Page 46 of The Catacomb King
Spider-legs. Human legs. Sets of eight eyes. Sets of two eyes. Vast expanses of spider carapaces and squishy, porous human skin. Some of the human skin bore shades I’d never even seen on a real human: not only the pale, freckled peach flesh of the Iernians, and the deep olive and brown skins of visitors from the mainland, but skins the black oil-slick color of the spiders, and the glittering green and blue of a more venomous animal. And the spider-godlings, too, were not only black and green and blue but peach-colored and olive and brown.
“Oh, good,” Elke whispered. “His Lordship has gotten most of them here. They do listen to him, you know.”
“Does that mean they’ll listen to me?” I whispered back.
Elke shifted uncomfortably in a way that did not inspire confidence.
I didn’t have to seek out Hades. He was standing at the lip of the reservoir by the far wall, where the digging would start. And he had already spotted me. He was gazing ferociously at me.
Me, wearing his clothes.
His face was white. His black hair was tucked behind his ears.
I felt myself flush. But I raised my chin at him anyway. I tucked my hands into his tunic’s pockets.
His gaze darted to Elke. Elke curled in on herself a little bit, embarrassed at having given me his clothes, but she also shrugged her spider-shoulders at him almost imperceptibly, like,What was I supposed to do?
Hades broke through the crowd and strode over to us. Some eyes followed him curiously, although a lot of the godlings seemed like they weren’t really paying very much attention, or indeed like they’d forgotten why they were here. A few, on the edges of the group, were even wandering off. Certainly no one seemed to have taken note of the human woman in their midst.
I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or insulted.
When Hades reached us, he hissed at me, “What the hell are you wearing?”
“I refuse to wear those dead girls’ clothes.” Actually, I would have been thrilled to wear anything half as nice as that violet ballgown, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“She needed pants,” Elke put in.
“For what? Itoldyou, Persephone, you’re not doing the digging. And you’re certainly not doing any stabbing. Put that thing away.”
“I need it to protect myself.”
“It won’t do shit.I’mprotecting you. Put it away.”
Reluctantly I handed it to Elke. Even I had to admit that brandishing a weapon at my own staff was probably not going to help me in this circumstance.
Hades said, “All you have to do is stand around and boss people. You’ll be good at that.”
“Fine,” I snarled. “Let’s get started, then.” I marched up to the spot at the front of the reservoir where he’d been standing. I bellowed, “HEY!”
All eyes snapped to me. Even the godlings who’d been wandering off a second ago turned around.
My stomach chilled. Suddenly I felt like I was going to pee myself.
I had not thought this through.
I opened my mouth to talk. Only a rasp came out.
On instinct, I looked across the way at Hades. But he only crossed his arms challengingly.
Fine, I thought. I cleared my throat. “Um, hello. I’m Persephone.”
A loud, doubtful rustle among the crowd. I thought I heard someone murmur, “She doesn’tlookthat human.”
Someone else: “Youlook human, you’re one to talk.”
A third papery voice: “Is she wearing our clothes?”
“Why hasn’t she been sacrificed?”
