The Labyrinth // pjo

Chapter Eight // Gardening With a Goddess

tw: sally does talk about her past in her aunt's abusive household. i will put a warning at the beginning!

there is also a brief mention of suicidal thoughts as well in this chapter

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 The smell of tangy fruit filling my nose was the first thing I was aware of when I opened my eyes.

The second thing I was aware of was how stiff I felt and that I was lying in a hammock.

My body screamed at me as I tried to sit up–only for an exceptionally terrible pain to erupt between my shoulders.

"I would be careful–that burn just stopped bleeding, even with the ambrosia..."

The voice startled me, and my arm slipped on the hammock, sending me back down onto the pillows and blankets swaddled around me.

A nauseating pain rocked through me as I gritted my teeth–waiting for the wave to pass.

"Mmm...hold on, I've got something for that..."

I still hadn't seen who was talking until a woman dressed in a green jumpsuit, covered in mud, came around the hammock.

She was really pretty–sunkissed skin, goldish eyes, and long waist-length curly hair. And when she smiled softly at me, deep dimples appeared in her cheeks. In her hands was a mug that looked like it had been handmade, and inside was something that smelled spiced.

"Here, drink this," She murmured to me, holding the mug in front of me.

I stared at her–wary.

Who was she?

The woman seemed to know what I was thinking, and she shook her head, "Don't worry. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead."

That didn't help.

"That was probably not super comforting," She rolled her eyes at herself. "I'm Persephone, Hades's wife." My jaw slackened, and I tried to sit up to bow–but she pushed me down gently with her dusty hands, "No, no. Stay down. Don't hurt yourself even more than you have, Sally."

"Y-You know me?" I stammered, my head spinning from all the new information and in general confusion.

"Oh, I know alllllll about you, Sally Isabella Elway-Jackson," She teased me gently. "The Big Wild Card of Olympus. Oh, yes. I know all about you. My husband was absolutely mortified by you and his first interaction. Not to mention alllllll the talk about you on Olympus. You are quite the topic with us goddesses."

I stared at her blankly, "You guys talk about me?"

Persephone nodded with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "It's not every day that a demigod–one who has been constantly shunned by other gods–turns around and smack-talks them to their faces and behind their backs. It's quite brave of you. I, for one, approve of your attitude. So does Hestia, Artemis, and a few other of us ladies."

My heart seemed to expand in my chest as I dropped my eyes to my fingers that were wrapped up in bandages.

So not everyone hated my existence.

That felt...nice.

I lifted my gaze to her and nervously said, "Thanks."

She nodded, "Of course. Us ladies have to stick together...Well, other than Hera, but she doesn't really like anyone–neither does Athena."