Daughter of the Earth and Sky (13 page)

“Anyway,” Melissa continued. “Shopping is supposed to be fun. But nothing is fun with her around.” She paused at a display of boots and motioned for a salesperson. “Size eight, please.” She turned her attention back to me. “What’s the point of shopping for clothes when Miss Perfect over there could make a paper bag look good?”

I made a noise that could be taken for assent and slid my necklace back and forth on the chain. Melissa narrowed her eyes. “What? No impassioned speech on how I should be more patient or something? What’s with you, anyway? You’ve barely said a word since school started.”

“Sorry.” I feigned interest in a pair of heels I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing.

“Don’t apologize. Tell me what’s wrong.” Melissa snatched the shoe from my hand and looked me in the eyes. “I’m worried about you, okay?”

“Believe me, if I could tell you, I would.”

Melissa raised an eyebrow. “If you
could
? What do you—?”

“Hey, guys!” Aphrodite called. She hurried over to us. “Ooh, cute boots.”

Melissa slammed the boot back down on the display and stormed off toward a nearby rack of dresses.

“What’s up with her?” Aphrodite asked. She beamed at the salesman who’d brought out the shoes. “Size eight. How did you know? Oh Persephone, I met the nicest people!”

“Call her Kora in public,” Melissa snapped. She thrust a hanger at me. “You have to try this on.”

I lifted the hanger and stared at the white dress with a lacy flower pattern. “Um…okay?” I slipped into a dressing room and pulled it on. It was too loose. The neck gaped and it threatened to slide off my shoulders. When I walked out to show Melissa, she frowned.

“Aphrodite, go play with your new friends. Persephone and I need to talk.”

“You’re supposed to call her Kora in public,” Aphrodite reminded her.

Melissa shot her a murderous look.

“Fine.” Aphrodite shrugged, completely undisturbed by Melissa’s mood. “I was going to meet Jessica and Ashley for a movie anyway. They’ll bring me home.”

I watched her go with a sinking heart. She could see the Reapers, which kept them in check. If she noticed them behaving oddly, she could tell Hades or my mom. Then this would finally be over.

“What is it?” I asked Melissa as the Reapers swarmed around me.

“That’s a size two.”

“So?”

“You’re a four.”

I struggled to understand the significance of this through the Reaper’s taunting.

“Persephone.” Melissa gripped my arms, looked straight into my eyes. “What’s going on? You have circles under your eyes.”

I’d forgotten Melissa could see through my glamour. All the priestesses could.

It’s hard to sleep after watching someone die
, I wanted to snap. I knew I’d be having dreams about that little girl tonight. It’s impossible to sleep knowing there is something in your room that wants to hurt you.

“You’re not dressing like you normally do,” Melissa continued, indicating my jeans and a short-sleeve T-shirt. “Come on, Persephone, spill.”

Why couldn’t Hades see what Melissa saw? Did he? Did he just attribute it to Zeus? Our “breakup”? What did he think was causing this? Did he even notice?

“I’m sorry, Melissa.” I cast my eyes down to the floor. “I can’t tell you.”

“Of course you can’t,” she muttered. I couldn’t see her face, but her voice sounded hurt. “It’s god stuff, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but it’s not like that. I can’t tell you—”

“No, no, I understand. I’m just some human. What do I know?”

“Melissa—”

“Melissa? Kora?” Joel walked over from a display of leather wallets. “Hey!” He gave Melissa a hug and she flushed. “It’s been awhile.”

“Not for all of us. I hear you ran into Kora the other day.” She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Did you forget how to use the phone?”

“Ouch.” Joel frowned at her. “I’ve been pretty busy.” He shifted closer to me, a smile lighting up his face. “But I’ve got some free time now. Want to go to the movies?”

“Sure!” I answered quickly. Aphrodite was at the movie theater. If I stayed close to her, the Reapers would leave me alone for a little while.

Melissa was looking back and forth between the two of us. “You know, I’m not feeling well. I think I’m just going to head home. Have fun.”

She didn’t sound like she meant it. I threw her a questioning look. Being annoyed with me, I got. Best friends shouldn’t have secrets, but what had Joel done to piss her off?

All thoughts of Melissa fled my mind when a child’s scream pierced the air.

