Persephone the Phony Read online

  Persephone didn’t bother to reply, knowing it wasn’t necessary. With Pandora, it was impossible to get a word in edgewise anyway. Sure enough, the girl quickly turned her questions back to Athena. As if a symbol of her constant curiosity, Pandora’s bangs clung to her forehead in the shape of a question mark.

  On her way to Mr. Cyclops’s class, Persephone saw Hades again. He was skulking along the hallway wearing a scowl. When he glimpsed her, however, his face lit up.

  Ducking her head, Persephone raced across the hall and escaped into Mr. Cyclops’s classroom. Just inside the door, she tripped over one of his sandals. This time, though, his foot was actually in it. “Someone’s in a hurry,” he said. He plucked her from the floor as if she were a flower and set her upright on her stems.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  Mr. Cyclops’s enormous eye winked at her. “I think it’s great that you just couldn’t wait to be in class.” Persephone sighed as she took her seat. He obviously didn’t have a clue about the problems she had to deal with!

  Later, as she stood in line for lunch, she looked nervously around for Hades. Fortunately, she didn’t see him. Come to think of it, though, she’d never seen him in the cafeteria. He must eat lunch somewhere else—probably by himself, since he didn’t seem to have any friends. The thought made her feel a bit guilty for avoiding him, but what else could she do?

  Persephone accepted her steaming bowl of nectaroni and cheese from the eight-armed lunch lady. Then she headed for her three friends at their usual table. They were talking animatedly until she drew near. Then they exchanged glances and fell silent. Her friends must have been talking about her! It kind of hurt her feelings.

  “So how is everyone today?” she asked in a fake, sunny voice as she sat down.

  “Good, thanks,” said Aphrodite.

  Artemis and Athena nodded. “And how are you?” asked Artemis.

  “Fabulous,” Persephone said brightly. “Couldn’t be better.” They all looked relieved. No one seemed to notice the false note in her voice.

  Athena was eyeing Persephone’s bowl. “Would you mind trading?” she asked. “The nectaroni and cheese was gone when I went through the line. I’m not that fond of ambrosia chowder.”

  Neither was Persephone, but she let Athena trade with her anyway. As she dipped her spoon into the too-sweet chowder, she thought sadly that things had returned to normal. Once again she was going along to get along. Once again she’d slipped into being Perse-PHONY.

  Athena began to talk about something funny that had happened in her second-period class involving Pandora and a two-headed godboy, but Persephone tuned out. Her thoughts returned to the cemetery, with its grand stone monuments and its peaceful air. Was it really only two days ago that she’d first discovered the place? She smiled to herself, remembering how startled she’d been when Hades emerged from below the earth on the back of his great black stallion. But of course, he’d been startled to see her, too.

  Later, when the lyrebell sounded the end of the lunch period, Aphrodite turned to her. “Any after-school plans today?” she asked lightly. “Want to go shopping again?”

  Oh, no! thought Persephone. Shopping again? But, much as she disliked the idea, she really didn’t have any other plans. She was about to go along as usual when she noticed that all three of her friends were looking at her intently, waiting for her answer.

  They’re worried that if I say no, I’ll go see Hades again instead! she realized. Anger burned inside her. She felt like she’d swallowed a lit coal. How dare they try to control her life! Why, they were as bad as her mom. “No, thanks,” she said crisply. “I have something else to do.” Her friends could think what they wanted!

  Rising abruptly, she left the table, hurrying away before anyone could ask what her plans were. Truth was, she didn’t even know herself. As she marched out of the cafeteria and down the hall to her next class, Persephone smiled to herself. This time it was a genuine smile. It was amazing how good her tiny act of rebellion had made her feel.

  6

  Pomegranate Seeds

  BY THE TIME THE SCHOOL day was over, Persephone knew what she wanted to do. She would visit the cemetery again. Holding on to an image of a dove in her mind, she felt her arms turn to wings and her body grow lighter. When the change was complete, she fluttered toward Earth. Just before she reached the cemetery, she came upon a pomegranate orchard. Unable to resist the sweet fruit, she changed back to her goddess form and picked the biggest, juiciest pomegranate she could find. Then, cupping her prize in both hands, she walked the rest of the way to the cemetery.

