The Silent Gods - The Guardian and The Immortal Thrones

Prologue

"Our lord wishes to see you. You will come now."

"I will not be commanded. If he wishes to see me he can come here."

"Our lord wishes that you dine. You will come now," the creature said more fiercely taking a step forward, sounding irritated.

Dine? She would not dine with him.

"Your lord's wishes are not my concern and you do not frighten me. If you want to make yourself useful, go back and tell him to release me at once."

"He wishes to speak and to dine." It paused then spoke again. "To negotiate. To discuss."

To negotiate what? It might be days before he came to her, if he came at all. She had already been here too long and she could not stay there any longer, she had duties. Persephone sighed inwardly. She would make her demand in person then, and he would comply.

"Very well, I will come with you creature," Persephone said, still sitting.

"Our lord calls me Tisiphone."

"A beautiful name for such a hideous creature," she said aloud.

"Come now." Was Tisiphone's only response.

Persephone stood tiredly and followed the creature into the winding dark halls. Tisiphone's taloned claws clicked against the hard floors and echoed off the high stone walls as she walked. Persephone took quick steps to keep up with her long strides, but walked far enough behind so as to avoid her slowly whipping tail.

The rest of the palace was unlike the beautiful pale of the rooms where she'd been confined. It was dark and gloomy. The creature led her around massive columns, and underneath colossal archways. Past large dark doors, each with elaborate carvings on them that she couldn't discern in the low light. Each of them was closed tightly. The ceiling of the palace was so high, and the halls so wide, she wondered if the creature normally took flight to traverse them, but was walking only for her sake. As angry as she was, she couldn't deny the wonder she felt. Giants could take audience here. One giant could easily stand atop the other's shoulders and not touch the ceiling, such was the scale of the halls and corridors.

Torches, larger in size than the creature that led her, were mounted high above them. They lighted the halls weakly casting shadows that danced and seemed alive. There seemed to be faces in the shadows. Hushed whispering voices echoed lightly. Yet no other being appeared.

Perhaps he watched from the shadows with those eyes? Those eyes unlike any she'd ever seen. Intense, more silver than grey, with the iridescence that marked him a god. For only a fraction of a second had they fallen upon her that night, all those years ago. The night when the rarely seen King of the Underworld had come to Olympus to collect.

"Our lord awaits," Tisiphone said, her words cut into Persephone's thoughts.

They were before massive silver doors now. The creature open them and stood back. Persephone stepped forward and peered into the grey shadow of his chambers. Hades' chambers. She kept her legs, not allowing the vastness to overwhelm her.

They were enormous, more expansive than the ones she had been confined to. There were torches mounted on the walls here too, they gave off a steady pulse of orange illumination that just barely managed to beat back the blackness pooling in the corners of the room. She ignored the heaviness in her legs, and moved past the shiny winged creature and into the dreary dark chambers. He would let her go. He would let her go now.

The room was empty but for a table and two chairs. On the table sat two drinking goblets and a pitcher filled with wine. Beyond him another a set of closed doors that led, perhaps, to more rooms. The doors closed heavily behind her and she inhaled sharply. She took a tentative step forward. Then another and another, until she stood near the table.