Prologue

Penny glanced at her watch, starting to get annoyed. They had agreed to meet ten minutes ago. What took Nathan so long? As she sighed she saw her breath form little wisps of vapour. She wrapped her coat more closely about her and stuffed her hands deep in the pockets. It was only October, but the nights were already getting really cold.

Why didn’t Nathan just hurry and show up! If he wasn’t here in five minutes, she would go in without him. On the other side of the road she saw people arriving and streaming into the building for the exposition on Greco-Roman mythology, an exposition she couldn’t wait to see! Nothing interested her more than mythology, and she knew for sure Nathan was no different! So why was he this damn late?

Despite the movement around the entrance Penny felt rather uneasy standing on her own in the shadows. She wasn’t all too familiar with this part of London - she’d only been here once before, and that was in broad daylight - and apart from the people entering the exposition building the street was quite deserted. She couldn’t suppress a shiver and had this tingly feeling at the back of her neck she always got when she wasn’t very comfortable with a situation. No, she didn’t like this at all. Who knew what was lurking out there in the dark…

Now she was just getting paranoid. Come on Penny, she reproached herself, this isn’t you! You’re never this easily scared. You’re just fed up because of the long wait for Nathan, that’s all. When he gets here, you’ll feel much better in a heartbeat.

She couldn’t help but smile when she thought of Nathan arriving. She’d give him a real piece of her mind when he got here, no doubt of it, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to stay mad with him very long. Just one word, one smile, and all would be forgiven.

Lost in thought she remembered how they’d first met. It had been three years ago in a bookstore here in London, when they had both grabbed for the same copy of a book on myths and legends around the world. Quite nerdy circumstances, as she was well aware, but they definitely typified both their characters. Since it was the last copy of the book they had both seemed pretty determined to have it, throwing arguments back and forth to try and convince the other, when all of a sudden Nathan had given in and said: “All right, you can have it. On one condition: you’ll join me for a coffee later today.” He had added a huge, radiant smile which had immediately won her over, and after she had paid for her new addition they had gone to the nearest Starbucks where they spent hours talking about anything and nothing. And so their friendship was born.

Penny looked at her watch again. Now it was getting extremely late, even for Nathan’s standards. She started to get worried and dug up her cell phone from her handbag.  As soon as she started calling him, though, she heard footsteps approaching behind her. There he was! She immediately hung up the phone and jokingly said: “I thought you had ditched me for someone else.” Turning around, however, she didn’t meet his familiar smile and friendly blue eyes. The face she saw wasn’t familiar or friendly at all, and before she could do as much as open her mouth, everything went black...

2: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Penny slowly opened her eyes, her head throbbing with pain. She felt like she had been run over by a bus. Several times. Why was she feeling this terrible? She couldn’t remember a thing of what had happened. She blinked repeatedly in an attempt to focus her eyesight and moaned when everything around her looked blurry and started spinning.

“I’m sorry about that,” a voice suddenly said behind her. “You’ll probably feel better in a couple of minutes.”

Immediately everything came back. The exposition, the long wait for Nathan, the stranger popping up behind her… Did this voice belong to that stranger? Startled by this idea she jumped up from her bed, to immediately fall back again, struck down by an intense burst of dizziness and nausea. She closed her eyes again and moaned, more loudly than the first time, partly because she felt like her head could explode any second, and partly because, since she was feeling this bad, she couldn’t do anything, and was completely at the mercy of this stranger in her bedroom.

Wait a minute… She was in her bedroom? Penny hadn’t even realised this until right now because she had still been coming to, but how could she be in her bedroom? When she had been attacked, she had been outside, and not even near her apartment. What sort of an attacker would take his victims back to their own place? And how did he even know where she lived? What the hell was going on?

Terrified of what might happen but also starting to become a bit curious she tentatively reopened her eyes to slits, fixing her look on only one point at a time. As she didn’t get overwhelmed by a new wave of nausea, she slowly turned her head towards where the voice had come from. Though her vision was still a bit blurry, she could distinguish a figure in the corner of her room, sitting on the chair next to her writing desk. She couldn’t make out his features clearly, since he was wearing a long, black cloak with the hood pulled over his head, but she was sure that he was looking at her. She tried to look back at him as bold and as confident as possible, but apparently he saw right through that disguise, as he said: “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Penny.”

Instead of calming her down, this only made her more scared than she already was. He knew her name. Why did he know her name? Who was this man and what did he want with her? If only she felt just a little better, she could try and escape from him, from this insanity. But now she was sure she wouldn’t get very far. She couldn’t even sit upright without the room spinning. No, she had no choice, she’d had to sit this through. Which didn’t mean she couldn’t look for something to defend herself with, though, should the need arise. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the lamp on her nightstand. Surely that was heavy enough to knock someone out? But would she be able to lift it, now that she was this dizzy and weakened?

“I know this has to be really confusing for you, and I sincerely apologise,” the man went on rather formally. “I swear that I have no bad intent whatsoever. This was just the only way I could save you.”

