The Day Death Died

The Day Death Died - Chapter 32

Persephone's floral dress fluttered gently in the still air of the Underworld, her wide smile beaming at us as she thrust the plate of cookies forward again. Edwin and I, standing just outside the towering gates of Hades' palace, exchanged a bewildered glance. We'd just crawled out of Tartarus, narrowly escaping the suffocating, chaotic energy of the abyss, and here she was offering us cookies.

"I mean, really. You two look like you've been dragged through hell," Persephone said, oblivious to the tension in the air as she held out the plate, smiling as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Take one. You deserve it."

"Uh..." I blinked, still holding Pandora's Box tightly against my chest, feeling its cold, ancient power pulsing through the metal. "Thanks? But, Persephone—"

"I know, I know." She waved me off, the plate still held out with one hand as she gestured dramatically with the other. "We'll talk about the box in a second. But cookies first." Her eyes flicked to Edwin, who looked as though he might melt into the shadows and disappear just to avoid this strange interaction. "Come on, Edwin, I know you want one."

For the first time since entering Tartarus, a small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. He reached out, cautiously plucking a cookie from the plate. "I guess we could use a moment," he said, his tone dry but more relaxed than before.

I hesitated but finally took one too. It felt almost surreal, eating cookies outside the gates of the Underworld after everything we'd just been through. I bit into it, expecting something odd—maybe dust or ash—but no, it was warm, gooey, and impossibly perfect.

"See?" Persephone said, her face glowing with satisfaction. "Told you. Baking helps me relax. Now," she added, her voice bright but her eyes serious, "let's head inside. Hades is waiting, and he's already well aware of what you've brought back."

She spun on her heel, leading the way through the grand gates as Edwin and I trailed behind, cookies in one hand and a cursed, world-altering box in the other. The walk through the underworld had never felt stranger. There was an odd sense of peace in the cold air, almost as if the underworld itself knew something monumental had shifted. I could feel it in the way the shadows seemed to pull back, just a little, from the edges of our path.

"So... cookies," I muttered, trying to break the lingering tension. "That's how you greet people who return from Tartarus with potentially world-ending artifacts?"

Persephone glanced over her shoulder, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, if I started with a lecture, I doubt you'd have stuck around to hear the rest."

Edwin grunted, chewing thoughtfully on his cookie. "She's not wrong."

We walked in silence for a while, following the winding path that led deeper into the Underworld. There were no guards or fanfare, no ominous warnings—just the quiet, calm of a realm that seemed to have accepted our intrusion. It wasn't long before we reached a smaller, more intimate courtyard just outside the palace, a place I hadn't seen before. Dark stone benches lined the sides, and small blue flames flickered in sconces along the walls.

Hades was already there, casually seated at a table with two chairs across from him. He looked less like the dread lord of the dead and more like someone waiting for a scheduled appointment. He offered us a slight nod as we approached, his expression unreadable.

"Take a seat," he said, gesturing to the chairs in front of him.

I lowered myself into one of the chairs, carefully placing Pandora's Box on the table in front of me. Edwin followed suit, but he kept his scythe close, resting it against the stone bench beside him.

"So," Hades began, his voice calm and steady, "Pandora's Box."

I nodded, not sure where to start. "Yeah... it was harder to get out than we thought. Tartarus didn't exactly want us to leave."

"I'm sure it didn't," Hades replied, his gaze flicking briefly to the box. "That thing has a way of... bonding with places of chaos. I'd imagine it wasn't thrilled about being uprooted."

Persephone, now seated next to Hades with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, leaned forward. "But you got it out, and that's what matters." She smiled, though it was tempered now by the weight of what we'd done. "Now the question is, what's next?"

I swallowed, glancing at Edwin. "We need to use it to stop the Keres. They've been destroying everything in their path, trapping souls, tearing apart whole towns. We don't have another option."

Hades leaned back, studying us. "And you're sure using the box is the only way? You understand the risks?"

"We do," Edwin said, his voice firm. "We've considered every other possibility. This is the only way to free the souls they've taken—and stop them before it gets worse."

Persephone sipped her coffee thoughtfully. "Using the box might stop the Keres, but it won't stop everything inside from being released. You'll be trading one catastrophe for another."

I bit my lip, glancing at the box. "We know. But if we don't use it..."

"If you don't use it," Hades interrupted gently, "the Keres will continue their destruction unchecked. But if you do, whatever was trapped in that box won't stay trapped for long."

"We'll handle it," Edwin said, his eyes locking with Hades'. There was a cold determination in his voice that left no room for doubt. "We'll handle whatever comes next."

Hades nodded slowly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. "I hope you do. But know this—once that box is opened, it can never be sealed again. Whatever you let out will be loose in your world, free to wreak whatever havoc it pleases."

"I understand," I said quietly. "But we're out of time. We can't let the Keres keep doing what they're doing."

Persephone sighed, setting her cup down. "It sounds like you've made up your minds." She gave us a sad smile. "You know, I actually liked this part of the Underworld being... peaceful. But I guess nothing stays calm forever."

There was a moment of silence, the weight of what we were about to do hanging over all of us. Finally, Hades stood, his gaze shifting from me to Edwin and back to the box.

"You're not going to find what you need here in the Underworld," he said, his tone more practical than ominous. "You'll need to take the box back with you—to the surface. The Keres aren't hiding here, after all."

Persephone nodded, standing beside him. "We'll get you back," she said softly, though her smile had faded now, replaced by a more serious expression. "Just... try not to open it unless you're absolutely certain."

"We won't," Edwin said, rising from his chair. "Not until we have to."

I stood as well, grabbing the box once more. It felt heavier now, as if the conversation had deepened its weight. "Thank you," I said, unsure of what else to say.

Persephone waved a hand dismissively. "Don't mention it. Just save some of the world so we have somewhere to vacation."

Hades smirked at that, and with a nod, turned to lead us toward the portal back to the surface. "Come on, then," he said. "Let's get you back to where you belong."

As the swirling mists of the Underworld parted before us, opening a path back to the world above, I felt a strange sense of finality settle over me. This wasn't over—not by a long shot—but at least we were one step closer to whatever came next.