Persephone the Daring Read online

  “I’ll play!” said Atë excitedly. Ten other girls volunteered too, including Aphrodite and Athena.

  “What’ll we use for a spinner?” asked Pandora.

  “One of my arrows?” suggested Artemis. She trotted over to her sleeping bag and got her quiver. When she returned, she drew out a silver arrow and handed it to the closest girl, which happened to be Persephone. Then, seeming to notice that some of her remaining arrows were dull, Artemis plopped onto the floor and began sharpening their tips.

  Persephone dropped cross-legged onto the floor beside her. The other girls sat too, forming a big circle of a dozen girls, with the arrow in the center.

  “Whoever the arrow tip points to after it comes to a stop will be asked ‘Truth or Dare,’ ” Persephone said. With a flick of her wrist, she spun the arrow. When it stopped spinning, its tip was pointing at Athena.

  “Oh!” said Athena, looking a bit flustered.

  “Truth or Dare?” Persephone asked her.

  “Truth,” Athena replied.

  “Hmm,” said Persephone. She tapped her chin with a finger, trying to think of an easy question that wasn’t too prying. Finally she asked, “Which of Heracles’ Labors did you dislike helping with the most?”

  Athena smiled. “Easy one. Cleaning the cattle poop from King Augeas’s stables. It was a never-ending and smelly job.”

  Aphrodite wrinkled her nose. “Ick!”

  As everyone laughed, Athena leaned forward and spun the arrow. This time it landed on Medusa.

  “Truth,” Medusa said before Athena could ask her to choose.

  “Is it true you gave all of your snakes names?” Athena asked her.

  Medusa nodded. When everyone stared at the top of her head curiously, she crossed her arms, getting defensive. “Draw a picture, why don’t you?” she said. Although the snakes were preening under the girls’ attention, it seemed to make her uncomfortable.

  “We’re just wondering what their names are,” Persephone said gently. “You don’t have to tell us, though. It’s not required for the game.”

  “Oh!” Medusa perked up, apparently pleased at their interest now that she realized no one was making fun of her or her snakes. Reaching up, she named each snake on her head, one by one. “Viper, Flicka, Pretzel, Snapper, Twister, Slinky, Lasso, Slither, Scaly, Emerald, Sweetpea, and Wiggle.”

  After her a few more girls spun the arrow. Some chose truth and others dare, but all were easy challenges.

  Then it was Atë’s turn. She spun. The arrow was a blur as it whizzed around. When it stopped, its tip was pointing straight at Persephone.

  “Truth or Dare,” Atë asked her.

  Persephone froze. She could see the expectation in everyone’s eyes. They thought that good old dependable Persephone would choose the “safe” option. They expected her to choose truth. But was that really the safest option? Not necessarily. It depended on the question.

  Her heart raced as she debated what to do. Then, before she could rethink her choice, the fateful words tumbled from her lips. “Dare. I choose dare.”

  Too late Persephone recalled that Atë was the spirit of reckless impulse. Spirit-goddesses like her had fewer magical powers than some immortals at MOA, but way more than mortals, who had none at all. Anyway, she was exactly the wrong person to ask for a dare.

  “Awesome!” Atë rubbed her palms together. Her eyes sparkled with devilish delight as she leaned forward and gleefully spoke. “Persephone, I dare you to go up to Orpheus at the concert tomorrow night . . . and get his autograph!”

  2

  Orpheus Rocks

  Hades

  THAT SAME FRIDAY NIGHT HADES was hanging out with Apollo, Ares, and some other godboys in the rec room at the end of the boys’ dorm hall on the fifth floor of MOA. Right in the middle of laughing at something Apollo said, he suddenly got that prickly feeling on the back of his neck. The one that meant trouble was brewing down in the Underworld.

  He hated to go. He was having fun with the guys. They’d been making up funny lyrics to a new tune Apollo had written for his band, Heavens Above.

  But duty called, and Hades knew he should leave right away. He needed to find out what was up way down there below the earth. Without a word to anyone, he slipped out of the room and headed downstairs. He was soon outside the Academy, crossing the marble-tiled courtyard.