“Save me? From what?” was all Penny could utter. This was just all too much for her. She didn’t understand at all. What was going on here?

“From Persephone of course,” the man said matter-of-factly, as if this was so obvious it hadn’t even been worth mentioning.

“Persephone? As in the goddess Persephone?” Penny couldn’t hide her surprise. The only Persephone that she could immediately think of, was the Greek goddess of the underworld. But what did a mythical character have to do with all of this, with her?

“Yes, of course the goddess Persephone,” he sighed, a mixture of doubt and irritation clearly lacing his response. “I thought you were pretty familiar with our history. Are you feeling all right? The effects of the drug should have worn off by know.” His voice received an additional hint of concern.

Now it was Penny’s turn to become irritated. First this man abducted her and came up with some mental story about saving her from Persephone, a mythological character who didn’t even exist in real life, then she wasn’t all too lucid to begin with as an aftereffect of the abduction, and he was surprised that she didn’t put everything together right away! What did he expect? But as a matter of fact, she was starting to feel better. Her head didn’t feel as if it was filled with a thick fog anymore and she could even see everything quite clearly again. The drug did indeed appear to be wearing off. She glanced at the lamp again, wondering…

Wait a minute.

“You drugged me? What did you have to drug me for!” All of a sudden she had lost all her fear for the stranger, and the only thing that was left was anger. Anger because he had abducted her, anger because he had drugged her, anger because she had been totally helpless and at his mercy, anger because he had ruined her entire evening and because she had no idea what was going to happen next. If only Nathan knew what had happened, then he could…

Nathan.

He had been extremely late. What if something bad had happened to him? What if she wasn’t this man’s first victim. What if he… And just like that, her fear returned.

“What did you do to Nathan? Where is he?”

“By now he will be long gone. You cannot help him anymore.”

“What? No! What have you done to him? Who are you?”

Finally the man turned fully towards her and took off the hood that half covered his face. He looked at her with radiant, light golden-brown eyes that pierced into hers.

“My name is Hermes.”

 

3: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nathan sat in the corner of a dark cave-like space, huddled up, his arms wrapped protectively around him. He was scared out of his mind. He had no idea where he was, he had no idea what was happening or why it was happening and he had no idea who was behind it all. The last thing he knew, he was going to meet up with Penny and go to this exhibition, when someone hit him on the back of his head, and now he was all alone in the most terrifying place he had ever seen. At least, he thought he was alone. It was so dark that someone could easily…

No, he shouldn’t think like that! It was all frightening enough without the idea of someone lurking in a corner watching his every move.

Maybe that’s what he should do! Move! Why wait in this cave for something to happen or someone to show up. Because eventually someone would return, of that he was certain. Someone put him here in the first place, and they must have had one reason or another for doing that. They wouldn’t just put him in a cave and then ignore him for eternity. He didn’t care to wait and find out what they did have in mind with him, however. No, he would escape. Now.

Nathan jumped to his feet and slowly started to move out of his corner, finding his way alongside the wall of the cave. It was dark, but not so dark that he couldn’t see anything at all. He thought he spotted an opening or some sort of exit in the wall right ahead of him and went towards it to take a closer look.

It turned out to be no more than a narrow breach, but it was wide enough to let him squeeze through, which was all he needed. As long as he could get out of this cave. He peeked through the fissure, but it was too dark to really make out anything. He thought that it was some sort of passageway, but he couldn’t see where it led. He’d better be careful when he went through it, he didn’t want to get into more troubled. But he was already in such a big mess that just hanging around and waiting to see what would happen if he stayed was not an option. He had to get out. He had no choice.

Nathan held his breath to make himself as small and thin as possible and went into the narrow passage. He turned and twisted and wrenched to move forward between the irregular stone walls that were actually too close together for even his dog Sparky to pass through comfortably, he grazed his arms and legs against protruding bits of rock, he bumped and bruised his head, but finally he made it through.

Nathan looked around him… and his heart sank into his boots. He was in yet another cave. He’d had no idea where the passageway would take him, but he had hoped somewhere outside. This cave was different from the one he’d just left, though. The previous cave had been dark and cold, but this one was somewhat agreeable - though a bit damp - and definitely lighter. The floor was covered with cracks from which rose an orangey-red glow and slightly above the ground drifted a transparent sort of smoke. Or was it mist?

The cave was also much larger than the first one, almost majestic. It was a huge sort of hall with large stone pillars at the sides supporting the ceiling, placed at a regular distance from each other. At one of the walls Nathan saw something that looked most like a throne: it was a large stone armchair, flanked by two smaller seats. The head of the chair was excessively engraved, but he couldn’t make out what was depicted without moving closer.

His fear gradually making place for awe and astonishment he wanted to go and take a closer look, but no sooner had he left the safe shadow of the walls and the pillars, or the wall at the other end of the hall opened and a woman entered the room. Nathan froze in mid-step and immediately jumped back into the shadow and behind one of the massive pillars before she’d had a chance to spot him. Was she one of his captors? How had she been able to open a solid wall?