  Persephone looked around for Hades, but he wasn’t there. Unsure whether she should feel disappointed or relieved, she split open the pomegranate against a gravestone and settled onto the grass to enjoy her favorite fruit.

  It was nice being by herself. There was no one here to tell her what to do and who to see or not see. She sucked the sweet, juicy pulp from around each pomegranate seed, then spat them out, challenging herself to see how far she could send them flying.

  Suddenly the ground cracked open in front of her and Hades appeared astride his stallion. Startled, Persephone swallowed the seed she was planning to spit next.

  Hades jumped down from his horse. “Why did you come back?” he said, scowling at her.

  She gulped, feeling embarrassed. She’d wanted to see him. Why was he acting so sorry to see her? “I told you before, I like it here,” she said.

  Hades glowered at her. “Didn’t you think I might turn up?”

  “So?” Persephone stuck out her chin.

  “You were avoiding me at school today,” he said in an accusing voice.

  So that was it, thought Persephone. She’d hoped he hadn’t noticed. “Look, I’m sorry about that.” She held half of her pomegranate out to him like a peace offering. “Want some? It’s delicious.”

  When he hesitated, she smiled, adding, “We could have a seed-spitting contest.”

  At her smile, his bad mood seemed to melt away. “A spitting contest?”

  “Sure.”

  He flashed her a grin. “You’re on.”

  Persephone picked up some fallen twigs and laid them end-to-end on the lawn. Then she stood behind the line she’d created. Using her tongue and the roof of her mouth, she rolled a seed into position, then spat. Ptooey! It flew out of her mouth and landed a good eighteen feet away.

  “Hey, you’re pretty good! But it’s my turn now,” Hades said, wiggling his brows in a teasing way. He planted himself on the line, and a look of concentration settled on his face. Puffing up his cheeks, he blew, rather than spat, the seed out. It plopped in the dirt at his feet. He stared at the seed with a look of grave disappointment. “This is harder than I thought.”

  Persephone stifled a giggle. “Want some advice?”

  “Sure,” said Hades, looking back at her.

  He had the most beautiful eyes, she thought, as black and intense as smoldering coals. And it was nice that he didn’t get all huffy because a girl had beaten him. “First you have to roll the seed into position.” As she demonstrated, he watched her closely. She felt herself flush under his scrutiny.

  But then he popped another seed in his mouth. “Like thith?” he said, his tongue pushing the seed against the roof of his mouth.

  “That’s it!” said Persephone, trying not to laugh. It was impossible to look dignified when spitting seeds. “Now tilt your head up and blow hard. You need to get some air behind that seed.”

  This time Hades managed to send his seed a foot farther than before. As he continued to practice, Persephone glanced up and saw three hawks circling low in the sky. One had a black stripe on top of its head, another had golden feathers, and the third was lustrous brown. She wondered if they were hunting for birds or rabbits. They swooped overhead a few times, then finally flew away.

  After a few more tries, Hades’ seed spitting improved, but there was no way he could outspit Persephone. “You win,” he said finally. He
flopped onto the ground, and she sat beside him. “Know something?” he said, glancing sideways at her from under thick eyelashes. “I really like you. You’re the first goddessgirl I’ve met who isn’t freaked out  just because I’m from the Underworld.”

  Persephone’s heart gave a little flutter. She was surprised how much his words touched her. “It shouldn’t matter where someone’s from,” she said.

  “Agreed,” said Hades. “But most goddessgirls pretty much shun me.” His eyes slid away from hers. “Your friends dragged you off fast enough when they saw you with me at the river yesterday.”

  “I know,” Persephone said softly. She took a deep breath. “They say you’re bad news.” She was taking a risk being so honest, but somehow she felt he was the kind of friend who might understand.

  A dark shadow passed over his face. For a moment Persephone worried she’d misjudged. But then he sighed. “Do you know why they say that?”

  She was surprised to realize that she didn’t, and shook her head. “No, I never asked.”

