long breath, her nostrils flaring, but then waves for us to follow. “Come.”
The feasting hall is filled with a variety of guests, but my eyes immediately latch on to a group of men. They’re tall, gaunt, and their cheeks are so hallowed it’s hard not to see them as just skeletons with only skin. I know they have to be the Mysteries. They’re wearing long, hooded green robes and around each one’s neck is a chain with a sapphire pendant, identical to Persephone’s.
“Queen Persephone. Greetings.” The skinniest man steps forward and bows, sending the pendant swinging from side to side. He turns to me next and repeats the process. “Queen Lily. Greetings.”
“Greetings,” I say, eyeing his pendant curiously. I’d have thought sapphires the size of robin eggs were rare things, but maybe not here, considering all the Mysteries wear them. They must have given Persephone hers as a gift.
“I am Matthias,” he introduces himself, startling me back to the present. “Extraordinary events have brought you here, Queen Lily.”
I nod to be polite, but something about him reminds me of a cheesy late-night television psychic who wants your credit card number before anything else. He’s nothing like I’d expected, and I can’t deny the keen sense of disappointment rolling through me. I feel like I’ve just been hustled.
Matthias smiles, his lips stretching over his teeth in a somewhat gruesome manner. “Again, an age-old question has come to the forefront to be asked again.” He pauses for dramatic effect before continuing, “Should the gods interact with humanity? It’s an interesting question, is it not?” He turns to me and asks, “Something you particularly wrestle with. True?”
I hesitate but nod. “It’s something each god should always be cognizant of, I’d imagine.”
“For you, there may be no choice, Queen Lily.”
“Well, I don’t plan on going back to Earth,” I say. Because that would mean I failed to stop Clay since I’ll only go to Earth if he’s running around loose, wreaking havoc there.
His line of conversation makes me uneasy, but I feel his knowledge comes more from being nosy and prying than any true psychic ability.
I glance over at Ladron. For the most part, his face is an unreadable mask, but deep inside those beautiful blue eyes of his, I see a flicker of annoyance. Obviously, I’m not the only one picking up on conman vibes.
Persephone raises her hand. “Enough, Matthias.”
The man turns on her. “For you, we have words, but we will grant you the courtesy of privacy, Queen Persephone.”
Persephone seems to go a little green around the gills, but she recovers quickly to apologize to me, “I’m sorry, but I must withdraw a moment. Please, eat. I’ll return as soon as I can. But first, let me see you settled.”
She signals her servants to bring platters of nectar, honeyed breads, and quartz bowls of ambrosia mixed with pomegranate seeds. And only after seeing Ladron and I arranged on the couches, she hurries off to join the Mysteries waiting for her, impatiently, by the main door.
As they sweep out of the hall at her heels, I turn to Ladron. “I smell a rat.”
“A rat?” He cocks a curious brow and scans the floor.
I chuckle, then clarify, “It’s a saying. It just means something’s wrong.”
“Ah, yes.” His blue eyes narrow. “I full-heartedly agree.”
I stand up. “Well, I’m not about to sit here and eat while the Underworld burns. What do you say we go back to that tower and look for Nefeli? Maybe check out that garden we found Persephone at, along the way? I don’t really know her well, but something tells me that she’s not herself, don’t you think?”
He answers by swinging his long legs off his couch to tower over me. “Lead on, my Queen Lily.”
There’s something about the way he rumbles my name that sends a shiver of longing straight through me, but I can’t get distracted by sex right now—as great a stress reliever as it is. I brush past him, enjoying the brief sensation of my body touching his, and then, I school my thoughts and focus on the matter at hand.
It only takes a few minutes to make our way back to where we last saw Persephone. We scout around the garden, but there’s nothing of note. The white tower is unlocked, so we check out the interior, too, but it’s empty save a chair with a robe draped over the back. A robe with a hood the same shade of green as the Mysteries wore in