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In her mind's eye, Persephone suddenly saw an island shrouded in mist and magic in the middle of the Nile.
Now,thatwas a mystery. Kema had never mentioned a hidden island in Egypt, nor had Thoth. She really should tell Hades.
Persephone placed a hand on her stomach again. No, she wasn't ready to talk to him just yet. If she returned to Styx, he would instantly know something was wrong and wouldn't give up until she told him. She needed to know how she felt about the pregnancy before she could talk to Hades. He would never force her to do something she didn't want to do. She just needed some space to think.
Persephone didn't have long to consider her options when two large men appeared beside her on the street.
"Persephone Acheron, you're coming with us," one growled, pulling a gun on her and shoving it into her lower back.
Persephone tried not to smile. "Oh dear, if I must."
2
The back of the van was scattered with fast food wrappers and smelled like a dirty gym bag. Persephone sat on the metal floor with her hands and feet zip-tied. Her pale blue sundress was going to be stained from the mess she was sitting in, and it was just another thing to piss her off. She had gathered enough information from the two idiots who had grabbed her to know they were named Piri and Alcides.
"Look, lady, we have no intention of hurting you, but we are in a bind and need money. It's nothing personal," Piri said from the driver's seat. He had dark curling hair and pale blue eyes. He looked tired and stressed.
"You must be in deep shit to think taking me as a hostage is a good idea," Persephone replied.
"Yeah, we aren't stupid. We don't believe you and your husband are gods, so there's no point in trying to scare us," Alcides grunted from the passenger seat. He had messy, dirty blond hair pulled back in a short tail.
Maybe Medusa had done too good of a job hiding the footage of the day Styx was attacked and the Court had risen to defend it. How had these two missed Darius's very public murder of Demeter, which he'd broadcasted all over Greece?
"You seem confident about that." Persephone didn't mind. Let them think she was helpless. It would make influencing them so much easier.
Hades could track her if she used magic to go to Egypt. Kema had taught her to make doorways as Hermes did. Hades and Hermes had tried to teach her before that without much luck. Thoth had tried next but had given her such a long explanation about the structure of magic that she couldn't follow anything he had said.
Kema took pity on her, and they went out in Alexandria for a few drinks. By the end of the night, Persephone was opening doorways for herself. Hades could track her magic wherever she went, so the two dumbasses in the front were a solution to a problem she didn't know she had.
"You know you can't keep me in Greece. Hades will find me," she said, letting magic seep into her words. This was a trick she had learned from Circe. Piri looked at her in the revision mirror. The gold of her influence flashed in his eyes.
"We know, and we can't have Hades finding us before we get our money," he said and frowned. "We have a plane that will take us to Mykonos."
"Excellent, but I have a better idea. Let's go to Aswan instead. Egypt will be safer for you two when Hades finds out what you have done," Persephone replied, pushing a little more power into her glamor.
Alcides nodded and said dreamily, "Yeah. Egypt would be cool. I've wanted to go for ages."
"Great! Let's go!" Persephone shifted her weight to stop her butt from turning numb.
Was it ridiculous to go along with her kidnappers to avoid a difficult conversation with her husband? Probably. But she was hormonal and terrified, and a mysterious summons to a magical island felt like a great way to avoid all her responsibilities.
Piri sang along to the radio all the way to an airfield outside of the city. It was for smaller planes that were used for farming and light cargo. Persephone didn't fight them as they carried her to a small plane that only fit four people. She feared the life growing inside her more than the aircraft's size.
"You can fly?" she asked Alcides.
"Sure can. We use this one for spraying cotton fields and things like that," he said, the gold of Persephone's glamor burning in his eyes. He opened the door to the plane and helped her inside. He opened a small cooler and passed her a bottle of water.
"A little help?" Persephone said and lifted her hands. He pulled out a knife and cut her ties for her. Piri climbed into the passenger seat with a calm smile on his face. Maybe she had overdone the glamor a little? Persephone sipped the cold water and settled back in her seat as Alcides buckled her into a harness.
"I don't suppose you have a sick bag on this bird? Just in case I need it?" she asked.
Piri passed her two from the front. "Here we go, Persephone. I always carry extra when I fly with Al. These smaller planes rock about in the wind a lot more."
"Good to know. Thanks, boys." Persephone settled back and tried to relax as Alcides started the plane. It was only when they were in the middle of a shaky take-off that a jolt of fear for her life slammed through her.
Persephone? Are you okay?Hades's voice echoed in her mind, making her freeze.