  Hades shrugged. “I don’t know either.” He paused. “I do spend a lot of time in Principal Zeus’s office. Pheme saw me in there once, and I think she may have spread the word that I’m in trouble a lot.”

  Persephone nodded. Pheme could well be the source of Hades’ bad rap. “Why do you spend so much time in the office?” she asked.

  “Because Principal Zeus is cool.”

  “Cool?”

  “Yeah. I mean, have you ever talked to the guy?”

  “No, he’s kind of scary.”

  “That’s what I used to think too. I guess it would be hard not to be intimidated by someone who’s King of the Gods and Ruler of the Heavens, on top of being principal of the academy. But I know what it’s like to be judged unfairly, so I gave him a chance. Once I got past the fact that he’s huge, speaks in a voice like thunder, and causes an electric shock every time he shakes my hand, I discovered he’s a really great guy.”

  “So you hang out in his office?” Persephone asked, fascinated.

  “I think he heard that some of the godboys give me a hard time.” Hades paused, looking pained, and she wondered what awful experiences he was remembering. “So he invited me to eat lunch with him in his office every day,” he went on. “Sometimes I study there too. Or we talk.”

  He talked to Principal Zeus? She hardly knew anyone brave enough to go near him, much less talk to him. Except, of course, Athena. But then, Zeus was her dad. “So what do you talk about?”

  “Stuff.” As if he were a little embarrassed he’d told her so much about himself, he seemed to suddenly close up tighter than a brand-new bud.

  Well, that explains the rumors, anyway, thought Persephone. She was glad her gut feeling about Hades had been right after all. Still . . . “Did you really know where Mr. Cyclops’s other sandal was—the one Pheme found?”

  “Yep,” said Hades, shooting her a look. “Didn’t believe me, huh? I did, though. It washed up in the Underworld. I wanted to give it to you, but in the meantime Charon found it and towed it upriver.”

  Persephone nodded. “I see.” She knew about Charon. He was the old man who ferried the dead across the River Styx to the Underworld. Glancing up at the sky, she noticed that the sun was getting low. She jumped up. “I’d better go. My mom will come looking for me again if I don’t get home soon.”

  Hades stood too. “I’d hate for you to get in trouble on my account,” he said. “I don’t usually talk so much, but—” He spread his hands, looking almost shy. “You’re so easy to talk to.”

  Persephone smiled. “You too. See you at school tomorrow.” Quickly she changed into a dove and flew up the mountainside, darting through the clouds to the top of Mount Olympus.

  * * *

  “Hi, Mom, I’m home!” she called out as she entered the house. There was no reply. She heard voices. Her mom must have guests.

  Persephone wandered down the hallway to the courtyard. Then she stopped short. Her jaw dropped as her three friends and her mom whipped around to look at her. “How could you?” Demeter scolded. “I trusted you to keep your word!”

  Like a willow tree, Persephone stood rooted to the spot as her mom’s words rained down on her. She couldn’t believe it. Her friends must have told on her. But how had they known? Then she remembered the three hawks circling overhead—one with a black streak, one with golden tail feathers, and one brown . . . the goddessgirls in disguise! They hadn’t been hunting for birds or rabbits after all. They’d been hunting for her.

  “You have no idea of the dangers in the world,” Demeter ranted on. “Why, you could have gotten lost. You could’ve hurt yourself. You could’ve been abducted!”

  “How could I ? How could you?!” Persephone cried, her shock turning to anger. She glanced at her friends, but none met her eye. Were they embarrassed for her? Suddenly the public humiliation was more than she could bear. Turning, she bolted down the hall to her room. Tears of hurt and anger streamed down her face. With friends like hers, who needed enemies?

  7

  In the Underworld

  AFTER A WHILE SOMEONE KNOCKED lightly on Persephone’s door. “Can I come in?”

  It was Aphrodite. “Go away!” Persephone yelled.

  “Please,” Aphrodite called through the door. “We need to talk.”

  “I don’t want to. Not now, not ever!”

  “It’s not like you think,” Aphrodite protested. “We were worried about you. And your mom practically made us tell her. We didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”

  “Right,” Persephone said sarcastically. “Well, thanks for nothing!”

