Seeds (27 page)

     “Stand here,” he said, gently tugging her to the front center of the chariot, where the reins were hooked. Wait, he didn't expect her to...
drive
this chariot? Before she could say anything, he took position, standing right behind her and reaching around her to grab the reins. His tall form was rather accommodating to her smaller one, his arms circling around her as he took hold of the reins. Instinctively, she reached out, grasping the railing of the chariot in front of her, biting back a scream as the horses in front of them suddenly galloped forward, the chariot jerking into motion as she wondered how anyone could be comfortable riding one of these things.

     As the chariot sped along the path to parts unseen, Persephone couldn't help but take comfort in Hades's presence, leaning back into his solid form as she felt the cool Underworld air rush past them.

Chapter XIV

o0o

     Hades glanced down as he felt Persephone's form leaned back against his, savoring her presence and her faint but pleasant odor. It was almost impossible to believe that she was actually here. All these long, lonely nights, waiting, yearning...

     He shook his head. With her body pressed against his, it was hard to forget the pleasures they had shared the night before. How beautifully she had responded, and when she had explored his own body with interest and admiration, mixed with a touch of shyness. It had been better than he had ever imagined, the feel of her hands exploring him a memorable experience...

    
He chided himself as he bit back a chuckle. There was a time and place for everything. He shifted his thoughts to her comfort and ease. She seemed just fine now, holding onto the railing, the stiffness in her body remaining, but to a lesser extent as she became more used to the movement of the chariot.

     As Persephone glanced skywards, she didn't see any clouds, yet she didn't see a sun either. Where
did
the light come from, then?

     She looked up as the sky cut off with a great overhang of stone. She had been in caves before, but they were dwarfed by the seemingly infinite maw she found herself in. The sheer size of this one took her breath away as Hades rode further into it. Stalactites hung from the ceiling here and there as they approached a tall fence made of bars of black metal, and a wide gate made of that same metal, wrought to resemble thorns, forming thick barbs that made for a forbidding defense. At the other side of the gate was....
oh gods!

     Barking filled the air as Kerberos took notice of his master, massive tongues wagging as the dog bounded happily to and fro. The horses continued as they were, apparently familiar with Kerberos. She hoped they would just whiz by, but the chariot slowed and came to a stop after a firm tug on the reins. Hades did not hesitate to climb off the vehicle, but Persephone remained right where she was as he approached the large creature, giving all of the heads firm scratches behind their –
its?
– ears.

     “Come over here, he will not hurt you,” Hades said as the black dog rolled over onto his side, where he happily received a belly-scratch given with both hands by his master.

     “No,” Persephone replied firmly. The dog – dogs? Did Hades just refer to this as a
he
as opposed to
them
? – gave out an inquisitive whine when he caught a whiff of a faint, fresh scent. The dog yipped a bit in curiosity as he approached as she cowered in the chariot, his six ears stiff and almost quivering.

     The legends all portrayed Kerberos as a fearsome creature, and he was indeed. But he was also well-trained, and if this new person had come with Master, then it must be fine with Master that she was here. Otherwise, he would have wasted no time in jumping on her and fulfilling his role as a guard-dog.

     “Down, boy!” Hades ordered, seeing Persephone's discomfort. Kerberos was hardly a cute little floppy-eared dog, and his appearance did suit his reputation. The fangs that all three heads bore could – and would – tear through the flesh of any trespasser within a moment, and the large body rippled with muscle. Immediately Kerberos complied, crouching on his haunches and whining softly.

     “Good boy,” Hades said, patting all three heads reassuringly before he glanced over to the chariot, where he saw the top of Persephone's head.

     “Come on. He won't bite, I promise,” the Lord of the Dead coaxed.

     “No.” Persephone sounded angry, and Hades wisely chose to not press the matter.

