Persephone waved them to their feet. “Please, stand.” She hesitated, having always been told not to show ignorance in front of mortals, but curiosity got the better of her. “What can you tell me about your ruler, Hades?”

At her use of Hades’ name, some of the mortals flinched. One man spoke up. “She is strict but fair, Lady Persephone.”

Another chimed in. “She does not take favors. Men who died with riches cannot cheat her, whilst beggars might still hope to see the Elysian Fields.”

“I see,” Persephone said, though she did not. They almost sounded... fond of Hades. “And what of the last realm, for the wicked?”

One of the women cleared her throat. “My cousin was sent to Tartarus, but we always knew he’d meet a bad end. He had this violent temper, you see—”

“Now, I’m sure Lady Persephone doesn’t need to hear all the particulars,” Xenia said.

Persephone held up her hand. “I do, actually. Go on. What happens to mortals in Tartarus?”

The humans exchanged glances.

The woman with the cousin started. “It’s a place of punishment, mistress.”

“Forever?” She knew the Titans were safely locked away in Tartarus, but it hadn’t occurred to her how they would spend their time there. And humans lives were so brief. How much wickedness could one person truly cause to justify them being tormented for all eternity?

“We should move on, mistress,” Xenia said.

Persephone glanced at her and back at the villagers. They shuffled uneasily under her scrutiny, and she could see that with Xenia present they would be unlikely to offer her any more useful information. Persephone reluctantly turned away and returned to the chariot.

She glanced over her shoulder as they pulled away, watching as the villagers shrank down to specks. Around them, a mild, dry breeze sent ripples through the fields, and the light overhead warmed her skin such that she might have imagined herself back on the surface, enjoying a mild spring day.

As the chariot rolled on, the gates of Hades loomed in the distance, where Cerberus dwelt, but Xenia guided them to the right and away from the wall bordering the place of the dead.

If Persephone were to escape, she would have to pass Cerberus and then either find the boat to take herself across the marsh or somehow convince Charon to help her. The latter seemed unlikely. Could she overpower him and commandeer his craft herself?

Both thoughts unsettled her. She tried to distract herself by paying more attention to their surroundings.