  Overhead the moon was only a thin sliver of white in the night sky. But there were torches burning at the doors of the gym in the distance. He looked over, wondering why the gym was all lit up. There weren’t any sports events, drama performances, or parties that he knew of going on there tonight.

  Wait a minute. He thought he remembered Persephone saying something about a sleepover with her Cheer team. Something like that, anyway. As he stared, the gym’s side door opened. Two shadowy figures went in. They had short hair and broad shoulders.

  Were those boys? Sneaking into a girls-only sleepover?

  Hades immediately switched direction, veering toward the gym. Minutes later he quietly pulled the side door open a few inches and peeked inside. His dark eyes scanned the gym. Whoa! There were sleeping bags and girly stuff spread out all over the floor. Lots of girls were sitting or standing around, giggling and chatting in small groups or pairs here and there.

  His eyes were drawn to the biggest clump of girls, clustered together in the middle of the gym. He caught a flash of long red curls. Persephone was in that big group! It figured. She was one of the four most popular girls at the Academy, after all. Pretty much everyone liked her. Including him.

  As the girls talked, he caught the words “Teen Scrollazine” and “Orpheus.” Then suddenly he saw Aphrodite faint. He pulled the door wider, ready to run over and help. Before he could move, however, she straightened again and started laughing. Deciding that everything was okay with the girls after all, he relaxed.

  But where were those two sneaky boys? Moving his gaze, he quickly spotted them huddled under the bleachers a couple of dozen feet away. Kydoimos and Makhai. Those jerks were spying on the girls!

  Careful not to let anyone see him, Hades stayed close to the wall as he crossed the room. He moved as quietly as a shade—one of the dead from the Underworld. One minute later he was standing right behind the two snoops. As he watched, Kydoimos reached up through the bleachers overhead and snitched a scrollazine that had probably been left there by one of the girls.

  “Having fun?” Hades whispered in a sarcastic voice.

  Kydoimos and Makhai whipped around, their eyes bugging out in alarm.

  Hades jerked his thumb toward the gym door. “Move it. Now.”

  The three of them managed to slip outside unnoticed by the girls. Hades wasn’t sure if it was a breach of school rules for boys to spy on girls, but it certainly wasn’t very cool behavior. He didn’t really have time to take this matter to Principal Zeus right now, though. So instead he decided to handle things himself. Just like he handled everything in the Underworld.

  Once he, Kydoimos, and Makhai were through the door, he spoke a quick chant that would prevent them from returning after he left:

  “Doors of the gym!

  Stay locked up tight.

  Let no boys inside

  For the rest of this night.”

  Then he folded his arms and stared down the two troublemakers, giving them the same stern look he used on misbehaving shades in the Underworld. “Explain yourselves,” he commanded. “Or would you like me to report this to Principal Zeus?”

  That threat got them talking in a hurry.

  “We weren’t hurting anyone,” whined Makhai. “We were just curious.”

  Kydoimos nodded. “Don’t you ever wonder what girls talk about when we aren’t around?”

  “No,” Hades informed them. “I figure it’s their own business. I don’t like gossip.” Then he added, “I don’t like spies, either.”

  “Oh, really? Then I guess you don’t want to know what us spies overheard Persephone say just now,” said Makh
ai.

  “Yeah, we won’t tell you that she said she’s gaga over that mortal rock star Orpheus,” said Kydoimos. “Or that she thinks he’s ‘fascinating.’ ”

  Kydoimos smirked. “I think you’ve got competition, godboy!” With that, he smacked the ’zine he’d taken from the bleachers against Hades’ chest.

  Hades automatically clasped the scroll when Kydoimos let go of it. He looked down and saw it was a copy of the newest Teen Scrollazine, with a drawing of Orpheus on the cover. When he looked back up again, the other two boys were already walking away.

  He angled the cover toward a torch that flamed next to the gym door. In the drawing Orpheus was singing—his latest hit, according to the caption. A bunch of mortal girls were crowded around him cheering. This rock star guy was mega-popular down on Earth. All the MOA girls seemed wild over him too. Even the godboys admired his musical skills. Including Hades.

