by Joan Holub
When she started to open the card, her friends drew back.
“Don’t worry,” she told them. “This is a different one, a new card I just finished. The skunky one is already in the trash.”
She opened the card all the way. A giant flower popped up from it and started singing a bouncy tune:
“Happy, Happy, Happy
Hades’ Day to you!
Happy, Happy, Happy—
Hope you aren’t feeling blue!”
Persephone studied her friends’ faces, a little concerned she’d gone overboard. “Too much?” she asked.
“No. It’s amazing!” said Athena, laughing in delight.
“Wow! I love that flower. It’s humongous,” said Artemis, joining them just then. She’d left her dogs outside in the courtyard playing with Apollo.
“It’s my birthday gift to Hades,” Persephone explained. “I mean, not this very flower exactly. I planted a whole garden of them in the Underworld as a surprise. I’m heading over there in a few minutes to show him. Fingers crossed that my timing spell works and they actually blossom today at noon as planned. And that he likes them.”
“We should do something special for him here at the Academy tonight too,” said Aphrodite. “Like a party.”
Persephone nodded. “That would make his birthday extra . . .” She shut the card she held and then reopened it just long enough for it to sing out one more “Happy” to complete her sentence. Everyone laughed.
“What kind of flower is that anyway?” asked Athena, once their giggles had died away.
“It’s a variation of the King Protea. But I changed it some and made it a hybrid of four seeds, so I’ll have to give it a new name, I suppose.” Persephone glanced at her friends. “Any ideas?”
Athena tapped her chin with two fingers, thinking. Then she said, “How about calling it the Hades Hybrid?”
Persephone shook her head. “Good idea, but maybe a smidge too scientific-sounding?”
“Maybe you could call it the Bloom of Gloom?” suggested Artemis. When the others looked at her with brows raised, she added, “Well, you’re going to plant it in the Underworld, right? And it’s gloomy there for sure.”
“I’ll keep the name in mind,” Persephone said tactfully. “Thanks.” She slipped the card into the envelope she’d hand-made for it. Carefully she wrote Hades’ name across the front.
“How about the Best Buds Forever?” mused Aphrodite. “Or maybe not. That name reminds me a little of Eurydice.”
“What do you mean?” asked Persephone. Just then a butterfly drifted over to briefly settle on the tip of the feather pen she was using, before it flew off again.
“Well,” said Aphrodite. “It’s just that she acted like we were going to be best buds forever when I was with her. But then she forgot all about me when I wasn’t around.”
“I know what you mean!” said Persephone. Straightening, she gestured with her pen to the butterfly that was now flitting from flower to flower in the greenhouse. “She’s like that butterfly over there, always getting distracted by another flower and flying off to hang out with that new one. Then she tires of it and moves on. She’s just not . . .”
“Dependable?” Athena finished for her.
Persephone aimed the feather pen at her. “Exactly!”
“And being dependable is an admirable quality, right?” asked Aphrodite.
Her friends eyed her, and she knew they were remembering the Teen Scrollazine poll.
“Okay, I get it,” Persephone said a little sheepishly.
“Yeah, Eurydice is the one who doesn’t!” said Artemis.
The one . . . The one . . . An idea slowly bloomed in Persephone’s head. A huge smile flashed on her face.
“Hey! I just figured out what to do!” she announced.
Her friends gave her curious looks.
“I’ll explain later,” she told them. “Got to get to the Underworld pronto! Noon is just around the corner.” Holding the birthday card, she rushed out the greenhouse door leaving her friends staring after her in surprise.
She raced into the Academy and grabbed two pairs of winged sandals. After putting one pair on her feet, she was off to the Underworld again. If all went well, she’d be bringing Eurydice back to MOA with her!
When she arrived on the Earth side of the River Styx, she saw that hundreds of mortals had gathered. They were carrying new signs now. And they had nothing to do with the Teen Scrollazine poll. In fact, some were protest signs that showed just how unpopular Hades had become. Others, though, were on his side of things.
