"You want me to go to Hel !" Lina's head was beginning to throb.
"Do not think of it in your limited, mortal terms," Demeter explained. "Hades is the Underworld. A place where souls spend eternity. There are many realms within the Underworlds - most of which are places that hold both beauty and magic."
"And the rest of it is Hel ," Lina said. She glanced at Eirene, who was impatiently listening to her exchange with Demeter. If the old woman had had a watch she would have been checking it every minute or so. "I'd like some more wine, please."
Eirene huffed, but she refil ed her goblet.
Lina took a long drink.
"You stil misunderstand," Demeter said patiently. "There is no 'Hel ' in the Underworld. There are just differing levels of reward or punishment."
"Which are al fil ed with dead people," Lina blurted.
Demeter shook her head sadly.
"Okay, not dead people - the ghosts of dead people."
"Souls, Lina. Hades is fil ed with souls."
"Just exactly what is the difference?"
"You of al mortals should wel understand that difference. Does your soul not quicken within my daughter's body? Does that make you one of the unnumbered dead? Or, as you would cal it, a ghost? No, you are simply displaced. That is al that has happened to those who rest in the Underworld. They, too, have been displaced. Some of them wil spend eternity amidst the wonders of the Elysian Fields; some wil pay for their sins in Tartarus. Others wil drink from Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness, and be al owed to be reborn within another mortal body. Some souls wil languish beside Cocytus, the River of Lamentation, never able to cease mourning for their lost mortality. Stil others - "
"Wait!" Lina blurted. "You've completely lost me. I don't know anything about those rivers or the levels of Hel ... ur... I mean the Underworld. How am I supposed to manage these...these... dead, displaced souls if I don't even know where they should be or what they should be doing? It seems to me that you have the wrong woman for the job."
Demeter waved off her doubts. "That is al easily understood. Just listen to the voice within your body. There is enough of Persephone's essence left within you to guide you through any difficulty you might have in understanding."
Lina looked dubious.
This time Demeter's lips did turn slightly upward. 'Try it, child of mortals. Listen within." Lina narrowed her eyes and concentrated. Demeter had said there were rivers down there. She'd only remembered ever hearing about one. Styx. As soon as she thought the word, the whisper of a response, like a half-forgotten memory, came to her mind.
The River Styx is the River of Hate. Do not drink from it, it wil cause no good end. Lina yelped in surprise. It wasn't that there was another person inside her head, it was more like she could tap into an information source that was the ghost of a shelf of ancient encyclopedias buried somewhere in her medulla oblongata. Lina appreciated the irony of her analogy and smiled askance at the Goddess, who was nodding in understanding.
"And does Persephone have this ability while she's in my body, too? Can she get information from
- I don't know how to put it - from the echo of me?"
"The echo of you. That is an excel ent description. Yes, she has the same ability. Though she wil be mortal, she wil not be lost in your world."
"And she's real y mortal while she's in my body?" Lina asked.
"Of course. Just as you become a goddess while your soul inhabits my daughter's physical form." Demeter's words caught Lina in the middle of swal owing a sip of wine, and she choked, almost causing ambrosia to spew from her nose.
"I'm - I'm a Goddess?" she sputtered.
"Yes," Demeter said. "As long as you inhabit Persephone's body you are invested with her powers."
"Powers?" Lina repeated stupidly.
"Even in your foolish mortal world you must know goddesses wield many powers," Eirene snapped.
" Merda!" Lina swore in exasperation. Why did Eirene dislike her so intensely? "Could you give me just a little break here? How would you like it if you were suddenly sucked out of your world and plunked down in the middle of Tulsa, Oklahoma, circa the year 2000-something" - she glanced at Demeter and added - "a.d., with a stranger tel ing you that you had a six-month job to do in a place you thought only existed in fairy tales and bedtime stories. You wouldn't necessarily have to be in Hel to feel like you might just be visiting there."
Eirene blinked in confusion.
"See, it's not so easy, is it?" Lina turned back to Demeter. "What kind of powers?"
"Persephone is Goddess of Spring. She carries life and light with her, and she can share her gifts as she wil s," Demeter said.
Lina's eyes widened. "You're sending me down to Hel and I can resurrect people?"
"Not people. Persephone can not return life to dead mortals. I share my realm with my daughter, so she has dominion over growing things: flowers and trees, the wheat of the field and the grass beneath you. They al respond to Persephone's touch," Demeter explained. "She also can create light. Do not ever fear that the Underworld wil be a dark, cheerless place. Persephone's presence evokes light."
"So I can make flowers grow and I light things up. What else?"
"Everything you need know is within you. Look deeply, and you wil find the powers you seek," Demeter said cryptical y.
Lina met the Goddess's gaze. She knew evasion when she heard it. Okay, so Demeter didn't want her to know the extent of the powers within her new body.
"I guess I'l just have to discover some things on my own," she said carefully.
"You have a quick mind. You wil have little trouble accomplishing your goal," Demeter said.
"Then why six months? That seems like a long time if I'm going to have 'little trouble'
accomplishing my goal," Lina said.