  Normally Hades was a pretty confident guy. Especially when it came to ruling the Underworld. But for some reason what Makhai and Kydoimos had said about Persephone just now made him feel unsettled and maybe even a little jealous.

  Of course, that’s what those boys wanted. They had hoped to plant the seed of jealousy in him.

  He frowned. Well, he wouldn’t let the seed grow. So what if Persephone admired Orpheus? That didn’t change anything. He could depend on her to be his friend. They understood each other and got along great.

  Absently he tugged on the chain he wore around his neck, pulling upward until his fingers closed over the small glass orb that dangled from the chain. Encased within the glass was a single pomegranate seed.

  This amulet was a keepsake from the seed-spitting contest Persephone had challenged him to back when they’d first met. It was his good luck charm. He didn’t want anyone asking questions about it, though, so he kept it tucked beneath his tunic. Persephone didn’t even know about it. No one did. Some things were private.

  Speaking of luck, he was going to need some when he reached the Underworld. The back of his neck was prickling big-time now. Which meant the trouble there was getting worse. Quickly he dropped the amulet back inside the neck of his tunic.

  “Chariot! Come!” he commanded.

  No sooner had he uttered the order than the earth magically opened up before him. Crack!

  His chariot zoomed out. It was black with gold trim and was drawn by four glossy black stallions. Before it had even touched down, he leaped inside and grabbed the reins. He dropped the Teen Scrollazine to the floor of his chariot, never noticing the Best of MOA poll within it.

  “To the Underworld!” he shouted.

  His horses leaped into the crack in the earth again and magically descended. When he arrived in the Underworld minutes later, Hades was astonished to see a half dozen mortal girls hanging out on the banks of the River Styx.

  Spotting his chariot, one of the girls pointed at it. Then the others started jumping up and down and looking excited. To see him?

  They were holding signs, he noticed. One of the signs read HADES = HEARTTHROB. Another read HADES = FASCINATING.

  Huh? He was no heartthrob. And why would anyone think he was fascinating? What in the Underworld was this all about?

  3

  Concert Night

  Persephone

  PERSEPHONE’S OVERNIGHT BAG BUMPED AGAINST her side as she rushed down the hall of the girls’ dorm at MOA. It was Saturday, the night of the Orpheus Rocks the Gods concert. Although most girls shared a room, Aphrodite didn’t have a roommate. So she’d invited Persephone to spend the night and join in the fun of the pre-concert preparations.

  Ever since the big gym sleepover the night before, Persephone had been mega-busy. She’d spent all morning in the Academy greenhouse working on a very important project for Garden-ology class.

  After that she’d gone home to help her mom pick flowers from their garden. They’d then delivered them to her mom’s store, Demeter’s Daisies, Daffodils, and Floral Delights, at the Immortal Marketplace. It was only a few minutes ago that her mom had finally dropped her back at the Academy.

  As Persephone headed for Aphrodite’s room, she said hi to some other girls who were darting in and out of rooms along the hallway. Many of them had left their doors open tonight. Laughter and excited conversations floated up and down the hall as they helped one another with fashion decisions. Getting ready for big events was a group effort! And it was also more fun this way.

  Persephone had just set her overnight bag on Aphrodite’s spare bed, and the two girls had exchanged greetings, when Iris and Atë zoomed into the room. After giving them a quick wave, Aphrodite went back to gazing at herself in her mirror and applying makeup.

  “Can we borrow some of that flowery perfume you wear?” Iris asked Persephone breathlessly.

  “Sure. Let me find it,” Persephone replied. She dug through her bag, then pulled out two fancy crystal bottles. One contained a pale purple liquid and the other was filled with a milky white liquid. “Do you want Lavenderlovely or Asphodelight?” she asked.

  Iris and Atë both pointed to the pale purple perfume made from crushed lavender petals.

  “Lavenderlovely it is!” Smiling, Persephone handed the bottle to the girls. Iris took it with a hurried “Thanks,” and then dashed back down the hall. But before Atë followed, she said to Persephone, “Good luck getting Orpheus’s autograph tonight!”

  “Um, thanks,” Persephone replied, smiling weakly. Then the girl was gone.

  Before she could get settled and start spiffing herself up, more girls came asking to borrow things. “Persephone, do you have any flowers I could clip in my hair?” “Persephone, can I borrow that flowered scarf?”

