Goddess of Spring (44 page)

Authors: P. C. Cast

BOOK: Goddess of Spring

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And it was almost spring. Persephone would return soon for an answer. Lina breathed deeply and kept a steady pace while she considered, for what must have been the thousandth time, her answer. Unconsciously, Lina's hand found the amethyst narcissus that always hung around her neck.

She couldn't return. She wanted to. She even dreamed about it. But she couldn't do it. Maybe she was a coward, but she couldn't take the chance. It had taken her so long to heal. Lina couldn't break the wound open again. She would tell Persephone no. Maybe Persephone could find another mortal to exchange places with. Dolores was active in the Society for Creative Anachronisms. She'd probably be very interested in hanging around Mount Olympus and frolicking with nymphs while Persephone baked bread. The thought made Lina laugh. She could even plan a long vacation and leave the bakery in Dolores/Persephone's capable hands. Italy was nice in the spring . . .

Lina was preoccupied with planning her Italian vacation when she noticed that the clomp of horse's hooves had gotten closer and faster. She was moving to the edge of the walkway when a joyous neigh of greeting sliced the air. Lina's heart jumped in recognition.

She spun around as a large black shape overtook her. A dark muzzle was shoved in her face. Orion alternated between nickering and snorting while he nuzzled and lipped her hair and shoulders. In shock, Lina could only cling to the horse's tack and hope that in his exuberance he didn't knock her over.

“Who dares touch the dread steed of Hades?”

His words mimicked those he had spoken to her long ago, but his tone was completely altered. His voice was filled with love and longing. Lina looked up at Orion's back. He sat in a glossy Western saddle. He had replaced his archaic clothes with a black Western-cut shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up to expose his muscular forearms, jeans and Oklahoma cowboy boots. His hair was pulled back and his eyes were bright.

Lina stared at him without speaking. The sight of him tugged at the newly healed wound in her heart. All those dark winter months he had left her to hurt alone. All that time. All that pain. The fierce surge of anger she felt surprised her.

He tried to smile, but his lips only quivered.

“You asked who dares to touch your steed, Hades.” Lina's words were clipped. “Allow me to reintroduce myself to you. I am Carolina Francesca Santoro, a middle-aged mortal woman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who owns a bakery. And I didn't dare to touch your dread steedâhe stuck his face in my hands. Again.”

Hades felt her words like knives. He didn't blame her for her anger. He understood it, but he wouldn't allow it to make him give up. He kicked his leg over the saddle and dismounted. He wanted to approach her, to take her into his arms, but she was staring at him with a cold, unblinking gaze that was anything but welcoming.

“You left one title from your introduction, Carolina.” His voice made her name a prayer.

“I don't think so. I know exactly who I am,” she said. He hadn't come any closer to her, but she still moved a step back from him.

“You are Carolina Francesca Santoro, a middle-aged mortal woman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who owns a bakery. You are also Queen of the Underworld,” Hades said.

Lina felt a tremor pass through her and she clutched her anger, afraid if she let it go, her heart would tear into tiny pieces.

“I'm sorry, Lord. You must be confused. The Goddess Persephone is Queen of the Underworld. I was just a temporary stand-in, and I wasn't up to the job.”

“Your subjects feel differently, Carolina.” He looked pointedly at Orion, who had stretched out his neck so that he could nibble her shoulder while she stroked his muzzle.

“Animals like me,” she said. As if to prove her words, Edith Anne butted against her legs, wriggling for attention. Orion snorted and bent to blow at the bulldog.

“He reminds me a little of Cerberus.” Hades nodded at the squatty dog, trying again unsuccessfully to smile.

“He is a she. And I hear she has better manners than Cerberus has been exhibiting,” Lina said, and then bit her lip. She shouldn't converse with him.

“No doubt Cerberus' manners are lacking because he is feeling the absence of his Queen, as is the rest of the Underworld.”

“A dog and a horse aren't anyone's subjects. And I'm not a queen. I'm a mortal woman. I do not have any subjects.”