Nathan glanced from behind his pillar to get a glimpse of the woman. She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen! She had a tall and slender figure, and her step had something grand and imposing about it. Every of her movements was so fluent and enthralling that she seemed to glide forward rather than simply walk. She had long, wavy, golden-blonde hair that looked as if it was shining, illuminating the perfect features of her captivating face: her bright, mesmerising eyes, her rosy blush, her enchanting, charismatic smile as she opened her lovely mouth and started to speak.

‘There’s no need for you to hide behind that pillar, my nosey little prince. You can come out to play now.’

 

4: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Penny looked inquisitively at the man standing in front of her. Did he really just say his names was … Hermes? She seriously started to doubt his sanity, if she hadn’t done so already. First he allegedly saved her from Persephone, and now he himself was Hermes?

            Ok, so he wasn’t lucid, but did that make him harmless or rather more dangerous? She felt that she had to be really careful now in how she responded. Maybe it was safest to humour him and just play along. For now.

‘Ok, Hermes, what did you mean when you said that Nathan is long gone? Where is he? What happened to him?’

‘Persephone has taken him, of course.’

Right, Persephone again. Go along with it, Penny reminded herself. Just keep interrogating him. Who knows, maybe he tells you something useful in between his delusions.

‘Where has she taken him? And why?’

‘Who knows why Persephone does anything, really. I guess she was just bored and wanted some company.’

‘Bored?’

‘She has only recently returned to the underworld, to Hades. But she and her husband don’t spend much time together anymore, what with all his work. There’s people dying every day, you know, and someone has to take care of all of them and conduct everything. So she and Hades, they sometimes go days or even weeks without seeing each other. Wouldn’t you get bored if you were by yourself all the time?’

‘I guess so… So where has she taken Nathan exactly?’ she tried again. If he just gave her a clue, something useful, anything at all, she could go looking for him once she’d escaped from this lunatic.

‘You’re not the smartest one around, now are you? To her kingdom of course! To the underworld. You know she can’t leave there for months, not until springtime.’

‘Well, if she can’t leave, how could she come here to capture him in the first place then?’ she said boldly. She started to lose her patience, she’d had more than enough of all this nonsense.

‘She didn’t. She sent one of her minions for him instead.’

Of course he immediately had an answer at the ready! What else did she expect.

‘Look, I know you don’t believe a single word I’m saying.’ Penny’s jaw dropped with surprise at this sudden remark, but he went on serenely, as if he hadn’t noticed. ‘I’m sure this must all sound really crazy to you, but I can prove that I’m speaking the truth. All you have to do is look at me, and you’ll know it’s all real.’ He moved closer towards her as he said this.

Penny didn’t get how just looking at him would make her suddenly believe every word he said. This was just another of his ludicrous ideas. Should she still indulge him or should she try and convince him of his own insanity?

‘I’m looking, but I honestly don’t see how this changes anything.’

‘No, you should really look at me!’ He put so much emphasis on this, that she started to wonder what he meant. She looked more closely, but still she saw nothing that she hadn’t seen already. His golden-brown eyes, his dark, all-concealing cloak, his… feet floating a few inches above the floor?

‘Oh my… You’re… You’re flying? What…? How…?’ Penny stammered, at a loss for words. She was completely dumbfounded.

The man removed his cloak and revealed a pair of sandals with beating wings attached to them.

‘Those shoes… you… oh my god!’ 

‘Yes,’ the man smiled, ‘me. Like I told you, I really am Hermes.’

‘Oh my god,’ Penny breathed heavily. This was all so overwhelming.

‘Yes, I am. Or at least, I’m one of them,’ Hermes said jokingly. Penny stared at him in disbelief. It seemed as if her whole world had just collapsed. Everything she knew, everything she believed, all that was a lie?

‘So, Persephone…’ She had to ask.

‘Is just as real as I am. Yes.’

‘And Nathan?’

‘Is trapped inside her lair. He’s an inhabitant of the underworld now. Forever.’

‘Wait, hold on. What do you mean, forever? There has to be some way to save him!’ All of a sudden, she was filled with a new-found energy. The effects of the drug were long forgotten.

‘I’m afraid there’s not much you can do. By now he’ll probably be completely under her spell. And you know people don’t return from the world of the dead.’

‘There has to be a way,’ she maintained stubbornly. She wouldn’t give up on Nathan. Not just yet. She tried to remember all she’d read about ancient mythology. Wasn’t there something…

‘You’re wrong!’ she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy. ‘People have returned! There’s Heracles, and Orpheus, and…’ Suddenly she grew silent and looked Hermes straight in the eyes. ‘And you.’

‘I… er… Well, yes, I did, and more than once. But I’m not human, I’m a god.’

‘Orpheus wasn’t a god,’ Penny insisted.

