“Of course. Forgive me. I am unworthy of my existence.” She gracefully fell to her knees. “You may punish me. I won’t tell Father.”
I stared at her bowed head.
“Punish you? Why?”
“For daring to call myself your daughter. I failed to earn that right.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Self-preservation kicked in, and I shut my mouth.
Zotera’s head snapped up, and her gaze locked with mine.
“What did you mean?” she asked.
“Hades warned you not to harm me,” I said, nervously.
Her brows shot up in surprise, and she burst out in laughter before clapping her hands over her mouth and staring at me with fear.
She slowly lowered her hands.
“Father was asking you not to harm me. But I won’t tell him if you do. I swear it, Mother.”
Why would Hades think Persephone would want to harm Zotera? The woman seemed devoted to her mother.
I frowned slightly and glanced at the replicas of me, where Persephone looked every inch the victim, and tried to understand what was going on.
“I’m not her,” I said. “I look like her, but I’m not her. Hades doesn’t believe me, but since I found him, he hasn’t been making a lot of sense. Actually, a lot of this hasn’t been making sense.”
“Are we playing a game?” Zotera asked, excitedly.
“No. It’s not a game. Hades thinks it is. But it’s not.”
She looked as confused as I felt.
“Do you mind if I sit?” I asked, gesturing to the steps.
She hesitantly shook her head. I sighed and sat on the step behind her while I put the pieces together in my head.
“Can I ask you some questions?”
Zotera spun around on her knees to face me. “Of course.”
“What kinds of games did Persephone like to play?”
Zotera didn’t even bat an eye before answering, “You like to torment Father. His misery brings you joy.”
I glanced at the statues again. All the things that Hades had said, which I thought were mad ramblings…what if they weren’t?
“Persephone liked to make Hades miserable? How?” I asked, my stomach already twisting.
“You remind him in every way you can that you don’t like being here. The statues. The darkness. Everything. You are so clever, Mother, by changing the things he sees every day.” Her happy expression fell a little. “He hasn’t been in here for a very long time. Not since you took him away.”
She brightened again.
“Do you remember when I wore your face? Father was very miserable when I removed it. You were right, though. It didn’t feel good to have him inside of me. I’m sorry you have to do that every time you want to go home, Mother.”
My mouth dropped open, and bile rose in my throat.
“Persephone, your mother made you sleep with your father?”
