Royal Heiress by Ruth Ann Nordin

shook his head. “He forced
her down here three weeks ago. Demeter, her mother, is filled with
worry about her but doesn’t know of her whereabouts yet. Once
Hermes returns to the arc and tells her, she’s bound to be upset.
She detests this place so much and hates Hades even more. There’s
no way Hades will get Persephone to stay here.”
    Katherine bit her lip. She knew what their
future held, but she didn’t want to reveal it to them.
    “Why did he bring her here?” Jake asked. “Did
she have a flaw that the leaders couldn’t tolerate?”
    She noted the sarcasm in his voice and
couldn’t help but respect him for how he valued all people, not
just the perfect ones.
    “Oh no,” the old man replied. “Persephone is
as lovely as they come. She is so beautiful that even Aphrodite
feels threatened by her. Her mother encourages her work by sending
gentle rains, plenty of sunlight, and warm weather. Hades went to
attend a meeting three weeks ago and happened to see her. Hades is
extremely impulsive, and that being the case, he brought her down
here before she had time to run from him. She was clearly afraid
when I saw her, though she didn’t protest or say a word. She knows
her mother will find her and force him to take her back. As long as
she doesn’t eat anything, she is safe to go back up there to
live.”
    “Because if she eats anything down here, she
will be forced to stay here,” Katherine said.
    The man looked impressed. “You are well aware
of our customs down here. Even Zeus cannot change this custom, and
he’s the head leader.”
    “She hasn’t eaten anything yet?” she
asked.
    “No. I don’t expect she will either. She must
be incredibly hungry, but her desire to live above ground overrides
that basic need. It’s not like she can starve since she’s covered
under the Stone of Immortality the leaders hold in their
possession.”
    “And Hermes is here now?”
    “I just took him to see Hades. I came back
here because I heard the door of the dome chime. It is undetectable
to those who enter, but I hear it every time. It is my job to take
you to Hades. He will decide where you will live down here.”
    “We’re only going to be here for a couple of
days. We’re only visiting Atlantis. I refused to put on a veil, so
I came here instead.”
    “An unusual choice for someone to volunteer
for this life, even if it is temporary.”
    “I didn’t feel like being compared to my
sister anymore.” She shrugged. “She meets the standards of
perfection. She always has.”
    “If that is your wish, you may stay at our
temporary lodging. Hades will still want to see you first to keep
tabs on who’s here.” Turning to Jake, he asked, “Why are you here?
Surely, you are allowed to be up there.”
    Jake cleared his throat. “I wanted to come
with her.”
    “Very well,” he replied. “Please follow me.
We will take the boat down the River Styx until we reach Hades’
mansion. It is black and as gloomy as everything else down here. He
can be difficult to bear with, but he means well. I think the
Underworld brings out the worst in all of us after we’ve been here
for a while. It isn’t easy to be constantly reminded you are not
good enough for Atlantis. Hades was forced to do this job, so it’s
not like he wants to be here any more than the rest of us do.”
    She nodded as she and Jake followed him to
his small boat. She was familiar with Hades’ moodiness from her
school lessons. She also knew Persephone was the only one who could
give him joy. Examining her surroundings, she understood why Hades
was so temperamental.
     
    ***
     
    Present Day
    Ivory Palace
    Planet: Olympia
     
    Gaius, Olivia, and Julius landed their
spaceship right at the door of the Ivory Palace, not concerned with
the gods’ and goddesses’ rule that no one ever do so. They had
crucial business to take care of and not much time to spare. Timing
was everything, and if they acted too soon or too late, they would
disrupt the