a lot of people popsicles.”
I choked on a horrified laugh. “That will only be funny if we succeed.”
She grimaced. “I know. My bad.”
“Shall we convene for a meeting?” Hades said. “We can discuss what comes next.”
I nodded. “Good idea. Where?”
“The castle.” He turned and started down the street.
I made eye contact with my friends. “That work for you?”
They nodded, and we followed. As we strode down the street, Hades’ golden crown appeared on his head. I felt a sparkle of magic at my forehead and reached up to investigate. The pointy bits of a metal tiara met my fingertips.
Eve raised her brows. “That’s one sparkly crown.”
My fingertips closed around the crown, about to take it off so I could inspect it.
“Not now,” Mac said. “The people are looking at you. But let’s just say there’s about forty million in diamonds on that thing.”
“I don’t think money means the same down here.” But still, the idea of wearing that many diamonds made a shiver of unease go through me. Sure, I loved some sparkle. But that was insane.
Ahead of me, people bowed as Hades strode in front of them. They stayed bowed as I passed, and I could feel my friends looking between them and me.
“So, uh, is this normal?” Mac asked.
“Definitely not,” I said. “He’s only recently taken to magicking a crown onto my head. I guess that means the people are into it.”
“Are you a couple then?” Beatrix asked, surprise in her voice.
“Shh.” I punched her lightly in the arm. “Zip it.”
“Only if you spill.”
“I don’t know what there is to spill. We aren’t a couple.” Honestly, it was a ridiculous word to describe us. Even if Hades and I ended up together, could you call a pair of gods whose actions determined the fate of the world a couple? Couples brought a bottle of wine to game night or went to concerts in town squares.
That was so not Hades and I.
“But I do think that he’s maybe starting to waffle in his beliefs,” I whispered. “Just a little bit.”
We passed a particularly large group of people crowded along the road, all staring at me. My friends knew enough to hold their questions, but once we were in the clear, Mac whispered, “How do you know?”
“See all the trees and plants?” I whispered, gesturing to the small oaks scattered in the middle of torture square. They looked a bit weird scattered amongst the bodies that hung from scaffolding. “Just ignore the horror scene. Those people were absolutely terrible in life. Like, eating babies terrible.”
My friends grimaced in unison.
“Yeah, exactly,” I said. “I tried to rescue them when I was first here, but that was not a good plan.”
“Tell us about the trees and plants,” Mac prodded.
“Right. Well, I created those a few minutes before you showed up. And you should have seen the way Hades looked at me. It was like he was seeing something for the first time.”
“You?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But also maybe, like…life?” As soon as I said it, I felt ridiculous, but in that moment something had seemed to shift inside him. Like the light was fighting its way to the surface and he almost wanted it to win.
“You know what, that was crazy,” I said. “Ignore me.”
“No, it could be true,” Eve said. “Change takes time, and it can start out small, but I really think you can save him, Seraphia.”
I looked at his back as he ascended the stairs toward the fortress. I could see little of him behind the long dark cloak, but the memory of his face as he’d looked at me earlier made me want to believe I could.
I had to.
“Thanks, Eve,” I said.
“Any time.” She inspected the looming castle with wide eyes.
I tried to see it the way she did, without everything I now knew about the interior.
It was bloody terrifying. Even with the black roses that now climbed up the sides of the castle, it was a monstrous edifice of ebony stone and glittering glass, towering turrets, and peaked towers.
“It really fits the king of hell,” Beatrix said.
“But does it fit its queen?” Mac gave me a probing stare.
I glared at her. “Not the queen yet. And unless I can convince Hades to give up his terrible goal, I’ll never be the queen here.”
Mac squeezed my arm comfortingly but said nothing. We took the stairs two at a time, hurrying as we neared the massive castle doors. They’d swung open to admit us, and Hades waited in the main