FREE EURYDICE !
HADES STINKS !
HADES IS FAIR AND JUST !
As Persephone boarded the ferry, she could hear a pounding sound that seemed to be coming from over on the Underworld side of the river. The mist shrouding the river was too thick for her to see what was causing it, though.
About halfway into the ride the mist finally parted, and she saw who was making all the racket. Hades! He was onshore, hammering tall iron posts into the ground about six inches apart.
“What are you doing?” Persephone asked him once she’d landed.
“Building a fence,” he replied without glancing at her. “To keep any more mortals from entering the Underworld without permission. Decided we need more security around here.”
He sounded grumpy. Now probably wasn’t the best time to wish him a happy birthday. But she was determined to cheer him up.
“You look like you could use a break. And I have a surprise for you. Come with me? Pretty please?” she told him.
“I don’t really like surprises. And I want to finish this,” he said stubbornly.
“C’mon. It’s your birthday,” she coaxed in a silly singsong voice.
He was trying not to smile, but unable to help himself, he did. “Oh, all right,” he said, tossing down his hammer.
“Here.” She handed him the extra pair of sandals she’d brought. Once he’d slipped them on, they skimmed deeper into the Underworld at a brisk pace.
“Where are we going exactly?” he asked as they passed a group of shades harvesting asphodel flowers.
“You’ll see,” she replied.
Just then a shade shouted at Hades. “Are you sending Eurydice home soon? I hope so.”
“No! I don’t want her to go,” another replied. “She’s my best friend.”
“No, she isn’t. She’s mine!” said a third shade.
“She’s a troublemaker!” said a fourth.
“She’s not,” said the second shade. “You’re a troublemaker!”
They all began throwing stalks of asphodel at one another.
“Godsamighty!” Hades muttered. “Having Eurydice here is making my job ten times harder. How can just one girl disrupt the calm like this? She won’t stay in the Elysians. She keeps roaming around bugging everyone. She even bugged me until I agreed to send a farewell message to Orpheus from her by magic wind. If I could figure a way to get her out of here, believe me, I would!”
“Believe me, I believe you!” Persephone told him sincerely.
Almost against his will he grinned again, his mood seeming to lighten just a little more. Taking her hand, he sped them up. But a few minutes later he slowed, noticing where they were headed. “Are we going to my house?”
She smiled, nodding. As soon as they arrived at his castle, they leashed the wings on their sandals. Then Persephone checked the gloomdial.
“Three minutes,” she told him mysteriously.
He looked around in confusion. “Till what?”
“Till . . .” Instead of finishing, she handed him the card she’d brought. When he opened it, the flower popped out and started singing:
“Happy, Happy, Happy
Hades’ Day to you!
Happy, Happy, Happy—
Hope you aren’t feeling blue!”
He laughed. “Cool.” But then the card got stuck in a loop and wouldn’t shut or stop singing.
“Sorr
y about that,” Persephone said. She tried to take the card back, hoping to calm it down.
But Hades held it away, laughing louder than she’d ever heard him laugh before. “Man, this thing is hilarious. Did you make it?”
“Well, yes, but it’s not supposed to— Here, let me see it.” She reached for the card again, and this time he handed it over. But in the transfer she accidentally dropped it. The card finally fell shut and stopped looping its song.
Still chuckling, Hades picked it up. “Guess it wanted to do an encore performance.”
“Yeah,” she said, shrugging. Although the card was a little embarrassing, at least it had amused him!
Glancing over her shoulder at the gloomdial, Persephone saw that it was almost exactly noon. “And speaking of performances.” She directed his attention toward the castle, crossing her fingers that her surprise would work. And then suddenly—
Whoosh! Dozens of plants with buds and leaves sprouted from the ground all along the front of his castle.
Pop! Instantly they all burst into full bloom.
Together she and Hades beheld his new colorful garden full of humongous, fragrant flowers. She’d done it! She’d brought beauty to this otherwise dark province!
