‘So,’ said Hermes, looking embarrassed, ‘you remember how I said it would be crazy for you to be asked to go to the Underworld?’

Skye stared at him. He coughed awkwardly.

‘You’re kidding, right?’ she said finally.

‘Um…’

‘Goddamnit!’

‘It’s not as bad as it sounds.’

‘Really?’ she asked sceptically. ‘What is it then?’

Hermes rubbed at his collar. ‘Well, I’ve never actually been myself,’ he began.

‘You’ve never been?’ Skye screeched. ‘How am I supposed to go if even the bloody gods themselves are too scared?’

‘I’m not scared, per se. Just…’ He flicked her a glance. ‘Okay, maybe I’m a little bit frightened. Only a little bit though.’

Skye was silent for a second. Then she took a deep breath. ‘Do I have to be…?’ Her voice drifted away.

‘What?’

‘Do I have to be dead?’

Hermes’ eyes widened. ‘By Olympus, Skye, no. It’s true that only the dead are supposed to be allowed to pass through but other people have done it. In fact, there was a guy only just last week who went.’

‘Did he come back?’

Hermes nodded vigorously. ‘Aphrodite doesn’t want you dead.’

Remembering her ordeal at the jaws of the carnivorous cows, Skye wasn’t so sure.

Hermes, as if reading her mind, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ‘Well, definitely not now anyway. She was really pleased when you came back with that sample of the Styx. Honest.’

‘You’ve already said that the tasks were set from the beginning and that she couldn’t change them now even if she wanted to,’ Skye pointed out.

‘Okay, yes, that part’s true. But Zeus would never let her set a task that involved certain death.’

‘No,’ said Skye sarcastically, ‘because that would be unfair.’

‘It’s the last task. It’s going to be the hardest because that’s the nature of these things. But do this and it’s all over, Skye. For good.’

She sighed heavily. ‘Fine. What do I have to do?’

‘Just find Persephone.’

Skye racked her brain to remember who that was. ‘She’s Hades’ wife?’

‘Yeah.’

‘That’s it?’ she asked suspiciously. ‘Just find her?’

‘Well, um, not exactly.’

‘Hermes, spit it out.’

‘When you’ve found her, you need to persuade her to give you some of her beauty to bring back to Aphrodite.’

Skye wrinkled her nose. ‘Bring back her beauty?How is that possible?’

‘Not all of it,’ Hermes said hastily. ‘Just a sample.’

‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘Actually, it’s not as hard as you’d think. It has to be donated voluntarily, but it’s a fairly easy thing to do.’At her look, he quickly amended his words. ‘For gods. Fairly easy for gods.’

Skye rolled her eyes. ‘Of course it is.’

‘I’ll drop you off at the entrance. It’s normally invisible to humans so I’ll need to show you exactly where it is. You go through, find her, persuade her and the job’s done.’

‘What am I likely to come across?’

‘In the Underworld?First, you need to persuade Charon to take you across the Styx, then you have to pass by Cerberus.’

‘The three-headed dog?He’s real?’

‘It’s all real, Skye.’

‘“The vasty hall of Death,’’’ she said. ‘Outstanding.’

‘Shakespeare?’

‘Matthew Arnold.’She sighed again. ‘Let’s go, then.’

Hermes watched her carefully, as if waiting for something else.

‘What?’

He didn’t answer, just gave her a hopeful, expectant smile. She thought quickly. There had to be something missing, something she was supposed to say or ask. Then she snapped her fingers in sudden understanding.

‘Coins!’She grinned at him. ‘Can I borrow some money?’

Relief flashed across his face. ‘Of course.’He dug into his pockets. ‘Here.’Hermes dropped a small bronze coin into her palm. ‘It’s a danake. It won’t buy you much in the shops but I think it’ll get you what you need.’

‘Past Charon, you mean.’

He nodded.

Skye wondered whether she was missing any other important details. What else did she know about Charon?

