‘No!’ I rush and then she grins a purely evil smile. I immediately realize my mistake.
‘I knew it! I knew you had feelings for him!’
I stare at her and, oh gods,how? I managed to keep that secret for, what, three days? How long until Hades finds out?Oh Fates, will he think I’ve trapped him in a marriage under false pretences?
My palms are clammy and how is this making me panic? My heart is racing like I’ve run a mile. Incredible. I’ll make an excellent queen of Hell if this is enough to scare me.
‘You can’t sayanythingto him.’
Her shoulders shake, which suggests she’s finding this whole thing far too funny. ‘Calm down, dear. He likes you too so you’re all good.’
‘He likes me too?’ No – that’s even worse. Our marriage is supposed to be a business arrangement. We can’t addthatin; it’ll destroy us.
My feelings refuse to bow to my logic. If Hades is feeling anything like this then it’s only a matter of time until we make some stupid, reckless decision – and, let’s face it, they’re my specialty. Then it will all come out that we only married to stop my parents forcing me into another marriage, and to prevent them from realizing I’d run from them voluntarily in the first place. They’ll find out that all of this, from the very start, was to stop Zeus getting what he wanted. And we’ll be punished accordingly.
‘He doesn’t like me,’ I insist. ‘Tell me right now that he doesn’t.’
‘Well, he hasn’t said anything. But I have what’s known as eyes.’
‘I thought you were serious! Styx! I don’t have time for this.’
‘You don’t have time for feelings for your betrothed?’
‘No,’ I snap. ‘Because that’s got nothing to do with us getting married.’
‘Other than you not wanting Zeus to eviscerate him.’
‘He doesn’t know that’s why I’m doing this so keep quiet about that too.’
She sighs. ‘Trust you to sap all the joy out of a wedding. Your mother really did a fine job with that one.’
Will Mother be happy about this? That I found someone I like, someone who treats me well, someone who would face the wrath of Zeus to protect me?
Or will she be angry that Hades encourages my worst tendencies? That he likes the parts of me she tried to stamp out?
Or will she simply be devastated? I have no way of telling her this is voluntary. She will think I’ve been kidnapped by the cruel ruler of the Underworld and forced into a marriage.
‘She’ll be distraught,’ I say.
‘It’s all right,’ Styx says gently, perhaps realizing she never should have brought up the subject of my mother. ‘You can take her aside at your wedding and talk to her. She might be upset until then but this is better than the lifetime of sadness you’d have had if she’d had her way.’ She’s unable to stop the wrinkle in her nose. Styx is not a fan of my mother. My thoughts of Mother leave me in circles, battling the conditions of her love, but Styx resolutely decided she was horrible – which only made me feel more guilty. I clearly did a terrible job of talking about my mother if that’s what Styx took away.
‘She never wanted that. She was trying to make the best of my father’s wishes,’ I say.
‘She should have fought them.’
But that’s easy for Styx to say – down here in a realm Hades has kept far away from Zeus.
‘You’re right,’ I say. I don’t want to debate this. ‘I just have to wait for the wedding.’
Styx smirks as two wind nymphs run past us, arms laden with trays of food. ‘Let’s get through the court announcement first.’
The nymphs have been rushing around all morning, running food and drink through the halls, crafting decorations and cleaning the walls. I promised them a party of their own after all this, while I try to figure out how to pay wind nymphs who have no want for money.
Now I stare at the empty, shining walls, unable to imagine the palace full of people, full of gods.
But I can see it full of something. And now we have the perfect excuse.
‘I need to go,’ I tell her. ‘I have something to sort.’
