It had been six weeks since Persephone had been dragged down to the Underworld and Fiona still inhabited Juliet’s body. They were in the darker half of December. Fiona hadn’t been able to go to her classes in somebody else’s skin, so she had to withdraw from all her classes for ‘medical’ reasons. She had spent all six weeks hanging around Chas' apartment watching TV and eating.
Seth didn’t know what to do. At first, he had promised Fiona that no matter what Hades said, Persephone would find a way out of the Underworld and return to collect Juliet’s body. After six weeks, he was starting to think he had been wrong. After all, Persephone had been Hades’ prisoner for thousands of years. Seth had no evidence that she would return, and what about Fiona? It was wrong to leave Fiona in Juliet’s body indefinitely. Exams were already over and the new semester was starting in two weeks. If Persephone didn’t come back during that time, Fiona would either have to miss another semester or leave Juliet’s body and let her die.
Fiona didn’t want to talk about it. She seemed to be in a position where thinking was painful. From what Seth could tell, she had at least two things on her mind. The first one was Chas. At the beginning of those six weeks she had clearly been infatuated with him, but now she seemed to be having second thoughts. When Seth looked at the situation, he saw that Fiona was a perfect mate for a siren. It was because of the blood. Chas could drink as much as he needed from her anytime he wanted and she would never go dry. However, her view of Chas had been horribly skewed. She was only with him when he sang or when played doctor with her. In those settings, he appeared almost flawless as a lover, but what about the rest of the time? Now she saw him in his natural environment she was finding out about the real him, the man apart from the bloodsucker.
Chas was a father. Seth wasn’t sure if that made him lose his appeal, but it definitely seemed to change the way Fiona looked at him, especially since he and Nixie met and talked at least once a day to discuss life. Fiona was usually present for these interviews since it wasn’t like father and daughter hid to talk. In any case, Seth wondered how much Fiona knew about Chas and Nixie before this. She must have known something. Chas wasn’t completely close-tongued about his life.
Professionally, Chas was an artist like Fiona. That was something they shared. He had one room on the top floor dedicated to his painting. Except his skill was light-years beyond Fiona’s, and he wouldn’t let her watch him. It spoiled his concentration and ruined both his quality and his quantity. He sent her out to the living room to get her out of his way and refused to let her use his art supplies.
She asked Seth to take her home to her studio so she could pick up a few sculptures she wanted to show Chas.
He looked at them with mild interest before asking her, “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to critique them,” she said.
At this point, Chas asked her what she intended to accomplish with each piece in great detail. When she answered, he explained at least ten things she could stand to improve on. No matter how kind he spoke, it was obvious he considered her a complete amateur, even though she’d already sold dozens of sculptures.
Fiona was hurt and asked Seth to take the sculptures back.
“I’m sorry. He’s just like that because he’s old,” Seth explained as he helped Fiona get in the rental car. “He was in his forties when Nixie was born. I know he doesn’t look like it, but sometimes he’s really a grouchy old man.”
Fiona hid her face and tried not to let her feelings come to the surface.
Seth wanted to comfort her. “It’s part of the curse. We can never be with someone who’s right for us. His contemporaries have been dying steadily for the past ten years, and there’s this hopeless generation gap between him and anyone much younger.”
“No kidding,” she said humorlessly.
“But you know,” Seth said. “If this experience hasn’t completely soured you, I still think you would make the best partner for him.”
“Explain.”
“Sure, you don’t see eye-to-eye now, but if you still want him in a couple of decades, he’ll probably have reached another level of aging where he’s less strict. You can try him out then.”
“You mean that I should go live my life normally and then look him up after I’ve grown up a bit?”
“Exactly. Personally, I think you should spend your time with Halona. Chas doesn’t have the same lifespan as your sister. He’ll probably still be kicking around looking like a celebrity long after she’s gone, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find someone more suited to you in the meantime.”
Fiona looked at Seth with Juliet’s green eyes and smiled.
