The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 11

"Yet, you all wore your family cloaks with the Sloth City emblem this morning. Why would you do that if you dislike her?"

Her grip tightened, although I had no doubt it was unintentional. "My distaste for her is purely political. Everyone knows she's done nothing to advance Sloth City in recent years. As a consequence, Sloth City is falling too far behind the advancement of other cities. She's weak, and hesitates when making difficult decisions." Her words were accusing, but she spoke with a calm certainty. "Besides, I've heard you have your own share of mummy issues."

I frowned. "I'm not sure if I'd call it 'mummy issues'."

"Call it what you want, but if I were you, I'd certainly want some form of vengeance. Persephone can hide as much as she likes behind her persona as the beautiful Goddess of Life, but I think we both now know deep down what she's like."

My stomach tightened. I didn't know exactly how to feel about Artemis trying to get me on her mother-hating bandwagon, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. Though a small part of me took comfort in what she'd said. I hadn't realised that I'd felt hurt, not only by Persephone's actual betrayal, but because she always appeared perfectly at ease. It was as if nothing managed to trouble her–not even her troubled daughter. Those dark thoughts clouded my head, making me doubt the small progress I'd made with her.

Artemis elbowed me lightly in the stomach. "So, if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm always happy to listen."

I barely stopped myself from cringing. "I'll think about it," I lied. Somehow, I got the impression that she would dish poor advice. From how she approached her relationship with Aergia, Artemis was more concerned with getting revenge than settling disagreements with peace.

As we arrived at the Dining Hall, a cold shiver snaked down my back. I couldn't forget that Artemis had ordered the murder of Marnix, who had been a General for Sloth City, for whatever reason. While he hadn't been a nice person and was willing to inflict punishment on both myself and Leo, the act of ordering a murder was sinister enough. There was some power, and menace, in making such an order.

When we entered the Hall, my eyes skirted the room and the flurry of activity. Alek wasn't here. Hades and Persephone weren't here yet, either, but they probably wanted to have their own dramatic entrance. Everyone else was milling around the table, talking to others in forced politeness. There were place cards at each seat, and I found myself searching for my name. Eyes watched me as I passed. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realised I wasn't sitting next to Adephagia or her children. Knowing their preference for cannibalism definitely put me off any food. Finally, I found my seat near the head of the table.

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered. Cleo was sitting directly on my right, her red satin dress fanning around her seat, followed by Jackal and Plutus.

I slid into my seat, noting the tension in Cleo's shoulders as she sensed me moving next to her.

The next time I saw Hades, I imagined strangling him with my bare hands.       

Jackal and Plutus glanced up at me from their conversation. Plutus shot me a million-dollar grin, but Jackal winced when he saw I was seated beside his sister. I took a deep, slow breath. I just needed to get through one meal without losing it, I thought.

A stiff silence settled between us, made worse by the chatter and lingering gazes of the other guests. I forced myself to stare down at my table, then panicked. There were three different glasses, three different sets of knives and forks, and a spoon all laid out neatly upon the pristine tablecloth. Having come from my small little hometown on Earth, the fanciest cutlery we used was a fifteen-year-old knife and fork set.