“You’ll find that certain lost souls seek you out. Especially the ones that have some past connection with the sea. They’ll feel that shared connection with you.”
“I’m not sure I want to have any kind of connection with a ghost,” I proclaimed; shaking my head. “Can they ever go back to the Underworld after they’ve been refused the first time? What if they become…unbroken somehow?” Was it possible the ghost girl needed my help?
“They can keep trying to get into the Underworld, but ultimately it’s up to Persephone whether or not they’re allowed to enter.”
“So, who’s Persephone?”
“She’s the Queen of the Underworld.”
“The Underworld has a Queen? Who’s the King?” I didn’t realize that the Underworld had its own version of the Royal Family.
“Hades is the King. But Persephone didn’t exactly choose or want to become the Queen.
When she was a Goddess in this realm, Hades abducted her and took her back with him to the Underworld.”
“He…kidnapped her?” I made a mental note to stay as far away from Hades as possible during my journey. He nodded, and I could see the abhorrence in his blue eyes. He scuffed the sand up as he took each step, sending a shower of sparkles through the air. Also shimmering in the low light was the trace on his forearm. Oddly enough it didn’t remind me of his father’s bones; Finn’s trace was completely his own.
“To make matters worse, before she escaped, he deceived her. If you consume anything grown in the Underworld, your soul is tied to that realm forever; you are trapped. Do you remember the pomegranate trees at the Ball?” he asked and I nodded.
“You said they were the fruit of the dead.”
“Right; pomegranates grow everywhere in the Underworld and they have many meanings, but it’s also how Hades trapped Persephone. He tricked her into eating a pomegranate, therefore tying her soul to that realm forever.”
“Oh my God.”
“Over the centuries, her bitterness and resentment grew, changing her into a very vicious and relentless Queen. She’s not to be messed with,” he affirmed with creed.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…” I muttered; fascinated by Persephone’s tragic story. Then it hit me. I looked up at him, “I’ll have to get past her in order to enter the Underworld, won’t I?”
“Yes.”
Excellent.
*** The stone in my hand was hard and cold, but my small hand conformed easily to its jagged shape. According to Finn it would act as a beacon; something to absorb my energy and make me more visible to my mother. Not that I was shooting for that just yet, but he wanted me to practice with it. I lay once again on a soft fleece blanket, eyes closed, Finn rubbing my hair to help me relax. Unlike the first time, I had a better idea of what was in store. As the numbness surrounded my mind and I began to feel slightly dizzy, I thought about the day I would have been born. I wondered if my mom would have been in a great deal of pain. I wondered how my father felt and if I was born at night or in the morning. I wasn’t sure why that mattered, but I guess I was just curious. The last thing I remembered was anticipating that floating feeling of my soul lifting above my body and wondering why it wasn’t happening.
Waves of pain racked my body as I squeezed my eyes shut. I could hear voices but they were muffled. Then I realized why. My own screams were drowning them out. Suddenly, the pain receded and my body collapsed. Sweat rolled down my brow and I felt myself smile, although I couldn’t imagine what I had to be happy about amidst all the pain. My breathing was ragged and I could feel the exhaustion hovering over my body.
“It is time to rest,” a voice informed me. Someone was still rubbing my hair, but that definitely wasn’t Finn’s voice. It was a woman. I turned my head to the side and opened my eyes with effort. Long, wavy dark brown hair swept past large green eyes and a heart shaped face punctuated by a wide smile. I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath, allowing the oxygen to strengthen my weary muscles.
“How is she?” Another woman’s voice. I kept my eyes closed.
“She’s doing great. Her body will heal quickly,” came the answer.
Footsteps sounded and I felt a strong presence. It was as if it was calling to me; signaling its arrival. Warmth spread from the aquamarine necklace around my neck to my heart and I felt myself smile again.
“She has arrived, my love,” said a man’s voice. When I opened my eyes, a handsome man stood beside the bed I was lying on. His dark hair appeared disheveled as if he’d been running his hands through it and his blue-gray eyes were wet with tears. He exuded happiness, and the joy within shone through his bright smile. Not until I looked down into his arms did I understand what he was talking about. Carefully, he shifted the bundle and transferred it to my outstretched arms. The presence I had felt was wrapped in this soft, silky blanket. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I gazed down into her bright blue eyes; the color of the sea.
Squirming and watching me with wonder; she reached towards my face and my heart broke with the weight of my love for this small being. But why was I holding a baby? And who were all of these people surrounding me? None of it made sense.
“What time is it?” I asked, not sure why it mattered.
“12:15. She was born several minutes after midnight,” he answered.
“My vision was right,” I breathed a sigh of relief, “January 1 st. She is the new beginning.” I looked back down into her eyes and watched in amazement as she observed her new surroundings, grasping the blanket and kicking her tiny legs.
“What have you named her?” a white haired man with a white coat asked. I smiled at the handsome man beside me and then admired the baby in my arms.
“Anastasia Nemertes Theophanides.”
I snapped back to the present with immeasurable speed; sitting up even faster. I heard Finn’s gasp of surprise at my sudden movement and I twisted around to face him. I tried to speak, but unfortunately nothing came out. My expression was frozen in shock; complete and utter disbelief at what I had just experienced.
“What happened?” Finn was observing me with a mixture of concern and amusement. The amusement probably stemmed from the way my mouth was gaping open and my eyes were bugging from their sockets. With the speed of a snail, I covered my mouth with the hand that wasn’t holding the stone. I was hoping that would lessen the permanent deer-in-headlights look.
“What is it? Is everything okay?” Finn had taken the stone from my other hand and threaded his fingers through mine in an effort to calm me. It didn’t work.
“I…” I croaked, “I…was her…”
“You were who?” he furrowed his brow in bewilderment. Tears, churning with every emotion known to man pooled in my eyes and splashed down my cheeks. I had no idea where to start explaining what I had just seen; it was so overwhelming. I simply continued to stare at him like I had lost my mind. His widening grin didn’t do much to help that association. Before completely bursting out into laughter, he grabbed me and held me close, rocking me back and forth slowly. I closed my eyes and tried to calm the shaking that had taken hold of my body. Finally I felt like I could open my mouth without a string of inaudible noises spewing out.