Seth started the engine and moved the car away from the curb.
The second issue that was driving Fiona mad was one Seth had a deep interest in. She was in Juliet’s body. Nobody knew it, but Persephone contacted Juliet’s parents when she realized who she really was. She told them that she was withdrawing from university, moving in with some friends, getting a job, and figuring out what she wanted to do with her life. Also, to make things worse, she told them that she wasn’t coming home for Christmas break.
Juliet’s mother called and Fiona was forced to answer the phone. “Hi mom,” she started, but ended up having to turn the phone over to Seth when the crying became too much for her.
Seth explained to her mother in his silky I’m-a-siren-so-my-voice-is-like-cream-and-sugar tone that Juliet had stopped living in dorms to save some money, but that he had no knowledge of her withdrawing from her classes. He was all patience and honey as he offered to talk some sense into Juliet.
After that, ‘Juliet’ refused to talk on the phone and Seth fielded the calls. He told her parents over and over again that she was safe and he would call when he had some news. But this had been going on for five and a half weeks and now Juliet’s enraged parents were no longer listening to Seth. They were coming to pick up their daughter in two days.
Seth didn’t know what to do. How much longer would they have to continue this charade? He and Fiona spoke of it constantly. He hadn’t known Fiona much before this, but her stamina was nothing short of commendable.
“If I went back to my own body, do you have any idea what you would do with Juliet’s dead body?” Fiona asked, being practical.
“Call my mother. She’s good at disposing of dead bodies.”
Fiona made a disgusted face.
“I don’t want to go that route,” Seth said defensively. “I want Persephone to come back.”
“Can that goddess even use this body anymore? Hades did something weird to her when he took her away. What if I went with Juliet’s parents pretended to be her for a few months in order to let them have a little more time with her, then I leave her body in the middle of the night, she dies and they can give her a proper burial?”
Seth hoped Chas could see Fiona’s value. He had never heard a woman talk about a proper burial before and he liked it. “Do you think you can be brave that long?” he asked, concerned.
She rolled her eyes. “Of course I have to be that way. We can’t let your cannibal mom dispose of her body, if I have to leave it. With no body, Juliet will be a forever missing person case, with you and Chas as the main suspects. If I go with her parents and I act weird, then I act weird. Then after Juliet dies, they’ll say she was acting really weird toward the end. That’s okay.” Fiona sighed. “I don’t have a better idea.”
Seth frowned. “I wish there was something I could do to thank you for everything you’ve done, everything you will do.”
“Think nothing of it. I love all this. I’m finally part of the legends I dreamed of.”
Seth patted her on the shoulder and left her on the sofa to retire for the night.
Alone, he stood in front of his tub and undid the buttons of his shirt. A different kind of loneliness enveloped him. He was used to being cursed, to being alone and hungry. He fondly recalled how much he had wanted to draw Juliet’s blood back in the beginning when he pulled her close and kissed her. It was strange, he had just finished talking to the Juliet he fell for, and he had felt nothing. Fiona gave her body a whole different light than Persephone had and Persephone was the one who made him come alive.
No matter what, he would find a way to help her. There had to be a way.
***
The next night there was a buzz at the apartment door. Seth answered it, hoping it wasn’t Juliet’s parents a day early.
“It’s me,” said a voice as hard as iron, over the intercom.
Seth’s body froze. He knew that voice. It was Hades. For a second Seth didn’t know what to do. Should he let him in? Then he remembered that no one had let him in before when he came to take Persephone, so the fact that the God of the Underworld was ringing at all was a courtesy on his part.
“Come up to the fourth floor,” Seth said before pressing the buzzer.
“Is it all right to let him in?” Fiona asked nervously.
Before Seth could answer, Chas came running out to the living room. He had heard the voice, too. “What is he doing here?”
Seth shook his head to say he didn’t know and opened the door.
