Persephone : A tale from the Underworld

Prologue

Syracuse, Sicily.

The grass is tickling her feet but she does not pay much attention to it. She is running fast, her lungs burn and her cheeks are on fire. Some branches scratch her rosy skin, one even leaves a cut over her left cheekbone. When she turns around to peek, her hair glue to her face blinding her for a second.

She takes a turn, almost falling off the trail but there she is, agile as a hare, using her hand to keep her balance and keep her rhythm.

“Persephone!” someone screams. Persephone, just her, laughs as she reaches the little cliff that towers over the clear lake.

She halts to regain a bit of control, flushed and so gorgeous whilst she tugs her hair on one side of her shoulder, waiting for that voice to show up.

Her friend is exhausted and she leans into the tree to catch her breath.

“How can you win every time?” Persephone sticks her tongue out causing the other girl to roll her eyes at her feisty behaviour that she is very accustomed to by now.

“No need to jump, you won already.”

Nevertheless, Persephone wants to do it. She needs to feel the adrenaline running and consuming her. Her life has been so boring lately, nothing interesting to report, and nothing to tell. Just the normal existence making its course.

“It’s dangerous!” Her friend leaves her handhold to try and stop the reckless maid. I’m afraid that stopping an overflowing river is an hard thing to do, so our fearless heroine takes only two steps back and without giving in too much thought, diving into the cold blue water as if she wasn’t afraid of anything in the world

Persephone let the water embrace her for a moment. Her hair seem to lit as the delicate light from above caresses.

The lake is deep and under her tiny feet, the darkness just seems to be endless. Something shines among that pitch-black edge and so she finds herself attract. She swims towards it even if her breath running short and she is starting to feel a little dizzy.

Something appears to be holding her back, clinging at her feet so she cannot escape.

She insists because she is stubborn as the Golden Fleece.

All of the sudden, the water shifts and something fluffy washes over her. Her legs are so heavy that she falls to the ground confused and soaked. Her hair are all over the place as the air slips inside her lungs saving her from death.

She is inside a bubble of air at the bottom of the lake; the view is breath-taking and totally unexplainable. Her finger slip though the thin texture of the bubble and she can feel the cold water outside of it so she decide not to indulge in her curiosity any further. She needs to get to the surface, the Gods graced her and therefore she does not have to try their patience. Yet, when she tries to get out of her refuge, a force brings her to the ground, pinning her there until she resist the urges to run away.

She puffs in annoyance. She isn't used to be command but she knows you cannot disobey the Gods, her mother repeated to her countless times.

Her eyes catch a glimmer. Must be the same thing that got her into this mess.

She reaches out for it and grabs it. Something flickers in the dark right in front of her face making her startle.

Two sharp eyes, as shining as liquid gold, are staring at her blinking regularly as if nothing in the world could bother them.

Persephone jumps to the other side of the bubble almost slipping out of it. They roll disapproving of her cowardly and vanish as the ball of air starts to shake, probably about to explode.

Instead, it makes a limp and in no time, she emerges out of the waters, falling face into the foreshore.

“Persephone!” her friend screams terrified while running towards our reckless heroine.

“Cyane. Calm yourself, I’m untouched.” Cyane stops on her truck, puts her hands on her hips and this is how Persephone knows she is beyond mad.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN, she says.” Persephone exhales, very worn out. Her right hand hitches and while Cyane rants and goes on listing all the ways she could have died, Persephone glances to what she’s holding. It is a purple pearl, so tiny and very light.

It must be a gift from the gods and she must pay them back because no one lives if they are in depth with the gods. Her mother told her this too and for some reason she believes it.