     “Another time then, hmm?” Kerberos's master asked affectionately as he scratched the throat of the head on the right. The other heads nuzzled him, and he smiled. Hopefully she would see later that Kerberos could be her friend too. She was still pouting when he returned to the chariot, looking like an angry little girl despite her regal clothing.

     “I would have never let you near Kerberos if I thought he would hurt you,” he explained, only to be met with stony silence.

     He climbed back into the chariot and went back a short way, past the gate. Their next stop, just around the bend from the gate, was a clearing that had several other paths heading off it. More of these shadowy, faceless things hovered around, along with what she immediately knew were the souls of the dead. They looked as they had in their mortal lives, though of course they were entirely devoid of flesh. All that remained was a translucent outline, the edges of clothing, beards, and other details slightly blurred, as if her eyesight was bad. When she tried to focus on their faces, it made her head hurt a bit because of that slight fuzziness.

     In front of the other paths was a long black marble podium that also served as a desk. Three men sat at that counter, and she remembered what little mythology she knew about the realm of Hades. These three men – apparently flesh and bone – were clad in black robes, and could only be the judges that determined the fate of every soul that came down here. The one on the left bore a resemblance to Zeus, from the strong features of his face and the wide set of his shoulders, though his hair was black as night. His blue eyes were cold and solemn, and she remembered how Zeus's own eyes had been filled with such warmth and friendliness. The one in the middle bore lesser resemblance, leaner than his brother, but no less intimidating. The one on the right had dark brown hair and looked considerably different from the other two, though again there was a touch of Zeus in his features. She didn't know enough to assign a specific name to any one of the men, only that their names were Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus, and that all three were sons of Zeus. The King of the Gods had many children, and Persephone wondered what made those three special enough to be Judges of the Dead.

     Persephone supposed she would learn the name of each man soon enough, and was not disappointed as the chariot came to a stop. Souls glanced over at the newcomer, and realizing who it was, started to move towards him, clamoring, begging, crying. But the shades that hovered around the clearing moved between Hades and his new subjects, herding them back in line. Persephone couldn't help but study the scene with interest. Where did these shades come from? Had they once been mortals?

     She barely listened to the exchange between Hades and his judges, more intent on studying the souls and the shades that were apparently handlers as well as servants. There was a wide variety of souls – young and old, male and female, even a few children. Though their clothes were not well-defined, she was able to make out souls who had been better-off in life alongside many in plain garb.

     Only when her name was said did she give her full attention to Hades and the judges. The introduction was brief and perfunctory – as was appropriate in front of this throng of souls. She now knew which name belonged to which judge, and all of them bowed to her as they bowed to Hades. The fearsome judges of the dead were actually bowing to her. No one had ever
bowed
to her, not even the nymphs.

     She raised her chin slightly, determined to make a good impression. Not to please Hades – she was pissed off enough with him – but for herself and for these judges who regarded her with solemn dignity.

     “It is a pleasure meeting you,” she said politely, inclining her head slightly in what she figured was an appropriate gesture from a Queen to her subjects. Their expressions did not change, but she noted no displeasure or distaste.

     “Welcome to the Underworld, my lady,” Minos said.

     “Thank you.” She was aware of Hades's eyes on her, but she ignored him. She let her eyes move to the throng of souls, her shoulders pulled back, her hands at her sides.

     “Lord Aidoneus, will you and your lady stay and watch a judging?” Aeacus – the brown-haired one – asked. Generally Hades left judgment to these loyal men, coming to judge only when the three judges deemed a case to be important or unique enough to be worth the Lord of the Dead's time. Hades did have many duties, and as powerful as he was, he could not do everything here in the Land of the Dead. Before Persephone could speak – witnessing a judging should be interesting – Hades replied in the negative.

     “Not today,” he replied with a shake of his head, and the chariot moved again, going down the path the souls used to arrive at their judging. They could not wander around as they pleased – there were more shades along the road to ensure that a soul did not go where it should not.

     “I wanted to see a judging,” Persephone said as the chariot moved at a leisurely pace.

