Muse Unexpected (26 page)

“Yiayia,” Sophie said, placing both hands on her heart. “That’s not a dress. It’s a ball gown. I…” Sophie didn’t know what to say.

Why does she always do this? Every time I have her figured out, Georgia pulls something so incredibly sweet. I don’t think I’ll ever figure her out.

“You don’t like it?” Georgia said in shock. “I’ll have you know this dress was created by Angela’s mother Euryale. There are plenty of young girls who would be honored to wear such a dress.”

“No, Yiayia, you don’t understand. I love it.”

“Will it fit?” Callie asked.

“It has been altered by Euryale, to Sophia’s specific measurements. I was more
blessed
in the figure area, but it should fit her like a glove.”

And there’s the Georgia I know. Nothing like a backhanded compliment to get the day started on the right foot.

Georgia walked over and took a velvet box from the Hob closest to her.

“This was given to me a long time ago, as a gift to celebrate my induction into our world. Hades himself gave them to me. The stones were mined from the Underworld, which is why they sparkle so when the light hits them. When he gave them to me he said, ‘For your daughter.’ Callista had not been born yet, but he intended for me to give them to her when she was of age. I’m giving these to you, Callista, after the ball, but for tonight they are yours, Sophia.”

Callie gasped. “No, Mama.”

“It had been my intention to give them to you on your wedding day, but things didn’t work out the way I thought they should,” Georgia said. “Apparently, you can’t control everything. You can always try, but Fate always seems to get in the way. I blame Rose, Callista, for the road she created for you.”

Sophie opened up the box. Inside of it was a diamond choker with hanging diamond teardrops that swayed with each movement, catching the light. A matching bracelet, large hair comb and two large studs completed the collection.

“I don’t know what to say,” Sophie said as she handed the box back to the Hob.

“Maybe words aren’t necessary,” Georgia said. Sophie rushed forward and gave Georgia a hug. Georgia began to pull away, but Sophie held her and for the briefest of moments she felt Georgia tighten her arms around her.

“Practice your curtseys,” Georgia said, stepping away. “They were a bit sloppy yesterday morning.” She exited with the Hobs.

“She’s trying, Sophie,” Callie said.

“I know, mom,” Sophie said.

“I’ve got a few final things to check on. Are you going to be okay for a while?”

“Yeah,” Sophie said. “I’ve got
my curtsies
to practice.” Sophie heard the door close and rushed to her new dress. She loved it.

I feel like Cinderella.

She squeaked out in excitement, as she glanced at the mask and elbow length gloves. Sophie unpinned the dress from the dummy and held it out in front of her, glancing at her reflection in the floor length mirror. There was no doubt about it; this was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen.

I am Cinderella. I have a prince, whom I’m in love with. It’s all so wonderful.

Several raised voices and the sound of a group of people running past her door made her almost open the door into the hallway. She stopped when she heard Georgia’s commanding voice drift in through her open terrace door.

Still carrying the dress, Sophie walked out to her balcony. Impaled on the many sharp spikes of the vineyard's gate was an object. Sophie couldn’t make it out, but from the way it hung, it wasn’t any sort of decoration. She judged by Georgia’s reaction it wasn’t meant to be there. There were several black birds picking at it and Sophie remembered her biology class and how it discussed in detail the concept of the food chain. Those birds ate dead things. Sophie took a few steps back and hid herself behind a pillar where she could still get a decent view without anyone seeing her.

Georgia rushed towards the gate.

“Somebody do something!” Georgia shouted. “Get that thing down before our guests see it.”

Sophie focused on the gate and as if she were standing in front of it, the object became visible. She let out a small, high-pitched sound, but caught it before it became anything more. Hung on the top of the gate was the lifeless body of a male Hob, its tiny body crumbled and broken, dripping blood down the massive gate and onto the ground. Winnie appeared out of nowhere, as Bennett ran toward the gate carrying the large extension ladder.

“Neville? Oh, dear sweet Jesus! Neville!” Winnie wailed as she rushed the gate and attempted to climb it. The old Hob’s hands became coated with Neville’s blood and Winnie screamed in horror. Georgia rushed towards her and wrapped her arms around her friend, as Winnie cried hysterically, trying to reach her cousin’s second cousin.

“It’s too late, Winnie. It’s too late, my love. He’s gone.” Georgia said, trying to hide the sight from Winnie’s view. “There’s nothing we can do for him.”

“No!” Winnie cried out, crumbling to the ground, taking Georgia with her.

Bennett sobbed, wiping his tears away with his forearm, as he climbed down the ladder with Neville’s body in his arms. He held Neville close to him.

“I’m so sorry.” He said, shaking, standing in front of Winnie. “I’m so sorry.”

Winnie screamed as she took Neville’s body into her arms.

“They branded him. Those miserable, filthy Olympians branded him a Nothos. Just like they did to my poor Aaron. Oh, God! Why? Oh sweet Jesus, please help us.”

Sophie shook with sobs she managed to muffle in the folds of her dress.

This isn’t a fairytale. It’s a nightmare. Please, daddy, I want to go home. I just want to go home.

She dropped the dress. A surge of emotion raged through her. She tried to control it, but couldn’t. A horrible ripping sound filled her ears and assuming the sound was caused by Georgia’s spell giving way, Sophie ignored the intense pain in her head as whatever small hold Georgia’s spell had on her slipped away and disappeared. Without realizing what she was doing, Sophie threw an energy ball large enough to shatter her new desk into a million little pieces. She stood there, her breath coming in gasps, sobbing, trying to calm herself. She ignored the smoldering pieces of her desk and put her dress back on the dummy. She then began to pick up what remained of her desk, shoving them in the back of her closet where she hoped no one would find them.

