When they dismounted near the gates of Hades’s palace, Will was certain he would never experience anything so thrilling ever
again.
Sure, his muscles were sore, his breath was shallower than usual, and his mind felt like it was being mixed in a blender …
But if he had to conserve his energy, there were worse ways than riding a demonic donkey. Their steeds had zipped across the Underworld without a single incident, easily evading packs of hellhounds, skirting the sentried towers of Erebos at just the right moments to avoid detection, and finally bringing them through a break in the walls, straight up to the palace
perimeter. If they hadn’t been trying to sneak in, Will would have let loose a joyful whoop and asked the donkeys to do it all over again!
However, as they crept closer to the palace gates, a chill passed through him. It wasn’t just the imposing obsidian doors that disturbed him. It was what was carved into them.
The intricate engravings were all death tableaux: planes dropping bombs on crowds of people, enormous mushroom clouds etched in a distant horizon, lines of officers in riot gear, their batons raised against panicking masses. Will wondered if these depicted historical events, or if they were prophecies of the future. Were they meant to be a commentary on the
circular nature of death?
Will didn’t really want to know the answer.
Fortunately, Nico didn’t lead him through the gates. That would have been unwise, given the half dozen zombie guards in ancient Greek armour.
Instead, Will followed him along the northern wall, through a gap in a thicket of briars, to a small hidden gate of Stygian iron.
Nico rummaged through his coat until he found a finger bone. (Will still wasn’t used to the fact that his boyfriend kept random bits of human bone in his pockets for emergencies, but he guessed everyone needed a hobby.)
Nico shaped the bone into a key – a literal skeleton key – and quietly unlocked the gate.
Will was about to peek through when Nico held out a hand to stop him.
Wait, he mouthed.
Nico twisted his body, stole a quick glance inside, then pressed his back to the wall. ‘We have a problem,’ he whispered. ‘She’s here.’
Will’s pulse quickened. He’d been hoping they’d finally have some luck.
Maybe Persephone would be traipsing around the upper world painting daisies or something. But if she was here, how were they supposed to get Menoetes any fruit?
Nico held a finger to his lips. He peeked through the gateway again, then gestured to Will that it was safe to look.
When Will saw the courtyard, he suppressed a gasp.
The garden glowed like a city at night. Every plant sparkled or glittered. One bush branched upward with stems like silvery bottle brushes. A glass cactus bloomed with ruby-red flowers. Sapphires and diamonds formed a gem-paved path that wove its way through the flower beds. Each plant was the most beautiful thing Will had ever seen until he gazed at the one next to it.
But none of them were as beautiful as the woman tending the azure roses in the centre of the garden.
Persephone’s peach-coloured dress shimmered in the light, the fabric
stitched with tiny green vines that flowed and spiralled down her sleeves. Her dark brown hair framed a face so soft and gentle that the roses seemed to bend towards her, aching for contact.
The stories about Persephone’s beauty did not do her justice.
As the goddess drifted deeper into her garden, Will finally managed to peel himself away and turn back to Nico.
‘You okay?’ whispered Nico. ‘I know it’s hard to see her for the first time.’
‘She’s the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen,’ he said in awe. ‘Calm down, Night Light.’
‘What? I’m not wrong.’ ‘I didn’t say you were.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you jealous that I find her attractive?’
Nico wrinkled up his face. ‘Ew, no, Will. I’m trying not to be weirded out because that’s my stepmother.’
‘Oh,’ said Will. ‘Right. Sorry.’
‘But, yes, you’re correct. She’s stunning. I guess I’m just used to it by now.’
Will shook his head. ‘We’re told of her beauty, but that’s nothing compared to actually seeing it.’
‘Okay, okay, enough of your bisexual chaos for the moment,’ said Nico. ‘We have to figure out how to get past her and pick some fruit without getting caught.’
Will thought for a moment. ‘Can’t we just dart in and grab something near the gate?’
Nico shook his head. ‘All the good fruit-bearing plants are in the centre of the garden. In fact, I’m starting to wonder … what if Menoetes is setting us up to fail?’
‘I was worrying about that, too,’ Will admitted. ‘But I think he really wants that fruit. If we’re the only way he can get it, why set us up for failure?’
Nico sucked in a deep breath. ‘Okay. We’ll just be as careful as we can.
Get in, get the fruit, then get out. Hopefully Persephone stays on the far end of the garden for a while. Keep close to me, okay?’
Will nodded, and the two of them tiptoed through the gateway. They veered to the right, crouching behind a thick row of hedges with silver leaves. Will, still completely under the spell of the place, reached out and touched one.
‘This is incredible,’ he whispered. ‘How does all this grow here without sunlight?’
Nico gave Will a familiar look: something between annoyance and concern.
‘It’s just like the trees Menoetes showed us,’ Nico said. ‘Life finds a way to persist, even in the land of the dead.’
A thought came to Will. ‘It’s kinda like you, then.’ Nico’s eyebrows furrowed. ‘What?’
‘You found a way to survive even in Tartarus. You’re one of the only demigods who ever has.’