‘Virgil,’ she said softly. ‘What did he say about Charon?’ She searched the recesses of her brain, her face clearing when she remembered the words. ‘“A sordid god: down from his hairy chin a length of beard descends, uncombed, unclean; his eyes, like hollow furnaces on fire; a girdle, foul with grease, binds his obscene attire.’’’Unexpected bile rose in her throat. ‘Oh, crap.’

‘Poetic licence,’ said Hermes dismissively. ‘He’s really not that bad.’

‘How do you know?You’ve never been to the Underworld. Don’t tell me you’ve met at some godly party. You know, a themed event?I can just see it now.’ She deepened her voice. ‘Come to the 1500’s party. Dust off your favourite Renaissance outfit. Food on offer will be seasoned tripe and stewed rabbit. You will even listen to those classic hit tunes with the hurdy-gurdy, the hornpipe and the lyre!’Skye pinched her nose. ‘Sorry,’ she apologised. ‘The lack of sleep is making me crazy.’

‘Actually, that kind of sounds fun,’ Hermes commented.

She sent him a droll look before becoming serious again. ‘Do you think I’ll do it?’

‘Complete the task?Win the day and live happily ever after in sickeningly sweet love with Coop?’ He beamed at her. ‘Of course.’

Skye took a deep breath and turned away. ‘Right. Thanks.’

Behind her back, Hermes’ face immediately dropped. ‘Shit,’ he mouthed silently. Then he rubbed his forehead and pasted on another grin. ‘Come on,’ he said cheerfully, ‘let’s get going.’

Hermes left Skye in front of an innocuous-looking cave. She made bets with herself about how many sodding waterfalls she was likely to find inside. By the time she finished all these tasks, she reckoned she’d be an expert on them. Perhaps if she failed, she wouldn’t have to go back to eking out a miserable existence as a waitress; she could become the world’s foremost authority on dark spooky caves and gushing streams of water. Not to mention talking rivers and dangerous cows. She smiled grimly to herself. She was definitely letting fatigue get to her if she was contemplating failure. The only way she’d succeed was if she truly believed that she would. And regardless of what Hermes had said about the last task being the most difficult, this was the last task. She could be back safe and nestled against Coop in a matter of hours.

Steeling herself, she glanced backwards. Hermes had already vanished.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered into the empty air, ‘for everything.’ Then Skye nodded once to herself and stepped inside the entrance to the Underworld.

She’d expected it to be dark and gloomy. This was, after all, the gateway to the afterlife. It served no purpose other than to provide an avenue for the dead. She’d also expected the adrenaline to start pumping and for her heart to race. It didn’t get more terrifying than tangling with death, after all. But she was surprised on both counts.

The interior of the cave was neither dark nor gloomy. Instead it was lit by a warm blue phosphorescence, creating an almost welcoming, albeit ethereal, atmosphere. And rather than her heart rate speeding up, it seemed to slow down. She was enveloped in a state of calm. It was possible that the sensation was being forced upon her; after all, it wouldn’t do to have terrified newly-dead spirits causing problems hour after hour. Regardless, she took a moment to breathe in deeply and take stock of her emotions; she wanted to remember how it felt to not be scared or nervous.

The path she was standing on was smooth and well worn. All around her was silence but it felt oddly comforting. Skye walked forward carefully. There was a cluster of flickering images ahead which she tried to focus on – but every time the blurred images started to solidify, they suddenly slid away and dissipated into nothing. From time to time she shivered involuntarily, as if someone was metaphorically walking over her grave. She wrapped her arms around herself and continued forward.

To her left there was an odd, roped-off section. It looked like the lines you’d see at a theme park, or in an airport, snaking off into the distance. If she tried not to look too hard, she could see more hazy dancing images between the ropes. Skye paused. Was she supposed to queue?She shrugged. She’d spent her life following the rules and being polite. By entering the Underworld as a living, breathing human, she was already breaking some of nature’s most important laws. She reckoned that not standing in line would hardly be a grave sin by comparison.

