Chapter 7
Josephine
Josephine’s family had long spoken of the Underworld, but none of her relations had actually ever seen it. Most of them didn’t have enough magic to get into the Underworld and those that did didn’t visit it frequently.
“But how do we know for sure that we’ll be able to return?” Josephine asked.
“You are with a phoenix, a God, and a Gargoyle, all of whom can flow between the two worlds willingly.”
“So I won’t get trapped down there?”
“No. You need to give yourself more credit. You are the direct descendant of the first oracle. That makes you quite gifted magically,” Don replied.
“Oh good, she’ll finally be able to perfect that love potion she’s been working on,” Savannah said. Josephine noticed that Savannah became more sarcastic the more dangerous it got. She decided to let that comment go.
“In the Underworld your gifts are heightened, so if you could barely do a simple love potion here, in the Underworld that same spell would manifest an actual person,” Don said. He seemed to have a knack for decoding Savannah speak.
“Is the Underworld the same as in Greek Mythology, the place where bad people go once they’ve died?” Savannah asked. She sounded scared.
“No. The Underworld is to creatures what the earth is to humans, which is why you can now explore it,” Don replied.
“Okay good. So we’ll fit right in?” Savannah said. Josephine heard the sarcasm again.
“No. I don’t want Savannah going to a city full of monsters. She stays here,” Percaline said.
Josephine felt the tension in the room thicken. Savannah liked being told what she could and couldn’t do about as much as her sister. “I’m going too!” Savannah yelled.
Before an all-out sibling war could get started, Don reassured Percaline that Savannah would be safe. He asked her if she trusted him. She didn’t, because he was still a stranger in her eyes, but agreed to let Savannah go. It was a strange night after all, so what was the harm at this point? Don pointed out that when Percaline became a phoenix, she had sent out a beacon of her location to all the people who wanted her dead. Savannah was safest with them, so all of them were going together. It didn’t make sense to Percaline, but Don kept telling them that the Underworld was safe even though monsters called the Underworld home.
Don led them towards the fireplace. As they got closer, Josephine could feel the temperature rise until it was almost unbearable. It was like one of those moments where your brain can’t tell the difference between really hot and really cold.
“It’s not fire at all,” Percaline said. “It’s water.”
“Of course it’s water. We’re in the residence of Poseidon, God of the sea, dumbass.” Savannah clearly hadn’t gotten over her tiff with Percaline about going into the Underworld. Sisters could hold grudges, which Josephine knew well. After all, she had nine of them.
“Just walk through the fire,” Don said matter-of-factly. “Once you get to the other side you’ll, officially be in the Underworld.”
Everybody was quiet. Nobody wanted to go first.
“Savannah, why don’t you go first and Josephine and Landon can follow you in? Percaline and Lucas can go next and I’ll bring up the rear,” Don said as he grabbed Josephine’s hand. Josephine didn’t like touching people. It was like sticking your hand in an electrical socket. Some people gave a lower voltage and others damn near electrocuted you. Don’s touch was pure power like the humming at a power plant. Don placed Josephine’s left hand on Savannah’s shoulder. Her right hand was still securely attached to Landon’s leash. She had a terrifying thought. “Wait, will Landon be okay?” Josephine asked.
“He will,” was all Don said.
“And how do you know that?” Josephine asked. It was one thing to risk her life, but it was a completely different thing to risk the life of her dog.
“Because as we’ve discussed before, Truthaven doesn’t allow anything that isn’t supernatural to enter. Landon is no different,” Don replied and then pushed Savannah, with Josephine and Landon attached, through the water-fire. Questions piled up in Josephine’s head, but quickly dissolved as she, Savannah, and Landon began to fall through space. Seconds later they landed with a thud.
“How very Alice in Wonderland of us,” Savannah said as she stood up and dusted herself off. There were two more thuds as Percaline and Lucas landed. Then with the precision of someone practiced Don gracefully floated down into the room wearing a Greek robe and sandals. He was bigger in the Underworld, very God-like. The outfit helped.
The room they had all landed in was made of mirrors. There wasn’t a space in the room not covered by mirrors. Josephine knew this because she could see. For the first time since the prophecy she could see. She took off her glasses and looked around the room, finally seeing what Savannah, Percaline, and Lucas looked like. They weren’t too far off of what she had pictured in her mind but there were differences. Percaline was more feminine than she had imagined, or maybe it was just the giant wings protruding from her back that gave her the impression of being more elegant. The wings were bright red, orange, yellow, green, and purple and they looked like both fire and feathers. “Did you have those before?” Josephine asked Percaline as she pointed to the wings. Percaline saw her reflection and gasped.
Lucas seemed to be in shock at the sight of Percaline’s wings. He looked at his reflection and saw that he too had wings, huge masculine wings. They were gray and black with a hint of purple, and had a different shape than Percaline’s.
Josephine looked around the room, her eyes adjusting to the light, finally coming to rest on Landon. She had envisioned Landon in her mind as a typical-looking Australian Shepherd, but this Landon stood a couple inches shorter than Don on two legs. Landon was a man Underground.
Josephine tried to get up, but fell backwards. Landon helped her to her feet. “You’re a man,” she said accusingly.
“In the Underworld yes, but top side I’m just a dog,” Landon replied in a raspy Australian accent. Apparently once you spend some time as a dog, your ability to speak like a human becomes increasingly more difficult. Savannah stared at the both of them. Josephine hated being stared at so she snapped, “What?”
Savannah hesitated for a minute, scrunching her face together, then locked eyes with Josephine. “You can see,” she pointed out.
Josephine replied with a smile and a simple, “Yes.”
Savannah came closer to Josephine. “Have your eyes always been amber?” she asked. Josephine finally looked at herself in the mirror. Before the prophecy she had always worn make-up, but without sight that was no longer an option. She didn’t care if other people thought she was attractive because she no longer judged people based on their looks.
