Then something clamped down on her wrist, and she was jerked roughly as the thing pulling her feet was halted. When she looked at what held her wrist, she screamed. It was a corpse. Two vacant eyes stared back at her. Bits of skin still clung to parts of its skeleton face.
She was caught between the two as they pulled her up and down, stretching her body to the point of pain. They were soon joined by two more who took hold of her remaining limbs.
Her lungs burned and her chest ached, and she felt pressure building behind her eyes.
I’m going to die in the Underworld.
But then one of the dead let go to attack the other and the rest followed soon after. Persephone took her chance and swam as fast as she could. She was weak and tired, but she could see Hades’ strange sky brightening the surface of the river above, and the freedom and air it promised motived her.
She broke the surface just as one of the dead caught up with her. Something sharp bit into her shoulder, and dragged her under again. This time, she was saved as someone from the bank of the river managed to grab her wrist. She was dragged from the water, the dead thing wrenching free with a vengeance. A scream tore through her and suddenly she couldn’t take in air.
She felt solid ground beneath her and a musical voice commanded her to breath.
She couldn’t—it was a combination of the pain and the exhaustion. Then she felt the press of a mouth against hers as air was pushed into her lungs. She rolled over and heaved as water spilled onto the grass. When she was finished, she rolled onto her back, exhausted.
A face loomed over hers. He was handsome and reminded her of sunshine. He had golden curls and bronzed skin.
But it was his eyes she liked the most. They were gold and curious.
“You’re a god,” she said, surprised.
He smiled, showing a set of dimples on either side of his face. “I am.”
“You’re not Hades,” she said, confused.
“No.” He looked amused. “I am Hermes.”
“Ah,” she said, and laid her head back down.
“Ah?”
“Yes, ah.”
He grinned. “So you’ve heard of me?”
She rolled her eyes. “The God of Trickery and Thieves.”
“I beg your pardon, you forgot trade, commerce, merchants, roads sports, travelers, athletes, heraldry…”
“How could I have forgotten heraldry?” She asked absently, and then shivered, starting up at the dim sky.
“You are cold?” he asked.
“Well, I was just pulled from a river.”
He took off his cloak, and covered her. The fabric suctioned to her skin. It was then she remembered that she had worn a short, silver dress to Nevernight and flushed. “Thank you.”
“It is my pleasure,” he said, still watching her. “Shall I guess who you are?”
“Oh yes—entertain yourself,” she said.
Hermes looked serious for a moment, and tapped his full lips with his finger. “Hmm. I think you are the Goddess of Sexual Frustration.”
Persephone barked laughter. “I think that is Aphrodite.”
“Did I say sexual frustration? I meant Hades’ sexual frustration.”
Just as the words were out of his mouth, the god was thrown back. His body made the ground shake beneath her as he landed, tossing up dirt and rock.
Persephone sat up despite the pain and turned to find Hades. He stood, towering over her in his sharp, black suit. His eyes were dark and angry.
“Why did you do that?” she demanded.
“You try my patience, Goddess, and my favor,” he said.
“So you are a goddess!” Hermes sounded triumphant, and rose from the rubble unscathed.
She glared at Hades.
“He will keep your secret or he will find himself in Tartarus.”
Hermes brushed dirt and rock from his arms and chest.
“You know, Hades, not everything has to be a threat. You could try asking once in a while—just like you could have asked me to step away from your goddess here instead of throwing me halfway across the Underworld.”
“I’m not his goddess! And you—” Persephone looked at Hades. Hermes’ brows rose, and he looked very amused. She struggled to her feet, because up until now, she’d been glaring up at them both from the ground. “You could be nicer to him. He did save me from your river!”
Once she was on her feet, she regretted moving. She felt dizzy and nauseous.
“You wouldn’t have had to be saved from my river if you had waited for me!”
“Right, because you were otherwise engaged,” she rolled her eyes. “Wonder what that means.”