The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 10

Persephone was already walking quickly down the hallway, her heels clacking against the floor. My stomach growled in hunger, but curiosity encouraged me to follow her. I slipped off my own shoes as we walked, and I sighed in relief as my bare feet touched the cold floor. In addition to standing upright all day, I'd had to battle the heat. My neck was slick with sweat, but somehow not a single bead of sweat graced Persephone. Perhaps it had been her practice at appearing utterly cool and unmoved.

I still wasn't entirely confident with the layout of the castle, but I shouldn't have been surprised when I found her leading me down the narrow staircase that led to the forest slash oasis. She placed a hand on the handle, waiting for me expectantly. I bit my lip as I trailed her, wondering if I should spoil her surprise and let her know I'd already discovered her hideout. But apparently my guilty expression was enough to tip her off.

She sighed. "I should have known. Of course, you would find this room."

I heard the slight accusation in her tone and crossed my arms over my chest. "Hey, it's not my own fault that I went snooping. Cerberus led me here. I figured even you would have known that he had shown me." Meaning, I figured Persephone already knew because she would have been snooping on me through Cerberus' gaze.

"Cerberus has a lot more independence than you might think," she countered. "As much as I can jump into his mind, I can't actually influence any of his decisions. I'm more of a hitchhiker when I'm in his mind. Plus, watching through any creature's mind exhausts me. I certainly wasn't aware that he had already led you here, but I suppose your curiosity would have been bound to lead you here in any case."

Her hand tightened on the doorknob. Excitement thrummed through me when she opened the door, and all of the elements smacked into me. Fresh air. Trickling water. The smell of grass mixed in with dirt. Every breath sent a renewed burst of energy through me. The enchanted forest was as beautiful as the first time I'd seen it. The difference this time, however, was the bright sunlight cast upon the forest. The sparkling stars had turned into hovering clouds, the hovering fog turned into butterflies. It was daytime, and in the clear lighting, the full extent of the forest's beauty hit me. The greenery and coloured flowers were all the more vivid. The forest reminded me so clearly of home. Of Milton. My eyes began to tear up.

The fact that I was now here with Persephone also reassured me that I hadn't dreamed up this room to begin with.

"The last time I was here, it was night-time," I murmured. "How is it daylight right now? How did this room even get here? This forest looks like nothing I've seen in the Underworld."

Persephone trailed a hand over a nearby bush, and I stared in amazement as delicate pink flowers sprouted everywhere her hand touched. "The sky is magic, an illusion, but the forest and everything else is real."

"But how did it get here?" I pressed.

"I made it." She shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "With the help of Hades, of course. I needed to channel some of his power to create it, but I've been slowly adding to the forest more and more over time."

"How long?"

"I started creating this forest a few months after Hades brought me down to the Underworld. Of course, at that point of time these trees were merely seeds. With my powers, it was only a year later that I'd made a small grove of plants."

"But if the sky is an illusion, how is the forest still alive? It has had no real sun or rain to sustain it."

A small smile flittered across her lips. "Serena, we are their source. They don't need anything else to survive."

My eyebrows tightened as my mind raced. "That doesn't make sense."

"Let's say that I want to grow a tree and have planted the seeds, my magic is strong enough that I am able to ensure it can sustain its life by itself. If that wasn't the case, it would be impossible for me to sustain a forest of this size. I can influence the flora here, but it is completely independent of me now, and can survive without me."