I stood in a familiar, linoleum-floored hallway. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed and flickered, casting the space between the English and algebra classrooms in an eerie gloom. Despite the familiarity, the tiny hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood at attention signaling danger. I stood rooted to the spot, trying to decipher the meaning of the surroundings. I knew I was here for a reason but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Sudden footfalls echoed in the empty corridor and I spotted a boy—wearing jeans and a pale blue T-shirt—running away from me. He didn’t turn around but in my gut I knew it was Liam. Just as I took a step to follow, something in my pocket vibrated. Reaching in, I pulled out my cell phone displaying a new text message from Liam. “Come on, I’m waiting for you.” The little note dispelled the momentary confusion over how I got my phone back.
Spurred on by the message, I hurried forward, inwardly hoping I wouldn’t lose sight of Liam. I passed a row of lockers and the lights overheard cut out, leaving me in darkness. Stopping, I listened for the sound of footfalls on the tile. After an eternity Liam’s footsteps picked up again and I raced on. There was so much I needed to tell him when we were finally together.
About to round the next corner, my nose and throat clogged with smoke, forcing me to stop. I tasted ashes on my tongue and my eyes watered. Pulling my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth, I inched forward. Every step intensified the smoke and the scent. Even with the barrier I choked on it. I stumbled against a locker and stopped to rest. Liam appeared from down the right side of the adjoining hallway. I reached out a hand to get his attention. “Liam. It’s me,” I called, voice muffled by the fabric protecting my mouth.
He didn’t say anything as he stepped fully into view. This wasn’t the Liam I knew. His gentle, green eyes were rimmed with red and his sweet smile resembled a sneer. Cramped leg muscles kept me rooted to the spot even though every neuron in my brain told me to get as far from him as possible. A pained scream echoed in the hallway and grew louder until—
“Abbie, wake up!”
I sat bolt upright and saw Erin leaning over my left shoulder. Cold sweat matted my hair to my forehead and I shivered with the dampness. The light flickered on and Rosa came into view, her eyes the size of quarters.
The scream still rang in my ears. “Did … did you hear someone screaming?” I swallowed until my heart no longer pounded in my throat.
“That was you.” Rosa shifted from foot to foot and kept a little distance between us.
Pulling the blankets tighter, I shivered again. The dream came back to me with horrible clarity. “I was dreaming that I was at school following Liam down a hallway. But it wasn’t him when he turned around. I mean it was but it wasn’t.” I scrunched up my face trying to put the bizarre image into words. “He just looked so angry and … evil. I don’t know. And it all smelled like fire and smoke.”
“It was just a nightmare.” Erin squeezed my shoulder.
“I hope so.” I wiped some of the sweat from my face. What I wouldn’t have given for a hot shower and some clean clothes.
Erin and Rosa backed off and I finally climbed out of bed. Weakness overtook my muscles as the memory of the dream added to my exhaustion and stress level. There was no way I could go back to sleep now so I resorted to pacing the distance between the head of my bed and the doorway to try to work off some of the anxiety. It didn’t help. “Erin, what time is it?”
She checked her watch. “Seven fifteen in the morning on Friday.”
I’d been asleep longer than I’d realized. My friends stayed quiet as I paced. Erin picked up the book from where it lay on her pillow. Part of me wanted them to say something, anything, but I also wanted to be left in peace.
My mood worsened as the morning dragged on. Not only were we short on answers or a viable plan of escape but now Liam might be in trouble too. That thought played on a loop with each rotation I wore into the floor. Eventually, pacing grew tiresome and I sank back atop the blankets on my bed. Just as I started to fuss with the edge of the blanket, Erin snapped the book shut and sat up with a look of determination on her face.
I didn’t have the energy to sit up. “What is it?”
“I was thinking about what we could use to prop the door open like we talked about last night.” She lifted the book up. “We can use this. It’s hard enough that it won’t get crushed but thin enough not to be noticed.”
“I don’t know.” I rubbed my eyes in frustration. “If she’s looking at it the right way she’d notice it.”
“It’s the best I could come up with.” Erin rolled her eyes. “At least I’m trying.”
The quip set my nerves on edge and I was on my feet before I realized it. “That’s not what I meant. I was just trying to point out that it would be risky. Not that we shouldn’t try it.”
Rosa held her hands out and moved between us, assuming the role of mediator. “I think we all need to calm down.”
“I am calm,” Erin and I said in unison.
Turning to Erin, I gave her what I meant as an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. It’s a good plan. I’m just scared. That dream really freaked me out. And we all want to go home. The longer we’re stuck here the less it feels like we’re going to beat her.”