‘Yes, but he had some incredible strengths. Well, not so much strengths, talent is the better word. But it was worthy of the gods. And in case you don’t remember, he didn’t quite succeed in his quest either. He returned without his loved one, without Eurydice.’

‘But he did return, didn’t he. And the big difference between Eurydice and Nathan is that Nathan is alive… He is still alive, right?’ Penny added hesitantly.

‘Yes, don’t worry about that. Unless Persephone has changed her mind, Nathan is still very much alive. Otherwise he would fall under the reign of Hades and he wouldn’t be able to stay at the palace unless Hades permits it. And she wouldn’t want that. No, Persephone prefers to be in control and her … guests to be alive.’

‘Well, let’s go save him then!’ Penny jumped up from her bed.

‘Whoa, hold your horses! Didn’t I just tell you that people can’t return from the underworld?’

‘And didn’t I just tell you that people have returned?’ Penny retorted. ‘They may be the exceptions to the rule, but I love those exceptions. They make life more interesting.’

‘Yes, but still. They were there only for a very limited amount of time. And they didn’t eat or drink anything while they were there.’

‘So? Nathan knows he shouldn’t eat anything down there.’ Why did Hermes have to be so difficult all the time, Penny thought. Why wouldn’t he just help her! ‘I’m sure he is well aware that he will be stuck there forever if he does. He knows just as much about mythology as I do.’

‘That may be true, but eventually he will have to eat something if he wants to stay alive.’

Penny looked Hermes straight in the eyes, determination sounding through in her voice: ‘Well, then I guess there’s no time to waste!’

 

5: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nathan emerged from behind the pillar that had been his hiding place and walked in the direction of the woman. His knees shook with fear. He didn’t want to go to her at all, but the woman had something imposing about her that made it almost impossible to refuse her.

‘Come, come, no need to be afraid.’ A broad smile adorned her face. Her eyes seemed to shine with joy. ‘Step forward, and let me have a good look at you.’

If she thought this would lift his fear, she couldn’t be more mistaken. If anything, he was only more intimidated by her. Everything about the woman was intriguing: her voice, her posture, the way she addressed him. Not to mention the simple fact that she had spotted him in his hiding place. How could she have seen him when he was standing in the shadow, behind an enormous pillar? But then again, how had she been able to open a wall in the first place? In what kind of a madhouse had he arrived!

As he walked closer towards her, Nathan could see that the woman was barefooted. She wore a thin, almost translucent gown that appeared to be quite loose and airy, but at the same time was very graceful and elegant and reflected her figure perfectly. He would have been completely enthralled by her, were it not that he was simply too scared to be enchanted by anything at the moment and forget everything around him.

‘Well then,’ the woman said, her voice no more than a soft whisper, ‘let me have a look at you.’ She slowly started to walk around him, as if she was inspecting him from all sides. Maybe she was, as she kept repeating ‘Nice.’ and ‘Very nice indeed.’ Nathan felt like he was part of some sort of meat inspection. He wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or just mumbling to herself, but he wasn’t going to ask, afraid of what she might answer.

All of a sudden she touched him lightly between his shoulders, and he could not suppress a shudder. She moved even closer to him now and brought her head level with his, her mouth only inches from his ear. ‘Why so tense?’ she whispered in an almost seductive tone. ‘There is nothing to be worried about. Just relax.’

‘What do you want from me?’ he finally dared to ask. He tried to hide the tremor in his voice as much as possible.

‘Want from you? No, now you make me sound all malicious and wicked,’ she said, as she feigned to be upset and sulked a little. ‘I don’t want anything from you! You’re my guest, my highly honoured guest.’

Nathan stared at her in surprise with dilated eyes and his mouth wide open. Her guest? She couldn’t mean that. She had kidnapped him!

‘Do you always invite your guests by force and lock them up in a cave?’ he retorted. He was still scared, but no longer terrified, and he seemed to have recovered his voice and the ability to think.

‘I am very sorry for that, I do apologise. Unfortunately that was not my bidding but the work of my servants. It is so hard to find good personnel these days. Especially here.’

‘And where is here exactly?’

‘In my palace of course. In this kingdom.’

So this was a palace. It didn’t really look like one. It was more like a cave than a palace. And those strange light-emitting cracks in the floor weren’t very regal either. But then again, there was this throne against the wall. Maybe this was a palace after all. So, this woman was a queen? But how could she be? She clearly wasn’t his queen. Or had he been unconscious for so long that he had been taken abroad without noticing?

Nathan looked around him for a clue of what was going on, and then at the woman again. He just had to know. He had to ask. No matter what would happen next. He couldn’t stand all this uncertainty anymore.

‘Who are you, and why have you brought me here?’

‘Who do you think I am?’ the woman answered mysteriously.

‘How could I possibly know?’

‘Go on, take a good look around. If you are truly worthy, then I’m sure you’ll find out in no time.’

Nathan looked at her with a confused look. ‘Do you mean…? Can I…?’ he started to ask.

