even work?”
“I don’t know!” I threw up my arms. “How could I possibly exist—a goddess who is supposedly famous—when I have no memory of that?“
She grimaced, clearly at a loss for what to say. “That’s a hard one.”
“No kidding. But understanding that could be the answer to controlling my magic or leaving the underworld permanently.” I looked at the books around me, an idea flaring to life. I rose. “You know what? I’ve been totally off track.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been practicing my plant magic, trying to grow stronger, but I’ve been avoiding one of my key skills.”
“Which is?”
“Research.” I looked at the books surrounding me. “Surely there are answers somewhere.” And something about this library called to me. Maybe I hadn’t chosen it randomly. Maybe I’d been drawn here.
Beatrix stood. “I’ll help.”
“Yeah?” I smiled at her. “Thanks.”
She nodded, then turned to the shelves. “Where do we start?”
“No idea. Anything you find about Persephone, I guess.” I strolled to the shelves, wanting to get a feel for how it was organized. I had an affinity for books, both natural and honed over the years as a librarian. Now I was going to use it.
For the next two hours, Beatrix and I searched the shelves. There was no order that I could determine, but I’d been right that I’d been drawn here.
The shelves were full of books of ancient myths, everything that humans had ever written about the gods. I just had to find the ones about Persephone, then determine what was real and what was conjecture.
Had I lived before?
No way. I’d know if I had.
Right?
Beatrix and I searched in silence, with Echo occasionally fluttering around our heads. Every now and again, a particular book called to me. When I picked it up, I found that it was about Persephone.
Weird.
Once we finally had a stack of books, we searched together for hours with little luck, skimming the contents for any mention of reincarnation or how a twenty-five-year-old could suddenly be a goddess.
“This is not going as well as I’d hoped,” I muttered.
“No kidding.” Beatrix held up a book and pointed to the page. “But this one says bats are one of Persephone’s sacred animals.”
“Hear that, Echo?” I looked at him, but he’d fallen asleep on a cushion, which wasn’t very bat-like, if you asked me.
Suddenly, the air changed, filling with the scent of firelight. I looked up at Beatrix. “Hades.”
She stood. “I’ll be going, then.”
I nodded. It was for the best. She was allowed here, but Hades was dangerous. He wouldn’t hurt me because he needed me, but I didn’t want to risk my friend. “Thanks for visiting.”
“Anytime.” With a flash of magic, she returned to raven form and flew through the window.
A moment later, Hades walked through the door.
He’d removed the sturdier armor he’d worn on his trip and had changed into his house armor, characterized by the thick black leather tunic. He still wore his thin black gloves, and I couldn’t help but look at his hands.
He caught my gaze, and I looked away. “Didn’t expect to see you so soon.”
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to learn more about Persephone.”
“You accept your fate?”
I just shrugged. “I want to know more about where I came from. How I exist. More about my parents.”
“You never knew them?”
“No.” Sadness pinged in me. “I suppose you can relate.”
“Only partially. I had none in the first place, nor the desire for them.”
“Oh, I had the desire for them.” I looked up at the ceiling, remembered the years with Nana. She’d been the best, all the way up until she’d died. But she couldn’t replace a mother and father.
Damn it, that was uncharitable. She’d been everything to me.
The memories threatened to drag me down, so I shoved them away. There was no time for such things.
He went to the window, and the breeze blew his scent over me. I resisted drawing it deeply into my lungs, though part of me wanted to. Part of me wanted to walk over to the window and wrap my arms around him.
Bad idea.
11
Hades
I looked back at Seraphia, who looked somehow…sad.
I wasn’t sure if I was identifying the emotion correctly, but it seemed right.
Not liking the sight of it, I frowned. She shouldn’t be sad. I wanted to make it stop, to make her feel better.
I had no idea why I suddenly had that desire, but I did.
“Have you eaten?” My tone was abrupt, and she startled, looking at me with wide eyes.
“What?”
“Food. Have you eaten?”
“Um, not lately, no.”
I nodded, then