“Whoa!” exclaimed Hades as he gazed at the garden. “How? What?” He looked at her. “You did this?”
She nodded. She couldn’t tell from his expression whether he liked it or not. “I wanted to brighten up this place some, and I thought these prickly flowers would be just the right touch. Not too sweet. Not too stark.”
Hades went closer to the castle. He studied one of the twelve-inch-wide flowers. Its petals were yellow in the middle, then gradually darkened to orange and then red at the tips. Some of the other flowers in the new garden had blue petals or even pink and purple ones.
“They’re well-adapted to hot climates like the Underworld and can even survive a fire,” explained Persephone. “So if there’s ever a fire, and I know there are fires down here sometimes, it will regenerate.” Realizing she was rattling on, she made herself stop and ask, “Do you like them?”
He looked up from sniffing one of the blossoms. “I love them,” he told her. “No one has ever given me a gift before. Except for . . .”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“Nothing.” Hades looked away.
No one had ever given him a gift? In that moment Persephone’s heart melted with sympathy for him. She felt even more determined to make this his best birthday ever! And she had another surprise up her sleeve that might just do it.
“What are they called?” he asked. “These flowers you made.”
Persephone’s eyes twinkled. “I thought you’d never ask. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to name them—Eurydice.”
“Huh?” His nose scrunched and his head drew back in surprise. “You want to gift me with flowers called Eurydice?”
Persephone smiled enthusiastically. “That’s right. Before you say no, just listen. Remember how the Furies said that ‘the one named Eurydice’ must stay in the Underworld forever?”
He nodded, still obviously confused.
“So I was thinking that we could officially name this new species of flower Eurydice. Then, as long as one or more of these flowers stay here in the Underworld, it satisfies the Furies’ condition. Because ‘the one named Eurydice’ will be here, right? Growing in your garden. Which means that the real mortal Eurydice can leave the Underworld. Get it?”
A slow smile crossed his face as the wisdom of her plan dawned on him. “Got it. Eurydice the flowers remain here. Eurydice the mortal gets to leave. My bargain is still kept. It’s brilliant!” he declared.
“Let’s go tell the Furies,” she suggested.
It turned out that the three Furies were as happy as Hades was to see the troublemaking Eurydice go. So were about half of the shades when they found out. The other half all thought Eurydice was their new best friend, and when they heard the news, they became even sadder than shades usually were.
But Eurydice herself was understandably delighted. She graciously signed a few last autographs for her new shade fans before Hades handed her the pair of winged sandals Persephone had given him. Sandals that would now carry her back to MOA.
As Eurydice strapped them on, Hades drew Persephone aside. He looked much happier now than when she’d first arrived. “I need to finish my new fence. Will you girls be okay getting back to MOA on your own?”
“Sure.” Persephone nodded. “See you?”
“Count on it.” Grinning, he sent her a wave. “Later.”
Once Persephone unleashed the wings on her sandals, she and Eurydice took each other’s hands and began the journey back to the Academy. On the way Eurydice didn’t even mention being excited about seeing Orpheus again. Instead she seemed to want to focus on the subject of the Underworld. Far from wanting to forget the whole experience, she kept talking about some of the things she’d seen.
“You were so right!” she gushed. “Those Elysian Fields were fabulously beautiful. And of course the Forbidden Meadow was frightening. I didn’t see Tartarus, though.” She sounded disappointed.
“Well, it’s pretty much just swamp, lots of big boulders, lava rivers, and sulfur smell,” Persephone told her. “Why are you so interested in that stinky place? You didn’t miss anything, believe me!”
Eurydice laughed. “I told you I had an idea for a song about the Underworld, right? It’s actually about MOA, too.” She began singing:
“Mount Olympus lightning
Forbidden Meadows frightening . . .
Oh, please, please say
That you’ll take me away
From the Uuunderworld . . .
Just don’t look back . . .
No, don’t look baaack!”
“What do you think?” she asked Persephone.
