The dread crawled up her stomach, and spread, sizzling in her chest and lungs and she felt the heat abruptly leave her face. “You know I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to,” he said. “But,” she said, guessing the direction of this conversation. He paused and her body stayed tense, preparing for the blow he was about to deliver. “You have a lot of potential and you have proven you’re willing to fight for the truth, which I appreciate.” “Persephone,” Demetri said, and she cringed at the gentle tone his voice had taken. “Did you need something?” she asked finally, hoping to change the subject-hoping that the reason he called her into his office had nothing to do with this morning’s headlines. “What did you do?” she asked, glancing at the pile of newspapers. She took a deep breath and sat on the edge of her chair. Why invite her to sit? Act like it had to be a conversation? She found herself frustrated that he was drawing it out. Her skin grew hot and uncomfortable, her throat constricted, her tongue thickened…she was going to suffocate. Shutting herself in Demetri’s office was like walking right back into her mother’s greenhouse-anxiety built, and she felt fear at the thought of being punished.

That stone in her stomach was suddenly heavier. Desperate, she takes matters into her own hands, striking bargains with severe consequences.įaced with a side of Hades she never knew and crushing loss, Persephone wonders if she can truly become Hades’ queen.ĭemetri must have felt her staring because he finally looked up from his tablet, the article he was reading reflected off his black-framed glasses. Things only get worse when a horrible tragedy leaves Persephone’s heart in ruin and Hades refusing to help.

Hades, God of the Dead, is burdened by a hellish past that everyone’s eager to expose in an effort to warn Persephone away. Persephone’s relationship with Hades has gone public and the resulting media storm disrupts her normal life and threatens to expose her as the Goddess of Spring.

A touch of ruin scarlett st clair