***
“You look like a goddess,” Lexa said.
Persephone looked in the mirror. She wore a red silk gown. It was simple, but fit her like a glove, accentuating the curve of her hips where the fabric gathered and then split mid-thigh to expose one creamy leg. A pretty black floral applique spilled from her right shoulder, down the right side of the open back.
Lexa styled her hair, pulling it into a high, curled ponytail, and did her makeup, choosing a dark smoky eye. Persephone accessorized with simple gold earrings and the gold cuff she wore to cover Hades’ mark. Right now, she felt the burn of it on her skin.
Persephone blushed. “Thank you.”
But Lexa wasn’t finished. She added, “Like...the Goddess of the Underworld.”
“There is no Goddess of the Underworld,” Persephone replied. She remembered Yuri’s words and the soul’s hope that Hades would soon have a queen.
“The spot’s just vacant,” Lexa said.
Persephone didn’t want to talk about Hades. She would see him soon enough, and she had never felt so confused about anything in her life. She knew her attraction to Hades would only get her in trouble. Despite hating Minthe’s words, she believed them. Hades wasn’t the type of god who wanted a relationship, and she already knew he didn’t believe in love and Persephone wanted love.
Desperately.
She’d been denied so much all her life. She wouldn’t be denied love.
Persephone shook her head, clearing those thoughts away.
“How’s Jaison?” she asked.
Lexa had met Jaison at La Rose. They’d exchanged numbers and had been talking ever since. He was a year older than them and was a computer engineer. When Lexa talked about him, they were complete opposites, but somehow, it was working.
Lexa blushed. “I really like him.”
Persephone grinned. “You deserve it, Lex.”
“Thank you.”
Lexa popped back into her room to finish getting ready and Persephone went to look for her clutch when her doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it!” she called to Lexa.
When she answered, she found no one there, but a package rested on their doorstep. It was a white box with a red ribbon tied in a bow. She picked it up and brought it inside, looking to see if it was addressed to anyone. She found a tag that read Persephone.
Inside, resting on black velvet, was a note and a mask. Wear this with your crown, it said. Persephone sat it aside and pulled out a beautifully designed gold mask—despite its detail, it was simple and didn’t cover much of her face.
“Is that from Hades?” Lexa asked, stepping into the kitchen. Persephone’s mouth fell open when she saw her best friend. Lexa had chosen a strapless royal blue taffeta gown. Her mask was white, embellished with silver, and had a poof of feathers coming out of the top right side.
“Well?” she prompted when Persephone hadn’t answered.
“Oh,” she looked down at the mask. “No, it’s not from Hades.”
Persephone took the box to her room. She felt a little silly putting the crown Ian had given her on her head, but once her mask was on, she understood Hecate’s instruction. The combination was striking, and she really did look like a queen.
Persephone and Lexa took a cab to the gala. Their tickets indicated an arrival time of five thirty—an hour and a half earlier than the gods. No one wanted pictures of mortals unless they draped the arm of one of the Divine.
They waited in the back of the stuffy cab at the end of a long line of vehicles. When they were finally let out at a grand set of steps covered in red carpet, Persephone was grateful for the fresh air.
Once inside, they were led down a hall lined with glittering crystals that hung on strands like lights. It was beautiful and an element Persephone did not expect.
Anticipation rose as they neared the end of the hallway. They passed through a curtain of the same crystals and found themselves in a richly decorated room.
There were several tables organized around a ballroom, leaving space in the center for dancing. The tables themselves were round, covered with black cloth, and crowded with fine china. The real masterpieces decorated the center—marble statues that paid homage to the gods of Ancient Greece.