Read Online My Lord Hades by Stephannie Beman - Free Book Online Page B

about him. She knew in her heart she could trust him to tell the truth.

Chapter 7
    PERSEPHONE STOOD at the window, staring at the chariot pulled by two winged horses of
    pale gold, landing in the middle of her mother’s prized flower bed. Their massive hooves turned the moist soil and destroyed the carefully cultivated plants.
    Demeter joined Persephone at the window. “What are—”
    Demeter rushed out of the villa, waving her hands and screaming at the blond charioteer. The woman glanced down at the ground, an eyebrow cocked, and shrugged. Persephone tried not to laugh at the sight of her small mother berating the tall, muscular charioteer who looked
    indifferent to the whole mess.
    The woman led her horses out of the garden, destroying more plants. Her mother turned on
    her heel and stalked back to the house. The door opened and slammed shut.
    “Stop gawking, Persephone, and get your things,” Demeter snapped. “Your father insists on meeting you before the party.”
    Persephone nodded. Her mother’s temper was on a short fuse, and since her last visit to
    Olympus, it had only gotten worse. Persephone had spent the last two days keeping her distance.
    She would awaken early and take a picnic into the meadow to pick flowers or just to daydream of Hades. Her mother barely reacted to her disappearances, waving her away so she could sit in her chair and stare out the window toward Olympus with a melancholy look.
    “Is Zeus a good god, Mother?”
    Demeter frowned and glanced at Persephone. The long pause told Persephone enough.
    “Of course he is. He wouldn’t be King of the Gods if he wasn’t. Why do you ask?”
    Persephone shrugged. “I just wanted to know what kind of god my father is.”
    Demeter’s mouth formed a tight line. “What have the nymphs been telling you?”
    “That one of the oak dryads fell from her tree yesterday and broke her ankle. That Harmonia is in love again. Artemis is arranging another hunt soon. And Apollo wants to rule over the sun, but it’s an unconfirmed rumor.”
    The ruse worked better than usual. Demeter’s attention was drawn back to the window
    overlooking Mount Olympus. “I should forbid you from having anything to do with those
    immoral creatures.”
    “I’m old enough to decide who my friends are.”
    Demeter snorted.
    “How about the other gods? Are they good?”
    “What does it matter? You’ll never have to worry about them.”
    The sharp edge in her mother’s voice warned her to step carefully or incur her mother’s
    wrath. “You can’t hide me from the world forever, Mother. I’m a goddess, and someday my
    responsibilities will take me into that world again. Someday I’ll remember.”
    Demeter stilled, her green eyes narrowing. Persephone knew she tread on dangerous ground
    now. She could feel the angry vibrations in the air around her.
    She refused to back down. Magic was an integral part of who she was. She was a goddess
    and a goddess needed magic to fill the emptiness inside. She would never be truly happy trapped in the garden with her mother and the nymphs. Even exploring the world outside the valley would not make her complete. Only the return of her power, her memories, and her purpose as a goddess would do that.
    She felt the truth in her soul.
    “I want to be a true goddess with my full power.”
    Demeter stalked toward Persephone. The thrill of fear skittered down Persephone’s spine as fury transformed Demeter’s face. “You don’t remember but I do! You were weakened, nearly
    dead! Sucked dry of life and magic!”
    Pressure built behind Persephone’s eyes, making it hard to concentrate upon her mother’s
    words. She backed away but there was nowhere left to go. She was backed into a corner.
    “Mother?”
    Images crawled out of the depths of her memories, blurring her vision, crushing her. A
    woman’s screams. Fire burning. A man writhed on the ground, little more than a black, smoking shell.
    Demeter grabbed her arms. “That monster