The Day Death Died

The Day Death Died - Chapter 21

"Persephone, it is not that bad," Hades argued.

"It is. It always will be," she grumbled, thinking only Hades could hear.

I glanced at Edwin and he shook his head.

"You're still on about that? It has literally been millennia."

She snapped her head around and glared at him before noticing us watching. She switched to a smile and her bubbly personality returned.

"It's a bit much trying to get used to such a place," she said with a wink.

"Oh?" I asked. "You're not from these parts?"

"Don't," Edwin whispered. "Don't get her started."

"Heavens no! Hades, darling, would you like to tell the wonderful story on how I ended up in such a dreary place?"

He sighed heavily and walked to the fridge in their unusually green and yellow kitchen. I looked around and noticed a rack of cookies.

"This is one of the few rooms that was mine to decorate and I really wanted something to remember home by since I have to spend so much time here."

"It's lovely."

"Persephone! You get to spend half the year up there! Zeus decreed it! For the love of God woman!"

Persephone started to glow a light pink that gradually changed to red. "Yes, husband, for the love of God. This arrangement is not of my decision. You impossible and awful man." She picked up the rack and offered some to Edwin and I. "Cookies."

Edwin leaned over to me. "I told you not to get her started."

"The Keres are not beings you want to mess with," Hades said. "And neither is Chaos. They don't answer to us Gods."

Persephone looked at us, her eyes growing wide as saucers. "The Keres? Why would anyone want to look for them?"

"They are wreaking havoc in the human world," I said.

"What? What's happening?" She looked over at Hades who was munching on a cookie.

"They have opened a portal in my high school which killed a lot of the students."

"Students. You mean children? Hades! You have to help her! They are children."

Hades sighed heavily. "Persephone, my sweet love, even if I wanted to I cannot. My powers don't extend to the primordial deities."

"Okay, who should I go to then? There has to be someone out there that can control these things."

Hades shrugged his shoulders while staring off thoughtfully. "Well, you could try Nyx. She's the one who birthed those vile creatures."

"Nyx?" I asked.

"Yes, she is the goddess of Night. You can find her at night up to no good most likely."

"Crete. She loves Crete," Persephone said, sighing heavily. "She's not an overly friendly diety, but if you find her, you can't miss her."

"Why?" Edwin asked.

"She's a winged creature cloaked in black with a clouded black mist crown."

"That's...dark," he muttered.

"Yes. She even gives me the creeps," Hades said, shuddering. "I don't like to involve myself with her or her children if I don't have to."

"So Crete is where we'll find her?" I questioned.

"Most likely. She loves all of the Greek Islands, but that is her favorite."

"Be warned though, Reapers, seeking her out will be no easy task. She cannot be seen in the mortal realm."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Persephone shook her head. "Hades, don't be difficult." She looked over at us. "You won't be able to find her in your mortal form. You can as reapers."

"Persephone!" Hades whined. "Will you let me have my thing? Please? Let me be cryptic!"

"You have plenty of things. You're not messing with reapers who want to save kids."

"Thanks for the cookies," Edwin said, grabbing one and leading me from the palace back to Charon.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"What?" he asked, his mouth full.

"Those two. They're not exactly couple of the year."

"No. They probably never will be."

"What happened with them?" I asked.

"You don't know the story of Persephone and Hades?"

I shook my head. "This is all brand spanking new to me."

"Back in ancient times, Persephone didn't live here." He motioned around the darkness. "She spent her days picking flowers with the Nymphs and enjoyed being the Goddess of Spring and new beginnings. She was lovely and full of life."

"Who are her parents?"

"Zeus and Demeter. One day, while picking flowers and being her joyful self Hades kidnapped and brought her to the underworld."

"What? That's awful. Why didn't they just take her back?" I asked.

"They tried, but before they could Hades tricked her into eating pomegranate seeds. Fruit of the Underworld. She sealed her fate and she now lives here half the year and emerges at Spring time to bring new life to the world."

"Fascinating."

"Yes, and she will not let him live down what he did."

"Yeah, I don't think I would either. He kind of sucks."

Edwin nodded his head. "Most of the Gods do. Which is why I've spent my time not interacting with them."

"Well, we're about to go get real familiar with Nyx."

"This is a bad idea, Maddy."

"I don't care, Eddy. We're heading to Crete and we're finding Nyx."

"Fine," he said as we climbed out of Charon's boat. 

"Good luck," he chuckled.

I shot him a look.

"We can take one of the reaper doors to Crete. I'm not going on a plane."

"Reaper door?"

"Yes, we have our own doorways, or portals if you will, that take us wherever we need to go in the world to reap souls."

He moved his arm in a circle, opening a portal to the reaper headquarters.

"Um, how long have you been able to do that?"

"Always," he mumbled. "Let's go."