Queens Of Olympus Volume 1

Chapter 2

Maia

My eyes opened up to a foreign ceiling and the smell of new sheets.

Right. I was in the Underworld. I almost forgot.

Carefully, I slid my legs out from under the satin covers and onto the cold floor. A shiver ran up my body and I reached for the black nightgown at the end of the bed. I assumed that was mine.

Technically, everything down here was now mine. From the dark grey mountains to the long, winding river of death, and all the people in it. I couldn’t quite grasp the vastness of my new role yet but it was certainly overwhelming to think about the sheer power I now had. Technically.

. Technically.Everyone knew that the Hades was more a figurehead than anything else. A puppet to sit on a throne while others did the heavy lifting. Maybe that was a good thing, I had no real clue what was expected of me anyway.

I stretched the sleep out of my muscles and crossed the room to the large window. Drawing the heavy curtains back, disappointment flashed through me as the view was just as misty and dark as when I arrived. Of course. There was no sunrise here.

What a shame. The gardens were lush with all kinds of plants and bushes I’d never seen before and the blooming fields stretched out all the way to large mountains. I could even see the Styx from here and the ships with souls ferrying across.

What a sight... A good reminder too. I really was in the Underworld.

A knock on the door cut my viewing time short and I froze. Was I supposed to open it? Did I shout? What was appropriate here?

The person knocked again and I finally found my voice. “Come in.”

The door swung open and Erebus rolled in a small cart. “Good midnight, Your Darkness.”

“Midnight?” I echoed. I thought it was morning. Did I sleep that long?

The nymph smiled. “The days are backwards here. You’ll rise at midnight and rest when morning comes. You’ll get used to it.”

“I see.”

“Admiring the view?” she asked, gesturing to the window.

“Yes. It’s quite something.”

“That it is, Your Darkness.”

“Maia,” I reminded her gently, gesturing to the cart. “Is that breakfast?”

“Oh, no. Those are supplies for the other rooms and servants. You’ll have breakfast in the Grey Hall. Unless you’d prefer to take it up in your chambers?” she said, worry flitting across her features when she realised she might have displeased me.

I quickly reassured her. “No, I’ll have breakfast in the Grey Hall. I’d love to see more of the palace. Well, and the rest of the Underworld.”

Erebus bowed slightly. “I can give you a tour after your meal and arrange for a guide later, if you wish.”

“That sounds wonderful, thank you.”

“No need for gratitude, I’m merely your humble servant,” she said, her voice quivering slightly.

I ignored it even if I wanted to know what that was about. It was going to take a while to get used to all the customs down here and I wasn’t going to learn them by alienating the person who ran the household.

The nymph retreated from my room, lingering on the threshold. “Shall I send up maids to help you in your garments?”

“Help me with my garments? What, like I’m royalty?” I joked. “Thank you, but I can dress myself.”

“Royalty?” Erebus looked insulted. “Royalty? Your Darkness, you are divinity. A God amongst mortals. Kings and queens bow to you. You’re the ruler of the dead, the master of the Underworld.”

RoyaltydivinityHer intensity made me uncomfortable. Perhaps all those things were true once, but that was a long time ago.

Not sure what to do, I just smiled awkwardly. “Of course. Well, if it’s all the same, I’d prefer to dress myself.”

“If that pleases you, Your Darkness,” she replied, bowing deeply as she left.

The tension jittered through my legs and I sat back down on the bed, feeling myself relax. Everything was already so much more stressful than I anticipated and I hadn’t even started with any of my new duties yet. This was just mundane stuff.

I opened the closet and was greeted with an entire walk-in. The hangers were loaded with all kinds of options and styles. Not sure about the dress code for my daily duties, I selected a rather plain blouse with long sleeves and a pencil skirt that covered my knees.

Hopefully, this would be okay for my first day. Doubt crept in as I got dressed. Maybe I should’ve had a maid dress me after all.

