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I'm fine. Just got a fright from something.Persephone didn't want him to worry about her.
Where are you? I can feel you moving away and fast.
Don't freak out, but two idiots have kidnapped me. I'm fine. I have it under control and will be home soon. Love you!she replied.
Hades's anger and confusion rocked through her, and she quickly slammed down her psychic walls, cutting him off.
"You better fly fast!" Persephone shouted over the noise of the plane. She was relaxing again when she felt another god pushing his way through her psychic walls like they didn't exist.
Persephone, where are you off to?Hermes asked her.
None of your business. How are you even doing this?
God of liminal spaces here. You're on a plane. Figure it out. Are you okay, Aunty? Have they hurt you? Hades is freaking out.
Persephone swore and rubbed at her temples. She loved all the Court but had a soft spot for Hermes. She had been the one to save him from the cave he had been locked in, which created a special bond between them. Unfortunately, it made him nosier than the others too.
I'm fine, Hermes. I got kidnapped by some malakas after money. Well, kind of. I can get away when I need to. They haven't hurt me. I just need some space.
'Space' with some random kidnappers, not your husband and me, your favorite nephew. Hurtful.
You're not the boss of me. Neither is Hades. I've got this. Trust me.Persephone shoved him out of her mind and hoped he would respect her wishes. She put her head in her hands.
Hades would get over it. She just needed time to find the owner of the voice that had summoned her. And how did they know she needed help?
3
Five hours and two sick bags later, Persephone stumbled off the plane in Aswan's hot, dry heat. She was sweaty and crumpled and thought she had possibly lost her mind, but that wasn't going to stop her. Not much did when she was in a stubborn mood.
Persephone could feel the magic linking her to the mysterious voice, like a delicate silver thread attached to her chest tugging her forward. It was a siren song in her veins, mingling with the ancient power of Egypt itself. There, history blew in the sands, making Persephone's skin tingle.
It took a bit of glamor and a smile for the airport staff to ignore the appearance of a strange plane and get the guards to let them pass without asking for a passport.
Persephone recruited one of them to take her and her minions to the docks in their air-conditioned SUV. There, they found a man with a sailboat giving tours of the islands. He was done for the day, but Persephone persuaded him to take them out in his felucca for a sunset cruise. She had used the everyday magic of waving her credit card at him.
"Do you know where you want to go, lady?" the captain asked her.
Persephone pointed. "That way."
The man shrugged and did as he was told. She supposed he dealt with fussier, more eccentric people in his day job.
Persephone sat at the front of the boat on a cushioned mattress and took in the beautiful water of the Nile and the date palms and lilies that crowded the edges. She had only been to Alexandria with Kema and had longed to explore more. Work had kept her in Greece. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the challenge of running such a large company. She did.
A small part of her wondered if there was a better way she could spend her time. She wanted to see more of the world, and that wasn't always an option when everything hinged on your decisions. If she became a mother, she would have to make some changes.
Persephone rested her hand on her stomach and tried not to freak out all over again that life was growing in there. Potentially immortal life. Hermes had confirmed her own immortality. Despite being a half-human, her demigod DNA ensured that she was immortal. It overpowered the human side of her completely.
Would the baby be the same? Or would she have to watch them grow old and die like a human? Would she be able to live through that?
Don't think about it just yet, she tried to tell herself and focused back on the shimmering light of the dying sun on the water.
After a while, Persephone could make out ancient structures on an island in the middle of the Nile. The thread of magic gave an insistent tug, and she hurried where the captain stood at the wheel.
"Hey, what is that over there?" she asked.
"That is Agilka Island. It is where the temples from Philae were moved, brick by brick, when the dam was built in the '70s," he replied in his smoothly accented English.
Persephone pointed to the part of a structure near the water. It had tall stone pillars that opened at the top like stone palms. "Can you pull in over there? I need... I need to see it."
