Free That Fatal Kiss by Mina Lobo Page A

there is truth to what you’ve said of me and, as I know not what to make of my own emotions, I take refuge in derision.”
    “How very like your new husband you are,” Hecate said, then laughed at the rude gesture Persephone made.
    They traveled along the dusky path without encountering any others until they reached the midpoint between the palace and Tartarus. Now Persephone saw a line of the shades of the newly dead assembled, and asked, “These are the souls awaiting judgment, then?”
    The elder goddess nodded, guiding her horse away from the path, prompting Persephone to do the same. “Yes, they gather and await judgment by Rhadamanthys, Minos, and Aeacus, so their place in Erebus may be assigned. It behooves us to keep our distance from them, as they are disoriented, even belligerent, and may not yet be aware that they have died.”
    “But surely they cannot harm us?” Persephone asked as they rode past the shades.
    “No, but I thought it might cause you discomfort to see them, as I know you are softhearted,” Hecate answered, urging her horse to take the fork in the road to the left. Persephone followed, seeing that they would soon reach Tartarus.
    “Tell me,” she began, as a thought returned to her, “how is it that Hades came to know of me, well enough to choose me for his bride, since he rarely leaves this place?”
    Hecate gave Persephone an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid the fault is mine.”
    “How so?”
    “You see, shortly after he’d come down to rule, he inquired of me how he might keep abreast of the events above ground, and so I created for him a magical mirror, made of the most polished bronze. I charmed it so that he might look into it at any given moment and ask it to reveal to him any occurrence throughout the Heavens and Earth. But I made him swear by the Styx that he would not reveal its existence, especially not to Zeus, before I gave it to him.”
    “Why would you insist upon a binding oath for such a trifling matter?”
    “Hardly a trifling matter, my dear. Only imagine; if Zeus knew of it, he would insist upon having one himself! And then Hera would want one, and Hermes and Apollo, and eventually I would do nothing but craft and charm mirrors for the remainder of my existence!”
    The younger goddess smiled at the forcefulness of the other’s words. “Quite tiresome, I would imagine.”
    “Well, quite! In any event, Hades was taken with it and I presume that is how he came to love you, from watching you thus.”
    Persephone’s brows furrowed. “You think he loves me?”
    “I think he must, yes, though not yet as much as he needs you. And naturally, his experience with others being so limited, he probably is overwhelmed by emotions for you but knows not how to manage or express them.”
    “Humph,” was Persephone’s response. “Perhaps he should send for Eros, then. The God of Love seems exceedingly sympathetic toward Hades. I’m certain he’d happily advise him in the art of courtship.”
    “Is that right?” Hecate asked, with some surprise.
    “Apparently.”
    The goddesses exchanged speculative glances before turning their eyes forward again. The bronze fortification which encircled the vast region of Tartarus loomed before them. Persephone heard the wails of those being punished within and cringed from the sound. She cast her eyes upward, following the length of the walls until she could just barely see where they ended. By the wrought iron portal stood the Fury, Tisiphone, bearing a whip in one hand and a blazing torch in the other. The three Furies were rumored to be hideous creatures, resembling monsters, but Persephone saw that it was not true, at least, not of Tisiphone. Though the dark-haired goddess wore a fearsome countenance, her beauty could not be denied. Her pale skin gleamed against her black hair and clothes, and the flames from the torch were reflected in the depths of her equally dark eyes.
    “Come, Tisiphone, and greet the new Mistress of