‘Yes, you can walk around freely inside this room. It will tell you everything you need to know. And if it doesn’t, then you’re not the man I thought you were.’

And what was that supposed to mean again? Nathan suppressed a sigh. He looked around, but didn’t see anything new. A big, empty room with huge pillars and a throne. Wait a minute… the throne! He’d already thought he had seen something written on it! Maybe that was what she was referring to. He started to move towards it, stopped to look over his shoulder at the woman again, and as she didn’t seem to make any attempt to hinder him in his pursuit, he continued in his course.

The throne was covered with a vast amount of drawings that seemed to depict some sort of story. A first picture showed a woman picking flowers in a wide field. She somewhat resembled the woman who was here with him and now no doubt watching his every move. So maybe this was her story? It was her ‘palace’, after all. On the next picture he saw her again as the field opened and a chariot emerged. The next few images portrayed how she was pulled in that chariot by the rider and taken to a world under the ground. Then he saw another woman, as beautiful as the first one, grieving. Was she grieving the disappearance of the first woman? On the next picture she was talking to a tall, bearded man holding a forked staff or stick or something. Then the images returned to the first woman and her abductor. They were joined by yet another man who seemed to be soaring above the ground. When that man turned his back, the first man gave the woman a piece of fruit. The next picture depicted the two women reunited. As they were hugging, the first woman seemed to look back over her shoulder, longingly…

He hadn’t reached the end of the picture-show, but Nathan had seen enough. The woman was right, he knew everything he needed to know. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to believe it, though. But somehow he did. He could not explain why, exactly, but he just felt it to be the truth.

The woman gave him one of her radiant smiles as he looked at her in shock. ‘You… you are…’ he stammered.

‘Yes, I am,’ was all she replied.

‘Persephone.’

 

6: Chapter 5

Chapter 5

‘Would you please just slow down for a minute and think!’ Hermes said exasperatedly. He did all he could to catch Penny’s attention. All she obviously could think of was getting ready as fast as possible to save Nathan from the underworld and especially from Persephone’s claws. But she clearly hadn’t thought it through. She was running back and forth with a backpack in her hand and stuffing it with all kinds of ‘helpful’ things which would do her no good at all once she’d reached the underworld. How on earth was she going to accomplish this impossible rescue mission if she didn’t even have the slightest idea of what she was getting herself into? If only she would listen to him.

‘Do you even know where you’re going?’

This made Penny stop for a moment. She looked at him quizzically. ‘Of course I know where I’m going. I’m going to the underworld, to save Nathan.’

‘Yes, of course you are, but do you know where the underworld is, or how to get there?’

‘I… No, I don’t. But I’ve got you, so you can take me there, right?’

‘Not quite. I can show you the entrance alright, but you’ll have to find a way in all by yourself.’

‘If you take me to the entrance, then it can’t be too hard. I mean, if I’m already there, then it’s quite straightforward how to get in, isn’t it.’

‘You’re not thinking Penny. How do you get into the underworld? How do you actually enter?’

‘I don’t know… step through a gate or something, I guess.’

Hermes sighed. ‘What are you even imagining that the underworld looks like? And I thought you were so familiar with my world! Ever heard of Charon?’

‘Isn’t he the ferryman who… Of course! How could I forget? To enter the underworld, you have to cross the river Styx, and in order to do so, you have to pay the ferryman.’

‘So have you finally found the flaw in your rescue-plan?’

‘Actually, no, I still don’t see what the problem is. You said you could take me to the entrance, and once I’m there, I simply have to pay the ferryman, and he’ll take me right into the underworld.’

‘Oh, right. It’s as simple as that. No, you’re absolutely right, your plan is completely waterproof. What could possibly go wrong?’ Hermes retorted sarcastically.

‘Ok, ok, I get it, I’m forgetting something. You don’t have to be so nasty about it. Please, tell me, oh great and wise god, what has escaped my mind? What should I do?’ Now it was Penny’s turn to be cynical and mock Hermes. He decided to be the better man however and ignored her sarcasm entirely.

‘What are you going to pay the ferryman with?’ was all he responded.

‘With money of course,’ Penny answered surprised. She hadn’t expected that question.

‘And with what kind of money? Which currency are you going to use?’

‘I don’t know. You tell me.’ She’d thought the ferryman would take anything: euros, pounds, dollars… Did she really have to go and change money before she could leave? But it was the middle of the night. She’d have to wait till the next morning! For all she knew Nathan didn’t even have that long! She’d told Hermes that he would know that he shouldn’t eat, but did he really? What if he didn’t know where he was? After all, she hadn’t believed Hermes straight away either. What if he didn’t know, or didn’t want to believe it, and ate something anyway? No, she had to get there as quickly as possible, before it was too late.

She looked Hermes straight in the eyes. She had no time to loose. ‘Tell me. Which kind of money do I need?’ she said resolute.

‘You’ll need drachmae of course. Ancient Greek coins. Two to be exact.’

