I stared at my room with awestruck wonder, for, from the furniture to the bedding was immensely cleaned and dust free, preventing my conscience from stepping on the floor. But what got my hair to stand on its ends was when I found the calls and messages of the last few hours attended to, the latter done with short replies, and the former an unknown conversation.

Over four days I had spent away in the Underworld and Olympus, but not a day had passed on earth, and even John who always seemed to have an additional antennae to sense the paranormal did not ask a word in question when I passed him by.

And my appreciation towards the Underworld's 'Alibi fabrication team' grew to the point, I believed they could let me get away with murder.

"Zeus sure was a gentleman." Margaret suddenly states with a pleasant smile, and behind her with lowered lashes Theresa's ears could have dripped blood with the slightest pinch. "Is your handsome friend going to stop by anytime soon?"

I calmly wipe away the coffee I had spilled. "Never."

And when the sun began to descend, I gathered the food items necessary for seclusion in the media room.

A documentary on the most infamous curses started to play on the screen, and with a notepad in hand I passionately watched behind the protection of four pillows and a quilt.

There were records over records of such supernatural incidents, some too frightening to be believed, and by midnight I had gone through enough content to make me wary of even a simple piece of harmless rock.

And it turned out in greek mythology according to human belief, most of the curses befalling innocent woman were related to Hera - Zeus' wife, and the Queen of Olympus who seemed to have the wrost case of bad temper. But having to come to know of how many of these myths that was told around in the human world were not entirely true, I withheld myself from indiscriminately hating the goddess.

But regardless I decided never to grace her with my calming presence, and began to focus my research on the god of the Underworld, and in the end found two myths related to his said wife, Persephone.

The first was of Minthe, a nymph like the ones who had given Will lemonade back in Olympus. She was said to be cursed by Persephone out of jealousy, who turned her into the...mint plant...the name makes sense now.

Then there was the curse of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture who caused a famine to protest against Hades kidnapping her daughter Persephone.

This for a fact, I knew wasn't true, but I was forced to wonder if in reality Demeter had indeed cursed the land after Persephone was forced to remain in hiding after murdering Grace. And coming to think of it, she and Hera were the only ones left for me to meet out of Hades' siblings, and I am suddenly glad I didn't.

I knew it was more effective to ask Will later, but I felt that the man would only start to worry because of my sudden interest in the topic of deranged goddesses, and it seemed as though that he too did not know the exact reason for Hades illness was a curse, and not even Apollo knew how and who cast it.

In my short list of suspects, ranked first, for obvious reasons was Persephone, who was also responsible for cursing Grace's bloodline, but this speculation faced some contradictions.

Apollo had said that with the passing generations, the curse in my family had weakened, and so if she was indeed the one to curse Hades, for it to be as efficient, and to last this long on a god was highly unlikely.

Ah! I wish the person just came forward, and presented themselves in fluorescent clothes for me to take notice.

In the end, the only piece of information that gave me hope, though debatable was that, Demeter according to the myths was made to withdraw her curse when being pressured by the other gods, which would mean the caster could remove the curse as they pleased.

But in my case, asking Persephone who had gone great lenghts to hurt Hades, whom she believed to have been disrespectful towards her by rejecting her advances, and also happens to be fearless enough to incur his wrath by murdering the woman he adored, and going as far as to make sure her descendants wouldn't have a peaceful life, seemed close to impossible for her to lift the curse with my, 'Those are things of the past, let us be friends.'

Ahh! Why is everything so complicated!

When the clock struck five early morning, I heard footsteps nearing the door. And I quickly pulled up the quilt to my neck while I closing my eyes to pretend that I had long since been asleep when Margaret stepped in. I sensed her near me with soft steps, and heard her sigh before she turned off the television.

When she left I remained in the same posture till the hour was right to show my face without arousing suspicion of a sleepless night.

"I will be right down in a moment." I yelled as I headed upto my room after Theresa notified the occupants of the house of breakfast.

The door to my bedroom was opened with a familiar creek, but I had not fully stepped in when my gaze landed on a startling figure standing upright before the wall lined by countless picture frames.

Thank god, she isn't dressed in fluorescent!!

The woman sensing my arrival slowly turned, and my hold on the knob tightened when eyes of the palest blue held me in their visage.

"Do not be afraid, Elizabeth." Her tone was like mid-winter frost, and my eyes were drawn to golden river that gently caressed its way down her neck, reaching just below her knees. "I am Demeter and I have come to speak to you regarding my brother." She entwined her fingers before her cream coloured gown, and her beige footwear alongside the white dahlia peaking over his ear accented the ensemble.

She was beautiful in the most elegant of ways with her high cheekbones, and sharp brows, but something to her beauty made it so that she could only be admired from afar, and warned you from courting her friendship.