I examined myself in the mirror and the first hint of doubts crept into my mind. The mousy girl staring back at me wasn’t qualified to be here. With my stupid drab hair and my forgettable face, people were never going to take me serious. It just looked like I was playing dress-up in adult clothes, someone that had no clue what they were doing.

I was going to run the Underworld? Me? This was a joke. I was a joke. What was I thinking coming down here?

MeNo.

I slapped my own cheeks, trying to dispel the doubts and worrying thoughts. It was too late to turn back so it was useless to question my choice. This was happening and I just had to get on board.

Before my reflection could whisper more negativity in my ear, I turned away from the mirror and abandoned my room so I could get breakfast, like Erebus said. Except I didn’t know where the Grey Hall was. Great.

I searched the hallway for Erebus but it was empty. The entire wing was deserted and eerily quiet, not helped by the torches on the wall flickering with blue fire. This place would definitely benefit from a makeover.

“Hello?” I called, but there was no reply. As expected.

Now what? Should I just venture out into the palace and hope I’ll find my way?

No, that was foolish. I couldn’t even remember how I got from the front door to here, I’d just get lost. That would be embarrassing.

I only had one choice.

Reluctantly, I returned to my room and grabbed the crystal handbell waiting on the nightstand. Like a spoiled princess, I rang the damned thing and immediately, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” I called, quickly putting the bell down. I hated every moment of that but I had no choice.

The door swung open and instead of Erebus, a tall and slender man in a dark suit waited on the other side. He bowed slightly, revealing the horns on top of his head. “I’m Stephan, your personal aid. What can I do for you, Your Darkness?”

“I’m supposed to have breakfast in the Grey Hall but I don’t know where that is.”

Stephan nodded and smiled stiffly. “I’ll escort you, Your Darkness.”

“Please call me Maia,” I requested, hoping he will listen. If I was going to make it down here, people needed to stop calling me those silly titles.

The tall man didn’t seem too sure but nodded nonetheless. “Whatever you desire, Maia. Please allow me to escort you.”

I followed him through the hall, my footsteps and his hooves echoing in the silence. The place was a maze and I was glad that I hadn’t gone out by myself. I definitely would have gotten lost.

After what seemed like a thousand steps and a thousand stairs, we finally arrived at the aptly named Grey Hall. Apart from the black table and throne-like seat, everything else was grey. The walls, the decorations, even the paintings. Like someone sucked all the colour out of the room. Not exactly an exciting place to start the day but at least it made the vibrant food waiting on the table even more inviting and tempting.

A servant pulled the throne back for me and I sat down, staring at the mountains of food piled on golden trays. There were all kinds of colourful berries and oddly shaped fruits sitting around large chunks of meat and pies. A roasted bird with four legs sticking up in the air on top of some wilted black leaves served as the centrepiece.

It looked a little frightening so I decided to go for some fruit. There were some strange orange-like things with spikes that looked dangerous to eat so I picked something that looked like a hybrid apple-cucumber. Despite its appearance, it was soft to the touch and burst in my mouth with zingy freshness.

Surprised by the vibrant taste, I devoured it. I didn’t expect food down here to taste so lively but then again, plenty of people in the past were seduced by the bounty of the Underworld to the detriment of return.

I froze mid bite and stared up at Stephan, some juice leaking out of my mouth. “This is going to sound silly, but I’m not trapped down here now I’ve taken a bite, right?”

He smiled reassuringly. “Of course not, Your Darkness. You’re the Queen of the Underworld and everything in it. You’re not bound by the laws here, you make them. Would you like to visit the Overworld or Mount Olympus? I can ready your carriage.”

“No, that’s quite alright.” Just the thought of that nauseating ride turned my stomach.

I swallowed the bite of whatever fruit I was eating, hoping Stephan was telling me the truth and I hadn’t just doomed myself. It was one thing becoming the new Hades, it was a whole other not being able to return to the land of the living… ever.

Then again, anyone I missed would eventually become my guest so in the grand scheme of things, not that disastrous.