When Hades came in the door, he looked different. He was dressed in a loosely knit blue sweater that had holes in the cuffs and at the shoulder seams. His jeans were scuffed up as well as his boots. So, this was what he looked like when he dressed down. He was carrying what looked to be an ancient doctor’s bag.
“Come in,” Chas said when Hades filled the doorway.
He didn’t answer but instead entered the living room and after sparing a glance at the portrait of Raidne, stood with his back to it. This placed him in front of the coffee table and directly opposite Fiona, who was perched on the couch. Then he opened his bag and removed two bottles of equal size. One had a little blue light in it and the second was filled with a clear pink liquid.
“This,” he said, indicating the blue bottle, “is Juliet Hudson’s soul. And this,” he said, picking up the second bottle, “is the waters of Lilium. The fact is, the river Styx has two mouths. One leads to the Underworld and the second leads to a small fountain that produces this elixir. Persephone drinks of this whenever she steals a body. This is what causes her to lose her memory.”
Seth nearly bolted for the door, but then he remembered Persephone. He had to stay strong. He stepped forward and said, “You can’t force us to drink that.”
“Fool,” Hades said pitilessly. “It’s not for you.” He bent down and squatted until he was eye-level with Fiona. “Fiona,” he said calmly, looking into Juliet’s eyes.
“Yes,” she squirmed.
“Come now, you remember me from when I was Rylan. We’re not strangers.”
“No, we’re not, but—”
“But nothing,” he interrupted. “Listen to me. You cannot leave that body until a soul comes to fill it or it will die. Persephone is not coming back.”
Seth clenched his knuckles and asked in an icy tone, “Why not?”
“I have sealed her soul in her real body. Her body-thieving days are over.” Then he turned back to Fiona and continued. “I’m here to give you a chance to go back to your body without guilt or regret. I already said that I’ve brought Juliet’s soul with me. I’ll put her soul back in her body and I’ll give her the waters of Lilium to drink so that she will remember nothing. Will you leave her body quietly?”
Fiona fidgeted under his gaze. She didn’t know what to do.
“It was Juliet’s body to begin with,” Hades reminded her. “You aren’t wronging Persephone. Whether she could come back or not is irrelevant. Right now she’s still recovering from her last surgery and cannot rise from her bed.”
Fiona still hesitated.
“Do you want to stay in that body all your life? Or let her die?”
“Okay!” Fiona blurted. “I don’t want to do it without Persephone’s approval, but when you put it that way, I guess I have no choice. Tell me what to do.”
“Just go back to your body and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Fiona had tears in her eyes. “Hades, if it’s true that she can’t come back to this body, then why are you doing this? Shouldn’t you just leave this for us to sort out on our own?”
He sighed slightly and a strand of white hair fell across his cheek. “It’s only natural that a dutiful husband would want to set his wife’s affairs aright. Don’t you think?”
Seth wanted to cuff him across that smug face of his, but held back.
It was good that he did too, because Fiona knew what questions to ask and what tone to put them in. “All right. I’ll accept that, but what about Taylor? She loved you all these years. I have been Taylor’s good friend much longer than Persephone’s and my loyalty is not divided. In the end, it’s with Taylor. I want her to be happy. I’d at least like to take her a message from you before I go back.”
“What should I say in this message?” Hades asked.
“You should explain why you won’t discard Persephone, who doesn’t feel one thousandth of the devotion to you Taylor does, for her.”
“Why?”
“Don’t you want to give her closure? If you don’t tell her, a part of her will stay on pause while the rest of her life continues playing. At least set her free before you move on.”
“Hmm,” Hades said reflectively. “There’s no message, but I will consider the problem.”
“Wait,” Fiona said anxiously, as Hades prepared to uncork one of the bottles. “That’s it? Can’t you give me something to tell her?”
His shoulders drooped. “Are you forgetting? I am a married man. All I can send her are my best wishes for her health and happiness.”
Fiona looked like she was about to cry.