Josephine wasn’t ugly, though. She was beautiful. Maybe it was because it had been so long since she had seen herself, or maybe it was because it had been so long since she had seen anyone but she couldn’t help but think she was gorgeous. She had high cheek bones, full lips, and amber eyes. “I don’t remember my eyes being this vivid but yes, before the prophecy, before they went white, they were this color,” she replied, “Do I look different because I’m in the Underworld or is this how I always look?” she asked.
“Minus the glasses, this is how you always look,” Savannah said. “But I think you and I got the short end of the stick. Percaline and Lucas got wings, Don seems bigger in stature, and Landon is a real life boy. But then again, you can see, so maybe I’m the only one who got snubbed.”
“At least you didn’t get a tail,” Landon said and laughed at her. He was shorter than six feet tall with dark reddish brown hair, a medium complexion, and one brown eye and one blue eye just like he had aboveground. Somehow when he had fallen into the Underworld and changed from dog to man he had also magically changed into black slacks, a patterned shirt, and a gray vest with a red pocket square tucked into the pocket. He was quite striking to look at, and Josephin
e imagined that even without the accent the boys would stalk him.
Savannah told him, “So I have this friend named Mason that I would like you to meet sometime.” Josephine didn’t know how the logistics of that would work since Landon was a dog aboveground and Mason wasn’t supernatural, but she let it go. There was too much else going on.
Josephine looked at Percaline and took in her long red curls, tanned skin, and emerald green eyes. She was still wearing the outfit from the masquerade ball so she had a green and black mask that not only complimented her eyes but also her wings, like they had always been part of the costume. She seemed to be having trouble navigating with them, falling backwards and bumping into people, but Don told her that once they got to the House, she and Lucas would have the option of disappearing their wings if they wanted to. That snapped Josephine back into reality. “House?” she asked.
Don replied, “Yes. The phoenix has a residence in the Underworld. Did I not mention that before?” In unison, everyone said “No.”
“Ahh, well, yes. The House of Phoenyx is where we are heading. It serves as the center of town,” Don said as he made his way to one of the mirrors, grabbed a handle that no one else could see, and opened a door.
“Don, if you’re half angel, why don’t you have wings?” Savannah asked as she and Landon, arm in arm, followed him to the door.
“I do, it’s just that unlike Percaline and Lucas, I have the ability to shield them in the Underworld.” Don opened the door and then stopped, motioning for everybody to stand back. Like a waterfall wings shot out of his torso. Since he wasn’t wearing a shirt and he was standing with his back to the group everybody could see the wings flood out of his shoulder blades. His wings made Percaline and Lucas’s wings seem like midget wings. No wonder he didn’t wear them all the time.
Josephine felt his wings to see if her eyes deceived her. They did not. They were made out of water but were so dense they felt more like a slimy rock in white water rapids. “That’s amazing,” she said, smiling at Don. Don was amazing.
“Zeus’s wings are made out of pure energy. Hades’s wings look like they’re on fire. They’re both quite a sight to see,” Don said as he walked through the door. Everyone following him in a procession.
The Underworld was magnificent. It looked like a mixture of Main Street Disney and 19th century London, with the bright lights of the quaint little shops that lined the street battling against the universal black and charcoal-gray hue.
“This looks like Tim Burton’s take on Fort Collins, Colorado,” Savannah said as she breathed in the air. “And it looks dirty but it smells clean.”
“I think the dirty you’re getting is because it’s dark,” Percaline guessed.
The sky of the Underworld was all dark blues, grays, and blacks. The only light on the streets were coming from the shops and the Victorian street lamps, which were swathed in fog. The city was full of beautiful shops but they were silhouetted in the darkness. An eclipsed moon hung in the sky.
With Don leading, they walked through a series of alleys. As they followed Don, the buildings got bigger, less congested, and the sounds of the Underworld became louder. When they finally cleared the last alley and stepped out into the street, Josephine understood why. It was like the Underworld’s version of Time Square minus all the taxis. Instead, horse drawn carriages carried people. Billboards and lighted signs lined the sky, and people walked brusquely trying to get somewhere.
Ahead of them a puzzle piece of street parts flowed into the sky. The street they were on just stopped, a broken crumble of what they stood on. The rest of it flowed away from them in broken sections—some big, some small, some above their street, some below their street—like puzzle pieces that weren’t yet connected.
Don turned and pointed to the castle that stood on a floating piece of street ahead of them. It seemed to be the focal point for this part of the Underworld. “That is the House of Phoenyx.” As he spoke, the people that had been walking paused and turned to look at Percaline. She caught on to this and Lucas stiffened in anticipation.
“Why are they all looking at me, Don?” Percaline asked.
Don put a hand on her shoulder and replied, “Because most of them have never seen a phoenix in their lifetime.”
And like that the street that had been in pieces leading to the House of Phoenyx started to align itself, creating a cobblestone walkway to the House. Josephine looked behind her. The alley they had come from slowly brightened in color and the night sky lightened. The moon moved out of the sky and a sun lightened the horizon.
Don caught Josephine’s eye and then pointed to a place in the dark burgundy and purple sky. It was her prophecy written for everyone to see in a bright light. Don spoke to Percaline again. “They are also looking because they have been expecting you.”
As the group walked down the cobblestone street to the House, they watched in amazement as the street pieced itself together and the sky brightened to a dusky color as they passed. Everything from the buildings to signs to the very street they were walking on swam in shades of red, orange, and purple like the wings of a phoenix.
The people stopped and stared as Percaline walked down the street. Josephine could hear whispers from all around but couldn’t make out what the people were saying. They lined the streets, sitting on steps of walk-ups and leaning on sign posts waiting and watching as the group paraded by.
“Who are all these people?” Josephine asked.