"The six months is needed for your bakery to thrive. But do not be concerned about the passage of time - it is measured differently by the Gods." Demeter made a vague, dismissive gesture with her hands. "Six hours, six months, six years - it is al the same. Focus on accomplishing your goal, and al wil be wel ."
"And that goal is managing the Underworld?"
Demeter nodded. "That is one way to put it."
"I'm assuming there is some kind of problem down there right now."
"Think of it as a problem with morale." Demeter shrugged nonchalantly. "The Underworld needs the touch of a Goddess. It has too long been a place devoid of feminine influence. It is simple. Al ow yourself to been seen by the dead. They need to believe that their eternal rest wil not be without the love and attention of a goddess. Think of yourself as a figurehead, a symbol of female strength and wisdom. Mortal souls crave the love and attention of an immortal mother. Your very presence wil begin to set things to right."
Lina rubbed her forehead again. What was going on down there? Was there the equivalent of a bunch of male spirits sitting around scratching and farting as they watched the mythological version of the Super Bowl while forcing ghostly women to cook tacky, fattening foods for them?
Demeter's no-nonsense voice continued over Lina's mental turmoil.
"Think of it as a large bakery that is in disarray because its proprietress has long been absent. Use your wisdom and experience to put it to order. And know that as you do so, you are returning the favor of a goddess."
"Demeter, the time is short. She must begin her journey," Eirene spoke urgently.
"You are correct, as usual, my friend." Demeter smiled at Eirene and stood, gesturing for Lina to fol ow her. "Come, I wil take you to the entrance of the Underworld."
"That's it?" Lina asked breathlessly. "Those are al the instructions you're going to give me?"
"Are you a child who needs to be led about by the hand?" Eirene asked sarcastical y.
"You know, if you touched up some of that gray in your hair your attitude would probably get better. It always works for me," Lina quipped.
Eirene's mouth opened and closed. Once.
Demeter covered her bark of surprised laughter with a smal cough. This human woman certainly had a wil of her own. She cleared her throat delicately before addressing Lina.
"I have not left you bereft of aid. I have arranged for one of the recent dead to guide you to the Palace of Hades. She wil help you with the questions your inner voice does not answer." As the Goddess spoke she was striding quickly through the grassy meadow and Lina had to scramble to keep up with her. "But you must understand that you cannot al ow anyone to know that you are not truly Persephone."
"What! But how wil I - " Lina gasped.
"It would be an insult," Demeter interrupted her. "The dead deserve more respect than to believe that they cannot be afforded the touch of a true Goddess."
"But I'm not a true Goddess!"
"You are!" Demeter's intense gaze captured Lina. "I have granted you my daughter's powers. Believe you are a Goddess and behave accordingly. And remember, in your world Persephone abides by the same rule. No one wil know she is not truly Carolina Francesca Santoro. Now you must give me your word that you wil not betray your true identity."
"I promise I'l keep who I am a secret," she agreed after only a brief hesitation. What choice did she have?
Demeter inclined her head in regal acknowledgement of Lina's oath before she continued her trek, leaving behind the grassy meadow and entering a wooded area.
Lina barely had time to wonder what it was she had somehow gotten herself into as she hurried after the Goddess's departing form.
They were making their way through a grove of thick trees. The breeze was light and stil touched with summer's warmth, but it caused dried leaves to rain from the sturdy branches that formed a canopy of fal colors over their heads.
"It's not spring here," Lina said suddenly.
Demeter glanced over her shoulder at the woman who wore her daughter's body.
"No, as I already explained, time runs differently here, Carolina. Spring has departed from this world, and the resting seasons of fal and winter are upon us, which is why my daughter could visit your world where the growth of spring has just begun."
Lina pressed her lips together. Wel , didn't that just figure. It was appropriate that it was spring in the Oklahoma she'd just left, especial y since Persephone had just arrived. It reminded her of an old myth___
And Lina turned to stone.
Eirene stumbled and almost bumped into her from behind.
"You must hurry," the old woman said in irritation. "We have no time to - " She was silenced by the expression on Lina's face. Sensing trouble, Demeter had already turned when Lina's next words sliced through the air between them.
"The Rape of Persephone." Lina crossed her arms, hugging herself defensively. "I remember the myth now. Hades, the King of Hel , abducts the maiden goddess, Persephone. He rapes her and tricks her into staying down there with him by getting her to eat six pieces of fruit." She searched her memory and came up with the name. "Six pieces of pomegranate. That's why for six months there's fal and winter - because her mother, that would be you, Demeter, went into such mourning at the loss of her daughter that she refused to let anything bloom until she returned." Lina gulped for air, fighting down her fear. She wasn't an innocent young virgin. She was a mature, middle-aged woman, and she would not be led docilely into a trap. 'You're setting me up. You want me to take your daughter's place so that it's not actual y Persephone who is raped." Lina could hear Eirene's shocked gasp at Lina's words, and before she could say more, Demeter covered the space that separated them so quickly that Lina's vision blurred. The Goddess took Lina firmly by the shoulders and met her gaze unblinkingly. "You must not believe this lie, Lina," Demeter said.