“Stop that,” Hades commanded, somewhat gently. “If you blubber like that, I won’t be able to leave. Don’t cry. Go back to your body. It’s still on the pool deck?”
She nodded, wiping at her tears.
“All right. Then I won’t see you again before I go. Good-bye, Fiona. I’ll be good to Halona when she comes to me.” He stroked her cheek and put his fingers over her eyes to close them.
Juliet’s body lost all strength and she fell as though dead on the black leather couch. Hades wasted no time. He uncorked the two bottles and poured the waters of Lilium into the bottle with Juliet’s soul in it. Placing his thumb over the bottle-top he shook it. When it was mixed to his satisfaction, he pulled Juliet into a sitting position and poured the whole concoction down her throat.
“Good girl,” Hades breathed, holding her carefully.
Seth thought the transition would be difficult. He expected her to sputter and cough, but her body seemed to know what she was drinking and gave Hades her full cooperation.
When Juliet opened her eyes, she was a different woman all together than any of the ones he had encountered before. She looked up at Hades with baby-green eyes and said, “Thank you,” before she flopped down on the couch, fast asleep.
He patted her on the head before getting up and putting his bottles back in his bag.
“H-Hades,” Seth stuttered. “Where is the boy who abused this girl?” Seth wondered out loud.
“He hasn’t come to see me yet, but you never know; he could already be dead and wandering the river. That’s punishment enough for some of them.” With that, Hades closed his bag and left.
Seth followed him out and watched the white head go around and around the spiral of stairs until he finally disappeared out the front door. Afterwards, Seth went back in the apartment and slumped down on the couch thinking about Hades. There was something going on in Seth’s mind that was on the verge of connecting.
Just then, Chas appeared carrying his car keys and his coat. “I’m going to take Fiona home.” He paused in front of the couch. “Seth, I might not understand everything that just happened, but that little scene actually made Hades seem like less of a monster than how he’s usually portrayed.”
“Yeah. It’s weird. So, why did he kidnap Persephone and rape her in the first place?”
“I don’t get any of it,” Chas shrugged and then he went down the stairs to get Fiona.
Seth rubbed his eyes. In many ways, what Hades did for Juliet was the answer to Seth’s prayers. Juliet’s parents were coming the next day and they were probably better equipped to understand if she was delivered up to them with a memory wipe than other parents. After all, they’d dealt with that problem before. Not to mention, giving Fiona her freedom and life back. It was all very godlike of Hades.
But what about Persephone? Seth didn’t bat an eyelash. Even if what Hades said about sealing her soul was true, she would find a way out. Regardless, Seth couldn’t stand by and do nothing. But what could he do? It wasn’t like he was Hades with a medical bag to come around and make everything right...
Seth got up. It was the idea of a medical bag that started him up. He had left something in Chas’ doctor bag that might tip the scales—the seeds that he had bitten out of Persephone.
Seth raced down to the theater and grabbed the black bag. He met Chas and Fiona on the back landing just as they were about to leave.
Fiona was so white and rigid she looked like a mannequin, except for her enormous shiny eyes. “Is Juliet all right?” she asked shakily.
“I think so,” Seth said smoothly. “Chas, mind if I take Fiona home? I have an errand to run after that can’t wait. Could you go back upstairs and watch over Juliet? Please?”
Chas rolled his eyes. Then he took a step closer to Seth and hissed in his ear, “Is it really that important? I wanted to have a few minutes to talk to Fiona. She’s cross with me and I want to smooth it over.”
“You’ll have to wait. I need to take these seeds to Taylor.”
Chas stepped back. “Are you going to give them to her?”
“She might want to eat them.”
“Bloody Hell! Are you serious? She’s a human. You might kill her!”
Fiona leaned back on the door. She was so weak she almost fell on the floor. “Why are you two talking about killing me? My body already feels like it has come back from the dead. Leaving it for one night was child’s play compared to six weeks. I think I’ve had enough of this roller coaster ride, so can I go home already?”
