Summoning Bones

6. Life in the Kitchen

Eirene looked back into the lifeless face of Makaria.

"What did I do to deserve this?" She whispered to herself. Zagreus stayed silent aside from the spoon scraping the side of the peanut butter jar. "How can I bring her back?" She turned back to her brother, who paused mid-bite. He slowly lowered the spoon.

"What ever could you mean? Don't you specialize in this?" Concern laced over his features.

"I bring back mortals not goddesses," she snapped. Zagrues set down the jar and tapped his chin.

"Well I could, possibly, maybe see a slight hiccup in our plan," he said nonchalantly, as if he couldn't see anything wrong with Eirene's apparent lacking of skills.

"Don't you know how to do this? Isn't it your specialty?"

"Careful little sister, I don't have those powers anymore. But Makaria here isn't dead. Her immortal soul lives. I just need you to return to the Underworld, fetch it for me, and come home. Easy, wouldn't you say? I mean, didn't you do it earlier for that poor woman earlier today?" Zagreus smiled at Eirene.

"I don't bring their souls back, not fully. Part of the mortals lay in Hell, the rest are ghosts in their bodies, trapped until set free again by a second death where they reunite with themselves under Hades' watch," Eirene said, staring at Makaria.

"Of course," Zagreus said. He snapped his fingers and ran a hand through his hair. "I knew there must be some trick to it. You couldn't do what I did, and give them another chance. You don't have the power of rebirth."

"Yes, it may be an illusion, but it grants their loved ones more time with them, and provides me with a thousand favors and debts."

"Clever little one," said a slightly proud Zagreus. "But then our current issue-"

"Still unsolved," finishes Eirene. They both lapses into silence, stuck in their minds.

"Perhaps, I may have a solution," Zagreus said, breaking the silence. He rushed out of the room and through the doorway to a small, but crammed bookshelf. His spindly fingers traced the spines of the books before grabbing the largest, and pulling it down. The black leather was pulled taught, a sign of good craftsmanship, and a large emerald eye sat in the center of the book. It slowly blinked and looked at Zagreus lazily, who smiled at it and returned to Eirene.

"The Book of Shadows," Zagreus said, dropping the book with a heavy thud. The eye rolled itself in annoyance.

"Stolen from a common witch?" Eirene said, clearly unimpressed. Zagreus held a hand to his chest of mock outrage.

"How dare you? This is the first Book of Shadows. Mother's original, my dear sister," Eirene snarled, but Zagreus continued, "and naturally clever Mommy knew we would get ourselves into a fine fickle. So I present," he said flipping the book open to the near last page, "a spell to being our Makaria back."

Eirene leaned closer, looking at the book.

"Then I see you don't require me. You have the spell, your magic, I am leaving. Cash in your favor elsewhere," she said, beginning to adjust her cloak to leave.

"Wait, my magic isn't as strong. And you know Mother better. Her spell requires you perform it," Zagreus said.

"Lies," Eirene said, peering down at the book. And indeed, in blood red ink, her name with the instructions to cast the spell. She looked back at Zagreus. "Very well. I will cast this spell, but where are we to find a Ruby from Hades' caves and gold from a king's crown?"

"With a Rider outside, I'm sure she'd be happy to help. Bring their mortal daughter back, guarantee your freedom, fetch the ingredient, and return to us," Zagreus said.