Erin nodded. “I get it. I’m just frustrated too.”
It wasn’t the most heartfelt of apologies but it would have to do for now. Noticing a few turned down pages, I pointed at the book. “Did you find something else?”
“I think so.” Erin opened to one of the pages. “I was trying to figure out if there was any way we could use the fact that we know Dr. Phillips’s real identity to our advantage. So I tried to look up other people in Persephone’s life.”
Slowly, my strength returned and I pulled one of the folding chairs up to Erin’s bed and sat down. Rosa picked up the piano bench and sat beside me. Erin tapped the page. “The first person I found was her mother, Demeter. There’s not much about her only that she’s the Goddess of Earth and Youth. She has some control over the seasons, like Persephone, but losing her daughter to Hades really messed her up.” She flipped through more pages. “And then there’s Hades himself.”
“Well, we already know he’s evil.” I leaned forward with my chin in my hand.
“And he is married to Persephone,” Rosa added.
Erin turned the book around so we could see the entry on Hades. The book showed a man adorned in armor. Only half of his body was visible. The rest was just a dotted outline. “It says Hades was a warrior and his armor and weapons had the power to make him invisible."
I groaned. “Great—an evil, all powerful god who you can’t see, that’s just what we need.”
“That’s not all.” Erin turned the page. “He’s crazy powerful and he can call his soldiers from the Underworld to Earth. I wouldn’t want to be Zeus or Poseidon, his brothers. Trying to fight him would be nearly impossible.”
“I hope we never meet him.” Rosa wrapped her arms around her stomach like she was warding off a chill.
“I think I already have. And we’ve definitely heard him,” I said, putting the pieces together.
Rosa looked at me. “How? When?”
“That man that we heard Persephone talking to before. I saw him leaving her office before my visit. Besides, who else would be in on her plan to kidnap us?”
The door to our tiny room slid open and cut off the conversation. Erin closed the book and tossed it under her blankets to hide it just in time to avoid being noticed. Persephone entered the room and set her notepad on her chair. Pulling out blindfolds, she handed them out and took us to the bathroom one at a time. When I returned from my trip, she steered me to the chair beside hers. The other chair and the piano bench had been moved back to the middle of the room in our absence. Taking a steadying breath, I sat down. Persephone pulled out a pencil and flipped to a blank piece of sheet music. "Abbie, you need to pay attention to me." She held the pencil poised to start writing.
I studied the woman for a minute, making eye contact. If there was a spark, it was buried deep inside where I couldn’t reach it. But I put a hand on her knee and started to hum a tune I’d had in my head for months. Without my intending it to, the tune blended seamlessly with the duet Rosa and Erin played. As Persephone started to scribble on the page, jotting down chords and musical phrases, I understood what the others meant when they said their power was being pulled out of them. I’d never tried to make someone be creative if the spark wasn’t there and eager to be nurtured. The music composition soon turned to writing lyrics and my fascination died. The prolonged humming took a toll on my body. Sweat beaded on my hairline and my vision blurred, tiny, black dots popping in front of me.
I stopped humming and immediately Persephone glanced over at me. "Keep humming."
Dizziness set in forcing me to grip the edges of the chair to stay upright. The longer I hummed and held myself upright the weaker my muscles became. It was a miracle I hadn’t blacked out yet. Setting pencil and pad down, Persephone smiled. “That’s enough for now.”
My body went limp and slid out of the chair into a heap on the floor. I fought back hot pinpricks of tears. There was no way I’d let her see me cry. Persephone straightened her notepad and stuck the pencil behind her left ear. Erin spun away from the organ to face her. “Is the play finished?”
She shook her head. “Not quite. Very soon though, I promise.” She put emphasis on the last word and made it sound almost sincere. Without another word, she left the room and the door began to close.
My body refused to respond to simple commands and so Erin had to race around the instruments to grab the book. She slid it into place just before the door closed completely. Our captor’s footsteps continued to grow softer so at least she hadn’t noticed that the door wasn’t completely sealed. Closing my eyes, I tried to take slow, shallow breaths to make my lungs work again.
“You look terrible.” Erin propped a pillow beneath my head on the floor.
“I bet. I can’t believe you two managed to live through that multiple times. It figures I’d be the weak one and fall into a giant puddle after the first time.”
“You are not weak, Abbie. You are stronger than both of us.” Rosa set the violin on a chair and sat down.
“No, I’m not. I nearly passed out after a few minutes.”