Penny looked at him, dumbfounded. ‘And where am I supposed to get those? In case you hadn’t noticed, people don’t really use them anymore.’ Then she thought of something: ‘Can’t you lend me some? I’m sure you can spare a coin or two.’

‘Actually, I can’t. I don’t have any drachmae anymore. I don’t need them to get into the underworld, you see, I have my own means of transportation.’ He looked at his sandals, the wings beating silently. ‘No, I’m afraid you’ll have to find them somewhere yourself.’

Penny tossed her backpack on the floor angrily. Where on earth was she going to find a coin that hadn’t been used for centuries! The only place she had ever seen them was…

‘Oh my god, no! I think I know where I can find them, but I can’t just barge in there and take them. That’s impossible! I’d… I’d really have to steal it! But I can’t break into that place. I can’t! It’s impossible!’

‘What place are you thinking of?’ Hermes wanted to know.

Penny didn’t meet his look. She was horrified at the prospect of what she might have to do. She merely stared aimlessly, with a blank expression.

‘Penny, what is it? What place are you thinking of? Where can you find those coins?’

‘At the British Museum.’

 

7: Chapter 6

Chapter 6

‘This plan is insane!’ Penny took a deep breath. She knew that even though she didn’t really want to do this, she had no choice. She was quite desperate, she simply had to get hold of those coins tonight. She clicked away the website of the British Museum and sighed. She hadn’t been able to find out in which gallery the museum exhibited its ancient coin collection, but at least she had located the Greco-Roman galleries on the floor plan, so that gave her a place to start. If she had to roam the entire museum without even the slightest clue of where to begin, she’d be looking for hours!

She snatched the copy she’d made of the floor plan from her printer, tucked it away in her backpack and turned to Hermes. The god was standing in a corner of the room. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he completely agreed on the madness of their undertaking, but that he wouldn’t try to discourage her from it anymore.

“Well, are you ready?” he simply asked as he moved out of his corner.

Penny started to move towards him, but hesitated. “Hermes, I… I couldn’t even dream of doing this without you. Thank you. For everything.”

He gave her a warm, reassuring smile. “I’ll be right by your side, you won’t have to do this alone.” He stretched out his hand towards her. “Together?”

She answered his smile with one of her own and grabbed his hand. “Together.”

They looked into each other’s eyes with a mutual understanding for a few seconds, and then Hermes placed her hand on one of his shoulders. “Hold on tight!” he said with a slightly mischievous undertone.

Before she had time to wonder what he meant Hermes picked her up as if she was light as a feather and quickly moved for the door. Startled she threw her arms around his neck and clung on to him for dear life. He hadn’t just walked out of her apartment, or even run out of it. He had flown out of it!

‘What are you doing?’ she shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut. ‘This isn’t what we agreed upon!’

‘Oh, quit your whimpering,’ she heard him laugh. ‘You didn’t really think we were going to walk all the way to the museum, did you? We’re travelling much faster this way. And you may loosen your grip a little, you know. Just a little tighter and you’re going to strangle me. I’m not going to let go of you, don’t worry. Just relax and try to enjoy the ride.’

Apprehensively Penny opened an eye, and then another, and looked up in Hermes beaming face. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. His golden-brown eyes shone with delight as the wind was playing with his blonde curls. Penny hadn’t really paid much attention to his looks before, she’d been too preoccupied with the simple fact that he was a god and then with the planning of a rescue-mission, but now she was immensely surprised that she hadn’t noticed his curls before, as they seemed almost golden and radiant in the moonlit night.

Hermes caught her looking up and threw her another reassuring smile. ‘Hi there,’ he said while he winked at her. ‘Are you starting to feel more at ease?’

Penny looked at him in surprise. He winked at her? Was this the same man… god that had seemed so stern and had opposed everything she said only an hour ago. True, he’d been quite friendly right from the start - apart from the fact that he had snatched her from the street rather forcibly, but he’d only done that to safe her in the first place - but his manner had been a bit more firm and perhaps even rigid then. Now he almost seemed to be someone else entirely, more relaxed, more sociable, more… well, like a human, instead of an all-seeing, all-controlling, unapproachable, worship-requesting Ancient god.

‘Penny? Are you alright?’ The ecstatic look on his face had made place for one of concern and she noticed a hint of worry in his voice. ‘Are you really that scared? We’ll be there in no time, but if you want I can stop flying right away and we’ll walk the rest of the journey.’

‘No, no, I’m fine. Really.’ She shook her head slightly in an attempt to focus again, blinked a few times and tried to look as lively and at ease as possible. She’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t even paid attention to the fact that they were flying anymore, but to him apparently her absent-mindedness must have seemed as if she was blocking everything out or something. As Hermes didn’t seem all too convinced that she was really feeling alright, she tried to smile at him, but she was so huddled up in his arms that it turned out more like a crooked, grin-like grimace. Apparently the expression on her face was that ridiculous that Hermes immediately lost his worry and just burst out laughing. Penny couldn’t help but join in, and they kept giggling and chuckling uncontrollably for the next few minutes.

