Persephone’s body vibrated, warmed from the spark Hades had ignited. Without supervision, the flame had spread, consuming her whole body. She sought a distraction and wandered outside where she walked through the garden, consumed by the smell of damp soil and sweet blossoms. She caressed petals and leaves as she passed until she came to the edge of the plot where a wild field of yellowing grass danced, encouraged by a whispered breezed.

She took off at a run, orange flowers bloomed at her feet as she sailed across the field. She didn’t have to focus on using her magic. It radiated from her, unfiltered and uncontrolled. Hades’ Dobermans joined her, chasing each other until she came to a halt at the edge of Hecate’s meadow. The goddess sat cross-legged outside her cottage with her eyes closed. Persephone wasn’t sure if she was meditating or casting a spell. If Persephone had to guess, she’d say the Goddess of Witchcraft was probably cursing some mortal in the Upperworld for some heinous deed against women.

Cerberus, Typhon, and Orthrus did not follow Persephone as she approached the goddess.

“Sated already?” Hecate asked, her eyes were still closed.

Persephone would never forgive Hades for what had gone down in front of his staff.

“Does it look like it?” she grumbled.

Sexual frustration was making her grumpy. Hecate opened one eye, and then the other.

“Ah,” she said. “Care to train instead?”

“Only if I get to blow something up.”

A small smile tugged at Hecate’s berry lips. “You get to meditate.”

“Meditate?”

The last thing Persephone wanted to do was be alone with her raging thoughts. Hecate patted the ground beside her, and Persephone sighed, taking a seat. Her body felt rigid, her hands warm and sweaty.

“Your first lesson, Goddess. Control your emotions.”

“How is that a lesson?” Persephone asked.

Hecate gave her a knowing look. “Do you want to talk about earlier? Those doors came down because of your magic. They weren’t opened by anyone on the inside.”

Persephone looked away.

“Don’t be embarrassed, my dear. It happens to the best of us.”

Persephone knew her emotions were tied to her powers. Flowers sprouted when she was angry, and vines curled around Hades in moments of passion without warning. Then there was Minthe, whose insulting words had resulted in her transformation into a mint plant and Adonis who she’d threatened in the Garden of the Gods by turning his limbs into vines. Not to mention the destruction of her mother’s greenhouse.

“Okay, so I have a problem,” Persephone admitted. “How do I control it?”

“With practice,” Hecate said. “And lots of meditation. The more often you do it, the more you—and your magic—will benefit.”

Persephone frowned. “I hate meditating.”

“Have you ever tried it?”

“Yes, and it’s boring. All you do is...sit.”

The corner of Hecate’s mouth lifted.