  Hey! What did they think she was anyway? A store in the Immortal Marketplace? Or maybe they just knew they could count on good old, dependable Persephone to have what they needed.

  After a while Aphrodite shooed all the borrowers out. “Give the girl time to catch her breath!” she scolded them, but her smile softened her words. Once everyone was gone, she shut the door and went back to standing before the full-length mirror on her closet door.

  “You look nice,” Persephone told her.

  Aphrodite’s smile widened, which made her look even more beautiful, if that were possible.  She did a dramatic turn to showcase her outfit, causing the skirt of the candy-pink chiton she wore to swirl in the air around her. A thin silver belt decorated with a cluster of hammered silver seashells glittered at her waist. And her long  golden hair was threaded with curling ribbons in every shade of pink and red.

  Aphrodite’s style practically shouted, Hello. My name is Mega-glamorous! Persephone thought. That Teen Scrollazine poll was right. The word “glamorous” fit her as perfectly as that chiton. She always seemed so certain of her fashion choices, and those choices always made her look effortlessly amazing.

  Persephone opened her bag, grabbed one of the four chitons she’d brought, and went to stand before the other full-length mirror on Aphrodite’s spare closet door. She held the pale green chiton against her chest and gazed at her reflection. The style and color of the chiton was kind of . . . expected.

  Did her own personal style shout, Hello. My name is Dependable? Well, it wouldn’t tonight! she decided firmly. Going back to the bed, she balled up the chiton and stuffed it back into her bag.

  Though she liked clothes, she usually didn’t think too much about her fashion choices. But earlier this afternoon she’d felt uncharacteristically unsure about what she should wear to the concert as she’d packed her overnight bag at home.

  Because the Teen Scrollazine poll results had upset her, she’d brought way too much stuff. Now she laid it all out on the spare bed and stared at it.

  Hmm. What would a not-so-dependable girl wear to a concert? she wondered.

  From the corner of her eye, she watched Aphrodite slick on a glittery pink lip gloss. She didn’t want to mimic her awesome friend’s style. But she did want to try out a new style of her own. Tonig
ht would be a fresh start. A whole new look for a new her.

  She poked around uncertainly in the mound of clothes she’d brought.

  “Can’t decide what to wear?” Aphrodite asked.

  Persephone glanced over at her. “Well, I was thinking of a garden theme. Leaves, flowers.”

  “Ooh! That sounds cute!” said Aphrodite.

  A knock came at the door. It opened, and Athena stood there, looking a bit frazzled. “Fashion emergency. Aphrodite, could you come help?”

  “Sure, I’m pretty much ready,” said Aphrodite. “But what’s wrong? You look fab as you are.”

  Athena did look cute. The hem of her blue chiton was scalloped and edged with a band of darker blue that was a perfect match for the clasps in her long wavy brown hair. Although she usually didn’t wear much makeup, tonight she’d added a pale blue shadow on her eyelids.

  “Thanks, but the emergency isn’t me,” said Athena. “It’s Artemis. She’s trying to choose the perfect outfit to match her new arrow quiver. Which is the color of mud. And which she’s planning to bring to the concert.”

  Aphrodite’s brows rose. “Why would she do that?”

  Athena shrugged, making an I have no clue face.

  “Maybe because she takes it everywhere?” Persephone chimed in.

  “True,” said Athena. “Only this time I was hoping we could talk her out of it.”

  “Okay, I’m on it,” said Aphrodite, heading for the door. She glanced back at Persephone. “Unless you need help?”

  Persephone picked up a bright yellow chiton from the bed and smiled at her friends. “No, I’m okay. You go on.”

  Once Aphrodite and Athena were out of the room, Persephone shut the door behind them and flew into action. She pulled on the yellow chiton, which was edged with a leafy garland design. Then she tugged on ivy-green sandals that laced up her calves. So far, so good.

  Next she pulled out two pairs of earrings. One pair featured delicate dangly green leaves. The other was a pair of yellow daisy studs. She held the two pairs up on either side of her face and gazed in the mirror. Hmm. Which pair looked less dependable?