It grew clear they would go no further until she did as Hades bade, and so she stepped out of the chariot, holding onto the rails until the last possible moment. She hiked the skirts of her chiton up in one hand to avoid tripping as she made her way up the path, the gravel abrading her bare feet.

“Cerberus, this is Persephone. She is to be treated as a treasure,” Hades said when Persephone drew near.

Each of the heads swiveled to look at her. The hound had dense black fur, against which its yellow eyes seemed almost to glow. It was incontrovertibly ugly, its form densely muscled under the fur, its skeleton deformed to accommodate the weight of the three separate heads.

Persephone shivered under its scrutiny, not resisting when Hades took one of her hands and held it out to the beast.

Cerberus sniffed her palm with each of its three noses and then nuzzled her face, almost knocking her off her feet.

“Good boy. Enough.” Hades gave each of the heads a final scratch and led Persephone back to the chariot. The gates opened before them, and the horses leaped forward, leaving Cerberus far behind.

The chariot took up speed shortly after they left Cerberus, and the landscape flew by in an unnatural blur, too quickly for Persephone to see the landmarks around her. They only slowed as they approached the path leading to Hades’ palace.

The palace stood atop a great hill, its walls dark and glittering as if carved entirely from obsidian. In contrast to Zeus’s abode, with its organic, sprawling curves and meandering paths, Hades’ lair was made of sharp edges and parallel lines, cold in its symmetry.

Hades guided the chariot to a stable, where a waiting groom took over. Not far away, a gaggle of servants clustered, all of them women.

Hades turned to Persephone. “I must leave you, for my duties await. We shall speak again in due time.”

Persephone didn’t know whether to be relieved or insulted. For Hades to abduct her and then to drop her as quickly as that was mildly off-putting, to say the least. “Wait,” she said, reaching for her.

“Patience.” Hades took Persephone’s hand and pressed a kiss against her knuckles, her fingertips stroking the underside of her wrist as she released her.

Persephone cradled her hand against her chest and watched Hades depart. It wasn’t until Hades was out of sight that she felt like she could breathe again.

The servants clustered around her. “Come inside, you must be freezing!”

“But—” Persephone began. “Hades—”

One of the servants patted her arm. “Our queen always keeps her word.”

That was not particularly reassuring.