The familiar feeling of fire coursing through my veins woke me up. A hand clapped over my mouth, cutting off my scream. Two Reapers glared down at me, savage grins on their cruel faces.

“Knock it off guys,” Zachary scolded. He towered above the other two Reapers. His eyes were so dark they were almost black. Of all the Reapers I’d ever met, he was the one who most looked the part.

The pain stopped abruptly, and I scrambled away from the Reapers, breathing hard. “Zachary,” I gasped. “Long time no see.”

Zachary was the first Reaper I’d met. I’d shaken his hand and felt the pain of my soul ripping free of my body. The same pain I’d woken up to this morning and every morning since Hades had agreed to let the Reapers be my guards.

“Thanatos told us to make her suffer,” a female Reaper pointed out.

“Did he happen to mention how to avoid Demeter ripping us limb from limb if she finds us torturing her daughter while she cooks breakfast downstairs?” Zachary asked.

The Reapers stepped away from me.

I read the apology in Zachary’s eyes, and my shoulders loosened a little. The Reapers weren’t all evil. Thanatos was putting them up to this. I was sure he’d chosen his most aggressive Reapers for guard duty. I wondered how Zachary had made the cut.

I skipped breakfast and headed to school. I arrived early, but enough students were milling around to prevent another attack from the Reapers. They might not be able to see the Reapers, but even humans would notice if I hit the ground screaming in pain. There was no fighting back. Anytime I touched them, it hurt me ten times more than I could possibly hurt them. And they weren’t corporeal to anything but deities and the dead, so I couldn’t throw things at them or charm them. I was helpless, and that was really starting to piss me off.

I had small victories. I’d told Moirae I needed to take more of an interest in the day-to-day running of the Underworld. Every night she gave me a schedule of the next day’s events. I made it a point to be in the palace anytime Thanatos was supposed to be there. He dodged me easily, always managing to be somewhere else. Hades was getting really annoyed at Thanatos’ “new work ethic.” All my time in the Underworld was cutting into my schedule quite a bit, but all I needed was a second’s worth of eye contact with Thanatos to end this. If I could charm him, I could kill him.

The thought made me feel sick but it was my only option. I’d promised not to help Hades find out about Thanatos, so it wasn’t like I could charm Thanatos into turning himself in. I’d never promised not to hurt Thanatos. ‘Course I’d never be able to explain to Hades why I killed his best friend, but I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.

“There you guys are. What took so long?” I asked the moment Melissa and Aphrodite stepped out of Melissa’s gold Civic.

Aphrodite yawned and pointed to Melissa. “She spent forever in front of the mirror getting ready.”

I glanced at Melissa, surprised to see she was wearing a brown satin skirt with a maroon blouse. “You look nice. What’s the occasion?”

“Picture day,” she reminded me. She walked toward the white school buildings, heels clicking on the sidewalk.

“It’s picture day?” I followed Melissa.

“What is picture day?” Aphrodite asked.

“You forgot?” Melissa shook her head. “You’re wearing yourself too thin, Persephone.”

“I forgot because we took senior pictures over the summer. I thought we were done.”

“They’re still going to do the club pictures.”

I groaned and plucked at my necklace. “I look terrible. Ugh, I can’t believe I forgot!”

“So they’re going to take our picture…why?” Aphrodite asked while we walked to the classroom.

“To put in the yearbook,” Melissa explained.

“Which is what, exactly?”

I searched my mind for a way to explain that wouldn’t lead to more questions while I opened the classroom door. A high-pitched squeal caught me off guard, and suddenly I was bombarded by the girls in my class.

“Oh my god! Aphrodite! Kora! You look amazing!” Ashley exclaimed.

We stepped into the classroom. “Thank you,” Aphrodite said graciously.

“Your hair looks so nice and this dress!” Jessica touched the floral material of a dress I’d worn a thousand times without inspiring comments and turned to her twin sister. “Hey Ashley, do you remember that dress we saw in Macy’s the other day? The white one with the flowers. It’s about this cut. We should run by the mall after school and get it, Kora. It’s so you.”

“Uh—” I began.

“It’s so daring!” Ashley exclaimed over Aphrodite’s blue ensemble. Aphrodite had slid right into the social circle in school. Effortlessly filling the void Rachel had left. The twins followed her around campus like lost puppies. It annoyed Melissa to no end, but I’d made sure they weren’t under charm. What else was I supposed to do?

