Chapter 6.
Maia
After being the new Hades for a couple of weeks, the growing problems of the Underworld were slowly becoming clear to me. And so did my worries about how to solve them. I’d made grand declarations but how was I going to fulfil them?
And what would happen if I couldn’t? Letting our guests down couldn’t be a good thing or Penelope wouldn’t be so stressed about it all.
With a sigh, I flicked through the latest report, the numbers and words dancing in front of my eyes. I really needed a break but I didn’t want to give up yet.
Despite my initial reluctance, I rang the crystal bell and only moments later, someone knocked on the doors of my office.
“Come in.”
Erebus stepped in, pulling a little cart behind her with a golden dome. “I’ve taken the liberty to bring you a snack, Your Darkness.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted, thank you.” I got up from my desk and sat down in the little salon. Erebus plated up the selection of fruit and cheeses on the round table and accompanied it with a bottle of red wine. “Anything else I can do for you?”
I popped an imported grape in my mouth. “No, thank you. Wait, actually. Do you handle matters outside the castle?”
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Hmm. So who is in charge of hiring more staff?”
“That depends on the job. We have separate hiring teams for the Terminal and each of the afterlives. If you want more people at the castle, I’m your woman. But for the Docks, that’s Persephone’s domain. Clean-up crew for the rivers goes through Styx’s temple,” she explained.
“I see. So where would I find the hiring team for the Terminal?”
“You can call a meeting with your advisors anytime you desire, you’re the Hades.”
“Right, of course. I’ll do that. Penelope’s reports made it very clear that the biggest obstruction issue is due to the inefficiency of the Terminal so if we can hire more people, that should solve that.”
Erebus released a funny hum. “If I may give you a word of advice?”
“Please.”
“Hiring more staff won’t be easy. Not a lot of people want to give up their bliss in Elysium for a thankless job.”
I studied her. “Do you think it’s a thankless job?”
“Me? No but lots of people see it differently,” she quickly denied. She returned to her cart, grabbing it by the handles. “If that’s all?”
“Another question. I ran into Penelope earlier and she wasn’t exactly friendly. Is she always like this?”
The nymph nodded reluctantly. “She has to be. She’s strict and harsh but she was elected unanimously a long time ago and there hasn’t been a single motion to replace her in her term. She has to be hard to keep everyone in check.”
“Including me,” I muttered.
“You’ll have to forgive her.” Erebus smiled. “She hasn’t had it easy with the ebb and flow of the Hadeses.”
“You respect her,” I realised. “A lot.”
She nodded. “We all do. It won’t be easy to win her over but I believe the effort will be well worth your time.”
I nodded, contemplating how I could foster a good relationship with her. Maybe if I could convince her I wasn’t another lazy good-for-nothing, maybe she’d take the time to get to know me and work with me. I just had to impress her.
“Anything else?” Erebus asked.
“No, that’s all. Thank you for the food.” I sank into the seat, nibbling on the variety of cheeses. Most tasted quite familiar and I assumed they were imported from the Overworld too.
After my meal, I returned to my reports and got through as many as I could. I kept hoping a solution would hit me in the face but besides hiring more staff, there was not much else I could do. And from looking at the latest number of hirings, that was going to be a challenge in itself.
I was so not qualified to tackle all these problems. No wonder my predecessors decided to sit back and do nothing. It didn’t help that Penelope hated my guts and yet, I wanted to appease her.
What a mess.
With a sigh, I leaned back into my chair and pushed the files away. Relentlessly staring at them wasn’t going to magically solve all my issues. Instead, I should get a good night’s sleep.
Once again, I rang the crystal bell and it only took Stephan five seconds before he entered my study.
He bowed. “What can I do for you, Your Darkness?”
“I’m sorry to inconvenience you but I still can’t find my way up to my chambers by myself,” I admitted, feeling my embarrassment grow. Queen of the Underworld and I got lost in my own palace. How ridiculous was that?
Luckily, the satyr didn’t seem to mind. “I’ll happily escort you to your wing.”
“Thank you, Stephan.”
“It’s my pleasure to serve you.”
He dimmed the lights around the place and with a last look at the taunting files on my desk, I left the ornate study. Of all the places in the castle, this was by far my favourite room.
Stephan escorted me through the dark hallways, his hooves clicking on the stone floors.
Blue light from the torches cast long shadows over us, the atmosphere unnecessarily eerie.
“Why are the torches this colour?” I inquired.
“One of your predecessors thought it gave the place a certain gravitas,” Stephan replied. “Do you not like them?”
I shrugged. “Not particularly.”
The conversation fell flat and I remained silent, trying to memorise the turns from my office to my chamber. After a couple of hallways and staircases, I broke the silence. “Can I ask you a question, Stephan?”
“Of course, Your Darkness.”
“What do you know about the overcrowding? When did it start?”
He thought for a moment. “I believe it’s been centuries in the making.
A long time ago, when humans believed more, they arrived ready and willing.
Now most seem surprised this is all real, they didn’t bring the right fee, they don’t want to go on the ferry.
There’s always something to cause delays. ”
That made sense. If only I had a way to make things run smoother but it wasn’t just up to me. I’d have to get Penelope on board as well but she didn’t strike me as someone that was easily impressed.
After a maze of hallways, we finally arrived at my chambers. I lingered in the doorway, one more question burning on my mind. “What do you know about the current Persephone?”
“Penelope?” Stephan seemed surprised that I was asking about her. “She’s excellent at her job.”
“She doesn’t seem to like me.”
“I don’t believe it’s personal, Your Darkness.”
That somehow made it worse. “If I’m going to be able to do my job here, I’ll have to get on her good side but I don’t know how. Any ideas?”
The satyr scratched one of his horns. “You could invite her for dinner?”
“Dinner,” I muttered, letting the idea percolate. Sometimes the simplest answers were the best ones. “I can do dinner.”
“Excellent. I can extend an invitation on your behalf, if you so wish.”
“Actually, I would like to write it myself.”
Stephan looked surprised once again. “Certainly. I’ll fetch the stationery for you.”
I nodded and retreated to my chambers, already thinking about how I could best write this invitation. I’d send plenty of corporate emails in my life but this felt a little different.