Page 59 of Spring's Descent

I could vaguely hear Hecate screaming in the background, could make out bright flashes of light flaring through the dark clouds surrounding me, but I was alone. No one could reach me through this storm of darkness.

Red curls tumbled around my face, pieces matted to the sweat coating my forehead, as I forced my gaze to rise. My breaths came in short, ragged bursts as I stared down the swarm of blackness before me. There was only a small circle of soil beneath my hands and knees, the only patch untainted.

Inky strings stretched from the swarming black mass before me, wrapping around my wrists, consuming more of my life force. Instead of pulling away, I dug my hands into the earth, fingers curling in the soils and forced more of my magic out.

“Persephone,” Hecate shrieked, her voice frantic and fracturing with fear, but I couldn’t stop. The life magicwantedto go just as much as I wanted to give it, both of us intent on cheating death.

I was so close. Only a few more drops…

The next push of power tore at my insides, screams ripping through my lungs. I could feel the fibers of my life thread being ripped apart, but then my power reached the roots. And the magic caught.

Life surged before me, exploding from the ground in great bursts of green. Light burned through the darkness, the clouds of death dissipating as withered stumps stretched into full trees. Plump apples filled their branches as pops of yellow flowers covered the forest floor. They were everywhere, as far as the eye could see.

Dandelions.

I caught a glimpse of Hecate rushing forward, the halo of light around her eyes hovering over me, blocking out the two pairs of wings growing closer in the skies above, before darkness spotted my vision and I fell into the surrounding blossoms.

“We can’t delaythe celebration any further.” Thanatos’s voice cut through my sleep, the bite to his words worsening my already terrible headache.

I blinked my eyes open, closing them against the glare of light. In the few seconds I managed to see, I noted the same minimalistic decor from the first room I’d been taken to.

“And don’t even think to suggest canceling it. There’s already talk circulating.”

“Then silence it,” Hades snapped.

“I can’t quiet every soul in The Underworld.”

“AndIcan’t force Persephone to wake,” Hades seethed.

“Can you two keep it down,” I grumbled, draping an arm across my eyes as I attempted to turn away from them. “I’m trying to sleep.”

There was a beat of silence before the world turned upside down. My stomach clenched as my body dipped, but then the scent of sweet frost and darkness was there as Hades’s arms came around my waist, crushing me against the hard planes of his chest.

I winced, the small gasp causing him to withdraw.

“Where does it hurt?” Not waiting for me to respond, he turned to Thanatos, barking orders. “Get Hecate.”

“She’s attempting to contact the elders in The Crystal City?—”

“Now.”

Thanatos’s crystal blue eyes narrowed as he clamped his mouth shut. With that look, I realized that despite his narrow frame he was just as lethal as Hades. His white wings stretched, looking like he might call Hades on his bullshit, but then his gaze shifted to me.

“You very nearly killed yourself by expelling that much magic. Luckily, Hecate was able to stabilize the frayed ends of your life thread, but if she’d been a minute later?—”

“Thanatos,” Hades cut in.

“No,” he bit back as my pulse raced. My head was throbbing, but I couldn’t look away. “You would have died, Persephone. And the both The Realm of the Living and The Underworld would have been fucked.”

“It was my fault.” All turned to find Hecate striding through the doors. “Persephone wanted a chance to defeat the death magic. Regardless of her being unawakened, I decided against warding it and allowed her to try.”

Hades looked like he might eviscerate her right there, but she strolled confidently forward until she reached my side.

“As everyone can see, I was correct.”

I lifted a brow at her but otherwise kept my mouth closed as her hand came to rest on either side of my head. Heat blossomed beneath her touch, soothing the icy migraine until all that was left was a dull throb. Flexing my muscles, I noted that the rest of my body felt healthy.

“Now that that’s taken care of,” I said as I got out of bed. “I’d really love a shower before we discuss how and why Hecate was contacting the elders of The Crystal City.”