"I've read the story; it's how it goes."
"Not here, Lina, not in this world." Demeter could feel the girl's body trembling under her hands. She focused the power of her wil on Lina's eyes. She had to make this mortal daughter believe she was tel ing her truth. "I would not al ow such a thing to happen. Not to my own daughter, and not to you."
"But I remember it. That's what happens," she insisted stubbornly.
"The stories you know of this realm are only the shadows of truth. Think of them as tales too long repeated by too many gossips. Truth has been twisted and changed and used to explain away mysteries. Think logical y, daughter of mortals. Do you honestly believe that I would al ow anyone to steal my daughter from me?"
Lina met Demeter's eyes. The Goddess fil ed her vision. Her power was a tangible thing. Suddenly Lina was reminded of her mother, and her grandmother. She recognized in Demeter the protective, earnest tone of another mother who would do anything to ensure that her daughter wasn't harmed. And Demeter had the strength of an immortal to support her maternal instincts.
"When you put it like that it doesn't seem very logical that a goddess would al ow her only daughter to be abused." Lina said slowly. "But then again, I'm not real y your daughter." A genuine smile softened the Goddess's expression so that Lina saw clearly the love Demeter had for Persephone. "You stand in my daughter's stead. You speak through her lips; you are housed in her form. I would not al ow harm to come to you, child."
"And the King of Hel doesn't want to rape me - or Persephone?"
"No, Lina. Hades is a reclusive, somber God. He does not cavort with nymphs; he has no mate, nor has he shown amorous interest in any goddess in" - Demeter scoffed, her handsome face twisted in disdain - "longer than I can remember. His dour existence is consumed with the workings of the Underworld. He cares nothing for love or life. And always remember that you are under my protection. Al of the gods and goddesses know it. No one, mortal or immortal, would dare abuse my daughter."
Demeter's words felt logical. The Goddess who stood before her exuded power and authority. It didn't seem likely that she would al ow her beloved daughter to be harmed. Lina looked deeply into Demeter's clear, guileless eyes and realized with a start that she trusted the Goddess.
"Does he know you're sending Persephone down there?"
"Hades wil be pleased to have your assistance. Do not worry so, al wil be wel ." Demeter squeezed her shoulders firmly before resuming her trek through the trees. She gestured impatiently at Lina to catch up with her. "It is time for you to meet your spirit guide." When Lina stil didn't move, Demeter turned and raised her distinctive brows questioningly.
"Saying that Hades wil be pleased to have my assistance doesn't mean that you've told him I'm coming." Lina knew business rhetoric when she heard it. She'd just fired an accountant who specialized in it. "In other words, he has no idea I'm coming and not a clue that I'm there to mess around with the management of his realm. Right?"
Demeter's expression was wry. "You are experienced enough to understand that not everything can be spoken outright. Especial y when dealing with men."
"You're right. I do understand what you're saying. So here's my request. I'd like you to send him word that your daughter is coming for a" - Lina gestured vaguely - "a little vacation. From a purely business standpoint it's always a good idea to keep the lines of communication within management as open as possible."
Demeter considered her request. Perhaps the mortal was correct. Hades should be told of Persephone's coming; even if the dour god didn't deign to bestir himself to welcome her. Stil , it was only polite for one god to contact the other when entering another deity's realm. The Goddess raised one hand and pursed her lips, letting loose a series of melodic birdsong. Before the lovely sound had died on the wind, a flutter of wings burst overhead and an enormous raven circled Demeter once before gliding down to perch on her outstretched arm.
'Take the news of my daughter's arrival in the Underworld to Hades," Demeter said to the bird. 'Tel him that the Goddess of the Harvest appreciates his hospitality and his protection as Spring visits the Land of the Dead." Demeter threw up her arm and the raven lifted graceful y into the wind, disappearing amidst the trees.
"Does that satisfy your sense of responsibility?" Demeter asked Lina.
"Yes, thank you," Lina said as she hurried after the stern Goddess. Demeter came to a rise in the land that signaled the end of the tree line. There she waited for Lina and Eirene to join her, but Lina's eyes were not on the Goddess. They were focused on the incredible sight before them.
"Oh!" The breath left her in such a rush she felt dizzy. "I've never seen... this is... is..."
"It is Lake Avernus." For once Eirene's voice had lost its caustic edge. "Beyond it is the Bay of Naples."
"It's so beautiful," Lina said, at a loss for words to describe the awesome view. The lake stretched before them like a vast liquid mirror the color of sapphires. Light glittered and danced magical y over its surface, breathing life to its face so that its perfect, glassy cover sparkled playful y. There were no trees near the lake's edge, but lacy ferns framed it with the soft touch of earthy green. Beyond the lake waited the ocean, its lighter shades of aqua and turquoise making it appear like it was the feminine complement to the darker, land-bound body of water.
"You have only begun to know the wonders of this world, Lina," Demeter said.