Creation: The Primordial Era (Creation Series, Book 2)

A Demented Queen With A Dream

Mousai's POV

As we fall I brace myself for the coming impact, only to be lead astray as we're comforted by the thickness of rose petals and overgrown flora. "The thir-"

Persephone interrupts me, "Third layer of the Underworld, why yes you are. Be privileged your eyes have even been able to set foot upon my true garden." She slides down the long assortment of colours, gracefully landing onto the mossy stone terrain where her heels click with each minor movement.

I follow behind, watching as the Zs each find their way down just as we did. With two passed out, that leaves only Zagreus to speak for them all as he attempts to carry them both on his own. "Let me help!" I cry out, attempting to help them but Persephone clicks her fingers.

"Oh please, they'll be much safer here." She twists vines around each of their bodies, much against Zagreus' will but nonetheless he doesn't fight it. Burying the two into two similar soil pits. "I'll recall them once their hearts have stabilized and we've achieved what we needed. You should be ashamed to have struggled against a human such as that, Zagreus." She digs at him.

"If there's layers, then what's with the level we were just on?" I question with interest.

She quickly clicks her tongue in a disapproving manner, "Tss tss tss, that's where we all gather to rest but believe it or not, we barely see each other as all of our layers typically require our presence every now and then. This place is the Elysium fields, anyone who died with a righteous soul has a right to ride with Charon towards this rewarding end." She continues explaining, "Anubis' Duat, where Ma'at resides as the souls are weighed for their existences. My husband's Tartarus where as you'd know, Hades resides with the worrisome souls have taken refuge and finally...Helheim where Hel's frozen wasteland exists to torture those who step out from their truth." She finishes.

"And we avoid them for a reason whenever we meet..." Zagreus slyly adds on.

She waves it off with sass as she looks onward to the golden souls that flourish along with her flowers, some posing under a false sun while others simply lay there in the soft grass as they bath in their afterlives. "We're very much aware of your meetings but we quite frankly don't care enough to do anything about it, so do whatever you deem natural." She looks back briefly, and whether it be a mistake or not, I'd like to think she smiled.

My eyes lock onto them all stripping themselves of armour and discarding swords as their wars have ended. But among them, I can't help but notice one in particular staring dead at me. "They can't see us, right?"

'They're staring'

"Technically speaking yeah I guess so, but it's not like we're of any interest to them." She explains to ease my thoughts but I can't help but see them all, turning one by one to face me in particular.

'They're coming'

"Persephone, why are they approaching?" I walk closer to her, not wanting to be the centre of attention anymore.

She clicks her fingers once again, twisting vines around their feet to hold them in place. "There, happy now that you've disturbed the peaceful death of those around you?" She sighs.

'They'll keep coming'

"Persephone..." I watch as they re-grab their swords, slicing at the vines and continuing their approach.

She spins on her heel to fully look at the same display of souls as me. "What are you doing Mousai?"

I put my hands up in defence, "I promise I'm not doing anything."

She squints as if not believing me, stepping ahead and stomping her foot like she did above. "You will obey!" She warns, twisting them up once again in thorn covered roses in hopes of keeping them there.