The Queen Below

Chapter 4

"Well, what are we supposed to do with her?"

"I don't know! That's what I called you here for, Aeacus! You're one of the judges!"

"For mortal souls, you absolute imbecile! She isn't dead!"

"Oh, dear, I hadn't noticed that..."

"We're here! Now, what is all this commotion we've been hearing about?"

"This isn't some spectacle! You aren't all supposed to be here. Don't you have better things to do?"

"A live woman banging on the doors of Hades' palace and begging to be let in is not a normal occurrence. As if my brother and I would miss this for the world!"

"She isn't just a live woman! She's a goddess! Look, she's dripping ichor all over the floor."

"And what were those things out front? Were those plants? How did they get here?"

"Her doing, I think. She must be one of those mixed-with-nymph goddesses."

A feminine voice broke through the men arguing. "She looks familiar, somehow."

"Hecate, when did you get here? Is she one of your lampads?"

"No, of course not. Why are you all gawking over this poor woman? She's clearly injured and you just left her on the floor?"

Someone scoffed. "You came here without being summoned, too."

I groaned in pain and heard everyone pause. I was still on the floor, the cold stone pressed against my cheek. I must not have been unconscious for very long because my body still ached, somehow even worse than before. The pain had locked my muscles.

"Uh, girl, are you conscious?"

"Mhmmm," I mumbled as I opened my eyes and tried to ease myself into a sitting position. People had crowded around me, three luminescent immortals, but two were somewhat transparent spirits.

"What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?"

"Are you actually a goddess?"

The woman, Hecate, offered me a hand, which I took as I struggled to stand. My vision waved and I felt my body go with it. "Someone, get her some water and then she can answer your questions. Here, sit down." She pushed me into a plush chair that had not been behind me a moment ago.

One of the wraiths hurried off into the castle to follow her command.

I sagged in the chair, sore and exhausted, while everyone watched me.

"You look terrible, child. What happened to you?"

"The journey here was long and rough. I'm afraid I didn't wear proper footwear." I cracked a smile as I looked at my feet, bruised and blisters still oozing ichor.

"Where did you come from?"

"Eleusis."

"That sounds familiar, but I'm not quite sure where... We don't go to the mortal world very often, I'm afraid."

"It's my mother's domain."

"Demeter?"

I nodded. The wraith returned with a goblet of water and I drank greedily. Gods and goddesses did not need sustenance to survive but my trek here was not the kind of physical activity my body was used to.

"Can you answer our questions now?" One of the male gods asked and the one next to him, nearly identical save for their hair color, elbowed him. "What? We all want to know."