‘I was kidnapped by two fame-craving giants. It was hardly heroic.’ ‘Hey, don’t do that.’ Will touched Nico’s face, stared into his dark eyes.
‘You survived. You continue to survive. You’ve been through more in your fifteen years than most people will endure in an entire lifetime.’
Nico looked away, but Will knew this grumpy ball of darkness – his
grumpy ball of darkness – and he refused to let Nico off the hook.
‘I don’t always understand you, Nico,’ he said, ‘but I do know that you’re resilient. And in that sense you are just like this garden.’
Nico shifted uncomfortably. ‘We shouldn’t be talking. Trying to be sneaky, remember?’
Still, he didn’t protest Will’s assessment. He even sounded a tiny bit pleased.
Will decided that was progress. Nico had been through a lot, but as Will watched the crystal petals floating to the ground from a nearby flowering tree, he felt a renewed sense of hope. This place seemed impossible. Yet here it was, thriving in a land of darkness and sorrow.
He supposed that darkness and life could coexist …
Nico touched his shoulder. ‘I think she’s gone inside. Let’s move.’
They followed the gem path through a grove of trees that looked like
skeletal hands, which were both awe-inspiring and a little frightening. Each new sight took Will’s breath away, like the velvety vines draped from the boughs of an amaranthine oak, or the veranda covered in moonflowers and surrounded by emerald prickly pears.
Nico guided him towards the centre of the garden, where a large orchard encircled a three-tiered fountain. A syrupy-sweet odour hit Will’s nostrils.
‘What’s that?’ he asked.
‘The pomegranate trees,’ Nico said. ‘Menoetes didn’t specify what kind of fruit he wanted, so why not a pom? They’re Persephone’s signature fruit, after all.’
Will frowned. ‘If you eat one of Persephone’s pomegranates, aren’t you’re stuck in the Underworld forever?’
‘Pretty sure that doesn’t apply to creatures who are from the
Underworld,’ Nico said. ‘But, even if it did, it might be kind of romantic. Like sending a message: You’re stuck with me.’
‘I think we need to work on your definition of romantic, my love.’
Nico’s ears blushed. ‘Let’s grab a couple of poms, then head back to the donkeys. Sound good?’
When they reached the pomegranate trees, Will nearly lost himself in the beauty of their emerald leaves and glittering fruit, festooning the branches like ruby ornaments, just begging to be plucked.
‘Perfect,’ he murmured to himself.
Nico walked up to the nearest tree and grasped at a pomegranate. His hand went right through it.
For a moment, Will thought he was seeing things, his head swimming from the heavy perfume of the trees. But then Nico tried again. Again.
Again. Each time, his fingers went right through the fruit like he’d turned into a shade from Asphodel.
‘What’s wrong?’ Will asked.
‘I don’t know!’ Nico hissed. ‘This doesn’t make any sense.’
He tried other pomegranates on different trees with no luck whatsoever.
Will’s nerves tingled. He thought about what Nico had said – how the fruit wasn’t as dangerous for creatures from the Underworld.
‘Have you ever actually picked one of these before?’ he asked. Nico scowled. ‘Well … no. I was just given some seeds.’
Will looked at the red fruit hanging above him. Maybe they were meant to be picked only by potential victims from the world of sunlight. He gulped and stretched out his hand.
His fingers grazed the smooth, cool rind. The fruit was so large it barely fitted in Will’s hand.
He pulled.
The pomegranate came off the branch with a gentle snap. Will was filled with the urge to dig into its flesh, to seek out all the juicy seeds and devour them …
‘Will.’ Nico’s voice shattered the spell. The son of Hades looked as if he was immediately going to leave mortality behind. ‘How did you do that?’
Will shrugged. ‘I just … picked it?’
‘Well, don’t eat it. Pick a few more, and let’s get out of here!’
Will grabbed another pomegranate, tucked it under his arm, then plucked a third and turned to hand it to Nico.
Nico shook his head. ‘If I can’t pick them, I suspect I can’t hold them, either.’ He opened one of the pockets of his leather bomber. ‘Can you do the honours?’
Will stuffed one pomegranate into Nico’s jacket pocket, then slipped the other two into pockets on his own shorts.
‘Oh my gods,’ said Nico. ‘I can’t believe your cargo shorts are coming in handy.’
Will beamed. ‘Told you so.’
Nico didn’t waste any more time. He grabbed Will’s right hand and pulled him along, retracing their route. Every time they came to an intersection on the path, Nico froze, carefully inspecting their way forward.
Will’s heart was pounding. He was both afraid and a little exhilarated. He felt like a little kid again, running through the aisles of the New York Public Library on Forty-Second Street and Fifth Avenue while his mom tried to
catch up.
If only she could see him now, dashing through Persephone’s garden.
Near the gate, Nico let go of Will’s hand. ‘I’ll make sure the coast is
clear,’ he whispered. Then he slipped past the bottlebrush plants and out of the gateway.
Will waited, anxiety coursing through his veins. He heard something rustle in foliage up ahead and thought, Please let that be Nico.
The figure stepped out from behind a thick bush of pink oleanders. It wasn’t Nico.
It was her.