Erin sat on my other side and gently rubbed my back. “I agree with Rosa. You are the strongest. I wouldn’t have been able to fight her hold over us to sneak out and get the book.”
Trying to smile, I knew I should just accept the compliment. But I didn’t feel particularly strong or brave. “At least we made it through another session without dying.”
“Yes.” Rosa nodded. “You know you glowed when you were inspiring her.”
My brow furrowed. “I did?”
Erin continued to rub circles on my back. “Yeah, I remember seeing it when Rosa inspired her the first time.”
I scrubbed at my face with both hands. “I think I remember that too but I thought it was just a trick of the light.” Craning my neck, I looked up at Erin. "You must have done it too then."
"I guess so.” Erin shrugged. “But why didn't anyone tell us before?"
"Maybe you have to be like us to see it.” The ache in my muscles subsided and I managed to push myself onto my hands and knees. “All the people around us who we inspired are normal people and just feel the effects.”
"Do you think our gifts work on each other?" Rosa crawled to her bed and retrieved a half-empty bottle of water.
Taking small sips, I let the cool water soothe my throat. "I didn’t feel inspired when either of you were humming before.”
“I did not feel it either.” Rosa resumed her position on my other side.
Erin scratched her upper arm. “But it works on Persephone and she’s like us."
Shaking my head, I settled into a sitting position. “But she’s a goddess so she’s not exactly like us.” I took another swallow of water. “Maybe we are too much alike and we cancel each other out.”
“I just wish we knew how any of this could help us get out of here,” Erin said.
“Look.” Rosa pointed at the top of the organ.
Glaukos gave a soft hoot and hopped from the top of the organ down to the piano bench. My dark mood returned as soon as I spotted the bird. It seemed every time Glaukos paid us a visit we were left with more questions than answers. But there was a part of me that was glad to see the bird. It meant someone on the outside was still looking for us.
"You came back." I pushed sweaty strands of hair out of my face.
“I sensed you were ready for some answers.”
“We figured out we’re Muses and that Dr. Phillips is really Persephone.” Erin grinned at our progress.
“I’m glad you’ve made progress. It was important for you to learn this truth on your own. It was the only way you would begin to understand how you fit into the world.”
“Do you know why we glow when we inspire?” I spun the now-empty bottle between my fingers.
“All of the Greek deities give off a certain glow when they use their powers or gifts. It has always happened but you must be around your own kind to notice it.”
“That explains why no one would have noticed before.” I set the bottle down. "So Persephone can see it?”
“Yes.”
That must be how she knew what we were and why she took us,” Rosa said.
Erin let a frustrated whine. "But she doesn't glow.”
Glaukos shifted from foot to foot. “You have not seen her use her abilities except sparingly and they are weak from being on Earth. She draws her powers from the underworld with Hades.”
“Seriously?” I shivered. “I nearly blacked out when she made me inspire her today. And let’s not forget the time she nearly ripped me to pieces from the inside out for misbehaving. I’d say she’s using her powers and they’re plenty strong.”
Rosa pointed toward the book wedged in the doorway. “But I thought she was supposed to be a good goddess.”
“She lost her goodness many lifetimes ago. She has become a very bitter woman, her mind twisted by Hades.” Glaukos flapped its wings.
I rubbed my arms and a chill trickled down my spine. “We read about him too.”
“Hades is a very powerful God. He is not someone you should try to confront.”
“We know he’s involved with all this somehow. Maybe he’s forcing Persephone to write the play with us.”
“It would not surprise me.”
“Do all of the gods and goddesses know each other?” When the owl didn’t respond, I tried to rephrase the question. “Persephone recognized us as Muses; do other gods know her as Persephone?”
Glaukos blinked rapidly. “The short answer is yes, they are recognized by their fellow gods. And there are those who are seeking your safe return to your families. But it is a delicate situation.”
“What does that even mean?” I threw my hands into the air. “If they know where we are then why hasn’t anyone come to find us?”
“The gods are a small subset of the normal population. Even if they wanted to, the gods seeking to help you could not simply report they know where you are being held without arousing suspicion themselves.”
“I still don’t get how we can all exist now … today. The Greeks lived hundreds of thousands of years ago.” Erin scratched her neck.
“I thought you might ask that.” The owl took to the air and landed on the next chair. “Since the time when the gods first walked the Earth, they have returned each generation to keep the balance.”
“How is that possible? I do not understand,” Rosa said.