Don spoke as he pointed to a figure hiding in a shadowed doorway. “That is a sin-eater. As a species they’re a bit crazy, but don’t judge them because you would be crazy too if you ate other people’s sins for a living.” The man he pointed to looked like a homeless vagabond. Don then pointed toward a group of people sitting on stools at an outside bar. “Those are vampires and that is a blood bar,” he said. The vampires had red eyes. Their faces were pale and their pointy teeth were noticeable, although none of them were snarling.
“The kids playing in the broken fire hydrant up ahead are werewolves. The werewolf, not unlike Landon, can choose its form in the Underworld. They can choose to take the form of a human, a werewolf, or a human/werewolf hybrid,” Don continued.
Josephine asked, “Landon can be either a human or a dog down here?”
“Yes, of course he can. He’s your familiar and familiars can express themselves in whatever form they or their witch desires,” Don replied.
“What’s a familiar?” Lucas asked.
“A familiar is an animal that shares and strengthens a witch’s power,” Josephine answered. “I didn’t know Landon was a familiar, but I have heard of them before. It’s just that they usually only bond to powerful witches.”
Don spoke. “You are a very powerful, Josephine. Of everyone here you may be the most powerful.”
“Including you?” Savannah asked.
“Including me,” Don answered and smiled at Josephine. Josephine appreciated the compliment even if she thought it was false.
“Have you been down here before, Landon?” Savannah asked.
He replied, “I grew up in the Underworld.”
“Interesting,” Josephine said. She said what was really on her mind. “Please tell me that you never looked at me while I was naked?”
“Never,” Landon replied. “Why would you care if I did? You’re not my type, but you’re smoking hot for someone with breasts. Actually you all are, breasts or not. This is a particularly attractive assemblage of people.”
For the first time in a while Lucas spoke. “I scratched your butt.” He winced as he said it.
Landon smiled. “Don’t play coy with me. I know you enjoyed it.”
This got Lucas to laugh.
Josephine was too busy racking her brain for any other embarrassing things she may have done in front of Landon without knowing, but finally accepted that there was no changing it now.
“See the people that walk alone and keep to themselves? They’re Saints. Not like
your religious saint but more like a Boondock Saint. They usually work alone or in pairs of two. They are paid to act as police, bodyguards, or the occasional hit man. Their weapon skills are precise. They are considered quite deadly. You do not want to be at the other end of their sword.”
“Are the Boondock Saints real? Do they live here?” Savannah asked.
“The Boondock Saints movie franchise is based loosely on a couple of Underworld brothers. Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Resident Evil’s Alice are also based loosely on Saints,” Don responded.
They reached the posse of werewolf kids. One of the kids accidentally kicked a soccer ball towards their group. Josephine was a fan of children. She couldn’t wait to have a family of her own. She was going to name her first baby girl Mila.
The little girl broke away from her mom and chased after her ball. Josephine stopped the ball from rolling away with her foot, picked it up, and squatted down. “Is this your ball?” she asked the little girl as she approached.
“Yeah,” the little girl said in a hushed voiced. She was no bigger than two feet tall with braided pig tails and a pair of overalls. She was a human/werewolf hybrid with a hairy face and sharp teeth.
She turned as though she was going to run back to her mom.
“Here you go,” Josephine said before the little girl could run away. In the distance, Josephine heard the girl’s mom saying something to her. The girl stopped, turned around back towards Josephine, took her ball and said, “Thank you!” Then she skipped back to her mom and group of friends.
“Oh, you made a friend Josephine,” Savannah said, then bumped her with her shoulder. “That was nice of you. Cute kid, too.”
As they neared the House, they watched as the Underworld changed before their eyes from dank and depressing to warm and hopeful but still dark. Even the people in the streets seemed to be thankful for the change of scenery, or at least for the street that was now in one piece instead of several.
“Is it sunrise?” Percaline asked as she took in the change.
“No. The Underworld does not have a sunrise or a sunset. This change is because of you,” Don said, “You represent the sun, creation, and rebirth. This is the Underworld’s interpretation of that. This world has changed because you are in it.”
From where they had come from the House looked big, but up close it was huge. It was the center of the town with five roads, still aligning themselves together, leading to it. The House was comprised of one tower and three steeples like a church. It had a steep roof in the middle that came together at a point just a little left of center. It was surrounded on all sides by water. A tall stone wall separated the property from the street and a cast iron gate monitored the entrance. Gargoyle statues rested like ornaments on the stone pillars outside of the House.
Percaline
The gate was unlike anything Percaline had ever seen before. It was black cast iron with a gold mosaic in the center of it depicting a beautiful naked woman adorned with a flowing scarf. In gold letters the gate read, ‘House of Phoenyx.’
“It’s beautiful,” she said as she traced the picture with her fingers.
From behind the gate Percaline could hear the sound of cables lowering what she could only imagine was a drawbridge. A dozen locks on the gate started to click, clank, and unbuckle very meticulously from the center out. With a pop and a series of squeaks the gate opened and a drawbridge came into view. It was wooden and supported by chains on either side. Below it was a moat that went around the castle. Percaline looked at the bridge and the moat and then she looked for a pirate ship and crocodiles. None. She smiled to herself. Even from outside the gate the House called to her.
“Percaline, welcome to your Underworld home,” Don said as he presented the House.
As they started to pass over the bridge, a waterfall in front of the House came into view. The waterfall was massive and there was no way to get around it. They would have to go through it.
Percaline paused when she got to the wall of water. It was much bigger than it had seemed from far away and more intimidating. Don turned and spoke, “I know what everyone is thinking. You would be surprised how many things water repels. At the top of that list is vampires.”
“I thought the only water vampires didn’t like was holy water,” Savannah said.
“It is,” Don replied and elaborated, “When God sent the great flood the water became blessed because He sent it. It’s the same thing with water on House of Phoenyx property. It’s holy.” Don put his left hand in the water and swept it to the side like it was a curtain. “Phoenix and Gargoyles have a natural affinity to water. Witches and Sirens do too, just generally not as strong.” He motioned for the group to enter.
