I didn't wake up to the smell of a sterile hospital, a leering doctor or beeping machines. Instead, I woke to the sight of my bedroom and the faint smell of vanilla. I had to wipe the sleep from my eyes to get a proper look around me. It must have been during the day, because a faint red light from the Underworld sky illuminated my bedroom. As I'd predicted, a scented candle sat on the nightstand, as well as a glass of water. I reached for it and drank it within seconds, knowing I could have had five glasses and still remained thirsty.
"Sleeping Beauty wakes."
I jumped in my bed and turned to the other side of the room, only just noticing Persephone sitting cross-legged in a chair with a book in her lap. Judging by the bags under her eyes, she had been waiting by my side for hours. I frowned upon seeing her – I hadn't exactly worked out how I felt about seeing her, nor how I wanted to feel when seeing her.
"How long have I been asleep?" I asked, my voice coming out gravelly.
"Twelve hours. Do you want to tell me what happened last night?"
I frowned and leaned my head back against the headboard, trying to collect my thoughts. Gathering my memory was as tedious as putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It didn't help that a raging headache was taking up residence in my forehead as well. "I...was hungry last night and was going to the kitchen. I ran into Gressil, Edesia and Mera. I think they were talking about killing me when I ran into them. They chased me through the castle, and the only place I thought I might have some power over them was the forest, so that's where I led them. I called to Cerberus for help. Edesia attacked me and I used my powers to kill her. Alek then killed Gressil and...I think Cerberus may have killed Mera."
Persephone nodded as if I was confirming what she already knew. "And what about your arm? How does it feel?"
It was a testament to how tired I was that I'd forgotten that half of my arm had recently become a snack bar. I pushed away the bed sheet and rolled up my shirt sleeve, spying a thick, clean white bandage wrapped around my upper arm. Surprised by how normal my arm felt, I started to unwrap it. When the bandages fell away, the only indication that my arm had ever been injured was the dried blood that lay in its wake.
I may have healing powers, but even I knew twelve hours wasn't enough for me to self-heal a wound as serious as the one Edesia had given me. Alek had no doubt taken me straight to Persephone, so that she could heal my arm for me. I snuck a glance upwards. Persephone's expectant expression confirmed my suspicions.
"I didn't need you to heal me," I said sternly.
She scoffed, closing her book and placing it on my nightstand. "You're angry at me for helping you?"
"Yes!"
"Well, I couldn't just let you die from blood loss, could I?" she retorted, her eyes narrowing in on me.
"But you could let my friend be killed by your husband?"
She pursed her lips as she considered for a moment. "I had no idea Hades was going to do that. I spoke to him about it afterwards."
I laughed bitterly. "Yes, I'm sure talking about it really helped Hades reflect upon his actions."
She sighed and moved from her chair to perch on the side of the bed. "I don't approve, but you know now better than most that there are forces at play in the Underworld that mean he has to enforce certain rules."
I frowned as I pondered what she was saying. "You mean the Three Sisters of Fate, right?"
The knowing glint in her eyes gave me my answer.
I opened my mouth to push her for more details and to understand exactly what she meant by 'certain rules', but a muffled shout coming from the hallway caught my attention. It wasn't a voice that I recognised and so I looked at Persephone, but she appeared unsurprised at the noise and dragged a hand down her tired face.
"It's Adephagia," she said softly, her voice full of trouble. "As you can imagine, she's not happy with the death of her three children."
All the blood left my face as memories of the God and Goddesses of Gluttony resurfaced in my minds – their hot breath, sharp teeth and even their shocked expressions as the life faded from them. As much as I tried, I couldn't make myself mourn the fact I'd taken one of their lives from them. Not when I had been forced to. I realised with a shiver that my reaction was living proof of how the Underworld had changed me. I knew with certainty that I would have mourned greatly for any life I'd taken on Earth. No matter whose life it was.
"How is she not getting in?" I asked, watching the door like it might explode open any second.
"Your knight in shining armour is standing guard out there." The corners of her lips lifted. "He's been there all night."
"Alek?"
"Would there be anyone else?" she pressed.
I flung my sheets back and darted across my room, pressing my ear to the door to overhear the conversation happening in the hallway. My breath caught as I listened in and heard Alek's voice.
"That's close enough," he said darkly.
"This is ridiculous," came a snarky reply. Adephagia. "I deserve to look her in the eyes and demand an explanation. You can't keep me from her. I'll see her eventually."
"You can certainly try."
Adephagia huffed. "You can protect her all you want, but she's not as innocent as she seems. She'll do anything to win the Crown. Even if that means stabbing you in the back."
I pressed my ear harder against the door to hear Alek's response, but he had none. The Goddess of Gluttony seemed to come to the same conclusion and her frustrated growl reverberated through the door.
"I don't need to make her pay, anyway. She'll get what's coming for her. You will, too." I could picture the Goddess pointing a long, skinny finger at Alek accusingly.
"You will let me know when that day comes, won't you? I'll add it to my calendar."
A silence thick enough to choke me on the other side of the doorway followed Alek's snide remark. One more word from Alek's mouth and I could imagine Adephagia launching herself at him in a fiery rage – if she hadn't already done so. But the fact a Goddess was even hesitant to challenge Alek spoke to his physical prowess. I was sure that if it came to a fight, Alek could defeat Adephagia and a small army without breaking a sweat. Adephagia seemed to know this, too. A moment later, she hissed and there was a flurry as she spun and stomped down the hallway. Her footsteps eventually turned to silence, but I could still feel her lingering anger.