"Can I have my breakfast first?" I couldn't help but ask, fearing the housekeeper's nagging.

"Yes, please take your time. I will remain here till you return." Her plump lips moved, but her expression remained the same from the every start, poised.

I smiled, and politely offered. "Then I will bring you coffee, if you don't mind."

"I do not mind."

"Alright then, make yourself comfortable." I turned my back towards the goddess who hadn't moved an inch, and left without fulfilling my wish to change clothes.

Now, have I become immune to such occurrences with deities visiting me without a former notice or invitation?

Absolutely NOT!

The door was closed behind me with loud bang, and my face was clearly pale when I crossed the last stair, that Margaret indefinitely panicked, and warned me off pulling all nighters, revealing to have seen through my acting.

But I couldn't outright tell her of my patient's sister who wanted to talk.

And the superfluousness of it all made the food taste flat even when the replay of the brief encounter in my mind seized, but I was not disheartened

There was still leftover ice cream in the fridge!

I hurried up the stairs after announcing that I was not be disturbed for an hour to call a friend. The door was locked after I entered, and I released a sign on finding her on the bean bag while curiously observing the flower vase on the nightstand.

"Were these given to you by my brother?" An ominous feeling froze my senses as soft fingertips traced the yellow petals of the flower that never withered.

"...Yeah, a long time ago." Handing her the warm mug that was no longer filled to the brim with my carelessness, I sat opposite to her on the couch, but no matter the article upon we sat she managed to seem the most graceful atop a bean bag.

I brushed my hands against my pajama clad thighs to dry them off the spilled liquid. "What do you want to talk about Hades?"

She suddenly frowned, and I mildly sensed it wasn't from disapproval for my lack of etiquette. "You must be well acquainted with my brother to call him directly by his name."

Hearing this statement, I wished she rather found me unlady like. And alarmed by noting the possessiveness, hinted to by the repetitive use of 'my brother' I could not tell her that I hadn't used honorifics from the very start, and could only nod along with a forced smile.

Something unsettling flashed in her glacial eyes, and then retained her neutral composture. "I am here to request you to help my brother. "

My eyes widened, naturally confused from having been expecting a warning that would be similar to the line, 'Don't irritate my brother anymore.'

And ignorant to my clenching hands in a silent prayer, she continued. "Do you know that my brother's ailment is due to a curse?"

I nodded, starting to feel nervous. "Apollo told me about it."

"Ah, that nosy child." She frowns again, and the down-curve of her lips almost felt unnatural on her face that resembled a porcelain doll. "Has he told you of the specifics?"

"No, he didn't know much about it, and only told me of it in passing." I found myself defending the one I detested the most.

She seemed somehow pleased even though there was not a thread of a change in her expression. "Only I, my brother, along with Zeus and Rhea know of it."

"Rhea she is-"

"Oh my." She brought the mug to her lips to take a sip, and then set it down to be never raised again. "I forgot you were a mortal. Rhea is the goddesses of fertility, she is our mother."

Her eyes made me feel like an uninvited guest at a family dinner, but

overlooking the small jab, I drew in my scowl from already having known of the mother of the gods.

"How can I help?" Let's just be nice and obedient till I get what I want- that being valid information.

"For that you must know of how he acquired it." Her eyes shone and I could not tell if it was from excitement or grief. "Persephone, my daughter was the root cause as you might have already guessed. "

I swallowed hard, and stopped myself from agreeing, knowing no mother, no matter the how bad their children was would never take another badmouthing them with a calm face.

"After the death of the demigod, my brother sought to kill her, but was unable to do so with many of the gods intervening, some doing so, for the noble cause of maintaining balance, and the majority from the craze for discord. And in the end my brother's rage was quelled by our mother, Rhea, and this is what everyone else believes to this day." Sombre and unsmiling she narrated.

"But in truth, my brother was too far gone to be persuaded by words, and with his immense powers he could have caused the downfall of an era if he had gone on a rampage."

"And so to stop such an outcome Rhea took away a portion of his soul to subside him, but with the fragmented powers, he began to show side effects like the poor health of his physical form. I am sure you know what I am speaking of." A soft sigh left her full lips. "This part of his soul is what I want you to retrieve. "

I pondered for a moment before I spoke. "There's a catch."

"Indeed there is, Rhea has stored the fragmented soul away in a land that was created to her own designs, and no god but her can enter, and if they forcefully try to do so they will lose their immortality and meet oblivion. It is why I haven't done so myself. "

"Why haven't you seeked any other's help before?" My smile belied my suspicions.

"Only a mortal can enter.

But it cannot be a demigod since they are closely related to us, nor can an average mortal, since they cannot see the celestial lands or beings." She did not seem fazed by the sudden question.

"There are indeed some humans who are gifted with the ability to see us, but they are few in numbers, and rarely live over the age of ten."