Savannah, Josephine, and Landon went first. After they cleared the waterfall Don dropped the curtain. “Walk through,” he said to Percaline.
She looked at him questioningly.
“Do you trust me?” Don asked.
Percaline again replied, “No,” but she walked through the water. The water made her body tingle and whatever last little bit of anxiety she was holding onto washed away as she emerged dry on the other side. Lucas emerged from behind her and he too was dry. Percaline would have to ask him, when she finally decided to speak to him again, if he had felt the same sensation walking through the water.
As Don appeared on the other side of the water, Percaline noticed what was in front of them. It was a large door, maybe ten feet tall and five feet wide. She couldn’t help but wonder who the door was made for because whatever it was, was a fair bit larger than the average human. Savannah also had the same thought.
“Does Percaline have a dragon?” Savannah asked.
Don thought about it for a second, then said, “No, but it might be a good idea to get one. I’ll see what I can do.”
Percaline wondered how, without a dragon, the door was supposed to open. It seemed too big and too heavy to move. There was a door knob in the center with a door knocker just above that and a mail slot below it. The knob was about the same height as Savannah, who stood close to the door, looking up at it and wondering how they were going to push their way in.
A glowing green light began to shine through the door seam. Suddenly it opened. In the doorway stood a butler in a three piece tuxedo, complete with tail and white gloves. He had a light green complexion and looked dead. There was no mistaking it, the butler was a zombie. “Welcome to House of Phoenyx. We’ve been expecting you,” he said in an English accent.
When Percaline and Lucas entered the House, their wings and the castle façade disappeared, replaced by wing tattoos that covered their arms and a normal looking, albeit colossal, home. In front of them was a foyer and a massive staircase. The huge wooden door that from the outside had looked like it led to a dungeon looked like a classic suburban double door entrance with stained glass windows from inside the House. The stained glass depicted same naked woman from the gate.
The only difference that Percaline could see between this House and your average house, besides the sheer size of it, was that it looked like something that had been haunted for the last century. From the look of servants who gathered on the staircase, it was indeed haunted. A couple of ghosts, along with other kinds of unknown human-looking monsters, greeted the group as they came in. The greeting was very much like something you would have expected when boarding a ship at the turn of the century. The male servants wore black suits with tails, white vests, and white gloves like the butler. The female servants were dressed in a maid costumes. All looked very pleased to be there.
“Reaves at your service. Ms. Percaline, I presume.” The butler took a bow in front of her and then went on to Lucas.
“Mr. Lucas,” he said and bowed again.
He went down the line acknowledging Savannah, Josephine, and Landon. Percaline wondered how he knew their names. When he got to Don, he said, “Hello, Mr. Poseidon. It is always nice to see you, sir.”
“Likewise, Reaves
,” Don responded.
“We have prepared a meal for you in the dining hall. We wish to invite you for a feast and afterwards, we would like to invite you to take a look around the rest of the estate,” Reaves said as he gestured towards a set of French doors to the right of the staircase. Two attendants opened the doors as they approached.
Percaline wasn’t sure what she’d had in mind when she decided to venture down into the Underworld, and she didn’t know what she had expected from the House of Phoenyx, but this definitely wasn’t it. When she had been standing outside of the gate the House had called to her. Now that she was inside she felt like she was home. It was almost like she was returning to a dream she’d had as a child. Percaline and the House fit together. It was like finding a missing puzzle piece in her life. This was also perhaps the first time in her life that she didn’t have the looming feeling of panic in her heart.
The dining hall had a vaulted ceiling with a chandelier, a long rectangular table with six high-backed chairs, and tapestries on the walls. On the far wall was a fireplace, not as big as the fireplace in Truthaven, but just as ornate with what looked like handmade woodwork around the stone center of it. On the table there were a few lighted candelabras and a place setting for each of them. Everyone was silent as they stepped into the room and took in their surroundings. Since entering the House nobody had said anything besides whispering hi when meeting the servants. Not knowing what else to do but not wanting to be rude, they all stood behind a chair at the table, silently seeking approval for doing so. All of tonight’s events had been out of their comfort zones, but sitting at a fancy table waiting for a fancy dinner was definitely not in anyone’s wheelhouse.
Percaline couldn’t help but think of how underdressed she was, and her comfort level was depreciating by the minute. She looked down at her clothing to mentally chastise her choice in this evening’s attire, but instead of her masquerade outfit she found she was wearing something different. She looked around the room at her friends. All of them were wearing something different.
The men were wearing suits, each with a different accent color. Landon’s accent was still in red, Lucas wore purple, and Don wore blue. The girls each wore a dress or skirt that somehow matched their personality. Josephine was still wearing her bustier and leather pants but her sweater was gone. Around her pants she had a white satin half skirt, so from behind it looked like she was wearing a two-piece dress but from the front you could see both her pants and skirt. She was covered enough that she would be comfortable, the modest person that she was, and still elegant. Savannah wore a faux black leather skater dress that was shorter than the other lady’s pieces, to show the vibrancy of her youth.
Percaline’s outfit was the most spectacular. She wore a floor-length emerald green skirt covered in one large rosette. The skirt came to a point just below the shirt and if she stood the right way it looked like it was a one piece dress. The shirt that she had been wearing all of the sudden looked classy instead of trampy. Her mask remained but her arms and stomach were covered in tattoos in the shape of feathers, like her wings had contoured around her body. The feathers on her tattoos waved as she moved. Percaline caught her reflection in a piece of silver. She felt like a phoenix and she looked strong. Lucas was staring at her. Everyone else stared at Don.
By way of explanation Don simply said, “The House just knows.”