Hades turned back to Orion's saddle and pulled out the rolled-up canvas he had lodged under the pommel. “I have something for you. Eurydice tried to give it to me, but I reminded her that her work belonged to you. She still thinks of herself as Personal Artist to the Goddess of Spring, though she misses her mistress very much.”

“I'm not . . . no, I don't want . . .” Lina stammered, feeling a wave of homesickness at the thought of Eurydice. Then, Hades stepped close to her. In the months they had been apart she had forgotten about his size. He seemed to surround her. Even in modern clothes he was dark and rakishly handsome. Her Batman . . .

“The little spirit drew this from a dream she had of you. She said that it felt right.”

Hades was so close to her that she could feel the heat of his body.

Wordlessly, Lina took the canvas from Hades. She unrolled it and gasped.

“It's me!”

It was herâthe mortal woman, Carolina Francesca Santoroâher body, her face, her smile. Not Persephone. As she gazed at the image Eurydice had drawn from a dream, her fingers began to tingle and suddenly a current of emotion traveled through the canvas and into her soul. Within the current she could hear the unnumbered voices of the dead. They were all calling to her, begging their queen to return.

Her hands trembled and she felt the knot of anger within her begin to dissolve.

“Your subjects recognize you and call for you, Carolina,” Hades said gently.

“It's too bad that their god did not recognize me,” she said without looking up at him.

“There is no god here now, nor any lord.” Hades' voice broke, and he had to pause before he could continue. He took Lina's chin in his hand and brought her face up so that she must look into his eyes. “Tonight I am only a man who is desperately seeking his soul mate. You see, she was separated from me because of my foolishness, and I had to forgive myself before I could find her and ask that sheâ”

Tears began spilling from Lina's eyes.

“Do not weep, beloved.”

“You turned away from me,” she whispered through broken sobs. “When you saw who I really was, you didn't want me.”

“No!” He pulled her into his arms and crushed her against him. “It was never you I turned from. It was pride that goaded my words and actions.”

“Because you didn't want to love a middle-aged mortal,” she said into his chest.

His laugh came out as a sob. “No, because I was terrified that I had lost my soul to a woman who wanted nothing more than a dalliance with an inexperienced god about which she could brag.”

Lina looked up at him. “I only told Demeter about you not being with any other goddess because I was trying to convince her that you were different.”

“I know, beloved. Forgive the pride of an old, solitary god.” His lips were finally able to form a smile. “And please come home.”

In answer, Lina pulled him down to her.

“Carolina,” Hades breathed her name against her lips. “My soul has ached for you, my eternal beloved.”

Before he could kiss her again, Orion bumped him from behind. The short, stout dog was sniffing around his feet. Hades glanced down to see streams of saliva on his boots.

“Orion, stop that,” Lina said, pushing the big, black head aside. “Oh, Edith Anne, don't do that. You're messing up his boots.”

Hades threw back his head and laughed. He swept his queen off her feet, tossed her up onto Orion's back, and then he swung up behind her with a strength that clearly said he was no mortal man.

“Hades! What are you doing?”

“Taking you out of the reach of those beasts.” He wrapped his arms around Carolina and pulled her firmly back against him.

“But, Edith Anneâ”

“Do not fret. Orion will go slowly. We will not lose your dog.” Holding her securely, he clucked at the stallion. Orion turned his head and snorted, but he began walking, slowly, so that the bulldog had no trouble trotting by his side. Then the god returned his attention to Carolina.

“We have a short time before spring returns to your world. Perhaps you would like to show me some of this kingdom you call Tulsa,” Hades said, stroking the soft brown curls that formed at the nape of her neck. He was having a difficult time restraining himself from ravishing her right there. He thought the new body she wore was seductive and womanly. She was soft and fragrant and delectably inviting.

Lina twisted around and smiled at him. “You know about Persephone's plan?”

“Who does not?” he said good-naturedly.

“I'm beginning to think that it could work,” she said.

“As am I.” He bent to claim her lips.

Lina pushed back from him. “Wait, you shouldn't be here; you certainly can't stay very long. You don't have anyone taking your place in the Underworld.”

