The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 3

Persephone had approached my bedroom three times a day for three days, knocking gently on the lavish door and inviting me to meet her for mealtimes. I stayed curled in my bed each time, wanting to yell or scream at her but never quite finding the words which would strike home as hard for her as her betrayal had hit me. So instead, I stayed silent and held my breath until I heard the clacking of her heels on the polished floor fade away into nothing.

Persephone gave me an hour after each meal before she accepted I wasn't coming to join her to eat in the castle's main Dining Hall, and would instead sent Erica up to my room with a tray of food and drinks. Erica seemed like she was happy enough to oblige, but I could tell she had a certain respect for Persephone that made her wonder why, every morning, I would choose to eat with only myself as company.

The fourth day, Persephone did not come to ask me to join her for breakfast. She didn't appear at all.

I took that as a good sign. She was finally starting to respect my boundaries. But I hated the fact that she had also given up after only three days. It only took her three days to realise her daughter wasn't worth chasing after.

I hated that she had so much control over my feelings, that I thought about that very fact.

After eating some breakfast, bathing, and then letting Erica dry my hair, she excused herself from my room. Having hidden away in my room for a couple days, my muscles ached for some physical exercise, so I decided I would take a walk through the castle – even if it meant ignoring the pointed stares that came my way.

My curiosity drew me to the west wing. Erica either hadn't had time to show me this area the other day, or had refrained from showing me on purpose. After walking past the doorway I recognised as leading towards the prison, I found myself peering through the lightly stained glass on each door. Each room either appeared to be an abandoned classroom, or storage for weapons and untouched equipment. I went to turn the doorhandle on each, but the locks stopped me from exploring further.

I was on my way back to my bedroom when I got lost and wound up in what I presumed to be the main entry hall. The glistening obsidian tiles were broken up only by deep red rugs which ran all the way from the front door to the foot of the black, polished staircase. The staircase rose up to the high ceiling and broke off into a balcony which curved around the sides of the room, so that people would be able to watch the activities of the entrance from high above. Bookcases and shelving curved with the balcony, made of a similar obsidian which gave the appearance of an ethereal endlessness. The centre of the entrance hall was decorated by a black round table, made of such a reflective material that I could see the freckles on my face in its reflection.

Two guards, dressed in black uniform with the Crown insignia, stood on each side of the front door, their gazes glued to my every move. The door between them was large enough to fit a carriage through it and so dark that it absorbed any light.

My breathing raced and my palms began to sweat as I realised I was only a few metres away from the outside world. Allured by the idea of escape, I mindlessly took one step forwards. A repetitive clicking noise snapped me alert. Cerberus ran along the obsidian floor, skidding to a halt at my feet. Cerberus was in the same small form as I'd seen him last time, and instead of the laser-like gaze I was used to seeing in the Underworld, Cerberus was once again wearing his deep brown eyes. The guards standing along the wall were not distracted by this new guest's presence.

I raised an eyebrow. "I hope I'm not going to have you as a permanent shadow," I said.

In response, Cerberus sat down at my feet, peering up at my face.

Just great. Shadow it was.

I glanced back up at the front door as I analysed my chances of an escape. The difficulty would be in getting past the guards long enough to have a running head start. But I knew that any attempted escape from me now would be futile. If anything, I'd wind up back in my prison cell as I awaited a scolding from Persephone. Even so, the idea was still tempting. Perhaps I had to bid my time and watched how the guards rotated their posts. If I could deduce their timing long enough, I might be able to either slip out between shifts, or gain a guard's trust enough to let me–