The attendants moved to pull Josephine and Savannah’s seats out for them. Lucas moved to pull out Percaline’s seat. They locked eyes. Percaline remembered the romantic predicament her heart was in for the first time in several minutes. Lucas looked dapper in his suit and the purple accents brought out his eyes. She didn’t think it was fair that he looked so good, and from the look in his eyes he was feeling the same about her. His look was something Percaline wanted to remember. She was still mad at Lucas, but somehow being in the House made her feel less hostile, like she knew being mad was a mistake. Maybe it was her new bond with him that was telling her to forgive him. Percaline was stubborn though, so without incentive to forgive Lucas she wouldn’t. Or at least she wouldn’t tell him she had once she did. And when she remembered why she was mad at him the moment ended and she looked away.
“Tonight’s assortment of food is in honor of Ms. Percaline’s palate,” Reaves announced. Percaline wasn’t sure what that meant exactly.
The moment everyone was sitting, a line of servants moved forward and started catering to them. The servants appeared to be of all shapes, sizes, and creature from the color or their eyes and skin to the shape of their noses and hands. Reaves stood in the background inspecting all of the food as it came out.
Another gentleman in a tuxedo with tails and white gloves asked them what they wished to drink. Percaline asked for a caffeine-free diet cherry vanilla coke, mostly just to see if they had it, which they did. Lucas asked for a beer and by doing so, found out that the House had its own brewery with head brewmaster named James. Savannah asked for a glass of water and asked if they had any fish. Apparently since becoming a Siren, she had very different food cravings. Josephine asked for an iced tea with sugar and Landon asked for a Shirley Temple. Don also asked for water.
Percaline didn’t realize how hungry she was until someone presented her with the first course, buffalo chicken pizza. It had been at least twenty-four hours since she had last eaten and Percaline never refused pizza.
“Who are all these people?” Josephine asked.
“These people work for the House,” Don said. “It is a great honor to work for the House of Phoenyx. Some of these people come here to work for the honor and others come here for the sanctuary.”
“Sanctuary?” Savannah asked.
“Yes, the Underworld and the people in it can be intimidating for some. The House offers refuge for anyone who vows to uphold the legacy of the phoenix,” Don replied.
Percaline thought about that for a second. All these people were here to protect and take care of her, her family, and her friends and in return they got notoriety and a place to stay. “That hardly seems fair or safe for them,” Percaline said.
“The House has its own magic. She can tell if someone has ill intentions towards the phoenix. Those people are not allowed in. The people you see before you spend their lives here, raise their families here. It is safe for them and they choose to be here,” Don said.
Reaves spoke, “The House is as much my home as it is yours, Ms. Percaline.” All the servants nodded in agreement.
The next course was presented. It was hot wings and French fries. “Percaline, has anyone ever told you that you eat like a bachelor?” Landon laughed.
“All the time,” Percaline replied. Percaline had tried her best to provide at least one balanced meal a day for herself and Savannah, but after starting Yale she had given up the task. By then Savannah was old enough to start making her own meals, so Percaline made sure the refrigerator and freezer were stocked and that they had a working microwave and the rest was up to Savannah. As it turned out, Savannah had the same bachelor taste in food as Percaline, or at least she did before she became a Siren.
Whenever Lucas was in town he would make sure that they both ate well and healthy. Percaline didn’t mind because he usually made pot roast and mashed potatoes and other home-cooked food just like her mom used to make. She didn’t think the day would ever come that she would crave home-cooked meals when there was pizza and wings to be had, but she did. Maybe she just missed what they stood for.
That notion passed as the next course came out. It was pot roast and mashed potatoes. “These taste just like your mom’s,” Lucas said as he took another heaping spoonful of potatoes. Percaline smiled. She thought about her mom and Uncle Jon and how they would have liked it here. They probably would have chastised her for being in a formal dining room, wearing formal dining attire, but eating pizza and hot wings. If she’d had a crystal ball, maybe she would have tried harder to like caviar and filet mignon just for this moment.
; By the time dessert came out Percaline was stuffed. It was difficult but she had to pass on the brownie à la mode.
Reaves cleared his throat and said, “May I please present to you, Mr. Hades, God of the Underworld,” as the double doors to the dining room opened.
Hades walked into the room, Percaline thought about the strange events that had occurred that night and wondered if the announcement “Mr. Hades, God of the Underworld” would ever sound ordinary to her. She didn’t think it would.
Hades was wearing a pair of leather pants and a white T-shirt that read ‘ZZ Top’ in black print. Percaline suddenly felt overdressed but the more she looked around the room she found that she wasn’t. The outfit that Hades was wearing brought their outfits together in an elegant rock star kind of way.
Hades had black spiky hair that spun into a blue-frosted point over his forehead. What was unusual was that although he and Don were brothers, Don looked to be of African descent and Hades appeared to be of Asian descent. Savannah was the one to verbalize this.
“I thought you guys were brothers?” she asked.
“We are,” Don replied. “When the angels came down from Heaven and started procreating with women, each woman born was of a different descent. God’s plan was to multiply the world with different human races.”
Hades interrupted, “It’s not that difficult. Don, Zeus, and I have the same father but different mothers.”
Don laughed. “It’s good to see you, brother,” he said as he hugged Hades.
Hades hugged him and patted him on the back. “So introduce me to the woman who has you hanging out in my world.”
“’Des, I would like you to meet Landon, Josephine, Savannah, Lucas, and Percaline, our phoenix,” Don said.
Percaline stood up from the table and shook Hades out-stretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. Hades returned the compliment and held Percaline’s gaze for a moment as if he recognized her. The moment passed and he let go of her hand.
“Will Zeus be joining us?” Hades asked Don as the table suddenly lengthened and manifested another chair.
Percaline blinked and Zeus appeared. Zeus was Caucasian and dressed in a business suit and he was engulfed in white light.
“Zeus, welcome,” Don said. Don did not attempt to hug Zeus. He also didn’t offer Zeus a chair.