“It’s fantastic!” she exclaimed. “You wrote it?”
Eurydice nodded. “The melody is O’s though. And I couldn’t have found the words without your help. Thank you, Persy!” She smiled, and Persephone smiled back. It was hard to stay mad at this fickle, flighty, fun girl!
After that, talk drifted to boys and school and teachers. But Persephone kept humming the new song in her head. It was amazing!
By the time they reached MOA, she felt like they were best buds again. How did this girl make her feel that way so easily? It was like instant friendship, only now she knew it was not the lasting kind.
Lots of students were milling around the courtyard enjoying the sunny day when Persephone and Eurydice touched down. The girls spied Orpheus coming down the granite steps. His gaze was downcast, his shoulders slumped with sadness. His bodyguard Viper was right behind him, keeping an eye on things as usual.
Orpheus instantly perked up when he saw the girls land. “Eurydice! You’re back?” he called to them as they stilled their sandals. “Thank the gods! Now I’ll be able to make music again! C’mon. I’ll go get my lyre and we can get started.”
He turned on his heel and ran back up the steps toward MOA’s front doors. But Eurydice didn’t follow him. And his bodyguard stayed put too.
“Not so fast, O,” Eurydice called out dramatically. She turned toward Viper. Smiling big, she reached out her hand, which he took in his. Then the two of them half-turned toward the students in the courtyard. “I’m leaving your band, O,” Eurydice announced in a loud, clear voice. “Viper and I are starting our own band.”
Everyone appeared stunned by what she’d said. Including Orpheus. “Wh-what?” he asked.
“You heard me,” she said. Noticing Pheme not far away, a pleased expression crossed Eurydice’s face. “And anyone who didn’t hear me will hopefully get the scoop soon!”
With that, Eurydice and Viper flounced off, boarded Hermes’ chariot, which happened to be sitting nearby, and headed for Earth. This time Orpheus was the one left behind.
Pheme dashed in through the Academy’s bronze front doors, eager to begin spreading the shocking new
s of the band’s breakup. Persephone gazed at Orpheus. He still stood in the same exact spot on the Academy steps as when Eurydice had told him the news. His head was bent. Was he crying?
Feeling incredibly sorry for him, Persephone took the steps up to stand beside him. Aphrodite was the goddess of love, so she’d be better at helping him get over a heartbreak. But she wasn’t here right now. So it was up to Persephone to console him. She searched for comforting words.
“I know that was probably a shock, and you’ll miss Eurydice,” she began. “But—”
Orpheus lifted his head and tossed back his thick brown hair. He gazed at her with his world-famous turquoise eyes. “I’m heartbroken,” he told her. Then a big smile broke across his face. “Isn’t it awesome?”
“Huh? I thought heartbreak was a bad thing,” Persephone said.
“Not when you’re a songwriter,” he told her enthusiastically. “Losing Eurydice twice is the best thing that could have happened to my music. The first time, I was just angry about losing her to the Underworld. That didn’t really help my music. Who wants to hear angry songs?
“But now my head is suddenly full of songs about broken hearts and stuff,” he went on. “Everyone wants to hear songs like that! I’ll be more famous than ever.”
Without another word he dashed into the Academy. Soon his music was floating from the windows of the boys’ dorm. His beautiful voice crooned one new song of heartbreak and lost love after another. It was as if a dam had broken and a river of musical creativity was flowing out of him!
Persephone didn’t get it. The breakup between Orpheus and Eurydice had happened so fast that her head was spinning. She couldn’t quite believe that Eurydice would throw Orpheus over for Viper. Something didn’t smell right. And this time it wasn’t the skunkweed card she’d tossed away!
14
Surprise!
Hades
ONE, TWO, THREE . . . HIT IT!”
Hades beat on the drums with his drumsticks and tapped the cymbals, keeping time with the rest of the musicians in Heavens Above. It was Saturday night, and he and the band were performing in the MOA courtyard again. His drum set was at the rear of the stage in the shadows, where he was most comfortable.