Persephone Incarnate [Wattpad Prize 2014] | ✔️

{22} Sophie

I peered down, standing precariously on the last step outside of the doorway, waiting for the lift to come. Admete said it would come soon, so all of us were sitting on the steps, kicking our feet, waiting. The ocean was now like a black speck in the middle of clouds, but the night was still young. I felt full of energy, and wanted to get moving as fast as possible, wanted to do something. It more of a restless itch then any energy that came from ‘eating’ - it was just the need to do something, anything because I didn’t have much time, but here I was, wasting it, waiting for some dinky lift.

Wait – my ears perked up as I heard something. It sounded like rattling – rattling metal of some sort. I couldn’t remember if I had learned anything about the Greeks making rattling metal anything, maybe except for swords, but I was pretty sure we weren’t sitting on a lift made of swords. The sound came nearer. Now it didn’t sound like rattling – it sounded more like hissing. Hissing? I shuddered as I imagined some of gruesome Greek snake god or monster, or the angry pet of some god who hated me. I peered down, past the white clouds, trying to see onto the Earth below, except I couldn’t see anything, because the cloud cover was too thick. But I couldn’t pinpoint where else the sound would be coming from.

I wiggled closer to the edge of the step, but I felt chills rack my body when I peered down again. Anymore closer, and I could fall. I tried to scoot back, but I felt Cyane’s foot at my back, keeping me where I was. I didn’t know if she was doing it deliberately or not, but I was not enjoying this position. I tried not to look down, but I just couldn’t ignore the sound. It seemed to be come closer. I would’ve turned around and asked Admete if that was the mysterious lift we were all waiting for, but I was afraid if I even moved a bit, I would perilously, fatally close to the edge. And I would fall. Like I’d been imagining since the moment I’d gotten here.

The sound kept coming, and it got louder and louder. I was getting scared. It was bright as anything up here, but I couldn’t see the sound, couldn’t see what was making it, and it scared me. I might as well have been blind.

I shouldn’t have been scared, obviously – I had six nymphs with me, and I was a goddess by my own right, and it was broad daylight, but it was just a primal survival instinct to fear the unknown, the unseen. And I had to obey it; there was no way to rationalize my fear. I shuddered, and tried to back away from the edge, but Cyane’s foot was still there. I wanted to scream at her then and there – I was tired of her little antics, her little vendetta against me. It might not have been done on purpose, but it was still frustrating.

I restrained myself though, knowing I wasn’t really in the best position to yell at someone.

The sound came closer and closer, and then it was right in front of us. He was right in front of us. My mouth opened in surprise, but not wanting to look undignified, I closed it right away. There was a man, just floating in the sky in front of us. He was bronzed, maybe from the sun, or just because of his natural godly looks (what else could he be?) and he wore the typical Greek chiton that fell to his knees. On his leather sandals were…were…were those wings? I squinted, even though he wasn’t far from me.

Little beating things, making shuffling sounds, like little hearts made of paper. Those were definitely wings.

“Hello, Persephone. Long time no see?” The friendly voice sounded young, like it belonged to man in his twenties who would pick up your phone call if you ever called customer service.

I looked up toward the face, took in the blue eyes that managed to look both playful but ancient at the same time and the tussled brown hair that suggested that it had been put together carefully in front of a mirror. It was a face that could belong only to a god. I searched through my mind for a name, and wasn’t disappointed. “Hermes. What are you doing here?” My voice sounded dry and soft, like I hadn’t talked for hours.