  There was a pause, and she could hear whispers. Athena and Artemis must be outside her door too. At last Aphrodite spoke again. “You’re not yourself right now,” she said. “We’ll talk to you at school tomorrow after you’ve calmed down, okay?”

  Persephone didn’t answer. Moments later she heard her friends leave. Aphrodite had it all wrong, she thought. This angry self was her real self. The Persephone her friends thought they knew, the one who went along to get along, was the phony Persephone. From now on that Persephone was gone forever!

  Demeter made yambrosia for dinner that night. Although the school’s yambrosia was good, her mom’s was heavenly. Persephone knew it was an attempt to patch things up between them, but she stubbornly ate her bowlful in silence and stared down at the tabletop to avoid looking at her mom. The only sound during the meal was the clicking of spoons against their ceramic bowls.

  Later, as they were doing the washing up before bedtime, Demeter set down her dishcloth and sighed. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have scolded you in front of your friends this afternoon.”

  Persephone grunted but didn’t reply.

  “You’re my only daughter,” her mom continued. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

  Breaking her silence at long last, Persephone muttered, “I’m not something you can misplace. I’m not a turquoise ring or an emerald bracelet.”

  Her mom frowned. “Don’t get smart with me. You know what I mean.” In a calmer voice she said, “It’s late. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” Taking a step toward Persephone, she added, “Good night.” As her mom bent to kiss her, Persephone turned her cheek away. “See you in the morning,” Demeter said softly. Then she headed down the hall to her room.

  Persephone knew she’d hurt her, but she shoved away her feelings of guilt. If she forgave her mom now, she’d simply fall back into her old pattern of letting others tell her how to behave, and that was something she was determined not to do.

  Returning to her room, she paced back and forth on the mosaic floor tiles beside her bed, thinking about what had happened and what she should do next. She just couldn’t continue to be the goddessgirl her friends and her mom thought she was. And then, like a bolt of lightning from Zeus, an idea struck her. She would run away!

  And she knew exactly where she’d go.

  Once she was sure Demeter
was asleep, Persephone packed a few chitons and other things she’d need into a woven bag and sneaked out of the house. Hesitating on the doorstep, she looked back for one long moment. It wasn’t too late to return to her room. She could still change her mind. Feeling her resolve waver, she steeled her spine. Then she clutched her bag tightly and hurried away.

  Since Hades was her only real friend, she’d decided to ask him if she could stay at his place. Turning herself into a dove, she grabbed her bag in her beak and dropped down to the River Styx. About a half mile past the spot where Mr. Cyclops’s sandals had been found, she spied some shades—human souls—boarding Charon’s boat for the trip to the Underworld.

  Changing herself into an old woman, a favorite disguise of her mom’s, Persephone joined the throng at the river’s edge. Her body was solid compared to that of the wispy shades, but she hoped no one would notice. She waited until it was her turn, then approached Charon. “I’d like passage to the Underworld, please,” she said.

  Raising his grizzled chin, he looked her up and down. Persephone pulled her brown woolen shawl tighter. For a moment she worried that the stooped old ferryman would see through her disguise, but all he said was, “That’ll be one obol, please.”

  Persephone stared at him, dumbfounded. She had no human money! Giving her an impatient look, Charon reached past her and plucked another’s coin, and then pulled the soul onboard.

  As Persephone found herself pushed aside in line, a shade with a gaunt body and a long beard leaned forward and tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re not from around here, are you?” he whispered. “An obol is one sixth of a drachma.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “But I don’t have any coins—none at all.”

  “That’s okay,” said the shade. “I have an extra. Maybe helping you will bring me good fortune.” He dropped a silver coin into the palm of her hand.

  Persephone smiled. “You’re very kind.” If she had anything to say about it, this nice shade would get to stay in the Elysian Fields. She’d heard it was the Underworld’s most desirable neighborhood and that those lucky enough to go there feasted, played, and sang forevermore. She handed Charon the coin and he helped her onto his boat, grunting and frowning at her unexpected weight.