Hercules cracked his whip. His two white horses flew over the road. The wind blew in Jeremy’s face.
As they left the Valley of Heroes, the sun disappeared. They were back in the cold and the mist. Jeremy shivered.
“We’ll take the shortcut!” cried Hercules.
Huge wings unfolded on the sides of the horses. The chariot lifted into the gray sky.
“Don’t look down!” said Aristotle.
But Jeremy looked. Far below, a road climbed like a snake through the dark forest. A black chariot sped over the road. It was so tiny it looked like a toy. They were beating Hades!
Hercules’ chariot soared higher. They were heading to a huge black palace on top of a jagged mountain peak. The castle had two tall turrets and a massive wooden door.
Hercules circled over the palace. Then he landed on the rocky ground. “Hey, Jeremy, are you sure—?”
But Jeremy had climbed out of the chariot. Aristotle hopped down beside him.
“Good-bye!” said Jeremy. “Thank you!” He waved until Hercules and his snow white horses were a speck in the sky.
“I forget,” said Aristotle. “Tell me again. Who are you? And what are we doing here?”
Jeremy groaned. Somehow he had to find a way to free Aristotle from the spell of forgetfulness. But there was no time now. They had to find Queen Persephone before Hades got back to the palace.
He sighed. “You just have to trust me. I’ll explain everything later.” He stared up at the palace. Then he pushed open the heavy door.
It was pitch black inside. Jeremy remembered that Mr. Magnus had put a flashlight in his backpack. He dug in the pack for the flashlight and turned it on. He blinked in the sudden brightness.
They were in a huge entrance hall with stone walls. Dark passageways ran in every direction.
It was like a maze. Jeremy swallowed. Where was Queen Persephone?
Jeremy and Aristotle wandered up and down the winding passageways.
After a long time, cool air brushed Jeremy’s face. Slits of yellow light gleamed in the distance. He shone the flashlight in a circle. They were standing in a small courtyard open to the sky. The yellow lights were the glowing eyes of stone wolves that stood against the courtyard walls.
A tall tree grew in the middle of the courtyard. The branches were weighed down with dark red fruit. Jeremy’s stomach rumbled. He walked over to the tree. He reached for a piece of the red fruit.
“I wouldn’t do that,” whispered someone in the darkness.
Jeremy froze.
“That’s a pomegranate,” said the voice. “It’s the Forbidden Fruit of the Dead.”