“Sorry, I couldn’t make it there in tangible form. I’m working on something and it’s easier for me to astro-project myself to you,” Zeus said.
Zeus turned towards Percaline. “Percaline, I presume?”
“Yes. And this is Lucas, Savannah, Josephine, and Landon,” Percaline replied as she pointed at each of them. Zeus ignored her, asking “So you were able to find her easily, brother?” turning back to Don before Percaline finished.
Don took his seat next to Hades. “Yes, she was in New Haven just as you said she would be.”
“And she knows what is required of her?” Zeus asked. Percaline was starting to get irritated. She hated it when anyone talked about her like she wasn’t in the room.
“Yes,” Don replied.
“And she has read the prophecy?” Zeus asked.
Percaline spoke up, “She is right here.” She was amazed at how strong her voice sounded, considering she was taking that tone with a God. “It has been explained to me that I’m the phoenix and that the prophecy was written about me. It has also been explained to me that I have no choice but to go along with the whole phoenix thing because if I don’t the world will end and everyone I love in it will die.”
Zeus looked at her. “Very well, then.” He looked back at Don and Hades. “And you both remember that we Gods cannot influence the battle?” Don and Hades nodded and Zeus flickered out.
“What does he mean, influence the battle?” Lucas asked.
Hades answered, “Gods are allowed to remain in this world as long as we do not engage in any battle against a species regarded weaker than us. We can teach you but we cannot fight for you unless that fight is against another God.”
There was a painting behind the place where Zeus had been standing. Like everything else in the House, it looked familiar to Percaline. It was of a white horse in a stable eating an apple. The urge to touch it was overpowering and Percaline ached to move towards it. Hades interrupted her with his goodbyes and promises to return. In true rock star fashion Hades left the room with a spin and an air of entitlement.
Savannah
Savannah was still trying to figure out why no one else had seen the resemblance between Percaline and Zeus, but then again maybe that was the reason for that flicker of recognition from Hades. They were damn near identical. Percaline had more feminine features and Zeus was more masculine even when lit up in white, but besides that they looked like they could be father and daughter or Dr. Evil and Mini Me. Savannah remembered that Don had told her that any first-born child Zeus had with a woman would be the same sex as Zeus, but the likeness was uncanny. But she was going to shelve that brain teaser for another day, because right now it was time to check out more of the House.
They started at the main staircase and it was grand, like Leonardo Dicaprio in Titanic grand. The stairs started in the center of the room and went maybe a dozen steps high before meeting at a landing and separating to opposite sides. A handrail went up through the center of the steps and the base of the handrail was carved in the shape of the same lady that was on the gate outside. At the landing, a giant pendulum clock kept time.
At the top of the stairs, the second level opened up to a movie theater entrance. Savannah decided that this was where she planned on spending most of her nights when in the Underworld. Inside, the movie theater had a decent sized screen and red velvet and gold chairs. There was orchestra seating, a red curtain, and etched woodwork all around it. There was even a concession stand. Popcorn, chocolate, coffee, and tea; all the stuff you would find at regular movie theaters and none of the price. Savannah was in Heaven.
They walked down a long, eerily lit hallway with dome lights, single candelabras, and a red oriental rug spanning the length of it. Because of the poor lighting, Reaves borrowed a candelabra from its perch to guide them towards their next destination. They passed several paneled wood doors with skeleton-key locks before stopping in front of one door.
“This, Ms. Percaline, is your room,” Reaves said. He unlocked the door and handed Percaline the key. Lucas’s room was next down the hallway and Savannah’s came after his. On the opposite side of the hallway were two rooms for Landon and Josephine. There was an adjoining door between their rooms and private bathrooms on either side. Percaline and Lucas’s rooms were connected by a shared bathroom. Or at least that’s what Savannah thought she heard Reaves say. Truth be told, she wasn’t really paying attention until Reaves handed her a key.
Savannah’s room had been made just for her. It was remarkable. It had chalk walls highlighted in red and covered in vinyl records and movie posters. For a second she thought that even Hades might envy this room and its rock star fashion. She also had a decent sized closet, a couch, and a big screen TV. This was seriously the coolest room any teenager had ever had.
Looking at the bed, Savannah noticed how tired she was. She wanted to see more of the House but full from dinner and tired from the night she’d had, she was tempted to just lie down. She probably would have too, but she realized that she wasn’t sure if they were staying there for the night. Suddenly she had a thought. “Don, where’s your room?” she asked as they exited the bedroom hallway and started towards their next attraction.
“I don’t have a room here,” Don responded.
“Why not?” Savannah pushed. She was very interested in the Gods.
“Because Gods don’t sleep,” Don replied.
Savannah thought about that for a second. It made sense. “Then where do you put all of your things?” she asked.
“I can summon my things to me. I don’t need to travel with them,” Don said.
That was interesting. She had
seen his clothing change from jeans and a T-shirt into God apparel before they entered the Underworld. Maybe that’s why she had yet to see his trident.
“Then where will you spend your time when you’re here?” she asked.
“I will probably set up shop in the library,” he said as they rounded the last corner in the hallway and the library came into view. “And with Josephine’s help I hope to create an entrance from the House of Phoenyx to Truthaven and back.”
The staircase was amazing, the theater was amazing, the bedrooms were amazing, but all of those things had nothing on the library. It was massive, taking up two levels. Books lined the walls, lawyer lamps lined the desks, and a painting of the same woman covered the arched ceiling. True to the color scheme of the House so far, the shell of the library was made out of wood and the fabric details; the curtains, rugs, and tapestries, were red. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and a smaller version of the main staircase separated the first floor of the library from the second. Sliding ladders were in place for all of the books that were too high to reach. A whiteboard was also available, so Don would be in Heaven if his and Savannah’s earlier study session was anything to go by.