“No, I do not.” He smiled at his queen and his soul felt light and young. “But sometimes even Death must take a holiday.”

As their lips met the sun touched the bank of the river. It paused there and shone one brief, winking beam on the lovers before falling from the sky.

Today Tulsa mourns the passing of a local matriarch, Carolina Francesca Santoro. Ms. Santoro was a restaurateur, philanthropist and renowned animal lover. Ms. Santoro is not survived by any biological children, but she will be greatly missed by many who felt they were her family. For decades her chain of Pani Del Goddess bakeries have been a vital part of many Oklahoma communities. The bakeries are best known for their specialty, ambrosia cream cheese. The recipe for this delectable cheese has been a closely guarded secret for more than half a century. But do not fear, loyal Pani Del Goddess patrons. Before her death, Ms. Santoro shared the recipe with an Italian relative, her great-niece, Persephone Libera Santoro, who will be assuming the position of major stockholder of the Pani Del Goddess Corporation. The new Miss Santoro has announced that she will be dividing her time between Oklahoma and Italy. As is only appropriate considering her name, she will spend each spring and summer with us in Tulsa. To honor the memory of her great aunt, let us give her a warm Oklahoma hello!

âThe Tulsa World,
21 March 2055

EPILOGUE

LINA was feeling a little breathless and displaced, which was truly ironic. She was, after all, finally wearing her own skin.

“It probably has something to do with being one of the newly dead,” she muttered, holding out her arms and looking in amazement at her glowing body. She was more substantial than the dead she was so used to seeing, and she was pleased that it appeared that her body had taken on a form that was much younger than she had been at her death. With a start, Lina realized that she had materialized within her forty-three-year-old body. She laughed. “The exact age I was when I met him,” she said.

The tunnel stretched before her, black and unending, but its darkness didn't intimidate her. Lina walked forward with confidence without once looking back at the last light she would ever glimpse from the mortal world.

Suddenly, a little ball of brilliance burst into being at her shoulder, and she laughed in surprise. “What are you doing here?” The globe bobbled around, wiggling like a puppy. But she didn't really need to askâshe knew who had sent the light. “Thank you, Persephone,” she called to the listening air.

She walked quickly through the cluster of beautiful ghost trees that had come to be known as Persephone's Grove. As always, she enjoyed the sparkling facets that were their leaves. Lina left the grove, and blinked in surprise. Before her, the onyx road that led to her lover's palace stretched as usual to the gates of pearl, but this time the gates had been flung wide open, and behind them were multitudes of glowing, semi-substantial shapes. At the head of the teeming mass stood Hades, flanked on one side by Orion and on the other by Eurydice and Iapis.

As the stallion caught sight of her he screamed a shrill neigh of joyous welcome. Eurydice clamped one hand against her pale mouth, and with the other she waved gaily at her mistress while tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks.

But when Hades began to move toward her, Lina's entire world narrowed to hold only him. He strode to her, his eyes dancing with emotion. When he finally stood before her, he reached out, and with a gesture that was as familiar to her as was as her own heart, he caressed her cheek.

“Welcome home, beloved,” he whispered.

She smiled at her soul mate.

Hades spun around to face the mob. Cloak swirling, he raised his arms victoriously over his head.

“She has come!” he thundered in the voice of a god.

A shout rose from the unnumbered dead that echoed from the Underworld up and spread throughout all of Olympus.
“Rejoice! Our queen is come and she shall leave us nevermore!”

On her throne in Olympus, Demeter raised her goblet and touched it against Persephone's as they smiled at each other in acknowledgment of Carolina's happy ending.

“Well done, my daughters,” Demeter said. “Well done.”

TURN THE PAGE TO READ AN EXCERPT
FROM THE NEXT BOOK IN
P. C. CAST'S GODDESS SUMMONING SERIES

Goddess of Light

NOW AVAILABLE FROM BERKLEY SENSATION!

PROLOGUE

“I HAVE made my decision, Bacchus. The portal will remain open.”