"It makes me the perfect candidate." I said.

"Yes. You are not a demigod, but you have a god's blood in your veins, and hence you can see us."

She summed, but the explanation only made me perplexed. "Then what about my ancestors, they were the same as me." Why have you come now?

"Because of the issue of trust, I know you are loyal to my brother, and if I had been hasty and given the task to just anyone they could have been manipulated by the other gods who want the power for themselves or foreve want my brother to suffer." Like before she quickly countered my doubts, but added to it was a question.

"You seem extremely cautious of me, is it perhaps because I am Persephone's mother?" Her voice was clear with no trace of malice, but it felt as though I had stepped on a landmine.

"I was told not to trust anyone by my friend, I am only keeping my promise to him." With a smile I evade what seemed to have been a double-edged sword.

"You have got yourself a reliable friend."

Will might have cried on hearing this.

"But fear not, you can entrust your faith in me, I have no other reason, but to help my precious brother." She said, but for some reason her reference irked me more than the god of the sun.

"The land created by our mother was only meant for temporary storage. I too, like Zeus and my brother were told how to access this land, and of the conditions that came with it. And since my brother was to retrieve it soon after he calmed down, it should be safe journey. But he has taken it upon himself as a punishment and has never tried." She uncrossed her leg as he leaned forward.

"It will be understandable if you do not want..."

"No, I am okay with it." I quickly said unwilling to part with such an opportunity.

Finally, I could return the kindness was given.

Her long lashes dropped as she laughs. "You mortals are truly candid, so easily willing to risk your life for love."

A violent gale blew in my chest as the words rattled against the chains holding together my mind, and drowned out the rest as she mistook my silence for fear.

"Rest assured, there aren't any obstacles that would have you risk your life on this journey."

My mouth was wide open on the outset, and then I grew strangely conscious of my manners, and absentmindedly nodded. But a localised blizzard was already budding over my head.

"It appears its time for me to head back." She suddenly stood up, and stepped forwardto hold my hand.

With my palm facing up she overlapped it with her's, and something cool was set against my skin. "When you are ready you can summon me through this charm."

An aquamarine stone was left in my hand, its carefully cut edges catching the light in blinding rays. "Now remember, you are to tell no one of our meeting, not even my brother for I am afraid he has already given up trying to retrieve it." Her stern tone, softened in the ene, and I was brought back from my daze.

Tightly stowing away my thoughts I stuffed the jewel in my pocket, "Okay I won't. "

She had turned around to leave, but suddenly her head jerked back, eerily disoriented from her body, and I retreated back into the couch frightened by the abrupt change. "Meet the Oracle." She said, her voice strained.

"How do I meet-"

She disappeared before I could finish the question, and the adrenaline dispelled from my veins to be replaced by immense fatigue as I reviewed all of that I had heard.

My thoughts gradually drifted to the amber eyes of a certain god, but it was his pale face that greeted me when I closed mine. Have you really thought of it as a punishment all these years. Was it too hard to believe you could be forgiven or was it a way to remember that woman? I clamped a hand over my forehead, almost wanting to sleep away these thoughts.

Pulling out the jem I held it before my face as I laid down. Demeter had told me to meet the Oracle.

How am I to find the Oracle?? What is an Oracle????

I decided to turn to the internet for help and as my laptop booted, I juggled with the stone in my hand.

"The Oracle, huh" The stone was thrown high up in the air, and I had to lean back to catch it, but this time as I caught it, an intense light emitted from the blue jem forcing my eyes to shut close from the strain.

And when they fluttered open a moment later, I saw a pair of legs jogging past me. Bewildered by the change in scenery I looked around to find myself in what seems to be a park with merry joggers basking in the morning sun, and others walking their dogs.

Initially, as if giving me an opportunity to collect my thoughts, no one seemed to have noticed the girl in her pajamas sitting sitting crossed-legged on the ground with a laptop, and an unsightly bed-hair.

Crying silently over my disastrous luck, I got up to run barefoot to a less crowded area when numerous pair of eyes fell on my sorry figure.

Why am I here??? I thought as I ran, but soon realised within a minute I had ended up someplace without a soul in sight. Could I have really ran that fast.

How unlucky can I be???

I turned back, but found no one and understanding that I had gotten myself into deeper trouble I contemplated whether or not to scream.

"Are you lost?" Someone asked, and whirling around, I found a girl close to my age near me with her hands behind her back.

A chill ran up and down my spine by the sudden encounter, but fortunately noticing my apprehension she halts her gait and offers me a smile. "Are you not from around here?" Her caramel locks slide down her shoulder as she shifts on her feet looking rather discontent with conversing over a ten feet distance.

"Yeah." I said, and looked around to find only trees and an empty bench. "Can you tell me where I am?

"St. James Park, in the city of Westminster."

London?!?