Persephone the Phony (Goddess Girls) by Joan Holub Read Free Book Online

Agains
    ALL WAS DARK AND QUIET AS PERSEPHONE sneaked in the front door of her home. Tiptoeing, she groped her way down the hall. But as she passed her mom's door, she stubbed her toe on a loose mosaic tile. "Ow!" she cried out. Dropping her bag, she hopped about in pain.
    "Persephone?" In a flash Demeter was out of bed
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    and at her daughter's side. Under a circle of lamplight, her golden hair shone and stuck out at odd angles. She'd thrown on her rosebud-patterned bathrobe in such a hurry that it was inside out. "What happened? Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
    "I'm fine." Persephone's heart beat wildly as she waited for her mom to ask why she was out of bed in the middle of the night.
    "What's the matter? Couldn't you sleep?" asked Demeter. Then her gaze fell on Persephone's bag. Her forehead wrinkled. "What's that doing here?"
    "I--um--" Persephone stopped, unwilling to lie, but unwilling to tell the truth, either.
    Demeter's hand flew to her throat. "You were planning to run away, weren't you?"
    Persephone rubbed her stubbed toe, looking away.
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    "Not planning to. Already di d. But Hades made me come back home."
    "I thought I smelled smoke!" wailed Demeter. "That horrible godboy! This was his idea, right? I can't believe you ran away to the Underworld! I--"
    "Stop!" Persephone exclaimed. "You're not listening! It was m y idea to run away, not Hades'."
    Demeter turned as pale as a shade. "But why?"
    "Because I was mad." Persephone let out a long sigh. "Can we sit down? I'm really tired. And my toe hurts."
    "Yes, of course," her mom said. "Let's go to the kitchen. I'll get you a snack. And some cold water to soak your foot." In the kitchen, Demeter set some breadstyx and a bowl of nectar on the table.
    "Thanks." Persephone sank onto a chair. Her mother set a bowl of cold water on the floor, and Persephone
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    lowered her foot into it. Then she picked up one of the styx and dipped it into the nectar. When she was younger, her mom had often fixed this snack for her--especially whenever she'd woken from a nightmare in the middle of the night.
    Demeter sat down across from her. "So tell me. Why did you run away?" she asked again. There was a pained look on her face. "Am I such a terrible mother?"
    "No," said Persephone. "Of course not. I told you. I was just mad."
    "I know you think I'm a chariot mom," Demeter said softly, "but I have more experience of the world than you. I know what can happen. It's my duty to protect you, even when you don't think you nee d protection."
    "But I'm almost thirteen years old!" Persephone protested. "I can look after myself!"
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    "You thin k you can," Demeter said sharply. "But sometimes you don't use the best judgment."
    Persephone bristled. She knew what her mom was thinking. "You're wrong about Hades!" she exclaimed. "So are my friends! Like I told you, he mad e me come home. In fact, he brought me back here. He knew you'd be upset if you found out I'd run away. He said I didn't belong in his world."
    Demeter gaped at her. "He really said all that?"
    Persephone nodded. She didn't tell her mom how mad she'd been at him for saying it, though. With a start she realized that this new, angry, daring side of her was no more real than the Persephone that went along to get along. The real her was somewhere in between.
    Her eyes pleaded with her mom as she said, "How
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    can I get better at making judgments if you won't let me make my own?"
    Demeter opened her mouth, and then closed it again. At last she sighed. "I guess you're right. I do need to give you more independence."
    "Really?" Persephone's heart skipped a beat.
    Demeter nodded. "It's hard for me to admit this, but you are getting older." She looked a little sad, and tears pricked her eyes. "You're not my little goddessgirl anymore."
    Overwhelmed with love for her mother, Persephone took her foot out of the bowl of cold water and rose from the table. "Don't worry," she said, hugging her mom. "I'll always be your little