She walked on. No ghostly figures tutted or got in her way. She kept going, past the hundreds and hundreds of zigzagging, seemingly empty, queues.

After what seemed like hours, she realised that the soft blue light was starting to change hues. Up ahead it was more green than blueand if she peered closely, she could make out a figure. It had to be Charon. As she got closer, however, she realised that the boatman was nothing like she’d expected. Instead of a hooded figure with robes and a shadowy face, he was middle aged, wearing a baseball cap, Bermuda shorts and a tattered t-shirt proclaiming that he was a fan of the Grateful Dead. Skye smirked. At least Charon understood irony, if nothing else.

When she was close enough, she raised a hand in greeting. He remained motionless, watching her with expressionless eyes.

‘Another one?’ he said drily.

Skye swallowed. ‘I’m sorry…?’

‘Another live one?It didn’t work out particularly well for the last guy.’

Skye realised what he had to be referring to. ‘Hermes said he got out.’

Charon cocked his head. ‘Aye, I suppose he did.’

‘You mean he didn’t?’ Her mouth felt dry.

‘He got out.’

‘He’s alive?’

Charon’s eyes shifted slowly left and then back again. ‘Yes.’

Her stomach squirmed. ‘I want to get across the river.’

‘I figured.’

She tried to smile. ‘I know Styx. I met him yesterday.’

The boatman scowled. ‘Name drop all you like. I’m in charge here.’

‘I didn’t, I mean, I wasn’t…’

‘Can you pay the price?’

‘What?’ Skye stared at him wide-eyed.

He rubbed his fingers together. ‘It’s not free,’ he said, leaning in towards her. ‘I’m not running a charity here.’

Relief flooded through her. ‘Oh, yes.’She fumbled in her pocket for the coin Hermes had given her and handed it over.

Charon turned it over in his hand, then raised it up to his mouth and bit the corner.

‘I thought you were only supposed to do that with gold,’ Skye said, before she could stop herself.

Charon pocketed the coin and glowered. ‘Do you want to get across or don’t you?’

Skye nodded, suddenly mute. He stepped aside and gestured at a very rickety boat. She hoped it wasn’t going to leak. After all her efforts to avoid touching the black water of the Styx at Angel Falls, it would be ridiculous if she ended up covered in the stuff now.

She licked her lips and moved forward, climbing gingerly into the boat. Charon got in after her and sat down at the rear, starting up a small motor which sent the vessel chugging into life. With a lurch, the boat jerked across the fast-flowing river.

Skye stared into the water. It was so black here that against the green light it almost seemed purple. She leaned out, sniffing delicately, trying to see how similar the water was here to the source. As she did so, a huge scaly shape rose up. She shrieked and pulled back.

‘You should keep away from the water,’ Charon observed calmly.

Skye shot him an exasperated glance and scooted to the middle of the boat. It rocked from side to side, as if the monster below was creating its own tide. She clenched her teeth and hoped the journey would be over soon.

‘The last lifer was a lot more friendly than you.’

Skye scowled. ‘There’s nothing wrong with being quiet.’ She turned and looked at him. ‘What’s a lifer, anyway?’

‘Who,’ Charon corrected, making a slight adjustment to the boat’s rudder.

‘Fine. Who is a lifer?’

‘Someone like you. Someone who thinks they can persuade Hades to give them back their loved ones.’ He raised his eyebrows at her. ‘It almost never works. You should give up now.’

Skye frowned. ‘That’s not why I’m here.’

‘Really.’

‘Really!’ she protested. ‘I just want to speak to Persephone, that’s all.’

Charon began to laugh. It started off as a small sound but grew in intensity, until he was bellowing and making the boat shake.

‘What’s so funny?’ Skye asked, stung.

The boat jerked to a stop against a small wooden pier. Charon wiped his eyes. ‘We’re here.’

‘Wait, why were you laughing?’

‘You need to get out.’

‘Tell me first.’

He gave her a dark, amused glance. ‘You won’t get in.’

‘What do you mean?I’m here. I’m in.’