Melissa made an offended noise behind me, and I turned to see her rushing out the door.

“Melissa, wait!” I cried, following after her.

My sandals slapped at the concrete sidewalk. I caught up to her on the bamboo “Causes Bridge” the art teacher had created. Signs dangled from the arches of the bridge, different problems written on each. I slowed as the weight of the problems settled on my shoulders. As a goddess, shouldn’t I be doing something about issues like world hunger? Instead I was stuck dealing with Zeus, Thanatos, and the Reapers.

Melissa leaned over the bamboo rail, staring down at the canopy of greenery between the beams for overpopulation and war.

“Melissa, I’m sorry no one said anything. You look amazing—”

“It’s not enough.” She swiped angrily at her eyes. “I’m just the mere mortal.”

“Don’t let her get to you. Aphrodite was created to cause a stir, it’s—”

“The fact that she was intended to be perfect doesn’t make standing next to her any easier. Look, I’m not proud to admit that she gets to me, okay? Yes, I’m being shallow and overdramatic, but I’m telling you, my self-esteem can’t take this anymore.”

“Melissa…”

“It’s not just her, it’s you, too. You’re both so freaking perfect.” She made a gesture of frustration with her hands. “No one notices me if you guys are in the room. How could they?”

I blinked, surprised by her anger. “This isn’t just about what happened back there, is it? You’ve never cared what those girls think.”

Melissa sighed and sat on the bridge, feet dangling through the rails. “It’s everything. It just builds.” She was quiet for a moment before adding, “I had a fight with my mom.”

“What about?” I sat next to her. The wood caught on my cotton dress. I could only imagine what it was doing to Melissa’s skirt. She must be really upset not to notice.

“I got accepted at Iowa State.”

My heart froze in my chest, but I shoved my selfishness aside. “That’s great!”

“Mom said I couldn’t go.”

“So we’ll work it out. I’ll tell her I said it was okay—”

“I shouldn’t need your permission Persephone!” Her eyes glittered with rage. “I died last year, and you know my first thought when you brought me back?”

I shook my head, but she was already continuing.

“That could have been it. My entire life, and I’d never done a single thing for myself. Every decision I’ve ever made had to be weighed against what you wanted. You think you have mom issues, Persephone? Mine wouldn’t have even had me if she hadn’t been ordered to. You’re the entire reason I exist and, sorry, but that’s pretty screwed up.”

I’d been afraid of this ever since I found out she was my priestess. Maybe back in ancient Greece people hadn’t had issues with being born subservient, but modern-day society didn’t allow for that kind of thing. I’d never treated her like a servant, but if it was me instead of her, that would be a cold comfort.

“You’ve felt this way ever since you came back?”

She shook her head. “Like I said, it builds. At first I was just grateful, you know? I figured things could go back to the way they were, but you changed.”

“Me?”

“Before, everyone at school kind of hated you, and you couldn’t deal with that, so I helped you.”

“You fought my battles for me,” I corrected. I was proud that I’d started standing up for myself. That was the one good thing that had come with facing Boreas. I wasn’t afraid of confrontation anymore. I’d fought for my life: standing up to a few high schoolers paled in comparison.

“Well, you don’t need me anymore. And you have these cool powers, and you’re confident and self-assured and have an awesome guy—”

“Who dated your mom…”

Melissa shuddered. “It may be gross, but at least someone is interested in you. And as if that wasn’t enough, you’re stringing Joel along—”

“We’re just friends!” I protested.

“He doesn’t want to be your friend and you know it, but you still hang around with him. It used to just bug me, but I could deal. You’re my best friend after all. I should be happy for you. Even if you do look freaking perfect.”

I stared at Melissa, stunned. In my entire life she’d been the one person who’d never cared what I looked like. She’d never made me feel guilty, or superior, she just accepted who I was. “I didn’t know I was bothering you.”

“It was fine. I’m allowed to be jealous, okay? It’s stupid and petty of me, but I’m only human, remember? I thought I could handle it, but then you dropped
her
into my lap, and I just can’t. She’s completely perfect. I didn’t think prettier than you
existed
, yet there she is. And…I know this is shallow. I’m not saying I want to be in the center of attention, okay? It just hurts not to be noticed at all. And then this college thing…”