When Josephine almost disappeared into the bookshelves, Reaves brought everybody back together. He led the group down the back stairs, which they entered from the bedroom hallway, with one large candle chandelier providing light for the whole of them. The banister and railings were beautiful ornate cast iron. The staircase was half circular and half square and from the bottom looking up made the letter e. While looking up, Savannah noticed that there was yet a third level to the House. She guessed that was for another night of exploring.
Next on their tour were the kitchens and the brewery right off of the back staircase. The kitchen was an industrial service room with massive sinks, a man-sized dishwasher, and an old wood-burning stove. Some of the servants were cleaning up after the feast and those that had finished were sitting down at the servant’s table eating. They all stood when the group walked in.
“Fancy operation you guys have here,” Savannah said.
They all looked at her with open mouths. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to speak to them. Luckily, the awkwardness was broken when a little dog came running into the kitchen, barking. Percaline and Lucas both bent down to greet him. “Hello there, little guy. What’s your name?” Percaline asked. The little dog was yellow and his fur looked wet. This dog appeared to be dead. Savannah laughed at herself, thinking, ‘A zombie dog to match the zombie Reaves.’
“His name is Basil,” Reaves said with disdain in his voice, “He is your dog, Ms. Percaline.” Savannah guessed that Reaves wasn’t a fan of dogs. Maybe he was a cat person.
“He’s mine?” Percaline asked. She sounded happy.
Basil rolled onto his back while Percaline and Lucas both gave him a nice rub down. “Don’t worry, he’s all dog,” Landon said. Lucas smiled at that.
By the time they left the kitchens with Basil in tow, a half dozen brooms and mops were animatedly cleaning the floor. Savannah wondered if Walt Disney had ever been to the Underworld. Between the Disneyland Main Street of the Underworld and the cleaning tools dancing around independently, she was pretty sure he had.
The next room they entered was the brewery. It smelled hoppy, so looking around this room was cut short because not everybody’s nose could handle it. Before they left, they did get to meet James the brewmaster. He was a nice guy with a shaved bald head and bright blue eyes, but Savannah couldn’t tell what kind of monster he was.
There was a lot more of the House to see, but after looking at the courtyard, which looked like any courtyard in any romantic comedy from the last ten years, with a different sky from the rest of the Underworld, everyone’s full stomachs finally started to catch up with them. With Reaves’s approval and a promise to meet in the dining hall in thirty minutes, the group disbanded. Savannah wanted to explore more of the House but she also wanted to have a moment to herself in her room to think about everything that had happened. She didn’t think it was a coincidence that she’d become a Siren, but more like destiny. After all, if she hadn’t become a Siren she wouldn’t have been able to join them in the Underworld or Truthaven and of all of the places she’d been in her life, they were the two that felt most like home.
Entering her room, she looked around at everything, taking it all in. It was magnificent. She kicked off her boots and pulled on a pair of slippers that were by the bed waiting for her. This was Percaline’s Underworld home so it was now her Underworld home too. She hoped that Percaline would consider it their new permanent residence, but she probably wouldn’t. Savannah loved their New Haven house but it wasn’t home. Nothing had been home since their mom died—until tonight. There was something about this place that felt safe and enlightening, and for Savannah those two things meant home.
Savannah moved to the record player and found a Beatles album already on it. She moved the needle and smiled to herself. The Beatles were her mom’s favorite. She was halfway through the chorus of “I Am the Walrus” when someone knocked on her door. So much for alone time.
“I don’t know what to do,” Lucas said through the door.
Savannah figured that he was talking about Percaline. He was always talking about Percaline, so instead of fighting the inevitable she opened the door and let him in. “You messed up big time, bro,” she told him.
“I know,” Lucas said. “Will you help me?”
“Help you do what?” Savannah asked, closing the door and following him into the room. She sat on the window bench, so much like the windowsill in her room aboveground, where she did her best thinking.
“Help me win her back. I know she still loves me. And I know that she wants to forgive me, she just doesn’t have any reason to,” Lucas said. He took what would have been Mason’s spot on the bed if they’d been aboveground, but he sat instead of lying down.
“In that case, you may just want to give her time,” Savannah said.
“Yeah,” Lucas said. He paused. “I’ve been trying to recall the time Mischelle and I spent together. Most of it I can remember but other parts I just remember sections of, like I was detached.” He shook his head, presumably trying to shake a memory free. “I don’t know why I did it,” he admitted.
“Are you aware of the fact that Percaline told you she was in love with you and you didn’t say anything back? Not even an ‘I think we should stay friends?’” Savannah asked, legitimately curious. Boys could be so stupid.
Savannah watched as everything clicked into place for Lucas. He had returned from overseas with a fiancée, slept with said fiancée at their mom’s lighthouse, left fiancée with Savannah who then turned her into a Siren, and didn’t say anything to Percaline when she finally admitted that she was in love with him.
“I’m such a douchebag,” Lucas finally admitted. “You know I’ve been in love with Percaline since second grade. I just assumed that she knew.”
“And that your previous love declarations for her could not be replaced by a Siren mating call?” Savannah asked sarcastically.
“So I need to tell her that I love her?” Lucas asked as he jumped up from the bed.
“Yes and no,” Savannah replied. “She needs to know that you’re in love with her, but actions speak louder than words. You need to show her you’re in love with her and you need to make a big deal out of it because you’ll be asking for forgiveness at the same time.”
“But she hates being the center of attention, so how am I supposed to make a big deal out of it without her leaving the room?” he asked.
“Your actions need to be a big deal. You need to do something that is out of your comfort zone. Make a grand stand, but do it one-on-one so she doesn’t bolt,” Savannah said.
Lucas looked puzzled for a minute but determined nonetheless. “Okay. Any suggestions?” he asked.
Savannah looked around her room. She spotted a guitar on one of the chairs that she’d swear hadn’t b
een there before. She got up from her seat at the window picked up the guitar. The House had also left some sheet music. “Yes, but you’re not going to like it,” she said with a grin, handing him both items.
