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PROLOGUE
Sing o Muse, of the new world birthed from the old.
Of death and rebirth. Of old gods that walk amongst us, ready to face the world of men once more.
And of the new gods that are about to come into being.
1
Persephone stumbled out of the cool, air-conditioned clinic and into the humid Athenian spring air. She closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. Magic was swirling inside her veins, ready to attack the invisible enemy threatening her.
She opened her eyes and named three things she could see and three things she could smell. And she could smelleverything—the flowers blooming in the small garden, greasy fried food from a nearby restaurant, exhaust from traffic, the sunscreen on a tourist who was busy taking a distance shot of the Parthenon.
Persephone's vision swirled. She sat on a bench under a tree and pulled her blonde curls into a ponytail to get them off her sweating neck.
This can't be real.Persephone had gone to the doctors for a Pap smear and a checkup because she'd been feeling off and ended up being told the most terrifying of news—she was pregnant.
How had it happened? Persephone smirked despite her rising panic as she thought of the many ways and positions that could have caused it. Then, the panic overtook her again.
Persephone and Hades had been together for years. Gods couldn't get STDs, and early conversations with Hades and Medusa had reassured her that the chances of becoming pregnant were so low, they were almost non-existent. Zeus had been the most fertile of them all, which was why he had an army of divine bastards.
Persephone put her head in her hands and tried to breathe as another wave of nausea rocked through her. She placed a hand on the soft rolls of her tummy. She had gained a little bit of weight recently but assumed it was Hades's cooking.
Oh, fuck, how was she going to tell him? Did he even want kids? He was already a surrogate father to Asterion, Perseus, and Hermes. Not to mention the Titans and the rest of the Court. He had enough to worry about and look after as it was.
Persephone leaned back on the bench and looked at the green leaves above her. Everything had been going so well. The last year had been peaceful.
Thanks to Hermes, they had reconnected with the gods in Egypt, and Kema and Thoth had been staying in Styx to sort through all the books and artifacts they had recovered from Darius Drakos's horde.
Persephone had been helping runMorning Harvestand slowly bringing it andAcheron Industriestogether. She had enough to deal with as well.
Persephone didn't even know how she felt about being a mother. It wasn't something that she had ever considered. She had a terrible relationship with Demeter, and she had always feared passing her powers onto a child. Not that it was a problem anymore. With the help of Hades and Hecate, Persephone could now control her powers perfectly fine.
Would a baby inherit the same ones or be something totally different? She had no idea, and demigod children always had something extra. She only had to look at the members of the Court to see that. She was so fucking fucked. Her nausea vanished, and her stomach grumbled in protest.
"Pastry. All the pastry," she whispered.
Persephone walked through the twisting, colorful alleys of Athens until she came to a bakery she knew had the best chocolate mascarpone baklava in the city.
Persephone got a bag for her and one to take back to Styx with her before continuing her walk. The triplets always knew when she went there, and if she didn't bring any back to Styx, there was hell to pay.
Persephone ate her baklava and tried to let the sugar lift her spirits. It didn't work.
She thought about Demeter and wondered what she had been like before Persephone was born. Had she ever been happy? Persephone loved her life with Hades and the Court. She had friends and family with them that she'd never had before.
She pulled out her phone and contemplated calling Hecate. She always gave sound advice, but she never hid anything from Thanatos. As soon as he knew, Hades would know too.
She needed to tell him but didn't know where to start. Hades knew about all the awful shit Demeter had done to her. Things that meant Persephone still had to get therapy when she got triggered.
Would she turn into her mother if she became one? Persephone tried not to choke on the pastry in her mouth. She felt so...lost.
I don't know what to do.
A sweet perfume floated through the air, and Persephone stopped chewing. She could sense when magic was happening around her, and there was something strange...
Sweet child, come to me. I will give you refuge and guidance. The island of lost goddesses is here for all who are weary, a deep feminine voice whispered in her mind.
Who are you?Persephone replied.