‘Lady Persephone doesn’t spend much time in these parts. Hades likes to keep her to himself when she’s here. He won’t want the likes of you interrupting him.’Charon winked at her. ‘The pair of them are busy.’

Skye felt her cheeks reddening. ‘They can’t be busy all the time.’

Charon smirked.

She drew a shaky breath. ‘She’ll see me,’ she said. ‘She has to.’

‘I give you about fifteen minutes before you’re running back here with your tail between your legs.’

Skye drew herself up. ‘I’m not scared.’

He narrowed his eyes at her. ‘You should be.’

Trying to push down her rising trepidation, Skye clambered out of the boat. ‘Thank you,’ she said primly then she turned on her heel and walked off the pier and onto the dark shore.

Shoving her hands into her pockets, Skye forced herself to appear as nonchalant as possible. Her previous calm had disappeared at Charon’s words. As much as she tried to tell herself to ignore him and remain optimistic, she couldn’t help feeling that she was strolling blithely to her doom. You didn’t have to do this, she told herself. You could have quit ages ago and lived happily ever after. She smoothed back her hair. She’d been certain that she was right to continue with the tasks and make sure they were all completed; now she couldn’t help feeling that she’d made the worst mistake of her life.

Spotting a dark shape and a large gate up ahead, she headed straight for it. When she was about ten feet away, the shape moved. Two red eyes were glowing at her.

Biting her lip, Skye took another step. The shape moved again. Then there were three eyes. A fourth snapped open and regarded her unblinkingly. Even though her insides were screaming at her to turn and run while she still could, she took yet another step forward. Cerberus’s remaining head jerked awake. Now all three pairs of eyes were following her progress. She sidestepped to the left. The eyes swivelled towards her. She sidestepped right and they did exactly the same thing. Skye held her palms out, trying to indicate that she wasn’t a threat.

‘Good doggy,’ she said softly. She stopped for a moment. ‘Good doggies,’ she rephrased.

A low growl began in the beast’s throat. It was lying directly in front of the gates so there was no way she could skirt round it. She had to either find a way to pacify the three-headed dog so it let her past, or try and defeat it.

Skye thought carefully. Her wits had helped her get this far. Surely she could think of a way to get around this. It was just a dog. A three-headed dog with glowing red eyes, but just a dog.

She forced herself to calm down. Dogs could smell fear. If she acted like prey, it wouldn’t hesitate to attack her. She needed to show it who was boss.

Straightening her shoulders, Skye walked forward, straight at it. All at once Cerberus leapt to its feet and each monstrous head began barking . She stared at its size. It had to be at least a storey high. Three sets of jaws opened and shut, snarling and dripping with drool. Its body was huge, with muscles rippling under its smooth dark fur. Skye spotted a studded collar around its neck. Despite her fear, she admired whoever it was who’d been brave enough to try and tame this beast.

‘Sit!’ she said sharply.

No matter how hard she tried to sound unafraid, her voice still trembled. It didn’t matter, however, as Cerberus ignored her command. The head on the left side lunged forward, jaws opening to reveal sharp white fangs and a lolling red tongue. Skye stood her ground. Okay. That head was possibly the most aggressive of the three. Perhaps she could appeal to one of the others, whose inaction had prevented the first one from reaching her.

She pointed towards each head in turn. ‘Head One, Head Two, Head Three.’Then she moved slightly to her right and addressed Head Two.

‘Hi there.’

It snapped and growled. She was aware that Head One was glaring at her malevolently but, for the time being, she chose to ignore it.

‘I’m here to see Persephone. I’ve been sent by Aphrodite.’She licked her lips nervously. ‘She’s a goddess. That means she’s got more power than you. You don’t want to piss her off. Believe me,’ she said under her breath, ‘you really don’t want to piss her off.’

Skye walked forward two paces. Head Two reared up and howled, making her ears ring. Then, without warning, it sprang forward, fangs flashing. She only just managed to jump out of the way. Damn it. She sidestepped again and looked Head Three in the eyes.

