch aloofly. 'I am honored you have all made it. Once I have a drink I will be happy to receive you all.' A satyr appeared out of nowhere, holding up a saucer-shaped stemmed glass full of clear liquid. 'Oo,' I said, my formality slipping. 'Thanks.' He grinned at me, then shot off towards the back of the room, between the legs of the silent crowd. I took a grateful sip of the cool drink, a delightful fizz lingering on my tongue.
I could do this.
One by one the guests approached me, and I soon became very grateful for my gloves. There were only so many people you wanted to kiss your skin, and some of the guests were positively freaky looking. I had no idea what they were, but many seemed to be hybrids of animals, and a fair few had wings. The majority looked human though. I kept my practiced smile plastered on my face, and complimented most people on their masks. They were all so striking that it was hard to focus my attention on anything else. I tried to remember everyone's name as they introduced themselves, but it was impossible to keep them all straight.
'Are you remembering all these names?' I asked Skop silently, as I drained my glass. The satyr appeared immediately with a new one.
'I already know most of these douchebags,' he muttered back. 'None of them have recognized me though.' He had a mischievous tone, and I sent him a warning glare.
'Don't fuck this up for me, Skop. It's serious.'
'I'm glad you finally think so,' he answered.
After fifteen minutes of introductions a gong sounded, and a hush descended over the room.
'Honored guests, citizens of Olympus, please welcome your gods!' sang the commentator's voice, and white light flashed over the dais, drawing everyone's attention. The room as a whole dropped to their knees, and I followed suit quickly. I only lasted a heartbeat before lifting my bowed head though, my eyes seeking out the one god I really wanted to see.
Hades was in his smoke form, of course, but like everyone else he was wearing a mask. And he was letting his eyes show through it. They fixed immediately on my own, and my breath caught as my emotions responded automatically. Something deep and true and almost painful flowed through me and I grasped unsuccessfully at the feeling. Too soon his eyes flicked away from mine and I released a ragged breath, before realizing that his mask was incredibly similar to mine. It was jet black and the same shape, but I didn't think the pattern was vines. I was too far away to tell. Had Hecate done that on purpose? Where was she? I scanned the other gods as they gazed over their assembled crowd. Aphrodite stood out the most, in a completely sheer gown that had a hint of pink to it, her skin the color of chalk and her hair and lips a vibrant red. Hera was dressed far more conservatively, in a teal toga that made her dark skin glow, but her mask was the most elaborate, an enormous peacock feather fanning up and over her piled-high up-do. Zeus was sporting an older look today, dark hair shot through in the right places with gray and a traditional toga that showed off most of his taut, muscled chest.
'Thank you for attending. Please announce the first test of the evening,' Hades said, his voice the nasty slithery one. My skin crawled and I screwed my face up in conflicted confusion before a loud noise drew my attention behind me. Shimmering into existence with a scraping sound was a giant hourglass. The top half was filled with sand, but it wasn't falling. Apprehension trickled down my spine like ice.
'Tonight Persephone will face three tests,' boomed the commentator, and I realized with a start that the cheerful blond man was standing a few feet from the hourglass. 'And the judges will decide whether you get zero, one or two tokens.' Two? The leader only had five, and I already had one. Wait, why was I excited? I didn't want to win, I reminded myself sharply. Lose, but don't die. That's what Hades had said. So far nothing felt particularly lethal about the ball. 'There are a few rules that apply to the whole evening, so let me make those clear.' He looked intently at me. 'You may not ask for direct help with a single test. If you require information, you must acquire it naturally via conversation, or that test will be forfeit.' I nodded. 'You may not leave the ball.' I nodded again. 'And you may not drop any of your duties as hostess. If at any point you are deemed to be behaving inappropriately, the test will be forfeit.'