She manifested herself on the edge of the roof, her heartbeat pounded in her chest as she stumbled away. Once she recovered from almost falling off the side of the high-rise, she stared down at the vast city of New Athens. It was beautiful and terrifying up here. She could see the darkness of Hades’ tower, a shadow that split the city in half. The glimmering glass of Aphrodite’s La Rose, the beautiful and unique facade of Hera’s many hotels, the Olympian, the Pegasus, the Emerald Peacock. There were other monuments, too—marble statues of gods all over the city, and beautiful temples arranged on hilltops and mountainside cliffs.

She’d been so enchanted with the city when she’d first moved here. She’d fallen in love with everything it promised—endless possibilities, adventure, and freedom. It’s what kept her going when things got difficult, when she felt confused and lost and unwelcomed—all the things she felt now.

She searched for those promises amid the sprawling landscape, beyond the Acropolis and the angry crowd far below.

“Persephone?” a voice asked.

She whirled to find Pirithous standing behind her. “How did you get up here?”

She opened her mouth to answer but realized she didn’t even know how this roof was accessed from the inside.

“Carefully,” she managed to answer with a small smile, which Pirithous matched.

“What are you doing up here?” she asked.

“Sometimes I like to eat lunch up here.”

It was then she noticed he was holding a lunch box. “Wanna share?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m not all that hungry, but I’ll sit with you.”

His smile widened. “I’d like that. Come on. I know of a better place to sit away from the wind.”

Pirithous led her to another part of the roof blocked by a patrician where there was a set of chairs. The space overlooked the coast of New Athens, a line of pure white sand that met a foamy ocean of the deepest emerald.

It was a breathtaking view.

“Go ahead and sit,” he said.

Pirithous opened his lunch and took out a sandwich and a bag of chips.

“You sure you don’t want any?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He took a bite, and they looked out over the city. After a moment of silence, Pirithous prompted, “So, what are you doing up here?”

She sighed and chose not to look at him when she said, “I’m guessing you haven’t seen the news.”

“Can’t say that I have,” he answered.

He was the only mortal she knew who didn’t seem at all obsessed with the gods.

“Well, I messed up.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

She took a deep breath. “I kinda...chose to do something I promised Hades I wouldn’t do because I was angry with him and now...I can’t take it back.”