‘I’m really fine, you know,’ Penny said when they had finally calmed down and managed to stop laughing. ‘You just startled me when you all of a sudden … took flight, or what should I call it? But now I’m truly ok.’ She looked Hermes straight in the eyes. ‘I know you’d never let me fall. I trust you.’

It was the truth: she really did trust him. She felt genuinely safe in his arms and knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. And not only when it came to his flying. He’d look after her, no matter what would happen when they got to the museum. She was sure of it.

The look in Hermes eyes changed. It wasn’t less friendly, but it gained something different, something more solemn and intense. This only confirmed her thoughts even more: he would protect her, no matter what. But she saw something else in his eyes as well, something new entirely. As she looked in Hermes eyes, she saw a reflection of her own budding feelings. She saw the beginning of their friendship.

 

 

8: Chapter 7

Chapter 7

‘Would you care for a bite to eat?’

Nathan jumped in surprise. He’d been all alone, lost in thoughts, and hadn’t noticed Persephone entering his cave. He thought of it as his cave now, sadly enough. But right now it was the only place where he felt safe. Sort of.

After he had discovered the true identity of his captor, nothing much had happened. He had gone completely numb with shock, which had made Persephone lose interest in him, so she’d escorted him back to this cave and left him here on his own. Until now. Which didn’t really surprise him, as he hadn’t expected her to just abandon him here for eternity. No, he hadn’t seen the end of things just yet, that much was certain to him.

He looked up and saw Persephone coming graciously towards him. She was carrying something, but Nathan didn’t pay any attention to it whatsoever, as he was baffled by Persephone’s beauty once more. It was so dark in his cave that it was impossible to see almost anything, yet Persephone was as clear to him as light itself. She seemed to radiate as a glow simply appeared to spring from her luxuriant golden hair. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all to just…

No, snap out of it! he reproached himself in silence. You can’t allow yourself to get carried away so easily. Who knows what she’ll do to you if you’re completely under her spell and she has full control. You have to remain focused, no matter what.

‘You must be starving,’ Persephone interrupted his thoughts. She threw one of her broad, mesmerizing smiles at him, and Nathan had to swallow consciously to remain in control of his own thoughts and emotions.

‘I’m all right, thank you,’ he managed to squeeze out. He looked at what the goddess was holding in her outstretched hand. He couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but it looked like a piece of fruit. Did she really think he was so foolish as to eat something in the underworld, while she had only just shown him how it was precisely that mistake that had forced her to remain here for the rest of her life in the first place?

‘Not hungry? How about a drink then?’ she asked with her soft, lyrical voice.

Nathan’s thoughts started to race. He wasn’t planning on drinking anything either as long as he was down here, but somehow he had to keep Persephone as good-tempered and benevolent as possible. She’d said that he was her guest, but he doubted that he was anything else than a prisoner. So perhaps he should indulge her, to stay on her good side. Or at least give her that impression.

As she wasn’t holding anything that looked like a drink, he figured that she’d still have to get it somewhere if he said he was thirsty, so that might buy him some time. Which was something at least.

‘Yes, I’d like that, thank you.’ He tried to be as polite as possible.

‘Great. If you wait here, I’ll get you some nectar. I’m sure you’ll love it!’

Nathan saw his suspicions confirmed in the flicker in her eyes: drinking in the underworld was just as bad as eating. It would  tie him to this place forever. No, Persephone might bring him as much nectar as she wanted to, but he was determined not to drink a single drop of it.

He watched Persephone leave his cave by opening up a wall again. How did she do that? Was it a power only gods had, or was it just some mechanism she switched on and made the wall open like an automatic door? But whatever it was, or whatever she did, it had to wait. He could still try and figure it out later if he wanted to, but now there were more pressing matters. He had only so long until Persephone returned, and by that time he had to have made a decision.

As he saw it, he had two options. He could either accept this … situation he found himself in, behave well and hope that Persephone would treat him equally well, but then he would probably never leave this place and see his home, his friends and family ever again. Or he could stand up and fight - hopefully only figuratively - and try to find a way out of this place. Since the former didn’t really seem a viable option, he didn’t have much of a choice after all. There was only one thing he could do. He had to get out of here and escape.

 

 

9: Chapter 8

Penny and Hermes soared through London’s night sky. They’d left Big Ben behind and were now flying over Soho and China Town, speeding towards the British Museum. The longer they had been flying, the more Penny started to enjoy it. The wind in her hair, the peace and quiet of being alone in the sky, away from the usual hustle and bustle that was part of everyday life in London City. Yes, she was loving every single thing of this trip up in the air.

“We’re almost there,” Hermes said quite unnecessarily. Penny knew exactly where she was. She’d been here time and time again. She’d never seen this place from the sky, though. That definitely was a first. She chuckled.

“What?” Hermes asked curiously.

“Nothing. Everything. This is just all so … overwhelming. Thank you.”

