EVER WOKE TO FIND HERSELF alone in the massive bed and her body once again covered in the sleeping gown she had worn the night before. If not for the way her body ached all over, she would have thought everything that happened was all a dream.
As she rubbed her eyes, she heard a vibrating sound and realized sleepily that it was what had woken her up in the first place. Turning to her side, she saw that the crystal key she had placed on the table was vibrating hard against the surface.
She reached for it, and the moment her fingers came into contact with its glass body, blinding white light blazed in front of her.
She let go of the crystal key with a gasp, but the light still remained and it took her several moments to realize that it was the same door she had fallen into – only there was something different.
The door was now partially closed, and her heart slammed against her chest as she realized that if the door did close itself, there would be no way for her to go back to her world.
She looked at the crystal key and swallowed hard when she realized that it, too, had changed. It appeared slightly faded now, and she couldn’t help thinking that in a few days it would completely disappear – just as the door would forever remain closed to her.
Tick tock, she could almost hear a voice inside her head say mockingly.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.
Your time is running out, Ever Carlisle.
Shall you stay in this dream forever?
Persephone
On the day Persephone left Underworld and its king, the woman that had once been its queen let it be known that she had lost her love for her husband because of his cruelty. An eternity spent in the company of one who placed his duty over his marriage was unbearable to her, and whereas once she had thought his grim resolve and reserved ways were charming, she now knew that they were but a mask to hide the uncivilized brute underneath.
He was cruel, so impossibly cruel, that even though she knew he loved her, she could no longer abide being by his side.
These were the stories she would sob out in every ball she attended in the outside world, and when the god of the Underworld did not utter a single word in denial, most immortals came to believe Persephone’s words as the truth.
That a minor goddess such as her could have broken the heart of such a powerful Olympian was infinitely fascinating, and soon everyone was vying for the right to throw a ball in her honor. For so long, lower-ranking immortals had quietly resented the power that the Great Twelve wielded over them.
When would the day come that one of the Olympians would be bested?
It was a question many of them feared could only result in dashed hopes – until Persephone.
Upon learning of how she had brought the mighty Hades to his knees, men competed for the right to be her husband, and Persephone more than welcomed the attention.
In the eyes of the lesser-ranking immortals, Persephone could do no wrong, and the former queen allowed it to get to her head. She began playing humiliating pranks on those she considered beneath her, and over the years she had succeeded in refining cattiness into an art form.
By the time the immortal world realized they had created a monster, it was too late. Persephone wielded so much power over their society that those who dared cross her were treated like pariahs.
And so it continued until the day of Hades’ party, and a new prophesied queen was revealed.
Such news traveled fast and the night of the party had barely been over when it reached Persephone, was at that time having her own ball as well.
With all eyes turning towards her, Persephone forced herself to smile, saying, “I wish her well, of course.” Her lip curled. “But I do believe this is a desperate ploy of Hades. Have you ever heard of a prophecy that involves a pure mortal?”
“But Jason – wasn’t he purely human and his life a fulfillment of a prophecy?” one of the guests asked uncertainly. “He became the Argonauts’ lea—-”
“The point is,” Persephone said quickly, “I know in my heart I am the prophesied queen.” But in the event that she was not – no one would have to know that.
In the end, the party ended at an artificially bright note, with everyone smiling and laughing even as their minds scurried about, wondering whom to believe.
When everyone had left and Persephone was alone—-
She screamed. She screamed and screamed and thrashed every room in her home, tearing out curtains and throwing vases against the wall.
Hades shouldn’t be allowed to marry that mortal, Persephone thought feverishly. She began to pace as she thought of a plan, knowing she had to act swiftly before she lost everyone’s respect. She would go back to Hades, make him think she loved him again, and get rid of the other girl. Once the threat was eliminated, she would leave him again.