Percy Jackson's Greek Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians companion #5.5) - Rick Riordan Page 0,37

brownies.”

“On it, boss.” Hermes zoomed down to the Underworld.

Meanwhile, Persephone had been in the palace of Hades this whole time, and she was learning the hard way that the world did not revolve around her.

No matter how many times she stamped her feet, held her breath, or screamed for her mother, she couldn’t get what she wanted.

She threw some epic tantrums. She tore up her bed (which made it hard to sleep); she kicked the walls (which hurt her foot); and when Hades’s ghostly servants brought her meals, she smashed the plates and refused to eat anything, even though she was starving.

The “not eating” thing was important. See, in Greek times, eating food in another person’s house was like signing a contract. It meant you accepted your place as their guest. They had to treat you properly, but you also had to behave properly. Basically, it meant you and your host were on friendly terms.

Persephone didn’t want to sign that contract. Not at all.

The first few days, she refused to leave her room. Hades didn’t force her to, though he tried to talk to her a few times.

“Look,” he said, “your dad agreed to the marriage. I’m sorry about the whole kidnapping thing—which by the way was his idea—but honestly, I love you. You’re amazing and beautiful and I promise—”

“Get out!” She threw whatever she could grab—which happened to be a pillow. The pillow bounced off Hades’s chest.

Hades looked sad and left her alone.

Around the fourth day, Persephone got bored and left her room. No one stopped her. She quickly realized why. Outside of the king’s palace, there was no place to go. She was stuck in the Underworld, with nothing in any direction except gray gloomy plains filled with dead people, and no sky above except dark mist.

Even if she ran away from the palace, she didn’t want to walk through those fields full of dead souls, and she had no idea how to get back to the upper world.

The most infuriating thing? Hades refused to get mad at her, no matter how many plates she smashed or sheets she tore up, or how many horrible names she called him—though honestly she didn’t know that many insults. She’d lived a happy, sheltered life, and calling Hades Stupid Head didn’t quite seem forceful enough.

Hades took her abuse and told her he was sorry that she was angry.

“I do love you,” he promised. “You are the brightest thing in the entire Underworld. With you here, I will never miss the sunlight again. You are warmer than the sun by far.”

“You’re a stupid head!” she screamed.

After he left, she realized that what he’d said was sort of sweet—but only in a creepy, pathetic way, of course.

The days passed. The more Persephone wandered through the palace, the more amazed she became. The mansion was huge. Hades had entire rooms made of gold and silver. Every day, his servants set out new bouquets of flowers made from precious jewels: a dozen ruby roses on diamond stems, platinum and gold sunflowers with emerald-studded leaves. Even on Mount Olympus, Persephone had never seen such dazzling wealth.

She started to realize that as creepy and horrible as Hades was, he had tremendous power. He controlled thousands of souls. He commanded horrifying monsters and creatures of the darkness. He had access to all the wealth under the earth, making him the richest god in the world. No matter what Persephone destroyed, he could instantly replace it with something even better.

Still, she hated the place. Of course she did! She missed the sun and the meadows and the fresh flowers. The Underworld was so clammy she could never get warm. The constant gloom gave her a serious case of seasonal affective disorder.

Then one day she stumbled across Hades’s throne room. He was sitting at the far end, on a throne sculpted from thousands of bones, talking to a shimmering ghost. Persephone guessed it was a soul newly arrived from the mortal world, as it seemed to giving Hades the latest news.

“Thank you,” Hades told the spirit. “But I will never give in! I don’t care how many mortals die!”

Persephone marched up to the dais. “What are you talking about, you horrible person? Who are you killing now?”

Hades looked stunned. He waved at the ghost and it disappeared.

“I—I don’t want to tell you,” Hades said. “It would bring you pain.”

Which only made her want to know more. “What’s going on?”

Hades took a deep breath. “Your mother is angry. She knows now