Her voice died down abruptly as she spotted the book store where she’d met Nathan. Her excitement disappeared at once and made place for a renewed worry. Of course she hadn’t forgotten why she was rushing to the British Museum in the middle of the night, but somehow Hermes and their little flying adventure had interrupted the constant feeling of concern and anxiety.

If Hermes didn’t notice her sudden change of mood, he kept quiet nonetheless. He didn’t speak again until their destination was right in front of them and he warned her to “hold on tight” as they descended to touch down in the courtyard. As soon as they had come to a stop, he gently put Penny down and took a step away from her.

Penny looked at the imposing building in front of her, slowly walking towards it, and felt her spirits sag. What had she been thinking? How on earth could she have believed for even a split second that she’d actually stand a chance at breaking into this place?

Hermes started following her until he was right beside her. “So,” he took a deep breath. “We’re here.”

“Yes, but that’s the closest we’re going to get,” Penny sighed. “This is hopeless.”

“Hey, what’s with the long face? Where has the Penny gone I got to know the last couple of hours? You were so driven, so sure of what you wanted. Where has that strong, confident young woman gone? You can’t just be giving up like that. That’s not you, I don’t believe it for the world.”

“But look at this place! We clearly didn’t think this through. It will be impossible to get in there. Let alone to enter unseen.”

“Well, maybe on your own it is, but you’re not alone here, are you?” Hermes grinned mischievously. His eyes started to sparkle. “I don’t want to brag, but you are in the company of a God.”

“What did you have in mind?” Penny asked, a new spark of hope lacing her voice. Hermes had a plan. Maybe this would work out just fine after all.

“Oh, you’ll see,” he said, winking at her. Oh no, not another wink, Penny thought. Last time he winked at me…

And just like that Hermes picked her up and started flying again. Although she had gotten used to it by now, she shut her eyes tight nonetheless, taken by surprise by Hermes’ sudden act. She felt him rise, and rise … and then he stopped. He didn’t immediately let go of her, however, as he had done the first time.

Penny slowly opened her eyes again to see what was going on. She looked around to take in her surroundings and was completely astonished: she was on the roof of the British Museum. She laughed nervously. On the roof. Of the British Museum.

“Glad to see you laughing again. Now, let’s go and visit a museum, shall we?”

Penny was too overwhelmed to respond. Ever since she’d left her apartment today for that exhibition, she’d stumbled from one crazy adventure into the other.

“I’m going to put you down now, ok?” Hermes said. “But please, be careful not to lose your footing. It’s a bit slippery up here, and the rooftop isn’t particularly flat, so try to find some balance first before I let go of you.”

“It’s ok,” Penny said, “I think I got it.” As Hermes cautiously took a step away from her, in case she would slip away after all, she looked down and noticed she was standing on slightly curved glass. Of course, she thought. How could she have forgotten about the museum’s beautiful Great Court with its breath-taking glass cupola. She’d always admired it when she’d visited the museum. True, her last visit had been quite a number of years ago, but still, it seemed strange, almost a disgrace that she hadn’t remembered it until right now.

Impressive as it was, however, she wondered how this was going to help them enter. They couldn’t just smash the glass, could they? Surely that would set off some kind of alarm. As Penny turned to Hermes to ask him, she saw he god had wandered off and was now squatting down, his head only a few inches from the glass. To Penny’s surprise he seemed to be murmuring something to it. She took a few steps in his direction to see more clearly what he was doing, when just like that the piece of glass in front of him disappeared in thin air.

“Wow! What just happened?” she blurted out. “How did you do that?”

Hermes looked up, his eyes glistening with amusement. “Let’s just say it’s one of the perks of being a god.”

“But… that glass just disappeared. You can make things disappear? Why didn’t you do that to the front door then? Wouldn’t that have been much easier?”

Hermes started laughing, leaving Penny completely perplexed. What was so funny? Was it something she said? Her puzzled expression made him laugh only harder.

“I’ll spare you… the details,” he tried to say, still hiccupping and chuckling uncontrollably, “but no, I can’t  … make things … disappear.” Slowly he started to compose himself again. “Let’s just say I transformed the glass back to its original components. You know glass is basically made out of sand, right? Well, all I did was kindly ask it to abandon this new form and go back to being nothing more than sand.”

Penny incredulously raised an eyebrow, but decided not to go into it. So many weird things had happened tonight. She’d just have to accept that this was merely another incident she wouldn’t be able to explain. Instead she asked: “So, now what? We’re just going to fly down again? And what about the surveillance cameras then, or motion detectors or some similar equipment? Surely there are a lot of security systems in there.”

“Oh no, don’t worry about them. I shut them down as well.”

Right. Of course he has.

“So, are you ready?” he asked while he grabbed her once more, jumped in the hole he had created and slowly fluttered down.

“I told you I would get us in,” he said as he dropped her in the middle of the Great Court, a wide grin on his face. “So now it’s your turn.” He looked at her intently. “Where do we go?”