     “Oh? Well, when the tour is over, you can always go back to any spot that interests you. The Underworld is yours to explore.”

     “I can go anywhere?”

     “Certainly, though there are some places that you do need to know about first. I would not want you getting lost,” he replied. That sounded reasonable enough, so she decided to let the subject drop. There was something else that was pressing her curiosity, anyway.

     “Minos called you something else. Aidoneus,” Persephone asked as he wrapped an arm around her, using his other hand to hold the reins, “Why not Hades?”

     “Hades is the name that my mother gave me. Aidoneus is the name that I gained when I became Lord of the Underworld.”

     “And which one do you prefer to be called by?” she asked.

     “Truthfully, Aidoneus is the name that I feel is rightly mine. I care not if the mortals or my family call me Hades. I am who I am, regardless of what I am called. But you...”

     “Yes?” she murmured.

     “I like how you say my name. Say it again.”

     “Aidoneus.” It rolled off her tongue smoothly. Aidoneus and Persephone. It sounded... dignified, fitting.
No! No! You're not supposed to think like that! Remember why you're here!
Persephone quickly looked away as the Lord of the Dead stepped in behind her.

     “Where are we going now?” she asked.

     “You choose. We can go to the Styx, or I could show you one of the realms of my kingdom. Elysium, the Asphodel Fields, the Lethe waters...hmm...” He trailed off.

     “Tartarus,” Persephone could not help but add. When she didn't hear a response, she looked up at him.

     “You did not seem to want to say it. What, do you think to shield me like my mother does?” she asked. He shook his head.

     “I would not deny you Tartarus if you were interested. I just did not think it a suitable stop on your first day here.”

     “Because you are hoping that I will see things I enjoy and want to stay here.”

     “But of course,” he replied with a shrug. “Tartarus has many horrific sights. I do not warn you because I think you are weak-minded, but in there are sights that would make a grown man weep. I did not want to take you there unless I was sure that you were ready and willing.” His tone was all seriousness, and his concern touched her.
Oh, damnit
. Every time she tried to be angry with him, he surprised her with a thoughtful comment or gesture.

     “Do you want to see Tartarus now?” he asked as the chariot came to a stop. She frowned slightly and shook her head. She was curious to see what kind of sights the realm held, but his warning did not go unheeded.

     “I would like to see it later. But for now, could we just go to the Styx?” After all, it was the Styx that bordered between the living and the dead. If she could see it and study it, she could figure out a way across it and back home...

     “Certainly, my lady,” he replied with a nod. Persephone was ready, and grabbed the lip of the chariot before the horses sped off, bracing herself and feeling one strong arm wrap around her middle again as he flicked the reins. She sighed softly and leaned into him, feeling this embrace tighten.

     She considered his words as the horses galloped along at a leisurely pace. Yes, this place terrified her, but oh, Hades was being so kind and thoughtful. If he always remained this caring and respectful, then he wouldn't be a bad husband at all. Oh, not at all.

     She wished Hades wouldn't be so nice... kind... considerate. It would make it a lot easier to hate him.

     The churning and eddying of water met her ears, and the River Styx came within sight. It was a wide river, the waters black and churning, and the chariot slowed down a good distance from the empty dock where several shades hovered around, waiting for Kharon to drop off his next load. She could see many of the across the river near the other dock, where they waited for the boat that was just now approaching. Of course, she knew exactly who the boatman was. Every mortal who came to the shores of the Styx knew.

     The river was wider than any she had ever seen, a far cry from the brooks and streams in Enna and on the island. Forbidding, jagged rocks littered much of its shores, along with what looked like reeds, except these reeds were a sickly gray in color despite the fact that they were standing firm. It did not help that the rocky overhang of this mighty Underworld cavern offered no illumination. The only source of light in these Underworld caves were torches on the walls and on tall metal posts, emitting a pale gray light, much like the sky that hung above Hades's Palace. She frowned thoughtfully as she glanced up at one of the lantern-posts.