“We’re not talking about killing you,” Seth explained. “I was going to give the seeds I bit out of Persephone to Taylor. They might be her only key to the Underworld.”
“If you want to go to the Underworld, why not just open the gate like Juliet did that first night? I’m sure you guys know lots of women who can give you fresh blood if you need it.”
Seth frowned. “That wouldn’t do any good.”
“Why not?”
“What’s to stop Hades from treating her the same way he did when he saw her here? And you heard the way he talked about Taylor just a few minutes ago. He’s the God of the Underworld. You can’t get something for nothing from that guy. If she shows up on the ferry with Charon, he’ll just send her back. If she’s not willing to make a sacrifice for him, he won’t be moved. Yeah, eating the seeds might kill her, but if she’s not willing to go that far, he’ll never listen to her.”
Chas sighed grouchily while Fiona steadied herself against a wall, and Seth waited for either one of them to tell him he was wrong.
Finally Fiona said, “Well, fine then. But take me with you. I want to see what Taylor decides.”
“What? I thought you wanted off this roller coaster ride,” Chas reminded her.
“I’m not planning on interfering. I just want to watch. Come on, Seth. Let’s go.”
They were just about to go when Chas caught hold of Fiona and held her for a moment. Fiona looked like a dead woman in his arms. “Can I come see you after?”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight.”
“Are you sure that wouldn’t interfere with your arrangement with Nixie? You’ve never come to my place before.” Fiona’s lips were parched, but her eyes were watery.
Seth wanted to leave them alone, but they were blocking the door, so he had to stay and watch Fiona’s conflict and discomfort.
“Melanie has decided to leave me. Her sister just got a divorce and they want to buy a house together. I’m going to give her the money and our marriage will be dissolved.”
“How long have you known?” Fiona cried.
“Since last week, but how could I tell you when you were in Juliet’s body?”
“Are you saying that you were so distant and aloof because of that?”
Chas flinched. “Please consider how I would feel romancing you in her body. I’m old. I’m good at waiting.”
“Then, yes. Come see me. Come see me tonight.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her and Seth pretended not to show his impatience. He didn’t want to interrupt, but he was crawling out of his skin. Timing might be important.
Lucky for him, breaking their curse was as important to Chas as it was to him and Chas hurried Fiona out the door with promises that he would be there soon. He gave Seth his car keys and went back upstairs without waiting for them to drive away.
“Did you know about any of that?” Fiona asked once they were in the car.
“No, but it doesn’t exactly surprise me. I can hardly even remember the last time I saw Melanie upstairs.”
“Are you happy for me?” she asked wearily.
“I’ll be happy for you if this thing with Taylor works. Then maybe your lover won’t need to drink your blood. Fancy that!”
He started the car and they got on their way.
***
Taylor had taken over living in Rylan’s suite in the hotel. Seth and Fiona waited in the lobby while the receptionist at the front desk phoned Taylor. It turned out she was home. Seth could hear her yelling at someone in the background.
In a few minutes, they were in Rylan’s fabulous suite near the top of the hotel. It had gorgeous furniture, carpet, beautifully lacquered tables, and the most fabulous view of the river valley. It was even more magnificent than the one at the top of Chas’ building because this building was twenty stories higher.
“Press the reset button,” Taylor called loudly behind her as she let them in. “Sorry,” she said, coming back into the room. “He’s in the bedroom playing Playstation. It’s like babysitting a teenager!” she exclaimed noisily.
“You mean, that’s Rylan back there?” Fiona chuckled.
“You really don’t need to laugh,” Taylor chided. “This is so abnormal and sucky at the same time. He keeps telling me now old I look. I mean, I’m only twenty.”
“You look thirty,” a familiar voice rang from around the corner. In another second, Rylan was standing in the doorway.
“Holy crap!” Fiona exclaimed when she saw him. “Sorry,” she said when she realized Rylan was glaring at her with his brown eyes.