Hades knew Persephone was up to something, but he didn’t know what. As he unpacked yet another box of catalog crap, he chastised himself for being so ignorant about what was happening under his nose, in his own kingdom, and he wondered what the hell he was doing.

I love her, so much. Am I doing the right thing with Saphie
?
I never know what she is thinking or if she’s truly happy. How long do I have before everything falls apart again like it has done so many times over the centuries?

If he were to list his one and only weakness—and being the god of the Underworld made it difficult for him to admit he even had a weakness—he would list Persephone as his Achilles heel. He admitted to himself his love was blind. There were moments he loved her so much the very sight of her made his heart pump faster and his desire to have her a ravenous aching that he had to satisfy. Then there were the moments, usually when Persephone was throwing one of her tirades, he wished he could throw her into one of the rivers.

He pulled out the directions on how to assemble the new CD rack, saw how complicated it was and threw the fifteen page document back in the box. He would get one of the shades to take care of this. He figured any shade that could put together this junk would earn a direct ticket into the afterlife.

He walked out to the porch and stepped off it, making his way to his campfire. He found the flickering flames comforting, and in the Underworld comfort wasn’t easily found.

Hades acknowledged his marriage wasn’t perfect and in part he believed the troubles in it might have been his fault. However, he would not take the full blame for his mess of a marriage.

He glanced at the empty spaces on the opposite side of the campfire and snapped his fingers. Three shades appeared in front of him.

“Okay,” Hades said to the three. “I’m so glad you could make the time to meet with me. Sorry for the short notice.”

One of the shades put down its book. “Is this our book club night? I’m still a few chapters behind.”

“No,” said the second shade. “It’s bridge night."

“It’s not bridge night,” Hades said. “That’s tomorrow.”

“Then it
is
book club. Shoot. Let’s keep our discussion focused on chapters two through four.”

“It isn’t book club night, either,” Hades said, already losing his patience.

“Oh, now I get it,” said the third shade. “It’s a ‘how do I deal with Persephone’ session.”

“Oh, for the love of God. You got me out of the river for this?” said the second shade.

“Look, I admit I may have built my marriage on a weak foundation, but there are moments when I think it could work. Unfortunately, right now isn’t one of them,” Hades said. “I don’t trust her. Can she be happy with a person who kind of forced her into marriage?”

“Dear lord, this is going to be a painful session. Can we do book club instead?” the first shade said. “I’d like to reach the end of the Harry Potter series before I cross over.”

“I could cross you over right now and you’d never know how it ended,” Hades growled.

The first shade sulked a bit and put away the book. “You were saying you built your marriage on a weak foundation.”

“Why you are asking marriage advice from me, I’ll never know,” the second shade said, violet eyes flashed and a phantom of a diamond necklace twinkled in the firelight. “I’ve been married so many times I’ve lost count. If it had a pulse, I considered it fair game.”

“You think you had it bad?” said the first shade. “I was married several times and I think two of them were gay. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the gays
, love them.
They always bought my records, came to my concerts, and all the drag queens imitated me.
Fabulous.
It was so flattering, but gays in my marriage bed, not a good thing.”

“Can we get back to my issue?” Hades said.

“If I may, Haddie. May I call you Haddie?” said the third shade.

“No, you may not call me Haddie.”

“You’re asking me for marriage advice and I’m getting too personal?”

Hades paused a moment and nodded.

The third shade began, “Haddie, you kidnapped your goddess wife. You then added a stipulation that as long as she didn’t eat anything during her brief stay with you, you would let her go. You then tricked her into eating some orange seeds.”

“They were pomegranate seeds,” Hades replied.

“Doesn’t matter. You tricked her into eating some pomegranate seeds, which I have always thought to be too tart and a very
messy
fruit, but anyway, she eats the seeds and ends up having to spend half her life down here with you, which she was able to deal with, but since Olympus has been locked away, she’s stuck down here twenty-four seven, three hundred sixty-five days a year. Do I have this correct?”

“It was her choice to eat the seeds,” Hades said, but after a few seconds, he gave in. “Yes, you have it correct.”

“Well, I am sorry to say this, but you got what you wished for and if there was one thing my mother told me it was to be careful what you wish for because you may just get it.”

“Tell me about it,” the second shade said. “I married the same man twice. What a boozer he was, but oh how I loved that man of mine. I don’t mind a little rough around the edges, if you know what I mean.” The shade winked and took a sip of its cocktail before throwing the phantom glass into the fire.

Hades ignored the comment and concentrated his attention on the third shade.

“So what you’re saying is my marriage is doomed to fail?”

“If you want to save your marriage, maybe you need to start with a new foundation, because the one you have is built on quicksand. But then, maybe you aren’t looking for an honest answer. Maybe you’re only looking for the answers you want to hear?”

Hades thought about it for a few moments.

“I’ll see everyone tomorrow for bridge,” he said, snapping his fingers and sending the three back into the river.

“I thought so,” the third shade said, before it was gone.

“Honey?” Persephone called from the house. “Were you talking with someone?”

“You’re back,” he said. “Where’d you go?”

“Nowhere, silly. I decided to walk along the river and skip stones. You know how I love to tease the dead. I see the CD rack came in. Let’s put it together.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Hades mumbled.

“What?”

“Coming,” he said and walked back into the house.