I held my breath as I waited for Alek to knock on the door and introduce himself, but he merely remained in his position, ever the protector. I sighed and pushed away from the door, shooting Persephone an accusing glare.
"I don't need anyone stationed outside my door," I snapped.
"I don't want you to be alone," Persephone justified. "Not while tensions in the castle are so high."
"So, you thought asking Alek to stand guard was a good idea?"
"He didn't need much persuading."
I swallowed the thick lump in my throat and moved towards her. "You don't understand. Alex doesn't need the pressure of standing guard – not after his sister. This wouldn't be good for him."
She gave me a meaningful look that told me she was well aware of his full story. "It's precisely because of his sister that I think he should stand guard. He will do anything he can to protect you, for fear of his own failure at the very least."
My head dipped. Deep down, I had hoped that if Alek was to stand guard, it wouldn't be because of his sense of duty.
"If Alek isn't around, then I've asked Jackal and Himeros to spend time with you," she said, though it was clear she'd ordered rather than asked them. "Out of all the contestants, those are the most trustworthy."
"And you didn't think to ask me for my opinion on this? I was able to defend myself against Edesia, you know."
Not that I wanted to do a repeat of last night or anything, but I still would have liked to have had my opinion considered.
Persephone dipped her head and smiled endearingly. "It's precisely because of last night that you'll need someone with you. It can take a while to process the fact you've killed someone." Her eyes, maintaining contact with mine, were overcome by a shadow.
My lips turned dry as the meaning of what she was saying hit me. "You've killed someone before."
I'd mostly taken a wild guess, but the grim frown on her lips and her silence confirmed my belief and made it fact.
My breath hitched at the pain in her eyes and I sat on the edge of the bed, reeling from the surprise. But I shouldn't have been shocked. Not when she had been living in the Underworld all this time and undoubtedly experiencing untold horrors. I bit my lip and waited for her to elaborate, but it was clear that she had no desire to talk about it.
"Causing death is not something that you should have to live through twice," she said firmly, rising from her chair and walking over to the window, watching over the Lake of Lost Souls. The wind rattled the window frame as she stood there, completely unperturbed by its shaking and rattling. I wrung my hands together, overwhelmed by the wind's reminder of why I was here, but followed her across the room.
"Do the rest of the tournament contestants know of what happened last night?" I asked, scared to hear the answer.
Persephone glanced at me from the corner of her eyes and flashed her sympathy. "Unfortunately, everyone discovered the news this morning after I told Adephagia. She didn't exactly have a quiet reaction." She looked out pensively towards the lake again, and I wondered whether she was remembering the person that she'd killed.
"How do you think they're reacting?" I prompted.
"Well, Lyssa believes it's an outrage, but only because she wasn't able to do something as devious as commit murder herself yet. Her children will no doubt feel the same. The demigods and demigoddesses of Sloth and Greed have remained fairly silent on the topic, but if I had to guess, I don't think they will be too happy, either." She glanced towards me with a wry smile. "The only friends you have made have been in Eris and Himeros, who said those cannibals had it coming for them."
I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "That doesn't sound very promising. It sounds like Adephagia will have to get in line if she wants to see me."
Persephone winced, and I narrowed my eyes at her.
"What?" I pressed.
"No one is going to have to wait in line very long," she said softly.
The base of my spine tingled. "What do you mean?"
She spun to fully face me and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. It was something she'd often done when I was growing up. I moved away from her touch, and she sighed.
"Hades made an announcement this morning about the tournament," she stated. "The second task is going to take place in two weeks' time."
My stomach tingled. Two weeks. Two weeks was nothing. "Did he say what task it would involve?"
"It's physical..." she trailed off.
"And?"
Persephone's mouth formed a thin line. "The goal is to eliminate others by drawing blood."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry? It sounded like you just said the Underworld wants us to kill each other. I thought that was the opposite of what the Underworld needed."
"All I know is what Hades told me and everyone else. The Sisters have told him that the tournament will involve competitors trying to draw blood. They didn't state competitors had fight to the death, but they also didn't say they couldn't."
"That's ridiculous!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up into the air. "Everyone in the castle is on my back for defending myself last night, yet this tournament is practically encouraging the participants to kill each other! It doesn't make sense." I rubbed my fingers along my temple, feeling my headache increase.
"Hades said he did this exact same physical challenge when he was competing. The Underworld needs to compare the physical strength and strategy among the participants, and apparently having competitors fight side by side is the best way to do it."
Feeling my frustration rise even further, I began to pace in my bedroom.
Persephone added, "I definitely don't agree with it. It means we'll have to trust the competitors to only cause as little damage as possible to others."
I laughed bitterly. "And we know there's plenty of trust to go around, don't we? Where will we even be completing the tournament? In the gym?"
Persephone cringed. "Actually, you'll be completing it against the elements...out there." She nodded in the direction of the window; her gaze stuck with laser-like focus on the lake.
I followed her gaze and noticed the sky darkening to a deep red, like it was roiling with anger. As if to add a dramatic flair to the moment, thunder rumbled in the far-off distance, filling the castle with the promise of an incoming storm.