Lucas
Savannah was right. He didn’t like it. But he would do just about anything to get Percaline back, or at least her friendship. Savannah gave him a couple more pointers and sent him on his way with the guitar and sheet music in hand. Time seemed to move more slowly in the Underworld, so he still had twenty minutes to kill before they returned aboveground. It was plenty of time to start practicing.
He had finally gotten what he wanted, for Percaline to admit that she was in love with him, and now the thoughts of what he should have done at the moment of her admission haunted him. He should have told her that he was in love with her too. He should have kissed her. In the room at Truthaven in front of Savannah, a God, and everybody he should have closed the space between them, taken her in his arms, and kissed her, but he hadn’t. Instead he’d said nothing and sat down on the couch like a complete asshole. The whole situation had gone sideways fast.
Percaline’s eyes had been cold when they’d left Truthaven, and as much as he had wanted to place all the blame on Mischelle, this part was all him. His whole life, all he had wanted to do was take away Percaline’s pain, but this time it was different because he’d caused it. She was too good for him and he would spend the rest of his life making sure she knew that, but for now he would study the music.
He needed to be in her life in order for him to show her how amazing she was and this was what was in question at the moment. They’d had a conversation at the party so she was technically speaking to him again, but they were far from being okay. Lucas trusted Savannah, especially when it came to her knowing her sister, so if this is what she said he had to do to repair the friendship he would do it.
He loved Percaline. He was in love with her and had been for years, so if the opportunity to kiss her ever presented itself again he would do it. He made a mental note of that. He’d known even before he became a Gargoyle that he was put on this earth to be with her. She was his everything and the only reason for his existence and he knew that no other man would ever be good enough for her or love her as much as he did.
Lucas made an adjustment to the song on the sheet music, scratching out “glasses” and scribbling in “braids.” He had to admit the song was a good one. It described key moments of his relationship with Percaline. When he first read it, he interpreted it as a break-up song but Savannah had explained to him that it was a song about heartbreak and wishing you could rewind moments in time to make them right. It was also a song about hope because the person singing it hadn’t yet given up on the relationship, although there was the possibility that the person they were singing to already had. It explained that people reacted differently to being hurt and sometimes you needed to interpret the little things to figure out how someone was feeling, and it demonstrated how memories could explain how you felt about a person.
Lucas put down the pencil and looked at the alarm clock on the dresser in his new room. It was time to go. He left the guitar, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to practice without Percaline hearing him, but he took the sheet music to memorize.
When he arrived in the dining hall, everyone else was there and Savannah and Percaline were having a conversation about staying at the House of Phoenyx.
“Josephine and Landon wouldn’t stay if it wasn’t safe,” Savannah was arguing.
“It’s not that I don’t think it’s safe,” Percaline countered. “It’s that we live aboveground, not in the Underworld. We have a house in New Haven and both of us have school in the morning.”
“I know that this feels more like home to you than our New Haven house. You need to start accepting the fact that the last couple of days haven’t been a dream and that all of this is real,” Savannah insisted.
Percaline stopped talking and looked at Savannah. “I will take that under advisement—aboveground,” she said.
Don was watching the verbal tennis match between the two sisters. He didn’t want to get in the middle of it. He would be agreeable whatever they decided.
“Fine. Then let’s go. The sooner we leave the sooner we’ll be able to come back,” Savannah said. She headed for the door before remembering that she didn’t yet know how they were getting back. “Don, how do we get back?” she asked.
“I believe there is a door here that leads to your home in New Haven, just like I believe there is a door that leads from your New Haven home to the House of Phoenyx. It’s just a matter of Percaline remembering where they are,” he replied, watching Percaline.
“Remembering where they are?” Lucas asked.
“Much like the point I believe Savannah was trying to make, the House of Phoenyx and Percaline are connected,” Don explained. “And if Percaline can remember or feel where the door is, then that will be one less door for Josephine to create.”
Josephine perked up at that. “A door I create?” she asked.
“Yes. The only species able to create doors are witches, and being a very powerful witch I have no doubt that you will be able to create doors to and from the House of Phoenyx. It’s a skill that not even Gods possess,” Don replied enviously.
“Percaline, I hope you find that door because I’m not quite prepared for failure,” Josephine said, already second-guessing her abilities.
Percaline comforted her by patting her arm. Lucas watched as she closed her eyes like she was trying to recall some distant memory. Then Percaline opened her eyes and stared at the tapestry that was behind him. For a minute he thought that she was staring at him and his heart surged with hope but that passed when she spoke. “If behind that tapestry there are two steps, a landing, and two more steps that lead to a round door, then we’ve found the door to New Haven.”
Lucas turned and moved the tapestry to the side, revealing a wall behind it. Everyone in the room sighed when they saw that. Lucas put the tapestry back down. “I’m sorry. It appears to be solid,” he said, hitting the tapestry and the wall behind it with his hand. Percaline smiled and she and Savannah walked forward. Lucas looked back at his hand, which suddenly felt icy cold. It was no longer resting on the wall but was instead protruding through the tapestry into the wall. He motioned for the girls to stand back with his other hand. He didn’t know about all this Underworld stuff, but he was pretty sure that he didn’t want to learn by Savannah or Percaline getting trapped in a tapestry. He would go first.
Lucas pulled his hand out of the wall and inserted his head. Again he expected it to hit the wall, but he didn’t run into anything and felt icy cold. He opened his eyes and to his delight he found the room and the door Percaline had described. He pulled his head back out. “You’re right. This is the door.”
Percaline, Savannah, and Lucas turned to the others and bid their goodbyes. They returned to their house aboveground with promises of texting Josephine when they arrived up top. Seconds later, they walked out of a door behind the pantry shelves in the New Haven house’s kitchen and Percaline texted Josephine to let her know they had indeed made it.
House of Phoenyx: House of Phoenyx book 1 Page 8