“The gods have always kept the world in balance. If they were not present then the world could not function. You, my dears, are especially important. If there is no inspiration in the world for great works of art then the world is lacking. You girls are far more important than you can imagine. Which I suspect is why Persephone and Hades took you.”
I nodded as realization dawned on me. “That explains the shared dreams about the past.”
“Oh right.” Erin nodded. “I’d almost forgotten we had shared dreams. It must have been memories of our past lives.”
“I have not heard of any of the Muses remembering their past incarnations before, but given the ordeal you have gone through, it does not surprise me. Typically, only the gods retain their memories.”
Glaukos flitted from foot to foot, ready to take flight. Voices beyond our tiny prison interrupted the conversation before I could bring up my nightmare about Liam. I pulled the book farther into the room to make the gap less noticeable.
“I am sorry but I must go. They cannot find me here. Trust in each other and you will find the strength to overcome this.”
Before I could move back from the door, the owl was gone and there was no sign he’d even been there. Motioning for my companions to keep quiet, I listened at the crack in the door. Erin moved to sit in one of the folding chairs. “Can you tell who it is?”
I held a hand up to my lips. “Hang on. It sounds like Persephone. And a man … Hades, I think.”
"What are they saying?" Rosa’s question was barely audible.
"Shh." Pressing my ear to the opening, I could just make out that Persephone and Hades were a short distance away. I tried to wedge the door open just a tad so I could actually see into the next room.
“How close are you to finishing?” Hades stood with his back to me.
“I should finish in a few days. Maybe three at most.”
He shook his head. “A few isn’t good enough, Priscilla. We have a deadline or have you forgotten that?” He turned toward the inner doorway and crossed his arms. “The alignment won’t last forever and it damn well won’t be in our favor for long.”
Persephone held up both hands in surrender. “I haven’t forgotten anything. How could I when you’re constantly reminding me? I’m doing all of this for you. I didn’t have to.”
“You haven’t told me what the end result will be, Priscilla, and our other partner is eager to have a full report.”
Persephone smoothed her blouse. “New clients, for one thing. No one ever turned down more business.”
Hades waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t I provide enough for you?” He spread hands out in front of him. “You don’t need to keep this practice open.”
Her voice was soft. “I enjoy my work.” She looked up, squared her shoulders and inched closer to Hades. “I think I deserve to have something that’s mine. And, besides, all the new clients coming through my door will know just how miserable I’ve been.”
Hades grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her close. “Keep your voice down. They could be listening.”
“The room is soundproof.” Persephone glanced toward the entrance to our prison.
Hades let out a deep-throated growl. “They tried to escape through a window.”
“Oh, I made sure it was sealed from the outside. And trust me; they know not to double-cross me.”
“I just worry about your security, Priscilla.” He shook his head and released his grip on her arms. “They’re not stupid children. Besides, how can you be certain they haven’t had any visitors? There have been people snooping around.”
Persephone plastered a smile on her lips. “Perhaps we should test out what’s been written so far to keep certain … children from meddling.”
Her suggestion was not lost on me and my stomach twisted into anxious knots. Hades waved off her suggestion. “I want to know what this endeavor gets me.”
“Why am I not surprised all you care about is what this gets you?” Persephone crossed her arms.
“Answer my question, Priscilla.” He caressed her cheek. “You know I don’t like it when you tease me.”
“Every child in the audience will fall under your influence.” She settled in one of the chairs just out of view. “It will expend minimal pull on your powers so this time you won’t have to fight your brothers at half strength. And, as I said, an added benefit for me. After all, you wouldn’t be happy without some extra chaos to admire. You should be thanking me for this, not rushing me to finish. For all you know, if I don’t take proper care to get the wording just right the whole thing will fail and you’ll be stuck powerless just like last time—because, believe it or not, I haven’t forgotten that either.”
“How exactly do you plan to spread this play?” he asked.
“Local theaters will pick it up first. I’ve made sure I have plants in all the places where it might be harder to get the production accepted.” Persephone brushed a dust mote off her skirt.
I tuned out their distribution plans. I didn’t care how they were getting the play into different theaters or what Hades’ brothers would think about it. The dream from earlier came flooding back and bile rose in my throat at the possibility that it was more than just a dream. Convinced Liam was in danger and there was nothing I could do stuck in this stupid room, I slammed my fists against my thighs. If only Glaukos hadn’t left. I could have given Liam a warning.
“Abbie, what is it? What did you hear?” Erin leaned forward so the front legs of the chair bore her weight.
Turning to look at my friends, I wet my lips. “It’s bad. It’s really, really bad.”