‘Tell Hades I’m here.’ This time, her voice was clear and strong.

Head Three turned slowly and looked at its companions. She could almost smell the disdain. This wasn’t working.

Backing away, she fumbled in her pockets. They were empty apart from her phone. She began casting around on the ground for something to help her. Keeping one eye on Cerberus, she bent down and scooped up two small stones, hefting them in her hands. Each of the heads growled. For a moment she was tempted to see whether she could aim each stone well enough to strike the dog in its separate foreheads. That was a foolish thought, however. She only had to miss once and she would end up as Pedigree Chum. There was a smarter way.

She tossed up one of the stones and caught it. The three heads bobbed up, their eyes tracking the movement.

‘You want to play?’

She tried the same with the second stone. The same thing happened: each pair of eyes remained trained on the stone as it left her hand, heads jerking down as it landed back in her palm again. Skye grinned. She took a step forward. Then another. Very carefully, she unfurled her fingers and held out her palms, revealing a stone in each.

‘Do you want to play fetch?’

A drop of spittle fell from Head Two’s mouth. Skye shifted her weight. She had to be ready to run.

Head Three barked and Skye winced at the sound. There would only be one chance to get this right. She took a deep breath then, with all her might, flung one stone to her left and one stone to her right. Head One went one way, Head Three went the other. Skye sprang forward, shoving herself underneath Head Two while it howled in agony as the other two heads ripped it in either direction, vying desperately to be the one to run after the bouncing stones.

Skye threw herself along the ground and under Cerberus’s belly. Its tail, sharp and pointed, almost like a dragon’s, whipped from side to side and she rolled along the ground like an acrobat to avoid it. As soon as her hands clasped the cold metal of the gates, a triumphant smile curved her lips. Maybe she’d make a ninja after all.

Quickly, before Cerberus could spin around and react, she yanked at the gates. They clanged together but didn’t open. She could sense the three heads of Cerberus reacting as one, snapping one way then the other to try and stop the intruder from entering the Underworld. Alarmed, she pulled harder. The gates still didn’t open. Spotting a bolt, Skye leapt to her right and began fumbling at it. It wouldn’t budge. She cursed and tried harder but no matter what she did, she couldn’t raise the heavy latch to let herself through.

Something wet and sticky landed on the back of her neck. Skye slowly turned. Cerberus had managed to twist itself around. All three heads were facing her and all three of them had hatred in their cold, red eyes. Skye’s stomach dropped and she could feel her legs trembling. She could feel their hot, heavy breath on her skin. Then she ran.

Cerberus leapt at her, its three heads now working in unison, all with one simple objective: to catch her and kill her. She could feel jaws snapping at her back. All she had to do was to get back to the pier;she knew instinctively that the beast wouldn’t encroach upon Charon’s territory. Skye swerved left, then right, zigzagging in an attempt to fool Cerberus and get away. There were ten feet to go, nine feet, eight … she was so close. And then she felt searing pain as her body was lifted up in the air. The mouth – she couldn’t tell which head it belong to – shook her violently while the pressure on her ribcage made her feel as if every bone in her body was about to break. Finally she was being flung like a rag doll to one side. Her body slammed against a wall and she collapsed, barely able to breathe. She pulled herself to her hands and knees and began to crawl, while every one of Cerberus’s six eyes watched her. Her fingers were clawing the dirt and she could hear herself moaning involuntarily in pain. The beast was toying with her now.

‘Please,’ she whispered. ‘Leave me alone.’

Then another voice filled the space, a cracked, dry voice which echoed in her brain and sounded familiar.

‘Begone, Cerberus,’ said Styx, a looming figure wrapped in water pulling up out of the river and pointing at the animal. ‘Begone.’

Head Three whined softly. Skye jerked her head upwards and watched as the animal turned and slowly padded back to the gates. It lay down with a heavy sigh, each red eye still fixed on her.

Skye pulled herself over to the bank of the river Styx and collapsed, gasping.